#their song is pretty good but the whole situation is just very hilarious

[sardotin]

Swedes upgraded the concept of the bloc voting to the next level and voted for their neighbors in their own national selection

[zyhkoo]

☆ you bewitched me

Jason Todd x GN!singer

Jason knew that he should keep his distance, but he cant help but fall of Gotham’s most beloved singer. part 1

Jason was currently on patrol with Nightwing, jumping and running between rooftops.

“You seem pretty hyper today” Nightwing commented as he landed beside Jason on the edge of a building.

Jason rolled his eyes under his helmet.

Dick often teased him whenever he was in a particularly good mood. And today, he was very much in a good mood.

“Shut up” he retorted back at him. “I’m just on a good roll today, is all.

“Are you going to go see your girlfriend again after patrol?” Dick asked, grinning as he eyed Jason’s happy demeanor.

Jason glanced over at Dick. He had to resist the urge to just smack the grin right off his face.

“None of your business” Jason grumbled, keeping his eyes focused on the city below.

“Who’s your girlfriend?” you peeked from behind.

Jason whirled around, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest.

His eyes widened as he saw you standing behind him. His mind was going crazy wondering how in the world you’d snuck up on him like that.

Meanwhile Dick was just laughing maniacally beside him, completely amused by Jason’s reaction to your surprise appearance.

Jason had to resist the urge to glare at Dick.

He focused his eyes on you, who was looking at him with a cheeky grin.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Was on patrol and wanted to see you boys.” you answered.

Dick chuckled again. “You just wanted to see this one” he said, gesturing at Jason.

Jason was about to snap at Dick but managed to hold himself back.

“Oh,” you frowned, “guilty as charged.” you joked back.

Jason could feel his cheeks heat up a bit as you admitted it.

He glanced over at Dick to see if he was going to say anything and thankfully he didn’t.

He turned back to you, trying to act casual. “You couldn’t have waited until we got back to the Bat-Cave?” he asked, crossing his arms.

You crossed your arms “Came all the way to find at least one of you then you want me out?” you huffed “Okay, I see.”

Jason couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at your little act.

“Don’t put words in my mouth” he said, a bit amused. “I didn’t say I wanted you out, I just said that you could’ve waited instead of sneaking up on me” he replied.

Dick was watching the whole interaction and found it absolutely hilarious. He could clearly see that Jason was trying so hard to act like his usual grumpy self, but failing miserably.

Jason glanced over at Dick who was clearly trying to hold back another laugh. He was getting fed up with how amused he was getting by the whole situation.

He let out a small huff before looking back at you. “Look, you’re here already so you might as well just hang out with us until patrol’s done” he said.

You unfolded your arms “Sweet.” you moved to look at the city down below.

Jason kept his eyes on you as you walked closer to the edge.

He kept a close eye on you, as usual, making sure you didn’t accidentally do anything stupid.

Jason had no doubt that you were a great vigilante. He had seen firsthand how strong and smart you were during patrols.

But there was also another side of you that Jason adored just as much.

He loved watching you perform.

He didn’t know how you managed to perform in front of large crowds or how you were able to do it so confidently and effortlessly.

He couldn’t relate to that at all, he hated having the spotlight on him.

But you? You were completely in your element while you were on stage.

The bat-family was gathered together in the audience, watching as you performed on stage.

Steph and Duke were fangirling over you, while Babs and Cass were all smiles and singing along to the songs they knew. Tim was tapping along to the beat while Dick enthusiastically sang along to the lyrics.

Even Damian was somewhat enjoying the show, even if he was trying hard to hide it.

Jason’s eyes were still glued to you as you continued performing.

He felt a slight nudge and he glanced over at Dick.

“What?” he grumbled.

“Earth to Jason,” Dick said with a smirk. “You’re completely drooling!”

Jason quickly snapped out of it and realized he’s been openly staring at you this whole time.

He felt his cheeks heat up as he quickly looked away.

“I’m not drooling” he mumbled.

Dick heard this time and time again.

“Yeah, and you’re not in love with her either, right?”

Jason rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath.

He knew Dick already knew about his feelings for you (almost everyone did), but he still hated dealing with his teasing. But at the same time he didn’t mind.

“Shut up.” he hissed.

You tapped your mic then strummed your guitar “Okay, I haven’t released this song on any platforms. But I figured I’m going to sing it here first before I release it.” you told the crowd.

The crowd cheered as you announced a new unreleased song.

As you strummed your guitar, Jason recognized it a bit. As you sang, he definitely knew where this came from.

He knew this song, you had sung it to him before.

He felt his heart thump in his chest as he listened to you sing, singing the very same lyrics you sang to him in the privacy of your apartment.

Jason couldn’t believe you were actually singing the song you sung to him all those months ago.

The memory of your late night singing session in your apartment was still fresh in his mind. He could still recall the warm and intimate atmosphere, as you sang so softly just for him.

He couldn’t help but feel a flutter in his chest as he thought back to that moment.

As you stopped the song you smiled at the crowd. “Um, I wrote that for a friend.” you nervously chuckled as you scan at the VIP area up above where the bat-family was.

The crowd cheered and applauded as you finished the song.

Jason’s heart beat faster as he heard you say it was written for a friend.

He knew damn well it was for him. You didn’t sing those lyrics for no reason.

The rest of the bat-family was glancing around at each other, clearly all knowing you were talking about Jason.

Dick was grinning widely, obviously enjoying Jason’s reactions.

Jason just sat silently, trying to maintain his stoic demeanor but failing miserably as his cheeks turned slightly red.

He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, and he knew they were all enjoying this moment a bit too much.

“What?” He looked at his family.

His family members all had amused smiles on their faces.

Dick was still grinning, while Steph and Duke were both squealing loudly. Babs had a knowing smirk, and Damian even had a tiny bit of a smirk on his face.

“Yeah, yeah laugh it up” he muttered, folding his arms and looking away.

The bat-family made their way backstage, eager to see you and congratulate you on your performance.

As they made their way deeper backstage, they eventually found you talking to the stage crew and the backup dancers.

As soon as you saw the bat-family approaching, you brightened up immediately.

You hugged all of them but noticed that Jason wasn’t there.

“Where’s Jay? you asked “I’m right here,” a voice said from behind you.

Jason suddenly appeared from behind you which made you jump a bit.

You turned your head with a smile and immediately pulled him in a hug.

His arms automatically wrapped around your back, pulling you closer to him.

He tried to play it cool and act nonchalant, but he couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his lips as he held you.

“Ah- Jason, wait I can’t breathe!” you wheezed.

Jason didn’t realize he was hugging you so tightly until you spoke up.

He immediately loosened his grip, but still held you close to him.

“Sorry” he mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed that he was getting so affectionate in front of his family.

You let go of his grasp and faced everyone “Why don’t we all go eat somewhere?” you said as you specifically eyed Bruce.

Bruce, on the other hand, let out a small sigh, realizing there was no way he could say no to you.

"Alright, where do you want to go?" he asked, everyone started brainstorming.

The bat-family members all started throwing out different ideas

“Thai food..

“Burger place.”

“Italian.”

“Pizza!”

“Sushi.”

“Steak!”

Jason stood silently, just watching his family members all debate where to eat.

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly overwhelmed by the different suggestions.

“How about we let Jason decide?” Dick says.

Oh, great.

All eyes turn to Jason as they try to convince Jason to choose their option.

“Jason say steak please.” you pleaded.

Jason felt all eyes on him, everyone eager for him to make a decision.

He heard your pleading tone as you begged for him to choose steak, and the way you said his name sent a small flutter to his heart.

“Steak” he finally said, the word slipping out of his mouth without even thinking twice.

Everyone let out a mix of groans and cheers.

Bruce looked relieved that a decision had finally been made, while Damian just rolled his eyes.

“All of you are like children.” Damian says.

Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to Months.

Jason had come to look forward to your constant presence in his life. From your regular hangouts to your late night phone calls and everything in between, he craved it all.

Jason found it harder and harder to deny his feelings for you, but he still somehow managed to keep it under wraps.

He knew his family members were getting fed up with him holding back, especially Dick and Tim.

They both kept pestering him, saying how painfully obvious it was that he was completely smitten with you. But Jason just brushed them off, pretending like he didn’t know what they were talking about.

You were walking in the batcave then saw the three of them talking about…. you.

You hid behind a wall listening in.

“Why can’t you just tell her?” Tim asks as he crosses his arms.

Jason grumbled a bit as Tim asked him the same question again.

“Because,” he replied, “It’s not that simple. Do you think dating a star is gonna be easy?”

“You’re just making excuses, Jay” Dick chimed in. “You know they like you, so why are you holding back?”

Jason grumbled, feeling frustrated as he knew he couldn’t deny what they were saying.

“I just can’t, okay?” he snapped back. “It’s not that easy to just confess to someone like them.”

You felt your heart sink a bit as you heard Jason's words.

You couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that. Was the idea of confessing to you really something that he thought was so impossible?.

“Why does it have to be so complicated?” he asked. “You like them, they like you. It’s not rocket science, just ask them out.”

“It’s not that simple,” Jason mumbled, folding his arms. “They’re a star in the industry, they could’ve had anyone they wanted. Why the hell would they want me?”

He felt like he wasn’t good enough for you, that he wasn’t worthy of your time and love. He was worried that his own issues and past baggage would only drag you down and make your life worse.

“I don’t want them to love me, I’m not someone worth wanting.” Jason said.

Jason’s words were completely contradictory to his own thoughts and feelings.

Deep down, he knew that he desperately wanted your love and affection. He longed to be with you, to hold you, to love you.

But his own self-doubt and insecurity kept him from accepting or even acknowledging his own feelings.

His words punched you in the gut, your eyes clouded with pain as you clenched your fist.

Tim’s eyes widened as he saw you around the corner.

Both Jason and Dick turned around, following Tim's gaze and freezing as they saw you standing there.

Jason's face paled as he realized you had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

You were still reeling from what you had overheard, your heart aching at Jason's words about not wanting your love.

Feeling overwhelmed, you stormed out of the batcave, leaving the three men speechless and stunned.

Eventually, Jason snapped out of his frozen state and began running towards the entrance of the batcave.

Dick and Tim both watched him go, knowing that he was going after you.

Soon enough, he found you in the gardens outside the manor, sitting on a bench with your head buried in your hands.

He cleared his throat, trying to get your attention.

"Hey," he mumbled softly, taking a seat on the bench next to you.

“Gah!” you exclaimed, surprised by his presence.

Jason flinched as you exclaimed in surprise, not meaning to startle you so much.

“Sorry.” he apologized softly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

You looked at him then softened “It’s okay.” you said as you pulled your legs to your chest.

He knew it was his fault for making you feel like this, and he hated himself for it.

The two of you stayed silent for a while.

He knew it was his fault for making you feel like this, and he hated himself for it.

He took a deep breath, knowing he owed you an apology.

“Listen, about what you overheard-” he began.

“So, everything I did was all just casual to you?” you cut him off.

Jason looked taken aback by your question.

“No, no, it wasn’t casual” he protested, shaking his head. “I genuinely enjoyed every moment I spent with you. You don’t have any idea how much I-” he cut himself off, suddenly feeling too embarrassed to finish his sentence.

“Jason, I tried to give away my schedule just to hang out with you. I wrote songs for you. I gave you presents just to show how much I care. I tried to show you that I loved you, but you wouldn't let me that’s why I didn’t say anything.” you said

“But, I wasn’t too sure if you actually didn’t want my love so I just waited till you said something.” you looked at his gaze.

Jason was speechless as he listened to your words.

He felt a pang of guilt in his heart as he realized the extent to which you had gone to show him your feelings.

He had been so focused on hiding his own feelings that he hadn't been able to appreciate all the gestures and efforts you had made to show him how much you cared.

He stared back at your gaze, his expression unreadable.

“I know I’m affectionate to my friends, but it’s different with you Jay.” you looked away, staring at the red flowers in front of you.

“If you want me to stop loving you just.. say the word.”

Jason's heart skipped a beat as he listened to your words.

He knew he should say the word, should tell you to stop loving him. It would be the easy thing to do, the logical thing.

But the words just wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

"I…. I can't," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can't ask you to do that."

Your head turned to him “What?” you blinked.

Jason avoided your gaze, feeling conflicted and vulnerable.

"I can't ask you to stop loving me... because I don't want you to," he admitted softly.

He knew he was risking everything by admitting his feelings like this, but he couldn't hold back anymore.

He took a deep breath, gathering all his courage to continue.

"The truth is, I’ve been a complete dumbass for months," he said, finally looking back at you.

"Every time you tried to show me how you felt, I just couldn't accept it. I was scared, okay? I didn’t think I was worth your time or your love. So I kept pushing you away, pretending like I didn't care."

For a moment, you just stared at him. Then you felt your body move towards him as your arms pulled him in a warm hug.

Jason was taken by surprise but he immediately wrapped his arms around you, squeezing you tight.

He buried his face in your shoulder, feeling an overwhelming mix of emotions.

All the tension and guilt he had felt for months slowly began to melt away as he held onto you.

"I’m sorry" he mumbled against your skin. "I'm sorry for being an idiot. For making you doubt how I feel about you."

Your hand slowly caressed his hair “It’s okay, I’ll always forgive you either way.” you softly replied, trying to soothe him.

He looked into your eyes, searching for any signs of doubt. But all he saw was sincerity and love.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and he felt a warmth spread throughout his chest.

Your hand moved up to cup his cheeks when you saw his smile “There’s my Jason.”

He leaned into your touch, feeling a sense of comfort and peace wash over him. "Yeah, I'm still me," he said softly, his eyes locked with yours.

He gently placed his hand over yours, holding it against his face, feeling the warmth from your touch.

"I'm sorry for being such a dumbass," he mumbled, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. "I won't push you away again, I promise."

"I just.... I’m not good at talking about my feelings, y'know?" he added, "But I'll try, for you. I’ll try my best to show you how much you mean to me."

Your expression softens “And I’ll give you everything I have.”

Jason felt his heart melt as your expression softened and you spoke those words.

He felt undeserving, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but believe you.

He leaned his forehead against yours, "You already have my everything," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jason's lips met yours in a soft, gentle kiss.

When he started dating you, he felt more at peace.

Though he often hung out with you, this was different. Everything felt so intimate and lovely.

He’s usually composed, that is until he touches you and he can't pretend he loses himself again.

You made him a sappy, stupid something out of him. The kind he swore he’ll never be. He feels awake inside a dream.

Jason couldn’t believe the effect you had on him. He had never thought he could feel this way about someone, so vulnerable and exposed.

He used to pride himself on his stoicism, his ability to maintain control. But when he was with you, all of that went out the window.

He found himself craving your touch, your attention, your love. He was like a man possessed, completely bewitched by you.

But Jason especially loved your voice, he could listen to you sing for hours on end.

There was something about the way you sang that captivated him. Your voice, your expression, the way you poured your heart and soul into every lyric.

He loved watching you perform on stage, seeing you shine and shine, but he had to admit that he loved it even more when you sang for him alone.

Those moments, when it was just the two of you, felt like a secret little world that only they shared.

He loved how, after each and every song, you would turn to him with a smile, seeking his approval and praise.

He would shower you with compliments and applause, telling you how beautiful you sounded and how privileged he felt to be the one to witness your talent.

But sometimes, he preferred to show you how he felt. He would pull you into his arms, holding you close and kissing you deeply, hoping to convey all his appreciation and love through his actions.

He wanted to do more than just say it. He wanted to show you how much he loved hearing you sing.

He would pull you into his arms, holding you tightly against his chest, his head resting on your shoulder.

"Sing for me again," he’d murmur, his lips pressing against your neck.

Jason was not one to broadcast his relationship with you to the world.

He liked to keep things between the two of you as private as possible.

He was protective and territorial, and didn’t like the idea of other people knowing intimate details about his life, especially when it came to you.

Your life was constantly put under a microscope, with fans and paparazzi following your every move.

You didn't want that kind of attention to affect your relationship with Jason.

You wanted to keep him away from the public eye, to protect him from the spotlight and the scrutiny that came with it.

But that didn't stop you from longing to tell people that he was yours.

Jason would often feel embarrassed when you would brag about him to the bat-fam or your friends.

He wasn't used to being talked about in that way, and he didn't like being the center of attention.

He would often stand there, trying his best to keep a straight face, while secretly enjoying hearing you talk about how awesome and amazing he was.

The bat-fam found it all too easy to tease Jason, and they often did so, much to his annoyance.

However, they quickly discovered that it was practically impossible to tease you.

You rarely got flustered or fazed by their taunts, and it drove them insane.

Jason would sit back and watch, feeling a mix of admiration and amusement as you effortlessly shut down any attempts to poke fun at you.

Jason's eyes eventually settled on the shelves, where a collection of vinyl records were neatly displayed.

He walked over, taking a closer look at the records. Some of them were of your own albums, but there were also records from other artists that you seemed to enjoy.

He picked up one of your albums, admiring the cover and running his fingers over the title.

As Jason browsed through your collection, he noticed the wide range of genres.

There was pop, rock, jazz, R&B, country, even classical. It was clear that you had a taste for variety.

He picked up a jazz record and held it up "Who knew you were such a fan of jazz?"

You were sitting in an armchair, your guitar on your lap as you strummed a soft melody.

You looked up as Jason spoke, a small smile playing at your lips.

"You don’t know this but I’m a sucker for Jazz.” you replied.

He let out a soft scoff at your response. "I’m learning more and more about you every day," he said.

“The more you know.” you said, taking the record from him.

Jason watched as you took the record from him and opened your record player, placing the vinyl on it.

The music filled the room, a smooth and sultry jazz melody that oozed with elegance and charm.

You turned back at him, then you had an idea “Hey, dance with me.” you offered your hand.

He took your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours, a smile playing at his lips. "Alright, I'll dance with you.”

Jason treasured every single moment he spent with you.

He adored the way you held his hand, the way you looked at him with those sparkling eyes, the way your laughter would ring out like music to his ears.

He loved the way you would pull him close, the way you would sing for him, the way you would kiss him as if you couldn’t get enough of him.

And in those moments, everything else faded away. There was only you, and him, and the love they shared. He was bewitched.

[ofc-vi-writes-too]

Batfam members and what they’d get cancelled for/their apology

Just watched ItalianBach’s youtuber apology tier list video and inspiration STRUCK.

𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹𖦹

Bruce: there are SOOOOOO many things. So so so many things. He has been cancelled so many times that there is a blog dedicated to keeping track of BW apologies. the user is probs something like bruceissosorryagain. Personal favorite was when he ruined a pretty popular and well liked socialite by knocking over a champagne tower directly onto her great grandmother’s wedding gown. For some god foresaken reason the champagne had been dyed red to match the victorian vampire aesthetic of the wedding?? The hashtag “BWmeetscarrie” will forever haunt wayne manor.

Dick: He was literally a cop in 2020. his goose was GOT. He was trying to prove that not all cops are bad by posting to that macklemore song with the little black fist painted on his cheek and BLM on the other. u know the one. It didn’t go over very well. Even macklemore commented “c’mon bro..” This was followed by a 45 minute long apology video explaining how he now understands the harm it can cause to lump all marginalized groups into one category and how he regrets his action severely and yada yada yada hes so sorry, at the end there was a 2 minute long acrobatic performance to the song Nina Cried Power by Hozier. He also donated to several black charities following the whole ordeal. Didn’t leave his house for a week.

Jason: Ran a rage bait account on tiktok when he was like 13-15 where he posted cringe alpha sigma male mogging content, and someone somehow found out it was him, and his apology wasn’t so much an apology as much as it was “I’m sorry you were stupid enough to believe the bs I was posting, and I’m sorry i got caught. Fuck you guys btw now I have to find a new hobby 👎🏽.” The videos are still saved to his phone when he needs a good chuckle.

Tim: Said BTS was ass and BP was even worse (he tweeted it out of boredom, knowing it was gonna be bad, but not knowing exactly how bad). Armies and blinks tried to dox him MUTIPLE times but tim keeps it on lock so his info was safe. There was a boycott for WE so Bruce made him post and official apology. It was half assed and there are kpop accounts to this day that say “Fuck tim drake” in their bio. Either that or he got “cancelled” on some Jynxzi stuff. Like the whole situation to a T. Maybe both are true. He also had a ukelele in his apology vid.

Damian: called an old lady a “stupid ugly stinky bitch” on national television because she “asked father too many questions.” (it was an interview) Jaws were dropped. Nay, jaws were dislocated. Damian was too young at the time to have social media, let alone post his own apology, so bruce did it for him and sent that poor old lady a lot of cash.

Duke: Unironically said “if it’s snowing I’m not going.” the dudebros thought that shit was hilarious. No one else laughed. Duke was serious, but he felt so bad about offending people that there were tears in the apology. At least thats the story he’s currently running with.

Cass: A video of her saying the F slur surfaced. Her apology was her coming out.

Steph: Said something offensive without realizing it and didnt know what she did until she tweeted saying “why is everyone being so wierd around me?? did I do something wrong??” everyones response is either “girl please bffr” or genuine actually helpful input. She apologized less than a day later in a quick and concise apology vid.

Barbara: compared herself to marsha P johnson in an interview and when she was asked to elaborate she simply could not. The truth is, she had no idea who that woman was other than the fact that she was a good, cool woman so she was like yea omg im so her. Her apology was also a mini documentary about Marsha P Johnsons life.

[tea-twords]

Title

ehehehe first fic im writing after what feels like a year or two or a billion. But im actually feeling it rn so im gonna give it a shot. AND PLS FORGIVE ME FOR BAD WRITING IM SO RUSTY RIGHT NOW IM TRYINT TO GET THR HANG OF IT

So a few headcanons I used for this fic before we get into it:

Whenever the Arataki gang is in jail for some stupid as ever thing, Shinobu gets a bit antsy after a while cause she’s the type of person to always need something to do. Not doing anything makes her a bit anxious

Heizou is very good at reading people’s emotions but that’s probably canon enough

Shinobu knows a way to make a functioning bracelet out of like 4 naku weed stems somehow

So um aha no idea how to format so I’ll try my best

And also a warning for some swear words, I also hc Shinobu swears at her ler while getting wrecked

Lee: Kuki Shinobu

Ler: Shikanoin Heizou

————————————————————————

God the day Heizou had today was surely a good one.

He returned to the police station after a day of substantial progress on his investigation into a new case to hear what sounded like a chorus of angels (and a few devils) breaking out in song.

Heizou’s immediate thought was “What in Celestia is going on”, as would anyone else think if they were in his current predicament.

He figured out pretty quickly that the culprits for this outcry of song were none other than the one and only Arataki Itto and his buddies, Mamoru, Genta, and Akira. Having been arrested for “disturbing the peace” (having a whole karaoke session right in front of komore tea house and actively inviting any passerby to join them), they decided to take their…passion, for karaoke to their prison cells and somehow managed to get some of the other inmates to sing along.

It was pretty hilarious, to say the least. It took almost all of Heizou’s willpower to not to burst out laughing as his fellow officers attempted to get the situation under control.

“I’ve got to tell Shinobu about this”

So now here he was, walking through hanamizaka, looking for the places Shinobu can commonly be found. Something was off though…

She’s not here.

“That’s troubling…” Heizou thought. “Where could she be, if not here? Definitely not any shrines, maybe at a shop? Or perhaps the by the sea!”

Heizou began to walk in the direction of the shore. It wasn’t the most logical place to look next, but something was telling him he’d get lucky there.

“Hey, Shinobu!”

He called out to the green haired girl sitting in front of the sea next to a maroon drawstring bag. She held her mask to her face, but lowered it once she saw who called out to her.

“Oh, hey.”

“My intuition told me I might find you here. I’ve got to tell you about what happened today at the-…hey are you okay?”

Heizou paused mid sentence after taking a closer look at Shinobu. She was making bracelets out of naku weed and sango pearls, but something was wrong. Her back was unusually straight, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her movements on the bracelet were sharper than needed, and she was switching sitting positions in the sand like twice a minute. She seemed…bored. Restless. Anxious.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“I’m here to talk if you need. Somethings wrong.” Heizou said, sitting down next to her.

Shinobu sighed and looked back down at the bracelet she had just finished making.

“Nothing crazy serious, I guess I’ve just been bored. I’ve done all I needed to do today, but the idea of doing nothing is just uncomfortable…It’s weird. I’m always cleaning up after the gang’s messes, but now..”

“You don’t know what to do now since there aren’t any messes to clean.” He finished for her.

“Yeah, pretty much. Gotta keep myself busy.”

“I take it that’s why you’re making bracelets by the sea?”

“I’ve got nothing better to do, so yeah. Just a hobby to pass the time.”

“They’re beautiful.”

Shinobu smiled. She looked back up at Heizou to find him marveling at the one currently in her hand. Little sango pearls were intertwined in a wreath of naku weeds. She’d been wanting to make bracelets with them ever since she picked some up during Boss’s rock and roll event at watatsumi island.

“You want one?”

“Only if there are extras.”

She opened the bag next to her to reveal she had made quite the supply of bracelets already.

“Woah…you’ve been here a while, I see.”

“Heh, yeah. By the sea is a nice place to be.”

“That rhymed.”

“Thank you.”

They sat in silence for a little longer, admiring the coming sunset before Heizou spoke up again.

“I also noticed you aren’t wearing your mask at the moment.”

“I felt like breathing the air by the ocean a little better. It helps when you need calming down. And I don’t have to keep the mask on if it’s just you here, you know who I am.”

“I guess that’s true. Still, it’s not often I get to see you without it.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts.” Shinobu said, already almost done with her next bracelet. “This one is gonna be yours.”

“Ooh, really? It’s an honor to watch the craftsman work.” He said peering excitedly at his future bracelet in-the-making.

She finished up quickly and handed it to him.

“I added an extra sango pearl, cause you’re one of my best friends.”

“Awww, really? That means so much, Shinobu, thank you.” Heizou said, his expression softening greatly. He looked like this emoji 🥺.

“Y-yeah..” Shinobu mumbled, averting her eyes.

“Aww, are you blushing?” He teased, moving a little closer to get a better look.

“No! And stop awwing at me!” She hid her face, preventing him from getting that better look.

Heizou pouted. “Shinobu come onnn, I never get to see your face! Especially not your blushing one, you can’t deny me this opportunity.”

“Shut up. You’ve seen me blush before anyway…”

“But not without the mask! Pleaseee?”

“I would rather plunge in the sea in front of us.”

Yeah, she won’t budge. Heizou has to use his secret weapon now.

From where he was sitting next to her, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug and looked up at her with puppy eyes.

“Pleaseeee?”

“H-hey! Careful! I’m not even gonna look at you.” She said, flinching first at the sudden contact but still keeping her face hidden with her hands and knees.

“Hm, “careful”, you say?”

The silence was loud. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew exactly what expression he had on.

“Wipe that smirk off your face off your face, and don’t even think about it.”

Heizou giggled mischievously. One because he did in fact have a smirk on his face, and two because he now had a new idea. An idea to get her to finally show her face, and you know, maybe help her feel a little better.

“Careful? Careful with what?” He said, lightly tapping at her sides. Nothing unbearable, but still getting a reaction.

“Heizou, noho! I’ll kill you! Don’t even try!”

“Threatening a detective with murder now, huh? I thought we were best friends, Shinobu.” He said sarcastically, glancing at his new bracelet on his wrist.

Shinobu tried desperately to squirm out of his hold. It was over for her if he went through with this, she’ll never hear the end of it.

“I personally can’t believe I didn’t think of how ticklish you can be earlier!”

“Heizou I swehehear…”

“Oh, this is good for me. Now I’ll get to see your blushing face and your laughing face without the mask at the same time!” Heizou said, picking up the pace and now scribbling his fingers at her sides.”

“Noho you wohohohont! Heheizohou!!” She giggled, her hands instinctively grabbing his wrists. However, unfortunately, due to his place behind her, she had much less leverage and it was quite futile.

“You’re suhuhuch a piehece of shihihit! AHAha-!! Asshohole!” At her remark he gave her a quick tase to the side, clearly elevating her reaction.

“Now that’s no way to talk to one of your best friends.”

“Shhuhut the fuck uhuhup!! You’re nohohot my behehest friehehend, dickhead!” She retorted, squirming in any way she could to not show him her face in this state.

“Really? I guess that extra pearl was a mistake then…I’m hurt Shinobu, really.” Heizou said, not hurt at all. He knows she doesn’t mean it at all, hell he’ll yell similar things when he’s on the receiving end too. That still doesn’t mean he’ll have mercy just yet, however. He moved one hand up by her ribs, the other hand down by her stomach, and dug in. Not too much pressure, but just enough.

“HeheHEHEY!!” Shinobu laughed. Now he was currently attacking two of her bad spots at the same time, and she knew that he damn well knew what he was doing too.

“HEIZOHOUU!”

“Shinobuuu!”

She continued to giggle brightly, not caring about hiding her face anymore and instead kicking her legs and thrashing around (adorably by the way) and doing whatever she could to escape.

Since hiding her face was no longer Shinobu’s top priority, Heizou had no problem finally seeing her laughing/blushing face without a mask.

“Aww, I see you now~” He teased, grinning down at her wide smile. He began to slow down, having got what he wanted and not wanting her revenge to be too devastating.

“Ahahrehe you happy?”

“Very happy.”

“Greheheat, you can stohohop.”

Taking her for her word that she’s had enough, he finally stopped his attack on her midsection and let her breathe as she slumped on his shoulder.

“Asshole.”

“You know it was fun.”

“You’re still an asshole.”

“Come on, look how relaxed you are now. Much better than how I found you earlier. Oh right, speaking of, I was gonna tell you-“

“Apapap, wait one second.” Shinobu interrupted. “I just want you to know I’ll get you back for your cruelty today, when you least expect it. Could be in a few seconds, could be in a few days. Your intuition won’t be able to save you, detective.”

It was Heizou’s turn to be nervous. Maybe not nervous, actually, more like excited. Anticipation always made things more fun! Not that he’d admit it in this moment.

“Mmmm…o-okay…” He shrank in on himself while Shinobu sat next to him, her eyes hungry to see him in her same position. It always amazed him how easily she could bounce back from getting tickle attacked.

“A-anyway, the four of them in their cells-“ He continued, making the most of the time he has left before his inevitable doom.

Heizou shared the story of how the gang managed to get fellow inmates singing along with them in prison, and they discussed various Arataki gang stories until the sun set.

And yes, Shinobu did eventually get him back.

————————————————————————

@adrienisweird @emiefluff HI GUYS I WROTE SOMETHING

again I apologize for bad writing I just kind of wrote as I went and lost myself in it. Still getting the hang of it but I hope u guys like it and I hope it’s a good start!!

[seaofreverie]

Sparkstember Day 10: Whomp That Sucker (Where's My Girl)

A good time!!! That's the first thing I associate with this album. It's one of the earlier ones I've heard too and I was certainly a big fan of it from the very start. Not only that, but I think it was a bit of a groundbreaking point in my experience as a new Sparks fan, since I was trying to figure out where to go next and this was a good plunge somewhere in the midst of it all that proved that no matter where you go, you're going to get something special! And after a couple more months (I mean, it's been a bit over a year since that first listen already! How time flies) it still holds up in my personal rankings. Soooo well. Definitely very special to me!

I think it's safe to say by now that between the pair of Whomp and Angst I'll always stay partial to Whomp. The latter seems to be much more popular among fans, and I can understand that, but something about Whomp speaks to me much more. Both are fun, energetic new-wavey albums, still in the realm of rock but with some cool use of synths that would soon become even more important and a core element of the music. Still though, I think Whomp is more PURE fun - between many hilarious lyrics and the overall playful and lighthearted nature of it, I don't think it's possible to listen to this one and not feel even a little bit happier afterwards.

I especially love the whole atmosphere of it, what I call the spacey / sparkly synth, that gives it a little bit of an outer space feel, much moreso than the actual album called In Outer Space (but i'd better not get ahead of myself yet when it comes to that one, lol). This album really feels sparkly and even glittery to me in a weird way, and unexplainably, this all reminds me of like, sweets and chocolates like those cosmic brownies or daim candy?? That's what this album would taste like to me! Sweet and a little extra and always a good little treat. Damn, and now I want to try a cosmic brownie.

Favourite songs (and other highlights):

I don't even have that many personal favourites from this album even though I really really love it as a whole!! I guess it's a bit of a Propaganda situation, where there isn't that many super big standouts compared to the rest of the tracks, they're all just very cool and I mostly don't have that much to say about them individually, they're all just!! So fun!! (I mean, ok, Suzie Safety might be the only one here that I don't care about all that much. I'm sorry, Suzie.) So this is more of a Moments list than anything

I Married A Martian: mostly I'm just incredibly charmed by the story here

Where's My Girl: AARGHHH!!! WAAUUGHGH!!! I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! SO MUCH!!!! The closest I can come to describing the feeling here is something like... song you heard a couple times when you were very young, enough that you remember how it goes when you hear it again, but can't recall it on the spot otherwise, and you forget about the song's existence until you hear it again after all those years and are hit by the biggest wave of nostalgia and longing for the past that you've ever experienced in your life. All that despite me never hearing this song until last year. Or is there just something I'm not aware of... Anyway, this was one of those rare and treasured moments of THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!! *MY* MUSIC!! Needless to say, this song stayed on repeat countless of times and I will never get over how awesome this guitar solo is. And again, the spacey synth!!

Upstairs: upstAAAAAAirs!!! upstAAAAAAirs!!!

Don't Shoot Me: big fan of the whole thing but I'm especially charmed by the little high-pitched "shoot!"s and such in the background, and "WHO'S HEEE???"

The Willys: the song itself isn't even my fav but the PHYSICALLY! MENTALLY! MORALLY! part is always very chuckle-worthy. That's the wondrous humour I'm talking about here

That's Not Nastassia: Sparks songs with uncomfortably long endings my beloved... can also be pretty hilarious under the right circumstances (like listening to the vinyl of this album with my dad and watching his reaction). And can't forget how cool the transition into the last song is

[hotdamnitsmoony]

what i think the marauders favourite tv show would be - based on my favs :)

james - stranger things. he’d watch it because everyone was raving about it and then become emotionally invested in the characters. he thinks the concept of the monsters is really cool but also very terrifying. he’d definitely make everyone else watch it too, and he’d be mouthing along the lines while they did. his favourite character would be steve harrington, because i think they’re pretty similar. the episode he’d like the most would be s4 ep6.

regulus - the rain on netflix. it’s a kinda disturbing show about an apocalyptic world where the rain literally kills you if it touches you and there’s a whole thing with sibling betrayal and i just feel like he’d eat it up. his favourite character would be lea or kira. he would really love dystopian and apocalyptic shows in general tbh. his favourite episode would be the cult one, because it explores religion in an apocalyptic world.

sirius - greys anatomy. i’ve said this before but he would secretly LOVE greys, even if he won’t admit it. his favourite character is addison montgomery, closely followed by mark sloan. the episode he likes the most is the musical episode but if you ask him, he hates it. also he would so do the superhero pose amelia shepherd does before her surgeries before he does anything important.

remus - the society. it’s a dark, weird and kinda obscure show that only had one season because of covid but he’d love it. he’d bring it up in conversation with everyone and ask them what they’d do if all adults suddenly disappeared, which would obviously have varying responses. he’d complain about not getting a satisfying ending to it all the time. his favourite character is sam or kelly definitely. he can’t choose a favourite episode because literally so much happens in every one.

lily - the good place. i’ve also said this before, but i just genuinely think she’d love it. it’s a show that she would watch while knitting or studying, because it’s easy to follow and funny. she’d definitely quote it a lot and it’d create some great & healthy conversations between the marauders about mortality, morals and death. her favourite character is janet!

pandora - a series of unfortunate events. she’d love this show wholeheartedly. it’s so messy and reminds her of the odd things that seem to keep happening to her. she’d know the “that’s not how the story goes” song and sing it all the time, though she’d change the lyrics to fit whatever situation or drama is going on. her favourite character is sunny, and she started wearing more bows in her hair because of violet! her favourite episode would be s2 ep3!

mary - desperate housewives. she would love the drama, the betrayals and the overall storylines. she’d know every little thing about it, from all the names of lynette’s children to mrs mccluskey’s backstory. her favourite character is gabby solis and she will take no criticism. her favourite episode is the one where carlos’ mum falls down the stairs.

marlene - glee. i genuinely believe she’d know every single big song and wouldn’t stop singing them. you hear “Don’t Stop Belivin’” being sung (badly) in the hallway? it’s marlene. her favourite character is santana lopez and she knows the entire monologue that she says to kurt in season 6. she constantly complains about this show but really does love it. her favourite episode is the klaine & brittana wedding!

dorcas - heartbreak high! she’d love the petty drama and storylines that happen in this show, and she’d so create her own “map” but put concealment charms on it because unlike harper and amerie she’s smart enough not to get caught. her favourite character would be ca$h or harper, and the episode she likes the most would be ep4.

barty - how to sell drugs online (fast)! this show is so hilarious and i really think he’d enjoy it. he’d smell the plot twists coming a mile away but he’d still love it, and probably make evan watch it with him. his favourite character is moritz because he’s just such an idiot and he sort of reminds him of himself, though i feel like he’d love lisa too. he would say that he doesn’t have a favourite episode because he loved it all.

evan - the umbrella academy. he would compare the dysfunctional family to the marauders nonstop. he’d love the way it explores time travel and superpowers, and would spend hours in the library researching if it was possible because he’d get hyper fixated on it of course. his favourite character is klaus (no surprise there lol) and he literally cried during that one episode in season 3. his favourite episode is the first ever one.

(as always, these are my own opinions!! i’ve personally watched all these shows and love them all very much!! this took a while to make but we move who needs a sleep schedule anyway. )

[loverlylight]

More Cinderella's Castle thoughts!

-Everyone was perfectly cast, like they're all amazing and versatile actors so no matter what roles each of them played it would have been awesome, but everyone's roles felt somewhat catered for them in particular, if that makes sense? Which I'm sure is somewhat the case, but I disgress.

-Jeff brought such a fun chaotic energy to The Narrator, it was wonderful to watch. The makeup and outfit was also splendid, and there was this impish physicality as well, he was just so much fun.

-I loved the band being named and mentioned in universe! So much fun, and we were all cheering so much whenever they'd come on stage. Obviously because everyone is grateful to Matt for the creation of Pulp Musicals, of course.

-...speaking of, it really was odd watching Putrice, Tadius, and the Prince interact on stage given that my brain has been at least 85% Pulp for the last half a year

-I was fortunate enough to be able to sit front row, center stage. For most of the play this was absolutely amazing, getting to see the actors so close and seeing the intricacies of their facial expressions, the costume, set design, all those wonderful details that can fade into the background if you're too far away. ...the downside is that at the part of act 2 when the Prince turned around to reveal the sparkly purple codpeice it was, like, just a few yards away from me. Pretty sure I audibly said "oh God" and buried my face in my hands.

-I really like Tadius and Ella's friendship! I especially love how they handled the hints of romance, particularly how nothing happens in the show. There are hints that something might happen between them if they decide to explore that in the future, hints that Tadius has some form of feelings for her, but canonically they're just friends and have a good, solid friendship that feels very organic.

-Crumb was adorable at all times, but I especially love when Joey was no longer in control of the puppet and just reacting, it was hilarious~

-I ship Ella with Tadius, Lucy, Justine, AND the Fairy Queen of Sweet Dreams

-Ella was so freaking badass, like... AUGH I love her so much!

-I honestly kinda ship Rancilda/The Prince. They had fun chemistry, especially with the "blowjob joke" bit.

-Like EVERY line the Prince had was sexual, it was impressive but it also started to blend together after a while.

-For a moment there I honestly thought we might have a bad guys win situation, they did a really good job of leaving things so it felt like there really is no way back from this.

-Ella's outfits were so amazing! The multi-colored dress and the one from the end especially, just... oh my god I am such a lesbian you guys.

-I love how the entire theatre loved the bits where Tadius talked about going against the royal family. I love him so much <3

-I also love how the theatre went nuts at the "let's go" before the final song, there was just so much energy in that room and it was amazing.

-The music in general was just... DAMN. Don't get me wrong, I loved the demos, but I can't wait to hear the final versions again when the digital ticket comes out because they all sounded so amazing.

-Looking forwards to the digital ticket in general, like... being there, seeing it live, it was such a precious and amazing experience that I'll treasure. But I'm also looking forward to being able to watch the whole show again, both with renting the digital ticket and when the pro-shot comes out!

-The 2023 performance of VHSCC is still my favorite Starkid production ever, I don't know what if anything could top it (PLEASE re-release the digital ticket or put it up for permanent purchase or on Youtube, PLEASE), but while I know the fact that this is the most recent show and the only one I got to see live is coloring things, Cinderella's Castle is definitely one of their top musicals in my opinion. Currently it's at the number 2 spot, and while it's possible things might shift once the initial excitement wears off, I can't see it dropping much lower-- certainly not below the top 5.

-I almost certainly have even more thoughts I should try and get down while the experience in relatively fresh but I'm gonna have a long shift tomorrow and I'm Sleepy. Goodnight!

[zepskies]

Hi Zep! Buckle up because I have a number of picks for your ask game! How about 2, 10, 17, 40, 48, 55 and 70?

Hey Michelle! Hope you're having a lovely Sunday. ☀️💜

Omg these are amazing questions!!

Lmfao this is hilarious to me, but I actually had to think hard about this one. My pre-writing/outlining process is pretty methodical. However, I think the biggest time the narrative hijacked my hands was in Smoke Eater (firefighter!Dean x reader).

I had several scenes in the original outline that just weren't fitting right when I got to the drafting stage, to the point where I had to chuck them out entirely. Also, the whole murder mystery that's central to the narrative was complex to tease out, but that also took me by surprise when I was outlining!

I wasn't intending to go that route at first, but when I thought of including John Winchester and Cas as homicide detectives (drawing from my childhood obsession with Law & Order), it kind of just started coming to me.

So I usually have the premise of the idea before the title. It's gotten easier as I've become more experienced as a writer, but sometimes I just put a placeholder title that kind of encapsulates the idea before I come up with something better, then I start outlining/researching.

Often I get placeholder titles from songs/lyrics of what will likely give me inspiration for the story, and sometimes those titles stick!

Ooh another great question. 😂 Funnily enough, the ones that come to me off the top of my head are mostly from Break Me Down:

M.M. scoffed, with a subtle shake of his head.  “Nah, man,” he said ruefully. “That’s true motherfuckin’ love.”

And a fun one:

“Alert the media,” you said. “We’ve got the ultimate weapon against Soldier Boy: a slow ride on his dick.”

😂 This one also sticks out in my mind from the Midnight Espresso-verse - Devour Me (Part 2), as a playful one I was weirdly proud of lol:

“Question: do you consider yourself more of a tits or ass man?” you ask him. You’re half teasing, but still curious. Dean snorts at the question.  “More of a connoisseur,” he replies, smirking.  “Ah.” You nod sagely, and you point between him and yourself. “So this is like a ‘sample the menu’ situation.” Dean’s smirk deepens. “Sweetheart, you’re a goddamn buffet.”

Finally, this one from the imagine "You are Dean's one exception":

Oh man, that's very tough. I've been blessed to get some amazing feedback from you and others, and believe it or not, I do go back and reread comments and reblogs. It puts a smile on my face whether I'm having a bad day, or want to continue smiling on a good one. 💖

I think one of the best compliments I can receive, however, is that a story touched someone on an emotional level and somehow got them through a difficult time in their life, or is one of their "comfort stories." That's happened a few times, and it almost makes me cry every time. 🥲

I can also say that you, @chernayawidow, and @waynes-multiverse have given me some of the best feedback I've ever gotten on stories. Not just because the other two have made me cheese grin/nearly cry of laughter, but also because all of you are writers and have been able to tell me narratively (or on a character development level) what you liked about what I was doing in a story. As a writer, that kind of feedback is amazing as well. 💖💖

Also, some of my favorite feedback of all time has been on Midnight Espresso -- whether it's been people thanking me for the representation of the Hispanic/Latin culture, or sharing experiences with being plus-sized and how that's viewed in society. 💗

😬😬 Ahh guilty, lol. At the risk of sounding prideful, I think if you're doing it right, you should be writing the stories you want to write. So it stands to reason that you should be able to enjoy reading your own work. 💜

None on Tumblr, but unfortunately I do have a few on FF.net, which I don't even post on anymore, and maybe one or two on Ao3. Sometimes you just lose the drive to write for that fandom, especially if engagement is down. Sometimes you just move on to other things.

I'm a voracious editor. I believe good writing is also good editing -- that's just part of the process. So yes I guess I can be self-critical. lol

Sometimes I'll be rereading something, and I'll go in and edit it after it's already been posted for months, whether it's a typo, or a line that doesn't sound quite right for the character, or part of a scene that I think needs smoothing out. I guess I'm a bit of a perfectionist that way. 😅

Again, thank you so much for these questions, my friend!! I'm going to be sending you some too very soon. 😘

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I finally decided to listen to the Perfect Brains podcast, did all four episodes that are out so far in the last couple of days. And, okay, I wasn’t going to say this because I didn’t want to be pointlessly negative about something people enjoy – but now that I no longer hold this opinion, I can say, I was pretty skeptical when this was first announced. It felt like a weirdly manufactured pairing, since as far as I knew Sam Campbell and Lucy Beaumont had nothing to do with each other before Taskmaster, and it’s not even like they clicked with each other especially well during Taskmaster.

It felt like one of those things where people on Reddit (or, to be fair, Tumblr) see two people on a panel show and say “Oh my God, they should have a sitcom!” And then Avalon just gave them a sitcom podcast, not because there were any artistic reasons to believe that would actually work, but just because fans thought it would be a funny concept. This seemed especially true since they didn’t even have a format when they launched, just said “Okay you guys liked these two on Taskmaster, well here, subscribe to this then.”

And I wasn’t convinced it would work. Sam and Lucy don’t have anything that would make them work well together except that they’re both weird, and they’re not even the same type of weird, or particularly compatible types of weird. Zany characters can be very funny on their own, but when bouncing off someone else, the “straight man” role exists for a reason. The weird one has to be paired with someone who’s been tailored to fit with them.

I can say all those now because it turns out my concerns were unfounded – this shit’s hilarious. It still seems like a bit of a cynical idea that might have just got lucky, but it really works. Possibly because I didn’t need to be worried about the lack of a straight man. They have a “straight man” in the podcast, and his name is Sam Campbell. And it turns out it’s amazingly funny to listen to Sam Campbell playing the straight man. He’s surprisingly good at it.

There’s a kid at the autism centre where I work who speaks almost entirely in “scripts”, in which he’s repeating things he’s heard elsewhere (songs, TV shows), mostly talking to himself, sometimes he can be persuaded to answer a question but only if it’s a very simple one and he can answer with something from his repertoire of quotes. By last week, I’d spent probably 50 hours with him one-on-one in various sessions over several months, and I was very used to his voice. But then we introduced a new program that he didn’t like, and when I started doing it, he suddenly said “All done all done!” in a completely different voice that I had never heard before. It was significantly higher-pitched. He normally mumbles a lot but this was clearly enunciated. If I heard that voice out of context I’d never have guessed it was him. It was shocking to realize I’d heard him say thousands of words and this was the first time I’d ever heard his “real” voice. How he sounds when he’s talking as himself, and not scripting from other things he’s heard. (Not relevant to the story but just to be clear: I didn’t finish the program after he said that. I do not torture children for a living.)

That’s what I thought of the first time I heard Sam Campbell respond to one of Lucy Beaumont’s most absurd statements. Sam stays in character on everything, even situations where most comedians break character (Taskmaster podcast, Off Menu), so the first time Lucy caught him so off guard that he just gave a genuine surprise response, his answer shocked me almost more than her statement. I had that same moment of “Oh shit, I’ve heard you say a lot of words before but I think I’ve just heard your real voice for the first time.” It’s not constant or anything, Sam’s still mostly in character throughout this. But every once in a while Lucy will throw him right off and it’s delightful. Her mother had him unable to keep up any persona for pretty much the whole time he was on, I think he nearly forgot he was meant to be acting and just enjoy the stories. (Please note: That moment of “Oh shit, you became a different person for a moment there and I think that’s the real one” is as far as this analogy goes, I feel the need to clarify because I know the internet is full of speculation about Sam being somewhere on some spectrum or other and that’s not the point I’m making here. I have no theories as to what spectrum Sam Campbell may or may not be on. But I do have views on how funny it is when someone gets emotionally pushed to the point of suddenly turning into the “real” person, my view is: not particularly funny if it’s a child confronted with a therapy program they don’t want and you should probably back off, but very funny if it’s a comedian who’s too confused by another comedian’s mother’s holiday anecdote to remember to do his inflection.)

The biggest downside to this podcast is I just can’t imagine anything living up to that guest episode. Tim Key was so good that by the time his segment finished, I felt bad for Lucy and her mother trying to live up to that. But I needn’t have, as by the time Lucy’s mother was done, I felt bad for Tim having given his time to that podcast only to be comedically upstaged by someone who isn’t actually a comedian (although Lucy’s mother is a playwright, and she sure crafted some theatre in that episode).

I’ve gone through various phases in my assumptions about Lucy Beaumont. It started with – well obviously that’s a character, it’s funny. Then – she is committing to that bit really hard, is there any chance she’s just actually like that and has lucked into her career? Then – oh that was some shitty misogyny of me to even consider that, no one wonders whether someone like Sam Campbell is a character act, obviously Lucy Beaumont also has a differently-pitched voice of a completely different person that she uses in real life, she just never lets it come out in a performance. Then I listened to her on the Comedian’s Comedian podcast where she started talking about how all famous literature was written by ghosts, and Stuart Goldsmith gave her so many opportunities to clarify herself, he kept saying that’s an interesting idea but she means it metaphorically of course, and she kept saying “No I mean it completely literally, I think people are possessed by spirits”, and you could hear the moment when it clicked to Stuart that he wasn’t going to get her to admit she’s doing a bit because she’s not, and he finally said “Are you pulling my leg, Lucy?” and she said no, and then he hurried off the topic. And after that I stopped feeling bad about wondering whether Lucy Beaumont might be actually just like that, not some carefully crafted character. I mean, obviously some of it is crafted. Obviously she couldn’t get where she is if she didn’t know what she was doing and understand that some of her absurd thoughts are funny, and funnier if she plays into that. But I think she does mean this stuff.

Hearing her mother on that podcast has broadened my view of Lucy Beaumont further, to thinking – oh, she might be the normal one. She might be genuinely like this but only because that’s her compromise between the normal she was taught and objective reality. And she, being very intelligent (and you can’t have as successful a career as Lucy Beaumont with having lots of intelligence, even if that someone goes alongside the belief that 1984 was written by an angry spirit), figured out where to find the humour in that compromise and in the gaps, and it’s worked out great. That’s my current working theory. I’ll let you all know how it evolves in another ten or so episodes.

The guests were great, but the three episodes with just the two of them have been funny too. Sam Campbell obviously brings a lot to the table, I’ve had the theme song stuck in my head for 48 hours straight, so fuck him for that, and Paul Williams too for good measure. It is fun to listen to them pass the brain cell back and forth, jockey for which one gets to be the weird one, and Sam Campbell normally loses, which is funny. But he still gets to be the weirder one often enough for that to also be very funny. Four episodes in and I'm sold.

[lulalulens]

Steddie fanfics recomendation (1/?)- 'If you liked [insert popular fanfic here], then you will probably enjoy [insert similar vibes fanfic] edition'

All right this is very simple, I will recommend steddie fanfics that are pretty damn popular on the fandom, and will try to match their vibe with other similar works. Hope I wont disappoint!

If you liked [Throw me one], by Adure, you may like…

Kind of Vibe: the two idiots can't figure whats going on between them, Friends With Benefits kind of situation, a whole lot of pinning even tho they are already hooking up, "what are we? is just sex?" kind of fic

[Is your light on?] by the same author WIP - 120k+ - 11/15 Chapters - Secret relationship - Angst with a Happy Ending Post S4, Eddie trying to heal, Steve being a major A Asshole but getting better, a lot of push and pull coming from both ends, it gets Much Worse before it gets better (or so we hope, Vio has us holding on onto that "angst with a happy ending" tag for dear life)

[And I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back] by Lagardere and Miss Antlers Completed - 70k+ - 9/9 Chapters - Fix-it - Eddie comes back as a ghost - fast burn sex/slow burn romance Post S4, Eddie comes back as a some kind of ghost that only Steve can see and interact with, and has the time of his life tormenting and haunting Steve. NO SLOW BURN AT ALL, Steve spends half the fic on absolute denial while also putting his tongue down Eddie's throat as much as he can, there is a Cursed Guitar my Beloved, a lot of hilarious moments, absolute fav

[You looking at me, looking at you] by emryses Completed - 65k+ - 10/10 Chapters - Friends with Benefits - Miscommunication Ah, the good ol' friends with benefits that start acting like a married couple but Refuse To Talk About What Is Going On, and therefore, miscommunication and angst ensues

[It has no place here] series, by 3MinsOver Completed - 70k - heavy smut - "enemies" to lovers The filthiest (yet somehow sweetest?) "enemies" to lovers I've ever read. Follow their journey from Very Ugly Hate-Fucks to Feelings Realizations. There are a LOT of kinks in here, make sure to read the tags first

[someone else's favorite song] by fastcardotmp3 Complete - 120k - FWB to lovers - Grief/Mourning - fast burn sex/slow burn romance What it seemed like a very clear, very no-strings-attached friends with benefits situation between Eddie and Steve suffers a 3-point-turn after Steve loses someone important to him and needs someone to comfort him and keep an eye on him. My summary makes no justice to how beautifull this fanfic is!!

[Carve your name into my chest] by hexiewrites Completed - 42k - 8/8 Chapters - Enemies to fuckbuddies to friends to lovers- modern AU Both Eddie and Steve are hockey players, long time enemies and rivals, or so it seems. The truth is that they have been hooking up for quite some time, and no one else but them knows about it - but for how long can they keep a dirty secret like that from the public?

[charlie-artlie]

just got back from the fnaf movie, i really need to go to bed but i have to get some thoughts out NOW 🫠

positives

movey good C:

matthew lillard was just so so good god bless

the animatronics were amazing, i really wasn’t expecting the scene where they all played and had fun together????? it was such wish fulfillment i was just sitting there like is this real

(on that note HEY. someone had better gif that fronnie scene were theyre just playing and dancing together. 👉 get on it giffers)

maybe controversial but i liked the matpat and coryxkenshin cameos a lot they were funny and didnt detract from the flow too much

the jumpscares were not terribly hacky like i thought theyd be, and the balloon boy one was really good 👏

also IM NOT CRAZY THAT WAS A CIRCUS BABY REFERENCE RIGHT??? AAAAAAAAAA

all of the parts and service room was so cool tbh, all of the creepy old endos and parts, the little fetch easter egg, all of it so so good

the easter eggs in general were really fun, im looking forward to watching this movie be micro analyzed for years to come

the springlock scene 🤌 cinema…..

that scene were william roundhouse kicks mike is just like. so amazing. this is going on the positives. i cant believe they did that. what an amazing movie.

in general the lighting and sound design were very nice (i mean as a layperson i thought they were nice idk XD)

THE SONG WAS IN IT THEY DID THE FUCKING THING 😭👏

negatives

no puppet?

i feel like this story suffers from the same issue TSE has, where by straying from the games canon you’ve actually made things so much more complicated? while some things definitely made sense (vanessa being williams daughter was a nice touch and made sense for both characters fight me, also a great nod to how shes mind controlled in game canon) others feel like they just made things more complicated? like, why was garrett just a random kid in a random campsite? why was william there, why did he kill him, why do the ghost kids know him? i guess you could say, if there is a reason, it will be revealed in a later movie? but thats so many unnecessary steps when all you had to do was have garret go missing from a freddys location (like in TSE). like, mikes brothers disappearance is linked to freddys, thats why he needs to work there, you could save a lot of time aunt jane ate up. speaking of.

its such a hilarious plot hole that they just totally move past aunt janes death. like this guy is fighting tooth and nail for custody of his sister against his aunt and she shows up dead at his house and nobody is suspicious or cares. also he shows up at the hospital with a stabbed cop who’s apparently in a coma and cant verify his story at all?? the plot armor on this man!!

i realize they needed to put abby in danger at some point or else why would she even be here, but having the ghost kids want to ghostify her doesnt make a whole lotta sense >_> like they kept saying william was confusing them but they never really showed that, golden freddys spirit kid seemed pretty aware of the situation the entire time.

that one jumpscare with the kid with black goopy eyes was pretty silly lmao. feel like they could have captured the creepypasta vibe better

this is semi positive and negative, but i really really liked vanessa’s creepiness i just wish theyd leaned into it a bit more? that scene where shes staring lovingly up at the animatronics and then asks mike to dance is just so 👌 like girl what is wrong with you fr 🥰 but then her behaviors dont make much sense after that, i was a bit confused as to when she was supposed to be trying to get mike to stay and when she was supposed to be warning him away.

the writing in general was definitely a bit weird ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ eh

sorry if my negatives seem like bummers, but i really enjoy picking apart movies i like, and i tend to like things more when there is stuff to pick apart! (sensory fandom experience…..) in general i really enjoyed the movie and i think most fnaf fans will! it’s fun cheesy horror that has a lot of love for the source material without trying to BE it, which wouldn’t be possible anyway

man theres definitely other things i could say but i really have to go to sleep now 😭 gn!!!

[yourinterestisnotcringe]

i hope this isn't too much, but i'm nosy! do every odd-numbered smosh question :]

Aah! XD Thank you 😌❣️

Here you go (this got so lengthy omg sorry).

1. Ian or Anthony?

The age old question huh?

You know what? I was asked this before (on a more shallow level I guess but it still fits) and I will repeat myself: "Anthony has Perfect Hair and is very attractive to me. But i was very much very intrigued by Ian as a whole from day 1 and that hasn't changed." (quote by me, sometime between july and now)

On a less shallow level: I relate to Anthony a lot regarding lots of things and respect his journey very much. But Ian - idk what it is, I was drawn to him since day 1 and can also relate to him on several levels. I genuinely find him hilarious. I also know/knew and like(d) people in RL that are very much like him. (Or, at least the way he makes us perceive him.)

3. What's your favorite channel between main/pit/games?

I replied to this here.

5. Do you have a favorite Smosh video? What is it?

I just thought to myself: why did I reblog this ask game? Why am I doing this to myself? I generally am VERY bad at answering questions about favorite things. I cheat all the time. I have several favorite Smosh videos, depending on the criteria. But I'm gonna go with the answer that is probably the most boring one:

Pokémon Theme Song from 2005. (rip)

To me it symbolizes a lot of things and without it I probably wouldn't have found Smosh - or I would've, but a lot later. It evokes many good feelings in me and finding it for sure changed some stuff and influenced me, even though I didn't know it at the time. Lot's of momentous things happened to me in 2006, discovering Smosh via this video was one of them.

7. What is your favorite series on Smosh (main channel)?

Let's do This! !! Followed by uh maybe Pokémon in Real Life, Funeral Roasts and Interviewing Exes.

9. What is your favorite series on Smosh Games?

Would you believe me if I told you that I was stuck on this question for like half an hour? T_T I really like many series on that channel and they did so many different things... And in the end it's still a tie. It's the very basic (?) and classic Gametime w/ Smosh and the very uh, basic (?) Board AF :')

11. What's something you want to see come back?

Easy: Let's Do This! :')

13. Do you ship anything/love any friendship pairs?

I'm actually fine with any ships, romantically or platonically. If I watch any combo long enough and imagine them in random situations I can see them as a ship (platonic or otherwise), or a intriguing combo at the very least. I do enjoy content about Ian &/ Anthony, and pretty much other popular combos. A combination I've seen less of and that I love is Tommy + Ian and Courtney + Ian. However you want to interpret this, I love their dynamics and what my head provides me with about them. As a sidenote and apart from any shipping business: Courtney's and Ian's friendship is very very dear to me, if you (general) have any clips/interview/audio/whatever where their friendship is being shown/the topic, feel free to send it to me. I would be so so grateful :')

15. What castmember do you think you are most like?

Ok so I asked my sibling because I wasnt sure about this. And they said: Ian, Sarah (we both miss her dearly and we'll count her as cast for this) and Amanda. I agree tbh.

17. What do you want to see now that Anthony's back?

Summer/Winter Games :')

19. Is there a video/series you really loved when you were younger?

Lunchtime with Smosh! 🥹 (Ian is Bored too..I know, this is cheating ;_;)

21. Did you ever watch Smosh the movie?

Yes! More than once 🤭😆

23. Tell me an unpopular Smosh opinion.

I'm more excited for the concept and existence and bts of Food Battle returning than for the Food Battle 2023 video itself. Don't know if that's an unpopular opinion though. I'm very exited and am looking forward to it very much, and it looks very good. But I enjoy the Food Battle series on a rather meta level and am not as emotionally involved as with other stuff.

25. It's food battle time. You picking a pink frosted sprinkled donut, or some stick-shaped food?

Thank youuu!!

[Smosh Ask Game]

[squeakygeeky]

To Sir, With Love/Khun Chai Review

I’m going to try to write a review that doesn’t spoil anything specific past the first two episodes, but it will include general spoilers especially about the type of ending. So if you want to know exactly what you’ll be getting into before starting a 17 episode series with 1hr+ episodes, this is for you.

Tldr: To Sir, With Love was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve watched all year and I highly recommend it, even to people who don’t watch BL. I especially recommend it to fans of soapy period dramas.

Genre-wise I wouldn’t consider it a BL since there’s a lot going on besides a romantic relationship, but the central character is gay, his romance is the main romance, and the fact that he is gay is what drives the plot. It’s a Thai lakorn, but I haven’t seen any others so I don’t know how it compares to others. For me it was like the gay baby of a BBC period drama and a telenovela. Off the top of my head content warnings would include suicide, homophobia, child abuse and violence but I’m sure there’s more stuff, this is a melodrama.

For all that it is soapy as heck, it holds together pretty well. Sure, no one ever gets to have a private conversation and there are a bunch of essentially magic glittery poisons that people throw at each other in hilariously dramatic fight scenes, but people act in the way you would expect their characters to act (just, you know, turned up to 11 with evil cackling) and the aren’t a bunch of what I’ll call ‘random situations.’ ‘Random situations’ being what someone was used to describe the ‘plot’ of Unforgotten Night. Here, everything happens because people are scheming, and their schemes keep bumping into each other in interesting ways, and it all somehow makes sense within the context of the melodramatic world it exists in. It can shift from genuinely heartbreaking to absolutely bonkers, but not in a way that I minded.

This got long, anything spoiler-y is after the cut.

Premise: The story starts in 1931 with the powerful 5 Dragons Association, headed by a man named Song. His associates are Zhang (Song’s longtime associate and right-hand man), Ma (the ambitious gangster-type), Cai Xiaotong (a widow who runs a ‘tea house’), and Sung (who was basically minding his own business the whole series). Song has a first wife named Li, a secondary wife named Chan, and a mistress named Bua. Li’s son Tian was born a day earlier than Chan’s son Yang, so he will inherit his father’s position and Chan is not happy about that. However, the two brothers are good friends and spend a lot of time with Bua who is luckily sane and very nice, unlike their actual mothers.

At a 5 Dragons meeting, Ma outs Zhang, causing Song to give Ma control over their new coffee venture instead because he believes a homosexual can’t be a strong business leader. In the resulting argument, Zhang is kicked out of the 5 Dragons Association altogether, and shortly after Zhang commits suicide in front of everyone, cursing Song. Shortly after, Li realizes that Tian is probably gay and decides this secret must be hidden from everyone at all costs.

Fast forward to 1943 and the 5 Dragons Association continues to be successful with only 4 members, but Thailand is occupied with Japanese soldiers. Tian has grown up into a serious and responsible young man, while Yang is more carefree and prone to getting into trouble. Despite years of Chan trying to poison Yang against Tian, he has no interest in taking over the business and the two brothers are as close as ever.

Tian is well aware that he’s gay, but is hiding it from everyone but his mother and her loyal servant Jia. Jia knows how to make poisons and do martial arts and that will be important later. Chan discovers that Tian has a terrible secret that could lead to him being removed as heir and is desperate to discover what it is. Tian meets and falls with Jiu, a candy seller with a dark secret of his own, while Yang falls in love with and adorable scammer named Pin. Unfortunately for all parties, Tian learns that his mother has arranged for him to be married to Pin, and his father will make him his official successor contingent on this marriage.

The narrative structure actually reminded me a lot of UWMA. There was a tragic event in the past that started to play out all over again in the present, and the series hinges on whether history would repeat itself or if the characters would find a new way forward.

Costumes: The costume design in this series was excellent. I don’t know much about Chinese and Thai fashion history, just Western, but I could tell what era the show was supposed to be set in by clothes alone, which is really all I ask for in terms of historical accuracy. And they went beyond that and put hats on people (ask any historical fashion lover in your live about hats and hairstyles in historical fiction, I dare you). The only garment I questioned was Yang’s one inexplicably slutty polo shirt. The costumes looked great, and they suited each character’s status and personality.

Characters: There were a lot of characters, but I didn’t find them that hard to keep track of. I think this was partly because they had distinct personalities and motivations, and also because they were pretty much all there from the beginning, it wasn’t like new characters were suddenly getting introduced for drama.

The female character were especially great, even when they were being completely terrible. They all had so much to do, and although the rivalry between Li and Chan drove most of the plot, there were also some great team-ups between the women.

Tian, Yang, Jiu and Pin were a whole set of cinnamon rolls (plus Bua). I appreciated having genuinely nice people to root for, and their niceness never felt bland or boring. Tian was caring and self-sacrificing without having to be completely passive, Yang was cheeky but always loving, Jiu had a completely understandable motivation for the bad things he did, and Pin was clever and funny.

Tian and Jiu had great chemistry. I loved their romance and although there was definitely an element of love at first sight, their relationship definitely developed over time. This was a low-heat series, but what heat there was all went to them and not Yang and Pin, which I appreciated. Yang and Pin were also great together, though. Tian and Yang had an amazing brotherly bond despite everything and that was one of my favorite things about the show.

Ending: The ending was super happy, but then in a way that I thin fit because everything had to circle back to Zhang’s suicide in a way where either something equally tragic had to occur or tragedy had to be thoroughly averted, and this was ultimately a *fun* series, not a tragic one. Several characters died during the climactic events, but not a single cinnamon roll. This was not a show where the gay couple had to leave everything behind and run off in order to be together. Tian did not have to enter into a sham marriage or do anything secretive anymore. In fact, Tian didn’t really have to compromise anything in order to live happily with Jiu. Yang and Pin also got to be together, but it ended with the focus on Tian and Jiu, not with Yang and Pin’s wedding, which I felt like it easily could have. I can’t name a single historical anything were a queer couple got an ending this happy (but if you can please tell me so I can watch it).

[queenlucythevaliant]

Since I'm missing being on my college min worship team right now, here's another funny story. Let me tell you about my friend, let's call her Portia.

So my college min is/was pretty small. Like, 25 people on a good night. So our whole worship band was was this guy I'll call John on the acoustic guitar, by dear friend Portia on the drums, and me singing. Worship rehearsal mostly consisted of John (who was in charge) trying to make sure we all knew what we were doing while Portia did her absolute best to try and make me laugh. I did my best to ignore her, since goofing off during a music rehearsal isn't really in my nature, but I'll admit that I failed more often than not. I've always giggled really easily.

Portia's antics involved everything from imitating a cello or organ line for some of the classic hymns and throwing in various "sing it church" and "this is what we believe" ad libs during the more contemporary ones to singing along in the deepest croaky bass she could manage to straight up poking me with her drumstick from time to time. She also really liked to mess around with the lyrics to the songs.

One week, we were singing "I Surrender All." If you don't know, there's a verse that goes like this:

All to Jesus I surrender,

Humbly at his feet I bow,

Worldly pleasures all forsaken,

Take me, Jesus, take me now.

It's sung very solemnly and sedately. Portia found this hilarious. By and large this isn't a song about death or the second coming, so why is this line here? "Why is it phrased like that?" Portia wanted to know. "Why, midway through this good little Reformed hymn, does this one line suddenly sound like what a fire and brimstone Southern Baptist says when he's about to do something reckless?"

She started messing around and put that verse together with "I'll Fly Away" in sort of a medley singing those lines in this really dark, sort of RP, almost chant-like sort of voice, then switching abruptly to "I'll Fly Away" in her best Southern Baptist voice.

Perfect posture, hands together in a prayer gesture: "Worldly pleasures... ahhhhl for-sah-ken... 🙏 Tehhhk me Jee-sahhs... Tehk me nowww" 🙏

Abruptly starts jumping up and clapping her hands: "Iiiiiiii'll fly away! Oh glory! 👏 Iiiii'll fly away! 👏 (IN THE MORNING) When! I! Die! 👏 Hallelujah!! By and by! 👏 Iiiii'll fly awayyyyy!!! 👏 👏

I'm really not doing the bit justice, it was hilarious. I was laughing uproariously. Even John, who was usually Above Such Things, seemed to be entertained.

So we pull ourselves together, finish rehearsal, and then later on the actual Large Group gathering arrives. "I Surrender All" is like third on the setlist. We sing two perfectly normal hymns ahead of it.

We sing the first verse and chorus of "I Surrender All," and then we get to The Verse. And you guys. I completely lost it.

At first, at the beginning of the verse, it was just a little giggle that could have maybe been ignored, but by the time I got to "Take me Jesus, take me now," I was doubled over laughing, completely unable to sing, red in the face and gasping for air. Next to me, both Portia and John were completely stoic.

And then Portia pokes me with her drumstick.

Now, none of us had ever been disruptive like this during Actual Large Group before, but I guess Portia figured that the situation was already out of control and she might as well make it worse. So yeah, she poked me, and I whipped around still laughing and fell on the floor.

I got up, still laughing, and through my laughter and, by this point, tears, tried to apologize into the microphone.

"I'm... 🤣😂🤣 so sorry.... 🤣🤣 at... 😂😂🤣🤣 rehearsal..." I managed to get out.

"Do you need a minute?" asked our campus minister.

Portia leaned forward over her drum. "Sorry Luke. It was my fault."

[viiridiangreen]

chisme time lol

Listen even if they missed by aiming at that a specific blogger who hadn't made the point they thought they made, that was still a good point and also hilariously relevant to recent shenanigans in my meatspace bc uh. My partner's dad's girlfriend's son's (now ex) boyfriend (lol) just had a related foot-in-mouth moment.

We (all of the above) were listening to a vinyl after waiting several months for the occasion. We were keeping mostly quiet as the songs played (mostly cause we used the good speakers and FIL set them loud as fuck), but taking breaks after each face and made it clear to the son + boyfriend who aren’t into the artist that (of course!) they weren’t obligated to listen along and could just chill in another part of the house or take off if they didn’t feel like it. They stayed.

Just as Thee Single(TM) was starting out, the bf blurted out the start of one of his extremely superficial anecdotes about some or other expensive ass club. FIL shut it down as politely but also as fast as he could. And also made a point to listen to the anecdote after the vinyl face had run out. Still, cringe was experienced by all. The couple left very shortly after.

I think he was genuinely confused that The Point of the gathering could literally just be the music for over five minutes lol. Doesn't help that he has an extremely pronounced Mexican Equivalent Of A Posh Accent which is pretty much universally loathed by every mexican who lacks it lol.

I think he also underestimated our vape 🤔

AlsoX2 my sources tell me they broke up like a week afterwards 😬 Not because of this officially, but i wouldn't be surprised if it uh. Nudged things along kinda. And like... I'm notorious for not knowing when it's my turn in conversations and socially clumsy in many ways, I like to think I can recognise and smooth over that in others or at least not hold it against them. But this wasn't very subtle lol. The situation was a neon sign saying 'pls let us listen to the thing in peace'.

We'd been hanging out for a few hours and it was getting late (partner and I were sleeping over). It was a reasonable time to go and we gave them an opening to do so but bro decided he'd like. Ride out 40mins of music he didn't like on charisma alone??? Unless he thought we'd just let it play in the background. But you don't move the dinner party to a different room and use The Good Speakers and make it a whole thing just to leave it as bg noise. Idk it Befuddled us for days lol.

I just hope Partner's Dad Girlfriend's Gay Son finds a nicer guy tbh, bc he's a sweet dude.

[your-sweet-cookies]

[ dance ] for your muse to dance with mine

Word prompts compilation

Parties were never Kukki's forte when it came to socializing. In fact, she loathed the concept of 'partying' as a whole, since it was an activity involving crowded places, loud sounds and a ton of chaotic movement, all of these being stressors contributing to the young woman's anxiety.

So no wonder that, while everyone else was dancing their night away, Kukki proffered to sit on the side at the bar, enjoying a good sweet mocktail, while watching her friends showing off their newest dance moves on the dance floor. She wasn't a great dancer either, so there wasn't much of a loss in not partaking too in their weird display of extraversion, or at least that's what Kukki liked to think and believe.

The silver-haired woman was watching Hinata and Narumi doing the macarena in the middle of the dance floor, when she felt a finger patting her shoulder. Confused to whoever might've sat down next to her while she was focused on her friends, Kukki turned around to meet the gaze of the stranger seeking her company. To her surprise, the 'culprit' was none other than Isao, the mysterious Spades expert newcomer who intimidated everyone with his imposing and stoic demeanor. What made this the more intriguing was the fact that the older man was very quiet and withdrawn, so what was he doing at a Friday night Beach party, seeking Kukki's attention of all things?

"C-Can I help you, Isao-san?" The young woman tried her best to be polite and hide her bewilderment with what could it be that the man wanted from her. "You look kinda lonely here all by yourself, missy." Isao replied in a stoic manner, as he took a sip from his beer. "Why aren't you partying with the rest of your friends?"

His inquiry made Kukki's eyes widen for a slight second. Why did it matter to him if she partied or not? And why was he soo interested in her well being all of a sudden when they were nothing, but pretty much strangers to one another. 'Such an odd man...' Kukki thought to herself and tried to regain her composure. "Don't worry about me, sir. I am in no way lonely and I am actually enjoying myself here at the bar. They serve very delicious drinks here." She answered and motioned to her mocktail.

"That doesn't answer my second question. Youngsters like you usually like spending their night moving around to rhythm of the music, not languishing at the bar like a bum. That's us old folks' job." Unbelievably, there was a hint of a smile forming on Isao's lips as he finished his comment, and his words managed to draw a slight snort out of his conversation partner.

"Well, I am the exception to the rule then. I'm not the party type to be honest. I much prefer the quiet and besides, I am a terrible dancer." Kukki smiled too and looked down at her blue lagoon drink. "Oh come on, you can't possibly be worse than those two." Isao raised an eyebrow and pointed at Hinata and Narumi. "Well, whatever. How about this, you join me for the next dance and I'll prove to you that you aren't that terrible of a dancer?"

Kukki was even more baffled, but the situation sounded so hilarious that she couldn't turn down the offer. 'What a truly strange man! But still, his offer doesn't sound that bad...' After all, she too was very curious to see Isao actually partying. It just made for a funny mental image. "Okay, then that's what we'll do!"

So, when the next song started, the two joined the dance floor and for the first time ever since she's been to the Borderlands, Kukki actually let loose and had some fun doing something silly and actually partied for once in her life. It turned out that dancing wasn't that bad of a thing either. Isao wasn't that bad of a dancer himself, and following his cues and example, Kukki managed to keep face on the dance floor by not embarrassing herself. It was an overall very enjoyable Friday night and by the end, the young woman made a new friend in the person of the grumpy old man Isao, who wasn't that grumpy after all.