#sometimes there are just those specific lines and the way that they're said that just get you you know?

[ninyard]

i am a BIG supporter of create what you want for your own joy, so absolutely do what you would like to do for the trial!! no one should be pressuring you to do it a specific way unless that’s how you Want to do it.

but if you were asking about what we’d like… personally i would love to see the whole trial as much as possible (i really don’t want you to overwhelm yourself) especially for higgin’s and nicky’s parts!! i like when we see more than just Big Main Parts, especially bc you flesh it out so well <3 sometimes it’s even more hard hitting when it’s Not from the people we expect, you know?

also, thank you for making the socmed aus!! they make me giggle and kick my feet every time, and also wail in agony and clutch at my chest… you have the range <3

GOD i wrote a whole long ass response to this and i didn't realise until too late that my phone was going to die </3 and it died </3

But it was something along the lines of I'm really glad that the general consensus seems to be to do all five days of the trial, or however many days it ends up being, from start to finish. For me personally it'd feel unfinished if I skipped parts just to get to the ~interesting~ parts, and I think if I'm going to make something like this then I want to show it all.

It's not this deep, but I guess it's like... It's fucked up. People are making memes about a murder trial involving rape and other things that are just not funny at all. And skipping parts just to get to "GOD NEIL IS SO CHAOTIC ON THE STAND" or whatever feels,,, insensitive? Unjust?? I don't know

but people are also doing that shit in real life. About real people, real trials, with real victims and real perpetrators. Sensationalising trials just because it's a celebrity on the stand, or it's an "interesting" murder trial or whatever. People are making memes and jokes about them. And people are making their own minds up about the verdict because of it. I want to show people who think Aaron's guilty because of something the cop who arrested him said. I want to show people who think Andrew is an unreliable witness because of something Higgins says, somebody who thinks Aaron isn't guilty because a forensics team mentioned something about the crime scene that they don't think sounds right. I want to make this from the outsider view on the publics reaction to a trial, and specifically people who almost idolise Aaron, or Kevin, or Neil, or Andrew. People who don't see them as human, but as celebrities, as people who are supposed to be perfect. People who see a trial like this and think, "it's okay for me to make jokes about this, or to post about this, because they're just famous people. They're not like real people to me."

People are at home becoming twitter lawyers and making up their minds based on what they read or see online, and it almost separates the reality of the situation from the "characters" that people create out of defendants and victims. You see people hopping on bandwagons or hate trains or whatever when it comes to these kind of public trials. People making clips of something "funny" a lawyer or witness said for the sake of content. People making temporary celebrities out of the judge and jury and legal representation. For what? For likes?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to show the different sides of how people actually react to trials like this without becoming insensitive to the fact that trials like this,,, do actually happen. But by making a fan tweet a joke about murder, I'm making that, I'm thinking of the words that go into the tweet. So it's tough. And again I know it's not that deep, but that's kind of... most of the reason why I've been putting it off? Because it's hard. It's hard not to feel like it sensationalises those kinds of things. It's hard not to feel like "God, am I just making fun of this situation here?" while also being reminded that yeah, maybe, but people actually react like that.

So is it worth the tumblr post to make memes and tweets out of something that happens irl, and affects real people? Is it insensitive, or is it just fandom stuff that isn't perceived in an insensitive way at all, because it is just that, a fandom post?

[void-kissed]

I do find it very amusing that two of my more cold and stoic self-inserts - who are actually pretty similar in some ways, being nobles in a somewhat unfamiliar situation compared to the nobles around them for example - are for two of the F/Os who manage to make me most flustered simply by existing (or saying certain lines, more specifically)

[thinemoonshine]

⋆ ˚｡𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈 ୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

enhypen 8th fem!member x maknae line genre: fluff type: oneshot word count: 830

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ synopsis: being apart of the maknae line of enhypen, (y/n) has individualized special activities which she usually does with each specific member ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

being each other’s salon (k.sw)

As cliche as it sounds, (y/n) and Sunoo do their skincare together— however, not in a way where they do it side by side but instead, they do it for each other. Although it’s not always, neither is it seldom.

On some random night, the members will find the two of them sitting with folded legs on Sunoo’s bed, facing one another as they gently fix on a cold face mask on each other’s face. This comes off as a shock to the members at times, knowing that Sunoo doesn’t usually let anyone touch his face as they please but he’s given (y/n) privilege saying that she’s “trustworthy and hygienic.”

Both so intent in properly doing each other’s skincare that they don’t need to talk but oftentimes they’ll stare into each other’s eyes as they work, making them burst into laughter before getting back to their task. The warm touch of their fingers contrast with the usually cold creams and masks, giving each other a pleasant feel and at times, Sunoo leans against her hand further without himself realizing.

Sometimes, whenever they’re tired or taking extra steps in their routine, they’ll end up falling asleep on the bed with their face masks slipping off and the members snickering at them through the open door.

playing with each other’s hair (y.jw)

(y/n) has always said that she thinks Jungwon’s hair looks very soft so one day, he let her confirm it on her own— and it was, in fact, fluffy and silky. Ever since then, it’s always been a norm for (y/n) to fix his hair and even play with it, even more so when he’s sitting in a lower position thus, giving her full access to his head.

And this goes both ways, especially so because Jungwon is used to petting Maeum so his hands are constantly searching for something to occupy themselves with.

They’re both watching TV and are completely focused on the show? (y/n) has her fingers through Won’s hair unconsciously.

They’re on live and a member is talking? Jungwon’s playing with (y/n)’s ponytail out of habit as she sits on the floor and him on the couch— hand swishing the tied section like a tail.

Once, the hair stylist even ended up scolding them for messing up the hard work she put in their hairdo and they almost ended up being choked by hairspray.

being each other's comfort bubble (n.rk)

As bubbly as (y/n) is, she too needs her moments of tranquil— and from Ni-ki she finds it. Even though he's frisky and has untamed moments in which he pesters the living daylight out of her, he too is one of whom (y/n) finds most comfort with.

Whenever they're out on a schedule, (y/n) will find a spot to stand beside Ni-ki, or a seat beside him and vice versa. Even without words, they understand each other so well that it's not completely bizarre to say they have mind reading abilities when it comes to each other.

They have their low times every once in a while and unfortunately, some of those times are during filming. And as if they've discussed it beforehand, they would always step forward for each other.

"We need someone in my team! Ni-ki, (y/n), one of you?" Jay asks and turns to the younger two who are sitting on the seat cushions on the floor, looking up at him.

(y/n) raises her hand. "Me! I'll play!" She jumps onto her feet and flashes a small smile to the tired Ni-ki who reciprocates the gesture with a smile of his own.

Or when they're doing something that they know the other is not keen on.

"(Y/N)!!" Jungwon shouts excitedly when she walks out to the pool area where the rest of them are. She's dressed with long swimming tights and a cardigan over her swimming tee. Despite being dressed the part, she doesn't actually want to get into the water. It's just a precaution thing and to match the whole theme.

"Come join us!" Jake calls as he combs his wet hair back, smiling brightly at her and showing off his pearly whites.

(y/n) gives a wave of her hand and a small shake of her head, rejecting him but he must've missed them because suddenly, he's swimming towards her— seizing her ankle to which she jumps at. "Wait, I—"

SPLASH!

Jake lets out a yelp of shock before turning to the culprit, Nishimura Riki, who's giggling to himself after smacking the older with a big wave of chlorinated water.

Thirsty for payback, Jake paddles in the water as fast as he can to catch their maknae, letting go of (y/n) in the process and she meets eyes with Ni-ki who's already looking at her.

He winks (blinks) at her with a proud grin before taking big strides underwater to escape from the hollering madman close on his tail. (y/n) can only chuckle before joining Sunoo under the parasol.

ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹ masterlist ᝰ.ᐟ✮⋆˙

𝜗𝜚 hi, it’s romi here!! thank you so much for reading to the end!! if you enjoyed it, don’t forget to leave a heart and reblog—they give me some motivation, ya know? but please, do not spam like!! X♡X♡, romi ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

copyright © 2024 thinemoonshine all rights reserved

[catnippackets]

disclaimer: as a sex-repulsed aroace person myself--

on one hand, there is definitely a bit of a double standard when it comes to handling canonically queer characters like, from what I've seen in the circles that I frequent (if you've had different experiences then great but I'm just telling it how I see it). for example, you're morally reprehensible if you ship a canon lesbian with a man or refer to a canon bi character as a lesbian. people will be so angry with you. and it's understandable, since there's so little queer rep in comparison to cishet rep that when there IS a rare actual queer character, the unofficial rule is "don't take that away from them when you add more headcanons to them". like, respect that this one is REAL and NOT just a headcanon. I think it makes perfect sense to feel upset when people take that away, even if it is just fiction and not even canon to the original source. and yet, whenever there exists a canon asexual character suddenly it's all "oh well asexual people can still have sex so it's fine if we headcanon THIS canon sexuality as something different". it makes me feel so genuinely heartache-y and depressed to see ppl ignoring that aspect of a character.

and by "canon" I'm also including characters that were never specifically referred to with a label but are very obviously coded as something, because those characters will still get the "even if it's not stated it's pretty obvious!!" treatment when it comes to showing attraction to the same gender, but not when they DON'T show attraction to any gender. like aro and/or ace coding just doesn't count. I understand that it's kind of hard to represent an absence of something, especially when you're only implying it and not even directly showing it, but it's not impossible. there's a lot of characters that you could argue are aroace coded the same way you could argue a character is gay coded. obviously to a degree every queer identity gets disrespected in fandom and it's something you just kinda have to deal with, but it's easier to notice when it's something you personally relate to. I don't think it would bother me as much if we didn't have that unofficial "respect the canon" rule and everyone just went wild with whatever, but the double standard does genuinely hurt me, especially when I see people I thought were cool about this stuff participating in it. so whenever I see someone fiercely defending an asexual character it really makes me feel good, like I'M being defended, not a random fictional character that I might not even recognize the name of. I feel safe, like that person will respect ME.

THAT BEING SAID,

AS a sex-repulsed aroace person who enjoys thinking about the entire spectrum of intimacy and where a character may fall exactly on that spectrum, ALSO as a person who is aware that "asexual" simply means "does not experience sexual attraction" and not necessarily "is violently repulsed by anything sexual", sometimes I DO want to play out scenarios for my own enjoyment. sometimes I DO want to think hm I wonder where this ace character's line is, compared to a different ace character. I wonder if there is anyone who would be an exception for them, and how they could go about dealing with that exception. I wonder if they're favourable, neutral, or repulsed. if those aspects of their character aren't explicitly stated then what's to stop me from playing around with them and working through my own issues in a controlled and non-canon environment? if they have the same identity as me, I am way more likely to want to play around with them like a doll and perhaps play out scenarios that I might have thought about before but don't actually want to do for real. I'm not taking away their identity, after all; I'm just, in this scenario, imagining this ace character as an ace that might have sex on at least one occasion for whatever reason. either just to try it, or because they do have someone they'd make an exception for, or if they got bored enough, whatever the reason. it isn't quite disrespecting their truth unless it's explicitly stated either in canon or by word of god that it's something they're uncomfortable with. and to be honest, if I see another asexual creator headcanoning a character as somewhere on the asexual spectrum and depicting them in sexual situations, it makes me almost happy, to know that they're still acknowledging that character's canon identity and accepting and exploring the nuance that could come with it, even if I personally believe that this specific character would be repulsed instead of neutral or favourable. there's this understanding of "I'm doing a character study exploration thing", and not "I don't care I just wanna sexualize this character"

but I literally feel GUILTY when I want to write what is essentially a thinkpiece disguised as a fanfiction or original story on asexuality and take an asexual character (canon or coded) and involve them in sexual situations to explore different avenues of the spectrum. I feel like I'm betraying everyone who's like me and is frustrated with how aroace characters are treated within fandom. I'm like "am I being just as bad as those other people who will disrespect a character's canon sexuality just because they think that character is hot and want to ship them with someone? do they do the same thing with other types of queer characters? how does this reflect that person's view of people, if they're explicitly told someone feels a certain way and decides to ignore it for their own amusement? or is it just because they're fictional and not real people and I'm being really sensitive and thinking way too much into it? am I not doing the exact same thing? do I have more credence to explore scenarios like this because I am aroace and sex-repulsed myself and therefore have a pass to do whatever I want and it won't come off as a little weird the way it might if someone who's allosexual did it?"

and these two opinions are at war in my mind constantly. like both of them can and do co-exist but I still struggle to accept that lol

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for only reading gay books?

Kind of exactly what it says on the tin. I have a huge home library, like 100+ books, and the vast vast majority of them are either gay romance fiction or memoirs from gay men. A lot of stuff about gay sex specifically too. The few that aren't explicitly gay are still decidedly homoerotic classics and/or written by gay authors. I have the tiniest little section of books that have nothing to do with being gay. And... even then I basically still have them for gay reasons, tbh. Like as reference for writing a period novel that's a gay romance or something.

Anyway I've had a few people including my mom see my library and note that they think I'm creating an "echo chamber" or something along those lines. Basically what's been expressed to me is that I need to value some other things. And the thing is, I do sometimes feel bad about that already? But I genuinely just do no have any interest in much else enough to read a whole book. My mom in particular insists that I'm removing myself from reality this way and I need to give other stuff a chance instead of ONLY valuing gay stuff. I would dismiss that as homophobia but even some other gay people have said similar things to me, just more with careful wording and with more focus on appreciation for literature and critical thinking and whatnot.

I wanna think that they've all just got internalized things going on but I can't help the sense that they're right. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[goquokka00]

The Little Things (Jeongin Ver.)

The small things he does every day that make you feel oh, so special.

Bangchan | Minho | Changbin | Hyunjin Jisung | Felix | Seungmin | Jeongin

|Helps You Dress |

We're all probably aware that Jeongin is extremely well dressed. Hell, even the other members have clarified that sometimes they go to Jeongin for fashion opinions and advice. And a lot of times, you do the same. Either that, or Jeongin will offer help if he sees you're struggling.

Jeongin will go to your closet with you and look through your clothes to try and find something that'll fit what you're aiming for. If it's for a study session at the library, he'll find a comfier set of clothes for it. If it's for a family gathering at a fancy restaurant, he'll make sure you look phenomenal. If it's for a double date with you and Jeongin and a friend and her significant other, he'll make sure that both of you are matching outfits.

I also think that sometimes, Jeongin will dress you in his own clothing, too. Not all the time, just whenever you're going to something you're not really looking forward to or will just be lounging around the house with him. Jeongin loves his clothes, yes, but he loves them even more when they're on you.

| Comes For Cuddles |

Jeongin isn't one for cuddles. We all know this. If his members try to hug and coddle him, he always tries to maneuver out of it. And I think for the most part, Jeongin wouldn't really want to cuddle you a whole lot either at first, just because it's who he is. It doesn't mean he doesn't love you, it's just a Jeongin thing.

However, there are definitely going to be moments when Jeongin will want cuddles, and will come to you for them. You stopped going to him for them, because he was always super reluctant, and figured if he wanted them, he'd come. And he did. Usually, it's when he's had a rough patch at work or is just straight exhausted. He'll come over to you and lay on top of you, resting his head on your chest and nuzzling you while hugging your torso, humming at the soft scratches you give his head.

I also firmly stand by the belief that Jeongin will do this around the other Kids, too. Literally for no other reason than to make them all upset and jealous because you're getting all of these Jeongin cuddles and kisses and affection and they're not. They'll definitely grumble about it, all while Jeongin has this smug look on his face. He just finds pleasure in making his Hyungs upset.

| Video Games |

After watching Jeongin play Among Us on Chan's computer, I think that you and he would play a LOT of video games together. Anything from on the Nintendo Switch to a Playstation, even on a laptop, the two of you would play plenty of games, sometimes even with certain things on the line. Stuff like, "Loser has to do dishes", or "If I win, you have to give me a back massage."

The competitive play would definitely be a thing, but I also think you guys would have a lot of Co-op games that you guys would play, too. Things like Bread and Fred, Among Us (if one of you isn't on a different side), It Takes Two, things like that.

I also think that y'all would 100% play games like Animal Crossing or Minecraft. You and Jeongin work way too hard on your world/islands, and always have to run ideas by each other. Those games are also great ways to stay in contact when Jeongin's on tour. Sure, a Stray Kid besides Jeongin will sometimes join your Minecraft server, but Jeongin usually kills them as punishment for joining his server that was specifically for him and his love.

| Misunderstandings |

If you're someone who's soft spoken, I feel like misunderstandings would happen a lot. Even if you weren't soft spoken, I feel like this would still happen. A lot. More or less, it's literally just Jeongin only half-listening, and hearing you say something completely different than what was actually said.

Other times, it might just be that you as him to do something, and he hears what you say, but he thinks of it in a completely different way than what you meant. "I thought you wanted me to fill the printer! I did!" "Yeah, with ink!" "And I did that!" "Jeongin, printer ink!" "...oh."

I don't think that you'd ever get mad at him though, mainly because if he does end up slipping up big time, he'll buy whatever he broke or take the time to actually do what you asked, and then will proceed to apologize profusely while cuddling you because he feels really, really, REALLY bad.

| At-Home Facials |

Honestly, because all of the guys are into facials, I think this could happen with any of them. But for whatever reason, I could see this being a Jeongin thing the most. Whether you're the one pestering him that you wanna do a facial together, or if he's the one pestering, it happens a lot.

Sometimes, it's just the two of you wearing face masks while eating instant noodles and watching TV. And that's always fun, and Jeongin really enjoyed those. You do too, because it's cheap and doesn't take a whole lot of effort to complete. Not to mention that you two always got to cuddle up on the couch.

Other times, you and Jeongin go all out. Doing multiple masks, placing cucumbers on the eyes, steaming faces with hot towels, massaging faces (and Jeongin squishing your cheeks while commenting on how cute you are), all of it. Jeongin will usually buy all of the supplies, because going out is his idea. But you two do end up feeling awesome after.

Hey! Firstly, thank you so much for reading this post, and I really hope you enjoyed! If you did, please like, reblog, or comment so I can see how I'm doing with writing and getting feedback! I hope you have a lovely day! Sleep well, stay in good health, and eat something if you haven't! ❤️❤️❤️

[jellybonbons]

Calm husband x Assertive wife headcanons

DI!Leon Kennedy x fem!reader

A/N: heavily inspired by safa and fahad’s relationship from dubai bling.

Leon with a wife who is a bit of a firecracker—she's got that bratty streak, a stubborn side, and isn't afraid to speak her mind. But beneath all that, she's also incredibly understanding, compassionate, and fiercely loyal (only to him and her loved ones).

After all he's been through, he's looking for someone who can keep him grounded, bring him back down to earth, or just take charge in the relationship. He wants to be pampered and taken care of.

Leon, who's all about going with the flow, has this "it is what it is" mindset, but you, his wife, are the one who calls the shots on his behalf. As Leon grew older, he stopped giving fucks except for his darling wife.

Take driving, for example. If someone cuts him off, he's the type to shrug it off. But you? You're the one with road rage, ready to give them a piece of your mind. And when his order gets messed up, he'll just eat it, but not you. You'll be marching up to the manager, making sure he gets what he paid for because, hey, it's all about getting your his money's worth.

"Sweetheart, it's fine, really," he said, offering a small smile.

"No, it's not. You specifically said no chilli. And what do they do? Add it in anyway. It's like they're gunning for you," you replied, clearly irritated and a tad dramatic. Poor white man can't handle his spice.

Sometimes you'd push the limit, and he'd have your back. But once you're home and out of the public eye, he'll give you a lecture about where you went wrong. It might take you a minute to actually hear him out because, let's face it, you're stubborn. But he's got his tricks to make sure you eventually listen, if you know what I mean.

People might raise eyebrows at your marriage because you two are total opposites. They whisper nonsense behind your back because of your straightforwardness and confidence, and that's something Leon doesn't let slide. That's when he gives a damn, because nobody gets to badmouth his wife.

"I heard Leon's wife is quite controlling. Poor guy can't even make a decision without her approval," someone remarked, their tone condescending.

"Excuse me," Leon quickly interjected. "Let me make one thing clear: my wife is not controlling. Decisions in our marriage are made together, as equals."

“And if I hear anyone disrespecting her again, there will be consequences. Understood?" His tone was firm as he addressed his subordinates with a hard gaze. 

"Yes sir," the subordinates replied hastily, scrambling to return to their tasks.

This might have been the only instance he'd wield his authority as the top agent, but it was a line he wouldn't allow anyone to cross. 

What really makes your relationship click is the mutual respect and understanding you both share, along with your shared drive and ambition. You get that his job can eat up a lot of his time, with weeks and even months away from home, and sure, it gets to you sometimes. But he's pretty good at making it up to you (material gestures and physical affection).

Leon really appreciates how you get his career demands, and he's all for you pursuing your own career path too. He'd rather see you doing your thing than stuck at home while he's away. However, if and when you decide to have children, he might lean towards the idea of you being a stay-at-home mom, though ultimately, he respects it's entirely your decision.

As for that tracker thing, it's not about being controlling; it's more about being protective. With him going on those risky missions, you like having a way to keep tabs on him and make sure he's safe. At first, he wasn't too keen on the idea, but when you explained how it eases your mind, he kinda got it. Plus, it's kinda fun to mess around with it sometimes, right?

“Hey, where'd you sneak off to earlier?" you asked with a mock sternness, tapping your foot as Leon entered the room. "Your little dot disappeared for a while there."

Leon raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "What are you talking about? I've been right here the whole time."

You narrowed your eyes playfully. "Oh really? Because according to the tracker, you vanished into thin air."

A grin spread across Leon's face as he produced a cup of boba from behind his back, "I may have noticed a certain someone was feeling a bit down, so I thought I'd surprise her with her favourite pick-me-up.”

“Aw, Leon!” you exclaimed, jumping on him and nearly causing him to drop the boba and possibly break his back in the process.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I guess I get why people are conflicted about it in the context of Ed and Stede's argument in ep 7, but I think it's genuinely impossible to read their sex scene in ep 6 as anything other than completely romantic.

There are two conflicting ideas going on here -

Ed and Stede had sex at a very emotional moment, when they were both coming down from the trauma of watching each other get tortured and Stede making his first intentional kill despite Ed warning him not to, and it would have been healthier for them to wait and just talk instead.

The sex itself was entirely consensual, they both enjoyed it a lot and had a good time in the moment, and it was romantic even though it was too fast (in the same sense Ed kissing Stede in s1e9 was too fast).

And it's perfectly possible for both of those ideas to exist at the same time.

We get plenty of hints that them having sex isn't the best idea. Stede is obviously deeply conflicted when Ed comes to check on him, and Ed still wearing his shirt when Stede closes the curtains tells us that he's not quite as ready as Stede, who already has his shirt off.

BUT those little hints do not detract from the romance of the moment! Not at all!

Stede clearly and obviously waits for Ed to nod his consent, and Ed deepens their kiss. The entire bed when Stede closes the curtains is lit up purple, the color we know from s1 symbolizes Ed's love for Stede. There are literally fireworks. It's all set to La Vie en Rose, and I get not everyone speaks French (I don't blame you, it's a godawful language) but the specific lines in this scene are, in my opinion, the most devastatingly romantic in the whole song: "in life, it's him for me, me for him. He swore that to me for life."

And the morning after, they're both clearly feeling great. Ed makes Stede breakfast while cheerfully humming, feels like opening up and telling him about the mermaid thing. They go on a cute little date, Ed seems genuinely happy Stede is getting famous (he's the one who suggests going to Spanish Jackie'z!).

It's only at Spanish Jackie'z, watching Stede having a great time with his fans and Jackie asking him if Stede knows about Ed's "wanting to be a regular guy" thing, that Ed starts panicking. He thinks that Stede will choose this over him and thinks he has to leave before Stede has a chance to leave him. Him saying that having sex was a "mistake" was said in the heat of the moment, and he clearly means that he wishes they'd just waited a bit longer. He's terrified his influence is "ruining" Stede in the same way Stede was in s1e9.

Like any other part of human relationships, sometimes sex can be consensual and fun and still not be at the right time. That's not a bad thing, it's just people being people and people are messy. I genuinely don't think Ed even really regrets having sex in the slightest; I think it was just an easy thing to latch on to as an example of how things were suddenly moving way too fast while he was panicking.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

One thing I like about in game yuu despite being a mostly blank slate still manages to have some detail despite being made as an insert. Like how they're good at instruments

I did see that Yuu was can play the bugle (a brass horn?) for White Rabbit Fest, but their skill actually depends on the dialogue option you choose. If you pick the other option, Yuu is just as lackluster at playing as the other characters are. I think they also played the flute either during the Harveston hometown event or in a related character’s Harveston vignettes (I can’t recall which it is).

There was a similar option given during the Harveston hometown event in 4-7 (but it’s more of Epel asking, “do you play instruments” for a yes/no response rather than whether or not Yuu is any good at it):

But!! There definitely are other times when Yuu is described in spite of being designed as a blank slate/self-insert character. Two examples that automatically come to my mind are various characters’ home screen voice lines in which they mention Yuu has a small or slim stature. Crowley also mumbles to himself that Yuu appears "effeminate". The other (and much more obvious) example is when Azul points out in 3-10 of the main story that Yuu doesn’t have any particular talents:

Which??? Sorry, Azul 😂 We have to agree to disagree here. One skill of Yuu’s that we can extrapolate is that they’re a decent photographer. This is because it’s implied that the card illustrations and groovies are pictures taken by Yuu’s ghost camera (regardless of whether or not Yuu is actually mentioned or is present or not during the vignettes). Yuu is also specifically shown taking pictures in some events, such as Port Breeze Fest (ie during Rook’s vignettes).

Yuu is also said to be able to cook for themselves in book 7. This may be because they learned this skill via Master Chef.

Another trait (albeit very generalized) could be that Yuu is the kind of person that facilitates cooperation. Now, what exactly that means can vary greatly from individual interpretation to individual interpretation, but suffice to say that Yuu, in some way or another, helps their peers to collaborate and to get along. Some people also characterize Yuu to be a clever or a strategist, as they helped concoct a battle plan in the prologue among other smaller plans (for example, keeping Leona from sleeping to get his help in book 3, getting “a bad feeling” that Vil will OB soon, etc). Note that this may be why Rook nicknames Yuu “Trickster”. However, it could also be argued that Yuu is sometimes aren’t that bright, perhaps for plot convenience (ie not putting two and two together that Tsunotaro/Hornton is Malleus, not trying to negotiate with Azul’s contract terms in book 3, etc).

It’s mentioned in a few occasions that Yuu is also said to look frail/is not physically fit to contribute to battle (something which the light novel and manga adaptations of Yuu defy), although this could just refer to their lack of magic. Again, related to this, Crowley and others have lines which imply Yuu is feminine looking (small, non-muscular, non-threatening vibes, etc), regardless of what their actual sex or gender may be.

***NOTE:*** A notable difference between TWST JP and TWST EN is that Yuu’s dialogue options in EN are much sassier and more outspoken than those of JP. For example, whereas one of JP’s choices may be, “Oh, I see” (very generic, very plain), EN may exaggerate it to, “Not this again!” (insinuating displeasure or being fed up/actively protesting).

If you guys know of any other traits or abilities that in-game Yuu has, feel free to share them!

[general-cyno]

apparently it's the 15th anniversary of zoro's sacrifice in thriller bark (not sure if manga or anime though) so yknow. time for more zolu of course

one of the many things about zoro and luffy is that despite how their approach to certain situations might differ at times, they're still pretty similar at their core, sometimes to a comical degree (see: their definition of what a hero is back in fish man island arc). and this understanding of how the other works is what leads to moments like jaya,

this little one in water 7/enies lobby,

and follows consistently all the way to wano arc.

and I was thinking the other day about how their childhoods too kinda mirror or parallel each other's in a way that emphasizes (to me, at least) how special zoro's particular protectiveness toward luffy is, and why luffy relying on zoro that way is just as special.

the specifics of their childhood stories are different but both luffy and zoro have a turning point of sorts that's marked with the grief and loss of sabo and kuina, respectively, which leads them to say these:

(I cropped the panels, but luffy's also crying here)

it's important to note zoro and luffy had dreams/aspirations before this, to become the greatest swordsman and luffy's secret thing that we've yet to learn about (that ace, sabo and the crew now know). however, losing kuina and sabo is what prompts them to, on top of that, strive to become stronger for other people's sake. for zoro, it's his way to honor his friend and fulfill their shared dream. for luffy, it's to avoid losing the people he loves.

throughout the story, zoro and luffy end up expressing similar frustration and sentiments due to this. there's zoro innerly chiding himself for being too weak as he trains in the aftermath of arcs like little garden, alabasta and thriller bark, where the crew get stuck in situations in which zoro isn't able to help as he wishes he could (the wax cake, the sea prism stone cell, kuma). there's luffy swearing he won't lose a single member of his crew even if it kills him (the davy back fight) and reproaching himself for not being able to save any of the straw hats in sabaody, with the worst of it right after losing ace in marineford.

(and man do I have thoughts about bon turning into zoro, out of all the straw hats, back in impel down.)

anyway. as to why all of this is meaningful - when zoro agrees to join luffy, he mentions that his goal to become the greatest swordsman is all he has. yet as the straw hats go from journey to journey, and with a certain emphasis in luffy, you can see how zoro's view slowly shifts. he's now driving himself to become strong to protect them as well, to the point he's willing to set aside his ambition and offer his own head in exchange for luffy's, if it means he can ensure luffy's life and safety. that's huge. as mihawk inwardly points out, zoro has something, someone he values even more than his ambitions and pride. and it's through his adventures with luffy and the crew that he becomes closer to achieving that initial dream of his.

whenever people wonder why zoro's as loyal as he is to luffy, aside from all the reasons why luffy as a character has earned that loyalty through his actions, I also remember that one line koushiro said to zoro in a flashback: "the pinnacle of swordsmanship is the power to protect what one wishes to protect and cut what one wishes to cut. a blade that injures all that it touches isn't really a sword." while sure, it works in the context of later power ups like haki, imo it perfectly captures zoro's character growth too and what luffy's given him. the current zoro isn't lost or directionless with only one purpose in mind or to live for, bounty hunting as a means to survive. he has a home to return to, people to cherish, to protect and keep getting stronger for, people who nurture him in turn. kuina's death is something zoro couldn't have prevented, and losing people in accidents like those is something that could happen again, but still within the limits of what's preventable - zoro can protect his friends now.

as for luffy... zoro kinda steals the spotlight when it comes to grand gestures of loyalty/devotion and being the MC of the story means luffy fights for different people (both crew and non crew), carrying their wishes and hopes as if they were his own. he gets help and learns from others as well and all members of the crew are important for luffy to achieve his dream one way or the other, but the way he relies on zoro specifically is so subtly meaningful to me. we don't get as much insight on luffy's inner thoughts, still, we do have context.

for someone like luffy, who is at his innermost genuinely terrified of being alone and losing the people he loves, the fact that he trusts zoro to protect and keep everyone safe (even luffy himself) is so good. as shown above, luffy vowed to become strong in the first place to ensure he'd never go through loss like sabo's again and this vow is all the more renewed after ace's death. luffy has to be strong for everyone but... the fact that he can trust zoro to follow his lead even when others might not understand his reasons to do x or y, that he's so unwavering in his faith that zoro will protect the others when luffy can't, entrusting the people he cares about to zoro, whom luffy also cherishes - it's all pretty special. everyone in the crew has their strengths and zoro may not be the only fighter, but all of them, including sanji, fall under his protection whenever it's needed.

it's not only about raw strength though. zoro's also there to set luffy straight and remind him of what's important when the circumstances arise, like in water 7 or punk hazard. and even when they don't necessarily agree, like wrt vivi's situation after the reverie in marijoa, luffy knows when zoro's right and acquiesces (albeit grumbling a little) because, once again, he's also aware that zoro wouldn't just risk everyone's safety. luffy listens to him. and their reunion in wano too, luffy's sheer happiness at the sight of him again, is a very clear example of how much luffy adores zoro even beyond all that.

although luffy isn't aware of what happened in thriller bark (that we know of), zoro's actions are proof of why luffy trusts, has faith in, and relies on zoro as much as he does and why it's so important for luffy to have him by his side, considering how afraid he is of being unable to keep his loved ones safe. this is more on a speculative note, but I can imagine how comforting that must be for luffy - to not shoulder that on his own.

happy anniversary!

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

Finally watched Caped Crusader and I have ✨thoughts✨.

Oswalda is straight up iconic. Loved every scene with her. I actually laughed out loud when the dude goes "Thorne got you to kill the wrong son?" and she responds "Not that!" I'd let her lock me in a suitcase and throw me in the sea. She gets a gold star ⭐

I like that we get to see Selina's origin. I like the classic suit. That's kinda it though. A bit sad that Bruce didn't feel any connection with her. Just not a huge fan of her character here. She doesn't feel like Selina (a problem most of this show faces tbh).

I was loving the Harley stuff. The bit with Renee was so cute, and I love that she really was passionate about helping Bruce move past his trauma. I really like that she's Barbara's friend. Was really upset at the fakeout death but at least she was just joshin. The villain stuff felt like fetishes which like okay. I guess Bruce needed to put in something to replace BruceBabs. Anyway, that's the final dig towards him. As much as this Harley episode wasn't my favorite, a promise is a promise. Although I do gotta ask, WHY CAN'T RENEE CATCH A BREAK IN HER LOVE LIFE >:(((

No fucking way the moral of episode 7 was "the system is totally not screwed, it's just a few bad apples and also a criminal is a criminal and should be jailed". Barbara literally says the system sucks cause the cops can do what they want and get in anyone's pockets and then nearly gets killed by a cop and then they end it with "actually, I think you do"?! I mean yeah that specific guy deserved prison but ending it on that note of Barbara feeling betrayed and confused on her morals tells a very not-so-delightful message. Glad the show backtracks on all that immediately but it's still weird and definitely could've used some revising to fit in with the rest.

Onomatopeia was awesome though. I remember people claiming his shtick couldn't work when he appeared in Superman and Lois. They said that it only worked in comics and would be too silly out loud. Happy to report that they're wrong.

I feel like I'm the only one who was excited to see Waylon but that's okay cause I got enough excitement for everyone. Love to see my mans kicking the shit out of potential perverts. You go, Waylon!

Dick, Jason, Steph, and Carrie. Definitely an interesting combination. But it's also so nice to see a Jason who grew up in a different environment and is therefore adorable with no rage in his heart. As opposed to Carrie who was ready to kick some ass. The ending to episode 8 really understood Batman, what with him saying he can't leave her there, carrying her and shielding her under the cape, and then asking about her later.

The Harvey bit is kinda cool but 1, I've always been iffy on the shotty DID stuff and 2, I think they coulda gone further. Just watch The Long Halloween for a better Two Face plot.

I like Harvey helping that guy get his stuffed animal back. That was a nice small character moment. If we had more stuff like that and Bruce being unable to confess his emotions to Alfred, I think this whole thing would be better. This one made up for episode 7's little message by having Barbara tell Harvey that it's not so cut and dry and that he deserves help too. I'm glad they went back to that after the whole "sometimes things are black and white" bit. Batman is about helping people just as much as Superman is and I feel like sending a message that "nope, bad is bad and he should just punch people" doesn't fit the entire thesis of Batman.

This finale really encapsulates how this show doesn't quite understand the character of Batman. It may be comic-accurate for him to be an asshole and put on the voice randomly, treat Alfred like crap, and randomly break character with stuff like "don't start growing a conscience now, Dent" but as I said it goes against the whole thesis. This is more along the lines of the Nolan films with the "Bruce Wayne is the mask" bit. And we all know how I feel about those films.

And then it ends on a boring cliffhanger with the boss guy and then a shitty Joker teaser. Boo.

In short, this show is good but it's not anything special. I do really like the classic Batman aesthetic, but that's pretty much it. It doesn't really understand the characters like MAWS and WFA, the overarching plot is kind of uninteresting and it doesn't feel like we're building up to something great. I feel like this show really wanted to use the episodic style to take a look at all these different elements of Gotham's world with references to existing characters and aspects. But whereas MAWS smoothly slid those into its narrative and setting, this just kinda feels like a villain of the week show instead of working towards this grand narrative. And that can be a good thing, I mean I'm a Scooby Doo fan for crying out loud, but in this scenario, it just doesn't work that exceptionally. If it gets a season 2, I'll probably watch it. But this isn't something I'd be excitedly waiting to see new episodes of.

[strwberri-milk]

Hi hi! May I request Childe, Heizou, and Wriothesley (add anyone else if you want) with an Author!Reader who usually writes crime/detective, mystery, and horror? Reader is sometimes stressed and sleep deprived because of this and their writing space is a mess with papers everywhere too.

It's okay if you won't do this one! ^^

Childe absolutely finds it fascinating. He doesn't have too much time in between work to really dedicate to reading the books you've written but he does his best. He's got copies of your books lining the shelves in his office and when people ask he tells them they're yours and that he strongly recommends the books himself.

Sometimes, you shyly approach him to ask for some details that only he could provide to help make your books just a bit more realistic. It makes him very happy to hear that you need his help and when you show him the parts that he helped with he can't help but specifically mark those pages off to read over and over again, fascinated by how you turn his loose explanations into insightful prose.

He doesn't mind the mess you leave behind when working - in fact he likes to rifle through it - but he does hate how stressed and tired you are. No matter how often he finds you passed out in your work he'll always take care to put you in bed and clean you off so you can rest. He won't leave you alone which means you're forced to rest, falling asleep against his chest.

Heizou didn't realise he was a casual fan of your books until after you told him that you wrote some of the books he's got on his shelf. You were just making a simple observation, not wanting to keep your occupation a secret nor make a big deal out of it but he took the opportunity to pull down the most memorable one and ask you some questions he remembers having while reading the book.

He likes to pop in whenever you're really struggling on a scene, wanting to offer up his expertise whenever you find yourself in a particular difficult situation in your writing. You can hand off sections of your manuscript to him and he's more than happy to read through the pages. Most often he points out any discrepancies he can personally find and helps reconcile them when he can.

The two of you often end up accidentally spending the night working on your projects, trying to keep each other awake or trying to convince the other person to go to sleep. You both try to work in organised chaos so he's familiar with how to stack your papers before you fall asleep to prevent ruining your workflow. You try to complain that you've got too much to do but he won't take any of it, shoving you back into bed playfully to make sure you manage to sleep.

Wriothesley likes to come down from the day with his tea, snacks, and a nice book in hand. It just so happens he was recommended for your book and he recognised the pen name you said that you use when writing. Without telling you, he quickly finishes the book and starts on another, finding himself thoroughly excited to work his way through your work.

You like watching the people in the prison, finding inspiration from the passing stores people tell you or just things you happen to over hear. You've got a lot of little notes sitting around of things you might want to expand on but for now, you're never lacking inspiration.

He also loves watching you work. It's always fun for him to try and make sense of all the paper you leave around. It's like some sort of puzzle he work on as you ramble to him about some ideas you've got for the continuing of your story - something he also listens to very intently.

Whenever it looks like you're about to pass out due to exhaustion or stress he simply removes you from your work site. He'll make sure you've got something to eat or drink before tucking you into bed no matter what you tell him. He'll remind you you can't do your best work if your mind is distracted and your body is starving and considering how assertive he can be there's not much you can do, but you also don't mind.

[ilivingonmyway]

Something, something, part II about Ninja Team headcanons! Part I here

Lloyd

• He knows things he shouldn't know. Spending a good part of your life at Darkleys does that to you. That was a school for future gang leaders, psychopaths and other types of crazy people. You can't tell me that at no point in his life did he learn how to dismember someone by the right way.

• He memorized all the names of all Starfare volumes and sagas. He's a complete nerd about these comics. And it's worse when he and Jay are together.

• Sometimes, he goes out with Nya, Pixal and Skylor just to gossip. These four together talk about everything and everyone that exists in the world.

• Even during the few times of peace in Ninjago, he suffers from insomnia. Often because of nightmares and some night terrors, but also because of his genetics. Both the Oni side and the Dragon side are more nocturnal. So he often stayed up all night just because he wasn't really tired and managed to stay that way until dawn.

• Sometimes he finds himself thinking about Akita. Missing her. Those few days with the wolf girl had affected him. As much as Lloyd tries to deny it, it was better than with Harumi, in more ways than one.

• He loves sweets, but not just any kind of sweets. He likes those that are sweet and at the same time refreshing. Because this way he doesn't get sick and can eat more.

• After the battle against the Oni, he often thinks about the "dream" he had about his Grandfather. He told Master Wu once, but he just smiled and said it was a dream.

• He is extremely protective of his family. Brothers, sisters, uncle, children... You will never lay a finger on any of them and leave in Punishment if the DragOni is around.

• Being the Green Ninja and the guy who is on the front line in both defense and attack, he is very precise with his powers and strikes. One stumble and things could turn out to be fatal.

• At some point, he developed Wu's tea addiction and Garmadon's plant worship. This runs in the family and is completely inevitable.

Nya

• Her eyes were brown, exactly the color of wood, like her father's. But after spending a year as part of the ocean, Nya's eyes changed, now having prominent blue-gray spots on the irises. At some point they returned more to brown, but whenever she uses her powers on a large scale, her eyes return to the blue.

• She's better than Kai at making weapons. Swords, axes, clubs, arrows... She always had a lot of free time in her childhood and early teens, and while Kai was busy being a ninja, she had all the time in the world to practice making weapons.

• After she was brought back from the endless sea, for a long time she had these bouts of overpowering. Most of the time this manifested itself in her physical form, with the ends of her hair randomly turning blue and floating as if she were underwater. She also remained with the marks of the transformation, but this has faded over time, almost like a really old scar, you won't notice it unless you're paying close attention.

• She is equally impulsive and the voice of reason. She will think at least 20 times to make sure the punch she will hit you and break your nose.

• Don't be fooled, even though she is usually very calm and is part of the voice of reason trio Zane and Pixal are the other members, Nya can be extremely jealous. She is related to Kai and was raised by him, so she ended up getting this overprotective and jealous instinct. Jay and Lloyd are the main targets of this instinct, because they are her Yin and her little brother. Although she often tries to hide it or not care, she will always end up being somewhat possessive of her loved ones.

• She can still hear the voice of the ocean, more specifically, Nyad. But this time they're not calling out to her, they're congratulating her on finding what she lost.

• She is a master of Aikido, I just think it's matches with her, being the Water Ninja, she long ago learned to go with the flow of the fight. Water never takes you where you want to go, you are the one carried by the force of its flow. Some time later, she trained Lloyd in this style.

• The amount of times she called Kai "dad" as a child is insane. She used to call him that in the most mundane tasks that used to remind her of Ray. Kai held back crying every time that she called him that.

• She was never a heavy sleeper, always having difficulty for fall sleeping and often waking up in the middle of the night. This only got better after she started living at the Monastery, as she felt that so much Kai and she were safer.

• She has a collection of weapons. Swords and spears are what she collects most, she keeps most of them hidden in Samurai X's cave, but there are also some in her room, for emergency purposes and also because she thinks it makes the decor look cool.

Zane

• I got this from some post, but I don't remember who the author was He talks in his sleep. At some point in his life some parts of the voice control were damaged and even after Nya and Jay took a look he continued talking in his sleep. He just can't stop. The worst is on nights when he has nightmares, as he begins not only to scream, but to narrate the dream, right down to the noises in the scene.

• Every time he gets very nervous he starts to freeze himself or the people and things around him. He tends to distance himself when this happens, as he prefers to freeze his own circuits than the people he loves.

• Sometimes he refuses to sleep, not for any worrying reason, but because he wants to do some tasks that he couldn't do while it was daylight. Washing the dishes, sweeping the training yard, putting the clothes to wash... Any household chore that he didn't do due to some unforeseen circumstances, he does at night.

• Whenever he hears an unfamiliar term or slang, he tends to do a quick search. If he doesn't find the meaning, he will ask Jay or Kai later, since they are the two who most spend time online.

• The Ice Emperor episode left him with a lot of trauma as well as some survivor's guilt. Zane never stopped to think that he could actually kill frozen people or commit genocide if his 1s and 0s weren't actually aligned correctly. He never forgave himself and started using his powers less.

• Birds are his favorite animals, of course. But there's one thing no one knows: He can't decide between the hawk or the snowy owl as his favorite kind of bird.

• He has a mental list of all the food preferences of all his ninjas and other friends.

• In the hottest summers, the ninjas fight to spend time with Zane, as he is a walking air conditioner. He finds this particularly funny and always laughs when they start arguing with each other.

• He and Pixal often play board games and experiment human things.

• Before discovering he was a Nindroid, Zane often did non-human things that others found strange. One time, when it was just him, Cole and Jay, they went out on a little scouting mission, and in the middle of the whole thing they ran into some highwaymen who they ended up fighting, and in the middle of the fight, Zane hit his head on a rock, and while Jay and Cole were in complete panic Zane was confused because he didn't feel hurt. The next few days were filled with worry and jokes about Zane being a blockhead.

[antianakin]

You’ve talked a little about ships before but mainly in the context of how that is connected with the/a specific Jedi. And also a bit about ships you don’t like

But in Star Wars as a whole what’s your favourite ship, which one do you think is the best, and which one do you think is the most compelling?

(I know that the answer to all three could be the same but for me personally there’s often little overlap in these things so ymmv)

Also which ship do you think has the most potential?

I'll assume that canon and fanon are both options here.

"My Favorite" is the easiest to answer, so I'll start there. I've made an entire fic rec list for it and made no secret of the fact that I really like Codywan. Star Wars wasn't a fandom I really did any shipping in when I first was introduced to it as a kid. It wasn't until I decided to get back into Star Wars a little as an adult that I was even introduced to the IDEA of Codywan as a ship, but once I discovered it, it had me absolutely hooked. I will admit that I have a hard time with reading Codywan fics these days and interacting with other Codywan shippers because I often end up feeling like my interpretation of the characters is very different than the norm and what I want from the relationship - the thing that makes it compelling to me - isn't the same as most other people who enjoy the ship. But it was my first Star Wars ship and I still really enjoy the version of Codywan that exists in my head, so it will continue to claim the title of favorite.

For "Most Compelling" and "The Best" I'm actually going to exclusively define those as being IN CANON because anything in fanon can be compelling depending on how well someone writes it. I could obviously put Codywan down for both of these categories, but it would specifically be MY version of Codywan, the version that only really exists in my own head, and not necessarily the more popular version of them in the fandom.

I'm going to give "The Best" and "Most Compelling" to Jyn and Cassian from Rogue One. I will readily admit that, as someone who identifies as aroace, the fact that Jyn and Cassian never do or say anything explicitly romantic to each other is a major part of the reason I like them. I also personally believe it's the reason they're so compelling. Without being able to use any of the usual narrative shortcuts that romance tends to provide, Jyn and Cassian's dynamic relies on actually showing the two of them connecting with each other on a deeper level. I love how so much of their relationship with each other exists only in their eyes, in the way that they look at each other (whether the other person is looking back or not). I love the way their relationship comes through in-between the lines rather than stated out loud. I love the subtlety that exists for Jyn and Cassian in a way it doesn't for pretty much any other more "canon" ship.

I have also said before (though I'm not entirely certain I did it on this blog or not) that I really like angst, usually in the form of hurt/comfort but a good tragedy sometimes just hits the spot. Jyn and Cassian living in a "maybe," existing in a perpetual "what could have been," is so fucking sweet to me. That shit hurts JUST RIGHT. I love the idea that these two people meant everything to each other but only in the last few days before they died and they never even got to explore what exactly that could be. Their love is shown in how they impacted each other, the ways their relationship changed each other, because that's all they ever had time for. I fucking love that shit. The ambiguity of Jyn and Cassian's relationship is what makes it the most compelling to me and I think that the fact that they never get together forced the writers to show us they loved each other in far more interesting and nuanced ways than usually exist for couples that more explicitly get together on screen.

And finally, my choice for "Most Potential" is FinnRey. I really liked Finn and Rey's dynamic in TFA, I liked the way they both learned to rely on each other when they'd never had anyone to rely on before, the way they were able to escape their respective prisons and take their first steps into a larger world together. I liked the theme of coming back for each other no matter what, of reaching out for each other so they couldn't be separated, and the idea of shared fate where they would become the hero of the story TOGETHER. Obviously we all know how that dynamic got sidelined and ignored after TFA, but both characters are still alive and definitely have more story to tell, so the potential remains. Whether that potential ever actually goes anywhere, even if it's just in things like novels and comics, is still super up in the air. But I think these two could have an incredible dynamic if anyone was willing to give them the time of day.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for... telling my friend not to use "delulu"?

😬😬😬<-recognizing

I (16F) don't like the word delulu. It rubs me the wrong way. I hate it when people say shit like "delulu is the solulu" with absolutely zero self-awareness. Anyway.

I have this friend, M (16X) who I was talking with the other day, and I don't remember what we were talking about, but they said "delulu is the solulu" and the conversation kind of dropped. I'm not very well-versed in what causes delusions, but I have a basic understanding, and so I told them that "delulu" is offensive to those who actually have delusions, and ultimately stigmatizes delusions further. I thought that M would apologize, and that we'd move on.

But then M said, "Oh, it's fine, because it's a joke! It's not actually harmful."

I was kind of surprised by this. I tried restating my points again, specifically the one about how delusions aren't a cutesy aesthetic thing, and M said something along the lines of "You don't understand, the way I'm using it means it's fine. I'm not calling delusional people cutesy, I'm using the word delulu in a silly way."

I felt discomforted by this, but decided not to bring it up again, and just mumbled how that didn't make it okay. I thought that was it, but M's been kind of snippish with me lately. I can't think of anything else I've done to make them mad, and I don't think I was talking in a harsh tone, but I do have trouble controlling my tone sometimes. M is also neurodivergent, suspecting that they're autistic, if that helps anything.

So AITA?

[bbanghiitomi]

| ophelia

synopsis: hyein has a keen eye for observing people as well their energy, you have an eye that can see ghosts. when the child of your parents' friends starts a club, it leads them to you.

— non!idol!student!lhyein × non!idol!student!femreader!

note: implied platonic!

-⁠ᄒ⁠ᴥ⁠ᄒ⁠--⁠ᄒ⁠ᴥ⁠ᄒ⁠--⁠ᄒ⁠ᴥ⁠ᄒ⁠--⁠ᄒ⁠ᴥ⁠ᄒ⁠--⁠ᄒ⁠ᴥ⁠ᄒ⁠--⁠ᄒ

"geez, those girls again? they never get tired of their antics don't they?" you look at your friend — hyunseo as she looks over your shoulders to the abandoned underground hall of your school, you follow her line of sight to see five girls carrying flashlights and lined up on the way to the old exchange student building. "what are they doing?" you ask, hyunseo shrugs and laughs as she scratches her cheeks.

"ghost hunting? i don't know, their youngest member went around convincing others to join." it's getting dark, you finally walk past the old building to the pathway leading towards the main gate of the school campus. you've heard about this gimmick by that specific group of friends, you have found it ridiculous too but decided to just ignore them — it's not like their hurting anyone anyway.

you didn't realize hyein was actually serious about the ghost hunting thing, you've once thought she might have been fooling around and just making things up but she seems to be the person who doesn't lie. she goes around the class even sometimes to the floor beneath your classroom to recruit people to join but they always push her away and say she's absurd.

their friend group is made up of different ages, with hyein being the youngest — she's always the most enthusiastic about their whole gimmick, you've never been interested at all and sometimes would hear her talking about it to some people, sometimes the half australian girl would come to your classroom and converse with her.

actually you've never been interested in hyein at all, maybe she's cool, pretty, and fun but you were always surrounded by the same people and have never tried making conversations with hyein unless for school purposes, hyein has also never approached you about their ghost hunting gimmick, not that you minded it or whatever but you were just a bit jealous that other people seemed more fitting for it other than you.

"wouldn't they get in trouble if they got caught?" you ask hyunseo, who once again shrugs and looks at you whilst you two walk inside the district market. "didn't you know? jiwon who's in the same class as minji said that minji lives in our school dorms so sometimes they go to the suite lobby to kill some time." hyunseo answers, you two live in the same neighborhood — have you mentioned? hyein lives in the same block too?

you often see her playing in their front yard with the same group of people, but you never really see her when you go to school because oftentimes she's late.

"so, they get away from sneaking inside?" you ask, following behind hyunseo who shrugs. "you can say minji is a master at hiding trespassers." you laugh when she says that, you realize how different your friends are with hyein's... they're much more reserved, crazy loud when it's only the seven of you but everyone thinks differently.

you shift your eyes a bit and in the seemingly darkening skies then to the bustling market, you see a ghost nearby — you've had this ability to see spirits ever since you were a child, you've gotten used to it, so much that it doesn't faze you anymore. you feel the cold breeze of the air, everywhere you go— they're everywhere, you hate this feeling but it's been sticking to you no matter where you go.

"you okay?" hyunseo asks, looking back at you and you realize you've stopped walking, all of a sudden in the middle of the crowd. you blink your eyes and shake your head before following. "yeah, i just remembered something." you mutter, smiling at her.

in all honesty, you haven't told any of your friends about this peculiar ability, none of them have took notice of it... you were pretty good at hiding it. on the past few years growing up, you started to get braver when it comes to facing spirits, none of these dead souls know your ability so it was easy to avoid them but then again... you've made it your mission to look for your missing mother and the biggest mystery of her disappearance has something to do with ghosts.

hyunseo and the other girls know you're adopted, it wasn't like you hated admitting it... you've grown to acknowledge that fact quite well and they admire you for that. maybe the worst part of it all was not knowing why your mother left you with a friend.

hyein... knows that too. surprisingly, even with that non-stop running of her mouth, she haven't spilled anything about it to anyone at all.., maybe it's her natural skill to be able to read through someone's experience and understand what they feel.

ophelia

coming home again feels nothing new, you close the door and slowly excuse yourself to an empty living room, they're all currently at work, living you in charge of the house. when your 'mom' comes home late, she makes sure to bring home food and your 'dad' is nice, it's just two of them but it's okay.

the only time ghosts don't bother you is when you're in your room, whether you're sleeping or daydreaming, ghosts cannot enter your room... it's weird but you've never really find out what the reason is.

you hear the distinct sound of car honking, realizing it's from hyein's family and you peek to see hyein dashing to their porch, followed by her angry father who got off the car. you shrug, hyein's never changed... she's totally the same stubborn, nice, hot blooded kid.

it's not like you know hyein deeply but it's also not like you don't at all. you've been living in the same area, both your parents biological or not, like hyein once described it as "uncomfortably close", she might have been overreacting but that's the reason you know hyein almost too much for two kids who don't even talk to each other.

hyein sometimes gives off a vibe of someone who avoids you for certain reasons such as "she might not like me" or "we're very different" both can be true, but unfortunately none of this are. hyein has a different direction to go and that's why you seem to never both cross paths.

the only thing that you wonder about hyein is the reason behind her ghost-hunting activities. why does she do that? why did she recruit people to do that?

you've once thought if the girl ever knew that you could see ghosts, but you never really got the answer.

it's also weird how she tries to recruit people in it, but specifying no actual goal.

you turn your back to the window as you shake your head, erasing the thought of hyein in your head before jumping onto your bed.

ophelia

hyein runs to her room, her father isn't really mad and she knows that. her father doesn't follow her to her room as hyein enters and runs to her computer to immediately contact her friends.

forestry club (science hall building)

minji_kim04: do you really think we'd be able to follow the spirit inside the campus?

minji_kim04: i went around and most entrance are blocked by barricades.

sparkle.grace: don't give up yet.

sparkle.grace: why don't we keep contacting ms. seulgi, she knows this!!!

kitty_k4ng: surely you guys will leave my sister alone eventually.

kitty_k4ng: she sells antique, she doesn't know anything about ghosts.

honey04ever: haha... it's not about seeing ghosts, it's about the camera.

mo.dan_yell: yes! the camera can trace spirits, we've been stuck just at the barricade of the dormitories. i think we can find another way.

honey04ever: yeah, we've gone so far and i would really hate having to go back.

kitty_k4ng: ugh alright, we can go ahead ask her for fortune where it should lead us.

sparkle.grace: great! i'll bring the camera tomorrow and let's meet at kitty's place!

it didn't take quite long the next day, it's raining very hard when the five girls meet at the small village, an antique shop that also provides fortune telling services. the current goal of the team is to find a way to follow the spirit that went behind the school campus, there's no other exit nor entrance that leads to that path, it's an unknown place that is occupied by the school.

"it's raining hard today." minji says, holding an umbrella for her and hanni, danielle sighs and scoots closer to haerin who's holding an umbrella for them too. "but i checked the news, it's supposed to be sunny." she complains.

in this year, there's really no other clear way to know the weather except from the radio or news.

hyein grumbles, holding her own umbrella as they stand in front of the antique shop. "are you guys leaving?" she asks the four girls, who look at each other, each doing their own style of shrugging. "hyein, what's your plan? we're not going to leave you behind." hanni says, looking at the youngest, taller girl.

hyein nods her head, a determined look on her face. "we'll carry on. let's call ms. seulgi!" she says, making her way inside the store.

"unfortunately, the school now owns that place... it's an empty lot, i figured but the only way in is from the school premises, which you girls are not allowed." seulgi says, bringing her hands down to the clothes table, all receiving looks of disbelief from the owner.

"there's no other way? that's impossible." haerin says, seulgi shakes her head, looking at her younger sister. "i'm following the path that the spirit took, that's the only way she went," she informs the girls, she lights an incense and leads the smoke inside the lamp. as the girls watch in curiosity, the light immediately dies down.

"what does that mean?" minji asks, leaning on the table as the other girls wait for an answer. seulgi stands up and walks out of the fortune telling room, surprising everyone.

the girls look behind where the older kang left, hanni scatters to follow where seulgi went. the other girls follow to the entrance of the shop, where surprisingly your adopted mother was standing.

"y/n's missing..." hyein pushes the other girls as she runs to your mom, looking at the older woman with concern written all over her face. "what happened?" she asks, your mom sighs and shakes her head.

"i don't have any idea too, she went out yesterday and hasn't come back at all." your mom says, seulgi nods and leads your mom to the fortune telling room, where the other girls except hyein stayed outside the room.

"do you think you have any idea where she is?" hyein asks, sitting across your mom. seulgi lights another incense, where it stayed in the lamp for a 2 minutes. "she's somewhere in the forest." seulgi says, putting the lamp down as the smoke flies to the south.

"the mountain?" your mom nods at hyein. "yes, the mountain that was once a home to the biggest inn here... i knew she'd be there but the place is too dangerous to visit." seulgi nods and walks over to the door of the room. "it's raining... the water in the mountain." she says, before turning to hyein's direction. "you have the camera right?" she asks to which hyein nods her head immediately.

"yes! i brought it here with me." seulgi walks over to hyein. "tell haerin to follow y/n's spirit... she might have been looking for the same thing your group have been looking for."

ophelia

"are you sure we're gonna continue? it's dark and empty in the mountain." hanni says as she walks in front of minji. "hey, it's alright. haerin has the lamp with her and we're all wearing raincoats." minji tells the shorter girl, looking over to hanni with a small smile. hanni sighs.

"it's dangerous to get wet there, it's slippery and dark. as long as i have the lamp we're going to be alright." haerin says. danielle nods and smiles at the girls. "i really think we should focus on looking for y/n." she says, hyein is walking a lot faster than the others and she they got to the old train station, she immediately turns the power on.

"do you think her friends know she's missing?" hanni asks as they sit on the chairs of the train station, minji standing beside where hanni is. "if her mom announced, police officers would be all over the case." minji answers.

"no they don't. i think her mom keeps it because it's nothing police officers could solve." hyein answers, they all look to each other before haerin speaks. "you know that y/n can see ghosts?" hyein nods, putting an index finger on her chin as she thinks.

"it's obvious when she moves or the way she acts, i just don't have any idea what she's looking for like what ms. kang said."

danielle looks at haerin then back at hyein. "do you know? i think you're really the only one who can sense that. you have such observant eyes."

"if my sister implied that she's looking for the same thing, we might honestly find the entrance to that place where the spirit went to." everyone looks at haerin before the train stops. hyein looks at the other train inside, that must be the train you used to get to the mountain.

danielle, hanni, and minji all brought flashlights while haerin carries the lamp to avoid evil spirits and hyein holds the camera.

the shutter goes off. your traces can be seen on the ground, hyein takes the lead. the camera doesn't guarantee your steps or location but it is useful in tracking spirits as well as scaring them away. it's dark inside the forest, it's raining as well... there are lots of papers scattered on the ground and hyein assumes it's from the old inn nearby just at the entrance of the mountain's shrine.

there's a continuous line of water flowing, it's from the mountain's peak, a waterfall that connects every part of the forest.

danielle picks up a paper from the ground, noticing how it's relatively drier than the ones on the mud. she opens it and reads what is written below. "a black box of coffin in the shrine... under the cave, the water is rising. what?" all the girls look at her and hyein immediately asks for the paper.

hyein looks over the cliff they are standing upon, not too far from them is the old building of the large inn...

helping each other, they were able to get down from the cliff and reach the back entrance of the inn, with deteriorating walls, the inn stands almost unrecognizable from what it looked like before. haerin takes an envelope from her shoulder bag, opening it with your picture and your information... one of the pictures include the inn.

hyein takes a picture of the inn, while minji helps haerin raise the lamp. hyein can sense your trace from the entrance, going to the front entrance of the inn.

hyein screams when she's met with a ghost, backing up and immediately taking a picture before the ghost disappears. the girls all huddle together, with minji standing behind to keep them close. "should we keep going?" she asks, hyein nods and looks at everyone. "we'd be alright at the shrine, it has to be close here." haerin mutters and walks forward where everyone followed.

they were able to find traces of the path that lead to the shrine after multiple turns, picking up pieces of paper until... they reach the shrine but it doesn't look quite right. "is this the shrine?" hanni asks, looking at haerin who looks around and shrugs. "i mean it is, but this might not be it." minji looks at haerin with her furrowed brows. "what do you mean?" the rain starts pouring harder, before haerin sighs and steps on the stairs to the abandoned shrine. "it's the shrine of dolls." danielle says, as she reads the sign above.

hyein blinks and nods. "there's an underground path there, right?" she asks haerin who looks behind to hyein and nod. "i think, it's quite dark out there though. i don't want to risk trying to get in the cave." haerin shakes her head before turning her back on the girls again and opening the door, unfortunately, it's stuck.

"great, let's take a turn." haerin sighs before leading the group behind the shrine where it had a door that was left open wide. it's dark, almost like it was never a place where actual people lived in before. the light source comes from the moonlight, the shrine of dolls in display in front of them

hanni scoffs. "dude, are we really doing this?" she asks as she shifts her gaze away from the dolls. "it won't kill you, don't worry. if we find y/n, she can lead us out of here." hyein nods as haerin says that, looking at the second oldest of the group. "besides, we don't know the way out, we can't go back to the train station. if we're going to die, it's because we couldn't get out of here." hyein deadpans, minji sighs and puts a hand on hanni's shoulder. "it's alright." she whispers.

danielle follows haerin as well as minji and hanni, hyein volunteers to grab the candle from the underground passage after promising them she won't try to find the way to the cave. unfortunately, it's hard to fulfill the promise when your traces allure her to the cave, when she opens the door to the cave, there's water... flooding the area until it all went inside the shrine's underground passage. the water reaches hyein's knees and the cave was brighter than the shrine, every corner had candles and lamps, but other than those hyein's eyes focuses on the black box in the middle of the cave, where water overflows to the ground.

hyein runs to the box and opens it, only to be greeted by a wooden box overflowing with water, until she leans closer to take a better look. hyein shrieks in surprise when a hand comes out of the water, almost enough for her to fall over. hyein hears a gasp as she looks at the box again and sees a girl sitting up, soaking wet and cladded in a familiar set of uniform.

"y/n... y/n!?" hyein shouts as she immediately helps you up, you start to breathe heavily.

"hyein..." you mutter, looking up at the taller girl. hyein sighs in relief, almost like she's about to cry. "oh my god, we found you..." she whispers, full of relief.

ophelia

unfortunately, when you and hyein went back up at the shrine, the four girls are nowhere to be seen. hyein starts to panic as there was no way for her to locate their traces.

"where did they go!?" she asks, looking around. you sigh, shivering before pushing away the strands of hair sticking to you face. "they got lost..." you mutter, walking behind her and you reach for her shoulder. "let's find them." you suggest, trembling due to the cold air.

hyein turns around to you, before taking off her raincoat. "this isn't much but wear it! it's super cold." she says, you look at her and then to the raincoat, before chuckling and shaking your head.

"it's fine..." hyein shakes her head, before walking over to you with the raincoat in her hands. "wear it, please!" she sighs with a worried look on her face, and a pout. "come on, we have a long way to go... can't bring you back to your mom shivering to death." you know you can't win, so you nod and she puts the raincoat on you, surprising you.

"did you get lost your way here to?" hyein asks, you blink your eyes, before nodding. "i... i went the wrong way." you only say, hyein looks confused. "did you get inside the box? what if you drowned?" you look at her before laughing. "the spirits led me there, i've mistaken the doll shrine for the yuukon shrine, and i got trapped." you were able to tell her through your shaking breath and thinking about it now that you're safe doesn't make things less scary.

"you okay now?" hyein asks, you nod.

it was silent, for a while until hyein talks again. "yuukon shrine, you know about it?" hyein asks, after a while of hunting for spirits, hyein might have found the answer to her club's long overdue question...

the forestry club wanted to prove something, aside from plants and animals, hyein wanted to explore more about the mountain's history and it led them here; looking for the story for them to feature.

"we've been looking for it." she adds, you can only give her a short hum. "me too, almost like forever..." you mutter, hyein listens and puts all her attention to your words as you two walk the dark forest. "three years..? yeah, and just as i was about to find it, i got lost and well, it feels like everything i have found have gone to waste." you tell her.

hyein sighs. "it's really hard... i don't want our club to break apart. my only hope is this feature, i need to bring this mountain back to life again." hyein says, her voice filled with determination. you can only give her a meek sigh.

"that's... i hope you can do it." you tell her, giving her a moment of silence... hyein stares at your face, smiling brightly before she nods.

it took you both not that long to eventually find a manor, hyein looks at you and you gesture her to walk first. hyein peeks at every corner she can find, two of you were able to find the main hall of the manor but sadly, the girls were nowhere to be found. "you should get going..." you tell hyein, as you stand behind her. hyein holds the camera and shakes her head, pointing the camera at you before she takes a shot.

"i won't leave without you." she says, you widen your eyes but it softens. "i have to find my mother." you tell hyein but she walks towards you and holds your hand. "let's find her!" you give her a confused look. "but what about your friends..?" hyein takes a deep breath before letting out an airy laugh. "they'll be alright."

"this is the yuukon shrine? it's bright here..." hyein says as she walks beside you, you've been seeing this place in your dreams... a restless dream that haunts you and your mother's spirit that keeps you awake. hyein reads your small gestures, the way your eyes glimmer along the candles inside the shrine.

"i know..." the rain continues to pour, not as strong as before but still can be heard.

"have you been here before? or at least have familiarized this place?" hyein asks, you blink your eyes as you stand at the entrance beside hyein who looks at you endearingly. "i..." you hesitate to tell her the truth and she sees it. "it's okay." she assures you.

"i've been seeing this place in my dreams when i think about my mother, i have so many questions that only this place will be able to answer..." hyein nods and takes a step closer to you. "don't be scared to tell me! i'll keep your secrets, promise." realizing how hyein's knowledge about your family has never been found out by anyone, you knew hyein was trustworthy.

"i know... i just don't want you to worry about it." you look down and hyein continues to look at the way the orange and yellow lights illuminate on your face, she nods in understanding, still holding your hand. "i will of course, but you don't have to think of it like it's bothering me. i mean, i know you and you know me."

ophelia

when you enter, there's a shrine of flowers and charms that are mostly for marriage, the table is decorated by bright candles as well as lamps and incense. other than the bright decorations on the table, you don't ignore the obvious picture frames of your parents, your mother and who you assume to be your father.

"yuukon is a ritual, right? binding souls of the dead and a living person..." hyein says, looking at you as you kneel on the small pillow on top of the tatami mats. you nod as you stare at the shrine, closing your eyes with your hand clasped together. "i use to have dreams of my mother, i don't understand how i got here and where she is." you mutter, hyein sits next to you but not on the small pillow beside yours. "i read it somewhere, this is the house of joining... isn't this where the maidens get married to a living person?"

you nod. "the black casket, my mother sacrificed herself to be with my father and she must be somewhere here, drowning under the mountain's water." you open your eyes to look at hyein, who shifts her gaze on the shrine.

"my father, i have no idea where he might be. my mother left me with my mom and i'm guessing..." you trail your sentence, thinking very carefully. hyein waits before she opens her own mouth. "he might have been the ghost? i wonder, i haven't read something about a man being the ghost."

"my mother sacrificed herself for it to work." you give hyein a small smile before standing up. "maybe after she had me, like a maiden who have fulfilled her duty... she left me with my mom." you brush your hair back before walking towards the exit of the house.

"it ends here, i think. the school now owns this part of the place, i wanted to see it for myself before it disappears." you hear hyein's own steps. hyein looks down on the camera before taking a picture of the shrine, the house and you.

"we can go back now, i feel that they're out of the mountain." you tell hyein and she follows you to the exit of the mountain, passing through a long forest.

hyein walks, with her shoulders slump. "i... wanted the girls to see the shrine." she mutters, you look at her as both of you stand in the middle of the village.

"you can still create a feature out of it." you tell her with a small smile, hyein looks up at you and grins. "i know. i won't give up..."

"hyein! y/n!" you hear danielle's voice coming closer, the four girls all run to you and hyein, immediately they embrace the tallest girl with sighs of relief. "you're back with her..." haerin whispers.

hyein nods at the girls and looks at you. "we found the house of joining... i took a picture of it!" hyein takes the camera and shows the girls, they all huddle up to look at it.

"i should leave now..." you excuse yourself, hair still wet and hyein raises her hand. "wait! let's go and eat first." hyein takes your hand as the four other girls walk their way back to the antique shop.

after that, you decided to join the forestry club and help the girls release their feature for the mountain, eventually being able to help them reach a big population of readers.