#three different cultures celebrating new years

[thewallsaretalking-again]

Happy new years my lightbulbs

And happy birthday to me I guess 🥲

Read tags pls I put them out of order

[prokopetz]

Anecdotally, one of the big differences between pre-Internet and post-Internet popular culture is a sharp reduction in misinformation about bizarre celebrity deaths.

Back when the Internet wasn't a thing and most people had very limited access to current information about anything that wasn't covered on the evening news, basically any time a notable celebrity dropped out of public view or a year or two, rumours would start circulating that they'd died in a bizarre accident – and sometimes, those rumours became accepted common knowledge, at least until the celebrity in question made their way back into the news cycle.

(There were weirdly specific recurring themes, too: I can think of like three otherwise-unconnected celebrities who "everybody knew" had died while attempting to jump a motorcycle over the Grand Canyon!)

One of the big consequences of Internet access going mainstream is huge numbers of people suddenly becoming aware that a bunch of celebrities they'd been led to believe had been killed in unlikely ways were in fact alive and well. For all that the Internet facilitates the spread of misinformation, it killed this one very particular type of popular misinformation stone dead.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hi folks, it’s Mint.

I’m on a mini-vacation this week so I’m going to be releasing some recommendation posts for things that aren’t related to requests (easy to queue), and I’ll be back to doing regular rec posts when I get back!

THEME: TTRPGs For Palestine.

This is going to be a list of recommendations of games that you can get in the TTRPGs for Palestine Bundle. There’s plenty of games in the bundle that I’ve recommended before, so I’m going to try and focus on games I haven’t talked much about before. You can look at the bottom of this post for some of the greatest hits!

The bundle is on until June 29, so make sure to pick it up before it's too late!

LORDSWORN, by Mareensmusings.

You rode to war at the call of your God, swore yourself to Their divinity as the drums of war beat from every corner of the Pantheon. Standing beside your divinity, Their purpose so clear and noble, you felt immortal. Beside your fellow Lordsworns, you felt your victory a certainty, battle but a trivial formality.

Now They lay dead before you, Their Godblood flowing into the dirt. Already the world lurches in distress, twisting at the loss of a God, one of many to die this day. Your Captain, too, lies broken, entrusting the survivors of your Company to the you. Of the thousands who rode out, you are all that remains of your Company.

Your God is dead. You only have each other now.

LORDSWORN is a GMless TTRPG for 1-4 players of tragic, fragile stories of desperate survival and comradery at the end of the world. In LORDSWORN each player takes on the role of three soldiers who swore themselves to a (now dead) God during the Cataclysm, an apocalyptical battle that saw all the Gods of the Pantheon go to war. With their God dead and the world churning and reeling from the death of the Pantheon, you and a handful of survivors must make the trek back to the only place that makes sense anymore – Home. 

LORDSWORN is a collaborative game that guides your group into the story of a company, of which each player will control 3 Lordsworns. Your characters can be chosen from a list, or drawn randomly using a deck of cards. You navigate the game over four stages: world-building, company creation, the journey home, and the epilogue. The game is designed to be tragic, even if your company makes it all the way home. The core rules are built off of Caltrop Core, which means that you will rely mostly on d4s anytime you have to roll dice, but unlike many other Caltrop Core games that I’ve seen, the system is less focused on chance and more focused on oracles. If you want a game of tragedy that focuses on the story rather than the characters, you might want to check out Lordsworn.

Lamplighter’s Festival, by ira prince.

The lamps have been there for as long as we can remember. The lamps have never been there, and only appear for tonight. The lamps are strange and new — we’re still getting used to them, making space for them in our lives. We know exactly what the lamps mean, and we’ve committed their history to heart. We’ve forgotten what the lamps mean, even if the gravity of it still hums and shimmers around them. We’re deciding what the lamps mean, weaving their purpose in more tightly every year, every season, every eclipse. Tonight, we light the lamps, and we tell our stories about them.

Lamplighter’s Festival is a map-drawing game about a nighttime festival, and the things it can illuminate about the place in which it’s celebrated. It can be played alone, or collaboratively if you like.

Lamplighter’s Festival uses the random placement of dice to draw out a location, at whatever scale you like. You use the pattern that ensues to create locations on the map called Lamp Locations, which you will elaborate on as you play. At the end of the game, you will have not only a festival, but details about the different elements that are required for it to happen properly, and possibly the cultural meanings behind the festival. If you want a game that helps you build a place and a culture around one specific event, this might be the game for you.

A Labyrinth Like Us, by z.w. garth.

The minotaur city of Ut sits in the center of an endless labyrinth. The labyrinth twists and turns, it folds and rearranges. And from its dark halls pour forth monsters, which tear and smash and destroy.

You are a minotaur in your district's Guard. You respond to the waves of beasts that wreck havoc and mayhem—repelling the danger and protecting the afflicted. You carry with you your hopes for Ut's future, and your fears for its present. Rally with your neighbors to protect one another. Carve a home in the labyrinth.

A Labyrinth Like Us is a 2-page roleplaying game in the OSR/sword dream tradition. It requires 3-5 players, including one Keeper, 2d20 and 2d6, and these rules. 

This game is reminiscent of, but not a direct replication of any specific myth. You play as minotaurs in a labyrinthine city, plagued by horrors that they can only face when working together. Your minotaurs use emotions to empower special abilities, which are mainly combat-focused.

The game is only two pages, with one page introducing you to the setting, character creation, and how to play, while the other provides roll tables and advice for the Games Master in order to make the labyrinth feel dangerous and dark. If you want a game that presents you with a challenge but doesn’t overwhelm you with rules, you might want to take a look at A Labyrinth Like Us.

HYPERMALL: Unlimited Violence, by Rat Bastard Games.

Do you hate your boss? Like, REALLY hate your boss? 

HYPERMALL: UNLIMITED VIOLENCE is a mission-based corpo murder TTRPG about assassinating the rich and famous. Enter the consumerist hellscape of THE HYPERMALL where death is cheap and life is cheaper. HM:UV is an unhinged gonzo meatpunk sci-fi dystopia buzzword game for financial geniuses. 

You're a CONTRACTOR for SLAUGHTR™ - The Assassination App - and your job is to Murder Your Target Without Dying. You're already in debt. You can't afford unnecessary Resurrections when rent is due, and you absolutely do not have health insurance. GET TO WORK. 

Become a mutated killing machine, a psychic murderer, or a cold blooded cyber criminal. Try your best to make ends meet. Die a lot. Kill cops. Get paid.

This is a game of cathartic violence, with random roll tables to help you build a unique character quickly, pulling from d66 backgrounds and meshing together rules from games like Troika and PbtA. Combat isn’t just physical in this game: you can also fight your opponents in the finacial and social spheres, allowing you to take down someone three different ways.

The really difficult part is figuring out how to kills someone permanently, since there’s a resurrection matrix inside the Hypermall that makes death kind of hard to stick. If you want to unleash your fury in increasingly creative ways, you might want to check out HYPERMALL: Unlimited Violence.

Heaven / Hell, by Joel Happyhill.

Hell, The Underworld, Hades, Yomi, no matter what you call it seems like everyone’s ended up here. No one has any memory of their life before, if such a thing even exists. But one thing rings true, none of you want to stick around.

Heaven / Hell, otherwise known as 2H, is a competitive 1 VS 1 tabletop game set in the underworld. It’s meant to recreate the systems and strategies created by traditional fighting video games, allowing you to mix and mach a number of recognizable fighting game archetypes and optional rules to play your dream fighter through the medium of pen and paper.

Heaven/Hell is more like a competitive board-game than it is a tabletop roleplaying game. Your characters will travel across a board as they do battle with each-other, with distance and positioning being crucial in developing a strategy.

One mechanic that seems to help emulate fighting games is the use of the Underdog Token, which is granted to your character whenever you take a Wound in a round of combat. This Token can be spent in the following round to reveal a new Technique or do something called Flash Parry for a second time. You use this ability to halt another player’s move in its tracks, culminating in a scene that you might see in a dramatic fight where two opponents are holding each-other off with their weapons, possibly snarling at each-other as their faces draw close.

If you want the tactical complexity of a board-game combined with the dramatic moments of high-action tv shows, you might want to check out Heaven / Hell.

Hexfall, by Titanomachy RPG.

Stratus Cay is a floating city in the Rift, a digital quantum dimension at the intersection of the smallest black hole in the multiverse and the concept of becoming. The city is made of countless islands, a hyperreal archipelago adrift in flashing interdimensional lights. An infinite smattering of lives, as varied and precious as the stars themselves.

You are a hyperpowered being who came into larger-than-life abilities because of a profound cataclysm. Heartbreak. Grief. The depths. Physical, emotional, multidimensional–something unlocked incredible power in you. People like you have many names across Stratus Cay, but the most common is “Diver,” a nickname derived from their affinity for falling through the Rift, either on dangerous jobs or just for fun. 

Divers’ abilities run the gamut of even the wildest imaginations, and their extreme power and durability makes many of them reckless thrillseekers. The pay is too good and the thrills too extraordinary to turn down the opportunity to go on a dive.

Hexfall takes the tried-and-true method of hexcrawling and turns it on its side, by making your travel vertical; you’re diving from the edge of a floating island and falling into the Rift, retrieving artifacts, harvesting resources, and enjoying the thrills of free-fall. Hexfall has combat, puzzles, and mysteries for you to solve, but it also gives you space to roleplay and get to know each-other’s characters, using a token system for actions like helping out your fellow divers, and signifying when you want to role-play a narratively significant moment between you and another person.

What really stands out in this game though, is the character playbooks. Do you have wings made out of swords? Do you carry the blessing of a giant? Have you embraced the fungal form of decay and rebirth? All of these are possibilities within various playbooks of Hexfall. If you want a game about thrill-seeking and finding meaning in a world that, as fantastical as it is, still demands you work out why you want to live, you might want to try out Hexfall.

Abominations, by Elliot Davis.

They tried to tell you to stop playing God.  You replied, “Who’s playing?” and spliced in another gene. 

What is an Abomination?

A living amalgamation of various forms of flesh, machinery, and whatever you can stick it together with. Some slimy, some hairy, some are covered in eyes. Others are a knot of tongues and fingers. An Abomination is whatever you can imagine it to be, tossed in a blender and put back together.

ABOMINATIONS is a tactile, GM-less TTRPG for 2-6 players. Using a set of letter tiles and some 10-sided dice, you will create one-of-a-kind monsters of your own design. Then take them into the ring for a fight to the last scraps.

This is a game that feels kind of like a biological version of Robot Wars. Instead of constructing robots and pitting them against each-other, you’re creating monstrous mutating piles of flesh and throwing them in the ring. Your characters are to an extent, somewhat pre-defined: each player chooses a vowel, which represents something of your character’s personality, as well as the secret mutation only they have access to. You play using Scrabble tiles, with each letter granting access to specific mutations, from Guns for Arms, to X-Ray Vision, to a Zipper Down the Middle!

If you want a goofy game of slapstick and body horror, I recommend Abominations.

Greatest Hits

Wanderhome, by Possum Creek Games.

FIST, by Claymore.

Apocalypse Frame, by Binary Star Games.

Bump in the Dark, by Jex J Thomas.

[toychest321]

While I was looking into Fulla dolls, I found out another Muslim fashion doll was released around the same time!

Meet Razanne! (And be prepared for a loooooong deep dive under the Keep Reading lol)

From what I've been able to piece together from various sources, she was created by Palestinian-American Ammar Saadeh and his wife Noor in 1996, being initially launched through the internet before more publicly advertised to Middle-Eastern and American audiences in 2004. Their goal was to show Muslim girls that "what matters is what's inside you, not how you look" (quoted from an interview with Greensoboro News and Record). They wanted to give them a role model with an emphasis on education and religion, while also having a career! To reflect the diversity of the global Muslim ummah, each of her dolls came in three variants: Pakistani-Indian (olive skin w/ dark hair), Black (dark skin w/ dark hair), and Caucasian (fair skin w/ fair hair).

While unfortunately she's no longer in production, the WayBack machine has a record of all her dolls released through the Noorart website! Each doll listing also includes additional information to educate on Islamic culture!

First there's Schoolgirl Razanne, whose listing reads:

"Razanne loves school and is all ready with her bright red book bag to join her friends in class. For your information…Traditional uniforms are worn by schoolgirls in Islamic schools. In addition to the usual subjects, students also study the Arabic language and the Qur'an - the Muslim Holy Book."

Next we have Teacher Razanne, whose listing reads:

"What is a more honorable and specialized career than education? Our teacher Razanne comes full equipped with lap top computer, briefcase and all the necessary items for school. For your information... Many Muslim girls study to become educators. Two-piece suits with jacket and skirt are popular styles for Muslim women who work outside the home as teachers or other professionals."

There's Playday Razanne, who unlike the prior two came with no accessories, her listing reads:

"Dressing modestly doesn't keep Razanne from having fun! On the playground, Razanne plays in her scarf and a loose fitting jumper that gives her lots of room to run and jump. For your information... Dressing modestly doesn't prevent Muslim girls from having fun outdoors! Whether biking, skating, on the playground or at the park children manage to have fun no matter where they are!"

We also have a Muslim Scout Razanne, who came with a free audiotape of Muslim Scout Cheers and a preview of We Love Muhammad! Her listing reads:

"'I'm honest, kind and trustworthy.' Muslim Scouts' organizations all over the world help build character and skills for success in this life and the next. Razanne wears her merit badges and awards earned for community service, Islamic behavior and Qur'an memorization. Respect for Allah, parents and all members of the community are a top priority with Razanne. For your information…like all Scout troops, Muslim Scouts are encouraged to excel in personal attributes such as honesty, cooperation and leadership as well as taking an active part in community service and environmental protection."

Next up there's Eid Mubarak Razanne, which came two different color variants for her outfit, her listing reading:

"Razanne is all ready to celebrate the Muslim holiday. Dressed in her new floral fashions of pink or blue, Razanne has Eid cards addressed to all her friends and is ready to deocorate the party with balloons. The perfect Eid gift for any girl! For your information… Muslims celebrate two major festivals each year. One is the Eid Al Fitr following the month-long fast of Ramadan. A second holiday occurs during the annual Pilgrimage to Makkah. Children and adults look forward to these two special days with great anticipation. Before the Eid the entire family goes out shopping for new clothes to wear for Eid Day. Early Eid morning the family meets with other members of the community for an Eid Prayer then disperse to family gatherings and other celebrations. Children are often given gifts of toys or money and families exchange delectable sweets that differ according to the region in which they live. Muslims exchange greetings of Eid Mubarak,"Eid Congratulations", Eid Saeed, "Happy Eid" and wish each other a coming year full of God's blessings. Kul 'am wa anta bi khair!"

I wasn't able to find any other images for Prayer Razanne like the others unfortunately, and apparently she came with accessories too! Her listing reads:

"Allahu Akbar! God is the Greatest! It's time to pray and Razanne is ready! When it's time for prayer, many Muslim girls cover their everyday clothes with these traditional two-piece garments and stand to pray on colorful prayer rugs. We receive so many letters from customers that tell us that Razanne usually joins the family for salah! For your information… when it's time for prayer, many Muslim girls cover their everyday clothes with these traditional two-piece garments and stand to pray on colorful prayer rugs. Muslim women may pray in congregation at the Mosque but it is often more convenient to pray the five daily prayers at home."

And finally we have In And Out Razanne, whose listing reads:

"In and Out Razanne comes with a two-piece fashion set for wear inside and outside the home. At home Razanne loves to dress in all the latest fashions. In a minute she can be ready to go out with this traditional jilbaab coat. Razanne helps Muslim girls understand that in the home they can be the ultimate fashion statement yet still have attractive attire while dressing modestly outside the home. For your information…Razanne helps Muslim girls understand that in the home they can be the ultimate fashion statement yet still have attractive attire while dressing modestly outside the home."

I'm honestly so glad I found this, because doing research into this doll has been a blast! I love the vintage vibes of her outfits with the patterns and color choices, and it makes me really happy seeing this doll being used as an educational tool for Islamic culture and practices!

Thank you to limbedolls.blogspot.com, emel.com, Greensboro News and Record, and "Framing Muslims" by Peter Morey and Amina Yaqin for the information that went into this long-ass post!

Ramadan Kareem!

[agaypanic]

The Fella Part 11 (James Maguire X Quinn!Reader)

The Fella Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: As prom approaches, the girls find a strange friend in the new Our Lady Immaculate student. 

A/N: ahhhh only one chapter left!!! i usually don’t say the word count in fics, but this is the longest chapter of The Fella and possibly my longest fic to date, its almost 9k words long. So just a warning for yall. like the last few chapters, thanks to @crumpets-are-better-with-jam for writing out the script of this episode for me. Some suggestive stuff (not talking about michelle lol), but the characters are 17 and it’s not explicit. If you’re gonna be like “this surprise character you put in totally wouldn’t do this” just keep it to yourself bc i can do what i want, im the god of my creation (im so fucking crazy)

***

School formals were always exciting. At least, if you went with exciting people. And if it was a formal at the end of the year, it was even better because you could celebrate school ending and a summer of fun beginning.

One of the reasons Y/n and her friends were looking forward to the end of term was because they wouldn’t have to hear Jenny Joyce’s horrendous singing for a few months. Everyone in the assembly seemed to share their sentiment as they all stared at the stage, uninterested and displeased. It didn’t help that the girls were dressed in striped suit jackets, making them look like some sort of barbershop quartet. Y/n cringed as Jenny and her friends sang their last note, which wasn’t very good.

There was a slight pause, and Sister Michael looked relieved that this was the song’s end. “Lovely…” It was clear that she didn’t really think so. “And I believe you wrote the lyrics yourselves, is that correct?”

“It is indeed, Sister,” Jenny responded smugly.

“Makes sense,” Y/n muttered to her friends. “It was a load of shite.” They all made quiet sounds of agreement before turning their attention back to the stage.

“Do you ever think you might have too much time on your hands, girls?” Jenny and her group didn’t respond, but there was a murmur of giggles among the crowd as Sister Michael stood from her chair. “Lose the jackets.” She said, dismissing them from the stage before stepping up to the microphone. “Okay, just a couple of things. Firstly, I’d like to introduce Mae Cheung. Can you make yourself known, please, Mae?”

A few rows before the girls, a hand slowly and awkwardly rose into the air in the middle of the crowd. Everyone tried to get a good look at her, but it was difficult since most people could only see the back of her head.

“Miss Cheung’s family have recently moved here to Derry, so I hope you’ll all make her feel very welcome. It’s bound to be a bit of a culture shock, Mae. Things are done differently in this part of the world. But I’m sure you’ll soon feel as at home here as you did back in your beloved Donegal.” There was a beat of silence before Sister Michael remembered the other announcement she needed to make. She pulled out a piece of paper, looking at the crowd before reading it. “Announcement from Jenny Joyce and the dance committee: ‘The school social event for the year is fast approaching, but before you… don your glad rags… and- boogie- on- down…’” She sighed, looking at the paper appalled. “I’m sorry, I simply cannot read this.” She stepped away from the microphone, giving Jenny Joyce the paper before sitting in her chair.

Jenny eagerly went to the mic, showing too much energy and enthusiasm for a Monday morning with her big grin and little dance moves as she spoke. “But before you don your glad rags and boogie on down, we’d like to let you in on our little secret. We’re not actually gonna have a school formal this year.”

The assembly went into an uproar, and rightfully so. There were some murmurs of disbelief and booing, and Jenny waved her hands around with a smile.

“No, listen. We’re not gonna have a school formal. We’re gonna have…” As she paused for effect, her three friends started singing ‘doo-be doo’s in the background. “A fifties prom!”

That caused even more of a reaction. Michelle and Y/n were pretty vocal about this silly decision, gaining the attention of Sister Michael. “Girls!” She said, effectively quieting the large room. She addressed all the students, but her somewhat mischievous gaze was on Y/n and Michelle. “If you have any feedback, you can find Miss Joyce after assembly.”

“I know, I know.” Jenny laughed off everyone’s reactions. “But I do love a theme. Sure, isn’t that why they call me the Theme Queen?”

The girls looked at each other, confused. “Who said that?” Y/n asked.

“Do they?” Clare questioned.

“Do they fuck.” Michelle answered.

Jenny continued, not having heard their little conversation. “We wanted to have a real, old school, retro, vintage vibe, so feel free to just go for it!”

“Feel free to kiss my hole,” Michelle muttered.

After being released by Sister Michael, the girls and James walked through the hallways, discreetly looking for someone. Turning into one of the halls with a wall of lockers, Clare gasped.

“There she is.” Everyone saw the new girl, Mae, at her locker. Clare turned around to face her friends, filled with her usual frantic energy. “Okay, so, I say we just go over there and be ourselves, girls. Well, not totally ourselves. We should definitely be a bit ourselves. We could also pretend we’re sort of better than we actually are, so, I supposed what I’m saying is we could present a version of ourselves as less-”

“Shit.” Y/n finished the sentence, giving Clare a much-needed break to breathe.

“Precisely.”

“Why do we even have to talk to her?” Michelle asked, her crabby mood from having to listen to Jenny earlier still present.

Clare rolled her eyes, thinking the answer was obvious. “Because she’s new, Michelle.”

Michelle groaned. “I hate people I don’t know.”

“Aw.” Y/n cooed, putting an arm around her friend’s shoulder. “Does that mean you love us?”

“I wouldn’t go that far.” She answered, shoving Y/n’s arm off.

“And, in case you hadn’t noticed, she happens to be Chinese.” Clare continued. “I mean, how class would it be to have a Chinese friend?”

“We could keep her in my toy box.” Y/n and Erin looked at their cousin with alarm.

“No, we couldn’t, Orla.”

“That’s kidnapping, I’m pretty sure.”

“She’d definitely fit,” Orla said adamantly.

“That’s not the point.”

“Fine.” Michelle was clearly ignoring the strange side conversation. “But can we agree it’s on a strict one-in-one-out basis? If she joins the group, James has to leave.”

Everyone responded in agreement, except for Y/n and James, of course. The girls made their way over to the new girl, leaving the couple confused.

“Excuse me?” James said to no one in particular, but then frowned at his girlfriend. “Are they serious?”

Y/n snorted, grabbing James’ arm. “Probably.” Without further elaboration, she pulled the boy towards the rest of their friends. Despite only being separated for a short time, it seemed that James and Y/n had missed some secondhand embarrassment from Clare’s brief interaction with the new girl, Mae.

Mae stared at Clare for a moment before looking at the group. “Is she alright?”

Michelle leaned down to Clare’s ear, rolling her eyes. “Burnin’ for you, Clare.”

“It’s Cantonese.” Clare stuttered out to Mae.

“Right. Well, I’m from Donegal, and we speak English there.”

“If you say so, Mae,” Michelle said. “But I spent a summer in Killybegs, and seriously, not a fuckin’ word.” Y/n elbowed her friend in the side, making a comment about how that might’ve been more of an issue with Michelle’s intelligence than with the town of Killybegs.

Clare smiled kindly at Mae, trying to amend the awkward situation. “We just wanted to introduce ourselves and-”

“-Okay, I think I see where this is going.” Mae interrupted, holding up her hand to further silence the short blonde. “I get this a lot. Dull, white girls want me to join their gang because, well…” Mae gestured to herself to finish the point. 

“We’re not dull,” Erin argued.

“Sure.”

Y/n pointed to James. “And he’s a boy.”

“A man, Y/n.” James corrected, as if he had had this conversation many times. “I’m a man.”

“Woah.” Mae almost laughed. “She has a really fucked up accent.”

“We know,” Michelle said with a sigh.

James leaned into his girlfriend, slightly offended. “I’m not a girl; I’m a man.”

“Sure you are, Jamie,” Y/n said, patting his cheek before focusing back on the main conversation.

Mae sighed, slinging her bag over her shoulder and looking the group over with a judging look. “What’s in this for me?” She asked. “What do you bring to the table?”

Orla held out her hand. “Six cream crackers?”

Y/n snatched one of the crackers and put it in her mouth, looking at Mae. “Five cream crackers.” She corrected. Mae raised her brow at the two girls.

“I’m good for cream crackers, thank you.” Her tone was filled with sass, but Orla didn’t catch it, so she just shrugged and put them back in her pocket. Mae slammed her locker closed and gave the girls one last look. “I’ll see you around, girls.”

The group disappointedly watched her walk off. Except for Orla, because the girl was an optimist through and through. “Maybe we don’t need a Chinese person.” She said. “We’ve still got a lesbian.”

Suddenly, Mae whipped her head back around. “What? Who?” She quickly walked back to the girls. Timidly, Clare raised her hand.

“Me.”

Mae didn’t look too convinced. “Really? You don’t look like a lesbian.”

Y/n put a protective arm around Clare, almost standing in front of her. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” She asked inquisitively. Mae’s sudden interest and then questioning of Clare being a lesbian was making Y/n wonder if the girls should even try to get her to be their friend.

Mae seemed to ignore Y/n, instead giving Clare a once-over. “It’s just that you’re a bit… short.”

“Well, there’s no height restrictions.” Clare rebutted before glancing at Y/n a bit anxiously. “As far as I’m aware.”

“Interesting.” Mae started looking like she was putting together a scheme in her head. “I’ve always wanted a gay friend. I mean, ideally, a fella-”

“Oh, we’ve got one right here.” Michelle laughed, pointing to her cousin. He and Y/n looked at her with exasperation.

“I’m not gay!”

“He’s not gay!”

“Howdy, folks.” The girls recognized the voice instantly, cringing at the sight of Jenny Joyce, who had now intercepted the entire interaction. Michelle made her distaste for the girl known with an eye roll and a little curse. Jenny ignored it. “I’m Jenny. This is Aisling.” She pointed to the tall brunette who seemed to always be by her side. “We just thought we’d introduce ourselves and see if-”

Clare jumped between Jenny and Mae, throwing her arms out to shield the new girl from Jenny. “Too late, Jenny. She’s ours.”

“I see,” Jenny responded, looking amused and alarmed by Clare before looking back to Mae. “Look, these girls are great, but I do have a pen pal from the Caribbean, so perhaps my circle is a bit more diverse.”

“Back. Off.” Clare seethed, her intensity starting to startle her friends.

Jenny managed to hand Mae a piece of paper with her phone number scribbled on it. “Think about it. Give me a call.” She was finally about to walk away when she remembered something and spun back around to the group. “Oh! And F-Y-I, the Prom Queen vote closes today.”

“F-Y-I, nobody gives a shit,” Michelle remarked.

Aisling held out a piece of paper, waiting for someone to take it. “Here’s the wee ballot.”

Erin snatched it quickly, rolling her eyes when she read the list of candidates. “I see you’ve thrown your hat in the ring, Jenny.”

The girl waved her hand, her humility clearly faked. “I had my arm twisted, but feel free to tick my box.” Then she finally left, Aisling in tow.

Y/n snorted. “I didn’t know Jenny was like that.”

“Dirty bitch.” Michelle added, shaking her head.

***

After school, the girls decided to go to the shopping center instead of straight home. After all, they had much to discuss. After hopping off the bus, they started their trek into town. 

“This prom is going to be a full-blown dick fest.” Michelle started, the word ‘prom’ catching everyone’s attention. “Y’know there’s not even gonna be a DJ? Apparently, Jenny’s hired this fuckin’ pensioner band.”

“Fucks sake.” Y/n sighed.

“Christ, really?” Erin asked.

Michelle nodded. “I heard the drummer is at least thirty.” Seeing the smirk she wore when dropping that piece of information, Clare’s mouth dropped in horror.

“I don’t feel so bad about missing it now,” James said, feeling a sense of relief. “It clashes with my thing.”

Y/n confusedly looked at her boyfriend, unaware of what his ‘thing’ was. But before she could ask, Michelle rolled her eyes and looked back at her cousin. “The creep convention? Seriously?”

“It’s not a creep convention!”

Michelle shrugged, clearly not convinced. “Well, I think a load of perverts gettin’ together to wank over some fella who fights hoovers and rides aliens in a telephone box, is the very fuckin’ definition of a creep convention.”

James scoffed. “It’s a Doctor Who night. Me and my stepdad used to watch it when I was little.”

“Well, someone should’ve called Social Services then, James.”

“You’re not going to the prom then, James?” Clare asked, seeming offended. He shook his head, and Clare looked over to Y/n, who was already looking at her with a confused and disappointed look.

Eventually, the group reached the shopping center. The conversation moved to the topic of dates, or lack thereof.

“I have no clue who to ask.” Clare sighed, a bit frustrated. “I’d ask James, but-” She cut herself off, remembering that she was the only one completely aware of the relationship between James and one of her best friends. 

“But you’re not desperate, Clare.” Michelle finished her sentence with a laugh. “And tell me about it. There’s at least five fellas who fancy the arse off’a me, but I just can’t choose.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely the same,” Clare responded with a grumpy face and monotonous tone.

Erin nudged the small blonde with her elbow. “I’ll be your date, Clare.”

“But, Erin, people might talk. They might get the wrong idea.”

“Let them.” She said proudly, head held high. “We need to break down these ridiculous conventions.”

Y/n would’ve commented about her sister’s somewhat fake activism, but she kept her mouth shut after seeing the hopeful look on dear Clare’s face. “Thank you.” 

Erin would have responded to Clare if she hadn’t caught sight of a familiar face. Through the window of the cafe the girls were walking to, Erin could see a boy about their age sitting at a far table with a girl, and they both looked somewhat miserable. “Oh God, John-Paul’s over there,” Erin said stiffly, turning around to look at her friends. “Christ, but it’s been so awkward since we broke up.”

“For fuck’s sake, Erin,” Michelle said, remembering the event a bit differently than how Erin was painting it. “He kissed your cheek at Kerry Coyle’s sixteenth birthday party.”

“Didn’t he pass out in his own boke?” Y/n asked, recalling the embarrassing moment. “Feckin’ lightweight.”

Erin looked over her shoulder back at John-Paul. “Yeah, he missed that boat, alright.”

“Come on already.” Michelle opened the door, pushing the girls into the cafe. “I’m fucking starving.”

James was about to go inside but was held back by Y/n. The door closed after Orla, leaving the couple outside.

“Are you okay, Y/n?” James asked, as curious and thoughtful as ever.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the convention?” 

James cringed at the twinge of hurt in her voice, realizing that he had never told her about the Doctor Who convention and how it was the same night at prom. “I… forgot?”

“You’re really gonna go?” Y/n didn’t want to start a fight over this, but she thought her boyfriend would have debated between prom and the convention, or tell her that he had plans at the very least. James nodded. “I just thought that, you know, prom is usually a couple’s thing. And we’re a couple. I thought it might be fun to go together.”

“I can go to prom if you want me to,” James said, wanting to please his girlfriend. 

But that caused the opposite reaction. Y/n shook her head, a slight frown appearing on her face. “I don’t wanna force you to go, James. You can obviously go to the convention if you really want to. I just…” She sighed, getting a little worked up. “I just wish you would’ve told me first, that’s all.”

James nodded apologetically. “I was going to, Y/n, I swear. It just slipped my mind.”

“It’s fine.”

The two stood outside the cafe door, wondering if there was anything more to say or if they should go inside. 

“You know, just because I’m not going doesn’t mean you don’t have to go,” James said, giving his girlfriend a hopeful look. “I mean, if you want to go, of course.”

Y/n nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

Another pause. “We’re okay, right?”

The slightly scared look on James’ face, like he had done something wrong, made Y/n place her hands on his cheeks and sweep her thumbs over his cheekbones in a comforting motion. “Of course, we’re okay, Jamie.” To emphasize the point, she gave him a peck on the lips before letting go of his face and grabbing his hand. “Now let’s go inside, I’m hungry.”

When they entered the cafe, James walked Y/n to the table their friends were sitting at and pulled out a chair for her to sit in before going to the counter to order for the both of them. “She is not a model!” Erin responded sharply to something Y/n had missed.

“Who’s not a model?” She asked quickly, and her friends looked at her like they didn’t realize she had just now entered the conversation.

“Cara something,” Michelle answered, not very discreetly pointing over to the girl sitting with John-Paul. “The girl that that John-Paul fella is pokin’. Heard she’s gonna be on Baywatch.”

“Oh yeah, I heard that too.”

Erin groaned in frustration, looking at her sister. “Get real, Y/n. She’s not gonna be on Baywatch.”

“It’s just what I heard.”

“Oh my God.” Clare seemed to be the only one still paying attention to John-Paul and the supposed Baywatch model. “Looks like they’re breaking up.”

The girls looked at the couple. Erin almost snapped her neck with how fast she turned her head. “Jesus, are they really?” She wondered aloud, a bit too hopefully. “Are they breaking up?” Cara got up and left the table, leaving a broken-hearted John-Paul to watch her walk away. Erin’s eyes also followed the girl, but she seemed much more gleeful about Cara’s departure. “They are. They’re breaking up. This is class!”

“What?” Clare asked, being the voice for the perplexed group of girls.

“Later.” 

As soon as Cara was out the door, Erin jumped out of her seat and sped over to John-Paul.

“What’s class?” James startled the girls as he set some food and drinks on the table before sitting in the empty chair beside Y/n.

“Remember how we were talking about that lad John-Paul?” Y/n asked, taking a sip of her drink as James nodded. “Well, him and the girl he was with, who’s gonna be on Baywatch, by the way, broke up, and she left him. So now Erin’s swooped in like a vulture.”

“She has no respect for herself,” Michelle commented, looking over the menu on the table. “And coming from me…”

“That is bad.” Clare frowned.

“Terrible even,” Y/n added.

“Exactly.”

Clare, Orla, and Michelle soon got up and went to the counter to order. This gave Erin privacy to bother John-Paul, who looked like he was seconds away from a breakdown, and allowed Y/n and James to have lunch and talk in peace. 

“Can I have a bite of your sandwich?” The girl asked, pointing at the nibbled-on food in front of James.

“If I can have a bite of your doughnut.” He responded, pointing his own finger to the sweet treat.

The couple nodded in agreement and held their food to each other’s mouths. They took a bite at the same time, mumbling about how good the food was while chewing.

“What’re you doing?” Michelle asked, her lip curling in a slight snarl as she, Clare, and Orla came back to the table.

“What?” Y/n asked, not noticing James taking a second bite of her doughnut.

“You’re looking like you’re going out or something,” Michelle explained, wagging her finger between the two teens. “It’s making me sick. Like, if someone thought I was goin’ out with James, I think I’d kill myself.”

“Hey!”

“Well, he is your cousin, Michelle.” Y/n laughed. 

Her friend shrugged and sat down, muttering about how the English thing was worse before talking to Clare about something else. With the attention off of them, Y/n reached down to squeeze James’ hand and smiled at him. But the smile was soon wiped off her face when she realized her doughnut was now half eaten.

***

Erin boasted about her new prom date the entire walk home, much to everyone else’s outspoken chagrin and annoyance. James, Michelle, and Clare were lucky, because they didn’t live in the McCool-Quinn household. So after the three dispersed from the group to go to their own homes, Y/n and Orla had to hear about Erin’s plans to get a new dress and maybe even new shoes to impress John-Paul for their date.

Then, the rest of their family got to hear about it.

“This is a huge deal.” Erin insisted to her mother that she was following around the kitchen. “This is a massive, massive deal. I’m going to the prom with John-Paul O’Reilly, for God’s sake. Come on, Mammy!”

Mary shook her head. “I don’t care if you’re going to the prom with John Paul the Second, Erin. I’m not buying you another frock. End of story.”

“But, Mammy, you don’t understand.”

“There’s nothin’ wrong with your Easter dress.”

Erin scoffed. “There’s lots of things wrong with my Easter dress.”

“It matches Y/n and Orla’s.” Mary persisted, waving her hand over to the girls she just named. Orla was wearing her Easter dress and holding her mother’s cigarette while she and Y/n pinched the fabric at her waist to see what had to be taken in.

“That being the main one.”

“Honestly, Erin, I think we’ll look so cracker if we rock up wearin’ these.” Orla grinned, doing a little shimmy with her words.

Erin raised her brows and gave her cousin a smile that looked more like a grimace. “Right, well I don’t.”

Aunt Sarah pulled more on the loose fabric, grabbing her cigarette from her daughter for a quick drag. “Ach, Mary, you’d think the wain’s been dropped into it. You wouldn’t nip it in a bit for her? I’d do it meself, but sewing plays havoc on my acrylics.”

“Fine.”

“Y/n, dear, can you pin it for me?” Sarah asked, gesturing to her nails. The girl nodded and grabbed some safety pins to cinch Orla’s dress. “Then afterward, Orla and I can do yours for you.”

“Nah, that’s fine,” Y/n replied. “Don’t think I’ll wear it.”

Orla gasped in disappointment, wondering why both her cousins didn’t want to match with her. Meanwhile, Erin kept trying to convince her mother she absolutely needed a new frock.

“I really like this fella, Mammy.”

“Well, if he really likes you, it won’t matter what you wear.”

“Ach, come off it!”

“Have you a date lined up, girls?” Aunt Sarah asked her daughter and niece before taking a drag of her cigarette. 

One seemed to be more enthusiastic about the question than the other. “I do, aye,” Orla answered.

“What?” Erin gave her cousin a strange look. “...With, like, a human?”

The girl blinked before nodding, like Erin was the strange one. “...Yeah.”

“What about you, love?” Sarah looked to Y/n, who was wrapped up in making sure she didn’t accidentally stab Orla. The girl looked up when she realized she was being spoken to. “Has anyone snatched you up for the dance yet?”

Y/n shook her head, trying to not seem so disappointed about it. “Nope. But it’s fine.” She sighed, going back to picking at her nails. “I dunno if I’m even gonna go.”

“What d’ya mean you’re not going?” Erin questioned, seeming offended that her sister would even debate not attending the prom. “You have to go.”

“Why do I have to go, Erin?”

Erin made that little sort of laugh and eye roll that she did when she felt like someone had said something silly or dumb, and she was about to correct it with her obvious intelligence. “It’s prom, Y/n. It’s a big deal.”

“It’s only prom-” Y/n was cut off by a commotion in the living room. Gerry yelped in surprise as Joe banged on something, but no one seemed to care enough to look at what was happening. She shook her head and continued. “Besides, Erin, there’ll be other proms. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Y/n could tell her sister wasn’t entirely convinced. To be perfectly honest, she wasn’t too convinced herself. But she’d rather lie and say she didn’t care than make James feel bad about being unable to take her.

Erin looked at Y/n inquisitively. She walked up to her and crossed her arms. “Is this because Ja-”

“This stupid prick’s broken the TV, Mary!” Joe cried out, and his daughter rushed to the living room. Gerry looked appalled at his father-in-law. “He’s been futterin’.”

“Excuse me, you’re the one that was thumpin’ it repeatedly, Joe.”

“I’ll thump you repeatedly.”

“Well, the pair of you’d better sort it out!” Mary interjected before walking over to her sister. “London’s Burning’s on in twenty minutes.”

“God, Mary, but them poor fellas are flat out with fires, so they are. Jesus, but they never get a minute.”

Behind Mary, Joe started to slam the television even harder than before, and Gerry cringed with every slap. “Aye, it’s a good job they keep themselves in such great shape.”

“Don’t, Mary.” Sarah gasped. “That Greek fella…”

“He could throw me over his shoulder any day of the week.”

Y/n and Erin stared at their mother and aunt before looking at each other. They were both equally horrified and disgusted.

“They make me sick.”

“Boke-o-rama.”

***

Clare didn’t take the news of Erin ditching her for John-Paul very well, despite telling Erin it was fine. Erin was the only one who believed her, too wrapped up in her and John-Paul’s revived “relationship.” But Clare pretty quickly found a new date: the new girl from Donegal, Mae, who was going dress shopping with the girls and James when she heard about Erin’s little betrayal. 

After Clare’s date problem was solved, the girls had to solve their dress problem. But Michelle came to the rescue—or rather, her mother’s credit card that she stole came to the rescue. Despite Clare’s very vocal opinion about committing a crime, the rest of the girls were on board on account of having no money.

“What do you think of this one?” Erin asked, coming out in a very tight, turquoise dress. 

“It’s very…” Y/n trailed off, trying to think of an appropriate word. “Different.”

“I’m not sure it’s you, really,” Michelle added.

“Good,” Erin said, in a bit of a struggle as she walked over to a mirror. “I don’t wanna be me.”

Clare walked up to the group, holding two dresses. “Which of these do you like best?”

“Definitely the pink,” Erin answered.

But Clare didn’t care much about Erin’s opinion. “Has to be the blue,” Mae said, and Clare glared at Erin.

“Yeah, I thought the blue.”

“What about you, Y/n?” James asked a bit quietly, holding a pile of dresses that all the girls had thrown at him. “Don’t you wanna look for a dress? You are going to the prom, right?”

He knew her answer before she said it, because she gave him a bit of a frown and a shrug. “I don’t think I will.”

“Y/n-”

“It’s fine, really! I was thinking of helping Daddy fix our TV.” She looked around at all the clothing racks before giving James what she hoped was a convincing smile. “Besides, nothing here’s really my taste.”

“Although, I have heard he’s really good with his hands.” Michelle talking about one of her possible dates reached the couples’ ears. “And when I say he’s good with his hands, I’m not talking about puttin’ up shelves, girls. I’m talking about-”

“Everybody knows what you’re talking about, Michelle.” James interrupted, hoping it would be enough for her to move on. But everybody also knew there was no stopping Michelle from her vulgarity.

The curly-haired girl smirked. “Fingerin’.”

James cringed. “Honestly…”

After much decision-making about what dresses to get, the girls went to the front to pay with Michelle’s stolen card. Mae, who didn’t find a dress she liked, gasped and pointed behind the counter to a red dress that was hung up. 

“Oh my God, that’s the one! Can I try that one on, please?”

“Sorry, love.” The shop owner said apologetically. “That’s being left over for someone.”

“What?”

“Hiya!” In came Jenny Joyce, holding a couple of balloons. “Sorry girls, can’t stop.”

“Don’t worry.” Y/n smiled. “No one asked you to.”

“I’m just grabbing a few wee bits for the prom.” Jenny continued while the owner started bagging up the red dress. “Sure, you know how it is.”

“I was actually about to try that one on,” Mae said, pointing to the dress Jenny was now paying for.

“Well, I left it over, so…”

“It’s just that, red’s my color.”

“Yeah, mine too.”

The rest of the girls backed up a bit, surprised by how hostile Mae and Jenny were becoming towards each other. “No, you don’t understand. I really, really suit it.” The shop owner placed the bag on the counter, and Mae inched her hand towards it. “Garnet’s actually my birthstone.”

“Well, ruby’s mine, so…” Jenny grabbed her bag, and Mae slammed her hand on the counter. She looked at the Joyce girl menacingly. If Jenny was intimidated, she definitely didn’t show it.

“I want that dress, Jenny.”

“Well, you can’t have it.” Jenny left the store, leaving the girls to deal with Mae, who was cursing her out and beyond livid.

***

Prom night had finally arrived after much anticipation. Erin was upstairs in her room getting ready on her own while Aunt Sarah was doing her daughter’s hair and makeup in the kitchen. Mary watched while sipping her tea because Erin didn’t want her help, and Y/n decided to help her father fix their busted television set instead of going to the dance. Granda Joe was nowhere to be found, which relieved Gerry a bit because it meant his father-in-law wasn’t criticizing him.

“Now, close your eyes,” Sarah said, picking up two giant cans of hairspray. “I’m just going to give you a wee light mist, just so it holds for you.”

Y/n could smell the fumes from her spot on the floor in the living room, so she could only imagine what it was like being her mother or cousin in the kitchen. A cloud of hairspray surrounded Orla, making her cough a bit, and Mary covered her tea.

Finally ready, Erin came down from her room and into the kitchen. It took her a bit of effort because her dress was so tight that she had to take baby steps in her heels. “What do you think?” Everyone looked at her, all seeming to have the same reaction.

Mary looked the most surprised by her daughter’s appearance. “God, aye. It’s…” She trailed off, wanting to be honest but nice about it. “Different, isn’t it?”

“Different?” Erin asked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well… it was nice of Michelle to lend it to you, love, but it just doesn’t look…” Mary grimaced, trying to choose her words carefully, “very comfortable.”

Erin rolled her eyes a little. “It’s really comfortable, actually.” She said, walking closer. “It’s like a second skin.”

“I don’t think that’s a good thing, Erin,” Y/n called out, handing Gerry a screwdriver. “I dunno if a second skin should be turquoise and… Well, squeaking when you walk.”

“It does not squeak,” Erin replied, squeaking as she hobbled to the table. 

Erin looked forward to see Orla looking at her grumpily. “I wish you would wear your Easter frock, Erin. When we were wee, we always went to parties dressed the same.”

“We’re not wee anymore, Orla.”

Orla grumbled in agreement while Erin handed her mother a piece of paper. Mary unfolded it and looked it over, and Aunt Sarah did the same from over her shoulder.

“What’s this?” Mary asked.

“It’s some guidelines,” Erin answered. “Things you are and aren’t allowed to say to John-Paul when he gets here.”

“Right.” Mary stared into her daughter’s eyes, not looking away as she crumpled the paper into a ball. Erin looked a bit disturbed but decided it was best not to say anything.

“What time’s your date arriving at, Orla, love?” Sarah asked, doing the final fixes on Orla’s hair.

Granda Joe waltzed into the room, wearing a white suit with a yellow rosette pinned to it. “He’s already here.” He said, doing a little spin before walking the rest of the way to the kitchen.

“You asked Granda to the prom?” Erin asked, smiling a little.

Orla’s grin was the widest in the bunch, eyes staying on her grandfather. “Well, everyone kept sayin’ you have to ask a fella you really like, and this is the fell I like the most.” Joe beamed, bowing down and presenting another yellow rose from his pocket for the girl.

“That’s so sweet, Orla.” Y/n said from her spot next to the TV. “Granda’s a lucky lad, that’s for sure.”

“Why, thank you, love,” Joe replied, turning to fully show his granddaughter the happy smile he had been sporting.

“Aye, you’re looking well, Joe,” Gerry added, taking a small break from trying to repair the television to weigh in.

“Oh, it’s not all shite you talk, Gerry.” Gerry gave his daughter an unimpressed look, making her giggle as he went back to the task at hand. Joe turned back to Orla. “Should we head?”

“John-Paul’s picking me up at seven,” Erin replied. “You go on; we’ll see you there.”

Joe looked back to Y/n, waiting for her answer. The girl waved her hand. “Oh, I’m not goin’. Don’t have a date and all that. Besides, I dunno what I’d wear.”

“You could wear your Easter frock, Y/n,” Orla said, trying to entice the girl once more into matching with her. But she just laughed and shook her head.

“No thanks, Orla.”

While Orla said goodbye to her mother and aunt, Joe walked over to Mary and whispered something to her. They looked over at Y/n, who didn’t notice their eyes because she was looking for a tool her father had asked for. Mary nodded at Joe for an unknown reason, and soon, he and Orla were off to the prom.

Erin sat down, struggling quite a bit because of her dress’s tightness. When she was settled, she looked at the clock. Only fifteen minutes until John-Paul arrived.

***

When twenty minutes had passed, Y/n knew John-Paul wasn’t coming for her sister. She couldn’t say she was surprised, but she was still saddened for her sister. “I’ll be right back, Daddy,” Y/n whispered before standing up and sneaking to the entrance where the phone and some privacy were.

Y/n knew she had to call someone, but was racking her brain on who. Everyone she knew was either at the prom or busy with something else. 

Suddenly, she jumped as if the idea that came to her had shocked her. She quickly dialed and held the phone to her ear, listening to the rings.

Then, someone finally picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“David?”

“Y/n?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” She peered out the door, seeing Erin still staring at the clock. “How’ve you been?”

“Same old stuff, really,” David answered. “Band’s picked up a few gigs this month, it’s been pretty-”

“That’s great. Listen, can you do me a favor?”

David couldn’t help but laugh at the interruption and how urgent Y/n sounded. “Uh, maybe? What d’ya need?”

“Remember my sister, Erin?” He made a small hum of confirmation. “Well, she used to have a massive thing for you until that whole thing at Jenny’s party a few months ago.”

“You mean when she called that Russian girl your fella was going out with a prostitute?”

“She was Ukrainian, but yes. Anyway, she pretty much gave up on you after that because the whole thing was so embarrassing. But…” Y/n looked to the kitchen again. She could see Mary looking at her daughter a bit sadly, as if she also knew John-Paul wasn’t coming for her. “The prom’s tonight, and her date’s not coming. And… as annoying as she is, she’s my sister and all. So I was wondering if maybe you’d be willing to-”

“I’ll be there at 7:30.” David cut her off, feeling it was only fair since she had interrupted him just moments ago.

Y/n had to keep herself from squealing, not wanting to give Erin the idea that something was going on. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

After saying a quick goodbye, Y/n hung up the phone and snuck back out to the living room. David would arrive in twenty minutes, and she just had to count on Erin being hopeful enough to wait that much longer. 

Nothing much had really happened in those twenty minutes. Y/n assisted Gerry in fixing their broken TV, Mary and Aunt Sarah played a card game, and Erin sat and stared at the clock. The only time she moved was to go to the phone in the kitchen, but she was so quiet and far away that Y/n had no idea who she was calling. 

When the clock struck 7:30, Erin sighed. “He’s not coming.”

“Ach, love.” Mary frowned.

“I’m gonna go and change.” That made Y/n panic, and she scrambled off of the floor.

“What?” She said, walking over to Erin and slightly shaking her head. “No, just give it a few more minutes.”

“I wanna get out of this thing.” Erin teared up, struggling to get out of her chair. With how tight the dress was, she started to waddle towards the stairs.

Y/n was hot on her sister’s heels, which wasn’t hard because moving was so difficult for her in that tight dress. “Erin, please. Just-” The doorbell rang, and Y/n let out a breath of relief. She scooted past Erin and went to the door. “See! I told you! Now, I know you were hoping for John-Paul, but I think-... James?”

Y/n was stunned to silence. James was standing right in front of her, dressed up as the Fourth Doctor from Doctor Who, smiling right at her. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“David?” Erin waddled over to the door, and that’s when Y/n finally noticed her friend David Donnelly standing next to James, dressed in a suit with no tie. 

“Erin.” He replied with a nod.

The two girls looked at each other, confused. “What’s he doing here?” They asked in unison, pointing to the boy that was in front of them, who both laughed at their reactions.

“I called David for you because I knew John-Paul stood you up.”

“I called James for you because I knew you wanted to go to the prom with him.”

Y/n looked up at her boyfriend. “Wait, what about your creep convention?”

She laughed when he rolled his eyes. “It’s not a creep convention, and you know that. And it’s not important. I just…” James sighed, toying with his long, colorful scarf. “I knew the prom meant a lot to you, and Erin calling me just gave me the push I needed. Besides, I didn’t want to miss a chance to dance with my girl.”

“Ach, Jamie.” Y/n sighed endearingly, cupping his face. She gave him a soft, long kiss that he eagerly returned.

Erin and David had their own little conversation, trying not to look at the couple that were sucking face. “I’m surprised you’re here. I haven’t seen you since… Well, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.” David laughed a little, thinking back to that night. Then he shrugged. “But Y/n called tellin’ me your date stood you up and… I dunno, you’re kinda cool to talk to and whatever.”

“I am?” Erin asked excitedly. 

“I said ‘kinda’.”

“Wait.” Y/n finally pulled away from James, looking down at her attire. “What am I gonna wear?”

“I’ll take you wearing this,” James said, seemingly serious as he looked at his girlfriend’s ripped jeans and oversized sweater that she had stolen from Granda Joe’s closet. The three other teens gave him unimpressed looks. “What? So what if it’s not a formal dress, she still looks nice.”

“I have something better.” Everyone jumped in surprise as Mary poked her head in. “Come over here. I’ve got somethin’ to show you.”

Y/n pulled Erin to their mother, giving the boys a final glance over her shoulder. “Go ahead and talk, we won’t be long.”

Mary led her daughters to the kitchen, where two big boxes they’d never seen before sat on the table. Mary gestured for the girls to open them, which they did.

“Oh my God, Mammy.” Y/n pulled out a pink dress with layers, ruffles, and small arm straps. Erin held a similar styled dress but in blue. “Where on earth did you get these?”

“They were my mother’s,” Mary answered, looking at the dresses fondly. “Your Granda said to bring them out, in case you changed your mind about the dance. Heard it was fifties themed and all that.”

Both of Mary’s daughters now had tears in their eyes, but they were not from sadness. The girls rounded the table to hug their mum tightly.

“You know, the dress is nice and all but-” Erin cut herself off with a sniffle. “I think I wanna match with Orla.”

“Well, one of you better be wearing my Mammy’s dress,” Mary said, deadly serious with only a tiny hint of amusement in her voice. “I didn’t dig these boxes up for nothing.”

“I’ll wear it.” Y/n laughed, grabbing the box with the pink dress. “Come on, Erin, let’s go change.”

***

“You look lovely.” This was the fifth time James had said this to Y/n in the past thirty minutes. But he meant it every time he said it.

And Y/n knew he did because he couldn’t stop staring at her. “Thank you, Jamie. You look just as handsome.” The couple walked to the school doors arm in arm, Erin and David a few steps behind them. “Although…” James opened the door and looked at his girlfriend curiously. “Are you sure you didn’t want to leave the scarf at home?”

“I think it completes the look,” James said with a bit of humor, toying with the piece of clothing. “But if you want, I can leave it in the car.”

“Nah.” Y/n shook her head, giving James a peck on the lips. “How else am I gonna pull you to the dancefloor?”

The two couples went into the decorated gym, quickly spotting two of their friends. Clare was talking frantically to Michelle, who honestly looked like she couldn’t care less.

“Look, there’s a guy here; he knows Mae-” The four heard Clare say before Michelle cut her off, looking over the blonde’s shoulder to see them.

“What’s going on?” Clare turned around, a bit spooked by the sudden appearance of her friends. Michelle grimaced at Y/n and James standing together arm in arm, but opted to comment on Erin’s new date instead. “Oh, don’t tell me. Wank-features stood you up.”

“Yeah.” Erin shrugged it off like she hadn’t cried over John-Paul standing her up about an hour before. She nudged her sister. “But Y/n called David Donnelly here, so I wouldn’t go alone.”

“What can I say? I’m a sweetheart.” Y/n smiled.

Clare put a hand on Erin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Erin. About John-Paul, I mean.”

“No, I’m sorry. You were right; I was jealous. Mae’s just so cool and exotic, and you liked her so much-”

“She’s deranged!” Clare blurted out with wide eyes, taking everyone aback.

“What?”

“Who’s Mae?” David leaned back to ask Y/n and James, who said they’d explain later. He tsked, tapping Erin’s shoulder. “I’m gonna get a drink.”

“Get me some punch.” She said before turning back to Clare. “What d’you mean, Clare? You were crazy about her yesterday.”

“She’s the one who’s crazy, Erin!” Clare squealed. “I met this guy that went to her school. He said she had to leave for, like, being a bully. He said she’s seriously unhinged! I think he’s a bit pissed off with her, to be honest, and I can’t blame him, ’cause she’s given the Chinese population of Donegal a really bad rap.” Clare’s friends would always be surprised over how much she could say without taking breaks for breath.

Michelle rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Typical Donegal man. Always moanin’.”

“There she is.” Everyone looked to where James was pointing. Sure enough, Mae was on the other side of the large room, going backstage.

“What’s she doing?” Michelle wondered, and everyone started walking closer to the stage to try and get a better look.

“She was talking about how she wasn’t going to let Jenny get away with the whole Prom Queen thing,” Clare answered.

James gasped. “Jesus Christ, look. Above the stage, look!” He pointed again, and everyone followed his finger to the tin buckets rigged with rope above the stage.

“Is she doing what I think she’s doin’?” Y/n asked.

“I think she’s gonna do a Carrie.” The couple looked both concerned and impressed, now both very glad they decided to come to prom.

“Fuck-a-doodle-do!”

“What’s a Carrie?” Clare asked frantically. “What does that mean?”

“You’ve never seen Carrie?”

“No.” Everyone said something about what a good film it was, but Clare wasn’t looking for film critiques. “Expand and explain! EXPAND. AND. EXPLAIN!”

“So, Carrie is voted Prom Queen, and this bully pours a bucket of pig’s blood on her.” James quickly explained.

“Jesus Christ!”

“Well, a lot of other stuff happens. But, you know, that’s the relevant bit.” Y/n said, but before she could go more into the movie, the band on stage finished playing.

Aisling stepped up to the microphone, some feedback echoing through the gym.

“Can I have your attention, please?” She said with a smile. The girls looked terrified. “And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to crown our Prom Queen.” Mae waited for Aisling to announce the name everyone knew would be said. She held the rope tightly, waiting for the moment she could finally release it. “And now… our Prom Queen is… Jenny Joyce!”

The girl looked completely surprised, and the girls wondered, against their better judgment, if they could just let this all play out. 

“We have to do something!” Clare yelled over the celebratory music as Jenny went up on stage.

While Jenny started to give a small acceptance speech, everyone started running. Except for Orla and Granda Joe, who were more than content with eating popcorn and watching the scene. David joined them, holding two cups of punch and wondering why his date was rushing the stage.

Michelle and James joined Erin to try and get Jenny off the stage, while Y/n went with Clare to stop Mae. It was a struggle, but it didn’t help as much as the girls thought it would. The only good thing was that Mae wasn’t crazy enough to use pig’s blood and instead soaked everyone on stage with tomato juice.

Erin tried to tell Jenny that her friends weren’t to blame, but Jenny, of course, didn’t believe her. The two girls started fighting, soon being joined by Michelle and Aisling. James just stood back and watched, not really wanting to intervene, and Y/n would’ve laughed if she wasn’t caught up in trying to break Clare and Mae apart. The rest of the audience seemed to enjoy the spectacle, laughing and having refreshments as it all played out.

***

It was a good thing David had towels in the boot of his car. Erin and James were covered and sticky with tomato juice, no matter how hard they tried to get it off them. Y/n was eternally grateful that she decided to go with Clare to stop Mae, sparing her grandmother’s dress. She didn’t think Joe would be too happy about it being covered in red, no matter how amused he was by tonight’s events.

“Jesus, the street’s packed.” David grimaced as he turned onto the sisters’ street. It was crowded with all their neighbors, whooping and partying for an unknown reason that they would surely hear about tonight or early tomorrow.

Y/n sighed, poking her head out the window. “I dunno if I wanna go home.” She settled back in her seat and looked at her boyfriend. “Wanna go to your place?”

“Sure.” He answered.

“Want me to drive you there?” David asked, but James shook his head.

“No, mate, it’s fine. I’m only a street over.”

“Yeah, take Erin home for me.” The Donnelly boy seemed to miss the sly wink Y/n gave her sister in the rearview mirror.

After some goodbyes and teasing comments, Y/n and James got out of the car and started walking down the street, weaving through all the people out and about. Surprisingly, Michelle and her parents weren’t home when the two arrived. Michelle must have still been panicking over how she was going to return her tomato-soddened dress, and James’ aunt and uncle were either at work or celebrating whatever was going on with their friends.

With the house empty, Y/n and James unwinded and relaxed. James took a much-needed shower, putting his clothes in a plastic bag so they wouldn’t stain anything else. Meanwhile, Y/n shimmied out of her dress and put on some of James’ pajamas.

“So, what do you wanna do?” James asked as he entered his room, a towel wrapped around his waist. Y/n was a little surprised by his boldness, remembering how shy he was some months ago when he didn’t have any clothes at her house and had to stand in his boxers while Y/n grabbed him a sweater.

“Maybe a movie?” Y/n suggested, watching James rifle through his dresser. She was filled with a sudden feeling of not wanting him to put on the clothes he was grabbing. “Carrie would be pretty fitting.”

They laughed, James shaking his head as he slipped his boxers on. “Oh, I don’t know.” He tore the towel off and sat down next to his girlfriend, pulling a shirt over his head. “I think there’s been enough blood, or blood adjacent, covered people tonight.”

Y/n laid back, humming in thought. “Well, there is… another thing... we could do.”

James looked down at Y/n, waiting for her to elaborate. She reached up his back, lightly tugging on his shirt until he laid down beside her. Y/n hooked a leg over James’ waist and brushed some wet curls away from his forehead. As her other hand slowly traveled down his chest, he started to get what she was hinting at.

“Only if you want to, obviously.”

James pushed Y/n off of him only to hover over her, kissing her deeply. He helped her shimmy up his bed until her head was resting on a pillow. Feeling brave, but mainly horny, James pulled away and took off his shirt before slipping his hand under Y/n’s.

“Are you sure?” James asked, slightly panting from how escalated the moment was getting.

“Yeah,” Y/n responded, taking a deep breath before pushing James away so she could take her own shirt off. James stared at her in amazement. Before she could tease him for his reaction, he gripped her bare waist and pulled her against him, kissing her with hunger.

The prom sure was exciting. But sometimes, what happened after was much more eventful.

~~~

The Fella Taglist: @mistahjsfunnygirl @etherealdisneyvillainness @crystalsoobin-m @raggedyoldwitch @rosetintworld @regretthatsme @neenieweenie @allexiiisss @drmeghanjones @eli-com @anything-for-our-moony-toast @ilovespideyyy @eddisaurus @imagines--galore @emma-is-a-nerd @sir1usblacksgf @kaz-2y567 @spidercrush3 @miilkshakess @underthebatcape @dear-jamespotter @brithedemonspawn @acupnoodle @nevillescomslut @hantivity @slaymybreathaway @mystic-writings @thegirlwithoutaname87 @mystic-mara @st4rryhae @ljaneyx @justlibra @siriuslyinlovewithsiriusblack @elauranicolee @in-my-hoe-era @grippleback-galaxy @greensunflowerjuna @sarcasm-and-stiles @callsignwidow @qtkat @asterizee @cursedandromedablack @athenalive

[gemsofgreece]

OK some things about Greece's Marina Satti results and we're done with this

JK I am not done with Marina I love her but we're done with the circus Marina was in, for another year

So, she is a perfectionist but I hope she will soon understand how much SHE SUCCEEDED. And it will look like a love delirium but no I am not being biased.

Marina Satti got 11th place. Missed Top 10 by one. She was basically killed by the juries.

In the televoting she won 8th place. So she was in the top 10 of all people's votes. She was also 8th in the votes from the Rest of the World, which is a big deal in my opinion.

I won't be mad at the juries because their voting overall made sense in many ways and we were aware that Zari was a not jury-friendly song in any way. It had zurna, it had rap, obviously juries don't go for this stuff. So, it's okay. We knew that.

BUT Marina Satti got 8th - 11th place:

By singing exclusively in the Greek language.

By singing in an entirely Balkan, eastern melody during a year that a lot of the Balkans and East Europe had withdrawn from the contest.

By kinda rapping / reggaetoning, which is generally hated in Eurovision.

By doing exactly her thing, despite knowing how much she would be fought by certain people.

By knowingly choosing the very risky song instead of a ballad and a typical dance song that she also had available as options.

By not trying to be "understood" and get sympathy votes.

By being given a tiny budget from the Greek delegation, much smaller than any previous years including to last year's NQ lame tycoon nephew entry. So GD gave a famous artist like Marina much less money than to those small unknown kids that had gone before her. WTF

By being hated for her song and her (genius) music video and a large percentage of the population writing in English and asking foreigners to not vote for her and blaming her for insulting Greece, Greek culture etc (HINT: No she did not insult it and a blog called gemsofgreece tells you that so relax) and insulting her, her morals, her family, her father's descent and her talent relentlessly for three months

By the unprecedented thing of the freaking SHOWBIZ of the country making openly insulting attacks against her and her song. Like, seriously, there were FAMOUS celebrities going on TV and calling her song "cat vomit", a fashion designer (before her dress choice lol) saying she should go to Eurovision naked because there's no other hope for her to get votes. I am serious. You might say, oh, she must have done something. NO. Guys, no. She has never said or done anything wrong to any celebrity in the country as far as I am aware. She was attacked by musicians, fashion designers, TV shows and honestly nobody knows why. It's a different thing to not like something than to get a polemic position openly as a celebrity against another famous person. This has never happened before, I don't remember anything like this. Celebrities shitting on another artist's effort out of nowhere, especially in advance. To put it simply, now that Marina will have to return to Greece (poor thing), she has good reasons to sue half the country.

By losing her father one month ago.

By getting pretty ill during the semi-final, losing her voice and being administrated medication every three hours.

By suffering chronically from severe anxiety, which is why she refused three prior propositions from the Greek delegation to represent the country.

Well, by receiving a new massive wave of hate from people from or supporting Israel and the Greek government controlled media and press, who all started a fierce campaign against her the last two days before the final. The reason was that she showed intentionally boredom / sleepiness during the time the Israeli contestant was speaking. Make of that what you will, I am only presenting the facts of how her placement was formed here. Many Jewish people wrote they had voted her in the semi but now they wouldn't. I believe because Israel is an eastern country, probably several people of Jewish descent voted for her and then all those votes were lost. It's no matter, I am just explaining that she would probably otherwise be 7th in the televoting, 10th overall. Here we analyze if Marina succeeded her goal, we don't nitpick for Eurovision's sake.

And as you see, she succeeded. With all the odds against her, with a LOT of people hating her and making her life harder and her effort impossible, with the loss of her father, she succeeded in her vision. Bring back Greek language, the eastern sound and having the world dance with it. Shoutout to Armenia who also succeeded in this and made top 10, the song was a little more conventional. Let's be real, Satti achieved all this with a VERY difficult song. The definition of a difficult song and in a little known language. Nothing else, just congratulations to her and I hope she realises all this and does not let her trademark anxiety and perfectionism get the better of her. Also, she really created an international fan community with this and I think there are good things coming for her in the future :)))))

PS1: Odds had her 8th-10th place but they underestimated the juries and the last day's hate she got. In general odds were not very successful this year.

PS2. No worries Greek and Cypriot televoting exchanged the 12 points again :D

PS3: to the ageist haters who wondered why she looks 20 though she is 38, kitties reach her age and you will be crying to look like her

PS4: Marina’s 8th place in televoting was the best placement since 2013, surpassing Amanda and Stefania with the English jury friendly songs 😃😃😃 Greek delegation take a bloody hint

[michaun]

Documentaries

13th (2016) - Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.

Jenin, Jenin (2002) - Documentary about the 2002 deadly confrontations between armed Israeli soldiers and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

Three Identical Strangers (2018) - Identical triplets become separated at birth and adopted by three different families. Years later, their amazing reunion becomes a global sensation, but it also unearths an unimaginable secret that has radical repercussions.

Titicut Follies (1967) - Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman exposes conditions at a Massachusetts hospital for the criminally insane.

Unrest (2017) - When Harvard Ph.D. student Jennifer Brea is struck down by a fever that leaves her bedridden, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story as she fights a disease that medicine forgot.

Dear Zachary (2008) - In 2001, 28-year-old Dr. Andrew Bagby is found dead in a park in Pennsylvania. He had been shot by his ex-girlfriend, who then fled to Canada, where she was able to walk free on bail, pregnant with Andrew's child. Andrew's enraged parents campaign to gain custody of the child and convict their son's killer. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne pairs this story with home movies and interviews with those who knew Andrew, hoping to give his best friend's son an opportunity to discover who his dad was.

The Act of Killing (2012) - Filmmakers expose the horrifying mass executions of accused communists in Indonesia and those who are celebrated in their country for perpetrating the crime.

Tell Me Who I Am (2019) - When Alex loses his memory after a serious motorcycle accident, he trusts his twin Marcus to tell him about his past, but he later discovers that Marcus is hiding a dark family secret.

Paris Is Burning (1990) - This documentary focuses on drag queens living in New York City and their "house" culture, which provides a sense of community and support for the flamboyant and often socially shunned performers. Groups from each house compete in elaborate balls that take cues from the world of fashion. Also touching on issues of racism and poverty, the film features interviews with a number of renowned drag queens, including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija and Dorian Corey.

[yuurei20]

Hello, Yuurei! Do you know if there is a timeline for the main story and events that would make for the best reading order? Even something as vague as "Beanfest is between books 3 and 4" to make a nice little roadmap for rereading purposes? Thank you so much if you can answer this!

Hello hello!! Thank you so much for this question, this was all so interesting to look into!

Reading order for events can be complicated, as the game seems to be playing with the timeline! For every "this is the order of events" compilation I found there was a disclaimer of "except for these points, which don't fit into the continuity," and that might just be how it is until we learn more about what is going on behind the scenes :<

If that is all right, I have put together a rough list of a possible reading order! (Largely by cross referencing the events/main story with things like this graphic, this summary page, and several anonymous posting boards, to learn what theories are out there.)

⚠️JP-server event information included below!⚠️ ⚠️ Also, this is not meant to be a definitive calendar of events! Just an idea about a potential order in which to read things with the least amount of timeline weirdness ⚠️ (but there is still timeline weirdness)

#1: Prologue #2: Book 1 #3: Book 2 #4 Stage in Playfulland #5: Glorious Masquerade #6: Terror is Trending

At the beginning of Playfulland Ace mentions upcoming Halloween preparations and finals, but he doesn't mention the Interdorm Spelldrive Tournament, so it is possible that this event happens after Book 2 (which is specified as taking place in October) but before Halloween.

The biggest issue with this lineup is Ortho, who appears at the very beginning in his college gear, which he doesn't get until Book 6. But they mention Halloween so it must be early in the school year, and it cannot be October of the following year because Trey and Cater are still living in the dorm...if you can forgive Ortho's outfit in the opening scenes, Playfulland otherwise fits in nicely.

Things get complicated with Glorious Masquerade and Terror is Trending, as they seem to be taking place simultaneously: both events begin with two different characters announcing that there is one month left until Halloween.

I would recommend Glorious Masquerade first as we don't actually see Halloween happening at NRC (just Jack and Ace preparing for it), but both events are about lead-ups to two completely different Halloween celebrations being held on the same day and attended by many of the same people.

As the end of Terror is Trending connects directly to the start of Spectral Soiree, it might be less jarring to start with Glorious Masquerade.

The continuity curiosity that people generally point to with the Halloween events is that the prefect is present for multiple people referring to Malleus by name, when they don't actually know what his name is until Book 5.

But there is something consistent across both Glorious Masquerade and Spectral Soiree:

The prefect never calls Malleus anything but Hornton.

It is possible that the game is asking for some suspension of disbelief with this point? Was my theory, but the prefect also uses the "Hornton" moniker during Firelit Sky, so maybe that is just what they do?

#7 Spectral Soiree #8 Book 3 #9 Book 4 #10 New Year's #11 Book 5

Book 5 lasts over a month, with Vil scolding Epel for not practicing during what were ostensibly their winter holidays, so it may go from January to February (the day of the Culture Festival itself is specified as mid-February).

The snow on the main campus seems to completely disappear during the three weeks between Malleus being invited to the VDC and the day of the event, but they might have just cleared it away for the festival.

#12 Harveston

We know Harveston takes place during the winter but not exactly when. Epel recognizes the dwarves from Book 5, so reading it before 5 might feel odd.

#13 Book 6

Book 6 starts only a few days after Book 5 and might technically come before Harveston, but from a reading-order perspective seeing Idia invite himself along to Epel's hometown right after kidnapping several people might be jarring.

Due to the timing of Harveston's initial release Ortho wears his pre-6 archetype gear for Harveston, which is also a point in favor of Harveston happening beforehand (a very busy few days for Epel and Idia). It will be interesting to see if Ortho gets changed to his college gear for the rerun, coming soon to JP server.

#14 Beanfest (1 and 2)

#15 Fairy Gala / Fairy Gala IF

#16 Vargas Camp (1+2)

The only hint we have for the two Vargas Camps is the knowledge that they happen within two weeks of one another and the title of the original event: Spring Happening.

#17 Rabbit Fes

I wasn't able to find any reference to when Rabbit Fes might be happening, but Ortho in his college gear places it after Book 6, and it is heavily spring coded.

#18 Phantom Bride

I was not able to find any specific timing for the Phantom Bride event, but we know there is not any snow on the main street, so presumably it is not during winter.

It seems to be generally assumed by fans that it takes place in June because of the June Bride tradition, and everyone's reluctance to do anything for Idia makes even more sense than usual if it is post Book 6.

#19 Tamashina-Mina

Was also not able to find anything specific for the timing of Tamashina-Mina, but we know it is hot (Jack faints from heat stroke).

Leona mentions a rainy season and Japan's rainy season goes from June to July, so summer seems like a safe bet (it also makes sense to be separated far away from Book 2, considering Leona and Lilia's drama).

#20 Wish Upon a Star

The Starsending also does not seem to have a specified month or season, but it is generally assumed to be happening in July because the event was heavily inspired by Japan's Tanabata, which is on July 7th. (more here!) Tanabata is also referenced by name in the original game.

Like Playfulland, Wish Upon a Star’s main continuity issue is also Ortho: it is mentioned specifically that he cannot participate in the event because he is not actually a student at the school.

He becomes a student in Book 6, which seems like it should put this event before it, except for the Star Rogue subplot. Idia and Ortho discuss the discontinued video game in Book 6, a sequel is Idia’s wish for Wish Upon a Star, and at the end of the event this wish is granted, which hadn't happened as of 6. 

No matter where you read Wish Upon a Star there is going to be some weirdness, so it may be best to decide based on personal preference! If Ortho still not being a student despite having just enrolled is more of a deal breaker than the Star Rogue subplot, it might be better to read it prior to 6.

#21 Lost in the Book with Stitch

Floyd has a line about summer vacation coming soon.

#22 Firelit Sky

Interestingly there do not seem to be any references to Firelit Sky taking place in the summer, but it is generally assumed to be around summertime due to the climate and fireworks festival.

Najma has a line about being worried about Jamil, but the conversation wouldn't be out of place before or after Book 4. Firelit sky might be one of the more flexible events, capable of sliding in just about anywhere, but the atmosphere fits in well with the line up of the Stitch event and Portfest.

#23 Portfest

The Portfest event takes about a month overall, but the time of year is technically never specified, so we do not know what month.

The biggest hint we get might be Rook calling the portwear designs "summery and cool." The aesthetic might fit best with Stitch and Firelit Sky, for reading order purposes.

#24 Bonus: Tsumsted

I have no idea when Tsumsteds 1+2 are presumably taking place, but there is no snow on the main street. As they are light-hearted stories it might be best to enjoy them between events rather than the drama of the main story? Perhaps between Beanfest and Fairy Gala, or Vargas Camp and Rabbit Fest, etc.

I made a chart for reference while putting this post together! There may be better interpretations out there than what all has been listed above, so I will include it as well, for the curious:

(and as always if there is anything I have overlooked, please do let me know! ♡)

[merrymorningofmay]

I saw your post about how hard things have been lately and I was wondering if having people boost not just war/survival related things, but also positivity would help? Ukraine has such a rich and beautiful culture; I'd love to know if there are good tags for finding information and examples to boost to show people that and if you think that would be genuinely helpful?

Sorry if this is worded oddly. I hope you and your family stay safe and that this ends in victory for your people soon. <3

thank you for the kind words and support!!

as for your question: it's not odd at all, but i have kind of mixed feelings on the matter, so this is gonna be long i'm sorry....

first i'll say this: celebrating and promoting ukrainian culture is always, unambiguously, a good idea, because historically it's been largely underrepresented and understudied (and appropriated and/or miscredited by. Some Country. anyway). i like to think it's also helpful to our plight, however marginally, because people are more likely to sympathise with someone familiar and relatable, and engaging with ukrainian culture/boosting ukraine's presence anywhere can help bridge that gap.

as for online sources to share, i can definitely recommend ukr_arthistory (ukrainian art) and old_ukr_books (vintage book illustrations) on twitter, and also vintage-ukraine here on tumblr. if you'd like to help promote ukrainian artists on here as well as on twitter, #украрт, #укркрафт are the tags you wanna check out. living artists could always use some engagement/commissions

this list is quite short, to my shame, but again, fellow ukrainians are very welcome to add their own suggestions! (guys, please do)

i have my own reservations, though. see, there isn't a single aspect of ukrainian culture, art, life that hasn't been affected or retroactively reframed by the current war or by the long gruesome history of russia's colonialism in ukraine. the war is a part of us, it's a part of me, and any attempt by a non-ukrainian to draw a neat line between the two feels. unearned and violating? somehow? (again, these are just my feelings; e.g. i never trigger tag my war posts because nobody gets to have the fun parts of me and filter out the war part of me. other ukrainians may have different feelings)

and especially now, when the political and battlefield situation is at its bleakest yet and ukraine has been making less and less headlines, hearing non-ukrainians praise the resilience of the ukrainian people or repeat the comforting "kyiv in three days" platitude makes me feel bitter more than anything, because like. we shouldn't have to be this resilient! we're resilient because our allies are failing us and our only other choice is death! sure they didn't take kyiv in three days, but if they take it in three years instead i'll be just as dead in the end! you feel me?

this, of course, isn't to imply you did/were about to do any of that; i'm just trying to explain why i can't just answer "yes, by all means" to your (respectful and valid) question.

i guess the bottom line is: sure, do share and celebrate the beautiful, joyful, fascinating things about ukraine, as long as you also share and engage with the serious stuff. unfortunately, the bad news are the priority right now. i sincerely hope we live to see the day they won't be.

[ashoss]

Child of Venus (or alternatively a legacy) Tim Drake. 

First really quickly going to run down some very basic history quickly. 

Roman Venus comes from the Greek Aphrodite, who comes from the Western Semitic goddess Astarte, who is known by the ancient Mesopotamian as Ishtar and earlier Ianna. 

This is an extreme overview of thousands of years of history, but it conveys my point. I want to explore all of these aspects quickly before I get into my thoughts on how this connects. (Also, like an extreme basic rundown of things that people might not know)

Ianna - is the goddess of love and war (along with several other fields) but is also heavily associated with divine law and political power. An interesting fact is that she was actually a three-form goddess. She went from a fairly localised deity to one of the most venerated deities across Mesopomeia. When the Assyrians took over, she became the highest deity, even above their national ones. She was so popular and essential that she is alluded to in Hebrew text. She didn’t experience a proper decline until the period between the 1st century CE and the sixth century CE when Christianity became widespread. She was in more myths than any other Sumerian deity.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inanna 

Astarte - is the goddess of these associated combinations: war, royal power, healing, and hunting (and several others). The travels, trade, and colonisation of the people would end with her being worshipped and an accepted deity in many places, from Egypt to the Iberian peninsula. She is considered to be the equivalent of Isis in some schools of thought. Her worship would land in Cyprus, where she could have merged with a local goddess and would slowly go to mainland Greece during the late Mycenean era or the following post-Broze age collapse. In the Greek classical period, she was occasionally equated with Aphrodite through (what a great many Polythetsic cultures did) the practice of synchronising deities.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astarte

Aphrodite - is the goddess of love, beauty, and passion (along with the others everyone knows). She is one of the twelve Olympians and is one of the most widely celebrated and worshipped deities in the Hellenic world. Some of her other epithets were Eleemon (the merciful) and Enoplios (armed). She was called Tymborychos (gravedigger) along with the previously discussed Areia (the warlike) in one of her darker, more violent natures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodite_Areia

Venus - is the goddess of desire, prosperity, and victory. She is the ancestor of the Roman people through her son, and Julius Ceaser claimed to have been her ancestor. A couple of the epithets I want to highlight for a moment are Fleix (lucky), Genetrix (the mother), Physica Pompeiana (Pompeii’s protective goddess), Verticordia (charger of hearts), and Victrix (victorious) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_(mythology)

Okay, now let's move on to my thoughts because this consumed my brain so much that I needed to grab my computer and write it down. 

The Thoughts! 

I’ll start with the child of Venus and then do the legacy version. 

Janet and Venus. Imagine if, on one of the important archaeology trips, Janet comes across something important to Venus. It could be anything, whether it be the start of new ruins of a worship spot or a statue. Venus appreciates Janet's respect towards the findings and wants to know more about Janet. (There is also the fact that there is an extreme difference between the number of men and women in archaeology, especially field archaeology.) The two of them share a conversation where Janet shows interest in the history of Venus, and Venus herself drops the idea that the history behind Venus and the goddesses that precede her is also enjoyable. It was a test. Janet takes this information, wanting to have another conversation with the woman and learns as much as possible. Realising that she can do more field research, she sets it up. Venus appreciates this, and he wonders whether Tim is just the kid of Janet and Venus or if he has a three-parent setup. Tim exists. 

Did Venus more or less give Janet a quest? Yes. Does Janet regret it? No. It is a very cute and tragic set-up because to be favoured by the gods is to be doomed by them. You could change up their death a bit, too. To match the tragedy vibe. 

Tim grows up learning all about his parent's work. It may not have been his favourite, but he listened and learned. Tim, sent to boarding schools and in the comics, always saw school as a necessity but something secondary—Tim, who was often separate from his parents. What if when Dick Grayson’s parents died (Monster attack?), his parents realised just how dangerous the world is, and they sent him to different boarding schools to try and keep him safe. It could also explain some of Jack’s attitude. Knowing that Tim isn’t truely his. Knowing the reality that fate could hand his son. Explain why he often sits back to parenting, knowing that his son could die in tragedy young, but also why he clings sometimes. Why will he hammer down on parenting when he realises that he can’t protect his kid and his kid could die? 

Now onto Tim. Tim loves his city so much. Tim goes back to Gotham even when his whole family moves. Tim would do anything for Gotham. That is Passion and Love. That is dedication. Tim, who becomes Robin. Who must go through a much longer trail and training before becoming Robin properly? He who trained under Shiva, who Shiva sees potential for. He who chooses an unconventional weapon. One that does not quickly kill but requires skill and ability to use. (He is fighting a war in Gotham but also loves Gotham. He hurts and helps. He causes pain, and he saves. He brings himself to ruin to help his loved ones in his beloved city and make something better for the world he lives in.) 

Tim finds himself victorious most of the time but sometimes has to rely a bit on luck. He is Robin, a protector of Gotham. Tim, by the way of being Robin, is trying to create a better Gotham. Tim is the one who created the Batfamily as we know it. He often gets people to work together that do not work together very well. 

He is also well-travelled because he is Robin and a hero in general. He has been on multiple teams and has worked alone, and despite seeing what the world (the universe) has to offer, he is still from Gotham and will belong to Gotham. 

But tragedy follows him, and he ends up in front of the graves of his loved ones more often than not. His parents, his friends, and those he feels he has failed. Even with the best of intentions, people still die and leave, and generally, being Robin creates a tragedy. 

Tim being the first Roman in the family could be very alienating and make him feel like he has to prove himself, but also the idea that he would have to work harder to prove he can fight and be here, and people still underestimate him? Venus may have been significant, but people have inherent biases. No one would assume a child of Venus would be a skilled warrior despite the history of war. However, the opposite is how people would think he only got this far because of how important of a goddess his mother is. That he didn’t have to put in the hard work because he wasn’t expected to. 

I have many more thoughts, but they generally vibe without a coherent statement. If I find words for them, I’ll send another annon. 

~~~

The Legacy idea

One of the Drakes is a child of Venus who is doing archaeology because it is part of the quest their mother sent them on. They are constantly travelling because staying in one place could have put their son in even more danger. If you still wanted Tim to be tied to Athena, you could have the other parent be a child or a legacy of Athena. 

Annon AK

(btw if you guys are interested in aphrodite lore, i really enjoyed Overly Sarcastic Production’s video on her! theyve also done one on Dionysus, Hermes and Hades/Persephone - plus a ton of other myths and classics :))

Honestly i am so in love with aphrodite/venus child tim (no pun intended). while yes athena fits him in terms of intellect and wit- tim is more so defined by his love- for his friends, family, gotham itself. (and thank you @pooky-chan for telling me abt aphrodite tim, i feel like his love is such an underused part of his character.)

i think actually going into janet and jack's relationship with venus is super interesting! i hadn't really thought about how their birth/godly parent would effect any of their family dynamic at all.

tbh everything youve said is really great! i definitely couldn't have gone in that much detail for his background. thank you for sharing :D

[l0vagrend]

TWST OC introduction

Vincent

my girlfriend's twst oc based on her own ideas even tho she doesn't play the game

she asked me to write lore for him so these are gonna be my thoughts and takes on Vincent :]]

he is from a wealthy, serious family

he showed interest in music at the age of 7, already singing and dancing to his favorite pop songs

he picked up drumming at 13 years old as a rebellious act because his parents wanted him to play the violin which he hated

he dyes and cuts his own hair

being from the Shaftlands, he knows Cater since they were children

he's sassy, knows what he wants and gets it

he acts all serious, mean and cocky but when he's with friends he becomes a totally different person, being soft and gentle, kind and silly even

in his free time he produces music and reads

besides Animal Linguistics he's exceptionally good at Astrology and Flight

he has an academic rival in Animal Linguistics class called Mihail

Relationships

Cater

childhood friends

they often hangout together after classes

they talk a lot about pop culture and the latest celebrity news

Cater often asks Vincent for photo ideas

sometimes Cater's lingo gets on his nerves but most of the time he's fine with it and even uses some of his words himself

being in the same club brings them closer together

Rook

Rook calls him le papillon insolent (sassy butterfly)

they get along well, they often talk about the importance of aesthetics and beauty even if their definition of beauty differs a lot

silly haircut gang

Vil

since Vil is Mihail's closest friend the three of them often seen together both around campus and in Pomefiore

they dont have much in common but they get along

Kalim

being in the same club and playing the same instrument they instantly became both friends and competitors

their rivalry often gets them into drum fights which result in noise complaints

they often share songs with one another

during club activities they often help eachother improve their skills

Lilia

short pink hair duo

they are in the same club AND class so they work together really well

Mihail

academic rivals in Animal Linguistics

they get to know eachother in class and while trying to outsmart eachother they stupidly fell in love with the other

they have been dating for 1 year now in secret, still keeping up the fascade of the rivalry

only Vil, Silver, Riddle and Cater knows about them (and Lilia has some suspitions)

they often hang out after classes either in public being casual or in secret in the other's dorm

they love talking to eachother, studying and doing all sorts of couple activities

THANK YOU FOR READING !!

[catacombbee]

welcome home (i missed you dearly)

tyden tattoo shop au; crossposted on ao3:

INSPIRED BY A POST @the-killies MADE

just mentioning beforehand they are older in this bc they are adults bc tyler has a tattoo shop BUT the way tylers thinking abt aiden isnt meant to be sexy hes just thinking aiden is very very pretty boy okay this isnt supposed to be horny okay pls dont make it horny 🔫

sometimes theres just the desperation to touch someone to feel someone to be near someone. so im totally projecting

also i dont know exactly how tattoo shops work if anything is inaccurate SHHHH dangles gay in front of you to distract. does the distraction dance

It had been two years since Tyler had seen Aiden.

Sure, they kept in touch. The group chat was more alive than ever even after they all graduated. Life drew them in their own different directions, but they'd always be friends.

And yet it had been two years since all six of them met up in the same place. They had gotten together to celebrate most of their respective college graduations. Taylor had been working at a mechanic shop for over a year at this point, and her boss loved her friends so much that he ordered pizzas for them to celebrate. Of course they ended up back in the graveyard, sitting together in that bus as they ate and laughed and fell asleep on each other.

Tyler had made friends in art school that filled the gap that was left when he didn't see his five best friends every day. No, they'd never replace the others, but he felt less alone. By the time he graduated, he and two of his new friends really wanted to open their own tattoo shop together.

Taylor pointed out that the building beside her shop had been empty for sale for years. Tyler thought it was pretty funny that even into his career he couldn't get away from his sister. It was great, by all means. He got a discount on car maintenance, and they got a discount on their tattoos. It also meant he got the honors of giving Taylor her first tattoo himself. TH + AB inside a heart was pretty sappy, but he didn't tell her that when he did it. He was happy she was happy.

And he was happy. He was thriving. Ever since he gave up baseball, accepting that it wasn't making him happy like it used to, and let himself embrace his creativity, he felt so much more comfortable in himself. Who knew that art scholarships were a thing?? Why had no one told him??

But now he was living on his own and making enough money to not only support himself but pay for his mom's therapy. She was doing better, too; Taylor hadn't moved out when Tyler did, opting to stay living at home to take care of her. Now all three of them were moving uphill. Tyler was happy, he was secure, the tattoo shop was busier than ever. Everything was great.

And then Aiden Clark walked through the door.

Tyler wouldn't say he was disappointed to see him. No, far from it. In fact, he was far happier to see the blond than he would let himself admit. While most of the group was in college, Aiden had taken his parents money and gone who the hell knows where. Italy, France, Germany, Japan, other countries that Tyler couldn't remember, he saw it all. Along the way, he'd posted almost every bit of his journey online for people to live vicariously through him. At least, that's what Ashlyn called it. People loved watching him not only traverse beautiful landscapes, but also explore other cultures and share stories from people he'd met.

That meant that, as Aiden built an online following large enough to support himself without his parents' help (which in hindsight was probably his goal), Tyler got to watch through a screen as he did all sorts of impressive or death defying feats. Because of course he did. He's Aiden.

It's one thing to watch someone in full scuba gear get locked in a shark tank. It's another to watch him set up a camera and jump off of a cliff into water shirtless.

There were a lot of videos where he ended up shirtless, actually. A byproduct of his love for being in the water. Surfing, swimming, snorkeling- why did so many of those words start with an S anyway? Aiden did it all. And he did half of it wearing nothing from the waist up.

Seeing Aiden shirtless made Tyler's heart flutter every time-

"Tyler!" Aiden broke him from his thoughts. Fortunately. Instead of thinking about how nice he looked in his videos, Tyler could focus on how nice he looked standing right in front of him.

"Aiden," he responded, the second half of the name coming out like a bark as Aiden slammed into him with a bear hug. "It's so great to see you!" He said, squeezing Tyler not tightly enough to take his breath away as much as he did. "How have you been?"

He had been absolutely horrible before he saw Aiden. What the hell was he doing that would dare compare to this man wrapping himself around Tyler like he was never as overjoyed as he was now seeing him again?

"I've been great."

Aiden let go and stepped back. Unfortunately. He grinned up at Tyler, who was still proudly taller. "You look great. I mean, I saw you in some of the pictures posted on your place's Insta, but you look even better in person, yknow? Your tattoos are so cool woah-"

Tyler was much too distracted by the sound of his heart thudding in his ears to pay much mind to Aiden poking and prodding at his arms excitedly. He was blabbering something about how he couldn't wait to have a tattoo of his own- wait, what?

Shaking himself back to reality, Tyler pulled his arm back. It was the only way he'd focus: without Aiden's hands on his skin. "Are you here to get a tattoo?" He'd thought Aiden was just visiting. Why wouldn't he just visit? Ben came by to visit and didn't get a tattoo. Logan came by to visit and didn't get a tattoo. Ashlyn-

"Yeah! I already know kind what I want, too." Of course he did. "Oh, is it okay if I record some of it?" Of course it was. "I don't know if you follow my channel that much, I just wanted to show them the process." Of course. "Plus! I can say HEY here's this cool place! So if you're in the area and you want a tattoo, come see my buddy Tyler!" Of course.

And he wanted Tyler to give him the tattoo. And he wanted it on his back. Wings. Of course. Of course Aiden wanted a large tattoo on his back. Of course Aiden wanted Tyler to sit for hours and look down at his naked torso and have to focus on not screwing up the ink just because his client is pretty. He had tattooed pretty men before! This did NOT have to be any different.

But they weren't Aiden.

Aiden came with some reference photos. He and Tyler came up with a design Aiden liked. It wasn't that elaborate, but it was still going to be time consuming. Unfortunately.

Aiden was lying on his stomach, humming contentedly to himself as he scrolled through his phone, his arm dangling off of the table. Beside him stood Tyler, who was focusing so hard on his art.

Frankly, this was the longest he'd ever seen Aiden sit still. Even when he was asleep, he was such a wiggle worm. Sure, he remembered Taylor said once that she saw Aiden sleep completely still once, but he didn't want to think about that night.

On second thought, maybe that would be better. Maybe if he thought about the night Aiden died he wouldn't think about all the perfectly toned muscle that was right there. How many nights had he laid awake in bed, only his phone lighting the room, watching those videos of Aiden and imagining how it'd feel to wrap his arms around him? How many nights had he rolled over, his arms snug tightly around the middle of a pillow, so that when he closed his eyes he could imagine it was Aiden's waist instead?

How much longer could he deny that he wanted more than anything to be close to him?

After what felt like a year or maybe two minutes, they were halfway done. He'd told Aiden upfront that he'd need to come back again to finish it, which was fine. He had an opening the next day. Aiden was too eager to return. His smile was burned in Tyler's vision much like spots swimming in one's eyes after looking at a bright light.

Taylor came over to see him after work. Tyler was busy scrolling through his phone and definitely not thinking about a certain blond. "Aiden stopped by to say hi today."

"Mhm."

"He showed me his half-finished tattoo."

"Mm."

"You need to tell him you love him."

"Mhm."

Taylor punched him in the arm. Ow. She was fucking strong. "Tyler, c'mon." He finally made himself look up at her from where he was sitting. "We all knew it years ago, and here you are still acting like you don't care."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Don't care what, that he's back? Of course I care that he's back, he's my friend."

She looked at him unamused. "You sure don't look at each other like you're friends," Taylor argued.

Well, what the hell did she know?

Tyler grumbled to himself the entire drive home. He sulked about it as he sat down to watch tv. He moped as he laid in bed, trying to sleep. He dreamed about it, Aiden's laugh echoing throughout his subconscious. He grumbled yet again as he trudged into into work the next day.

Aiden was back late that afternoon.

Surely he must have noticed the way Tyler was avoiding eye contact. The way he practically mumbled in response to Aiden trying to spark a conversation. The way his hand shook as it pressed against his back for the first time that day.

"Don't fuck up my tattoo, halfwit," Aiden grumbled playfully, turning his head to try and look up at Tyler.

He just smiled in response. "It's been a while since you called me that."

Aiden shrugged, earning a scolding from Tyler who was about to put the needle back to his skin. "Well, it's been a while since we've seen each other. I missed you."

Tyler's hands paused. Only for a second.

"I missed you too," he admitted. He really, really had. Far more than he would admit. He missed that manically brilliant grin, knowing something mischievous was soon to follow. He missed the way he laughed, the way he always knew what to say to get on everyone's last nerve, the way he masterfully turned the attention onto himself to distract from whatever was going on around them.

He missed how close they were when they saw each other every day; it gave him more chances to get close to Aiden.

"Why wings?" He blurted out, desperate to change the mental subject to something that did not include wishing he could wrap his arms around Aiden and ask him never to leave again, or worse, to beg him to let Tyler come too.

Aiden hummed, wiggling, despite however many times Tyler had told him off. He was either really lucky that he never made Tyler mess up or he was really good at moving only when he couldn't mess Tyler up. It was impossible to tell.

But of course, he stilled when Tyler leaned back in to continue his work. "Wings are a symbol of freedom, right?" He said, leaving it at that.

Tyler could feel the smile through his words, but he knew there were layers to this sort of symbolism. Freedom from the phantom dimension. Freedom from his parents, to whatever extent it hurt. Freedom from this little town. Freedom to explore the world to his heart's content.

Aiden wanted the world, and Tyler wanted to be his world. But he knew he'd never be enough to satisfy such a deep-rooted wanderlust.

Maybe Aiden was more like his parents than he'd like to admit. They, too, could never stay in one place for too long. They stayed in the house Aiden was living in through high school just long enough for him to leave the house, and then they were gone again. Ashlyn liked to tease that she preferred her new neighbors because they kept to themselves.

How deeply rooted was the Clarks' need to stay on the move? In fleeing the country to both satisfy his own desires and to escape association with his parents, how much was Aiden solidifying how alike they really were? How much did it bother him, or did it at all?

Tyler wondered so many things, and voiced none of them.

But perhaps he wasted too much time thinking and didn't spend enough of it actually talking. The tattoo was finally finished. It was late afternoon, and Tyler had no other appointments that day. Aiden was paying. He was leaving. He was about to leave, and Tyler was about to not see him again for another two years.

Tyler couldn't let that happen.

"Hey," he said suddenly, as Aiden was digging his wallet out of his pocket. "How much longer are you going to be in town?" Because if you aren't busy, we can meet up. Because if you're still here, we can go out somewhere together. Because if you're not leaving, I still have time.

Aiden shrugged. "I was gonna stay for a few more days originally, but my hotel didn't have any vacancy past tonight. I'm gonna sleep in my car and head out tomorrow morning."

Tyler's heart dropped into his stomach. Aiden was leaving tomorrow. Aiden was going to walk out that door and be gone and Tyler wouldn't know how long it would be until he saw him on the same side of the screen again.

That's why he blurted out: "Stay at my place."

Both men stared at each other, dumbfounded, neither really expecting Tyler to suggest such a thing. Aiden's eyes were wide, his tanned cheeks ever so slightly rosy. Tyler wondered if he was imagining it.

"Okay," Aiden said, his grin impossibly wider.

That's how Tyler ended up driving home with Aiden reclining in his passenger side seat. Did he insist that Aiden could just follow him home in his own car? Yes. Did Aiden somehow convince him to just let him throw all his stuff in his backseat and hitch a ride and leave his car parked outside the tattoo shop? Yes. Unfortunately.

The radio was on low; nothing that interesting was playing. Tyler could hear his own voice randomly stopping and starting from Aiden's phone. Sometimes while he was still working on the tattoo, Aiden would hold his phone up, video already rolling, saying "cheese!" and earning a glare from Tyler. Probably for the "I got a tattoo" video. A few times he even got Tyler to stop and take a quick shot of the progress, which was preferable as it kept Aiden from moving as much.

Why did Tyler suggest this. Why did Tyler suggest this. Tyler lived in a one bedroom home, all by himself, and the couch was probably fine but not comfortable enough to SLEEP on WHY did Tyler suggest this. Why did Tyler bring Aiden home. Why was Tyler helping Aiden bring his things inside and showing him around the place.

"So you live by yourself now?" Aiden asked cheerfully as he helped himself to a formerly unopened bag of chips. "That's cool. I thought you and Taylor would've still been living together but this is also cool. I guess since you work next door you need time apart, right? I wish I was still this close to Ben. He doesn't like moving around a lot, I'm happy he found a place he's comfortable." Aiden never stopped talking, and Tyler didn't want to stop him.

"Taylor's still living with Mom," Tyler said, shrugging. "We aren't really living apart cus we needed more space, I just..." How could he put into words that he couldn't stand the vacant look in his mother's eyes anymore? Even as she was doing better, how could he admit he couldn't handle the aching emptiness of that old home?

But Aiden nodded even despite the lack of an explanation, and Tyler understood that it wasn't actually needed.

That was another thing he loved-

That was another thing he enjoyed about Aiden. For all the nonstop chatter that came from him, he was actually a remarkable listener. Sometimes Tyler really struggled to put things into words, but Aiden didn't need him to. He was good at reading between the lines, and Tyler was grateful for that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Aiden's stomach rumbling so loudly he wondered if he'd eaten at all that day. It was so stupid, he couldn't help but laugh.

The deer-in-headlights wide-eyed look on Aiden's face made Tyler laugh even harder. "I'm just going to cook some spaghetti. Think you can wait that long? And stop with the chips, you need real food."

Aiden threw the clip from the chips at Tyler; he caught it. "Shut up, I forgot lunch."

"That's not my fault," he shot back, gesturing at him with the box of spaghetti noodles. The now open box of spaghetti noodles. A small clump of uncooked noodles flew out, falling at Aiden's feet. "But that was!" He responded, picking them up and taking a bite of one. Tyler cringed.

Aiden was quiet as Tyler started cooking. Fortunately. He did chime in when Tyler was putting the pasta in the pot, shrieking until he agreed to not snap the spaghetti. Because what was he, a fucking barbarian? No, only heathens snap their spaghetti. Tyler was eager to point out to Aiden that he did the same until he visited Italy.

"It's a JOKE!" Aiden insisted through a mouthful of pasta, since Tyler had yet to drop the matter even now that they were eating. "It's a silly thing like, 'oh no! My Nonna is rolling over in her grave because you're breaking your pasta!' I don't think people actually care that much."

Tyler raised an eyebrow at him as he noisily slurped up yet another mouthful of spaghetti. He snickered, wiping his mouth. At least he had the decency to use a napkin. "Well, I like it long. It's more fun. So I guess I care."

Never again would Tyler Hernandez break pasta. At least not when he was cooking for Aiden.

Dinner wasn't very eventful, unless you counted the fact that Tyler was sitting across from Aiden Clark and talking to him and having dinner with him alone sitting in his house for the entire night. But no, no big deal. Just two guys being friends, hanging out. Two bros sitting at a table, five feet apart-

Aiden was right next to Tyler, wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a quick side hug. "Thanks for dinner!" Tyler just stared at him, because oh, now he's very close and smiling down at him. And now he was walking away with his and Tyler's plates in hand. "I'll clean up since you cooked."

That brought Tyler back to reality. "You're my guest, you don't need to do that. And don't thank me for feeding you, that's literally the bare minimum."

He was ignored; the clinking of plates being washed began as the tap came on in the kitchen sink. Tyler just sighed and allowed it. If Aiden insisted on cleaning dinner up, Tyler could busy himself with finding something for them to do afterwards, at least. After all, it wasn't that late at night; they needed something to do.

There was a dusty box of video game cases. Tyler hadn't played Mario Kart in ages.

That turned out to be the best idea he'd had all day. He could barely begin suggesting the idea to Aiden before the controller was snatched from his hands and a certain blond planted himself on the sofa, staring intensely at the screen, waiting for Tyler to start the game.

There were too many characters to pick from; Tyler always tried a different one every time. This time he picked Rosalina, earning a curious glance from Aiden. On the complete other side of the character selection spectrum, Aiden IMMEDIATELY beelined for Waluigi. His entire cart was built and ready before Tyler even decided which character he wanted.

It'd been a long time since they played together, but Tyler knew how Aiden played. Normally selecting the Mii character to play as someone like Sans, but settling for Waluigi because he knew Tyler wouldn't have his weird characters saved. All speed, not great handling. As for Tyler, he preferred putting more into acceleration than speed. What's the use in being fast if it takes you too long to speed up when you crash into shit?

And his performance proved him right. Or it proved that Aiden's Mario Kart skills were rusty and he had circled right back to noob status. Tyler won time and time again, all his time playing with Taylor when she came over for sleepovers paying off.

He let Aiden end on a high note, though. There was no way he was going to go easy on him, of course; he figured Aiden must've finally got the hang of the game again when he won the last round. "YES!" He yelled, pointing a finger right in Tyler's face. "I finally got you!"

Tyler let him have it, considering how miserably he did in the very first races. "Alright, you got me."

Aiden giggled. He giggled. And he smiled right at Tyler. Unfortunately.

"It's late," Tyler said, looking away. They'd been playing for a couple of hours at this point. It felt like they'd just sat down. "I'm not letting you stay up all night before driving for hours."

Confusion growing on his face, Aiden watched as Tyler set up a pillow and blanket on the couch. "Am I sleeping out here?"

"No, of course not. You're sleeping in my room." Did Aiden really expect to be left on the couch??

Aiden just grinned at him. "You don't have to sleep on the sofa, Ty."

It was hard to ignore the way his heart fluttered. This man was going to be the death of him. He just had to survive one more night. Surely. "I'm sure as hell not making you sleep on the sofa. Especially with a healing tattoo, you need to rest on something comfortable, dude."

But Tyler had misunderstood exactly what Aiden was getting at. "Tyler, I don't care if we share the bed, yknow."

Oh. Tyler hoped that the way his face burned wasn't visible. He never would have expected Aiden to suggest such a thing. Why would Aiden suggest such a thing? Why wouldn't Aiden suggest such a thing, actually? Why did it matter? It shouldn't matter. They were friends. Friends could share a bed. Surely.

That's how Tyler found himself laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, as Aiden scrolled on his phone to his right. He had tucked a pillow securely under his chest to prop himself up, whatever app he was using casting a soft glow on his face. Tyler couldn't help but look a few times. Just a few.

This was all made worse by the fact that Aiden was laying there on his stomach shirtless. It took Tyler dragging him back to the bathroom after they both showered and forcing him to sit down for him to remember that, yes, his tattoo needed proper attention of its own. And now there he was, lying on his stomach so as to not irritate his back, and his phone was lighting up the sleepy grin on his face. Unfortunately.

"Go to sleep," Tyler grumbled, as if the light was bothering him. It wasn't the light itself keeping him up, though. How could he sleep with this man lying a foot away from him?

Aiden grumbled back, putting his phone on the nightstand. "You don't have enough pillows. I need, like... three."

"What the fuck do you need three pillows for." Tyler only had two! The only person that slept over was Taylor, and she brought a sleeping bag and pillows for herself; she, too, didn't want Tyler giving up his bed just for her.

The response was punctuated by a scoff, as if Aiden was offended that Tyler wouldn't know why Aiden needed three damn pillows. "I need something under my stomach and my head to be comfortable on my stomach."

Then he should have brought his own. "You can't have my pillow."

"Can I just lay on you instead?"

Once again, Aiden said something that left Tyler stunned and defenseless. The room went silent as he couldn't come up with an answer that didn't sound as desperate or excited as the thought made him feel inside.

Aiden took his silence for rejection. "I was, joking, uh-"

"Yes. Uh, yeah you can. If you want to."

Silence again. This time much less uncomfortable. Slowly, tentatively, Aiden shifted closer. Placed an arm on Tyler's other side, holding himself up. Lowered himself to settle against Tyler's chest, tucking into his shoulder.

They both let out a long breath as they fell into place together. It was as if whatever anxious walls they'd put up crumbled and vanished as their bodies moved on their own, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to be closer. Aiden's leg looped under Tyler's. Tyler's arms settled around Aiden, Aiden's latched together under Tyler's back.

Aiden's head tilted back, his gaze meeting Tyler's. They were close, too close. Unfortunately.

Or maybe it wasn't a bad thing. Aiden was searching his face, a calm smile adorning his face. Tyler stared right back, unable to stop himself from glancing at that pretty smile, wondering what it'd feel like pressed against his own lips.

Aiden noticed; he smiled a little brighter. It suited him, that natural smile. That smile for Tyler. How could he deny any longer his own feelings when Aiden was smiling like that? Smiling like that just for him? How could he deny his own feelings when it was so clear suddenly that Aiden felt the same?

"Aiden?" He said softly, eyes unable to focus on just Aiden's eyes or just Aiden's lips, bouncing between the two. He just hummed in response, staring back with a level of focus that was surprising for him.

"I- I want to kiss you," Tyler blurted out.

Aiden giggled, his eyes nearly closing as laughter took over his body. Tyler's face burned, and he scowled even despite knowing that he was just being teased. "Aiden."

"Can I tell you a secret?" He responded, managing to cease his snickering. Tyler just stared, waiting.

Aiden leaned close, suddenly serious. Tyler couldn't keep up with the mad facade for much longer, given that he could feel Aiden's breath on his face. This was the closest they'd ever been, at least that Tyler could remember. He'd lean in and end his suffering if he weren't waiting on Aiden to go on with what he wanted to say.

"I lied about the hotel," Aiden whispered, "so you'd invite me over."

Then Aiden kissed him. And Tyler was too blissfully reduced to mush to even get mad at the realization that this entire situation only happened because Aiden was banking on Tyler suggesting he stay over instead of sleeping in his car.

Now Aiden was gripping Tyler's shirt like he'd disappear if he opened his eyes, Tyler was running his hand through Aiden's hair and pulling him ever closer, and neither of them wanted it to end. Finally, finally, Aiden was his.

Who cared what would happen tomorrow, or a week from now? Who cared what they'd do when Aiden had to leave again? Tyler was firmly rooted at home, and Aiden was endlessly roaming without a constant one. But that was tomorrow's problem.

Tonight Aiden was his. And he wasn't letting go.

[kataang-week]

Special thanks to Mod Atarah (@penguinsledder) and our new Mod Celes (@chocomd​) for the lovely gif! 

What is Kataang Week?

Kataang Week is when we, as a corner of the fandom, celebrate the ship Kataang! The prompts for Kataang Week 2023 were selected through four rounds of voting over the last few weeks and all prompts were submitted by Tumblr users.

Cool, when is it?

Summer Kataang Week 2023 starts on Monday, July 24th - just over seven weeks from today - and ends on Monday, July 31st.  

How do I participate?

The most common ways to participate are by creating art or writing a fic and posting it online. Some people try and create something for every day while others only fill one or two prompts.  

As always, we want to reassure you that it’s perfectly okay not to do every prompt! We just hope to have lovely pieces to share on each day.

But I can’t draw or write!

That’s totally fine - there are more ways to participate! You can sing a song, create a graphic, write a poem - just about anything really. You can also show your support by reblogging and liking other people’s contributions.

What are the prompts?

The following will be the running order for Kataang Week 2023:

Wind & Rain - Monday July 24th

Injured - Tuesday July 25th

Confession / Whisper - Wednesday July 26th

Cultural Differences/Cultural Exchange - Thursday July 27th

Secretly Dating / Rivals to Lovers - Friday July 28th

Spirits - Saturday July 29th

Reunion/Meeting Again - Sunday July 30th

Free Day - Monday July 31st

Don’t forget that this year we have the Kataang Week 2023 Bingo Challenge, as well as alternative prompts for Free Day! See the bingo challenge post for more information. 

* As a reminder, Cultural Differences/Cultural Exchange and Reunion/Meeting Again were combined during voting as they were very similar prompts. You can interpret them as singular or separate prompts and incorporate one or both for each day.

** Confession and Whisper, as well as Secretly Dating and Rivals to Lovers, were tied with votes, so instead of flipping a coin/deciding randomly, both tied prompts are included as options. You can incorporate one or both prompts for each day.

*** And as always, there is a Free Day at the end of the week. You can use this day to post anything you’d like! It can be a prompt that didn’t receive enough votes or something you’ve been wanting to work on, anything goes!

How should I tag my work?

The easiest way for us to find your work so we can reblog it to this blog is by using the tag “kataang week”. Using “kataang” and “kataangtag” also help. You must tag one of the three in your first five tags otherwise it doesn’t appear in the search.

Sometimes even properly tagged posts may not appear when we search the tags, so if you do not see your content reblogged, please let us know.

Once we’ve reblogged it to this blog we add our own tags (a prompt tag and a user tag) for easy organization. This means we can find all the work for one prompt or all the work from one user in one easy click (this also means that if you have changed your username since participating last year you need to let us know so we can update your tag!).

Can I post my stuff other places online too?

Of course you can!

Why seven weeks? Is that enough time?

Traditionally, we like to provide our content creators seven weeks (for the seven prompts) to create quality content. Kataang Week is also traditionally held in the last week of July.  

If you are unable to complete a prompt in time, please do not fret. You can alert this blog by mentioning it in your post (ex. @kataang-week​) or messaging one of the mods and your content will still be shared even if it is a week (or a month - or sometimes more!) late.

We also like to post WIP for Kataang Week and encourage everyone else to do so as well - we reblog it here for motivation!

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, don’t hesitate to send an ask. Don’t forget to reblog this as well to help spread the word!

Good luck, Kataangers, and happy content creating! :) - The Mods

[trancylovecraft]

(KNY) YANDERE PLATONIC! KOKUSHIBO x SISTER READER: You, Shibou. I, Kokoro (CHAPTER ELEVEN)

Previous Chapter ☆♡☆ Masterlist ☆♡☆ Next Chapter

AO3 link

CHAPTER ELEVEN: "He changed a lot after that and that this story had-"

In Chinese culture, A blue dragon is meant to represent new life, Healing, Peace, Growth and prosperity. A dragon representing the strength and wisdom.

The colour blue itself, While often associated with the sky and the seas can also mean the infinity. A never ending life, A new beginning and revival.

The smoke was pungent in the air.

The dark grey mist sizzled up into the star-speckled night sky like paper lanterns on the new years eve, Floating up into the sky and sizzling out in only a second.

There were hundreds of candles scattered about the forest clearing, The waxes wicks lit up with flickered embers and they burned with the hopes and dreams inscribed onto them. Not even the cold and unforgiving winds of the city could put them out.

The festival night was in full swing, Celebration games and market stalls were eagerly set up with the hopes of filling the wallets of their owners. The sweet yet savoury smell mixing with the smoke filled the noses of the girls entrapped within the city walls.

[F/N] held an unlit candle in her hands, The tinted wax was pristine and perfect amongst the molten of the clay surrounding them and the shrine they were dedicated to. Inari, The deity of foxes and industry, The most enshrined Shinto deity, They were the deity celebrated here tonight.

She watched as another local lighted a candle, The whisping ember combusting into a bright blaze of oranges and yellows within a second.

[F/N] scoffed under her breath as she did, The way the locals lit the wicks were without care and finesse unlike how she did it back in Aomori. It could burn down the nearby shrubbery or tufts of ferns growing from the cracks in the grass, And could especially burn the set-up altar.

She loathed it, She really did. Though the festival was bound to bring out reckless behaviour and attitude, [F/N] wished that they would at least respect the reason it was all happening in the first place.

Yet the saccharine smell of ambrosia was floating in the air was sweeter than the ripest of apples, It was something that flooded into her nose like a rushing tide and placated her venom if only for a moment.

"Sooo… What 'cha gonna wish for?" Mitsuri chimed in, Breaking [F/N]'s train of thought and the mindless gaze to the kitsune statues of andesite and rock laying about. [F/N] just shrugged as she looked at the candle, Only taking a brief glance at her friend.

"Don't know, There's a lot of stuff I could ask for you know.. Money, Strength, Power.. That sort of stuff" [F/N] replied to her as she examined the ebony string spouting from the wax, The clusters of people around her praying to the shrine didn't lead her focus astray from the wick in the slightest.

The people around her placed the inscribed candles of wax down onto the several altars surrounding the enshrinement. Each carried their own wishes of fortune and fame, Love and Lust to the wide spectrum of human desirum.

A tradition carried throughout the ages, A wish to the kami for good luck in the future and it was one the two girls participated in eagerly. One to practice her religion and the other in search of a fun time.

It was a struggle as Mitsuri leaned over to spot the contemplating stone of her friends face. Mitsuri could only huff lightly at her behaviour, Leave it to [F/N] to overcomplicate a simple task.

"How about all three then? I already lit mine and I asked for like.. A bajillion different things!" Mitsuri proclaimed as she pointed to the freshly placed candle sitting atop an andesite altar.

The wax was absolutely mangled with near a 'bajillion' roughly scribbled wishes onto it, [F/N] could barely make out the words 'Love' and 'Mochi' from the jumble of words. She chuckled slightly as her eyes turned up to look at Mitsuri.

"No, No.. I need to wish for one only, I can't be greedy with Inari, 'Tsuri.." [F/N] replied shortly as her brows furrowed. Her lips pursed into a tight frown, A sharp line that felt conflicted at the simple little candle cusped within her hands.

"Maybe I shouldn't wish for anything, I've not got really anything to wish for so it's fine.. I can just light the candle and go. Besides, Shinobu is waiting for us and we still need to slay that demon." [F/N] mumbled as she lowered the candle along with her frown, Putting it down onto the altar gently.

Mitsuri hummed, Tilting her head to the side as she pouted.

"Are ya' sure? We can leave it for now and come back later when you have an idea, You know?" Mitsuri offered, Resting a hand on [F/N]'s shoulder. The comfort of her body heat transferring over to the girl.

[F/N] shrugged.

"No, It's fine.. I just wanted to quickly pay my respects to Inari before heading out to slay the demon. You know, Just a quick thanks for everything.." [F/N] mumbled, A light raising of her shoulders signalled her shying away in embarrassment as she admitted it to Mitsuri.

Mitsuri in turn squealed, Red starting to powder her cheeks.

"Aaah! Cuuute!" She exclaimed with a dopey smile stretched upon her face, Her hands raising to squish her cheeks as an outlet for energy. "I love it when you look all shy like that! It really shows how dedicated you ar-"

Mitsuri's squeal however was cut off by the sudden covering of her mouth, [F/N]'s hands moved quickly to cover it entirely as she looked around as she suddenly became aware of her surroundings.

"Shh! Not so loud, 'Tsuri! People are gonna stare at us!" [F/N] said in a hushed whisper as she frantically looked back and forth at the groups surrounding them, Paranoid about their gazes and the possible scrutiny they could come under.

Mitsuri's hands raised up and gently wrapped around [F/N]'s wrist, A featherlight touch as she lowered [F/N]'s hold from her mouth to reveal a teasing smile.

"More than they already do?" Mitsuri giggled as she tossed a lock of watermelon coloured hair behind her, The brightly candy coloured kimono she wore danced in the breeze as her eyes looked kindly into [F/N]'s own.

[F/N]'s breath near slowed to a standstill as she dropped her arms to her side in defeat.

"Well.. Yeah, That's it. But you know it's just.. Actually, Never mind. It's fine, I'll just light the candle and we can go fight the demon, Can't keep Shinobu waiting. You know how she can be" [F/N] replied as she picked up the candle and tossed it up higher into her other hand with a half-hearted smile.

She tried to focus on the stained paper colour of the wax, A way to distract herself from her surroundings and the possible onlookers to the colourful sight. Among the watered crowd the two of them were like roses in a orchid bush.

From Mitsuri's strange yet seraphic waves of watermelon to the unwilling otherworldly appearance of [F/N]'s form they were both rather different to what you could call normal. It didn't help that their uniforms were designed to emphasise their already unusual get up.

[F/N] didn't enjoy the stares she got from it, She didn't like the way they would burn into her skin like charcoal and leave brandings like scars. [F/N] recalled back to a time where she didn't really care about it, And sometimes she questioned when that had changed.

Mitsuri suddenly gasped, Smile breaching the borders of her cheeks once more.

"That's what you can wish for! The mission's success!" She cheered as her hands rested on the stiff shoulders of [F/N] and looked at her with exuberant glee.

[F/N] blinked at the sudden exclamation, But her slight grimace slowly spread into a warm smile.

"..That's a good idea, Actually. I might actually do that.." [F/N] spoke as she looked back down at the candle. Her hand reaching out for the woven basket full of toothpick-like sticks to carve the wax with.

"Ooh! Make sure to wish that we get enough time to see the festival afterwards!" Mitsuri commented as she watched [F/N] lower the sharp point of the stick onto the clay and start to write.

[F/N] rolled her eyes with a smile as she wrote down the kanji like the flow of water, The strokes going up and down and leaving the calculated trail of [F/N]'s engravings.

She did want the mission to go well, She really did. She wanted them to come out of it uninjured with the demons head impaled onto the blade of her sword. [F/N] smiled as she wrote, Sending a small prayer to Inari in her head as she did.

[F/N] lowered the pick, The residue of leftover wax attached to the thin piece of bark was scraped off onto the boulder it was set on. She extended the candle out and up to her eyeline, Examining the kanji delicately described onto the candle.

Mitsuri leaned over, Reading the writing put down.

"May our mission go well with the demon dead by our swords, May our success to be something to ride home about. And may Mitsuri catch many goldfish and eat plentiful food to satisfy her ungodly appetite. Inari Bless her soul."

Mitsuri grinned.

"Perfection, You really captured my essence in there! Now light it so we can all go do that together, 'Kay?" Mitsuri nudged on as her hands lunged from a nearby lit candle in the cluster. Snatching it into her hands and held it up parallel to [F/N]'s unlit one.

[F/N]'s eyes lowered down to the inferno of an ember burning down the candle, Looking at the half-melted wax dripping down the sides and the molten kanji engraved onto the sides. It was about love, About a girl they met in the markets.

[F/N] shook her head and tilted the top of her candle towards the burning wick of the lit one, Her own mingling with the embers for only a split second before the tip started to sizzle and spit.

She watched the small pockets of smoke and the spark glimmer on the top of the wick, She watched as it started to pick up and burn, The remnants of a tiny fire starting to show until it formed into a mature flame.

[F/N] withdrew the candle and lowered it down, Carefully placing it among a bundle of its own kind and nestling it as the newest member. Her hand dropped to the side, Leaving [F/N] to only admire the sparks.

"..And that is how you light a candle!" [F/N] mumbled softly as she watched the dance of the flame, Her smile matching the warmth of the ember perfectly as her face was illuminated by the fire.

"..Huh?" Mitsuri asked, Tilting her head to the side.

"..Erm.. Don't worry about it." [F/N] said shaking her head, She turned back to face Mitsuri with that same smile.

"Come on, Let's go meet up with Shinobu." [F/N] said as she reached a hand over and gently patted Mitsuri's back, Encouraging her to follow as [F/N] started to march off back towards the more urban city.

"Right!" Mitsuri giggled, Taking one last glance towards the field of flames before prancing over to [F/N]'s side.

They walked towards the roaring festival with a newfound confidence, Both in themselves and the success of the mission. How could they not? [F/N] had sent her wishes and her praise to Inari.

And she knew that they were watching over her, In the safe hands of her patron.

☆♡☆

[F/N] blinked once, Then twice. The grogginess in her eyes still not worn off from her slumber.

Another dream..

She groaned, She tossed and turned before her hand hit her forehead. As always her sleep was conflicted, A rising headache throbbing in the side of her head. It didn't help how tired and weary her body still felt sprawled across the futon.

Her duvet was hanging off the side of it, Barely clinging onto dear life as it only covered a leg. The pillows weren't much better, They were half-out their cases and were flung around like a wild animal had rummaged through her room and used her pillows as chew toys.

Memories came back to her like a heeling dog, Of yesterday and the dream she had woken up from only moments ago.

The confrontation with Kokushibo. [F/N] groaned slightly but the phantom of a sly smirk was graced upon her face, If she was lucky at all and her prayers were answered Upper six would be taken out of the picture.

If so it would be much easier to escape from now on. [F/N] trusted in Inari that they would take care of it, Help her along and guide her out of the bone-chilling birdcage she was currently locked in.

[F/N] huffed, An arm reaching out and locking around a pillow before pulling it closer to herself. Both of her limbs wrapped around it and she proceeded to bury her head into the comforting cold that it held.

[F/N] sighed, Even though she had slept for at least a good few hours she was still absolutely exhausted. Her body as usual was tied to the bed like an anchor weighing her down, Keeping her trapped.

She wondered how long it would take until she would bite the bullet and get up this time, It was nice in the bed, As much it could be for a worn out mattress and aged pillows. [F/N] inhaled, Taking in the chalky smell of the cushion she clung onto.

Her eyes kept opening and closing, The lasting whisper of her sleep still not erased from her mind. Vison blurry and her eyelids heavy, She strained them open and held them up long enough for her eyeline to hone in on a shape sitting atop the nightstand.

[F/N] groaned, She already knew what it was from the smell underlying the scent of the pillow. It was savoury and earthy, Pungent and enticing. By the aroma alone she could tell that it was decorated ramen.

Great, Kokushibo had been here again and left her breakfast. Routine as usual, The enticement of the aroma was usually enough to get her out of bed. The flavour of the meal being one of the only highlights in her day, As pathetic as it was.

After the first period of only nibbling on her food she had tried to eat more, She'd need her energy to escape after all. It was still difficult to eat all of it though, So she tried to focus on the flavour, The only part she really enjoyed it for.

On the odd occasion that Kokushibo didn't deliver her food, [F/N] would often lie there for minutes if not hours. There wasn't anything to encourage her out from under her covers, So the flimsy comfort of her bedding had to suffice.

Though, The weights tied to her ankles seemed much more heavy today. It didn't prevent the way she hauled her top half into a sitting position, Nor did it prevent the way she draped her legs over the side of the bed.

But the hunch in her posture was noticeable as her hand swiped the food and sat the lukewarm bowl onto her lap, The chopsticks that came with it were quickly snatched and positioned in between her fingers.

With a bit of hesitation she began to slowly push the slimy noodles into her mouth, The salty taste invading her tongue as she started to chew. It was only once she savoured the food on her tongue was when she noticed the note.

It was sat neatly under the plate, A firm outline of the bowls bottom rim was indented to it but as [F/N] picked it up it was still very much readable.

Her eyes scanned over the words.

To [F/N].

Remember, As soon as you wake up you are to eat your food then make your way to the courtyard for your training.

This time, Make sure to wear something much more flexible.

-黒死牟

[F/N] groaned, Slumping her hand down to her side as she read. She wondered if he found some sadistic pleasure in kicking her to the ground, Some disgusting joy rooting from his demonic instincts. He disguised it as training but [F/N] guessed that it was more for his own benefit.

Really, Her skills were one of the only redeeming qualities about her. Redeeming, Not the correct word, Maybe something more along the lines of being the silver in the sand. There wasn't really much to describe it as.

Though pummelling her into the ground to show the gap in their craft was more than enough for the silver to rust. It's funny, Silver isn't even chemically able to rust yet somehow he made it work.

Guess that's what you have with such overwhelming strength, It was strange not to be the strongest in the room. So far above your peers that clouds circled your head, A weird existence and one that felt so very empty.

[F/N] chewed up the rest of the noodles, The chicken and beef toppings left lying at the bottom of the bowl along with the residue of the water.

If she was going to get embarrassed again she's going to do it on a full stomach, Doesn't matter if he hits her so hard that she just pukes it up again. Maybe if she time's it right she can really piss him off.

Either way she sat down the empty wooden bowl back onto the nightstand and got up. Her legs still half-asleep wobbled as she tried to secure her footing.

[F/N] sighed. Let's get this over with.

☆♡☆

"Gah!" [F/N] yelped, Her body convulsing and the taste of iron sputtered out her mouth.

Her entire form tussled around in the air. Launched back and hurtling until she hit the bare ground with a thump, Near leaving a dent in what seemed concrete hard dirt until now. She layed there sprawled out like a ran-over deer in the road, Her wooden sword laying beside her.

"Your legwork is lacking as usual.. You need to be much faster if you want to land a hit on me.." Kokushibo drawled out. If [F/N] wasn't in pain right now, His taunting voice left her in absolute agony.

Nails on a chalkboard, A silver fork hitting the kitchen floor. Hearing both of those would of been preferable to what he told her. He sounded so smug and she so desperately wanted to punch it off his face.

[F/N] breathed heavily, Her lungs ablaze with exhaustion and exertion. She looked back up at him with a bead of cold sweat running down her brow, Eyes narrowing in distaste.

"..I'm doing it perfectly, It's not my fault you've got demonic speed.." She huffed as she turned over, Rolling onto her back so she could stare up towards the gentle embrace of the light speckling through the tree leaves above.

Kokushibo's frown tightened as he moved over a few steps, A shadow casting over [F/N]'s face as her vision was blocked by the visage of Kokushibo.

"Blaming your faults onto me will do you no good.. While you are agile in your own right, It is your attitude that is holding you back.." Kokushibo remarked, His illuminated eyes from within the darkness honed in on her.

[F/N] felt the spark rise up in her as she stared up into his uncanny eyes, The same one that had been festering inside her like a rapidly growing virus for days now. She bit her tongue. Don't say anything, It isn't worth it.

It isn't worth it.

[F/N] sighed lightly.

"..Yes, Kokushibo-sama.." She said as she hauled herself up onto her knees. The plain ebony Samue she fished out of her closet was now stained with the dirt of both the ground and her defeat, Her feet were bare for ease to move yet somehow that was barely enough to fix her faults.

Kokushibo's hand which was resting lazily upon his sword tightened around the hilt ever so slightly.

"Get up.. We are done here for today." He chuffed. Taking one more scouring look at her before turning to stride off.

[F/N] sighed, Watching as he stopped on the other side of the tree's hill before scowling at him from behind. The bastard, The only grace he had was his ability to declare her beatdowns a wrap.

"Thank Inari.." [F/N] mumbled under her breath, Near heaving as she sent her quiet as a mouse prayer to her patron. Her was strong in her chest along with her expression, Eyelids lowering with a small smile on her face.

She barely caught onto the twitch of Kokushibo's ear, Or the side look he gave her glancing over.

"..I see you're not enjoying our sessions.. Coming from your words.." Her prayers were answered yet their receiver was more demonic than divine. Kokushibo's numerous eyes pierced her from behind his bangs, Which cast a heavy shadow under his face.

[F/N]'s head jerked over as soon as the words left his rotten mouth. Her widened eyes quickly composed into a averted calm towards him, Not quite wanting to engage in conversation yet not quite wanting to engage his ire either.

"..Not really no, I don't understand why I'm doing it in the first place and it feels tedious- Kokushibo-sama. Praying to Inari is just helps me through it." [F/N] said as politely and as shortly as he could, Hoping he doesn't ask anymore questions.

He turned his head a little more to the side, Now letting [F/N] get a better view of his grimace and tight-lipped scowl. His nose was slightly scrunched, [F/N] could almost smell the distaste radiating off him.

And it played on his tongue too, She could tell once he spoke.

"Praying to such a cruel god.. I'd advise against it." It was all Kokushibo said, A line he said like he was stating the weather or stating the sky was blue. Callous and casual, That was his tone.

Yet it was one that made [F/N] freeze. Her eyes expanding and her jaw snapping shut like a mechanised doll. The palm that was half pushed into the ground suddenly tensed up, Clenching a handful of dirt and clumps of grass in-between her fingers.

It was that spark, The one akin to the burning flames of the candles in Osaka. Bundled together and burning like a forests wildfire, Their fuel being the wishes and passion of what was inscribed into it.

It was only an ember though, Only the spritz of a lighter. But it was enough, Enough for her to feel the heat.

"..Excuse me? What do you mean by that?" [F/N] said. Though she was levelled and calm the waters were certainly stirring underneath, Her eyebrows were lowered and vision locked onto him to gauge his form.

Kokushibo fully turned around to face her now, Taking a few calculated steps towards her out from behind the hill.

"…I mean to say that the gods are cruel beings, [F/N].. They are unforgiving and uncaring.. Favouring and rejecting at their will.. They do not care." Kokushibo stated. It wasn't even a debate from how he said it, It was just gospel to him as ironic as that was.

[F/N] could only stare at him blank faced. What he was spouting was heresy, It was the words of a heretic only devoted to his disdain. Who was he to insult her religion? The one that has had a place in her heart and soul for decades now.

It was nothing she would accept on the regular, Back when she was free. Then she wouldn't hesitate to speak out and call the offender out on their disrespect, Then there would be no question.

But now that she was here it was a much more complicated matter. Weighing both the mass of her faith and her act of compliance on the scale tipped from side to side, Going up and down to determine the outcome.

The scale stilled, The decision had been made.

"..Maybe some of them, I will not deny that.. But Inari has been nothing but kind to me. They are my god and my guide, I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for them so I don't see how you could say that about them." [F/N] said, Her voice raised an octave.

By now the palm with a fistful of grass had pushed her to her feet, Her stance was wide and as strong as it could be in the face of him. While it was true in Shintoism that some of the gods weren't portrayed in the brightest of lights, It wasn't like they were all evil and unforgiving beings, Especially not Inari.

Not Inari.

Kokushibo breathed air out of his nose, Coming a few strides closer to meet her stance with an overpowering one of his own. Medallion eyes piercing through her with the sharpness of a thousand of his blades.

His jaw opened, Tongue laced with venom as he spoke.

"Inari is the worst of them all, [F/N].." He started, Taking another step forward. "Inari is cruel and sadistic.. Inari takes what you hold dear and gives you nothing in return.. They are nothing but a cold and unfeeling deity." He hissed.

"It doesn't matter how much you worship them or reveire them.. It doesn't matter if you're bleeding out on their altar and screaming for their help.. They don't care." Kokushibo finalized, The acidity near burning in his mouth.

[F/N] could barely respond. She just stood there, Stone cold as if she had stared into the eyes of an accursed snake. The way he spoke about her patron matched the venom of one too. It baffled her.

One moment she was lightly thanking her deity under her breath, The next it had lit the beginnings of what seemed to be his form of a rant, His words almost alluding to something she wasn't aware of. Why it set such a bonfire in the first place confused her to no end as well.

Though, What she did know is that the spark inside her grew into the one that would light that bonfire. The one that would start to rage on inside her.

"Do not talk about Inari that way. They are nothing but kind and benevolent and the god I have dedicated my life to, They have helped me through it all.." [F/N]'s voice came out as a low hiss. Her previous subservient demeanour on the lower end of the scale now as she spat out her words.

Kokushibo huffed, A mocking and smile starting to contort his face.

"..Really.. Then pray tell where they were when you were dying out in the snow.. Where were they when you needed them the most?" He tilted his head, His question rising in volume as he spoke more.

[F/N] gawked and opened her mouth.

"I-"

"-You worshiped them back when you were in your first life.. You adored them just as you do now.. Yet they let you wither away in a blizzard with nothing in return.. Though I don't suppose that has changed now, Has it?" Kokushibo cut in, Leaving her no time to respond.

[F/N]'s mouth snapped shut yet the fire swirling around in her eyes kept burning on him. The absolute anger and rage beginning to kick up inside of her was overflowing, It made her fingers curl and her teeth start to grind, Wanting to take a sword and drive it through his neck.

She opened her mouth once again, Ready to rebut him with everything she had.

But as she went to speak, She had found that nothing came out.

[F/N]'s mind was blank, As a devoted worshiper she should have mountains to say about Inari's good grace and their generosity to give, It was only natural.

But there were no words on her tongue, No memory she could pinpoint that would prove as her saving evidence.

A bead of sweat ran down the side of her head.

"You have nothing.. Don't you?" Kokushibo queried as he surveyed her clocked out form. The still shoulders to the frozen face, He could see it all even without transparent world. His eyes concentrating onto her.

"You.. That is.." [F/N] stammered. Her mind searching for the proper words, Something to say, Anything at all. She gulped, Swallowing down both her saliva and her doubt.

The bead of sweat dropped, Hitting the dried out floor.

"I don't have to tell anything to you" [F/N] finalised as she swayed her head to the side and turned away from him. "You wouldn't understand, A demon especially wouldn't understand the grace of a god."

Kokushibo didn't say anything as he watched her stride away. It was swift and fast paced, Almost as if she wanted to get away from him as quickly as she could as she headed towards the courtyard doors.

He hummed as he watched her go. In hindsight Kokushibo figured that he shouldn't of brought it up, He didn't know what came out of him in that moment. Perhaps it was the way she still unknowingly worshipped them after everything that they did to her.

The gods, They were horrible beings, To him anyways. Whatever admiration or faith he had towards them died when she did so long ago, If they let him get to her on time or didn't put her in that situation in the first place.

The only good they had ever done was bring her back, The only grace they held was her reincarnation. What he had done to deserve it in the first place he didn't know, The only thing he did was their reunion.

Either way it didn't change his opinion on them, They did one good thing out of a thousand atrocities. His mind was steel and his opinions adamant.

He huffed at the thought of them, Taking one last look at the courtyard scenery before disappearing into the air. Deciding that she needed to cool down from her anger and off to find a meal.

☆♡☆

The creaking of floorboards rung out inside the hallway, The reverberations causing the surrounding spiders and invertebrates to scuttle away from the force of it.

[F/N] was angry, She was offended. In all her life she had never heard such enraging words, Such vile insults to her patron and deity, The one she had been worshipping for so long.

Of course, Religion was always the low hanging fruit for younger kids and ignorant older folk to jab at. That, She could handle. She'd ignore it most of the time, Brush it off her shoulder like it was nothing and move on with her life.

It was just an unfortunate part of being in a religious doctrine, It wasn't a good nor was it an acceptable thing by any means but it was a part of a religious woman's life. She was use to it, She could deal with it.

But this? This was heresy.

Kokushibo spoke nothing but hatred and loathing, Nothing but acidity and venom. Not from any ignorance or youthful inexperience but it was a genuine distaste for Shintoism and that was something [F/N] just couldn't stand.

She didn't know why when it came from him specifically, His insults and his ire, Was what really ticked her off. [F/N] hated it, Hated the disrespect to her religion and by proxy herself. Perhaps it was the all-knowing look he gave her, Or it could've just been him himself as a demonic prescence defying the gods.

His expression burned into her, Stoked the flames of whatever was already festering inside her like a parasite. Her teeth gritted and the veins on the side of her hand started to swell up from how hard she was clenching it.

[F/N] screamed.

It was over in a moment. Bits of wood and lumber exploded out from the destroyed pillar, A hollering reverberation ran throughout the entire building as soon as [F/N]'s fist made impact with it.

[F/N] whined as she saw her fist stuck in the crater left in the pillar. Bits of the wood lodged into her skin, Digging into her and drawing trickles of blood that flowed down her fist.

She was breathing heavily, Sweat starting to dampen her brow. Her scrunched up examined her hands wound, Which started to sharply ache at her nerves and throb painfully.

[F/N] pulled it out with a tug. Letting it fall to the side like the blood droplets falling to the floor. She stood there for a few minutes, The isolating silence flooding in and invading her, Making her feel so small within the expansive halls.

[F/N] was left to her thoughts as the only noise going through her head. Her hand twitched from the pain, But she ignored it in favour of her own inner monologue.

That bastard, How she wished that it was him that she punched. How she envisioned his face beaten and bloody instead of her own hand. Though it hurt and ached, She didn't feel angry anymore, Instead only the aftertaste.

She exhaled, Letting the air turn into vapour in the cold draft.

What if it wasn't him that made her so angry though?

What if it was something else. She had ignored it so well before but then she wasn't in such a place she was. The cold chill running down her spine, The dusty floors and the near decayed foundations all contributed to her raging mood.

As she imagined his visage in her mind, She didn't feel anymore rage and disgust.

[F/N]'s breath hitched in her throat, Eyes suddenly snapping out of whatever train of thought she was enthralled in.

A dark shadow cast over from behind her, A presence becoming aware within her mind in a single moment.

Her head snapped around, Shoulders raising in guard as her body jerked round. Though gratefully her eyes softened from relief once she saw who it was.

"Akaza." [F/N] greeted normally, Well, As normally as she could with a bleeding fist and her clothing drenched in her own sweat. She looked at the demon, Staring into his own kanji-engraved eyes, All of which spoke of intermediate alarm.

"I smelt blood, What the hell happened?!" Akaza demanded as he quickly scanned over her body. His teeth were bared to reveal his fangs and his fists were clenched as if he was ready for a fight.

[F/N] sighed, Drooping her head down to ponder at her bare feet.

"Nothing, I'm not injured if that's what you're asking." She said, Shrugging him off. Her curled up fist was hidden behind her back, Of which was pressed up against the broken pillar to disguise the crater.

Akaza huffed, His nose scrunching up in disgust as his eyes locked onto the limb pushed behind her. In an instant, He threw his arm out and grabbed her shoulder, Making [F/N] yelp in surprise.

"H-Hey! The hell are you doing?!" She exclaimed as Akaza yanked out her hidden arm, Only to reveal the injuries and blood coating her knuckles like dripping paint. It was already swollen, The splinters still lodged within her flesh.

"Not injured?" Akaza drawled as he looked down at her knuckles, Examining the brushes and feeling the uncontrolled twitches and jerks of her hand within his hold. [F/N] wanted to argue back but with the evidence literally in the palm of his hands it was impossible to do so.

[F/N] yanked it away from him, Letting it swash to her side.

"..Fine, I punched a hole into the wall, See?" [F/N] admitted agitatedly as she stepped aside to display the crater. "I got a bit carried away and needed to let out some frustration. Don't worry, You haven't lost your ticket to number one yet."

Akaza rolled his eyes at her words and groaned.

"Good, I'd rather not risk it" Akaza said. [F/N]'s non-injured hand moved to massage her wrist in a half-successful attempt to soothe her pain as she looked at him, Scrutinizing him up and down while she did.

"Since you're here, Kokushibo's gone I assume?" [F/N] asked. Akaza nodded.

"Yeah, Came as soon as I sensed him leaving." He replied in kind. [F/N] sighed. At least he was out of here, Akaza was someone she could tolerate and Kokushibo was someone she couldn't. She could even say she enjoyed his company at times, Rarely, But she could.

"Great to hear that you're bright and early, Almost as if you like spending time with me." [F/N] drawled sarcastically as she looked back up at him, A teasing glint in her eyes that made Akaza scoff.

"Not in the slightest, I'm only here because I need to kill upper one." Akaza corrected for the hundredth time in the row, All shown in the way his voice just excreted exhaustion and annoyance.

[F/N]'s eyes widened however, That glint in here eyes flickering.

"Ah right! That reminds me!" [F/N] exclaimed as she snapped her fingers, His words sparking a sudden recollection inside of her. A smile blooming on her face like the lotuses in the water outside.

"Hm?" Akaza hummed curiously.

"I fixed our upper six problem, We won't need to worry about him anymore." [F/N] answered with her teeth bare in a grin. She stepped a few feet closer to him, The ghost of excitement running in her voice.

Akaza's eyes expanded.

"What?!" He exclaimed, Genuinely shocked.

"I took care of him. I confronted Kokushibo about where I was and I told him Upper six directed me to where the exit was. He won't be around anymore to impede my escape, Kokushibo will handle it." [F/N] explained, Mildly proud of herself.

Akaza blinked a few times, Almost as if he was baffled about what was in front of him. She took Upper six out of the picture? He was nearly impressed. Knowing Kokushibo he wouldn't hesitate to kill him for such insubordination, Especially against him himself.

Thank god. That little brat was barely strong enough for the upperrank's, Let alone the twelve moons in the first place. Besides, There was no one around to snitch on them now. She had skewered the rat, Taken him out and she didn't even need to lift a finger.

"…That's.. That's great." Was all Akaza could say yet his surprise was still evident in his tone, A tone that made [F/N]'s grin sharpen like knives as she looked at him. It was an expression that looked odd on her, Foreign, Like her own face wasn't accustomed to it.

"Of course it is, We'll be free to continue with the bridge construction now without anything to avoid." [F/N] said. She truly did look like the cat who caught the mouse, The moth on the lightbulb or the tiger in the tree.

It was strange. Akaza felt like he was in unfamiliar waters, Somehow out of practice with her mood. He stared at her for a moment or two, One that dragged out before snapping out of it and opening his mouth.

"…Yeah, Good to know. On topic the topic of that, The real reason I came here early is because I brought what you wanted or whatever." Akaza said as his eyes shifted to his pockets, His hands followed suits and shoved themselves into them.

[F/N] let out a small 'Oh' as she watched him rummage around in his pockets for what he had in there, All before he scavenged out a turn of rope and a cluster of spare nails in his coarse hands.

"Here you go, Enjoy whatever you're gonna do with it." Akaza shrugged as he dumped them into [F/N]'s arms, Of which looked down at the pile now stacking in her hold.

Her eyes ran over them, Scouring and examining every molecule of the acquired goods before her lip quirked. Brows furrowing in confusion.

"..This.. This isn't enough." [F/N] said as she looked down at the barely enough rope, Which looked to be cut off halfway and the nails that were few and far between. The rope was near laughably too small and the nails were half rusted and low quality.

Akaza huffed, Shaking his head.

"I told you, The biwa demon knows everything that comes in and out. If I brought anything more in she would've noticed and gotten suspicious." Akaza explained like he was talking to a small child.

[F/N] looked at him, Her face as blank as untouched paper in a pile. She blinked once, Before her lips tightly pursed and a vein swelling out from the side of her forehead.

"But.. But what the hell am I suppose to do with this..?! It's not even enough to get to the first arch" [F/N] exclaimed as her grip on the items grew tighter, Her knuckles popping out from the force as she looked at him.

Akaza scoffed, Looking her up and down.

"I don't know, Get creative? I said I can't bring you anything more, Alright?" Akaza spelt it out for her but she wasn't listening. She took a few steps towards him, Her noise pointing at his figure.

"Akaza.. I can't do shit with this, Inari knows you might as well've brought me string and thumbtacks because this is bloody useless! I don't even have any tools for the nails." [F/N] hissed as she pushed her face near his, Shoulders raised as if she was intimidating a bear.

The injured hand that was clutching the rope so tight started to bleed more profusely, Blood trickling out the splinter's punctures in ounces but [F/N] never felt it. That spark, That raging spark was with her once more.

It was the bonfire in the winters night, It was the storm within the clouds of her hazy mind as she thoughtlessly berated him. Her teeth were bared and she was near foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog.

Akaza stared back at her, This reaction was completely out of the blue. Though she had brought buckets of her own attitude to any of their reactions, Back then it was just sarcasm or annoyance.

But this? This was anger. It was completely unwarranted too, Her reaction did not fit the situation by any means and it made Akaza feel completely out of his own skillset. Though by instinct he raised his shoulders in return, Going to intimidate her right back.

"Well how about you do something about it yourself? How about you scavenge materials of your own instead of bitching about it to me. I don't know why you're so goddamn angry but fucking calm the hell down, You hear?" Akaza hissed, Near spitting in her face as his eyes locked onto hers.

[F/N]'s teeth bared wider, The veins on the side of her forehead starting to burn and pop out of place as she opened her mouth to yell at him.

But she stopped.

[F/N] looked at him, Suddenly freezing in place. Her eyes that held so much anger fell down, Softening to that of their original state. Her shoulders drooped down with her as she slowly stepped away from him.

[F/N] looked back up at him, Looking slightly puzzled.

"I.. I'm sorry. I don't know why I blew up at you there, I haven't really been myself lately.." [F/N] sighed as she pinched her brow with her healthy hand. She breathed in and out, The inordinate anger leaving her body with every rise and fall of her chest.

Akaza blinked. Looking back at her as his own shoulders fell, Yet his stone hard look stayed on him.

"Whatever, Just get it in check." Akaza huffed as he took a few steps away from her, Clenched hands falling to the side.

[F/N] whined as her hand jerked once more. By now, Droplets of blood dripped down onto the cold wooden floorboards and had created a noticeable mess. [F/N] brought her hand up to her lips, Pressing it against them she tasted the pungent iron.

Akaza's eyelids narrowed in on her hand. His lip quirked down at it before he sighed, Tossing his head to the side.

"Come on, We need to clean this up so Kokushibo doesn't think someone injured you." Akaza said, Turning away before walking down the hall. Beckoning her only once with a signalling of his head.

[F/N] blinked, Slightly surprised by him.

"Alright then.." She said. [F/N] took once last look at the blood puddling on the ground before stuffing the rope and nails into a pouch in her haori, Before stumbling on to follow him. Trailing behind him with an aching hand and a lingering thought on her mind about their interaction.

She didn't know why she had such an outburst, Why she had such an explosion of emotion and primal rage at one of the thousands of inconveniences she had faced before. She sighed as she followed Akaza along.

[F/N] would need to find out later.

☆♡☆

"Ah-! Easy there! Can't you go any slower?"

"Shut it, I'm trying to do it as painlessly as I can."

"Yeah- Obviously!" [F/N] hissed as Akaza pulled out another splinter from her bloody hand. Her teeth were bared and she sucked in a sharp breath of air with every pluck, Eyes glaring daggers into Akaza.

She sat perched upon the dusty kitchen counter, An old med kit was scattered across it with several needles and bandages overflowing from inside the small bamboo tub. It was obviously opened with very little care or finesse.

The kitchen, One of the rooms [F/N] never frequented often due to the very poor utilization of what a kitchen was suppose to do. It was a room that was longer than it was wide with cupboards lining the back wall, All filled with yarns of cobwebs and a myriad of insects [F/N] couldn't identify.

The grills that were sat below the cupboards above were out of use for a very long time, A glove of dust could appear on your hand if you chose to brush it against the top of it. Both that and the old rusty pans and pots in the cabinets were completely unusable.

There was no food here, Nothing edible anyways. Though the med kit was luckily found under one of the grills, Akaza had to shoo away the spiders who had made their home inside it but it was still usable.

"Ah.. Ah fuck!" And it was made obvious by [F/N]'s winces and whines of pain. It was funny, For a woman who had faced demons bigger than her, Took cuts and stabs to her gut with no reaction she sure did feel a lot of pain.

"Oh calm down, That was the last of it." Akaza exclaimed as he held up the tweezers in his hand, The splinter squeezed tightly in-between the two grips before being tossed away onto the floor by Akaza.

[F/N] groaned, Her free hand moving to her wrist to massage it as Akaza moved over to the splayed out med kit and started to rummage through it again. She sighed, The pain subsiding by only by a pitch.

She glanced over to Akaza as he pulled out a new myriad of items.

[F/N] sighed as she waited for him to finish. The pain was more bearable now, It was down to the levels she could tolerate.

Then, Why did she still feel an ache?

Though the majority of all her pain was gone there was still an undeniable thump in her chest, One that felt like a fist was squeezing her heart for all the bloody juices inside. [F/N] pushed her free hand onto her chest and pressed down, Not knowing why but knowing it wouldn't stop the ache.

It was sore, But didn't hurt her nerves. It was painful, But there was no visible injury to be found. It was strange to say the least.

She barely heard the words that were being spoken to her, Her brows only furrowing before snapping back into the current situation.

"Hey! Did you hear me or not, Give me your damn hand." Akaza barked, His own hand was presented and beckoning [F/N] to place hers in his. Akaza held a damp cloth in his other, His eyes waiting impatiently for her.

[F/N] blinked.

"Oh.. Right, Sorry.." She mumbled as she lain her hand down onto his palm. Akaza took no time in dabbing down the cloth onto her knuckles, Which instantly erupted a new kind of burning agony.

"Ah- Fuck!" [F/N] hissed as her body tensed up. The damp cloth, Which was now revealed to be drenched in some kind of alcohol was painful to the wounds splattered on her hand.

Akaza rolled his eyes and mumbled something about humans being weak under his breath. He shook his head and continued to clean and disinfect her wounds with an impatient streak in his movements.

[F/N] sighed, Trying to relax her shoulders and get use to the burning of the liquor.

"..Hey Akaza, Do you believe in a god?"

Akaza's movements stopped mid swipe. Of what focused attitude had enthralled and captured his attention before was now broken. His eyes darted up to meet [F/N], Whose head was swayed to the side and her gaze far off yonder.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Akaza said as the cloth pressing against her knuckles was suddenly withdrawn as tossed aside onto the counter of which she sat. [F/N] bit the inside of her lip, Thinking to herself for a moment.

"I don't know, I just noticed you had prayer beads around your ankles and thought I'd ask." [F/N] replied mindlessly as her entire self seemed to be somewhere else entirely. She seemed out of it entirely, Making Akaza raise an eyebrow.

He shrugged before continuing to patch up her wounds.

"Stuff from my human life, Might of been a Buddhist. I don't know." He said quickly. [F/N] took a glance to look back at him, Seeing his face dropped down from her higher point and focused right back onto cleaning her wounds.

[F/N]'s closed lips tightened and pursed together into a slight frown. "What about now? Do you still believe in Buddhism?" She asked again as she watched Akaza's form for any jerks or freezes. Akaza only shrugged as he continued his work.

"Don't know, Don't care. Religion isn't something I think about often." Akaza replied. He finished disinfecting her wounds, The sickly iron that was coating her hands before was now gone and the wounds freshly clean.

[F/N] nodded slowly as Akaza went to shuffle around in the med kit once more, Taking in his words.

"Why?" Akaza asked as he pulled out a roll of white bandages, Completely fresh and soft within the grip of the demon. [F/N] turned to look at him, Thinking over her words before speaking.

"I'm just a bit confused is all. I'm a Shintoist, I use to be a shrine maiden before this. I use to be really connected to my patron, Inari, But right now I just feel a bit out of it right now. It's nothing, Really." She commented absentmindedly.

Akaza's eyebrows knitted together as she spoke, He felt like there was a bigger rabbit hole than was being presented. He felt like there was more to dig through, Something underneath but whether he would chase it he didn't know.

So he stopped talking and opened his mouth, Letting that lead him along.

"You're in a literal shrine right now, I don't see how you could be disconnected from your religion" Akaza said as he lightly tugged [F/N]'s hand back into his grasp and started to bandage up her knuckles.

[F/N] sighed.

"..You probably don't know this, But this place is a replica of where I lived beforehand. The other one was better, It was well-kept and not decaying like this one.." She mumbled as she looked at the rotten wood and the spiders running along the side-lines.

"This place has been here for centuries, That's literally impossible." Akaza replied as he rolled the bandages.

"Yeah, I said that too, Akaza." [F/N] said in turn "But as I also said it's confusing, The other one was bigger too after it was fashioned into the kakushi base. It had another floor and much more rooms, It's just a bit of a downgrade.." [F/N] said.

She recalled the warmth of the rooms or the lively chatter which would be found in the halls, All the activities and the singing of crows from the aviary. The smell of fresh food that would come from the kitchen, Now turned into sawdust and sulphur.

Akaza's eyes however widened in recognition.

"..The Kakushi Base?" He questioned, Amber eyes like broken glass now staring up into her own irises. [F/N] blinked, Realising what she had said before she sighed.

"Yeah, It was a base of operations for the slayers. Kokushibo had attacked us a few weeks ago- No, Months now at this point. He had tried to kill me but.. You know" [F/N] said as she pointed down to the bandages around her mid-section, Still there and nearly healed entirely.

Akaza stared at her for a few minutes. His face going blank and something inside his head started to whirr, It started hit and turn before suddenly it clicked.

"Oh goddamnit, No fucking way.." Akaza said. The bandages in his hand were suddenly slammed down onto the kitchen counter, Akaza stepping a good few feet away from her. Looking at her like she had a dozen heads.

[F/N] looked back at him, Thinking for a second before it hit her.

"You heard about it?" She asked tiredly as she picked up the bandages beside her and tore them from the roll, Tying it around her knuckles into a knot and finishing her first aid.

Akaza however just gawked at her, No, Not at her, It was at her haori. The realisation of who this was from the patterns of dragons and cerulean blues painting the fabric, The one that was shown in his masters death warrant for them.

It was the same haori they both wore. Akaza could've just shrugged it off by similar patterns or they just happened to have the same kind, But by the way she reacted? No, She was aware.

[F/N] in turn just sighed and shook her head.

"Yes, I am the one who killed a thousand demons. Yes, I fought Kokushibo back at the real shrine. Any more questions?" [F/N] exasperated as she placed the bandage roll beside her and folded her arms, Looking at him prepared.

Akaza blinked. Back when he had gotten the call from his master to kill this slayer, The flash of who he was. The strong stature and the haori of blue flowing in the rushing winds as he slayed another one of his kind.

The mask, The kitsune mask with such electrifying eyes stared into the view of the vision with such power. He held such otherworldly grace even when taking a life, Akaza was absolutely thrilled.

A strong opponent, A truly strong opponent. As soon as Akaza was delivered the vision he was ecstatic, Finally someone he could battle against to test his own prowess in fighting. He couldn't wait to meet him, Which is why Akaza went straight out to find him.

Akaza had looked for ages, He had went to several towns and villages where the Hashira had been spotted in search of him. He had looked for ages, Scoured and sought after him for months but in the end coming up empty.

But now as that man now woman was sitting atop the kitchen counter infront of him, Hand injured and bandaged by Akaza himself, Akaza had no idea what to do.

"..I don't really know how you feel about this, But if you-"

"How the hell are you him?! How can someone like you kill one thousand demons, You don't even look like a man. How is that possible?!" Akaza yelled as he stepped a heavy foot closer to her, Of what force caused a minor tremor.

[F/N]'s brows furrowed, But she ultimately stayed calm. "Akaza, Look. It's complicated, I can explain it to you if you want alright? But I promise it's not that big of a thing" [F/N] said as she tried to placate his sudden detest towards her. It was surprising, She didn't expect him to react this way at all.

But as she looked at him, Seen his stance and raised shoulders and the way his wolfing eyes looked at her like an injured doe. [F/N] could tell he was enraged.

But why?

"Being the Hashira that killed one thousand demons? A strong swordsman turning out to be just some throwaway shrine-maiden? Not such a big thing.. Bull. Shit." Akaza chided as his eyes locked onto her with a burning fire.

"M-Mind your manners, Akaza-dono-!"

Both Akaza and [F/N] froze.

A voice called out from behind him, A shrill, pubescent tone.

Akaza's body jerked around in a near second, His raised shoulders which were held in anger were now on guard as his eyes met that of the intruder. [F/N] also peered round behind Akaza, Her eyes widening on the unfamiliar figure.

Kaigaku stood within the doorframe. He was hunched over slightly with a nervous grin plastered all over his face, His entire figure was reminiscent of some kind of rodent or hamster on their hind legs.

"I thought you got rid of him." Akaza hissed lowly under his breath, Not taking his eyes off Kaigaku.

"I thought I did." [F/N] hissed back as she recognised the kanji in his eyes.

Kaigaku's nervous grin widened slightly, His posture straightening out as he took a few steps towards the pair. His fingers were fidgety as he moved, [F/N] in turn finally hopped down from the kitchen counter and backed up against it besides Akaza.

"I- I mean I'm sorry to interrupt you, [F/N]-sama. Akaza-dono.." Kaigaku said, Only adding Akaza's name on as an afterthought and keeping his eyes upon [F/N]. Taking a few steps closer, [F/N] pushed herself further against the counter.

"Ah, right-! I should probably introduce myself, I'm sorry. Erm-.." Kaigaku dusted off his old slayer uniform by sticking out a clawed hand towards [F/N].

"M-My name is Kaigaku, I am upper rank six. I-It's great to meet you, Kokushibo-dono has spoke a lot about you-!" Kaigaku said, Lightly bowing down in front of her and ignoring Akaza entirely.

[F/N] stood there, Looking down at Kaigaku for the first time. She had only seen him in black and blue flashes before, Nothing else but seeing him in corporeal form? It wasn't even why she was surprised no, It was why he was here in the first place.

[F/N], She thought he would be dead. Kokushibo, From what little [F/N] knew about him she knew that he would most likely kill him or at least get rid of him. [F/N] thought, She really did.

Her hands grew clammy as she looked down at his taloned hands, Nails shining in the dim kitchen light, Her eyes widened and petrified at the sight of him.

Inari, I thought you'd take care of this..

Kaigaku, Who stood there for a good few seconds hesitantly withdrew his hand after realising she wasn't gonna take it. He raised back up, Fiddling with his hands skittishly as he smiled at her.

"I see.. Well that's fine then! I.. I hope we'll get along!" Kaigaku cheered lowly as his foot tapped rhythmically on the wooden floorboards, Closing his mouth and leaving all three of them in awkward silence.

Akaza on the other hand stood on guard, His teeth bared in preparation of a fight. [F/N] wouldn't lie about getting him out of the picture so Kokushibo must've let him go somehow, Especially if he was here right now. Why? He didn't know.

But as he looked at Kaigaku's new demeanour, His cheery and overly-friendly persona that he wore like a glove. Akaza knew exactly what he was doing.

He was sucking up to [F/N].

"I-I cleaned up the mess you made in the hallway, By the way!" Kaigaku explained as he moved even closer to her. [F/N] seethed through her teeth, Kaigaku becoming way too close for comfort.

"I.. I- Thanks but I-"

"How the hell are you here, Fucking leave you little brat." Akaza interrupted, Not giving [F/N] time to speak. His hands started to ball up into fists, Creating veins. Kaigaku, Only acknowledging his presence now, Peered over to him with the same attitude he gave [F/N].

"Akaza-dono.. I don't think that language is very appropriate.. W-We're all friends here right?" Kaigaku stuttered as he tilted his head towards Akaza, A sharp glint in his ebony eyes revealed everything Akaza needed to know.

But he barely focused on it as he pushed Kaigaku aside away from [F/N].

"Answer me. What the hell are you doing here?" Akaza spat at him as he pushed his face up into Kaigaku's, His taller stature straightened in an attempt to intimidate. The glint grew brighter, More malicious as it became between the two.

"Let me tell you then." Kaigaku hissed.

☆♡☆

"Wait no- Ack-!" Kaigaku hissed as he coughed up blood.

His body was launch, Tossing and turning in the air for only a minute before his back slammed against the nearby wall. Cuts of varying sizes littered his body, Barely regenerating under his ruined uniform.

Kaigaku slid down onto the ground, His body twitching and jerking while drenched in his own blood. A shadow was cast upon the wall as heavy footsteps slowly stalked towards him, Thumping loudly with every lowering of his foot.

"Stay quiet.. I don't want to hear your grovelling.. " Kokushibo spat as he looked down at his Tsuguko lying on the ground. His sword was drawn and held so tightly in his hand that his knuckles turned white.

All six of his eyes were locked onto him, Anger coursing through every one of his swollen veins as he looked at the young boy with such malice and disgust. He licked his lips like a lion about to strike the gazelle, His fingers itching to strike Kaigaku down.

Kaigaku's head raised weakly and looked up at his master, Several teeth were missing from his mouth and blood was rapidly flowing out of it. He bit back the tears, Fear enveloping his entire being.

"M-Master, Please wait-! I-It wasn't me.. It was-"

"I told you to stay quiet, Boy.."

A sharp kick to his stomach interrupted his speech. Kaigaku screamed as more blood shot out from his mouth and splattered across the ground. His stomach was on fire, Like all of his intestines were rearranged within his body.

Kaigaku's head fell right back onto the dirty flooring of the abandoned house they were in, His body was near mangled at this point. He had been called by Kokushibo to meet him here, On arrival he had been ambushed by the man.

Kokushibo stalked closer towards him, Getting down onto his knees and looming over the boy. Casting a heavy shadow over him as his taloned hand reached out towards him, Golden eyes gleaming with rage.

Kokushibo's hand firmly gripped Kaigaku by the scalp, His claws digging into the boys raven coloured locks and yanking his head up to meet him. Forcing his eyes to meet his masters own, Fire burning into him.

"You are lucky that I have chosen to spare you.. The only reason you are is because I know you didn't try approach her.. You wouldn't dare" Kokushibo told him, His grip on Kaigaku's scalp tightening making him whine out in pain.

"But.. You did let her spot you.. I told you to remain unseen, Did I not?" Kokushibo tilted his head as he watched Kaigaku's bloody and beaten body squirm within his grasp. He looked down almost sadistically, Almost enjoying his pain.

"I suppose it doesn't matter now.. However." Kokushibo commented as his hold on Kaigaku's hair was let go, Kaigaku falling back down onto the floor with a thump and a yelp as he lay there writhing.

Kokushibo got up from his kneeling position, Sheathing his sword into it's hilt.

"Though.. Let me tell you one thing." Kokushibo said as he turned back to look at Kaigaku, The cold night's air drying up the blood quickly upon both their bodies.

"You treat my sister with respect.. One day she will be your superior, And you will need to answer to her.. You will treat her as you treat me, With fear and submission." Kokushibo hissed as he turned back away and started to walk off, Leaving Kaigaku to suffer.

☆♡☆

Akaza let go of Kaigaku, Tossing him to the side like an unwanted children's toy.

"You disgusting brat.." Akaza hissed as he stared knives into the boy who stumbled back into the kitchen wall. Akaza backed off, Though his glare stood strong as he marched away, Swinging the door open and marching away.

It was slammed shut, The force so strong that it shook the foundations of the building. It left the two of them alone, [F/N] glancing nervously at Kaigaku and Kaigaku looking back at her with some faux admiration.

"[F-[F/N]-sama! I- Erm.. I'm so sorry for him.." Kaigaku said as he shuffled towards her with his hands clasped. [F/N], Now that she was up close to him could sense his soul aura much more pungently now. It was vile, It was rotten. It was an apple that was moulding from the inside out, His persona that he put on was completely fake and [F/N] could tell that from the feel of his aura alone.

[F/N] sucked in a deep breath through her nose.

"Yeah.. Um, It's fine.." [F/N] replied quickly as she backed away towards the doorway, Looking at him like he would pounce any second now. She moved slowly, Eyeing him down with a furrowed brow and bared teeth, Trying to mimic what Akaza did.

"Oh.. W-Where are you going?" Kaigaku said, Perking up as he noticed her movements to leave. [F/N] blinked once, Shaking her head before answering him.

"I.. I need to go do some stuff." [F/N] said quickly as her movements picked up, Her body now turning around as she started to make her way towards the door much more swiftly. Only taking a small glance back at him.

Kaigaku blinked, Before slowly nodding.

"Oh.. Okay then, H-Have fun, [F/N]-sama!" Kaigaku called out to her as he watched her stumble out of the kitchen in quick succession. [F/N] didn't dare look back after that, Only focusing on getting out of there.

☆♡☆

[F/N] ran.

As soon as [F/N] was out of his line of sight she bolted. She didn't care, She ran down the hallways and didn't dare to look back to see if he was following her at all. Not stopping for a second.

Her lungs burned, It felt as if she was breathing in fire with every breath. Every succession of her feet in front of her made her want to collapse onto the cold wooden floorings and never get back up.

But she continued onwards. [F/N] didn't know where she was going or how long she was going to run for, That didn't matter. It was a matter of escape is what it was. From what she had no clue either.

Why he was here, Upper six. Why it set her into a frenzy confused her, It was all confusing, Everything was. He was suppose to be out of her way entirely, His death was suppose to lighten her load.

But he was here, Kokushibo had let him go for some unknown reason.

Inari, You were suppose to take care of this, You're suppose to take care of me.

[F/N]'s thoughts ran miles per hour along with her legs, Tears speckled at her eyes but didn't dare to fall. Her eyes blinked, Her feet burned. She took in a sharp intake of oxygen, But it wasn't enough and it hurt too.

[F/N]'s sprint stuttered into a run, Then a jog then walk. All until she collapsed against one of the shrines doors in exhaustion.

Her body lain against it, Her lungs rising up and down and up and down. Over and over again to regain her lost stamina. She sighed, Her skin was bathed in sweat and it rolled down her in near buckets.

Things were suppose to go better, She was suppose to get out of here. She had faith that it was going to happen, But now she had no idea at all what she felt.

[F/N]'s hand which was placed against the wooden door lightly trailed along the timber, Her hand feeling the dips and the curves in the architecture until it hit a jut. [F/N] blinked, Taking one more deep breath in before pushing herself to her feet.

It was a sign that she felt, A small bump in the wood with carved out letters. [F/N] read it, Recognition flashing in her eyes.

The Haiden.

[F/N] stared at it for a few minutes, Seemingly breathless as she read the words over and over again like a sutra.

Out of all her time here she hadn't been to the haiden, She had passed it, Passed this room every now and then but never read the sign. Never took a glance towards the door or gain an interest to the contents inside.

But now? It was enticing, Something drawing her eyes to the doorknob. She looked down at it, Nervous as she grimaced.

[F/N]'s fingers twitched, Her hand slowly raising before resting it upon the silver of the doorknob. Her hand gripped onto it, Feeling the cold silver on her skin as she started to turn it.

The door opened with a squeak, One much louder than [F/N] was anticipating and making her wince. Though she didn't stop as she let the door swing open on its own, Letting the dark void of the room inside become visible to her.

[F/N] was hesitant, Looking at the light-devoid room with unfamiliarity before she took a step in slowly.

She walked into the haiden, Looking around at the shadow infested room with a distraught nostalgia. Her eyes ran over every wooden pillar near collapsing in on itself, Every woven basket empty and dusty.

It was cold in here, Freezing like a winters night and leaving a burning frostbite in it's wake. It felt so chilling, Making [F/N] shiver once she felt it run down her spine. At the end was the altar, The one that stood so high before.

But now it was a shell of it's former self. Of what grand and high form it took before was now abolished into a dirty wreck. [F/N] gasped lightly at the sight of it, Was this really how such a sanctity was kept?

There were only puddles of wax within the candle holders atop it, The spiders making home within the crevices. It didn't stop [F/N] as she made her way down to the front of it, Standing before it as she always did but now it was different.

[F/N] felt no more sense of wonder or comfort within the walls, That sense of protection and safety she felt while she was in here was long gone. Replacing it was only a faint remnant of what was, Of what use to be.

[F/N] lowered onto her knees in front of it, In a praying position. She had no proper candles or material to light them with so she decided to do without. She sat there for a few moments, Taking in the derelict room before she spoke.

"Inari.." [F/N] started, Watching as her words turn into mist in the cold air.

"Inari I don't know what I'm doing anymore.. I have served you my entire life, I have been your devoted servant, Your worshipper and your follower." She started to say, Her voice picking up in volume with every word.

She gulped, Swallowing down her hesitancy.

"I don't know why I'm here, In the haiden or in the shrine at all. You were suppose to keep me safe from harm or hurt but you haven't. I've been through so much, I've lost so much. I feel so much pain every second of the day but you aren't fixing that…" [F/N] said, Shaking her head as she remembered.

"Shizuko.. Mitsuri.. M-My siblings.. I.. I don't know why you aren't making it better? T-That's what you're suppose to do, R-Right?" [F/N]'s voice grew shaky, Something blocking her throat as she felt warm water tickle at her eyes.

"..Are you even real, Inari? Have I been following nothing but ink on paper my whole life..? Please, Inari.. Answer me.." [F/N] begged. Her hands pressed in a praying position below the altar, Putting her head down onto the carpet to bow.

The cold draft blew across the haiden, It stayed quiet. Only the scuttling of mice and the settling of the foundation was heard. [F/N] bit her lip, The hot water starting to trickle down her face and sting at her skin.

[F/N] blinked, Sniffling once.

"Why won't you answer me..?" [F/N] asked near pleadingly, Trying her best to keep her lips in a shaky smile as she tried not to cry.

"Please.. Just answer me.." [F/N] whispered, Pressing her hands even tighter together.

But she sat there, Head pressed against the old carpet as she waited for something to happen.

And waited and waited.

Next Chapter

[nova--spark]

Earth 101 : A Manual for the Visiting Cybertronian

Chapter Three : Human Holidays Part 1

As a part of most human religions, there are special days celebrated all across planet Earth in accordance to the beliefs of their people.

A number of these holidays have similarities to our own Cybertronian holidays, as their emphasis tends to be that of showing appreciation for the people around them, or for the sacrifices of those that came before them.

A great many interviews were done with our human allies, many of various cultures and backgrounds so that this guide could have many for us to understand.

As the human calendar hosts several holidays within its ranks, this chapter will be divided as to not exceed the word limit and attention span of the reader who may be going over this guide.

We shall begin with the month of January, and will continue in the order of months onward!

Within the month of January, there are a small number of holidays that Earth celebrates.

January 1st is dedicated as ‘New Year’s Day’, a ‘Year’ being what Earths calls a Vorn, but lasts only a singular Orbital Cycle. This particular holiday is celebrated as the beginning of the year, and the day prior, is spent awake till the last minute of that year, then celebration ensues as the New Year begins! 

Well, at least the new year for most Western countries, or at least, those who celebrate it on what I believe sources call the ‘Roman Calendar’.

January 6th is dedicated to a Latin American known as ‘Three Kings Day’, and is also known as the last and 12th night of the Christmas holidays [to be expanded upon later in this chapter]. This holiday is celebrated with exchanges of gifts between families, as well as the sharing and consumption of a special type of holiday sweet known as a ‘Rosca de Reyes’, which appears to have plastic toys of human offspring inside, in a bizarre human tradition of finding it. 

However it would appear often the humans do NOT wish to find these toys and chose to instead hide them in their mouth, rest of their food, or even swallow them.

Editor’s Note: Apparently swallowing these bizarre toys is rare but is still a baffling choice.

Chinese New Year is also celebrated within the month of January and at times in February, and is the beginning of the lunar new year, a cultural difference. These celebrations can last several days, entailing wonderful parades, festivals, family gatherings, gift exchanges, and many many wondrous traditions which are meant to bring in good luck for the new year to come. The ending of these celebrations are sent off with a beautiful lantern festival, which I hope perhaps I may witness.

February is next and is host to an equally beautiful amount of holidays.

Valentine’s Day is a holiday which humans celebrate on the 14th of the month, and is dedicated to the romantic bonds they have with their courted or with their conjux endura, which is known on Earth by the terms of boyfriend/girlfriend/partner and wife/husband/spouse.

Romantic moments are shared on outings of various kinds, and gifts may range from treats like human made sweets, flowers, jewelry and all manner of gift from low cost to expensive.

However, it would appear that non-courted or single humans still celebrate this day, choosing to instead celebrate their bonds of friendship, and Amica, even familial bonds with their Caretakers and siblings. 

Such a holiday to celebrate loved ones in all their forms in a sparkwarming sight, and many a Cybertronian has adopted this holiday into their own lifestyle, myself included.

March is host to many a religious celebration, of which I feel that I must not cover at this time, as so to not disrespect the customs which I am currently not well informed of.

However, I may indeed speak of the holiday known of as Saint Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17th, which according to a human liaison, entails quite heavily of drinking the human equivalent of high grade Energon throughout the day and well into the night. It originates from the land known as Ireland, if records are correctly noted.

It is celebrated with various parades and also entails of celebrating a creature known as a ‘leprechaun’.

Editor’s note: I have been informed the creature mentioned is not real, and is in fact, just a mythological being in human folklore. I was quite concerned indeed to hear of a mischievous creature smaller than a Mini-Con who apparently carries around a pot of gold.

April is a month which has a rather interesting set of holidays.

April 1st is regarded as April Fool’s Day. As it appears, this human holiday is celebrated by the playing of tricks, pranks and other mischievous acts big and small, and they are done all in good fun. It is a quite enjoyed holiday as it appears practical jokes of this form are often taken well by most humans, though some do not like to do them and do not participate.

It is here I must pause and implore you, my dearest reader of this manual, that Commander Ultra Magnus warns any mech and femme looking to participate in this holiday must abide by certain rules.

We do not want a repeat of last orbital-cycle’s incident where the Wreckers somehow welded a large quantity of the base's furnishings onto the ceilings.

We are still not quite sure how this was achieved and would rather it not be recreated this cycle, as we are still struggling to remove the remaining welded furnishings.

Any pranks of this caliber and their culprits will have to undergo a formal reprimand and undergo a seminar about proper protocol in accordance.

Also in the month of April, is the celebration of Easter, commonly celebrated on a Sunday and is known as a religious holiday in origin.

However, with the passing of time, different traditions have also taken hold, and is now commonly celebrated as a coming of the Spring season.

Families will often hide what are known as eggs, candied, plastic or even hollowed animal eggs filled in with various goodies ranging from miniature toys, confetti paper, and small treats and sugar confections for human sparklings to enjoy. These treasure eggs are often painted in various bright colors, patterns and more, and are collected in equally colorful and delightful baskets.

This celebration is often times connected to the Terran animal known as the rabbit, who in many Terran religions is known to be a symbol of the coming spring and life.

That said, though the holiday of Easter is known to have the ‘Easter Bunny’, these creatures do not in face lay eggs of any kind, and is a common misconception. 

Once again, dear reader, we take this time to inform you that there is indeed no such creature as an anthropomorphic rabbit, the Easter Bunny is often just a human disguised as a large rabbit for the pure enjoyment of the children celebrating this holiday. 

Do not attempt to chase, capture, trap, or in any other way bring harm to said figure should you come across one, as they are harmless and just humans having a bit of entertainment.

This rabbit disguise is used often when hiding the treasure eggs, and so we implore you do not disturb the adult human’s task of doing so.

Lastly, we strongly suggest that any and all mechs do not by any means attempt to disguise themselves as said Easter Bunny, as we do not need a repeat of the last time someone tried to transform whilst wearing said suit.

We sincerely hope your knowledge of Terran holidays has been expanded with this initial dive to the many many celebrations throughout the Terran orbital-cycle!

Any and all queries regarding further analysis and explanation of these holidays and their origins are to be related to the human archivists and liaisons in our ranks who may give differing explanations but nonetheless enlightening.

[my-plastic-life]

It's March 3, which means it's time for hinamatsuri! Kiku loves checking out this festival every year. A Japanese festival with a big emphasis on dolls? We're both there! She's currently enjoying two different displays.

Hinamatsuri is an annual festival in Japan known as the doll festival or girls' day. The day is meant to celebrate having a daughter. The festival was traditionally known as the Peach Festival, as peach trees typically began to flower around this time. This is no longer true since the shift to Gregorian dates, but the name remains and peaches are still symbolic of the festival.

The primary aspect of the festival is the display of festival dolls in an elaborate fashion. Layers of dolls are displayed, with the emperor and empress on the top. The most recent emperor and empress were enthroned in 2019, marking the start of the Reiwa Era. While there are many ways to display these dolls, a full set of festival dolls includes seven platforms as follows:

1. Emperor & empress 2. Ladies of the court 3. Musicians 4. Ministers 5. Servants 6. Personal items of the royal court 7. More personal items of the royal court, plus hishi mochi

Emperor & empress:

Ladies of the court:

Musicians:

Personal items of the royal court and hishi mochi:

That was the new 2023 Re-Ment Hinamatsuri set. I also have this set in my collection from 2011, which features only the emperor and empress.

During this special time, girls also receive special sweets made of rice called hishi mochi. These sweets come in three colors: pink (meant to chase away evil spirits), white (symbolizes purity), and green (symbolizes health). The shape is believed to have originated in the Edo period, and to be a representation of fertility.

Handmade dolls are given to a young girl in February in a glass case, which is displayed prominently until March 3, then put away until next year (leaving them up on March 4 is believed to be unlucky and result in a late marriage for daughter). In many areas, the maternal grandparents still present the dolls.

This concludes today's daily cultural lesson. Enjoy!