#that's why I learned my lesson and watched banana fish

[olivieraa]

its gotten to the point where this word is basically slang since everyone uses it, but it reminds me of ocd as well since everyone uses ocd to describe being quirky or neat or somewhat clean, but "hyperfocused" is a word that's so attached to my being, that it irks me beyond belief when I see people describe their hyperfixation or whatever on something fucking stupid in which they really could just use the word "focused"

hyperfixation is absolutely integral to my ocd. its one of the main things I cant control.

the best way I can put it is someone being lazy and so they decide to procrastinate, do literally anything other than what they're supposed to be doing. and they just cant bring themselves to do the thing. they continuously nope out of it even when they sit their asses down to do the thing and then they're like "ah I need to go to the store for toothpaste!"

I have a fear of hyperfocusing on something bc then that's it. I'm glued to that till I'm finished/its over/its done, whatever it may be. could take days, or weeks, or months.

it has screwed me up in school, in jobs, in college, even just being online.

I used to love watching AMV's when I first entered the internet. just casually watching them. until my brain realised I shouldn't just casually watch them. they should be organised and categorised. and then 3 categories became 8, and then 14, and then I had 20 playlists of AMV's based on things I cant even remember until I one day had to stop watching AMV's altogether bc I turned it into a chore. and I knew then at that point they couldn't be enjoy anymore. I couldnt just put one on for fun. I knew I'd categorise it, and want to go onto the next one, and do it to that too. so I stopped altogether and never went back. this simple fun quick thing I cut off completely.

on tumblr, I casually reblogged everything and anything on this site when If irst came on here until I realised what tumblr actually was and had to start tagging things so that they were organised on my blog. but oh no. I didn't just tag the character, the anime, and the whatever else. it got to the point where a reblogged picture of just Joey had about 18 tags. to make matters worse, I wanted my tags alphabetical, and it was during the time you couldn't rearrange the order of tags. so if I realised I was missing a tag that started with the letter c, I had to delete all the previous tags to put that c word in and then retag again. post after post after post. I got to page 100 on my blog before I panicked that I may have missed something and started again. ...and then I started again. and again. so I stopped tagging. bc I stopped going to school bc I was tagging my blog. that's all I did for days. I didn't do anything else. I was completely focused on the organisation of my blog. and so I had to stop myself from ever tagging again. my '#niece watches' tag doesnt count bc they're there mainly for blocking purposes lmao

another online example, it happened at christmas when I decided to watch attack on titan. I'd made the decision to start again from the beginning (despite having seen season one 4 times) bc my plan was to put on something I could casually watch and pause and do work and then take breaks and go back to watching and it'd be so easy.

nope. I binged 100 eps in 5 days. I went to bed at 5-6am. I couldn't stop. and I'm not even kidding, the best way I can describe it is, lets say you've the most important test of your life in 1 week. and you need to study. and you ASSUME that during your lil break times you can casually watch attack on titan, SPECIFICALLY for chosen break times, maybe once and hour, but studying is priority bc the exam is in ONE WEEK and you haven't started studying. so maybe you'll get through like, idk, maybe 7 eps a day?

episode fucking ONE hooked me in. an ep I've seen so many times. HOOKED me in. like I hadn't seen it before. I was absolutely glued to it. ep 1 ends and I'm like "oh wait I should study............ but like, its fine. I'll do one more ep and then do EXTRA study."

another ep, another ep, another ep. I got to ep 6 and was about to click 7 and was like

to my goddamn brain.

I momentarily won. I managed to do about 20 mins of study, then watched ep 7-14 in a row. still on day one. I opened a book for a total of 20 mins. so I promise myself, bc this test is so important and high priority, that I'll properly start tomorrow.

it never happened. I did nothing other than watch that show and do basic necessities. for 5 days. I had no control over this decision. its like there's another me who always wins. always wins. and she's evil. I had to finish the show before I could move on. it had to be complete.

I dont know how to get out of these moments. I remember when I went to my second ever job I told them about how it screwed me over a little in my first retail job (stocking shelves, oh but didn't those shelves need to be perfect. even if I was supposed to have been on aisle 4 or 5 by the time the managers came back to check in on me, no no I was still on aisle one perfecting aisle one. and nobody was going to ruin it for me, boss or not.)

and they told me it seemed like a good thing in the second job! but I was like "no I cant let it happen here, I cant. it gets bad."

and it happened. they put me in charge of a task and I found it hard to do anything other than perfect that task to the point that I was focusing on doing that same thing every day to keep it perfect, even when I was told to do something else.

so... yeah. they overuse of hyperfixation and hyperfocusing when people just mean "I was focused on this thing" drives me insane

crazy person rant over

[gaybananabread]

HI HI HI, just noticed that you have ATSV in your fandom list and literally exploded?!???? I’d like to order oranges, bananas and cherries pls!! Ler! Miguel and like Lee!Reader BUT LIKE, the reader is like just a teenager?? Found family trope if you catch my vibe yk

TYSM IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS, if ya don’t ITS FINEEE BUT YEAH YEAH <333

Fruit(s): Oranges, Bananas, Cherries

This is a pretty fun idea, don’t get many insert requests! I’m pretty sure you meant the reader to be a spider person, so that’s where I went with it. If not, eeeeeh sorry! Never written for Miguel, so I hope he isn’t too crazy OOC in this. Also, since it wasn’t specified, went gender neutral. A tad angsty because it’s been that kinda week. It’s long because I’m a sucker for found family stuff.. Thank you for the kind words, and I hope you Enjoy!

Lee: Gender Neutral Reader

Ler: Miguel

Summary: You’ve been taking unnecessary risks on missions, trying to show off and impress a certain Spider-Man. It has the opposite effect, only worrying the man and making him question you. After you joke around and play off the danger, he uses a special tactic to make sure you learn your lesson.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Your life was interesting, to say the least. For the past seven months, you had been your universe’s one and only spider person. That…that was hard. Especially when you had nobody to turn to. Trying to stay in school and keep the city safe was easier said than done, and it was still a mouthful. That stress took its toll on you, and it wasn’t pretty. Long story short, you managed to isolate yourself from everyone who cared.

On one particular night, you were fighting a strange villain you’d never seen before. He…kinda looked like he had a fishbowl on his head; his appearance was cartoonish. Called himself Mysterio. The guy kept yelling about his revenge; how Stark, whoever that was, wronged him. Just another crazy guy. Unfortunately, he was a very powerful crazy guy.

He gave you everything he had. Mists, holograms, hallucinations. You were reeling, struggling to stay in the fight. Mysterio prayed on your anxieties, your fears, your past: everything you had been facing. One thing was painfully clear. 

You couldn’t do it alone.

And that’s when your luck turned. A bright flash of orange and red light broke through the green smoke, someone’s booming voice bringing you back to reality. Glowing red webs popped the hologram devices, a blue-and-red suited man landing a hit square in the fish bowl. 

In a few quick strikes, the fight was over. The man caught your attention with his fighting skills and quick thinking. You could tell he was trying to keep Mysterio away from you. When the fight was over, you rushed over to him, trying to get any information from him. 

He looked you over, having LYLA scan your signature. You were…all alone. Everyone you loved had been shoved away. The man related a bit too closely to that…

Before you could come off as completely desperate, he tossed you a watch and waved you towards an open portal. The rest was history.

The man, Miguel O’Hara, took you under his wing. He was a bit temperamental, but it was clear he cared for you. No matter how many stupid mistakes you made, how many anomalies got the drop on you, he was right there. You definitely grew attached, placing him high on your mantle. You wanted to impress him, though that was more difficult than it seemed. Pushing your limits, you gave every mission your all, even if it put you at risk. You were fine. Just needed to do better.

-

Miguel was concerned. No, scratch that, he was worried and downright anxious for your every move. Why were you taking so many unnecessary risks?! He certainly hadn’t taught you that, though a few names came to mind… Regardless, it was a habit you had to drop.

The mission you went on that day was the last straw. It was a low-grade villain, just an average Kraven. Easy catch-and-send; only you didn’t make it easy. 

Kraven had laid all sorts of traps, though thanks to his brightly-colored universe, they were detectable. At least, they would’ve been if you hadn’t rushed in. In your mind, the quicker you captured him, the more impressed Miguel would be. Bursting into action, you didn’t notice the traps and sprung a flash-bang snare. While you managed to dodge the wire, you were dazed and your spider sense was left reeling. Not good.

Struggling to your feet, you shot out webs in every direction, trying to nail him or at least get a sense of where he was. The flash wasn’t good, though if you still caught him, Miguel would at least be a little impressed. A yelp to your left got you what you needed. As you ran to try and web him up, you stepped on a wire; a wire connected to a high-voltage unit. The sound of the electricity hit your ears before the shock itself. 

-

“What were you thinking?”

The dim lighting of Miguel’s office just made everything twice as intimidating. You had gotten a clean bill of health from the med bay, though it didn’t make you feel any better. It felt like you let him down. When you shrugged, he sighed, running a hand down his face.

“Malditos adolescentes.” He mumbled under his breath, trying to stay calm and collected. Miguel was far from mad, but he was definitely worried, and yeah, a little annoyed that you kept ignoring your training. Still, he knew showing that would only upset you further. “You going to start talking or sit here in silence a little longer? It’s empanada day, and I’d be happier if you came clean.”

You rubbed your arm, remembering the way your nerves lit up from the trap. It was safe to say you were embarrassed to admit the real reason you rushed. “Uh…felt like I needed a little recharge?” Okay, dumb joke, but it’s how you dealt with stuff. How a lot of spider people dealt with stuff.

He huffed, not appreciating your attempt to play off his concern. “Look kid, I’m gonna tell you how it is. You’ve been rushing missions, over exerting yourself, and making risky calls I’ve never seen from you before. Tell me what’s going on with you. I promise I won’t get mad.” His voice softened at the end, his look shifting to one of concern and worry.

That made you pause. Lying wasn’t going to get you far, and it was really close to lunch… “I…kinda, sorta, maybe wanted to…ya know, i-impress you…” Your voice dropped off at the end as you suddenly found a scuff on the floor incredibly interesting.

“Kid…” Miguel paused, taking a deep breath. “C’mon. You know you don’t have to try and impress me. I just don’t want you making stupid mistakes and getting hurt.” It didn’t take a genius to decipher the look of guilt that went across your face. Miguel thought back to a few weeks ago, when you had gotten a minor side injury. He had bandaged you up and made a rather adorable discovery while doing so. That’d work.

Trying to control his expression, Miguel got closer, sitting beside you on the ledge. Miggy was trying to get better with his people skills, and since he met you,  he was doing good. “Look, burbujita, it’s okay. Get the guilt off your face, try a smile~” 

You understood where he was going with that immediately. You quickly shot out a web, shooting up towards his tall office cieling. He shook his head, a throaty chuckle escaping him before he followed. It was big, but he knew his office better than anyone. Silently, Miguel landed on the cieling, scanning for you.

A place where rebar met the ceiling gave you a place to crouch. You clamped your hand over your mouth, trying to hide any giggles or heavy breaths. Unbeknownst to you, it was the only spot up there like that. He knew exactly where you were.

Miguel crawled over, springing up and grabbing you by the waist. He huffed at your shriek of surprise, carefully dropping back down and sitting you down on one of the ledges. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, sitting beside you and pulling you close. If he hadn’t been planning such silly antics, it would’ve been sweet.

Before you could try to shove him off, you felt five clawed fingers on your side. The arm around your shoulders tightened, blocking any escape routes. “M-miguehehehel?!” Tickling was the last thing you expected; maybe yelling or a two-week probation, but that? And he was so smug about it, too.

“You should really laugh more, kid. That sound? Que lindo…” Miguel raked his claws up and down your side, being extra careful not to scratch you. You twisted and squirmed in his grip, but it was solid; you weren’t going anywhere. “Cohohome ohon! Ihi’m sohohory!”

He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “None of those apologies. Just stop putting yourself at risk, kid. I’m proud of you for just putting the mask on and going out to fight. You don’t need to overdo it.” Your cheeks reddened at the praise, though you blamed it on the silliness. 

Just when you thought he was done, you felt the claws move to your belly; specifically, he started on your navel. Ignoring your squeal of protest, he dug in. “They really need to make these suits thicker, huh? Great for flexibility, though not too good against wiggling fingers.”

You kicked your feet, squealing and laughing like a little kid. Miguel found it adorable. When he first met you, you were stuck in worries and the unpleasantness of life. It was nice to see you just let loose and laugh, even if it was a little unprofessional. 

He caught the redness of your cheeks, deciding to tease you just a bit further. “You’re so red, kid. Should I start calling you cara rosa?” Feeling your face heat up further, you tried to hide it in his chest. He tugged your shoulder, keeping your red face where he could see it. It was cute.

Wanting to hit one more spot before he quit, Miguel moved to claw at your ribs. He climbed up and down your ribcage, trying to get as many happy giggles out of you as he could. “You gonna stop trying to impress me and just do your best?” 

You nodded, thrashing like a worm on a hook. “Yehehes! Ihi prohohomise!” Miguel chuckled, pinching your side one last time before stopping. He rubbed your back, hugging you close and trying to help you settle down. “Was that so hard?” A small laugh escaped him at the look he received. “Alright, alright, I’m done. If you ever feel like that again, just tell me. I’ll help.”

Right as he stopped talking, a small sound made him smile further. You groaned, hiding your face in your hands. “Guess I tired you out, didn’t I? We should go get you some lunch.” He patted your shoulder with a smirk, standing up and walking to the door. You cursed your stomach’s stupid growl before following, reflecting on everything that had happened to you since you got bit. Living with a man who cares about you, working to keep the spider-verse and all the people within it safe. Yeah, not a bad way to live…

[hanabeeri]

i have a lot on my mind. well it isn't a lot it's just two thoughts that are spiraling TT

I. i don't like the way my sisters husband (and she herself too) restrict my nieces usage of media and the internet in general. the day before yesterday she asked me whether i could give her extra lessons in english because she failed her exam and needs to pass in order to be able to attend the next grade. and i wholeheartedly believe that she wouldn't have failed her exam if her parents would have allowed her to browse the web where she be confronted with english pretty much everywhere. or even play games! my other niece and nephew learned english by playing minecraft! i personally learned english by watching pewdiepie and scrolling through tumblr. besides we're not living in the 90s anymore where the internet was just a nice thing to have, we are living in the 20s of the 21st century and people rely on the internet a lot more and incorporate it more into daily activities! how do they think she will manage in the future? she once came to me because she didn't even have a clue on how to make a powerpoint. i mean yeah at her age i didn't know how to make complex and pretty looking ones either, but most could do a simple one: black text on white slides, consisting of either way too many bullet notes or walls of text. it's so frustrating. also i gave her my phone number and told her to please read the books that i gave her and if she needed any help to ask me. and she still didn't text me. girl, i know you are struggling i tested you two days ago and skfkskdksks anyways. i hope she will pass despite her parents being too restrictive. i'm pretty sure my niece in 2nd grade knows more on how to navigate media.

II. recently i was talking about bl and gl anime and manga with my friend from university, but i was so tired that day that i couldn't properly explain myself. and since i had a small breakdown over it at breakfast earlier i will try to explain myself now. it's not that i don't like to watch anime or read manga (i wish there would be a word like kana, hiragana&katakana but for anime&manga) that have bl/gl couples inside, it's just that i don't like it when shows are reduced to just that when they have a complex story or at best an entertaining one. i also don't like joining fandoms anymore for the very same reason, because everywhere you go there are only ships, and while it's fun to indulge yourself sometimes i'm not that big of a fan of it anymore; i used to be but nowadays i prefer to watch the series and discuss the lore or characters. another reason why i don't like to watch bl/gl anime is because more than not it's bl, and even more often than not they aren't even canon, which usually leads to the creation of a fandom that solely builds its likes and dislikes on fetishes. sometimes it's not even the fandom per se, sometimes it's the mentality of so many people that see two guys hugging each other and immediately stamping them off as gay. people however do not do the same to girls. this just shows how messed up some beliefs still are. i would like to enjoy series without being shoved pornographic art or written work in my face that scream 'i don't care about the series i'm a porn addict that found a bl ship and will not use it to let my mind go wild', good for u, but i personally don't want to engage with that. at least make it worthwhile and have an interesting plot. when im watching or reading a shounen or seinen im there for the series, not the ships, it's just so tiring for me. if there is some bl romance involved (eg banana fish) i don't mind, i like it, too. but again, more often than not those series get reduced to traumatic romances and people forget the rest. (i will continue later i have to catch my bus)

i'm back. anyways. continuing. not every series will obviously be about romance which is why it's of course not necessary that relationships are explicitly made canon. i'm fine with that, but i don't like bait. and yes i do think of many things as bait. i don't care if japan has a different society and culture because YoI was still published and the relationship between yuri and viktor has been so wonderfully displayed and showed even without direct kisses or proclamations of love. i'm just not the biggest fan when a series has a male cast only and fans reduce it to: yeah they're all gay. all of them. they fuck and friendships suddenly aren't a thing anymore. i'm the embodiment of yes i'm gay yes i'm homophobic. that's that. during the discussion with my friend i brought up LOTR because i had no clue that people even shipped sam/frodo or aragorn/legolas until i dipped my toe in the fandom. and then i ran. aragorn has the most gorgeous wife so, no. and sam and frodo wouldn't have been shipped as much if they were female. let's be honest, people ship them because they are male. even in fetishes women or female presenting people are not welcome. i'm not crying about it btw i'm glad gl isn't fetishized to the point where it's uncomfortable, it's usually very childish sjfksksks. i'm simply putting it in perspective. and that's where i will draw the line, and my conclusion is: i will watch the great pretender but i doubt i will see anything more than two guys that are close.

do not mind the text below because i came back to finish my thoughts. my train is late and i don't want to wait until the next class starts so i'm just going home, i'll revise the material on my own sifksksksk

ok nevermind im tired of this discussion with myself maybe i'm just a hater. just kidding i'm simply not in the mood to write out my thoughts anymore. here are the vibes do what u want with them. i was bothered but i found my inner peace again and now i'm unbothered again.

[rinnysega]

12 Resolutions - A Gustavo Drabble

It was a brisk morning in late December, with only a few more nights until the New Year. Christmas had come and gone, and the sun was rising over the encanto to children playing with new toys and their parents mingling with dishes of baked goods and fruit.

Ozzy awoke late that day, and much to his surprise, Gustavo wasn’t in bed beside him. His sashes had been moved where the older man had pulled himself from bed, and his cane was no longer propped against the wall. By the time Ozzy got out of bed and threw a shirt on over himself, he wandered down the hallway to see Gustavo sitting at the kitchen table with Roto face first in a dish of leftover fish. Coffee was already brewed and on the table, as was a batch of Gustavo’s arepas and sliced mangos. 

“Morning, amor.” Ozzy walked over and kissed his head before walking past to grab a banana off the counter to have with his breakfast. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” 

“You had a long night. I figured you needed the extra sleep.” Gustavo hadn’t looked up from his project as his pencil traced along the paper in front of him. Ozzy took notice as he sat across from him. 

“What are you working on?” 

“My list of resolutions. You know, the older I get, the more difficult it is to write down twelve of them.” 

“How many do you have so far?” 

“Three.” Gustavo snickered a bit. “It’s the same first three every year. Exercise my leg, exercise my brain, and exercise my heart. Sometimes I don’t see why I need more than that.” 

“Were there any resolutions from last year you weren’t able to see to fruition? Maybe add it again this year and put more focus on it.” 

Gustavo thought a moment before writing down two more items on the list. “I do want to make more toys for the kids in town...so...expanding my workshop....and build more toys.”

“See? You’re almost halfway there.” Ozzy smiled and was about to take a sip of coffee before Miss Colombia’s shrieks echoed from outside. “Ay, sounds like she got into the neighbors weeds again. I’ll be back.” 

Gustavo watched as Ozzy left out the back door toward the distressed macaw, and when he was alone again, he looked down at his list and wrote another item.

Thank God every night for the friendships and love I have in my life.

He paused a moment and wrote down another. 

Dance lessons with Oswaldo.

And another.

More Sunday walks with Bruno.

And another. 

Attend more of Teo’s dinner parties. 

And another. 

Try again to learn how to ride a horse with Vivi.

And so he went down the list, making the resolution to do something unique and long lasting with those in his life who made life worth living. He made it down to the eleventh line where he took one look at Roto and smiled as he wrote down Better diet for Roto.

And then he made it to the last one. 

“Wow, look at that,” Ozzy said when he came back inside. “I told you you’d think up some good ones in no time.” 

“Just one more to go.” Gustavo smiled back at him. 

“You know, my Tio when I was a kid used to tell us a long time ago to save the best for last. That way you’re motivated to eat all your grapes as quick as you can so they come true.”

“Not a bad way to do things. Maybe that’s my problem - I was always a slow eater.” 

“Well you better make the last one special.” He poked his nose. “I want to see what you look like scarfing down your grapes like there’s no tomorrow.” 

Gustavo giggled a little at his playfulness when Miss Colombia began to scream from outside one more. Ozzy rolled his eyes and laughed himself, throws his hands up as he left out back, shouting, “Ay, again!?” 

Gustavo turned back to his list and thought about what could be more special than everything else he’d listed before it...

He didn’t have to think long as he felt a somberness soften his shoulders. As if a hand touched his shoulder to give him the answer he was looking for. No hand in particular, but one he felt in times of mourning, as when Padre Santiago had died when he was just a teen. When sudden changes left such empty voids in his heart where there was love planted and grown, yet without that person around to receive it. Before Ozzy could get their macaw tangled out of the weeds again, he wrote down his last line with a choke caught in his throat, remembering the last few decades of those he could not have such resolutions with. 

To love and pray for the ghosts of my past, in Heaven or on Earth, so when we meet again in death, it will feel to me as if we were never apart. 

[brattyfics]

— until we meet again, preciosa

PAIRING || bishop losa x black!ofc, miguel galindo x black!ofc (mentioned)

SUMMARY || She’s not his, and she won’t ever be, so he leaves her with words whispered like a promise. “Until we meet again, preciosa.”

TAGS || angst, unresolved feelings, not a hea, mentions of toxic relationships, sex (referenced).

WORD COUNT || 1.6k

Shadowy clouds hang overhead, blocking out the warming glow of the Sun. Raindrops pelt the roof above, drumming a beat of their own before pooling down to the concrete paved streets below. Isis watches stray droplets gather on the tall windows for several moments before stepping out onto the covered balcony. It felt colder than usual inside the three-story, Spanish-style shophouse, but outside it’s the opposite-- balmy, earthy. The air is heavy with humidity, so she has to take deep breaths, but she doesn’t enjoy it any less. Invigoration comes with the rain, brings hope for new beginnings, renews faith for the hopeless.

Down below, people dart between vendors to continue their shopping as the rain lightens. Colorful rays spring from puddles up towards the sky. A pair of young siblings splash each other while their mother sells delicious smelling tamales wrapped in banana leaves. Another young woman peddles gold necklaces, praying candles, and other little knick-knacks to the tourists of Sonora. Everybody has to make a living, including Isis.

She spends her days stroking the strings of a guitar or the keys of her piano, helping patrons of the music shop in between. The ground floor of the shophouse boasts string instruments and an extensive collection of vinyl records. After hours, she makes money hosting private piano lessons. She performs at the Discoteca down the street on weekends, fueling her passion for music almost 24/7 except when Preciosa is closed for ‘maintenance’.

Overstock merchandise and whatever else the Mayans’ Motorcycle Clubs needs to store clutters the second floor. Don’t ask, don’t tell is her motto, so whenever they come to the shop, she simply flips the sign to closed. There’s no point in fighting it. Besides, El Presidente always makes it a bearable, if not pleasant, experience. Bishop had called ahead to warn her that he was bringing Hank, Angel, and the new prospect, Angel’s baby brother, along. She could hear them bumping around, a noisy reminder that her shop only thrived because of the illegal deals happening in the back.

“Why don’t you put all that time and energy into something that’ll get you somewhere?” Being a musician wasn’t an acceptable career in her mother’s eyes, so the woman took every chance she could to crush her daughter’s dreams. “Nobody wants to hear all that noise!” Staring out into the street, she can’t help but wonder where she would’ve ended up if her mother had been supportive. Maybe she could have been a star rising to the top of Billboard charts or someone who worked behind the scenes, writing songs, singing demos. She had the skill set. Yes, her path would have been much different.

Isis had stood front and center, crooning out an old school blues song at a hole-in-the-wall spot when Miguel Galindo first laid eyes on her. It was a chance meeting, one that felt like fate at the time because dive bars weren’t his scene. The owner was a business associate who decided to try his hand at being a restaurateur; Miguel had been kind enough to come out and support. When he caught sight of her shapely frame in a slinky, satin number, he insisted on being introduced.

Miguel stood out in a crowd, wearing a tailored button-down, dark dress pants, and an expensive pair of Italian leather shoes. His salt and pepper beard groomed to perfection, hair gelled so that no strand was out of place. The moment she’d looked into his eyes, she was caught in his web. His masculine scent drew her in like honey to a bee. His charisma held her attention. Miguel sweet-talked her all night, insisting Isis sit next to him, eat h’orderves, and drink overpriced champagne. She obliged. Who could say no to that face? He used their close proximity to reel her in like a fish on a hook, leaning down to whisper in her ear. You’re beautiful. He told her. You have such a smooth, seductive tone. You should be performing for bigger crowds. Have you ever thought about branching out? He told her everything her mother never had, so she was a lamb to the slaughter.

For months, Miguel had treated her like his very own LifeSize doll to play with. He took her on shopping sprees, kept her draped in silk and lace. Isis didn’t think of herself as materialistic, but she couldn’t deny being showered in gifts felt splendid. He was always so tender, handling her delicately as his newest prized possession. As time went on, she became more like an ornament. Something for him to marvel at when he felt like it and then hide away the rest of the time. But nothing was worse than him leaving her to harden after he was finished molding her like clay. She asked for more—time, commitment, only for him to do the opposite.

Thus, Preciosa was born. A way for him to placate her and later make it easier for the M.C. to make him money.

“Just a few more minutes, and we’ll be out your way.” Isis jumped at the sound, turning away from the street to see Bishop. She hadn’t heard him come outside; didn’t expect him to venture up into her personal space.

Isis’ smile rarely reached her eyes, Bishop noticed. He stepped forward, holding a velvet box that felt heavier than it was. Her fingertips tickled him as he passed it over. Diamonds surrounded in white gold gleamed as the clouds cleared away for the Sun. Even Bishop could admit the set was gorgeous, but she didn’t look impressed. He hated being Galindo’s delivery boy, watching the way her face fell when the gifts she received became increasingly impersonal with each week. Not long ago, he’d also been tasked with passing along handwritten love notes or antique music sheets that she caressed like she would a lover’s skin.

“Thank you.”

She couldn’t hide her disappointment from him. Not for lack of trying-- Miguel always reminded her, appearances were everything. Smile. Don’t make me look bad. But Bishop watched her closely, knew her tells. Despite every nerve in his brain urging him to walk away, he steps forward to stand next to her. His calloused hands rest on the balcony’s edge next to her delicate pair, brown in varying tones of sepia and mahogany contrasting against the white paint.

Bishop feels the heat of her eyes on his frame, but he doesn’t let himself respond. Sharing this moment, a quick breath of fresh air will have to be enough. But she’s all around him, smelling of florals and sweet spices. He can’t think. He fumbles with his pockets in search of a cigarette. “You mind?” She shakes her head but is otherwise silent. Still watching him as he smokes; the way he takes long, steady pulls, cradling the stick between his full lips and then between his strong, veined fingers. She would bet her last dollar that he was an expert at other things involving his fingers and mouth.

When his hand drops again, she links her pinky with his, hesitant but exploratory.

Bishop looks at her, really looks at her like he sees her. It’s nice to be seen, especially when you’re the princess locked up far, far away from everyone you’ve ever known. She’s a black girl from Texas living in Sonora for goodness’ sake. This is no life, and she knows it. Several moments pass where neither can look away, both weighing their desires with the potential consequences.

With a deep breath in, she musters up the courage to ask Bishop what she’s been wanting to for months.

“Stay?”

Her heart feels like it might just explode while she waits for a response.

Bishop drops his head to his chest, cursing under his breath. “Fuck.” If Miguel ever found out… But he already knew what his answer would be. He’d been waiting for the invitation. The heated looks they exchanged, the way her fingers lingered on his when he passed her something. That damned pout she wore when Miguel forgot to send a flower arrangement-- she had no idea Bishop had been the one buying the flowers for some time now. No matter what mood she was in, fresh flowers always brightened her day. He loved watching that lonely look transform into something more lively, curious as she marveled over his choice for the week. He went for variety, slowly learning what she loved and what she just liked; her favorite color, favorite scent.

The subtle tension between them, he wasn’t even certain she noticed. The cash and the bling could’ve blinded her to all other men. But it didn’t.

When the Sun had gone down several hours later, and the guys were gone, Bishop redressed. Belt buckling with a clink, leather sliding over his shoulders easily. He let himself take one last look at her wrapped up in a poofy comforter set. The mustard-yellow velvet complimented her skin in the best way, bringing out a gold undertone. Her eyes seem to have brightened as well. He couldn’t resist leaning over to stroke her sweaty skin. Dark coils stuck to her beautiful face, frizzy in some parts from when she rode him, sweat escaping from her pores, flat in the others from when he laid her on her back and hooked her legs over her shoulders.

He wants to stay, to prop himself up against the intricately carved wood headboard and hold her in his lap while they whisper sweet nothing to each other, but he can’t.

She’s not his, and she won’t ever be, so he leaves her with words whispered like a promise. “Until we meet again, preciosa.”

NOTES || This fic and the collage above was inspired by @isisafrofairy’s gorgeous moodboard! Also, the wonderful “Until we meet again, preciosa” line is hers as well. This is my thank you for the moodboard you made for me. I really leaned on the pictures you used for inspiration and I think I managed to capture/include each element. It was so hard not to ruin the surprise, but I was able to shut tf up for once 😂 I’m really proud of how this turned out, and hopefully you enjoy it just as much! Also, I realize the moodboard had nothing to do with Miguel but he lives in my head rent-free apparently 🥴

GENERAL TAGLIST || @woahitslucyylu @briannab1234 @sheeshgivemeabreak @breakingnewsin-no-oneasked @angelreyesgirl @blessedboo @glimmerglittergirl @apantherinmypastlife @brownsugarcoffy @marvelmaree @starrynite7114 @scuzmunkie @thewarriorprincessxo @sadeyesgf @pearlkitten33 @imanerdychubbyqueen @literaturefeen @ourlittlesecretsoveragain @everyhowlmarksthedead @yourwonkywriter @trulysuccubus @sparklemichele @luckyharley1903 @thesandbeneathmytoes​ @amorestevens​

MAYANS M.C. TAGLIST || @cant-decide-at-this-moment

[quanxui]

andro!!! do you have any favorite mangakas?

hi kaia! i have lots!! i really enjoy reading manga and reflecting over my feelings with it hehe also, warning! i've rambled here so it's long hahah!

the first on my list would be ONE, the creator of one punch man and mob psycho 100! some don't like his art but i like it! i'm currently reading the ones he's drawn. it mixes well with his wholesome-ish writing! i'm obsessed with his stories, the way he can turn something so shounen/fantasy/adventure into a slice of life that makes me feel like i've healed or learned a really good lesson (shounen/seinen)

Tatsuki Fujimoto comes in second! he's known more as chainsaw man's mangaka but i've read almost all his oneshots and his other series, fire punch. i don't know how to explain this but his works can be quite vulgar/indecent (so um beware!) but it doesn't give off those ecchi vibes you know? they just feel normal and aside from his fascinating storytelling, i love that about his works! one of my favorite oneshots of his is about two sisters in an art school and the younger one had painted a nude of the older sister, and as a rule of the school, they would display the best painting for a month i think. and i thought id find it repulsive (you see i even try to read things i think i might hate haha) but it was somehow sweet? (shounen/seinen)

i find Jun Mayuzuki's after the rain and kowloon generic romance's very impressive too!! especially the way she wrote after the rain, a story about a 17 year old girl who's in love with the manager from her part time job, a 40 something divorced man. i dont want to spoil anything so all i can say is i really recommend reading it! i've watched the live-action, and am about to watch the anime. jun mayuzuki's art style is something to praise too!! i'm no good with art critiquing but i love her backgrounds so much! also, her kowloon generic romance gave me wong kar wai vibes!!! everytime i read a new chapter, an 80s citypop song would play in my head, too! (shoujo/josei)

next is Robico!!!! her popular work would be my little monster! but i haven't read that ^^ instead i've read an anthology by her and our precious conversations. i love love love her art style and her writing!! but what i love the most are the dialogues! they're not philosphical or anything supreme, but they're just normal conversations. i guess it must be because i miss going out and having actual face to face conversations with people that's why i've fallen for her dialogues. oh and i’m at awe with her oneshot collab with the mangaka for death note!! (shoujo) 

Tsubasa Yamaguchi is blue period's mangaka. i really enjoyed blue period because i was reading it while i was stressing over what i wanted to do after i graduated highschool. i never realized i've run out of time and i had to make a decision already, see? and reading blue period really comforted and calmed me! since tsubasa yamaguchi has also written the manga, i really really feel thankful for her writing! i love her art too! i've said this a lot of times too, probably, but i really love the shadows in her art! (seinen)

Kyoko Okazaki! myanimelist calls her one of the mothers of josei manga! her art style's attractive to me too! but what's more attractive are her characters!! her works contain fashion, homosexuality, drugs, sex (an awful lot, here’s an article i recently read about her). idk, i love the way she can write and draw these kinds of stories during the 80s. she rocks! (shoujo/josei)

there we have it, my top 5! recently though, i've been admiring the art in skip to loafer by Misaki Takamatsu! i like the expressions and the neat lines! i also like Kon Kumakura's female characters and art style, but you'll barely find translated versions of her works. and Akimi Yoshida, creator of banana fish! i've read a few 80s to 90s manga and sometimes their art style is a bit too messy and crowded for me but i love love hers! it's neat! i haven't read banana fish tho, i've read kisshou tennyo!

thanks for sending me an ask that let me ramble this long >.< enjoy!

[bylermoodz]

BANANA FISH SPOILERS AND IM DEPRESSED

idk if anyone’s gonna see this but i learned a lesson today that you should learn too

don’t watch banana fish when you are depressed it hurts so bad i can’t stop crying and everything sucks in my own life too.

why did ash, after everything he’s been through, have to die from one stab and why did he just accept it.

ok so i never talk about myself on here but this is like the one place nobody i know follows me on

idk what to do, i’m not feeling like i’m gonna hurt myself but i kinda feel like there nothing and it sucks cause it’s summer and it’s supposed to be fun but i’ve been isolated and idek if my friends still like me or if we’ll get along.

i’m just having a very rough day so can someone say something positive literally anything!!

[themangledsans0508]

Is this Okay?

Read on Ao3

Summary: Marceline learned a lesson from her mother, the Vampire King, and Simon. Everything Stays. No matter what you try to do to change it.

Words: 1713, Oneshot

Warnings: None

Characters: Marceline Abadeer, Bonnibel Bubblegum, Peppermint Butler

Ships: Bubbline

Additional Tags: fluff, mild hurt/comfort

It had been two weeks since vampires returned to Ooo and Marceline had slain them all again, in the process getting turned again. She thought non-stop about the Vampire King’s words, how their cycle would continue forever if she didn’t try to change their outcomes.

But she did try, and nothing changed. She was still a vampire.

In all honesty, she didn’t care anymore. She forgot how nice it was to be mortal, but how horrible it was at the same time. The cons outweighed the pros, and she was resigned to accept it. She’d live forever, watch all the people she loved die, except for two.

Simon and Bonnibel.

Simon, she had mixed feelings about, because while he was immortal, he wasn’t himself. One day, she’d save him. Saving him might make him mortal, and then she’d lose him.

Against her better judgement, she reached for her phone. She tapped before she could change her mind and let the fish circle her ear. It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey Bonnie,” Marceline said quietly.

“Marcy, what are you doing still up? It’s almost one in the afternoon,” Bonnie asked. Marceline felt under the spotlight, but there was no backing down now. She had called and now she had to ask.

“I haven’t slept. In a few days really. Do you remember a few weeks ago when you said that if I wanted, I could move into the castle?”

“Yeah?” Bonnie’s voice sounded hopeful, and Marceline felt guilty.

“I’m sorry, this is misleading. I wanted to ask if I could drop by sometimes. I like having my own space, but like I also want to be,” she hesitated and cautiously continued “I want to be living with my girlfriend. Sometimes, but just keep my house. In case or whatever.” Marceline heard the clicking of something being put down and the shifting of clothes and she figured she had called while Bonnie was doing an experiment.

“That’s okay. I don’t mind. Honestly, I miss you. Miss how we used to be. Like, domestically. Not everything else. That was bad. You’re welcome over whenever you want, I don’t know if you want your own room or-”

“Bon, if you’re okay with it, I’d like to share your room,” Marceline requested. She braced herself for dismissal or decline but she was met with silence.

“Colour stays in my clothes,” Bonnie ordered. Marceline’s ears perked up and she practically jumped off her bed. “No going in the lab while I’m experimenting, something could go wrong and someone could get hurt. It’s a safety issue, not because I don’t want you there. Unless you’re careful, then you can hang out there.”

“Those are some pretty easy rules to follow,” Marceline stated.

“They’re supposed to be, I’m not going to strap you down and tell you that you can’t do this or that.”

“Are you doing anything important right now?”

“Besides cleaning the last remaining remnants of the King of Ooo ruining my lab? No.”

“So I could come over right now?”

“Yes, except it's daylight.”

“I have an umbrella.” She heard Bonnie laugh on the other end.

“You are so stubborn. Be careful, okay? I don’t need a crisp staining my hallways.”

“Pff, it’ll be fine. See you in a bit, Peebles.”

Marceline may have been too hasty, and in her rush accidentally stuck her arm out of the shade and got burned, but that was fine because of her healing powers. She flashed Finn and Jake a wave when she came across them to raised eyebrows in the Candy Kingdom. She slipped into the castle without the Banana Guards noticing due to their own lack of attention and closed her umbrella, leaning against it.

An angry mint stalked towards her and pointed a gloved hand at her.

“If you are here to be turned mortal again, you’ll have to wait! The Princess has not even begun rebuilding the machine, and I hope you have prepared properly for the potential consequences of your actions after you were poisoned and almost perished! May I also request you refrain from placing the Princess in harm’s way?”

“Move over, candy man.” Marceline nudged him out of the way with the tip of her umbrella. “I’m a vampire for good. If I catch you trying to stake me I’ll drain all the red from your body. Where’s Bonnie?” Peppermint Butler huffed and adjusted his suit.

“She’s organising her lab. If you do her any harm I will make sure your fate is worse than death.” Marceline rolled her eyes.

“Heard that before, Minty.” She walked across the floor, her heels clicking against the solid candy floor. She could hear Peppermint Butler mumbling things under his breath but she elected to leave well enough alone. She navigated by memory to the lower halls, pausing at the lab doors. She hesitated before knocking.

“Come in!” Marceline stepped through the doorway and quickly reacted when she saw a glass beaker falling. She dived down and caught it, rubbing her neck sheepishly when she handed it back.

“You gotta be careful Bonnie, that could’ve shattered.” Bonnie carefully put the contents of her arms into the sink and dusted her hands together, leaning against the counter.

“I have plenty more, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world,” Bonnie said calmly. Her body language was a different story, her hands fidgeted and her eyes looked everywhere but Marceline’s. She tapped the toe of her shoe against the floor. “How long do you think you’ll be staying?”

“Want me gone already?” Marceline joked. Bonnie frowned.

“No, I’d love to have you here full-time, I was just curious how much time I’ll have with you before you go back to your house.”

“I don’t know, I just want to be here with you for a while. Even if Mints wants me gone.”

“Peps just doesn’t trust you, he’s skeptical of everyone,” Bonnie explained.

“I’ve literally been around you longer than he’s been alive, if I was going to do anything I would’ve done it seven centuries ago,” Marceline deadpanned. Bonnie pushed herself away from the counter.

“I know you would’ve and I trust you completely.” She placed a tender hand on Marceline’s cheek. “I’d trust you with my life.”

“Same. And I have multiple times. But if the little dude comes for me I will shatter him into a million pieces and throw him out the window.”

“Please do be careful with him, it’s such a pain to have to put him back together piece by piece,” Marceline grumbled something under her breath and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

~

She was fidgeting.

That in and of itself wasn’t usual, Marceline was typically always moving in one way or another. This time, however, she was nervous.

Not because she was sleeping next to Bonnibel, on the contrary sleeping beside her was actually comforting. It was the fact that she had a question to ask that she wasn’t sure she had her own answer to.

“Bonnie?” she spoke quietly in case her partner was asleep. She felt shifting beside her and didn’t have to turn to know Bonnie was looking at her.

“Yeah?” She took a few deep breaths and felt a warm hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Bonnie, are you okay with me being a vampire?” The words hung in the air for a time, and Marceline could tell Bonnie was choosing her words carefully before saying them. The fingers on her shoulder tightened its grip.

“Marcy, look at me.” She did, her eyes meeting Bonnibel’s. Her face was unreadable, which was normal but did little to put Marceline at ease. She took Marceline’s hand and held it in between them. “When I first met you, you were a vampire. It didn’t bother me back then, why would it bother me now?”

“I don’t know, I just,” she sighed, leaning back slightly, “I’m a freak. I have to drink the colour red, I can’t go outside during the day, I can’t eat garlic, your butler was so worried I could go crazy he’s been getting things to stake me with! My heart doesn’t beat unless I make it, I’m basically permanently cold, I don’t need to breathe ever. I committed genocide on my entire species except for one other vampire!” She broke eye contact before whispering, “I’m a freak. You’re a princess. At least when I was human, I was able to be normal. Like we could be a normal couple.”

“Marceline, I’ve always loved you for you. I don’t care if my sleep schedule gets thrown off, I don’t care if my entire kingdom goes pale. We haven’t used garlic here in centuries I can barely remember what it tastes like. And us being a normal couple?” she laughed and smiled, “I’m a sentient piece of gum that rules a kingdom she made from scratch that is also a lesbian. You’re a half-demon half-vampire who’s a rockstar and a queen and also bisexual. The word ‘normal’ and ‘us’ go together like two electrons.” Her smile faltered.

“If I’m honest, I didn’t want you to turn human again. For entirely selfish reasons. I didn’t want to lose you one day. But that was unfair to you, and it’s your life. I hate to say it but I was happy when you got turned back. It saved me a lot of work. I was going to try and find some way to prevent ageing, just because of my own fears.”

“That kind of defeats the point of being mortal,” Marceline pointed out.

“I know. That’s why I said it was selfish. For my own reasons I never wanted you to die. Either way, you would be ageless either naturally or by my doing, so in the end, I didn’t mind. Vampire or human, you’re still Marceline. That’s all I care about.” Marceline smiled at her.

“Bonnibel Bubblegum showing emotions?” She leaned forward and pecked her lips.

“Don’t make me regret it.” She started to turn away before pausing, looking back at Marceline with a sly grin. “Actually, there’s one thing that being a vampire has over being a human?”

“What?”

“It’s kind of hot.” Even dead, some hue came to Marceline’s cheeks as she playfully shoved Bonnibel off the bed.

[ribosoons]

"what are gonna do about it? give me detention slip?"| Wonwoo

Wonwoo x reader || Fluff

Warnings: suggestive, mentions of alcohol, profanity 

Summary: You basically hate each other.

a/n: my first lOoOong au omgggg!!! i worked for it days!! I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKE WILL LIKE IT!!!!

"wow the caveman finally decides to come out of his cave"

"wow the house rat wasn't still learning her lesson not to put her nose on other's business'"

you scoffed on wonwoo's response. you gave him a look and he just gave you a smile that 'ha-stfu-bitch'. you just rolled your eyes and enter your room.

you live in a rent-a-room-kinda house full of people you don't know. well, you befriended them except jeon wonwoo, the caveman you knew.

And you are the only one who suffer?!

you can't remember the exact reason why you hated this man but all you can think of is:

you can give a longer list aside from this but this might take a while if ever you list them.

you tried to give wonwoo a talk about his noise but you may or may not became rude telling him to shut up.

since then, your housemates knew that both of you hated each other. like hate hate hate.

...

"so, what do you want for your birthday?" your friend Soonyoung asked.

"a cat" you blatantly said.

"hm" he laid his back to his chair when a student knocked to your faculty's door.

"is ms y/n there?" your student jana asked.

you quickly showed yourself and took the papers in her hands.

"thank you jana!"

you look at the pile of paper placed in your hand and thought. 'i will be up all night checking these papers'

later that night, as expected, you are up and checking your student's paper.

"WELL YEAH FUCK YOU KIM MINGYU YOU SUCK!" you heard wonwoo shouts followed by a burst of laughter.

you rubbed your temples and put on your earphones. but for your thin walls' sake. you can still hear wonwoo shout.

you got up to your seat and knock on wonwoo's room.

after 5 knocks still no response and you can still his rage.

you opened his door and took the nearest thing you can touch, which is this white coat, and threw it at him.

with his quick response he looked at you then his monitor and you saw him die to his game and the word "defeat" on this game and you heard a murmur of raging testosterone in his headphones.

"what?" he said while squinting his eyes on me.

"you are so noisy"

"what are gonna do about it? give me detention slip?"

you rolled your eyes to wonwoo because of his response and you slammed his door. opening again saying "please shut the fuck up im doing my papers"

and slammed the door again.

gladly wonwoo shut up this night thus having you a great night checking your students' paper.

...

you woke up to loud knocks to your door. you stood up and opened your door.

"can you please" you saw a grumpy wonwoo standing in front of you.

"what?"

"alarm. your alarm kept on ringing for the last 10 minutes. keep it down"

"what?" your nerves suddenly woke up and ran back to your phone and checked the time.

"oh shit" you murmur and took your towel and ran to your bathroom and took a shower.

with an unbelievable pace, you got to the school on time.

you walked peacefully while the students greet you their good mornings and replying to them also a good morning.

you got to your table and get ready for your first subject class.

"oh shit the papers" you suddenly realized and panicked. "oh shit oh shit"

"what?" soonyoung asked.

"I forgot my student's paper"

"cant you call home?"

"you are so genius"

you called the house's landline.

"hello?"

"hello this is y/n. who's this?"

"ah y/n noona! it is me chan!"

"ah! great! you have university today?"

"this evening but i need to shift to the cafe"

"i see. the thing is, can you bring me the pile of papers placed on my table?"

"sure!"

"thank you! the spare key of my room is placed under the nearest plant"

"okay!! see you!"

"see you thank you! i'll treat you lunch"

"ah no thanks. do my papers instead?"

"haha no. i'll treat you lunch"

"fine"

you hang up the call and go to your first class.

...

"happy birthday!" Soonyoung called as soon as you entered the faculty room.

"what?" your co-teachers were also saying their greetings.

Soonyoung shoved the cake to you face (not literally) and said "make a wish"

you closed your eyes and made a wish, wishing that you'll have a boyfriend before this year ends.

everyone claps and wished you a happy birthday once again after you blew the cake. everyone go back to their respective places and did their work.

"hey i have a gift for you" you followed Soonyoung to your faculty's coffee room and there you saw a kitten placed inside a cage.

"surprise" you gave Soonyoung a hug and thank him with all your heart.

"uhh sorry to interrupt you two but someone is looking for you ms. y/n" you looked to where your co-teacher pointing and saw wonwoo squinting his eyes on you.

he's on his black polo pairing with his black tie, he's not wearing his glasses? oh contacts.

you let go Soonyoung and fixed your blouse.

"what?" you asked soon as you came closer to wonwoo.

"is he your boyfriend?" now it's your turn to squint your eyes on him

"no, do you like him?"

"no"

"why are you here?" you asked.

"chan said i need to give these papers" he said and giving you a paper bag.

"oh. why?"

"the boy is running late"

"and you?"

"i'm on lunch break"

"how much time is your lunch break doctor Jeon?"

"not much"

"then go away you are running out of time. ill tell your boss you kept on slacking"

"wow after i gave you your papers? you're welcome madame"

"just kidding. thanks a bunch. have a great day!" you gave him a smile.

"so i can make noise later?"

"it's still a no for me"

"ok. i have to go"

"yeah see you" wonwoo turn his back to you. clutching the paper bag, you saw wonwoo walk back to you again.

"i forgot i got you this" he said while giving the boba he's been holding the whole time.

"for me?"

"yeah. its your birthday right?" he said still on his squinting eyes.

he's giving you a gift yet his face is just,,, squinting his eyes.

"t-thanks?"

"ok bye"

you just there watching his back, while drinking the boba he gave you, going further and further until he's gone.

"ms. y/n is he your boyfriend?" you almost choke with the boba to the sudden voice you heard.

"what? jana it's you! how can I help you?"

"no no, we are just walking around and we saw you with your boyfriend a minute ago"

"boyfriend? who?"

"the one who gave you those. so sweet he gave you a gift and a booobaaaa" they sing sang

"no jana, he's just a delivery man who delivered your papers. kindly distribute this to your classmates" they gave you a disappointed sigh.

"oh we thought he's your boyfriend. oh well, you should go out with Mr. Kwon instead!" you chuckled because of the silliness of your students.

"haha no, now go and enjoy your break while it lasts and distributes them"

"ok ms. y/l/n! see you later!"

...

you were about to get out when one of your students called you, it was jana.

"yes jana?"

"is this yours ms?" jana asked giving you the cute pin. "i saw it inside the paper bag you gave, i think it's yours. it was neither mine nor kath's"

it was a pin with a black cat printed on it.

"oh y/n it looks like this cat" soonyoung point out showing the cat he gave you.

it was.

"oh"

"goodbye ms. y/n! mr. kwon!" your student bid their goodbye.

"so it was from doctor jeon. i see" you squit your eyes to soonyoung which made him laugh.

"in your dreams kwon soonyoung. it was from chan im sure"

"ok y/l/n y/n"

...

as you got home chan instantly came to you.

"ah noona im sorry i didn't come. oh- is that a cat?"

"no its a rat" chan didn't answer instead he asked you what her name was.

"oh, actually i sill don't know" his question made you think what her name would be.

"oh chan" you could the younger whose petting the cat inside the cage you are holding.

"thank for the cute pin" you thanked him

"what pin?"

"the can pin?"

"i don't know what you are talking about" you just shrug and left the cat to chan and run a bathe for yourself.

going out of your room, wonwoo walked past you. before he opens his door he called your name.

"y/n, your spare keys" he said. he was about to come into his room when you halt him. you rush into your room and pick the pin jana saw inside the paper bag.

"is this yours? or someone from you vet?" you asked.

"no, never seen that" he said and finally entered his room.

you just shrugged and go to your newly adopted cat.

you sat beside chan and you two finally thinking what you should name this black cat.

"let's name her cat but in a different language"

"no"

"lets call her doggie"

"y/n please no"

"fish?"

"noona"

"sorry"

you two just stare at the cute cat thinking what would her name be.

"call her jett"

you two synchronously look back and saw wonwoo sipping his banana milk.

you squit your eyes on him.

"why?"

"because she's jett black"

you grabbed your little cat "ok you are now jett" you smiled to wonwoo.

chan saw his older hyung taken aback with your smile and gave him a meaningful smile.

wonwoo just rolled his eyes to chan which made the younger laugh.

"why are you laughing?"

"nothing"

...

"jett momma is home where are you" you yelled.

as soon as you get into your house's lounge area you saw wonwoo feeding your cat.

"what are you doing?"

"feeding your cat" he said not looking at you

"yes my cat"

"do you want her to starve into her death?" you just rolled your eyes and left the cat with the care of wonwoo to change your clothes and freshen up a little bit.

you go directly to wonwoo and you saw your cat sleeping peacefully on wonwoo's lap while he rubs her head.

He carefully lifted the little one but she insisted to stay on wonwoo's lap.

you have no choice but to sit beside wonwoo and wait for your cat to had her sleep deeper.

"how's work?" he randomly asked.

"good" you answered shortly. wonwoo just gave you a look seems like asking for more information.

"it was tiring. students are just too energetic for my liking. how about the vet?" you asked.

"common things happened. dogs, cats, hamsters with their monthly check-up and such" you gave him a nod.

you two were silent.

"wow you two at peace? no yelling?" your housemate minghao asked.

you both look at his squinting your eyes

"no" you said and carefully took the baby kitten on wonwoo's lap and go directly to your room.

...

this has become a routine for both of you, you going home seeing wonwoo feeding jett or just casually playing with her and you'll fix yourself and sit beside wonwoo waiting for the cat to sleep.

"wow what are you two? a newly wedded couple who bought a cat as their child?" mingyu asked. wonwoo brushed off the question by raising his middle finger.

wonwoo and mingyu left you with the cat because the two of them will play games, as usual, so you prepared yourself a food leaving jett inside your room since her toys were there. although she had toys around the house because of wonwoo, it is better to be safe than sorry that is why you left your cat inside the room.

after you washed your dishes you brought jett her cat food with you.

you opened the door and immediately saw jett laying in your floor with red stains surrounding her.

you panicked, you dropped jett's food and immediately knock on wonwoos door. it was mingyu who opened the door but you barged in and removed wonwoo's earphone and drag him into your room.

"y/n what the fuck"

"jett"

"what happened to jett?" right after he saw jett on your floor he quickly took gathered his first aid tools and check her pulse and heart rate.

"she's"

"she's what?" your cat meowed and licked wonwoo's fingers.

"what?" you repeated your self.

wonwoo looked around and saw the small bottle of lip tint around the cat. he was about to report what he saw to you but he saw you crying.

wonwoo placed down the broken glass of tint and gave you a hug while rubbing your back whispering that jett is in good condition, that i was all just misunderstanding. you kept on weeping but wonwoo stayed put in his place hugging you.

"everything is all right" he said and you broke off the hug.

you look around and saw jett purring at you. you let out a soft chuckle while sniffing.

"you silly cat" and you gave jett a hug.

after what happened you told wonwoo you have to clean jett's mess leading him to go back to his room and saw mingyu playing alone.

"you are restricted for 5 minutes, you were afk"

"yeah" wonwoo replied and sat to his seat.

"you two really looks like a new wedded couple~" mingyu sing sang

"shut up"

"no look. you have to confess"

"no shut up" wonwoo firmly said.

"ok if that what you really think" mingyu laughs.

"who was the dude who gave her cat again? soon- whaat? he's totally getting her"

wonwoo gave no answer on mingyu's statements living the younger dude laughing.

...

lunch break at your school, as usual, students keep on knocking on your door to ask for their teachers when they should be having a good lunch meal.

"miss y/l/n, someone is looking for you"

"how many times i have to tell my students i want to have a peaceful lunchtime" you ranted at soonyoung.

"welp this is what you've signed up for" you rolled your eyes and drank your water and go directly to the door.

in your surprise, it was not a student who's looking at you but it was wonwoo.

"uhh" he said, he may look calmed inside but dude he's panicking.

"what are you doing here?"

"i dont really know" you squint your eyes trying to look into his soul.

you were about to go back to your table when wonwoo grab your arms. "here" he gave you a paper bag and he flees away.

"how can he even surpass the guards?" you looked inside the paper bag and saw a boba and chocolate in it.

huh?

...

The next day, wonwoo came again but this time he barges into your class.

"you see im teaching" you said squinting your eyes.

"i can tell" he plainly stated.

"what do you want?"

"you" you were stunned when he said the word.

"what?"

"i mean i want you to have this. have a great day" again, he gave you a paper bag this time inside it, it has a slice of cake in it.

"yieeee miss y/n is he your boyfriend?" one of your students asked.

"oh! miss isn't he the one who gave you the pin?" jana asked.

"what pin?"

"the cattoooo~" she sing sang. you brushed off the questions and continued discussing.

the following days were the same, wonwoo kept on giving you foods during you-dont-know-when.

"lets have a bet" soonyoung interrupted you.

"no"

"oh come on!"

"hit me"

"i bet wonwoo likes you" his statement made you stop checking the papers and froze.

"oh i see~ you also like the guy~" he sing sang.

...

you just got home, trying to speed up your pace to avoid wonwoo.

"y/n i gave jett her monthl-"

"thanks" you quickly took jett from his grasp and run to your room. Jett meowed at you while looking.

"no, you have to stay away from him"

...

from the past few days, you kept on avoiding wonwoo. whenever he visits you to your workplace you always send soonyoung to talk to him.

in the house, you are trying to break wonwoo's and jett's bond by getting her and running to your room.

You dont know what to do.

"hey y/n" minghao called you

"yeah?"

"ill be hosting a party tomorrow here in our flat, are you okay with that? i kinda surveying everyone to know if yall are comfortable me having a party here"

"yeah sure! im okay with that"

"really? okay! it will be starting in 5pm!" you gave minghao a smile.

tomorrow came, it was saturday so it was kinda a free day for you (tho you have tons of paper to check but hey! it was a party, you need to join in!)

you came out of your room at exactly 5pm and everything was basically set up neatly. pingpong table, the drinks, the lights, everything!!

you roam around and saw some familiar figures and some weren't. you asked soonyoung also to come, minghao basically didnt give a shit you inviting someone.

this dude is rich.

"hey!" soonyoung danced going towards you.

"wassup!"

"nice party"

"this wasnt my plan tho"

you and soonyoung are just sticking to each other's company. Got drinks for yourselves.

you both are sitting in the couch while you and soonyoung chug the whole bottle of soju betting who will finish it first. you are so glad you took the peach flavored soju which put you in so much in advantage.

"I WON!" you declared.

"not fair" soonyoung checked your bottle and it was proven empty.

"hi y/n!" suddenly a wild mingyu appeared infront of you.

"oh hi! youre also here!"

"yeah i was invited by wonwoo"

"ah yeah the caveman ofcourse" mingyu excused himself and go directly to wonwoo's room.

"dude there is a fucking party outside and youre here playing valorant"

"yeah, and we are duoing"

"uh no, you need to socialize" mingyu chirped.

"pass, i had my annual socializing last month. ill be socializing next year"

"yeah soonyoung and y/n are together" mingyu blurt made wonwoo look at him. mingyu very well know that wonwoo is very much into you.

"lets take a few shots" wonwoo said leaving his pc and dragged mingyu outside.

wonwoo saw you laughing with soonyoung at the couch made him squint his eyes.

"i see. a point for soonyoung for today" mingyu giggled.

wonwoo chug his whole soju bottle and took a deep sigh.

"what now?" wonwoo asked looking at his friend.

"what what now? are you stupid? you need to make a move!" mingyu nagged.

"yeah, but she kept on avoiding me"

"yeah she 100% hates you" mingyu said which made wonwoo take another bottle of soju and chug it which made mingyu laugh.

"you are pussy"

"yeah fuck off"

wonwoo and mingyu are just watching you and soonyoung from sides. it was a shock for both of wonwoo ang mingyu when you and soonyoung stood up and saw you both going directly to your bedroom.

"someone's going to get her. hurry up" mingyu pushed wonwoo which made him run.

"hey! y/n!" wonwoo called before you two-step inside your room.

"what?" you respond.

"can we talk?"

"no" soonyoung just nudged you which made your eye roll.

"you go inside first" you instructed soonyoung and look at wonwoo.

"what do you want to talk about?"

"can we talk inside my room? its kinda loud here" you nod and follow him inside his room.

"are you avoiding me?" his question made you caught off guard thus making you hold your breath.

"yes" you said trying to sound confident. maybe because of the amount of alcohol you consumed.

"stop playing with my feelings" you whispered but wonwoo heard it loud and clear. you look down looking at you heels clutching your fist trying to stop yourself from crying.

"why?"

you felt wonwoo hold your chin bring it up. you two lock your gaze.

"i like you y/n" wonwoo pressed his lips into yours and quickly retreated. he looked at your facial expression and saw you squinting your eyes. which made him giggled and kissed you again.

you two kissed moving against each other. wonwoo moved his hand, left on you waist right on your nape.

you wrapped your arms in wonwoo's neck and just go with the flow in your kiss.

"you know what y/n" wonwoo said between your kisses.

"what?" you responded still kissing him back.

"i love you" he said. you felt him smile between your kisses.

you two break off from each other. placing wonwoo's forehead into yours.

"i wanna know if you like me too. if not, ill make you love me"

"well i kinda like you" you said laughing bringing your head on wonwoo's chest.

wonwoo held you head carefully and placed a kiss on top of your head and say "i will take care of you and jett"

"promise?"

"i promise"

"just so you know the reason why im looking at you that way because i forgot my glasses at my office"

[fairydust-stuff]

Enemy Yut Lung & Eiji one shot: Warning  this one is not romantic or soft plantonic friends.

“ I’ve decided i’m going to be Ash Lynx’s enemy,” Yut Lung casually states.

Eiji freezes the implications of this statement slowly seeping into his brain. What the hell was this guys problem? He said he was just like Ash if that was the case why did he want to make his life harder?

At first Eiji had viewed Ash as untouchable, a powerful shonen hero like the ones from his childhood heroically fighting against evil men who wanted to control him but after that night. Eiji had seen the look of devastation on Ash’s face as he put a bullet in Shorter Wong’s brain. Even covered in the blood of his enemies ,Ash had such a shattered look about him.

The nights that followed were full of raw howls and heaving sobs as Eiji soothed Ash Lynx back to sleep. By day his gang members cowered from his wraith since the slightest thing they did seemed to set him off.

He cann’t handle anymore he’s been brutalized for far too long and as much as Eiji wished he was like those magically girl characters who made everything all right. He couldn’t just reach inside and rewire Ash’s brain or fix his heart with gentle fingers. All the love in the world could not repair the damage Golzine had inflicted.

Yut Lung had the means to tear what was left of Ash’s heart straight from his chest and crush it under his heel. Which is why Eiji said what he did next.

“ If your Ash’s enemy then i’ll be yours!” Eiji proclaimed defiantly.

Yut Lung’s usual hateful mocking expression was replaced by pure shock. Then he laughs.

“ Very well if you're my enemy” Yut Lung motions to the gun in Eiji’s hand and raises a delicate eyebrow as if to say get on with it.

Eiji raises the gun and points it at the other boy with one bullet and he can get rid of one more problem for Ash, but something about the other boy’s eyes makes him hesitate. There’s an uncomfortable familiar vibe to them that unnerves him and makes Eiji unable to pull the trigger and end things. Also killing an unarmed person, even one as vile as Yut Lung still isn’t right. It goes against everything he’s been taught.

“ Disgraceful, how can you be my greatest enemy if you cann’t even pull the trigger?” Yut Lung looks at him as if he’s a disappointing liar who cheated him.

Eiji’s plan was too escape and run directly to save Ash. he was just about to get back to that plan. When the younger boy who had looked pissed when he saw Eiji in the elevator shows up and tackles Eiji to the ground.

“ You ok?” he asks Yut Lung softly

“ I’m fine!” Yut Lung brushing the boy's concern away. “ Just get him back to his room” he snapped with irritation…

Eiji threw himself upon Yut Lung Lee who moved swiftly out of the way, he fell and smacked his head on the door.

“ Is this your way of persuading me you’ll be a good enemy or a court jester?” Yut Lung said with some amusement.

“ How did you know?” Eiji asked rubbing his head

“ I’m not the person to fall for the same trick twice” Yut Lung said …

Eiji shoves his dinner into the face of Yut Lungs servant and hurls the plate at him, the other boy dodges.

“ I’ll have another plate brought up for you, if you toss this one you can go to bed hungry” The younger boy warns with a pleasant smile…

“ How the hell did he get a lighter!” Yut Lung exclaimed furiously using expensive cloth to douse the flames to save his precious plants as the guards restrained a smirking Eiji...

“ Fine you can be my enemy, I certainly hate you enough” Yut Lung spat.

“ Great now please free me so i can save Ash” Eiji said.

“ No, though you have managed to irritate me, your technique is sloppy and unrefined. If you're going to be my enemy, you're going to become worthy of that title” Yut Lung makes a motion to his mafia goons who drag and blindfold Eiji when they take it off he sees he’s in an underground room.

“ Lets start with your breathing” Yut Lung states.

“ breathing?” Eiji demands

“ Its loud i can hear you coming, we need to change that” Yut Lung says simply “ But i need to” the mafia heir cuts him off “ I’ll keep an eye on the Ash situation” …

“ What? you have a shooting range on your estate?” Eiji exclaims looking at the fancy targets one of Yut Lung’s guys hands the boy a gun.

“ You should see the interrogation room in the basement” Yut Lung says sardonically and lines up his weapon and takes aim bam bam bam! Three straight shots in a row.

“ I cann’t tell if your fucking with me” Eiji said with a scowl.

“ Here” Yut Lung hands him a gun. Eiji frowns, forgive me Ash but i’m doing this to save you. He takes a few shots.

“ Disappointing” Yut Lung states.

“ What are you talking about i got half of them” Eiji argues.

“ Half isn’t good enough in a shoot out with me and my men” Yut Lung shot back. “ Lets talk about your shooting stance”

“ Ash showed me this!” Eiji argues.

“ What works for one person doesn’t work for everyone” Yut Lung informed him. “ Lets try some different stances and see if we can find one, That works better for you”

Eiji placed his arms and legs where Yut lung told him “ This is weaver stance its a boxer type, it might work better. You have a wider frame, Ash is more slender in build.”

It was surreal Eiji thought being taught by the one person he couldn’t stand who actually had some good advice. He found the second time he actually hit more of his targets. Yut Lung made him practice until almost nightfall...

Eiji found his days of being a captive were now loaded with lessons every day he was led blindfolded to some obscure location of the house. Where Yut Lung would instruct him on one topic or another...

“ Again” Yut Lung commands as Eiji pulls yet another acupuncture needle from his body. He was just glad they were clean; he still had awful memories of suddenly blacking out from whatever horrible substance the mafia heir put in those things.

Though he could do without Yut Lungs constant criticisms which made him want to curl in a corner and cry and took him back to his school days of struggling to balance athletics and still maintain perfect scores on every test. Eiji told himself at least the mafia heir wasn’t focused on Ash. Besides it was the same pressures he grew up with and this time he was determined not to crack…

A month later and Eiji was sitting at the dining room table apparently after no instances for a couple of weeks and Yut Lung had loosened his restrictions. Though he was still being lead to and tied to the table with one hand.

The boy who recaptured him who Eiji learned was called Sing Soo Ling was loading up and gobbling down what appeared to be multiple dishes.

“ You can at least use a napkin. I'm sure the Wong’s didn’t raise you to be a pig” Yut Lung remarks.

Sing responds by opening his mouth and giving the other boy a view of his chewed food. Yut Lung makes a soft sound of disgust as he delicately dabbles at his mouth. He turns to Eiji “ You made some slight improvements” he remarks. Coming from Yut Lung, it's almost a complement.

“ Are you seriously training this guy to be your enemy?” Sing demands incredulously

“ Honestly he wasn’t even my first choice” Yut Lung responds.

“ You ritch types are weird” the fourteen year old said.

“ i don’t go around with something called dragon fang” Yut Lung retorted.

“ Maybe if you did, you’d get taken hostage less!” Sing responded.

“ He got the jump on me. How is that my fault?” Yut Lung exclaims

Eiji watches incredulously as the two of them get into a pointless argument going back and forth there’s no heat to it really, rather a sense of comfort. Its the kind of argument he might have with his younger sister. Its just odd seeing this casual behavior from Yut Lung Lee of all people.

“ So Eiji has this guy dangled you over a snake pit yet?” Sing asks cheerfully

“ Where did you hear something so ridiculous?” Yut Lung complains

“ Servant gossip” Sing replies.

“ They’ve gotten chattier since my brothers illness” Yut Lung scowls.

“ Come on Yue don’t be so uptight” Sing coaxes

“ What’s the point of having a staff if they don’t know how to stay quiet” the mafia heir points out.

“ Their not spilling any secrets, just making up odd stories ” Sing pointed out.

“ If i hear one word of actual Lee businesses pass anyone's lips…” Yut Lung was interrupted by the entrance of a servant girl who whispered something in his ear.

“ What!” Yut Lung hurled one of the dishes at the wall.

“ Getting hysterical again!” Sing teased him.

“ Shut up!” Yut lung got up “ No one can seem to find Ash”...

Eiji sits in his room Yut Lung is too off kilter to continue his training. Sing gives him updates saying that the mafia heir spends a lot of time sending his people out, waiting by the phone and has even headed out a few times himself. It worries him that Yut Lung hasn’t actually given up on Ash. So he does push ups and pull ups every day to keep in shape. Eiji practices the stealth techniques Yut Lung showed him. He steals a pen so he can practice writing the codes on the walls he was taught to decipher and study. He has Sing bring him firearms so he can practice taking them apart and putting them back together.

Then Yut Lung visits him a few days later“ We found Ash” Eiji watches all of the tension from the past few days vanish from him with those three words. This guy was actually concerned for Ash?

“ You really are devoted to becoming my enemy” Yut Lung comments tracing codes on the walls with astonishment.

“ Ash?” Eiji asked

“ He escaped from one of Dino Golzine’s secret government funded organizations ” Yut Lung looks bothered like this is something he hadn’t known about. “ He’s been experimenting on criminals with Banana Fish” …

Its one more day then he’ll finally see Ash and the others again. “ Now before our final lesson there’s someone i want you to meet” Yut Lung leads Eiji into a room down the hall and opens the door. He gasps there’s a grown man with eyes like Shorter’s drooling on himself! He groans at Yut Lung who touches his cheek lightly.

“ Eiji may i introduce Hua Lung my older brother”

“ You used that horrible drug on him!” Eiji backs up.

Its wrong, even worse is the way Yut Lung pulls his living human puppet into an affectionate embrace, his eyes gleaming with hate.

“ Hua Lung was my former enemy” the younger boy pauses. “ Tomorrow i’ll be giving you back to Ash”

Eiji stares stunned at how his arms are still wrapped so tenderly around the one who he had so thoroughly destroyed.

“ Don’t look so surprised” Yut Lung says, misunderstanding the reason for his reaction.

“ I only wanted to deliver Ash to Golzine to force him to be my enemy” Yut Lung looked Eiji in the eyes over the shoulder of his zombie brother. “ Now you are my worst enemy, who will someday destroy me”...

“ Eiji!” Ash embraces him tightly as if he never wants to let him go. Eiji manages to persuade Ash, Yut Lung was just giving him a safe place to stay. The blond would go ballistic if he knew the truth.

Their just about to go then Yut Lung pulls him into a hug Eiji’s body goes entirely stiff he feels the softness of the other boys hands on his skin his voice in his ear like a lovers caress “ Goodbye for now, Eiji”

then the hands are gone his body feels chilled as he remembers exactly who else was embraced with such vindictive tenderness.

“ Eiji .what’s wrong?” Ash asked

“ Yes Big Brother Eiji are you cold?” Yut Lung asks innocently.

Eiji suddenly feels the full weight of the obligation he’s agreed to pressing down on him. How is he supposed to look at those oddly familiar eyes and manage to close them forever? But if he doesn't, well Eiji doesn’t want to think about it.

[gotmilk5101520]

Miraculous Ladybug Rewatch Episode 72 Party Crasher

The perfect party to KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!

“One of these days, I'm gonna come over and KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!”

“Is everything going to plan, Nathalie?”

“Yes. On route to the airport, sir. You will officially be spending the entire weekend in Tokyo”

“No one will ever suspect that you stayed home. Until you akumatize someone”

“Merging them will grant me absolute power to reshape reality, and finally reverse our past mistake” My theory is becoming more true everytime Gabriel talks about it.

“My butterflies are ready! Ready to be Akumas!”

“Okay, remember our objective. To penetrate the impenetrable fortress, aka Adrien's pad, aka Area 51“

“If we Naruto run we should avoid the bullets”

Accurate picture of Gabriel.

“Kim, have a swimming lesson”

“Great! I always have my trunks on me” Well if I learned anything from Startrain.

“Nino was asked at the last minute to DJ his grandma's birthday party”

“Ivan suddenly got a toothache and rushed over to the dentist”

“Nathaniel crashed his computer and lost all the pages of the comic book he and Marc are doing“

“Max and Markov are helping them fix it”

“Kim had to go to the pool for a mandatory swim lesson, though I'm not entirely sure why he texted me that” Juleka can see the bullshit.

“Did I miss something, or is it bad excuses world championship today?” Yeah they know.

Who needs money when you can get action figures.

“Is there any game you don’t have?” “I don’t have the Zelda CDI games” “You’re better off without them”

“All the boys are unavailable with really lame excuses, and trust me, I know a lame excuse when I hear them”

“I’ve turned into an expert at them since I became... you-know-who” Marinette is Voldemort confirm.

“I know, I’m gonna call Ivan. He can’t lie to save his life”

“Don’t pick up! You can’t lie to save your life” Ivan exposed.

“Adrien’s dad left town for Tokyo’s fashion week. While the cat’s away, the mice will play” More like while the moth’s away, the cat will play. With his turtle, snake, horse, monkey, maybe ox, maybe rooster, and maybe goat friends.

“But isn’t Marinette... one of my guys?” Adrien considers Marinette to be one of his guys.

“Woah! These can’t be your awesome old records”

“They were my mother’s” *Cries in French*

“Nathaniel and Marc? Going to Adrien’s house? This can only mean one thing” “What Marinette?” “They plan to make out in a closet cause Adrien’s dad is out of town. Or there’s a party at Adrien’s house”

*Load Music in French*

“Emilie!” *Screams in French*

I can’t explain these.

“Wait I never gave the banana costume back, so how did...?”

“Hello It's a-me: Mario!”

“What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be extra careful? You know, keeping the Miraculous hidden so Hawkmoth won't find them?” “Yes that’s true, especially since we are in his house” “Wait what?”

I can’t explain this either.

“I like your style!”

“Look out, sir!”

“Thank you, young man. Your natural reflexes are quite good”

“Helping others should always be a natural reflex, like swimming is for fish”

*Screams in Monkey*

“I don't feel any negative emotion. There's only...”

“Happiness?”

“In my house!”

“Party Crasher, I am Hawkmoth. So you weren't invited? Well I'm giving you the power to crash that party, and KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!“

Keep this in mind when watching the NY Special.

“Marinette?”

“Uh... no, no, no, no! It's a-me: Mario!”

*Screams in Adrienette*

*Screams in French*

“NO!”

“Don't go in there alone! You'll never pull this off by yourself”

“Give me my lady back!”

“Need some back up?”

“Pegasus?”

“Viperion?” When this episode aired before Desperada and Startrain.

There’s an akuma and Kim just swims.

“Awww! A flying monkey plushie!”

“I'm no plushie! My name's Xuppu, you nitwit!”

“My name's not nitwit! My name's Kim!”

You can see the regret in his eyes.

“I'm wondering if this was the smartest move after all” Me questioning my life choices

“Xuppu, I Wanna Be Like You!”

“Now face the most fearsome supervillain ever created!”

Party Crasher must never returned.

Fear the banana.

“The only solution is to be so unpredictable that he can't read our dance steps” “So Fortnite Dance?” “Yes, Fortnite Dance everyone!”

“Always wanted to do that!”

“I'm sorry, Wayhem. I swear I had no idea my friends were gonna surprise me”

“What matters is that you great time, with or without me. And I got to KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM! This is the best day of my life!”

“Wait. Where are Luka and Wayhem?” “They were right behind us” “Wayhem better not be making out with Luka in a closet. I’m suppose to be the one making out with Luka in a closet!”

“I'll be leading you in a dance. A dance of doom” “Well we got lost. Where are we anyway?” “No idea” “How did you two get here?!” “Oh hey a corpse. Wait a minute aren't you supposed to be in Tokyo? Then again, should’ve known since there was an akuma” “This just in we found the Agreste’s Basement Corpse!” “Nathalie, help me!”

New Hero: King Monkey. Identity: Le Chien Kim. Power: Jubilation.

Let’s cringe everyone.

[imagine-fight-write]

Random - why I like Banana Fish

Of course, I’m not done reading it yet. . .

Because time & $ are not my friends. 

(I like to support authors by buying their work whenever possible.)

Also, I hate ending series, so I sometimes just hold off on reading the last volume & just re-read the rest. Yes, I’m strange.

To sum, I like adore Banana Fish because of the numerous bad people in it are so satisfying to hate (most don’t even have names!).

And I really, really, want Ash & Eiji & everyone on their side to win/escape and have a good life. Because they deserve it.

Especially Ash Lynx.

Banana Fish has also taught me an essential life lesson in how to creep people out.

(As you can read in the latter half of Vol. 5 of the manga.)

It’s very simple.

When someone is the same room as you, or when you’re talking about them, refer to them in the 3rd person.

For example, brought to you by one of the most awful people in existence (to put it mildly, words can’t contain how much I hate this man & want him to suffer), Dino Golzine.

*Just obligated to put those 2 pictures together. *

I can’t even refer to him simply as Dino, because I know a wonderful person by that name & I refuse to associate the 2 together.

Have I mentioned how much I hate Dino Golzine?

Golzine says to Ash Lynx, while Ash is in the same room as him,

“I always meant to take you to England”

“I was always going to make you my heir, but . . .“

A.K.A., talk as if they’re already dead, even if they’re alive and breathing right in front of you.

And also because the main characters, Ash & Eiji & their friends, fight so hard against such powerful enemies.

I just want them to be happy. Smile. Love life.

They deserve it.

Ash deserves to be a normal kid & goof around with Eiji.

Also, have you seen how gorgeous Ash is, and how cute Eiji is?

(Ash is the blonde, Eiji is the black-haired / Japanese one)

 Ah, my heart.

Although, talking about Ash’s looks makes me always wince, because - on the one hand, I can’t help but notice, but on the other -

this anime/manga is really dark, everyone. It’s got wonderful action and humor and plot, but it is also grim. Not for the faint of heart.

There is a reason why Ash hates/refuses to let anyone take pictures of him. A very good reason.

Wince.

But, going back to wonderfulness, don’t get me started on the best adopted-dads of anime, Max & Ibe. The dads Ash & Eiji deserve (though I’m sure Eiji’s parents were wonderful, considering how he turned out.)

Yes, there’s a whole dramatic event where everyone is forced to wear tuxes, and the good looking everyone (except Dino Golzine & Arthur) is the only thing that saves you during the sheer everything that goes down. 

Also, there’s a wonderful line about a bazooka.

Did I mention Banana Fish is a shojo, and it was really popular?

.

Banana Fish, by the way, is an anomaly for me. Usually, I read fantasy series like One Piece, Attack on Titan, Pandora Hearts, Yona of the Dawn, or Basara. Some of them have historical elements, such as AoT or Basara, but they’re all fantasy.

The closest I’ve come to slice of life is Fruits Basket & Kimi Ni Todoki.

Anyway, this is going to sound strange, but one of the reasons why I like Banana Fish so much is

There are

so many

people

I hate

in it.

I mean, so many.

It’s hard to keep track.

They really aren’t named at all.

 They’re just “Thug #1″ or “Smart Thug Sunglasses Guy” or “That Cop Guy who does have a name I can’t remember who was a complete monster to Ash & needs to learn not to trigger PTSD victims.”

And I hate  “Smart Thug Sunglasses Guy” with a fiery burning passion.

By "burning passion” I mean, I could watch them burn in a fire - slowly - and not feel a wit of guilt about their dying screams. And no, I wouldn’t go try to save them either.

Because they’re awful people.

I’m not using the word “hate” here lightly.

And of course, there’s also Dino Golzine, the *mob boss & kingpin of Banana Fish. 

Who I also hate with a burning passion.

Note, I think Volume 5 of the manga translates the line better, 

“I am Dino Golzine . . . the master of your friend . . . Ash Lynx.”

I really, really want to write a story with a similar set-up, where the MC has a friend who they find out is connected and controlled by the worst person, “I’m the master of your friend” and they help their friend get free. I’m thinking it’ll involve a magic spell, a curse, or a contract.

Anyway, Golzine also looks hella lot more sinister & just dominates the room whenever he’s around in the manga.

I mean, Dino Golzine is the sort of man who talks about another person in the 3rd person (as if they’re not there / or dead) while they’re in the same room as him. And still alive.

Yes, it’s creepy.

Anyway, having him and “Smart Sunglasses Thug” in Banana Fish make me want to keep reading and watch them get their just deserts. Or rather, force-fed spinach, because they don’t deserve dessert.

(Have I mentioned how much I hate these guys?)

But there’s more! Having villains who are fun to hate aside,

I also want Ash & Eiji and everyone they’re friends with to find happiness and peace and really live, instead of just survive.

I care about them. They fight so hard.

And that’s enough for me.

*Are kingpin & mob boss essentially the same thing? 

Or is a “kingpin” essentially the king version of mob boss?

[rainbowdawn]

Prom Night

AN: I haven’t written fan fiction in ages so I’m sorry if its no good. I also don’t have anywhere I can post it at since I gotta wait a week for ao3 to invite me???? Hopefully some Banana Fish fan might enjoy  it.

-------

“I don’t know about this Sing..” Yue protested. The younger of the two smiled as he helped fix his friend’s suit collar and pat his shoulder. “It’ll be fun! Let’s enjoy being our age for a night.” The two had been standing on the stairs of an old high school that was already alive with lights and sounds from inside. Yue groaned lightly as he tried to remember why he let Sing talk him into this situation.

 After the events involving Banana Fish had died down the air of the city had changed and so had the two dragons of Chinatown. They were lifted to higher pedestals in their world and viewed in the same eyes as adults. “Wanna go to a real-life prom?” Sing inquired of Yue a month ago. “There’s one for kids in the city and I got us tickets.”

 Yue looked up from his laptop perplexed. “Prom? Like in those movies you had me watch?” A slight frown crossed his face as he sat back to cross his arms over his chest as if to solidify his silent disapproval. “I’ve been to galas more lavish and extravagant than some little kiddy prom. Our time for being children has been long gone. We have our roles Sing.”

 Yue had a point, but Sing wasn’t going to admit it. He felt closer to Yue recently and knew how locked off and cold he could be at times out of instinct for survival. No innocent enjoyment or happiness could enter Yue’s realm. “Yeah, we’ve got roles because of who we are, but we’re also kids too! Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to be like kids our age?” 

 Recently that had been a thought occupying the back of the older teens mind, but it was more of an annoyance and distraction to him. Sure, there was a time where he was able to enjoy being his age but that was taken away from him early thanks to his foul brothers. He’d spent more time in darkness, pain and grief, that he wasn’t sure it was possible to find that warmth again. During those thoughts, Blanca’s words rang in his ears and the sting of Sing’s slap all that time ago burned fresh on his cheek. There were at least two people in his world who genuinely wanted him to find warmth again. “Just this one night,” he replied after a rather long thought filled silence. “After tonight no more trying to make me a teenager like in movies and fairy tales. I’m head of the Lee clan and you are my eyes in Chinatown.”

 Brows rose and eyes widened when he heard Yue agree to his silly request. “Really?!” He jumped up from the couch he had been lounging on and pulled Yue to stand for a quick examination. “Do you have any clothes that don’t scream I’m the Chinese Richie Rich?”

 “Of course, I don’t,” Yue scoffed upturning his nose at the comment. “And who’s Richie Rich?!”

 Thankfully Sing was a clever boy and managed to get them both suits with matching tie and bow tie. As a joke Sing had bought a corsage to match with the red color of Yue’s tie but was pleasantly surprised when his friend willingly let him pin it to his breast pocket.  “At the stroke of midnight, we turn back into leaders of Chinatown right” Sing joked with a smile. “Ready Cinderella?”

 Yue rolled his eyes at the nickname but walked along with his friend into the lively setting. Sing took the lead in getting them checked in before they headed into the gymnasium where the dance would be held. He could tell Yue was caught off guard by the number of children his age, the sounds, the lights, the foreignness of the setting he had been placed in. Immediate culture shock was written all over his face. The moon dragon looked to his counterpart with a slight panic that he tried to hide by waving a hand to the festivities. “Well?” He opened. “What should we do?”

 Sing smiled a bright reassuring smile as he nodded to the refreshment table. “Should we get a drink?” Hooking arms with his friend, he led him over to the table that was lined with budget snacks and of course a classic large punch bowl. Yue’s nose scrunched as he surveyed the food that lined the table. “Am I supposed to eat this? It’s.....so cheap.”  To that comment Sing laughed and passed the other a cup. “Of course, it’s cheap. Not everyone was born rich and the people who set this up are non for profit. The kids here are like us. They just wanna be kids for a night.” Yue went quiet as he examined his cup before looking out at the dance floor. The other kids looked like they were enjoying themselves. Laughing, dancing, joking around...Before he could get too loss in his thoughts starting to build, he was ushered to sit on some bleachers by Sing. He could clearly see the dark muck building at Yue’s feet where his thoughts would pull him down into a spiral of sadness and toxicity. Tonight, was going to be the night where Sing would help Yue move toward the light and stepped out of the dark.

 “Sing?” Yue spoke up. “What’s that?” He pointed to a black curtained box where children had been going in and out holding pictures. The fellow dragon smiled, happy to see Yue showing some interest in the event. “It’s a photo booth,” he explained. “You go in and there’s funny props you can use and take pictures. Wanna go?” His smile grew into a mischievous smirk as he took the cup from Yue to help him down from the bleachers. He wasn’t going to let the other protest the idea regardless of his answer.

 While they waited their turn, Yue was still glancing around the room. He took in the energy of the children who got excited for a favorite song, the possible first love building over by the punch bowl, and the full enjoyment on everyone’s face. It...it was nice. He was snapped out of the admiration when Sing pulled him along for their turn. He looked at the table and box in front of them filled with ridiculous props for them. “Uh....” he began but Sing was already grabbing giant sunglasses to put on him. After the first photo was taken, Yue looked to Sing who was already making a mad grab as well. A sign saying “I’m with stupid” caught Yue’s eyes that he quickly grabbed, along with a bright pink boa. For the last one, Sing put his arm around Yue’s shoulder grinning with a thumbs up. Yue smiled a genuine soft smile while giving his own thumbs up.

 “You can keep the pictures,” Yue suggested as he continued to hold and admire them. He finally passed the sheet to the other who folded it up to place his pocket. “I’ll hang on to it for whenever you wanna look back on it,” he smiled saying. 

 A change in tempo from the DJ sent the whole room in a frenzy. It seemed like a popular song was on. Smirking deviously, Sing grabbed Yue’s arm to pull him to the dance floor. All of Yue’s protests were drowned out by the music and joyful singing and cheering of the attendees. Once they were in a good spot, Sing let the other go to shake his groove thang. Yue on the other hand stood with hands crossed, frowning at Sing. “Dance Yue! Feel the beat and move!” He shook his head ‘no’. Sing gave a slight frown back as he stepped up to his friend. His hands slipped to Yue’s hips where he forced them to sway side to side even if his upper body still tried to protest. “Daaaaaaance,” Sing whined as he swayed along with Yue.  “Don’t be so stuck up, Princess Party Pooper.”

 “I am not!” He retorted. Pushing Sing’s hands from his hips, Yue gently pushed him back to give himself space. While he was unfamiliar with the song, Yue was surprisingly giving a show for Sing. ‘Call me stuck up huh?’ He thought. His hips swayed and hands twirled as he stepped up to the other to bring his show closer. Hands beginning to travel along Sing’s features before he turned his back to him to look over his shoulder. Sing was following the message Yue was sending and returned his hands to Yue’s hips. They continued to dance together, finding their rhythm and flow before the music changed once more to a slow song.  The two paused. “Did you learn how to slow dance in your princess classes?” Sing asked with a smirk. His hands moved to Yue’s hips again while Yue’s rested on Sing’s shoulders. “Maybe you should take some lessons Sing.” Yue was obviously leading in their movements while the song played. “I..I’ve had fun Sing. Thank you.” 

 Hearing the gratitude from his friend filled his heart with joy. “I’m happy to hear it. Did it give you a nice taste of a high school prom?”

 “There’s one thing missing,” Yue mused as he returned his gaze to Sing. Before he could reply, Sing was at the receiving end of a kiss. “Now,” he softly smiled in reply as he pulled away. “It’s like in the movies. Let’s go home Sing.”

 The two made their way back through the crowd to exit the building, hand in hand. Yue was thankful for the brief glimpse at what a kid his age could enjoy. The memories he created with Sing on this night would never be forgotten. 

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Double Decker 12 - 13 (FINAL) | Golden Kamuy 23 - 24 (FINAL) | Merc Storia 11 - 12 (FINAL) | Zombieland Saga 12 (FINAL) | Gridman 12 (FINAL) | Cells at Work! 14 (OVA) | Shield Hero 1 | Boogiepop 1 - 2 | Egao no Daika 1

Trigger warnings for rape and slavery in the Shield Hero commentary.

Double Decker 12

Deana’s actually kinda tsundere…that’s kinda amazing to see, really.

I noticed Doug’s phone says “Dr. Apple”. Haha.

Kirill’s special. But why? You never answered that, people! Update: It’s because his antibodies are an antidote for Anthem.

There appears to be a Shell logo on one wall of Derick’s bar…LOL. Shell exists in real life. Why do we want it in an anime, now…?

I laughed so hard when I saw the landlady with what remained of Seven-O, hahaha.

Travis and Sophie, huh? Is it a ship or a working relationship? Who knows?

Oh! This didn’t make sense until Derick declared the bus was a bar. Rigggggggggght.

Kirill, believe in the Doug that believes in you…or something like that…

Kirill’s holding two guns, so when Cooper says, “Put down the gun,” which one does he mean???

“And Then There Weren’t None!” – Parodying (Agatha) Christie again, I see? (Referring to Hyouka’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans parody, Why Didn’t She Ask Eba?.)

Golden Kamuy 23

How did “pig food” in a sentence become so terrifying???

Why is Tsurumi’s head leaking???

*Sugimoto bashes the earless twin with his prosthetic foot* - Well, that’s one way to get a leg up on someone…okay, I’ll see myself out.

Merc Storia 11

If Orthos is complaining about rain, why is he a water-element unit in the game???

This show is gorgeous. Not to mention the backgrounds look like they’ve been ripped out of the game…

Aw, Orthos is kinda cute. Kinda tsundere. I wonder if he wanted to hear “happy birthday” from Raviol…?

Every time I watch through the ED, I think Raviol’s going “Geddof me!” to Yuu.

Zombieland Saga 12 (FINAL)

The Yuugiri slap returns!

The 21st of December seems to have been the original airdate of this episode…

Karatsu-jou is Karatsu Castle, quite obviously.

Wait…does this mean Kotaro Tatsumi’s real (last) name is Inui? Or was this a “I changed my name bcause my mother/I (re)married” thing?

There’s an end of episode segment…keep watching.

That was…such a non-ending! This definitely needs a season 2 if it wants to finish its storyline! Plus, Yuugiri, Tatsumi and Tae never got their focus episodes!

Gridman 12 (FINAL)

What the heck was up with that smoke cloud? It looked so real, and yet so out of place!

Ooh, I see Anti now has the ability to transform by himself…although I should’ve figured that out last episode, since I think that happened then as well.

*Anti gets stabbed with Alexis’s sword* - What the hck just happened to my garbage son??? (refer to This Week in Anime for how that nickname came about for Anti)

Eyy. So you’re saying Gridman was a magical girl robot all along? Haha…hahahaha.

So basically, it’s Boueibu LOVE! but with less meta. With lessons of mortality instead of the Kabuki Rule. Akane’s basically female!Kinshiro, right down to the hairdo…

Wow…someone really ran out of budget. It’s literally just a slideshow, but with black and white over it.

Oh, there’s actually a nice piano song in the background. So maybe I was wrong about the budget…? I don’t really want to go and watch the slideshow again, y’know.

There’s a random live-action segment at the end of this show??? Wuh??? What do I need to expect next, a talking meteorite??? (referring to Dimension High School)

Okay, seriously??? What was up with live-action Rikka???? I don’t get it… Update: Okay, so the live-action girl was Akane, not Rikka. That’s why it was so confusing…

Double Decker 13 (FINAL)

I laughed really hard at the explosions. Probably because I Photoshopped someone into a picture of an explosion and the scene with Kirill being shoved forward by an explosion reminded me of it…

I wanted Max to slap Travis, as weird as that might be for a show like this (but not for a show like Zombieland Saga). A punch in the gut’s good too, though.

“To be continued?” – Oh. Ohh. Ooh…Heh. I already knew there were some extra episodes, but at this point, there’s no ruling out a season 2, either…hmmm. I really wouldn’t mind a season 2, y’know.

Golden Kamuy 24 (FINAL)

For some reason, I’ve ben referring to Hijikata as “old fart” for the length of this episode (meaning “not long”). He’s an impressive old fart, to be sure, and he was hella nice-looking in his heyday, but in the age of Golden Kamuy, he’s still an old fart.

I thought “Say hello to my little friend” was from Scarface, not…whatever Tsurumi’s pulling here. (commnt made in jest with straight face)

Seriously, what happened to ruin Nopperabo/Wilk’s face, anyway?

Someone make me a Civil War poster with Golden Kamuy characters, stat!

Wait, so Kiroranke, Asirpa and co. are headed north to meet up with Kiroranke’s allies, which could cause a civil/national war. Hijikata and Blockhead Dick-sensei (forgot his name) are headed south due to the info they got from Inudou’s hut (the chapel). I’m pretty sure that’s what just happened, but…I could have missed a bit and then I’d be wrong.

“Send the beloved child on a journey” is a Japanese saying, by the way. That’s (probably?) what Sugimoto’s referring to when he talks with the boat captain (the elder Koito). Oddly, the elder Koito seems to drop the last O from “-dono”, which seems to be a Satsuma thing…?

Cells at Work Special Ep (Ep 14)

Oh, you can see the effector cell amongst the other T Cells! Hello there!

I remember studying stuff about how a cell divides…man, that was at least 2 years ago! You’re making me feel old…

*Helper T Cell appears* - Gaddangit, Kazuma! (from Noragami)

Merc Storia 12 (FINAL)

There’s just something too awfully cute about a brother leaving the “nest”.

Even birds need to learn to fly. I wonder why Orthos didn’t…?

Ah! It’s one of those low-level hooting monsters! I’ve seen them in the game but I don’t know what they’re called…Update: They’re called Goldories. Spoke too soon…

Well…that’s a bit frustrating. That’s the second non-ending this season…hey! I’ve seen that elephant in the game! Plus that slime! (LOL, I’m so easily distracted…)

Ooh, that non-ending. I’ll give it a piece of its mind by giving it an average rating on my AniList!!! Rah!!! Anyways, see ya later…for 2019 anime.

Shield Hero 1

First anime of 2019 and it’s this one. Hoo boy – I’ve read one chapter of the manga, courtesy of CR. It’s gonna get nasty down in here, judging by the buzz that seems set to replicate Goblin Slayer’s…

Oh…that’s not a very favourable opening, the “It was all a dream” opening. Sure, it was gripping and showd Raphtalia (saw her name in promo material from ANN), but f*** if it weren’t overused at this point in time…

I always thought Shield Hero started out like Fushigi Yuugi…speaking of which, is that no longer on Crunchyroll?

Motoyasu’s got his own spinoff, so I’m hoping I’ll get to know him well over the next 12 weeks or so.

I find it interesting that they put the heroes together to reveal they’re from different versions of Japan so quickly. I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen in the manga.

Honestly, that “NOOOOOOOOOOOo!” could be an awesome reaction GIF. Just sayin’.

Sigh…Myne, Myne, Myne…you and your ways with Naofumi…

(Trigger warning: rape discussion) See? As I said, I knew this was going to happen. The thing is that it played out a lot more clearly in the anime than it did in the manga. As much as I don’t like the trope of “rape as accusation” enough (enough to have never encountered it before), it would be hypocritical of me to say I haven’t used it before – it appears in Half-Paid Heroes. However, one year out from having written it (due to the #MeToo movement), I can only say “rape is so not on”. I do not condone rape, but from a storytelling perspective it’s the perfect trope to make a character look like a monster and it makes a clearly false accusation have more oomph behind it, so…let’s just say Shield Hero’s doing its job here, making me despise Myne and the system in this world. Besides, I only stand on the side that does the better story.

For some reason, Naofumi’s “You can shove it all up your a***!” demand reminds me of when I’m angry and doing unreasonable demands…which means it’s won me over now.

I just realised…there hasn’t been much music until now…

(Trigger warning: slavery discussion) Oof. Now they’ve gotten to a new low of depravity in this show. Naofumi’s probably gonna buy a slave…again, I don’t condone this, but I assume Raphtalia is here.

Yep, even without knowing past ch 1, I was right on the money. That’s Raphtalia!

Poppies, huh? The symbol of bloodshed. What a perfect flower for this show, which demonstrates Naofumi’s blood, sweat and tears…

As much as I don’t condone some of the acts done in this show, I see some huge potential. Even if it’s got controversy flying around it like flies, I’ll stand with it. Are you with me?

Boogiepop 1 – 2

Double length premiere…oof, this’ll be tough on my spare time. Lately, I’ve been told to clean up the house a bunch and doing all manner of other things, so it’s just eating up time on all sides.

OP start is…for some reason, never a good start. For some reason, I just don’t like it. Maybe that might be the fact I was taught to start with a compelling opening scene when I was a fiction writer, though.

The subber got so bored they even subbed the Dengeki Bunko logo in the corner…wow. (sarcastic)

For some reason, the art style reminds me of Banana Fish (or Parasyte). Must be the chara designs.

This seems to be coated in a fine film of 90s edge. Or maybe the early 2000s, because that’s when this really comes from. C’mon, Takeda doesn’t even seem surprised when his mouth hangs open!

Notably, Boogiepop uses boku.

Wait, I don’t get why Boogiepop is called that. They pop the boogie(men)? That right?

I started zoning out and fiddling with my wrist in the middle of this episode. That’s another bad sign…

Wow, that ending’s really minimalist.

Currently, this episode raises more questions than it answers. Its overall impression level is trending slightly towards the negative. There must be a double premiere for a reason, though…let’s move on.

Wait - Kirima Seiichi? Is he Nagi’s father??? How did I not notice that earlier?

That manticore business seems to be correct…according to Wikipedia.

This doesn’t add up. Taniguchi. Kirima. Maybe Taniguchi is the name of the mother/father and Kirima is the name of the other parent? Update: Spoke too soon on this point and a previous one.

Kirima’s OS appears to be Windows 10 with a few adjustments.

Wait, but isn’t Suema meant to be the girl’s surname? Or is it Kinoshita? Update: It’s Suema. Kinoshita is another girl.

This white-haired man is the one from last episode, right? I didn’t really recognise him since there’s always terrible lighting plus he was wearing orange then, but yeah. Can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots there either.

White-haired man seems to be like Anti from Gridman. I presume he’s Echoes…? Update: Yup, Echoes it is.

Egao no Daika 1

This sounds like it’s outside my field of expertise, but I’ve been proven wrong before with Planet With, not to mention Toshiki Masuda is a character called Huey Malthis. It seems to be pretty standard Princess and the Pauper fare though…

There’s just a bunch of tablets with fancy-looking English on them…the heck?

Is it just me, or did the mecha game have the solitaire success sound effect…?

Ooh, I sense animosity regarding Japan’s emperor abdicating within this show (in a metaphorical sense)! I could analyse this show to bits, maybe…

The CGI in this actually ain’t that bad. Then again, we are talking about mechs here…

Oh, end of episode segment. Keep watching…

Well, I noticed the characters go off model if you’re paying attention to something you shouldn’t be, but otherwise, it’s a respectable first episode…respectable, but fairly average.

[bambamwolf87]

"New Neighbors" Ch. 2

Summary: Loki is living in the Avengers Tower. You have recently moved into it, as a hired employee by Pepper Potts. First person you met was Loki, the day you moved in.

Chapter 2:

After Loki put on the newly gifted scarf, he patted the other space on the small couch. You sit down, trying to fit without making physical contact with his leg. Leaning towards the arm on your side. Earning an odd look from Loki.

Trying to keep the excitement, loki smiles again, “So, how does it look?”

“It looks better than I'd have hoped.”

Smiling back at him.

Just then, Thor bursts through the door, with a tray of food, two plates with lids, presumably to keep the food warm. This reminds you that you need to find a way to work on teaching the two Asgardians how to do more for themselves. Loki looks up, slightly annoyed with his brother's entrance.

“What happened to knocking? I don't go barging into your rooms.”

Thor chuckles, “Well, that's because I usually have company. Not my fault you're still being a clam. You complained of being imprisoned, but now with freedom... you keep yourself from the world.”

Loki shrugs at Thor’s words. This exchange has made you begin to think of a few things. How long had they been here? Why was Loki anti-social? Do anti-social people just randomly help strangers? Then you also realize that both men have separate apartments. This means, you're possibly the second person ever in here…

Feeling even more awkward than when you sat down, you get up to leave them to their meal. As you are fully standing, something brushes you arm. Turning towards Loki, who has already withdrawn his hand back.

“I probably should go down to dinner.” Nodding towards Thor, “Nice to meet you, I'll leave you two.” Thor was already walking and replacing you on the couch. He waved after setting the tray down.

You walk out and wave at Loki as you slip past the doorway, softly closing it behind you. Doing as you mentioned, you head to the cafeteria on the 2nd floor. Thinking about why you had such a nervous reaction to Loki. You have to type up some spreadsheets and order forms after dinner.

While fixing up a plate from the salad line, someone bumps into you, from the left. Annoyed by almost losing your plate, you scold, “Excuse you.” Without looking at whom it was. A deep voice responded, “They're just kids, don't be too hard on them”

Looking towards the voice, it is Tony Stark, on the other side of the buffet table. Then you look over your shoulder, following Tony's eyes, it's Parker and his friends from school. Half smiling, some of your irritation gone.

Tony continues to speak, “So are you the new hire? The one working on orders and keeping this place stocked? I don't know why she gave you such a boring job.” Stark rolls his eyes.

“Why do you say that, Mr. Stark?”

“Because, Friday can auto order just about anything. Technically, she is who accepts, records, and sends your orders to be filed.”

Marveled by this bit of info, you're wondering why you're needed here. Breaking the silence again, Stark asks, “How do you like your suite? Need anything? Just order it when you do your paperwork. Or, if you feel lazy, you can push the star key on the landline phone your room came with, then read or tell your orders directly to Friday. Cool, right?” He smiles like a big kid. You return the smile.

After eating a salad, a few fish fillets, and some fries, you drag yourself to check the supplies while you're in the area. It was the end of your first week. Already it was getting easier. Making a mental list, you leave for your rooms.

As you walk past the few doors in your hallway, you unconsciously listen out for the voices of the two Asgardians. But nothing for now. After making the orders to Friday on the phone line, you start to make an outline of what the princes may need to learn. And how best to tutor them.

A knock comes from your door. Looking at the clock, it's almost midnight! No wonder your eyes hurt. Sitting at the computer for over 4 hours… Stretching as you stand, walking to the door. Opening it, you see Loki looking down at his feet, but holding a tray similar to the one seen earlier in the evening.

Stepping out of the doorway,

“Come in, Neighbor. Why are you up at an hour like this?”

Loki looks confused, then seeing the clock, blushes. The pink filling his cheeks made him seem more human than alien. Taking the tray from him, setting it on the island in the small kitchen. Whatever it was, smelled good, something sweet or sugary.

Finally he spoke, “I'm sorry, I hadn't realized what time it was. With staff 24 hours in the cafe… I shouldn't have bothered you.”

You smile to reassure him nothing's wrong.

“It's quite alright. You didn't wake me, or I'd been in my PJs. Its the weekend, I'm off duty until Monday morning. What keeps you occupied while here, when not out on a mission? And what did you bring me? Can I open the container?” Your hand on the lid.

Loki answers, “I brought up dessert for us. I don't know what you like, so forgive me if its not to your taste.”

He still has a hint of pink to his cheeks. As you open the lid, its chocolate eclairs, with filling. You are delighted, pastries and chocolate anything was your thing. Moving to your couch and coffee table with them, sitting opposite end of Loki. Your couch being full length, but still the close range gave you butterflies.

“I read mostly.” He said into the thick silence. “Your Midgard has many interesting things to read about. I see you have plenty of books of your own. There's a library on the 3rd floor, and some across the city, if I'm not mistaken.”

Picking up an eclair, to take a bite, the filling was banana cream. You hummed your appreciation, closing your eyes. He watched you intently, like a new creature. Grabbing up one for himself, he was more refined than you.

During your second one, it exploded a bit. Leaving some of the filling on your cheek. Giggling, until you feel a cool hand cup your face, the thumb swiping your cheek clean. You meet his eyes, knowing yours are wide, surprised by the contact. Then watching as he pulls his hand back, licking his thumb clean.

Your throat seems dry all of the sudden. Trying to break the silence you begin to ramble. “So you like sweets?”

He smiles, it's not as innocent looking as the one from earlier. Almost predatory.  Giving you a cold chill down your spine.

“Yes, yes I do. What's the term? A sweet tooth, is what I have.”

Gulping a drink of water, not sure what changed in Loki from the nervous guest, to the predator looking man on your couch.

“Part if my assignment is to teach you and your brother how to do more for yourselves. Like cooking, shopping, internet, and so on. That's why I was put on the same floor as you and Thor.”

Mentioning his older brother seemed to trigger Loki to shift moods a little. Less pounce looking. “Oh, they have the little Librarian to tutor us?”

The way he dragged out the title of librarian did something to your mind. Mentally shaking it off. Two can play his game. You already had a nickname for him.

“So Neighbor, what time of day would you be willing to start lessons with me? Any ideas about Thor's schedule?”

Loki wrinkled up his nose, showing disdain to being asked about lessons. He was not a school boy… But he had to admit that he sometimes felt like one in your presence.

“I am not my brother's keeper. His rooms are the first door from the elevator on my side of the hall.”

“Well maybe you could answer me about what times during the days you would like to learn from me about the topics I mentioned earlier? I'm off on the weekends, so I'm available Monday through Friday every week. I can work in my order forms between your schedule.”

He smirks at you, thinking you have some nerve, talking almost authoritatively to him, a prince, a sorcerer, a Frost Giant.  He pondered on what you knew of him.

“My schedule is usually booked.”

Remembering the exchange between him and Thor before dinner, you know he doesn't do much, calling him out on it, “You just said you read while staying cooped up in you quarters. What else is on your schedule, your majesty?!”

The annoyance apparent in your tone, especially on the last two words.

He begins to count off on his fingers, “Edgar Allan Poe Collection, Brothers Grimm, Shakespeare's Complete Collection, Equestrians of the World, and lastly History of Ancient Civilizations.”

You tilt your head as he lists off books…

“That should keep me busy all of the upcoming and following week.”

You realize, he meant booked by the books on his reading list… facepalming. Unsure if you want to laugh or smack him for being such a smartass.

Changing the subject, “Why did you come by tonight?” The mixed signals from him and your own reactions to him have you very confused.

“To bring the eclairs, sort of thank as a you for the scarf. I may have to leave the tower from time to time, so I have a reason to wear an item of such finery.”

His words making you blush. Thinking of a plan to tutor at least one of the asgardians, you suggested something.

“Why don't we go to one of the libraries in the city? We can go Monday. Would you be willing to work that into your ‘booked’ calendar?” You used your hands to make quotations around him being booked.

This earns a warm smile and a chuckle from Loki. He taps his index finger on his bottom lip. Drawing your eyes to examine his lips and hands. You mentally scold yourself.

“I probably can arrange to escort you to one of those places, but not before noon.”

Reaching out your hand, he grasps it firmly and you shake hands. You yawn, the day finally taking it toll on you. Loki noticed the exhaustion written on your face. He excuses himself and leaves for his room.

Over the weekend, you take the chance to pamper yourself. On the 2nd floor, was also a spa… so that's how you spent your Saturday. Sunday you decide to go shopping. Wanted some new clothes… maybe if you weren't dressed in business clothes, Loki wouldn't connect you as the librarian type. Laughing at yourself, since when have you gave a damn what any man thought of you? That was a first in a long time. Men and their opinions aren't normally something you cared about.

Monday morning came soon enough. Going down to the cafe, scooping eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy onto a plate. Looking around to see who else you might meet. A teenager that looks familiar slides into the chair across from you.

“Hi, I'm Peter Parker. I wanted to apologize for the clash the other day. Ned and I got too excited over some new technology stuff.”

This kid is adorable. If you could have a younger brother, you wished he would be similar to Parker.

“It's alright, no harm done. I'm just an employee here. Isn't like I save the city or world.” you laugh.

“But you do, well sort of. I mean, you restock what we need and use, right? Personally, just my opinion, you're like the third most important person here.”

Parker's words make you blush a bit. Shaking your head from side to side.

“I'm not sure how you prioritized that list of yours, but thank you.”

Looking beyond Parker, you spot a tall figure with jet black hair. As it nears, you realize it is Loki. He noticed your surprise and raised an eyebrow at you.

“Have a good day ma'am, I gotta run, don't wanna be late for school!”

Loki takes the recently vacated seat. You were about to rise up, to turn in your dirty dishes. Loki moves his hand, the dishes vanish into the bussing bin.

“You're welcome, (y/n). Seems you get up early. About the other night, I… I reflect that I may have slighted you.” He wasn't sure what about being near you that triggered him to be nervous. Sometimes wanting to cover it up with his snarky sarcasm.

Unsure if that was an apology, you skip over it. “Will you be ready to leave by noon?”

“Probably sooner, if you wish. Have you mapped out where you want us to go?”

Just as you were about to answer, Thor pulls up a chair from another table, straddling it, sitting backwards in it, arms crossed the back of the chair.

“There you are little brother! I was worried when I didn't see you in your rooms. I didn't expect to find you here, of all places.”

Loki rolls his eyes in Thor's direction, “I still need sustenance, this is where it is. You would know that, you idiot.”

Thor kept smiling, looking between you and Loki. “So where are we going today?”

This addition wasn't in your plans, but you were supposed to be tutoring both of them.

“I didn't know your schedule, so I hadn't anticipated in you accompanying Loki and myself today. Are you sure it won't take you away from anything important?”

“If I'm needed, they will call me. I've gotten much better at their mobile technology.”

He pulled out a smartphone, showing it off. Then replacing it in some pocket in his jeans.

“Loki, you should get one. Banner says they can hold games, and i know how much you like to play games.”

As annoying as Thor might seem to Loki, you saw his genuine affection for the younger sibling. It led you to an idea.

“Ya know, Thor might have a point. Today, I'll order you your own cell phone. Something I can help teach you on. And Thor, if you need help on yours, don't hesitate to ask.”

Thor was a little confused. “Why would you be teaching me anything? You're the newcomer. I still don't know your name.”

Loki slams his fist on the table, making you jump. “Her name is (y/n). She is to be our tutor about Midgard. If you wish to stay behind, you're more than welcome to do so.”

Thor was taken aback by Loki's defensive nature of you. Squinting his sky blue eyes at Loki, as if having an internal debate.

“I think I will go training with Valkyrie. I'm too old to be taught by one so small.”

He leaves the cafeteria. Loki smiles as he magically disposes of his dishes. Looking quite pleased with himself.

“I guess it's back to just us, little Librarian.” You roll your eyes at his nickname.

“Why do you continue to call me that? I'm in casual wear, you're the one in a suit. I feel like I should be in formal wear. You look more like a teacher or professor than I do.”

Your mind wanders a bit, wondering what he could teach you… ignoring that part of your mind. You head towards your quarters. Loki walking beside you.

Upon returning to your own door, Loki is still with you, in the hall.

“I could leave whenever you want to go.”

Looking down at yourself, debating if you want to change from your jeans and v-neck blouse. Looking at Loki's suit made you decide to look more classy.

“You may come in, in about ten to fifteen minutes, I'll be ready to leave as well.”

You have decided on a skirt with a bit of color, it was light yellow with a black lace pattern edging the hemline that went below your knees. With a matching yellow tank top that had the lace at the neckline and the upper half of the back. Deciding that you didn't need makeup, just putting your hair in a headband, to keep a relaxed look.

(Mobile won't let me put it all, so breaking it here, sorries!)

[erincardenthailandblog]

Making the days count

I have nineteen days left in Thailand. I made it to August. I’ve thought over and over again about what I would feel like when I finally made it to last month. It feels surreal to know that the month I felt would never come is finally here.

The bright cloudless days are gone. Mist hangs around the mountains in the distance, catching in the banana tree leaves that are the size of small umbrellas. The fields are thick and green with rice. Sprouted plants surround my home. It has been raining for three days straight. It’s raining when I wake up and it’s raining when I go to sleep. The rice fields are over flowing. They look like rivers. Everyone is saying that this is the wettest rainy season Thailand has had in years. A foreign teacher who has lived in Thailand for fifteen years said he’s never seen it rain this much. As sick as I am of the rain, there is something special about living in Thailand long enough to experience all the seasons. Getting caught in the monsoon storms has brought me a curious sense of belonging. I like knowing that I truly understand what it means to live in Thailand at this time of the year. This morning, when the school anthem started blasting through the speakers, students darted back and forth, chatting to one another as they clutched their umbrellas and tried to shield themselves from the rain. “Welcome to rainy season” I said to myself.

I recently learned that many of the rice fields in my village are also rice field fisheries. These fields grow not only rice but also wild fish. Most of the fish enter naturally from the surrounding water which floods into the fields. These rice field fisheries constitute a vital source of income and nutrition for many farmers. Every day people wade hip deep in the rice fields with huge nets made out of mesh and tall bamboo splits. They submerge the nets into the flooded fields and when they have caught enough fish, they lift the nets up using an extended bamboo pole. One weekend Olivia and I saw people gathered around, watching the fishermen fish with as if it were some sort of sporting event.

This past weekend WorldTeach held an End of Service event. The volunteers gathered together and told stories about what our students had done the past few weeks since we had last seen each other. This reminded me of when I have listened to parents speaking and laughing about things their child had done. I now understand this sentiment. As teachers we find pleasure in recounting something a particular student did, at how predictable they are and yet how they continue to surprise us.

I love reminders that on a dull, seemingly insignificant day there is still color in the world. There are things that still surprise me. I am still in awe. Not once have I considered my life here average but there are some things that I have forgotten felt so strange when I first arrived. Bathrooms without toilet paper or sinks have become normal. Power outages on a weekly, if not daily basis are expected. I am no longer bothered by the fact that I have to flick ants off my arms while relaxing in bed. I can now distinguish the sound between a gecko and a frog. Eyeing heaps of burning trash in my neighbor’s backyard no longer warrants a feeling of danger. Spicy Thai dishes no longer make my eyes water and mouth burn. I can tell whether a storm will shed light of heavy rain based on the cloud’s shade of grey and the strength of the wind. On a daily basis I use the handful of Thai phrases that I know- such as- “cow jai mai” which means, “understand?” with my youngest students. I no longer cower in fear during my runs when confronted by a mangy barking dog. I have learned the right precautions to take. If the dog is chasing me and barking, then I stop and walk. If the dog is chasing me but not barking, or barking but not chasing me, then I continue my run. I now walk through traffic dodging cars and motorbikes, with ease.

This past weekend WorldTeach also held a session on cultural readjustment in which we discussed the grief that comes with reverse culture shock. We talked about the loneliness of not being able to connect with anyone at home about our experience because it’s not something many people can relate to. We talked about the confusion, stress, and discomfort we may feel trying to reconcile this new version of ourselves in a place where an old version of our self exists.  Talking about the challenges we will face while readjusting to the life we left at home has made me aware of all that I appreciate about my life in Na Kae.

Throughout my time in Thailand, whenever I was homesick, restless, or impatient, it was because I was excited to return to the U.S and “start my life.” Teaching and traveling abroad was an opportunity I seized with the goal of expanding future career and personal possibilities but I always held the expiration date in mind. It took me a while to realize that this is my life. I have already started it, and I am living in Thailand.

A few weeks ago I sat on a crowded songthaew that I had waited one and a half hours for. The air was heavy with humidity and my back was slick with sweat. A little girl sitting directly in front of me on the middle bench was playing footsie with me. She kept brushing her feet against mine, and her little hands kept grazing my knee. My knee- caps hurt. They were pressed against the metal bench and the metal bars behind me were digging into my back. Another baby on the songthaew was crying. Because I am the “ferong” (foreigner) and I stick out like a sore thumb, everyone was staring and talking about me. I was hot, tired, and grumpy. Then, the songthaew started moving. The warm breeze came and dried the sweat from my face. Soon we were racing past the downy green rice fields. I looked at the children asleep in their mother’s arms and I became aware of how special it was to be sweaty and uncomfortable in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, partaking in something so much of a part of the daily routine and the daily lifestyle of a culture that was previously so unknown, but that now, is a part of me.

There is a new Pilipino teacher at my school who has never taught before. She confided in me about having a hard time adjusting to her new environment. I told her not to expect anything to come easily, and that it will take time for the students to feel comfortable with her, as it will take time for her to feel comfortable with the students. I told her that patience is key. I admitted that it was only after summer vacation that I ever entered into the classroom feeling like a “teacher.”  I admitted that before I always felt like I was running around the classroom like a headless chicken in the dark. I told her to be patient with not only her students, but more importantly, with herself. I told her that with trust in the process of time, she would begin to feel more grounded.

It is easy to recognize the small ways that I have changed while the bigger changes are only now beginning to resonate as my departure date approaches. Giving advice to this new teacher made me realize that I have in fact, grown as a teacher and as a person. Six months ago I don’t think I could have imagined myself as the one giving advice. I did not think of myself as a source of wisdom or experience for someone else. But now, here I was, verbalizing for the first time, the importance of patience and realizing, for the first time, the way that trusting the patience I gave myself, has changed me.

Reflecting on these past eleven months I have surprised myself in numerous ways. When I first moved to Thailand none of the volunteers knew each other and we and had to start from scratch in order to get to know one another. I was surprised by how soon it was that I began to feel close to a handful of volunteers.  I was surprised by the fact that I felt I could tell them anything and everything. I never felt like I needed to be anything more. I didn’t need to be funnier, louder, more interesting, or smarter. I didn’t need to be anyone other than who I already was. I was surprised to realize that this was probably not only because of the people they are, but also because of a sense of inner peace that all the hours I have spent alone has given me. I am also surprised by how much I enjoy serving as a person with whom others confide in and seek advice from. I am surprised by the fact that I now enjoy my own company. When I first moved to Na Kae, spending what felt like endless hours alone felt uncomfortable and unsettling. Although too many hours alone can still leave me feeling restless, I now find comfort in the silence of my own thoughts.

Other July/ August Highlights:

-My male seventh graders are a huge handful but I cannot deny that they are also sweet as pie. Every day they greet me with precious, genuine smiles and say “thank you teacher” at the end of every lesson. It is so special to be thanked every day by children. They are grateful to learn.  And no matter how hard they are to manage, I am grateful to be their teacher.

-A group of ninth graders asked me to watch them practice a Beauty and the Beast Saturday Night Live skit that had the word “ass” in it about five times. They were planning on performing it for a province wide English competition. I couldn’t stop laughing. I had to explain to them why the word “ass” was inappropriate for a school competition and why they had to find another script or they would probably be disqualified.

- After introducing new vocabulary I often ask my seventh graders to recite the new vocabulary words out loud to me after giving them an assignment. I have them stand in a line and one by one come up to me to read the words out loud. It makes me happy to hear the ones in line practicing before it is their turn. It shows me that they care and they want to do well.

- I love it when the higher-level students help the lower level students. When my seventh graders recite vocabulary words the advanced students will say it under their breath for the less advanced students because they don’t want to leave their friends hanging. I don’t mind that they are giving away the answer because I support the fact that they are growing and learning from each other.

- I taught my seventh graders about parts of the body and gave them an assignment to draw an alien with labeled body parts. A lot of my students drew really impressive drawings and I kept my favorites because I want to frame them when I’m home.

-One of my eight graders got an A+ on her midterm. She was the only one in the class. She was not advanced last semester but this semester she has the highest grade. She studies very hard and it made me so happy to see her succeed. She squealed when I gave her back her test. It brought me so much joy to see how happy she was.

-I asked my students to write me letters and some of their responses were: o “Do you love me?” o “I don’t like a grub. Do you like a grub? Why you beautiful?”

- An eleventh grader wrote me a note apologizing for missing class. I almost cried I was so touched.

- Because it is rainy season most Thai people wear huge plastic ponchos when riding on their motorbikes. One day Olivia and I saw a woman put on silver rain pants and a silver raincoat. She looked like she was wearing a space suit. Olivia and I have pepto bismol colored rain ponchos and we feel like teletubbies every time we were them.

-I love going for motorbike rides with Olivia. Last week we passed by… o An old white man with a mustache riding a pink motorbike.  

o Women sitting atop platforms made out of bamboo stalks, weaving baskets out of dried palm leaves.

o Men walking home from the rice fields carrying huge loads of grass on their backs. o Baby water buffalo napping in mud piles under the shade of willow trees.

o The simple, wild, untouched, and raw beauty that is the Issan region of Thailand.

Lowlights of July/ August

- The power turning on and off multiple times in a night and which wakes me up every time because I am a horribly light sleeper.

- The animal living in my roof has begun to dig a hole in my ceiling and I was woken up one morning at 4 A.M by pieces of crumbling plaster falling on my head.

- A tenth grader, who always plays games on her cellphone during class, one day lost the game and shrieked at the top of her lungs in the middle of my lesson. I walked over to her and said, “Turn your phone off, or leave the classroom. You are disrespectful.” This was the first time where I had to be truly stern with a student and I was surprised by my own reaction. I didn’t recognize myself. I am known as the sweet teacher, the teacher who is almost “too nice.” But it felt right to assert my authority and refuse to let my students take advantage of my kindness.

- One of my sweet seventh graders failed the midterm and when I handed the test back to her she covered her face, hugged me, and wailed, “teacher nooooo.” I told her “mai pen rai” which means “no worries” and patted her back. I felt bad. Why should I be required to grade these students when it is such a challenge to learn from me in the first place? The classes are huge. There are 45 students and there aren’t even enough chairs for the entire class. I have at least ten students sitting on the floor and almost every day it rains. The rain falls on the school building’s tin roof and it sounds like millions of acorns are falling from the sky. When I teach I am yelling, almost at the top of my lungs so students in the fifth row can hear me, but when their English comprehension is so low, even the few words that they do understand are lost. It feels unfair to have so much power as a teacher when I have so little experience teaching.

Throughout my eleven months in Thailand running has been my favorite past time. I have experienced every season that Thailand has to offer and I can categorize the change in seasons by my memories of my surroundings during my runs through the rice fields. During the cool season I ran past dried tufts of grass and among fields of golden brown rice stalks waiting to be harvested. Now that is rainy season I run through puddles of mud and past soft emerald greenery that glistens in the golden hour of the evenings.  Ahead of me I run towards mountains hugged by rows of palm trees. Drips of dew cling to tall blades of grass that sprinkle my shins and ankles. I am in motion but in my heart I am still, calm, comforted.

I am holding on the motivation to enjoy every day knowing that I have so few left. I am making the days count.