#when i say edit i mean correct my spellings i am happy and out of it

[alvin-draper]

damn i just enjoyed enola holmes 2 so much. twas entirely unexpected. it was just so fun! i remember finding the first movie irritating in its naiivety and i now feel that i both didnt understand the intent of the first, and that the second is far better. for one; no mycroft. i enjoy that precisely no time was wasted reintroducing any characters and instead time was spent on immaculate plotting. i guessed cicely was sarah from the first 30 seconds of her screen time but i still found it an interesting build-up. tewksebury was simply delightful, and enola was charming. she, him, and her brother are somewhat the ultimate bisexual knockout for me. all of them incredible. i am continually astonished by how charming i find tewkesbury. lovely lad. sherlock was of course excellently done, and i enjoyed their mother’s role in both making them individuals and later providing enola with the advice to find them companions. Enola herself was simply fabulous. I felt her excellently realised and terribly joyful. Her skill in both deducting and fighting are clearly the highest possible of someone her age, but it never steps into the realms of disbelief in what she knows - and neither does cavil’s sherlock. where the 2010 series falls short on believability (and occasionally the original books honestly) this succeeds excellently. and i do enjoy the plot device of the first scene being backtracked and linked to another point. whether that be the whole story (as in the limehouse golem) or as done in this, it hooks me immediately. i am exceptionally curious, and this feeds that. i fear this review has gotten rather put f hand but suffice to say i love it entirely. i shall make perhaps another pot regarding the role of feminism and the matchstick girls when i am whoely sober and awake. until that point, farewell. 

[seriouslysam8]

Petrichor Easter Egg #6

Okay, I’m really sad that I did not finish Bête Noire in time to post for Sirius’ birthday today, since the short story starts on Sirius’ 16th birthday, shows the dreaded Whomping Willow incident, and then Sirius running away from home over Christmas holiday.

Here's the working summary for context:

The only thing Sirius Black received from his family on his sixteenth birthday was a warning that his disobedience would no longer be tolerated. That’s when everything started to spiral out of control.

Below is a snippet from that story with James giving Sirius a birthday gift. This has not been edited so there may be mistakes. None the less, enjoy!

Happy birthday to my cute little artichoke that I love more than any other fictional character. I'm so excited to not kill you in Brumous.

“Oi, there you are,” a familiar voice called behind him.

Sirius shoved the letter into his pocket as quickly as possible before his fingers carded through his hair. Turning to his right, James appeared at his side in his Macintosh coat and Gryffindor striped scarf. He didn’t look cold, and Sirius had no doubt that he was smart enough to cast a warming charm. 

“Hey,” Sirius greeted.

“Happy birthday,” James greeted as he gestured his hand. “Budge over.”

The rock wasn’t that big so Sirius had no idea how he was supposed to even share it with his mate. Without a word, he scooted over until half of his bum hung off the edge. It was uncomfortable and plain stupid, but James didn’t seem bothered as he sat close to him. Pulling a black box out of his coat pocket, neatly wrapped in a gold ribbon, James held it out to Sirius. 

Taking the gift, Sirius unwrapped it carefully. When he opened the box, Sirius let out a bark-like laugh as he saw five crossword books and a set of quills.

“I know how restless you get when I’m at Quidditch practice and Remus is off doing prefect things,” James commented. “I also know there is only so long you can put up with Peter before you’re chewing his head off.”

Sirius snorted. “He asks the stupidest questions.”

James elbowed him in the side. “Try to be a bit more patient with him, yeah? He’s a good bloke. I mean, he figured out Mrs. Norris’ weakness with that pointer spell. Merlin, that’s been dead useful because I swear that blasted cat can see through Invisibility Cloaks.”

Sirius shrugged as he pulled out one of the books and flipped through it. “I am patient with him.”

Sirius knew that was a bold-faced lie, but he figured it was best to at least deny that Peter frustrated him more often than not. James and Remus were far more patient and tolerant than he was.

James laughed. “You can’t lie to me, Padfoot. You’ve always been snippy towards him for as long as I can remember.”

Sighing, Sirius tossed the book back into the box and closed it. It was clearly a lack of patience on Sirius’ part. He knew that. Peter could be quite dense, asking a billion questions, always so fucking eager. They were all personality traits that Sirius couldn’t fucking stand while James and Remus found them endearing for reasons Sirius just didn’t comprehend.

“He doesn’t think half the time,” Sirius explained. “I mean, if he just took an extra minute or two and actually thought before he spoke, he’d annoy me a lot less.”

James chuckled, clapping Sirius on the back. “Ahh, there’s the Sirius Black I know and love: critical and grumpy.” 

Sirius didn’t say anything, instead he looked out on the calm dark water. His mind flickered back to the damn letter from his mother in his pocket once more. He couldn’t help but overanalyze the words. Make the necessary corrections. What the bloody hell did that even mean? Hadn’t she attempted to correct his behavior in the past and failed? She had certainly hexed and cursed him, locked him up and starved him, berated and shouted at him. There wasn’t much more she could do, surely, besides fucking torture him. Even he didn’t think it would go as far as that.

“You all right, mate?” James pressed.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sirius replied, his voice monotone and automatic.

“What? Did Kreacher send you maggots again?” James asked, his voice far too casual as he prodded.

Sirius snorted, remembering his last birthday when Kreacher sent him a box full of maggots. He supposed his parents probably instructed him to send him a gift, something nasty and impractical with no thought behind it.

“Nah, no maggots. Just a letter,” Sirius replied, hoping to squash James’ curiosity, as he rose from the rock and shoved his hands into his cloak pockets. His fingers brushed against the letter.

James didn’t relent though. “What did the letter say?” 

Sirius looked up at the sky, noting the red hue. The last thing he felt like talking about was his mother’s foreboding letter and his paranoia to go home for the holidays. He had a good month and a half to stew over what would happen to him once he stepped foot into Grimmauld Place. Maybe that’s what she wanted, to make him a nervous mess. He was absolutely sick of the chokehold she had on him. There was nothing he wanted more than to be free of her and her abusive clenches. 

“The same as always,” Sirius replied, his voice flat and leaving no room for discussion. 

James nodded, a sigh escaping his lips as he looked up at Sirius. “Want to grab breakfast and then skive off Divination?”

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[absentcaryatid]

what's up cuz! you've mentioned before that sometimes you use a screen reader for Tumblr posts, yeah? i wanna make sure my content is as accessible as possible, so i was wondering if you had any feedback on how to better format Tumblr posts - especially fics - for those who use screen readers. like, is there any kind of formatting the reader struggles with a lot, like italics or bolding or strike-throughs or colored text? does it handle emojis (❤️) or emoticons (<3) better? and probably anything else you think would make things easier for the screen reader and the people who use them?

I remember giving input when someone asked for suggestions a while back but I am not a screen reader (reads web pages aloud) user myself, though I do use the reader mode on browsers to get a plain text for easier reading when a fic is in distracting font or unusual colors.

Considering accessibility is so important and a few of the things I picked up from reading conversations on here and Twitter include the emoji over emoticons because the first gets read by the name "red heart" and the second would be read "less than three". The automated reading also will plow through things one at a time so when people use multiple of the same thing it is going to say each one individually which can be particularly frustrating when it is detailed like "smiling face with open mouth and smiling eyes" or "raised hands skin tone three". Three in a row for emphasis will be read out three times.

A lot of symbols used as a page break are also a problem when read aloud:

"asterisk tilde asterisk tilde asterisk tilde asterisk tilde asterisk"

And more of a Twitter issue, people grabbing aesthetically pleasing symbols or letters from other alphabets to spell something like their handle. A triangle might look like an "A" but the screen reader will name it for what it actually is, meaning your friend Alex is perpetually "triangle lex" in the audio version.

Edited to add in with permission from user @the-smol-machine

on the topic of 'aesthetically pleasing' stuff from other alphabets, some screen readers won't even try to read that stuff. some can't. depending on what symbols you're using. like artificially changing the font with fancy characters has made some posts unreadable for my screen reader before. as in it just skips the content altogether. zalgo text is also annoying for screen readers. or for people who have trouble with print to begin with from my understanding lol.

End edit.

Pictures don't always load for me, so when a fic title, author, and pairing is in the image only that is annoying. Coming up with ALT descriptions for images is a huge deal, even for things like images used as page break lines. I think a lot of us are willing to do these things if asked, or when we know we have a visually impaired follower, but it is good practice to do these things whenever creating original content to benefit everybody. Also, accessibility features come with most technology so it is probably a good exercise for any of us to turn them on and experience our own posts firsthand to see what that is like for users that rely on that assistance.

I am happy to learn more from anyone or be corrected on this topic that doesn't get enough exposure.

[mejomonster]

allow me to vent for a second.

i am really annoyed with Microsoft Office’s new ‘editing’ tool which does tons of style ‘corrections’ beyond just regular grammar and spell check. I would guess grammarly may have a lot of the same issues, but i’m not sure. my annoyance is that... in the new ‘editing’ tool, 1. it is very hard to turn off all the style ‘corrections’ which should realistically only be optional since they aren’t actually a matter of good or bad writing, and 2. these style corrections are very clearly geared toward specific forms of writing (business/school) which means when applying them to say personal articles you write or fictional stories, they can push ‘correction’ suggestions on you which completely ruin the intent you were aiming for. And when all you want to do is quickly double check you made no typos, and made no grammar mistakes, instead it highlights dozens (to hundreds) of other areas that actually need no corrections.

I tried to edit a novel just to check for spelling/grammar errors, and it wanted to correct hundreds of things which were style-only. Like X isn’t good for resumes (no kidding its a NOVEL), maid isn’t gender neutral (yes its not because this is a novel choosing words for specific effects not a work document), trying to change certain comma’d lists from “smart and diligent, cold and ruthless” into “smart, and diligent, cold, and ruthless” which... novels break up sentences in specific stylistic ways to make the writing read/flow a specific way... to move the commas in this case would ruin the rhythm the author wanted you to read it in. Basically... the ‘style corrections’ tool was giving me hundreds of not-real errors to sort through, slowing down me immensely, and these style corrections Aren’t True Errors. They’re useful OPTIONAL features, if you’re writing say a work document or resume and need to word yourself professionally. They absolutely butcher fictional writing, and I’m guessing if you wrote a literary analysis this tool would also be giving a ton of not-real-errors to correct every time you use a quote from the literary work. :c

:c :c :c

On the one hand, I’m very happy such new tools exist to help people figure out how to stylistically word themselves better. The skill of figuring out how to word something professionally in a work setting can be difficult, and its good as a tool to offer. 

But the fact these tools seem to slant that way Mandatorily and require so much tech skill to turn off (I had to go in and dig to turn most of these off and i still have so many accidentally turned on i’m still getting 50-200 false-errors flagged per writing piece I proofread), i cannot imagine is going to have a good effect on people’s abilities to learn how to creatively write moving forward. Or for people to be self-aware of how varied language effects your impression on your reader. And since a specific company, specific software, is the ‘guide’ being forced for correcting one’s writing stylistically, of course that can always lead to new biases in writing overall. The biases the software was made with, that the designers inherently had and were never questioned for, and people will ‘correct’ their work to reflect those software internal biases. And so while to a degree, the ‘style corrections’ will help people write more professional technical less uninclusive writing, the dependency on a software to decide what is correctly those things will mean some biases in the system will reflect into everyone’s writing using it if not proof read for that by the writer personally. TLDR: while such stylistic tools are helpful in the way another pair of eyes are in a writing group, beware of relying on them as the end all be all of correct. The software is inherently biased toward specific types of prose which your writing may not benefit from, and any inherent biases that are uninclusive or unhelpful may bleed into the software corrections so any corrections should always be read over by YOU later to make sure the writing is actually doing what is intended and not something wrong. 

And then, the other criticism: as USUAL microsoft office still flags a lot of grammar as incorrect which is in fact correct, so i still have to double check all of its grammar-flagged areas and fix them myself if they are wrong (since microsoft office at least half the time suggests an incorrect fix). So writers are going to STILL need the skill of understanding grammar enough to proofread their own documents, since these ‘correction tools’ are still not fully reliable in that aspect (except now writers will need to sort through grammar errors they need to fix themselves AND a bunch of flagged-stylistic stuff which may have been completely purposeful and needs no changes). :/ 

basically, critically read, and always proofread your own writing and edits others (and especially Programs) make to your writing. Programs have their own built in biases which you can’t just assume are perfect, and as always at least with microsoft office lol i’m still seeing it tag a lot of things as ‘errors’ that either aren’t errors or need to be corrected in a Different way than microsoft office suggests. 

Anyway. Does anyone have a guide to point me to, for turning off ALL of microsoft’s style-corrections? I only need the spell check and grammar check (and the grammar check as usual I still end up needing to fix but at least sometimes it highlights the weird areas so I can find them faster).

[lovethisletters]

Belly boops for the Side Characters! + Luke!

This is the second part to the Belly boop hc! You can find the first one here!

Something that I failed to mention is that I also do this whenever I seek reassurance bc I'm lacking confidence or something, so I included this here.

Keys: MC = your main character's name.

Summary: The Side Characters discover a peculiar trait of MC: belly boops.

Additional notes: MC is gender neutral!

▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️

Diavolo

It happened in a RAD council meeting of all places...great.

Diavolo was in the middle of his speech when he suddenly snorted in laughter; startling everyone in the room who then directed their eyes at you.

...Or more specifically...your finger still poking Diavolo's belly.

Turns out that the prince of hell is very ticklish.

You froze, not knowing what to say or how to react to the murderous glance Lucifer directed at you while Diavolo was still laughing in the background.

When he finally managed to calm down, he was very curious about why you had done such random thing?

—MC, is this some kind of ritual from the human world? a tradition, perhaps?

You struggled to find the correct words to explain your weird habit.

Wich was a bit hard, given the fact that Lucifer never once let his "I'm going to hang you in cerberus room" kind of stare fall off.

When you did finally manage to explain Diavolo the meaning behind such weird occurrence.

He let out a warm laugh and gently booped your belly back.

—Thank you for telling me, MC. Please, ignore what Lucifer has to say! I'll be more than happy if this becomes something usual between the two of us!—He said close to your ear, loud enough for Lucifer to hear but quiet enough for it to resemble a whisper.

From that day onwards, expect unexpected Belly boops from the Demon prince!

Barbatos

Barbatos had invited you to the Market to buy some groceries when you first poked him.

At first he thought you were trying to get his attention, so he turned towards you and waited for you to say something.

But you only returned his glance, confused as to why he had suddenly stop walking just to look at you.

When none of you said anything, Barbatos carried on, thinking perhaps it was a mistake and he must have imagined it or something.

But then a few moments later...he felt it again...

He looked down just to see your finger poking the side of his stomach, confused he looked up at your face; only to find the most casual expression ever, like if you haven't even noticed what you where doing.

He was a bit weirded out...but ok, he'll just put a little distance between the two of you.

After that the belly boops became a frequent occurrence every time you'll see each other.

He'll be bringing you tea...boop!

He'll be opening the door for you and...boop!

You'll be saying goodbye to him and...boop!

He doesn't like it, but good ol' Barbatos is too polite to tell you.

So he just...ever so discreetly dodges the boop, takes a step back or softly puts your hand away.

Unlike the other times, you did noticed you where booping him; but as he didn't seem to be bothered by it, you just continued.

Is not until Barbatos starts to do this things that you notice he actually doesn't enjoy it.

You decided to talk to him, apologize and explain that you weren't doing such thing to mock him or anything; but that you were doing it out of feelings of trust and a sense of comfort around him and that was your way to express it.

He smiles sincerely at you.

—If that's the case then feel free to continue, MC; I'm glad to be someone you trust.

And by all means you did.

Barbatos now quickly grows fond of your belly boops, knowing that such simple gesture signifies the strength on your relationship.

Solomon

Perhaps the first time it happened was while he was tutoring you in casting spells.

He was concentrated in explaining you the correct wording when he felt a light pressure in his stomach...it was your finger.

—MC, What are you doing?—he asked tilting his head in confusion, his gaze never straying from your finger still in his stomach.

You quickly put your finger away and tried to act as if nothing had happened, but Solomon never stopped giving you this questioning and confused look.

So you quickly explain to him that this is something you do with people you feel comfortable with, sometimes to unconsciously seek for reassurance.

You watched as a small smirk creeped over his lips wich each and every word that came out of your mouth.

—Ahhh~ I see~

And with that you realize, you might have committed the biggest mistake of your life.

Every time you poke him, his smile spreads wider than the Cheshire cat and his eyes sparkle with a glint of mischief as he proceeds to tease you endlessly.

But sometimes, when he notices that you poked him in seek of comfort or because you where feeling anxious.

He'll lower down your hand and intertwine his fingers with yours, holding your hand as long as you need to, letting you know...

That he'll always be there for you.

Simeon

Simeon had offered to wait for you and walk you home since you had cleaning duties to do and the brothers where all in a council meeting.

And as the two of you arrived at the house of lamentation, you offered to prepare some tea to thank him for walking you home; which he kindly accepted.

As you two where talking about your experiences in the devildom and laughing at the funny shenanigans y'all went through.

You unconsciously...just...boop! in the middle of the conversation.

Simeon froze for a second and stared down at where your finger met his belly.

Embarrassed you pulled back and tried to explain yourself. When all of a sudden...

boop! He had booped you back.

Simeon was overjoyed when you booped him, because you see...he's a boop person too!

Tho he's more used to booping people's noses or cheeks, he's still glad that you did what you did.

No need to apologize or explain yourself to him, there's an unspoken understanding between boop people!

He knows that not all people like it, and can be a bit embarrassing to try and explain why you do such thing, belive me he has had to explain himself to Michael more than just a few times...

For a moment you two share a glint of happiness and mischief, not needing any words to understand what's about to happen.

BOOPING WAR!!!!!

He boops your stomach mercilessly but you don't hold back either!

When the brothers arrive they just stare at the two of you in pure confusion.

They're so weirded out by this: you two poking each other's bellys and laughing and behaving like toddlers.

Lucifer tries to break off whatever weird contest you two are having...oh boi

—Simeon, MC! Why are you engaging in such childish behavior?!? Have you no...

—boop!

Simeon had just booped the avatar of pride in the nose...with sound and all...

You couldn't help but laugh at Lucifer's bewildered expression, but you weren't the only one...the brothers also couldn't stop themselves from laughing their butts off.

May god have mercy on all of you because y'all grounded.

Completely worth it tho...

Overall, Simeon is happy to find someone who shares his same habit and will always be glad to start a booping war with you.

Luke

Luke is just too cute! You couldn't help yourself and booped his stomach the second you met him!

—Hey! Quit it! What do you think you're doing!?!?

The puppy angy >:c

He has enough with Simeon's booping and now he has to deal with you?!?!

Slaps your hand every time you try to boop him.

I think Luke's feelings towards you booping him can be summarized in this:

▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️

If you find any grammatical errors let me know! I'm trying to improve my english and that would help me so so much!

I will forever thank you if you go check out my other profile: @aileysmirnov  where I post things about my OC: edits, one-shots, imagines, art, etc. If you like Greek mythology and the bat family maybe you would get to be as fond of her as much as I am!

Anyway, thank you for reading!

[that-bajan-kid]

Boku No Hero Academia Chapter 293 SPOILERS

(These children used their one collective brain cell and decided to rush head first into the arms of Death with zero fucks given)

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Oh that orange hair is not a good look on Shiggy. Izuku looks adorable in anything I can't argue.

We get an adorable panel of Eri eating a cracker/cookie next Lemillion bursting forth from the ground once more. Izuku ask him how he's here rn and apparently this boy has just been chilling at Nighteye's agency, which is conveniently not to far from here. He had to of had his quirk for a while now if he was at the agency right?

Omg look at Eri!! She's so cute I literally have to point her out whenever she's on screen. I don't make the rules here, that's just how it is. And Ochako is doing her hair!!!! I'm gonna explode from the cuteness. And all that other stuff they're talking about is important to I guess.

SHE'S SO FUCKING CUTE I LITERALLY CAN NOT

They're all babies. She looks so happy to help out too. The little bounce she does when she looks back at Dadzawa for permission. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

Mirio is asking for back up cause even he can't take on 4 NHEs by himself. So of course Bakugou, with the two holes in his abdomen, leaps in to action even tho he really shouldn't. I swear these kids are all suicidal.

THESE FUCKING KIDS AND THEIR LACK OF SELF PRESERVATION IS GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME I SWEAR. Also, I believe the time is now upon us my brothers and sisters.

(Edit: I just realised I've been spelling his fucking name wrong this whole time. My brain just autocorrected it to the proper spelling and I didn't even noticed lmao. Please forgive me.)

Of course Spinner thinks it's cool. IS JEANIST FUCKING CRYING LMAO

I like it. It's very Katsuki Bakugou and not nearly as bad as the first two. You go, Dynamite. Man, I can't wait to see the fandom's reaction to this. How many people are gonna throw a tantrum cause its not Ground Zero? Or fucking Kacchan?

Mirio says he thinks it's funny and Dynamite says it's not meant to be funny. Mirio quotes Nighteye speech about there being laughter and you to balance out the sorrow and apologises for the absolute disrespect he just showed my son's new hero name.

Enji, sweetheart, I know your in shock about your dead son not being dead and that you're literally on death's door, but Shouto is going to fucking die if you don't move your ass. I'm not mad and I understand why you're not doing anything right now. But, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, i would sacrifice you in a heartbeat if it meant saving Shouto's life. Don't get me wrong, I like your character a lot, but you dying would be a nice end to your redemption arc if you end up saving Shouto. And at this point I honestly don't care about what happens to Dabi. He's trying to kill my son. Fuck that guy lol. Doesn't mean I don't like him tho.

Why are people defending this guy again? Cause of his trauma? Don't get me wrong, I like Dabi as much as the next guy but if his death means Shouto gets to live, I don't have a problem with that either. Dabi and Enji are in the same boat.

My boi Deku coming in clutch with Black Whip even tho he really shouldn't be to save his best friend. Dabi's gonna try to burn him too, I can feel it coming. Also Izuku is thinking about how his arms and legs don't have any strength like that's the only thing wrong with them. He'd be lucky if he can even move them when all of this is over.

"Don't put this in a Doujin" I am deceased. Cris is no longer among the living. She has ascended to the heavens. Who ever this translater is, they're doing God's work. I can't wait to see the discourse about Izuku's speech in the tags. I can already hear the "Izuku is defending Endeawhore therefore he supports abuse #canceldeku2020" posts in my head. Anyway, I like what Izu says here tho, it's very much in character for him. I also like his Froppy inspired Black Whip: Projectile Vomit Mode. Very unexpected tbh.

Izuku yells "You are not Endeavour" and Dabi responds with "No shit, Sherlock" and asks if Izuku pities him even a little bit and I wouldn't fault him for straight up saying "No" considering everything Dabi has put him and his friends through. Hell, if I was Midoriya I wouldn't even be trying to get through to him rn. A trait I strongly admire about Izuku. Dabi goes on to say he is the culmination of all of Endeavour's sins and we get a panel showing threads snapping and I don't know if it's supposed to be what's left of Izuku's mental stability or Dabi's. Or if it's an actual thread snapping. Dabi goes on to spout some bullshit about how evil will never prosper and justice will crumble now that he's shown the naive citizens of Japan who to blame, which is the heroes apparently.

Uhhh so that snapping thread I mentioned earlier is actually the carbon fibre wire Jeanist is using to keep Machia contained and like all of them just snapped like twigs. Dabi continues his speech about how chaos now reigns supreme while everyone panics about Machia. Meanwhile Deku is having a moment.

Correction, Endeavour was the one having a moment and has decided to take action despite his obvious condition called dying. He rockets his way towards Machia and bitch slaps him in the face and immediately follows that up by saying he feels numb. He totally gonna die and I'm totally gonna feel sad about it. I'm already tearing up.

FUCKING FINALLY GOD DAMNIT

I knew it was gonna work. Never doubt my gurl Creati. She's the smartest kid in class for a reason. It feels like it took forever but it was probably only a few mins. I can't wait for everything to go wrong again. Also, everyone who thinks Endeavour is either going to die or, end up with a debilitating disability, raise your hand 🙋. Mans suffering from the most severe case of heat stroke to ever stroke and is running on burnt lungs and he was impaled by Shigaraki/AFO. He's not having a fun time.

I think it's safe to say that Eri won't healing anyone after this. It looks like all her quirks energy went into giving Mirio his quirk. Meaning all these injuries that the heroes are getting won't be magically disappearing. Aizawa isn't getting his leg back, Izuku's arms are probably never gonna work again, Gran Torino is fucking dead just like Endeavour's career, and Endeavour is probably gonna fucking die too. Cause Shouto doesn't have enough trauma in his life.

Time for me to venture into the tags and see what the latest discourse is. Can't wait for everyone to call Izuku an abuser sympathiser even tho he called out Endeavour during the sports, or say that the heroes are somehow abusing Eri like Overhaul did cause she gave Mirio his quirk back even tho she clearly wanted to do it. The chaos fuels me.

Until next time.

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[arizona-trash-bag]

I can totally explain a bit of my thinking behind seeing lwj as autistic and wwx as autistic/adhd!! Before I get into specifics though, let me preface with where I’m coming from. I first saw CQL and then read the EXR translation of the novel. I prefer MDZS to CQL, but also want to acknowledge that because I do not read/speak Mandarin I am inherently experiencing this story second-hand and therefore am probably missing out on a lot of nuances. I am trying to learn Mandarin, but it will be a long time before I am even a little close to fluent lol.

Another preface- obviously not all autistic people present in the same way, and many of the things that I will mention are not solely specific to autistic people either. It’s one of those things where all of it added up together points towards asd, but each one individually would not on its own indicate asd, you know? Also, I will say that many of the things I picked up on for both characters are autistic traits that many autistic people have vs the clinical characteristics (much like most of the case I could make for wwx’s adhd would be adhd traits he has rather than symptoms that would lead to a real-world diagnosis.) Edit: OH! I almost forgot to say, that also all of these traits I’m listing are from a western perspective, and I would LOVE to read more about how autism presents in different cultures and to see conversations between autistc Chinese people specifically, so as to see if these traits are specific to western autistic people or not, but again, I do not speak Mandarin or Cantonese or any other Chinese dialect, so that’s a little inaccessible for me atm.

Ok, SO, for both characters I would list: strong sense of justice, lack of care for society’s opinion (I feel like it could be argued that lwj does to a certain point, but imo he operates more from what he morally considers to be correct and from a place of familial duty vs catering to the opinion of society at large), and then more vaguely, they both seem to be “nerdy” (this doesnt feel like the most accurate term, especially because it's not like being scholarly is specific to their characters, especially in ancient fantasy China- it’s more that their particular hmmm, flavor?? of love of knowledge feels very neurodivergent to me, vs like, being scholarly because it’s the thing that is expected of a Young Master, if that makes any sense at all- like the difference btwn someone getting an engineering degree because it is expected of them vs because they genuinely love engineering), and lastly for both- I would say that they are canonically kinky, and while I can’t cite any statistics, there’s a pretty high correlation between being autistic and being into kink. Obviously, not every person who is not vanilla is autistic, and not every autistic person is into kink…….but there is a high correlation.

For lwj specifically, the things that made me think he might be autistic are his lack of outward emoting combined with his depth and breadth of emotions, how he seems to thrive in and quite enjoy the very structured environment he grew up in, and then the last one off the top of my head (side note, I feel like a week from now I’m going to randomly think of other examples lol) I’m not actually sure IS an example, because I know (thanks to the awesome post from hunxi that you linked to that I had read previously) that his succintness does not equal autism, but I do kind of feel like it is very autistic to Always be so formal and to Always talk in textbook perfect language.

For wwx, I also think he likely has CPTSD! I’m not going to list anything for adhd or cptsd since we both agree on those :) As far as being autistic goes, there is, of course, the high prevalence of adhd/asd comorbidity. For specifc traits- while autism can show up as lack of facial expressions/tone, it can also show up as being overly exuberant and overexpressive. Especially for younger autistic children this can show up as being overly friendly/no boundaries w/ strangers (just?? going home with a random man who says he knew wwx’s parents???), making unusual connections that others do not can be both asd and adhd, his disregard for social status (disregard might be a strong word, and also I feel like this might be one of those things that got lost in translation and if I had read the original text I might have a different opinon, but what I mean here is the way that often autistic people learn certain social rules and try their best to follow them, but often do not pick up on specifics related to social hierarchy that are not spelled out for them- I think jyl’s take down of jin zixun is a great example of the /oppossite/ of what I’m talking about, and is a very neurotypical interaction. An example also of what I mean by disregard for social hierarchy, but from my own life, is how I’ve reflected on past convos w/ my boss only to realize that what I thought was just an interesting conversation about our opinons on a particular subject was actually them trying to tell-me-as-my-boss something they wanted me to do. We ended up doing things the way I wanted to do them because I didn’t realize that they were telling me to do something because they didnt explicitly say so, and because I just don’t pick up on when people are saying something from a social hierarchy pov. Idk if this makes sense or not, so I’m happy to try to expand if you would like me to. I feel like wwx could be described as having alexithymia, which is very common in autistic people, but could also be due to his cptsd. And then, I don’t feel like this is a true point because it is kind of based on headcanon? but wwx feels very demisexual to me, which is much more common for autistic people than it is for allistic people. But him being demi is not canon, just my perception of him (I see him as demisexual gay w/ massive comphet, but I know lots of people see him as bi, which also totally makes sense!!)

Tbh, I’m having a harder time than I thought I would listing wwx specifics. I might go through the book sometime this weekend and see if there are specific moments that pop out at me, but tbh w/ him its more that he Feels very adhd/asd to me?? Idk, I was diagnosed w/ adhd when I was 8, and all 4 of my siblings plus my father have offical adhd diagnoses. I’m 29 now and was only diagnosed as autistic earlier this year.  All of my close friends have always been either adhd, asd, or adhd/asd. There have been multiple people I have met that I’ve suspected were neurodivergent who have later told me they started looking into it and are now seeking formal diagnoses. I mention these things, only to give full context when I say that I have spent a lot of time observing the differences between interacting with neurotypicals and neurodivergents. I mean, obviously, it’s possible that I could just be projecting, but to me, Wwx gives off late-diagnosed/heavy masker autism/adhd combo vibes. Again, maybe I am projecting, but I did try to analyze whether I was or not previously, and determined that since in the past with other favorite characters (who I probably share more similarities in personality with) I did not feel like they were neurodivergent, so I figured that probably I wasn’t? That feels like a very convoluted sentence, but what I mean is that I have not thought that about other characters who have been my fav, so I figured that while I do project in certain areas that this particular area probably wasn’t one of them. Or, to say it in yet another way, since i did not project any of my neurodivergencies on past favorite characters, I figured I probably didn’t start doing so now.

I would love to hear more of your perspective on this, particularly because I worry that I do not have the cultural touchstones to realize when something wwx or lwj is doing is not actually a sign of being neurodivergent. I try my best to research things I don’t know about and to listen to fans who actually do have that cultural understanding, but there’s only so much I can look into on my own when I only speak/read english. And also, I love mdzs and I love talking about both adhd and autism, so I’m glad to talk about these subjects with someone else who also likes all of those topics :) Sorry for sending a book of a response and also I hope you are having a great day!!

wow wow wow anon THANK YOU for doing your research and acknowledging your blind spots you seriously made my day. I wanted to get to this as soon as I made that rant while sharing cyan’s post bc this is specifically an example of a well researched proposition based on actual lived experience and critical thinking.

I almost want to ask you to come forward so we can take this convo elsewhere for a more nuanced discussion bc you’ve already hit upon an issue that’s been holding me back from making a big blathering masterpost on the matter - that the ND experience is so unique and individual, and no one person can dictate someone else’s experience. at the end of the day, if you personally relate to these characters and gain more understanding of yourself and your experiences from them, who am I to take that away from you?

in a public space though I have to make the discussion very broad in order to accurately contextualize these issues, bc in typical autistic fashion I feel morally compelled to Do My Best and Get It Right even as the masses show no inclination of returning the favor, so apologies for the boring backstories I have to get out of the way before we can approach anything resembling new ground.

first from a diagnostic standpoint, while I recognize the traits you listed (and appreciate your clearly nuanced understanding of ND expressions) and would find value in exploring them in a personal context, they are not unique to adhd and/or autism and wouldn’t constitute a basis for diagnosis in a clinical setting. I know that's probably beside the point for this anon, but there's enough edgy teens hoarding labels out there without tacit encouragement from scientists (yes I am technically a scientist, even though my ideologies these days range from conventional to... wildly esoteric, shall we say)

from a cultural standpoint, it’s important for me to emphasize that the concept of neurodivergence is a uniquely western notion. for those unfamiliar, the term 'neurodiversity' was only coined in 1998. I was born in 1991. I existed for a whole 7 years as an autistic person before the idea of being neurodivergent was even a thing. this ND acceptance thing is very, very new - people were not making tiktok confessionals about their adhd diagnosis journeys when I was growing up.

china, like most asian countries, is about 20 years or more behind on just about every social issue compared with western countries. to better illustrate, the experience of being ND in china falls much closer to the conventional experience of disability (i.e. being eugenicized out of existence) than the tentative ND acceptance movement that’s been kickstarted in the past 20 years in the anglosphere.

safe to say, there is no ND coding going on in chinese media. characters are either explicitly ND or they're not. there's no basis for a creator subtly inducing ND-like traits in a character, because there's no such thing as ND awareness in the cultural context of where mdzs was written and consumed. any resemblance is purely accidental, as they say.

as to how this resemblance could exist - I could go into the layers and layers of historical, cultural, social and religious context that make up these characters and the xianxia genre as a whole. for this anon in particular i'm happy to, because they've done the work. please please get in touch in some way where we can have a fully fleshed out chat if you're interested in taking this further, I realize i’ve basically addressed none of the finer points you’ve raised but honestly it’s another level of discussion to be had that cannot be summarized in one blog post haha.

as for those who would scream 'but special interests!!' at a character whose sect was founded by a literal monk - what would be the point?

PS. to comprise a starting point for why it's possible to see ND4ND everywhere in media if you looked hard enough - I refer you to the seminal red oni blue oni trope 💁‍♀️

[blu-archer]

Warmth

Hi... So, It’s 00:44. I should be editing photo’s for the day a head but I did this instead. I really shouldn’t have but... it happened... (If there’s grammatical errors... this is why.. forgive me.)

Because procrastination has just kind of merged itself as a part of my very soul and essence as a human being at this point. 

This is just a short thing to be honest, and its technically a ‘sick/snz’ thing, but really it felt really short and comes across as more as a comfort, small filler type thing... but it was fun to write sooooo anyway..

enjoy I guess

Caretaker: ???Jimin/Jin?? I don’t really know 

Sickie: Yoongi

word count: 2568.

.

.

“Huh’ishh… snf… Huh’ihishew… huh’igxnsh!”

“You sneeze one more time and I’m sending you home.” Jin said warningly from his seat at the front desk.

Yoongi rolled his eyes, merely sniffling until he could get the chance to blow his nose. He didn’t remember the stores shelves being this dusty, but perhaps Namjoon just hadn’t had time to clean up while Yoongi had been away. He’ll have to do a deep clean once his magic has rested enough to manage it.

“I’m serious Yoon.”

“Jin. You don’t work here.” Yoongi replied dryly, not sparing the elder a glance. “and I own this business. You can’t send me home for sneezing.”

“You own half this business.” Jin corrected, clicking away at the latch on his pen as he stared through the gaps in the shelves at where Yoongi rubbed at his nose before putting up more jarred charms. “and I am married to the owner of the other half, which means I am also the owner of the other half.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“It does. You wouldn’t know because you haven’t married Jimin yet. What’s mine is Joon’s and what’s Joon’s is mine.” Jin grinned teasingly.

Yoongi knew that he was mostly joking, just twisting things to get his way, but it was still somewhat relevant in some areas. Namjin was a typical ‘we’ couple the second after Jin had gotten Namjoon to love him more than his plants, which honestly hadn’t been that difficult.  

“Does that mean that Namjoon can go treat kids at the school, like you. You’re the nurse right.. does that mean Namjoon has the same qualifications?” Yoongi asked, his words laced with building congestion.

“Don’t make jokes like that. Joon would never be able to manage working with children, no matter how much he loves them.” Jin shook his head. “Poor baby would be so terrified of hurting them or something, probably wouldn’t be able to put up with half the rascals I have to deal with. Teenagers are the worst, and when it comes to creating excuses to get out of class... don’t get me started.”

 Yoongi joined him by the desk, having finished most of the restocking of the shelves. It was technically supposed to be Jin’s day off from work – which usually meant that Namjoon would call in for the day off as well, but they had had a last minute call pleading for someone to come charm and heal sections of a park that had been set a light a few days prior, and well… Namjoon wasn’t going to decline that. He had even taken Taehyung with him. Hopefully nothing gets set on fire again.

But that meant that Jin had welcomed himself to lurking around the store, “helping” Yoongi with the daily routine and customers. Helping had turned into pestering very quickly.

“This is proof that it’s not true then.” Yoongi shrugged, reaching for a serviette that had come with the lunch Jin had ordered in to blow his nose.

He pointedly chose to ignore the exasperated look that flashed across Seokjin’s face.

“How’s Jimin?” Jin’s tone wasn’t as curious as the question posed. “Still sick?”

Yoongi refused to meet the witches gaze as he cleared his throat and reached for his iced coffee. It was more like watered down coffee now, but he required any form of caffeine that he could get.

“He’s still a little sick, but he’s going back to work tomorrow.” Yoongi pursed his lips as he thought back to when Jimin had told him the day before.

The hybrid had put a real fight when Yoongi had suggested to take another few days to rest. One would have thought he had told Jimin to quit or something. He understood his boyfriends need and passion to do his job, but from what Hoseok had mentioned to him, it was precisely the fact that Jimin worked too hard that got him into the mess he had been in any way. He just wanted to make sure that his boyfriend was taking enough time to recuperate.

“You don’t think that maybe… he shared?”

“What?”

“Yoongi..” Jin sighed. “Your nose is red. You’ve been coughing and sniffling all morning. You also haven’t taken off Jimin’s hoodie – which you usually do before opening because you don’t like mixing potions and other peoples’ scents over his, and don’t even try to tell me that your voice hasn’t been cracking since you entered that door.”

Yoongi looked away, taking another sip of his drink. “Could be allergies. ‘s dusty…”

Jin didn’t even have to say anything. His deadpan expression and tightly drawn lips told Yoongi enough about what the elder thought of that suggestion.

Maybe he was getting sick. After all, he and Jimin hadn’t exactly worked hard to prevent any contagion – especially after Yoongi had convinced the younger to let him be more helpful in all matters of care. It would actually make a lot of sense, but he couldn’t bring himself to want to acknowledge it. Jimin would feel so bad if he knew that he’d gotten the warlock sick, especially if it happened right before he had agreed to return from sick leave.

“I can’t go home. Jimin will feel guilty.”

“That is stupid reasoning.” Jin pulled a disapproving face. He looked at his friend, then shook his head. “I’m being serious Yoongi. You should rest now before it gets worst. We can close the shop for the day, Namjoon can continue tomorrow like he has been and Jimin would feel better knowing that you didn’t try hide this from him. You know that he will see you not telling him as some sort of annoying guilt thing. Don’t make a small thing big. He’ll probably be so happy to do whatever you young couples do now days again.”

Yoongi grimaced but didn’t waste the energy on commenting on Jin’s overly wistful words. Rather he put his mind to the customer that had just warily entered the store. He wasn’t going home. He had made up his mind and nothing Jin could say would change it.

**

“Kit’en?” Yoongi snuffled wetly.

Groaning and clearing his throat as he locked the front door behind him. He was about to call again when a deep, congested sneeze ripped through his throat – much louder and harsher than he liked. He really shouldn’t have stayed the full working day. He should have accepted Namjoon’s offer to have him just continue working the store for today and onwards, but if Yoongi was anything – it was stubborn. Of course he regretted it now though.

He walked into the kitchen and swallowed some of the medicine Jimin had been taking before he went to find the hybrid, who had remained silent. It was a bit odd that he hadn’t replied when Yoongi called, but it wasn’t rare enough for him to be overly concerned. Just curious…

It was when he couldn’t find Jimin in any of the rooms that his worry began to rise.

He called out again as he quickly paced through their cottage, being met by nothing but silence. He even tried to call but following the muffled ringing of Jimin’s phone lead him to their rumpled, vacant bed. In a final moment of panic, he called forth his magic, letting the icy chill of it flood throughout his body until a blast of wind shot off of him with staggering force. Usually he wouldn’t use his magic so raw, much rather preferring to have a physical object to make the effects easier to deal with, a skill that had been adapted centuries before from witches to fit a warlocks needs without the risk of magic drainage, but he didn’t stop for a moment to think. The magic had left him so abruptly that he had to lay a steadying hand on the wall while he breathed icy white breaths for the brief moment until the surged wave returned to him with just as much impact as it had left him with, causing him to break out coughing for air while the room tilted and swayed beneath his feet before returning to its previous temperature and stability.

Jimin was outside… in Yoongi’s studio?

That couldn’t be right. Jimin didn’t really go to the studio unless Yoongi was there. In fact, he was sure Jimin had told him that he didn’t like the studio space at all – something about there being too many scents.

Why would he be there now?

 He took a second to catch his breath before he went on his search. His nose had just started to run, and no amount of sniffling was going to help him. His head pounded against the cold, but he ignored it as best as he could.

None of it mattered.

What mattered was that it was cold. His studio specifically was always cold to a degree, and Jimin was uncharacteristically in there.

 “Love?” Yoongi called as loud as he could as soon as he passed the entrance, his voice cracking over the single word.

“ ‘oongi?”

Yoongi came to an abrupt halt just outside of the tiny, makeshift library that he stored all of his spell books in to see the familiar form of his boyfriend curled up on the oval windowsill with a blanket and pillow tucked around him as the dying sunlight painted his skin.

His hair was a mess and he swiped at his mouth and eyes languidly as a yawn broke widely across his face.

“Hey.” Jimin greeted with a warm lazy smile. “Good day?”

“It could have been better.” Yoongi answered honestly, moving into the small space so that he could wrap his arms around Jimin. The hybrid jumped at the icy feel of his skin. “I thought you didn’t like my studio.”

“It grew on me. Was the only thing that strongly smelt like you for a while, so it became more comfortable for me…Why are you so cold, what happened?”

Yoongi shrugged, his cheeks warming has he realised his actions may have been a bit impatient. There were other spells that he could have used, weaker ones that relied on words and physical additives rather than actual core magic, which would have left him with more energy and just overall less affected. He’d been unnecessarily rash.

He sunk his face into the hybrids chest, somewhat admitting defeat while forcing the younger to be pushed up tightly against the window as he was embraced. He felt fingers run through his hair and an ill-timed cough shook his entire frame. Jimin froze and Yoongi caved with two soft words. “I’m … sick.”

“Oh, baby…”

He felt Jimin card his fingers through his hair again, harder this time, letting his nails scrape lightly against the Warlock’s sculp as he held him close. Yoongi took as deep a breath as he dared. He couldn’t smell the usual spicy aroma that hung around the younger, but he melted into the bundle of warmth that was Jimin, succumbing rather easily to the uncomfortably angled yet intimate embrace.

“I’m so sorry I got you sick… we should have been more careful.”

“I’m fine.” Yoongi said, his voice muffled before he pushed away from Jimin so that he wasn’t bent in an awkward standing/leaning position any longer. “I was more worried about you, but you look better.”

“I feel better, mostly. There are still moments when I feel bad, but it’s a big.. improvement…” Jimin yawned, pulling his blanket up to smother it, then chuckled as Yoongi broke into a mirroring action, sniffling and resting lazily against his bookshelf afterwards.  “We should probably head inside now. Get something in you before we go to bed.”

Jimin gradually got to his feet, stumbling a bit as he stretched before opening his blanket to properly engulf Yoongi in its warmth with him. Jimin could feel a bundle of heaviness, completely unrelated to his cold, settle in his chest as he listened to Yoongi sniffle thickly on their way back into the house – making a quick dash when they had to cross yard with the cooling breeze. The warlock had a lot to catch up on in terms of his work and this was quite obviously going to set him back a bit further.

Not that he seemed to mind.

Jimin seemed to be more stressed than his boyfriend about the matter. To compensate for resulting in getting Yoongi sick he had tried to collect a bunch of blankets and soft materials that he had scattered around the house during the day, working to make a more comfortable setting for Yoongi in their room once he had gotten the warlock to lie down there. He had successfully gathered water and at least three of the fluffiest blankets they owned before Yoongi had him trapped beneath him against the mattress.

The warlock had distracted him from his coddling after sneezing openly to the side with enough force that Jimin had reached out to steady his seated figure with concern, only to be tugged onto the bed and rolled on top of with the accompaniment of all of the blankets he’d piled on the elder moments before. He had wanted to complain, that he needed to make food for them or to get them the medicine, even if Yoongi had mentioned that he’d already taken something – or at the very least more tissues, because they’d definitely be needed those. Yet Yoongi had merely rested his cheek against Jimin’s shoulder, sniffling into the base of the hybrids neck while he wrapped his arms tightly around the dancers frame.

“Yoon… you need food…”

“ ‘need you.” Yoongi whispered lowly, yawning into Jimin’s chest. “I missed you today… just… just stay. Please.”

Jimin snuggled down, embracing the warlock as entirely as he could. Their limbs becoming a mesh between the blankets. If this was the comfort that his boyfriend needed, then who was he to protest?

Even as Yoongi drifted off to sleep, the ice that had filled his veins from earlier thawed with the warmth that bled through him by the mere presence of the Calico cat. The dying sunlight still blared down on them, but neither of them could bring themselves to care. If anything, it helped in making the pair sleepier. Jimin rubbed his nose through Yoongi hair and down over his cheek, pressing soft lips to the elders temple, then his cheek, then nose.

Yoongi squirmed and let out an amused groan, pushing Jimin away before pulling him close once more. He’d never get used to the effect that Jimin had on him. How a simple gesture made him feel as if he could wield all the magic in the world. He’d tried to explain the empowering feeling before, but he had never been able to put it into words.

“I’m sorry.” Jimin whispered, pressing a final kiss to Yoongi’s head. Although his tone had dipped into the same seriousness from before. Then in an even softer voice, he added. “Love you, Yoongi… ”

Yoongi was already half asleep, his body giving in after the events of his day, but the tender words pushed him further. He slipped into a dark content sleep, filled with that familiar warmth and spicy scent that he had grown to depend on.

He’d let out a soft sigh, barely catching Jimin’s final words of ‘rest well’ before he was completely submerged into his dreams.

[amindofstone]

I just realised...

a/n: I apologize for any grammatical or spelling mistakes. English is not my mother tongue but still I´m trying to do my best and improve myself. (This got edited quite a few times now)

Say whatever you want. You can disagree. I promise you that I´m gonna be okay with that but....

But at some point I think that Kakashi Hatake is the actual representation and a “living” example of I´m sad as fck. I´m broken to the point I don´t even know myself anymore. I´m damaged to the point I don´t even know if what I´m doing is right. I'm lost to the point I don't even know what the actual reason for my life is and what I am or at least should be living for but I´m gonna smile because that´s what everyone expects me to do. And I´m gonna do whatever I get told to do because there is nothing and no one left I can or should live for anyways.

I know that this is a bit different than the things I usually post and my actual reason on why I made this acc but after watching Naruto as an 21 years old college student, I realised how deep, sad, emotional but also philosophical Naruto is. As a “child” I loved watching Naruto because of their abilities and the fact that kids could be so strong & powerful. Something that every child would want to be. But as for now I have to admitt that the only thing I did while watching this anime (for more than half of the episodes) was crying my soul out. Never ever did I thought that I´ll be relating to a fictional character to this point. Gaara, Itachi, Pain & Kakashi made me feel like I wasn't alone with my pain and hardships in life. I felt understood and happy. But therefore I could understand them too. I was able to understand their choices and the paths they went. I understood their pain and feelings. 

Kakashi, the man that was smiling through the whole series although he was hurt, lonely and broken inside but still smiled made me realise how sad and broken I actually am. Life was and is gonna be hard for me. But I learned that one day I'll be able to go through a reconciliation with myself and life just like him. I learned that one day I'll be able to look back and think less negative and bad about myself and my life. I really hope that one day I'll be able to sign a contract of peace with my soul. 

Going back to Kakashi I really would like to explain how much I love, admire and respect this character but sadly I just don´t know how. His entire life was an actual tragedy. Sad from beginnig to the end. He didn´t have a normal childhood. He lost one beloved person after another. But still. But still he managed to stay in the right path. He still managed to do good and be good. He gave people the feeling of security and hope. He got called cold hearted because of what life turned him into whithout actually thinging why he is like that. He propably was also seen as someone unpredictable and got judged by preconseptions but he never said anything. He never complained. He still looked in everyone eyes and smiled politely. And never ever did he drift of to the dark side. Never did he let his dark emotions take the lead in his life. 

Kakashi, really is a impressiv character. He teaches that although one might go to a lot of hardships, pain and sadness one never should let the negativity in one take the lead. Because there is always light, even in the most darkest places. His life that was a tragedy. A beautiful catharsis, taught me a lot. I´m really happy that I let my friend convience me to watch it all over again. Because it really was worth my time and sleep. As weird as it might sound but that series. That anime taught me more about life, emotions, relationships, hopes and dreams than school or family did. 

Naruto will have a special place in my heart for as long as I will be living. This anime really touched me. And the huge amout of tears I shed are an actual proof for that...

I really could talk hours and hours about how much I fell in love with this anime. I could talk days and nights about how much I fell in love with the stories and the personalities of Kakashi, Itachi, Pain and Gaara. But I think I should stop here and get back to studying..... 

Well that´s it for now I guess. But yeah I´m in love with Kakashi although this is hella weird. Like actually weird on a whole new level... I never thought that I would be attached to a fictional character to this point but well here we are... Like jokes aside now. I have way to much pictures and quotes of him saved in my phone...

Anyways, have a great day/eve and make sure to take care of yourself. But before I go let me drop some quotes of my favourite characters in Naruto. 

“When someone utters, „Life is hard.“ I´ve always been tempted to ask, “Compared to what?” – Kakashi Hatake

"Forget about revenge. The fate of those who seek revenge is grim. It's tragic, You will end up suffering and hurting yourself even more. Even if you do succeed in getting revenge, the only thing that remains is emptiness." - Kakashi Hatake 

“if you don't understand someone pain then you don't understand him” ― Nagato

“Sometimes you must hurt in order to know, fall i  order to grow, lose in order to gain. Because life´s great lessons are learned through pain“ - Nagato

"People Live their Lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That is how they define "Reality" . But what does it mean to be "correct" or "true"? They are merely vague concepts... Their "Reality" may all be a mirage. Can we consider them to be simply living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?" - Itachi Uchiha

“We have walked through the darkness of this world, that’s why we are able to see even a sliver of light. ” – Gaara

“Peace under an illusion is not true peace. It´s only meaningful if the real world manages to accomplish it.“ - Gaara

[welllpthisishappening]

Welllp These Are Books: the January 2021 Edition

Tumblr’s gif search leaves a lot to be desired, so there’s no actual gif of her slamming the book shut, which is—y’know, disappointing. Still, the continued ability of the public library system to send books to my Kindle ensures that I continue to read every romantic comedy and fantasy story I can find. Of which I have plenty of thoughts and opinions. But, like, what’s the point of having thoughts and opinions if you’re not putting them on the internet? There isn’t one, obviously. Books and links and feelings and more ridiculous headlines all under the cut. 

BEST BOOK AWARD WINNER OF A VERY WEIRD JANUARY THAT HELPED DISTRACT FROM A VERY WEIRD JANUARY

The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend. She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

This was so good?!?! I finished the first book and them immediately started the sequel, like no break whatsoever?!! I wish they weren’t teenagers?!! But seriously I wish they hadn’t been teenagers. Like, I get it. It’s YA. That probably sells better, something about markets that I don’t understand. I don’t care. It was weird that they were teenagers. Also, some of the plot points just kind of...happened? And I’m not entirely sure they were ever resolved. (Although there are a bunch of short stories, so. Maybe I just haven’t gotten there yet.) Despite that, the writing was gorgeous, I remain as prone to swooning over sad boys patent pending as I was when I was sixteen and Shahrzad was a fantastic heroine. Nine out of ten (would have been ten if they weren’t teenagers) and have already put holds on other books Ahdieh has written. 

OBLIGATORY RAGE-INDUCING ROM-COM

Head Over Heads by  Hannah Orenstein The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: After training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their emotionally abusive coach, Dimitri. Now, reeling from a breakup with her football star boyfriend, Avery returns to her Massachusetts hometown, where new coach Ryan asks her to help him train a promising young gymnast with Olympic aspirations. Despite her misgivings and worries about the memories it will evoke, Avery agrees. Back in the gym, she's surprised to find sparks flying with Ryan. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine.

I stopped reading it. Honestly. I got, like, 46% of the way through, kept complaining to Justin about how goddamn annoying Avery was and how no one had any personality and I wanted them all to fall off the beam and he was like—stop reading it, then? And I was like—I can do that? And then I did! Also, I understand it needed conflict, but the “shocking scandal” in the description is a sexual assault that was not only NOT my cup of tea, but felt like a massive attempt to be topical by using what happened at Michigan State without actually saying it was about Michigan state. 

PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW SPORTS WRITE SPORTS AND DO IT OK

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them. Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future. When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

I am admittedly a sports snob. Writing about sports is my thing and I’m super particular about reading about it. But this sounded good and for the most part it was good. Emotional, too. Like, “jeepers, that was intense” kind of emotional. But also some of the things Dean talked about were just...not how sports work and that drives me nuts. Also another story that was, as mentioned, super emotional only to get tied up in this nice little bow. Which, cool, but also...not? Just felt rushed at the end. 

IN WHICH SHIPPING IS QUESTIONED AND I JUST LIKE BEN BARNES

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold—a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed. Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country's magical military elite—and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation. Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.

I wanted to like this so much. So, so much. And sometimes I did. Sometimes I did not. At all. World building is my weakness and this has got it in spades, but the characters are kind of—boring? I couldn’t really bring myself to care about Alina and I wanted to kick Mal in the shins sometimes. The only interesting one was The Darkling who’s like the embodiment of all evil and I am not here to ship-shame anyone, but it’s kinda weird to ship him and Alina. I pictured Ben Barnes the entire time. I’m still excited for the show. I’ll read the sequel at some point, probably. 

BEING A JERK IS NOT ROMANCE, YOU’RE JUST A JERK

Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters It's Evie Summers's job to find out. Because if she can't convince her film agency's biggest client, Ezra Chester, to write the romantic-comedy screenplay he owes producers, her career will be over. The catch? Arrogant Ezra thinks rom-coms are unrealistic—and he'll only put pen to paper if Evie proves to him that it's possible to meet a man in real life the way it happens on the big screen. Cynical Evie might not believe in happily ever after, but she'll do what it takes to save the job that's been her lifeline . . . even if it means reenacting iconic rom-com scenes in public. Spilling orange juice on a cute stranger? No problem. Leaving her number in books all over London to see who calls? Done. With a little help from her well-meaning friends and the adorable father-daughter duo who keep witnessing her humiliations, Evie is determined to show Ezra she can meet a man the way Sally met Harry. But can a workaholic who's given up on love find a meet-cute of her very own?

I love cliches. Love ‘em. Want to read about ‘em, want to write about ‘em. Here for happily ever after. Much less here for the overused and antiquated cliche of dude doesn’t believe in love like girl does, dude ridicules girl’s belief, dude was secretly in love with her the whole time. It’s super dumb. And we should stop writing it. Also really done with rom com girl can’t figure out her life! she’s overworked! she doesn’t have time for her friends! Super duper dumb. I don’t know guys, this book happened. 

FAST-PACED ROMANCE ISN’T AS WEIRD WHEN IT’S WELL WRITTEN AND THERE’S A MOOSE INVOLVED

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler He had a strict "no tourists" policy...until she broke all of his rules. When Graham Barnett named his diner The Tourist Trap, he meant it as a joke. Now he's stuck slinging reindeer dogs to an endless parade of resort visitors who couldn't interest him less. Not even the sweet, enthusiastic tourist in the corner who blushes every time he looks her way...

Two weeks in Alaska isn't just the top item on Zoey Caldwell's bucket list. It's the whole bucket. One look at the mountain town of Moose Springs and she's smitten. But when an act of kindness brings Zoey into Graham's world, she may just find there's more to the grumpy local than meets the eye...and more to love in Moose Springs than just the Alaskan wilderness.

This story of Alaska marries together all the things you didn't realize you needed: a whirlwind vacation, a friendly moose, a grumpy diner owner, a quirky tourist, plenty of restaurant humor, and a happy ending that'll take you away from it all.

I’m not one for slow burn, but I also have a hard time believing romances that happen in, like, a blink. Not the case here! It was so goddamn cute! There was a moose! Graham kept calling Zoey darlin’ and it made my heart try to explode in my chest! Stars Hollow-levels of small town with lots of side characters and a good plot and a restaurant that everyone always went to! You guys know I’m trash for everyone always going to hang out in the same restaurant! I’m reading the sequel now, so that’s how much I enjoyed it. 

AMAZON BOOKS THAT CONTINUE TO BE WAY BETTER THAN THEY SHOULD BE

Elodie of the Sea by Shari L. Tapscott (part of the Eldentimber Series) Eight years have passed since the marriage tournament that decided the fate of Princess Pippa of Lauramore and strengthened alliances between the kingdoms of Elden. The competitors have moved on with their lives. Some have found adventure; some have found love. Prince Bran of Triblue, however, has put his life on hold, preparing for his father's crown. Two days before Bran's winter coronation, just when the prince cannot afford distractions, a girl washes onto the Triblue shore. She has no memory of her past life, no clue who she is or where she belongs—nothing but a ring on her finger and a peculiar marking on her cheek. And the newly crowned king has more than a mysterious girl to worry about. The sea has become unpredictable. Storms claim ships in the dead of night, and sailors return with horrifying stories of monsters from the deep. It soon becomes clear the girl and the bizarre events are connected. The girl came from the sea... and the sea wants her back. But Bran isn't willing to give her or his kingdom up without a fight, even if it means he must request help from every corner of Elden.

Listen, sometimes you have to read about a mermaid who lost her memory and the soon-to-be-king who’s, like, immediately in love with her. I mentioned Tapscott’s books in the 2020 post and the sentiment remains the same. You ever read a book that reads like fic? Lots of banter, some romance, steady pacing. That’s what her books are like. There are five in the Eldentimber series, all about a different princess in a different kingdom, but they all connect so characters pop up again and again and then they kiss. It’s real good. 

[snarkwrites]

02 | upside down; steve harrington

Notes:

I suck so bad. I meant to post these before I left to go on my little trip and life got hella busy. But, I didn't get around to it. BUT BUT.. I am now. They're not really that edited, so yeah. I was happy with what came out, despite this turning out to not be a slow burn type thing at all like I originally wanted. So for all those hoping for a slow burn, oopsies?

OH.. And before I forget, chapters one, two, three and potentially four take place BEFORE the actual series starts. ;P

Summary:

She moves back to Hawkins and manages to turn his life completely upside down. In the best of ways.

But how will everything play out between them? Also, can they handle all the weirdness ahead? We shall see.

Warnings:

LOOSE CANON COMPLIANCE AT BEST, TOTAL DEVIATION AT WORST - this is just an up front catch all because sometimes, things happen that I don’t particularly care for (the senseless death of Barb, anybody?) and if you’re one of those canon only people, this is here to warn you that this is not the fic for you. LANGUAGE, OCCASIONAL GORE, MONSTERS / FANTASY ELEMENTS, TEENAGE DRAMA AND SHENANIGANS - Obviously, teenagers are going to do stuff. They’re at that point in their life where not every decision they make is the best one. So if you’d rather skip over this kind of thing (teen drinking, fighting, etc) then yeah.. you’ve been warned. THIS IS NOT A SLOW BURN, I REPEAT NOT SLOW AT ALL / EVENTUAL FILTHY GOOD NESS - because lets be real.. we’re all wondering when we’re gonna drop the plot and get to the good stuff. When this chapter occurs, I will flair it with an M. In the meantime, if you’re not into slow burn or mutual pining, then you’re probably not going to care about this.

Other Parts

[ SOUNDTRACK | part one]

Other Stuff

[ FAQ - TAG LIST DOC ]

Tagging:

There’s nobody on my list yet but… If you wanna be tagged for this, tell me pls. It will make me overjoyed.

Throwing out a no pressure tag to @RAMPAGEWRITING​ and @TWISTNET​ as well as @CHASINGEVERYBREAKINGWAVE​ just because. No pressure though bbies!

TWO.

Monday came with no sign of Steve. Then Tuesday. By Wednesday, I felt like I was about to lose my mind. Still no sign of him.

It was now Thursday afternoon. And honestly, I’d put the whole thing out of my head. Started to convince myself that I’d been right about Steve Harrington and his intentions after all. Nana Ginger had gotten Jonathan to come and help out by bussing tables in the dining area for an hour or two so I could go over the books for her with no interruptions. When I caught sight of Steve’s silver BMW pulling into the parking lot, I was perched atop the counter in the gas station doing just that.

With Billy Idol blasting quietly from a little boombox nearby.

I raised a brow when instead of coming in like usual, Steve wandered around back. Out to where Nana's boyfriend Hank was working in bay 3 of the garage behind the place.

“Oh. Oh no. Steve, why the hell…” I muttered to myself. Sitting the ledger to the side as I tiptoed carefully to the door that lead out into the garage from the front of the buildings attached. I pressed my ear against it, trying to listen.

All I could really make out was Hank laughing out loud. And Steve asking what was so funny about what he’d apparently asked. Then Hank telling him verbatim, that he didn’t know if he could trust him as far as he could throw him while pointing out that he’d been a teenage boy once too and that he knew exactly where this was all heading.

My breath caught in my throat. I waited on Steve to offer some form of rebuttal. Seconds later, he finally did. “ You’re actually completely wrong about me, sir. With all due respect.”

“If you can get her to say yes to a date in the first place, kid, by all means. But if you hurt her, you’re not gonna have anywhere to hide. We clear, kid?” Hank said this as loud and as plain as day. Clearly enough I could hear it completely through the door separating the two areas.

Steve muttered something else I couldn’t quite hear and in a mad scramble that had Jonathan nearly doubling over in laughter, I was trying to perch myself back on top of the counter at the front of the gas station. Balancing the ledger on my lap. Trying to force myself to concentrate on running numbers.

My reading glasses started to slip down the bridge of my nose and swearing, I pushed them back up. Eventually taking them off to unfocus my eyes and give them a little relief from strain. Jonathan spoke up from nearby.

“Hear anything interesting just now, Jen?” he gave me a teasing smirk and I grumbled, playfully flipping him off as I gave a soft smile. I nodded. “Yeah. I guess I have to at least consider saying yes to Harrington’s constant asking me out. I mean… takes a brave guy to talk to Hank.”

“You’re definitely not wrong there.” Jonathan muttered, chuckling quietly. Digging around in the pocket of his apron and tossing me a cassette tape. Smirking. “I made it during the countdown last night.”

“Oh?” I turned the cassette over in my hands, smiling. “I’ll put it in right now, give it a listen while I’m doing the rest of the books. Hey, do you need somebody to give Will a lift to Mike’s on Saturday?”

“If you don’t mind?” Jonathan asked.

“Not at all.” I grinned, adding quickly, “I’m supposed to drop Dustin Henderson off there too. Figured since they’re going to the same place and I’m gonna hang out with Nancy for a while, why not?”

“Thank you.” Jonathan gave a grateful smile and an idea kind of formed. I smiled and mentioned casually, “Ya know, Jon.. If you really want to thank me.. You could talk to Nancy sometime.”

Jonathan eyed me with a raised brow. I held out his mixtape and added, “She loves The Clash.”

“Really?” his brow raised.

“Just take my word for it, Byers.”

“ You’re sure you don’t mind me giving her this?”

“Why would I? I told you to, silly.” I laughed, shaking my head. Jonathan was being called to the back dining area again by my Nana, so he hurried off and I stood, stretching. Slinking down the aisles of the gas station, over to a cooler.

I grabbed myself a Diet Pepsi and dug around in my pocket for the money to put in the register to cover it. Once I’d popped the top against the counter, I settled back on top of it, getting back to balancing the books.

I heard a throat clearing from the doors about ten minutes later. The smell of cheeseburger and french fries wafted straight to my nose, making me groan quietly as my eyes fixed on Steve and then promptly lowered to the grease stained brown paper bag he held in his hands as he grinned at me, nodding to the glasses perched on my nose.

“Fuck.” I scrambled to take them off. Steve stepped into the gas station completely, walking towards me. A teasing gleam in his eyes as he shook his head. Stopping on the other side of the counter, in front of me. “You don’t have to do that, Jennie. I’ve seen you wearing glasses before, remember? The red framed ones you had in kindergarten.”

I cringed, laughing a little. Leaning in slightly. Gazing at him almost helplessly as the bits of conversation I’d overheard between him and Hank out in the garage earlier replaying in my head.

Remembering that tonight, if he asked me on a date yet again, I was going to say yes. And not just because of some silly dare given to me by Barb and Nancy. Because I couldn’t keep fighting Steve Harrington off the way I had been if I wanted to, to begin with.

I was leaning closer where I sat. It occurred to me when Steve chuckled quietly. Stepping between my legs, the way they dangled over the counter on his side. He sat the grease stained paper bag to the side and he bit his lip, gazing up at me.

“Your grandma told me to come and drag you out of here. She told me to tell you not to worry about waiting the tables, she’s trying to help Jonathan get some extra cash on the side. She also said don’t argue.” Steve flashed me another one of those charmer grins and I swallowed hard. My mouth opened and closed for a second or two because I just couldn’t think of anything clever to say. Weird, because normally, I have plenty to say. Constantly.

Out of habit, my fingers drifted up to the dainty cursive nameplate that hung on the silver chain around my neck. I toyed with the lettering as I pretended to mull it over, just to be slightly difficult.

So I could feel better about giving in when I inevitably did.

“C’mon, Jennie.” Steve pleaded. Eyes locked on mine. Gaze dropping briefly to my lips and lingering there just long enough that I could feel my breath when it caught in my throat.

I finally managed to get my mouth and brain working in tandem and licking my lips as I gazed at him, I muttered quietly, “It’s Jen.”

“Maybe I like Jennie better.” Steve leaned in just a little. A teasing gleam in his eye and a flirty tone to his voice as it dropped lower. Quieter.

And when Hank’s throat cleared from the door between the garage and the front of the building, I wanted to puddle into a pile of goo in the linoleum tile.

“Interruptin somethin, Jaybird?” he asked the question so casually.

Steve looked like a deer in headlights. He pulled away just a little and despite myself, I pouted.

Satisfied that he’d interrupted things between Steve and I, Hank smirked a little, dragging an oil stained hand over shaggy brown and gray hair. Gazing at us both. Giving Steve that universal gesture that clearly spelled out “I’m watching you, kid.” before going to a cooler to grab himself a six pack of beer, counting out the correct change in bills and coins and handing them to me.

I grabbed hold of Hank’s hand. “Nana is gonna have a fit. I know that’s not super glue I see holdin skin together, sir.”

“It is, Jaybird. Because if I don’t get that damned Chrysler off my lift, I’m gonna burn her to the ground.”

“Oh Hank.” I shook my head, clucking my tongue at him. Digging around for antiseptic and a bandage, holding it out to him expectantly as he withdrew his hand. He chuckled and shook his head. “It’ll be fine, kid.” he waved away the antiseptic and the bandage and made his way into the garage area again, making me shake my head.

Taking the time to pull myself together decently enough that I wasn’t a stammering mess when I glanced at Steve again.

“C’mon. Please?” he asked again.

I tapped my chin, pretending to think about it. Slipping off the counter. By this time, he’d stepped in close all over again, so me slipping off the counter had us body to body. His hand settled in the curve of my hip and I barely restrained a gasp.

“Okay. Alright. I’ll leave with you.”

He grinned brightly. Holding the door open for me after I clocked out and placed my timecard in the slot with my name on it. I ducked my head into the dining area and my Nana’s only response was to smirk and wink at me. Shooing me out of the diner.

“Get her outta my hair, kid!” my Nana smiled as she called out to Steve, who was standing right behind me. His hand at my lower back. The second I realized this, I could feel myself burning up all over. Just the simplest touch.. Felt comforting. Intimate. And me, being of dirty mind, well.. Me and my dirty mind, we took that and ran.

Jesus Christ, of all the times for my hormones to manifest, it’s now? When I’m trying to break 2 prior generations of questionable romantic choices? I wanted to shake my head at myself. I reminded myself calmly that just because my Nana and my mom did the things they did, that didn’t mean I had to cave in and repeat. I am my own person, after all. And apparently right now, that person is giddy with… Thoughts.

“Gladly, ma’am!” Steve called back, laughing.

He pushed open the door and we stepped outside. When he opened the passenger door, I sank down into the seat, leaning back against it a little. Steve wandered around to the driver side, getting into the car. Starting it.

“Where are you taking me?”

He chuckled. “ I think you’ll like it.”

“Steve.” I pouted, “A hint?”

“It’s outside.” was literally all he’d tell me.

“Well that really narrows it down.” I teased with a laugh.

He parked at this old park we all used to play at after school. Just as the sun was starting to go down.

We got out, wandering over to an old picnic table. Sitting on top of it, digging around in the bag for our food.

“So.. That dumb carnival is this weekend. Starts tomorrow night, I think.” Steve hinted after a few minutes. I nodded to where carnival workers were already setting up a midway a few feet away from us. Taking a bite of my burger, I mentioned casually, “I thought about going. But Nancy’s grounded again and Barb’s got that date with some guy Logan.”

“You could go with me.” Steve chuckled as he said it.

I smiled, taking another bite. “I could.”

“Would you?” he asked a few seconds later. Adding quickly, “Tonight isn’t a real date. Tomorrow. That would be.” flashing me that charmer smirk.

I nodded. Smiling as I spoke up. “ Yeah. I will. Hey… since I don’t have to go back to the diner…” before trailing off and gazing down at my legs . Reminding myself to have boundaries and restraint. But all the mental reminders in the world just weren’t cutting it. At all.

He reached out, curling his fingers beneath my chin. Making me look up at him. “What were you going to say, Jennie? You can tell me.” he coaxed. Biting his lip as he gazed at me intently.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to go swimming with me. There’s this little place out by my Nana’s out in the woods I go to swim…” I gave a soft laugh. I had to laugh at myself, it was pretty much all I could do.

Look at me. Going overboard.

“Yeah.” he nodded, smiling. We finished our food, and after, we wound up driving around a little. And about an hour later found us walking through the woods. Well, he was walking, glancing around warily, swatting at spider webs that he almost walked into a time or two and I had hold of his hand, practically dragging the poor guy.

We stepped out onto the sandy bank and he chuckled. Dragging his hand through his hair as he gazed down at me. “We don’t have suits or towels.” he mused, stepping closer to me. Staring me down all over again. I could feel my breath as it caught in my throat because if you want me to be honest?

I hadn’t thought this through properly. And was now freaking out silently. Just a little bit.

But I did my best to shove that out of my head and play it cool and calm. I went for turning it around on him, hoping to fluster him like his observation had flustered me just now.

“I know Mr. Lady Killer’s not worried about somebody seeing him in his Calvins.” I teased, sticking my tongue out at him. He chuckled. Going for his shirt, tugging it over his head. Letting it settle on a branch nearby without tearing his eyes off me for a single second as he did it.

“Did that look worried to you, Jennie?” he muttered, stepping closer. His hand at my hip as he gazed down at me. Waiting.

I cleared my throat, gesturing for him to turn around. He did, but as he did so, he joked that I was the one who was worried. Which to me, sounded like a challenge. So I tapped his shoulder so he’d turn around after lowering my shirt.

He eyed me, a brow raised.

“Challenging me, Steve?” I questioned, giving him an amused laugh as I reached down, tugging my shirt up and over my head. Letting it settle on the branch next to his polo shirt.

Steve sucked in a sharp breath and muttered something to himself, closing the distance between us. His hand settled on my hip again and he laughed quietly. Leaning down a little bit so that we were face to face, his forehead against mine and one of his hands cradling my face.

My heart was pounding. Hard and fast. So fast that I thought it might break out of my chest. I went to lick my own lips and my tongue brushed against his mouth. His fingers dug into my hip lightly and he muttered huskily, “ I see you still can’t turn down a dare, Jennie.” only half teasing. I shrugged, biting my lip as I gazed up at him. Trailing my fingers over his chest mostly just so I could ignore the way my hands were shaking and I was wet, getting wetter by the second. I glanced over my shoulder and nodded at the water. “If we’re going to swim, we should get in.”

Steve cleared his throat, nodding hastily. Stepping away, bending to tug off his sneakers and nearly tumbling over in the process. Making me giggle softly as I pulled off my boots. When my pocketknife and my mom’s old lighter fell out, he eyed me and then nodded to the items on the ground.

“A knife?”

“A girl’s gotta be prepared.” I shrugged it off. Steve tugged down his jeans and while I told myself I wasn’t going to peek or stare, I wound up failing at this miserably and got so distracted watching him that he was able to turn around my own words on me as soon as he kicked his jeans free at the ankle.

“If we’re going to swim, Jennie… we should get in.” he gave me a playful smirk as he said it, stepping closer all over again.

My hand shook as I lowered it to the button on my cut offs. As soon as I’d shed those, I took off for the water full speed. Nearly tripping on a stump in the hill leading down to the water. Steve’s arms shot out and he caught me, pulling me back upright. Pulling me hard enough that when he did, I found myself pressed against him completely.

He chuckled quietly, raising a hand. Pulling a leaf free from my hair.

“The water’s not going anywhere, Jennie.”

“I know.” I answered, my breath catching in my throat when our mouths brushed against each other’s just a little more with each word spoken. His fingers dug into my hip a little more and he took a shaky breath, asking the question quietly, “If I kissed you right now…”

My heart was hammering away in my chest but I managed to answer, “I dare you, Steve...No… I triple dare you.”. The hand he’d placed on my hip was tangled in the hair at the back of my head, pulling my mouth all the way against his mouth. His tongue swept out, outlining and then parting my lips. Massaging my tongue. Slow. Deep. Savoring the moment, even after we both clearly started to get light-headed from lack of actual oxygen. His hand moved up and down my body, settling on my lower back. Pulling me up to tiptoe slightly. The kiss broke long enough for both of us to properly breathe and then his mouth found mine again.

When it finally broke completely, Steve dragged the back of his hand over his mouth. Taking a few deep breaths. “Yeah.” he chuckled to himself.

I raised a brow. “Hm?”

“That was exactly how I thought it’d feel.” he mused, adding quietly, “Wow.”

My stomach churned and I tensed up a little. He chuckled, shaking his head. Placing his lips against my forehead. “It’s not a bad thing. Not at all. I mean.. It wasn’t for me?” he was the one who looked anxious now.

I muttered quietly, “ I definitely wouldn’t mind a repeat. A few repeats, actually, if I’m being honest.” while still quietly reeling from the intensity of it all. Melting myself against him, my fingers dancing slow over his chest. He sucked in a breath, catching hold of my hand. Tilting my chin so that I had to look up at him.

“You’re blushing.” Steve was teasing gently. Rolling his thumb over my bottom lip, leaving it quivering.

“I’m not!” I pretended to be offended by what he said, pouting a little. But I knew I was, I could feel my cheeks burning hot. I stepped away and turned my back, taking off at a run down the hill. Hitting the cool water with a loud and obnoxious splash. Steve dove in behind me, swimming over. Surfacing behind me and pressing against me from behind. I turned to face him and when he splashed me and dove out of the way, I sent up an obnoxious spray of water in his direction, making him yelp because he hadn’t been expecting it.

After about an hour of swimming around and walking the creek down further, we made our way back up to the bank, flopping onto the sand.

My restraint was well out the window by now. If I even thought for a second I was going to fight off the magnetic pull I felt to Steve, I was mistaken and I knew that now. I settled my head on his shoulder and he looped an arm around me, and we lounged around lazily, watching the sky get darker and darker.

Talking. A lot.

I realized that it had to be getting late and I sprang up, holding out my hand. Steve grabbed hold, pulling himself up. After we’d gotten redressed, we wandered up the hill and out of the woods, over to where he’d parked his car at the end of my nana’s driveway..

When he went to walk me up to my front door, we wound up body to body. My arms raised, settling around his neck. My back met the front door and he pulled me into another long and drawn out deep kiss that had us both breathless when it broke.

“Kind of don’t want tonight to end.” he admitted as he gazed down at me. I nodded, definitely agreeing. “Me either.” I admitted quietly, muttering the words against his lips. The porch light started to flicker like crazy and I smiled into the kiss, wiping my mouth as I finally managed to pull away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Steve asked, reminding me that I’d agreed to go to the carnival in town with him. I smiled and nodded. Pausing in the doorway of my grandmother’s house to steal another quick kiss before finally making myself go inside.

I leaned against the door, pulling myself together and my Nana called out from the kitchen, “Well? How did it go, Jennie Bird?”

I wandered into the kitchen, sinking down in a chair at her kitchen table. Smirking at her as all I did to answer her endless stream of questions was to shrug.

“You’re no fun, girl. No fun at all. I wanted to hear juicy details.” my nana reached out, pulling a leaf from my wet hair, holding it at me, smirking as she did so. “Any reason you’re all wet and dazed, bringing half the forest up in my house?”

“We went for a swim down at the creek.”

“Mhm.” my nana teased, laughing softly. “I know you’ll use your head. God knows one of us Brown women needs to, neither me or your mama, god rest her, could ever manage it.” she nodded to the phone on the wall by the doorway. “Might wanna call Nan and Barb. They’ve been calling all afternoon, wondering where you were. They both told me tell you they wanted full details.”

“No listening from upstairs, Nana.” I teased as she shrugged. “Makin no promises, Jennie Bird. You know me. I’m a nosy old broad.”

I grabbed the phone and managed to make the cord stretch to the living room, where I sprawled out on the old couch, legs over the back, telling Nancy and then Barb everything that happened that afternoon.

At one point, while I was talking to Nancy, I smiled to myself when she went into a good ten minutes of gushing over Jonathan walking her home from the library earlier. And giving her a mixed tape.

To be fair, it’s about time he finally talked to her. I was beginning to wonder if I’d have to shove them both in a closet and walk away.

“So… how’d it go with you and Steve tonight?”

“So many sparks.” I gave a dreamy sigh as I spoke, making Nancy laugh. Toying with the necklace and smiling softly to myself as I continued, “ Between you and me? I needed the dip in the cold water…”

“You went swimming?”

“Mhm.” I answered, taking a deep breath. “He’s taking me to the carnival downtown tomorrow night.”

“Oh my god. Get out. Really?” Nancy laughed.

I rolled onto my stomach, twisting the phone cord around my fingertip. Laughing softly as I explained exactly what transpired when Steve showed up at the diner earlier. By the end of it, Nancy let out a low whistle. “He really sacrificed himself to Hank.”

“Mhm. Left me with no option but to say yes. We know how my nana’s boyfriend is. It takes… a brave one to even attempt that.”

“Confession… I may or may not be meeting Jonathan at the carnival tomorrow night too. And Barb mentioned earlier that she’s going to come to it after the movie ends over at the theater, with Logan.”

“Group date?” I asked, giving a giggle. Raking my fingers through my hair as I reached for the Diet Tab I’d gotten myself before grabbing the phone, taking a sip of it.

“Yes. Group date indeed.” Nancy answered. I could hear her mother yelling at her to hang up, and I let her go, calling Barb.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, you are not going to believe what happened to me this afternoon, Barb.”

“Your nana told us you left with Steve earlier. How’d that go?” Barb asked in a teasing tone. “I told you he liked you, you realize this, right?” she added.

“All I’m saying is I needed that swim to cool me down. I needed it badly.” I giggled. Agreeing reluctantly when she reminded me that she’d been telling me he liked me all month long. I rolled onto my back, twisting the cord around my fingers again. “Hey, are you and Logan gonna stop by the carnival after your movie?”

“Yeah! Did Nancy tell you? I told her to tell you so we could all meet up or something.”

“I am dying for funnel cake. And maybe getting stuck at the top of the Ferris Wheel like some cliche romance novel…” I muttered, giving a soft laugh at the end.

“Aww how cute!” Barb teased.

I took a few more sips of my diet Tab and smiled to myself. Excited about tomorrow night. Barb spoke up again, “Wait… you said you and Steve went swimming…”

“We did.”

“What was that like?”

“Oh, it was interesting. Very,very interesting.”

“You’re no fun girl!” my Nana’s voice cut through the call and I groaned inwardly, lowering the phone to call up the stairs to my Nana in her room, “Seriously?”

Barb was laughing. After my nana hung up, we talked a little more and I told her about Steve going out to the garage. WIth all the tools. And my nana’s boyfriend Hank… to ask him if he could take me on a date.

“He did? And he’s alive? How?”

“I don’t know, actually. Hank’s always giving him shit when he comes into the diner, I did not see it going the way it did. But.. I’m glad it did. Ah, I had such a good time tonight.”

“He’d better be good to you or I’m coming for his knee caps.” Barb teased, going quiet for a few seconds. Her mom must have come to her door to tell her she needed to use the phone, because she had to get off. After I ended the call with her, I wandered up to my room, falling across my bed.

What.A.Night.

[snezfics-n-shit]

Home For The Holidays - An AA fic that’s way too long

I’ve been thinkin bout that post that’s like “character with the kink is sneezing a lot and their partner who usually indulges them is having fun with How The Turns Have Tabled” so now I give you a Wrightworth + snzfcker Phoenix fic based on that exact premise. In which Phoenix re-introduces Miles to Mama Wright, Christmas is celebrated for 2 months straight, and disaster man Phoenix is back on his bullshit.

Tbh if I kept this lying around I’d just keep editing and it’d never get done oof but please enjoy

          Phoenix’s mother had clearly purchased a new doorbell. The tune echoed from behind the door at the press of the button; this year, it was much louder and played Jingle Bells a month too early. Speaking of a month too early, other than a rather articulate variant of a ‘no soliciting’ sticker, the decorations on the door were Christmas themed as well, completely skipping Thanksgiving and likely put up the day after Halloween. That was just how Mrs. Wright was: a major Christmas enthusiast through and through.

Just as expected, she greeted her son and his family while sporting a comfy Christmas-themed sweater. Cats in Santa hats, a design that had Trucy in awe at how cute they were. Christmas and cats, two of Mrs. Wright’s joys in life. Mrs. Wright had little contact with family members other than Phoenix and Trucy, so she resolved a lot of the resulting loneliness by adopting cats. The cats she adopted were a lot like her, having few blood relatives around and finding a home in a found family.

“Phoenix! You’re early!” Mrs. Wright looked up and down at her son, assessing just how many extra pies she would need to make; he was skin and bones since he had been disbarred! “You didn’t have to shave before you came, dear. The holiday is this Thursday, so you have time to make yourself look nice.”

“You tell me that every time I visit, mom.” Phoenix chuckled. “Today, I have a good reason to look nice. There’s someone I’d like for you to meet.”

“Well, I know I’ve met your adorable daughter before.” Mrs. Wright leaned down to give Trucy a big hug. “You have no idea how happy I am to have a grandbaby to spoil!”

“You tell me that every time, too.” Phoenix stepped to the side, showing off Miles, who had done a spectacular job at hiding behind him before the big reveal. “This is my boyfriend, Miles Edgeworth. I’ve been meaning to tell you since we started dating, but only now does he have a day off where you can finally meet in person.”

“Wait, Miles?” Mrs. Wright blinked a few times. Miles was certainly as well dressed as the boy she remembered Phoenix bringing home so many times, but was he the same person? “That sweet boy who would always help me with the dishes when he stayed over? This is him?”

“I believe so, Mrs. Wright.” Miles hardly remembered his youth well enough to give a definite answer, but that sounded like something he would have done. It sounded like something he would do even now, actually.

“Sounds like you found yourself a keeper, dear.” Mrs. Wright held the door open wider to let the trio in. “It’s awfully chilly today. Come inside before you catch a cold.”

The walls were lined with framed pictures of Phoenix, with unsurprisingly many of which being of him celebrating Christmas. The trend continued even with pictures of Trucy that Phoenix had sent to his mother. While there weren’t nearly as many, there were a few notable photos of Phoenix’s parents: the pictures taken when they renewed their wedding vows and when Mrs. Wright got her associate’s degree after Phoenix started working with Mia, for example.

“Ah, now I remember.” Miles looked a little uncomfortable with the holiday-centric décor. “Your mother’s Christmas obsession.”

“Be nice.” Phoenix whispered. “It’s something she really likes; it’s not hurting anyone.”

“I love Grandma’s reindeer!” Trucy lifted herself with her tiptoes, eager to see the skillfully crafted wooden reindeer lining the shelf above the shoe rack. “Rudolph’s my favorite! Because he made everyone real sorry for making fun of him!”

“He did, didn’t he?” Phoenix slipped off his shoes and hung up his and Miles’s coats on the coat rack. “I like him, too. He had a talent that really turned Christmas eve around.” That sounded much like how he used to be in the courtroom. He missed that courtroom a lot.

“I’m gonna go find Buster!” Trucy ran off. Buster was one of Mrs. Wright’s cats; his big personality quickly made him Trucy’s favorite. Phoenix, however, was more fond of Doily (formerly Dollie), a friendly and relaxed cat who was happy as long as she had somewhere to sit. There were three more: a senior cat named Gerald, a gray tabby named Della, and a new kitten named Harvey. While it seemed like a lot of cats, the home Phoenix’s parents resided in after Phoenix left for Ivy University was specifically picked to be spacious enough for even the most rambunctious cats. 

“I believe you told me you wanted to introduce me to your parents’ cats, correct?” Miles followed Phoenix to one of the living room couches. “And you’re sure they’re not aggressive or anything?” While Miles knew dogs had a history of being working and companion animals, he couldn’t exactly say he had read any solid proof of cats earning a similarly high status. Even the nicest cats he had met always seemed more interested in leaving as many scars on his hand as possible than being friendly with him. 

“I can vouch for all but Harvey, since he’s new, but my mom has always been something like a cat whisperer.” Phoenix yanked a tissue from the end table next to the couch’s arm rest. “I’m sure they’ll like you a lot.” He smiled before blowing his nose softly. “My nose must be thawing out.” He chuckled.

“I told you to bring your scarf when I called you.” Mrs. Wright called out from the kitchen. “Now you’re catching a cold, aren’t you?”

“No, I feel fine.” Phoenix rubbed the bottom of his nose with the tissue folded in half. “Just part of warming up.”

“I’m surprised you’d forget your scarf for someone who claims going out with a wet head spells ‘pneumonia.’” Miles hummed. 

“Hey, you know it’s not scarf weather.” Phoenix chuckled and tossed the tissue into the trash bin, impressed that he made the shot. Miles found it amusing that Phoenix completely ignored the wet head comment, likely because he really did tell Miles and Trucy that all the time. “It is the perfect weather for mom’s homemade stew, though.”

“I’m eager to try it, considering you’ve been talking it up since she called to invite us over.”

“It’s really good!” Phoenix repeated the claim he had been making for weeks. “I can’t wait for you to try it.” He pressed his knuckle against his nose. “Hopefully it’ll be dinner soon.”

“That won’t be for a while, I’m afraid.” Mrs. Wright carried some glasses of water to the living room. “Your father is working late tonight.”

“What does he do?” Miles leaned forward.

“He works in construction. He’s very proud of his work.” Mrs. Wright smiled as she placed the glasses of water on the coasters sitting in front of Miles and Phoenix. “Before Phoenix was born, where he worked didn’t earn him nearly enough to support us. He’s been much happier ever since he’s found somewhere that lets us live comfortably.”

“Where did he work before, if you-” Miles was cut off by the sound of Phoenix blowing his nose again. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

“He worked with his father and other members of the community he grew up in.” Mrs. Wright explained. “It was actually looked down upon to earn the income we needed, or to even have a dream job. That’s why we’ve been so supportive of Phoenix pursuing his dreams; if he wanted to change his major a second time, we would have gladly let him.”

Miles couldn’t imagine being actively discouraged from achieving success. He assumed that pressure was always the other way around. He wasn’t able to lose himself in his curiosity, though. Phoenix’s deep sniffing made sure of that. 

“Phoenix?” Mrs. Wright cocked her head. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Yeah, really.” Phoenix waved his hand as if to dismiss any concerns. “I’m sure this’ll stop before dinner.” His breath hitched for a second, but nothing came of it other than an exhale through his mouth.

“If you say so.” Mrs. Wright stood up and left for the kitchen. “I’m going to work on the desserts, so you two just relax and drink your water. I think you need eight glasses a day.”

“Daddy! I found Buster!” Trucy cradled the fluffy orange cat like a baby, Buster’s favorite way to be held. “He let me hold him this whole time! He’s so nice!” Phoenix gave Miles a reassuring smile, pointing to Buster as proof the Wright cats were much friendlier than past cats Miles had met.

“Hey there, Buster.” Phoenix beckoned Buster to sit on his lap. “Wow, he’s really liking me today.” He blinked a few times. “Normally he just walks away when I ask for him to sit next to me.”

“Maybe he can smell that you’ve been spoiling Pess,” Miles joked, “and he wants you to spoil him as well.”

“Cats are pretty smart. Ah!” Phoenix reached for another tissue, squeezing his eyes shut as he blew more heavily than the last time. “Guess I wasn’t done.” He laughed, dabbing the corners of his eyes. “But yeah, I think you’re right.”

“I hope he’ll like me as much as he likes you.” Miles reached to pet Buster and was shocked to hear the loud purrs the cat made. Buster was so soft, Miles thought he could pet him forever; there weren’t even any claws out. “He’s actually letting me pet him.” 

“I told you so.” Phoenix sniffed. “Buster is really friendly. My parents have had him for almost as long as we had Doily. She’s my favorite. I’d show her to you but she’s probably asleep right now.” He pressed the back of his wrist against his right eye, putting on some pressure as he rubbed absentmindedly. Dropping his hand revealed the area around his eyelid to be a tad pink.

“Are you tired from the trip, love?” Miles removed his hand from petting Buster to caress Phoenix’s cheek. “Maybe you should lie down for a while.”

“Yeah, I usually do that when I visit mom alone, actually.” Phoenix gently picked Buster up to gently place on Miles’s lap, laughing softly as he watched Miles light up in fascination with Buster’s sociability. He disposed of his tissue before poking his head into the kitchen doorway to find his mother and Trucy taste-testing desserts. “Uh, hey, mom?”

“Yes?” Mrs. Wright looked up from the tray of finger food desserts. Quite a few were already gone, but knowing her, there would be more by the time she brought out her famous pumpkin pie.

“I’m going to lie down for a while. I should be up for dinner, though.” Phoenix directed his attention to his daughter, whose whipped cream decorated cheeks were proof she had her share of the desserts. “And Trucy?”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“Try not to eat too many sweets or you’ll spoil your appetite.” 

“Okay.” Trucy nodded and proceeded to put another small dessert in her mouth.

“Go ahead and get some rest, dear.” Mrs. Wright sighed at the sight of Phoenix’s face. “You do look pretty tired. Your bedroom should be ready, but you might need to convince Doily to let you have some room on your bed.”

“Doily’s always been my sleeping buddy here, so I don’t mind.” Phoenix assured. He made his journey upstairs, sniffling once or twice and noting he needed to blow his nose again. The sight of only two twin sized beds in the guest room was disappointing, but considering Miles was a surprise additional guest, it was more Phoenix’s fault for not allowing his mother more time to make the appropriate accommodations. Maybe he and Miles could alternate between the bed and the living room couch while Trucy kept her bunny themed bed throughout the week of their stay. 

As predicted, Doily was sleeping on Phoenix’s pillow and needed just a gentle nudge to let him have somewhere to put his head; not enough to chase her off the bed completely, just enough to make some room.

“Hey, Doily. Did you miss me?” His vision grew slightly blurry and his eyes felt wet. Phoenix didn’t remember yawning, but he must have been really tired. “I could use a nap, too, so I’d like you to… hh… to-- Hh’TTCCHHHhh!” He kept his tongue at the roof of his mouth as if that would quiet the sound. Despite his efforts, he scared Doily off the bed completely. “Ngh… Sorry.” He sniffled with his hand pressed under his nose. Maybe he was coming down with a cold after all. 

He slid himself under the blanket, admittedly afraid of how he would be feeling whenever he would wake up. If he was getting sick, maybe it wasn’t completely bad, considering he was staying with his mother. His mom was good at that sort of thing, even long after he moved out on his own. 

When the back of his head hit the pillow a deep, aggressive itch attacked the back of his eyes and sinuses. How was he supposed to sleep like this? No matter how hard he pressed, alternating between rubbing his eyes and nose, it only seemed to get worse. Was that his pulse? Behind his eyes?  

“A’aschhHUUH! Aa’SSCHHHOOUuh! T’TTCHHuuh!!” He sat up, only just having a moment to get some air before he started again. “T’SHCHUUH!! TT’CHHHOOUH!!”

“Sweetheart, sorry to disturb you, but--” Miles stopped in his tracks at the sight of the state Phoenix was in. “Are you… feeling alright?”

“This has to be the weirdest cold I’ve ever had.” Phoenix squinted as he sniffled thickly. “I just wedt to lie dowd ahd-- Hh’TTTCHHOOH! I cad’t stop sdeezi’g.” 

“I see.” Miles kept his mouth shut regarding how this was the exact sort of thing he’d tell Phoenix to make him flustered. He did, however, thought it would be amusing to see Phoenix’s face when offered a handkerchief. “Here, you could use this.” Phoenix didn’t look flustered at all, simply desperate as he took the handkerchief and sneezed thrice into it. What a shame. “You were fine when we left home.” 

“That’s what’s so weird about it!” Phoenix aggressively rubbed at his face. “Dot to bedtiod everythi’g itches.”

“That doesn’t sound like a cold, love.” Miles wiped some of the tears from Phoenix’s face with his thumb. 

“I feel pretty sick.” Phoenix muttered before blowing his nose again, unsure why he was even bothering at this point.

“I imagine you do.” Miles kissed Phoenix’s very wet cheek. “Poor thing. Do you have any ideas on what’s making you feel so bad?”

“Nope.” Phoenix shook his head. “I kinda just started a little bit when we got here and-- Aa’SSHHOOUH! T’TSSCHHOOUHh!! *snf* I can’t stop since I came upstairs.”

“Maybe you’ve developed an allergy to cats?” 

“Don’t even joke about that!” Phoenix scolded, taking offense. “They’re my family!”

“I’m not joking. It’s a genuine possibility.” Miles made a small gasp and looked at his hand. “I touched your face after petting one of them, too. I’m so sorry.”

"Don't be sorry because I'm not allergic to cats." Phoenix huffed. He pushed the blanket off his lap and stood up, not wanting to discuss the topic further. “I’m going back downstairs.”

“Alright.” There was no point in arguing. If Phoenix was going to be so stubborn about this, then Miles just needed to make the best of the situation.

Miles followed Phoenix down the stairs, briefly interrupted when Phoenix needed to stop halfway so he could sneeze again.

“Bless you, sweetheart.” He thought saying that might push the envelope a little.

“Are you baki’g fud of be?” Phoenix glared at him through red, damp eyes. 

“I wouldn’t dare.” Miles answered sincerely. “You just sound so awful.” Okay, maybe he was having a little fun, nudging Phoenix to hopefully see the amusing irony of his circumstances.

Phoenix grumbled something as he dragged himself to the kitchen, clearly still annoyed with Miles for what he had said earlier.

“I thought you were napping, Daddy.” Trucy looked up from a tall glass of chocolate milk. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“He couldn’t get any sleep, from what I can tell.” Miles leaned against Phoenix’s shoulder. 

“I’m pretty sure I’m getting sick.” Phoenix scratched the back of his head. 

“Oh, I knew you’d catch a cold standing out there without a scarf.” Mrs. Wright gently pushed Phoenix on the way to the living room. “Rest on the couch and I’ll get you some blankets.”

“I told you, it’s just a cold, really.” Phoenix made eye contact with Miles the whole time as he blew his nose with a fresh tissue. 

“Perhaps you’re right.” Miles lied and kissed the top of his boyfriend’s head. “I certainly hope you’ll feel well enough to join us for dinner on Thursday.”

“Of course I will.” Phoenix insisted just before Mrs. Wright draped a large blanket over him. While Phoenix thought nothing of it and the intense itch that followed, Miles needed to hold his tongue as he watched short hairs floating around in Phoenix’s general direction. “T-Thanks.” He stuttered as he fanned his face with his hands, truly a sight Miles wished he could comment on with honesty. “Aa’IIISHHHUUH! T’TCHHUUh!! Ugh. Ow.”

“Your poor nose.” Miles cooed. “It must be so tiring, sneezing like that.”

“It is.” Phoenix furiously rubbed at his eyes. “Agh, my eyes, too.”

“They’re really bothering you, aren’t they?” Miles played up his sincere concern. “Driving you crazy, I bet.” He dropped a hint, hoping that extra pink in Phoenix’s face wasn’t just more released histamine. In the corner of his eye was Doily, who was staring intently at Phoenix. “Hey, little one.” Miles leaned over to pet the cat. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here like that.” He whispered, not wanting to further offend Phoenix.

Doily, being hardly fluent in human suggestion, hopped onto Phoenix’s lap anyway. 

“Doily, did you come to check up on me?” Phoenix could hardly keep his smile in place before he started sneezing again. “Gh… Sorry, Doily.” He scratched behind Doily’s ears; the sound of his sniffling accompanied her purring.

“Um, sweetheart?” 

“I know what you’re about to say, and I still say no.” Phoenix pet Doily with both hands, almost out of spite.

“No, that’s not exactly--”

“Daddy! You found Doily!” Trucy stared at Phoenix and the purring cat for a while. “What’s wrong with your arms, Daddy?” Miles took hold of Phoenix’s right arm.

“Hey! You’ll scare her away again!” Phoenix protested, not even paying attention to what Miles was doing. Just as he warned, Doily was startled by the sudden movement and ran off somewhere else in the house.

“Hives.” Miles observed bluntly. “Trucy, dear, could you ask your grandmother to find some benadryl?” Phoenix raised no objections to that, which Miles hardly minded at all. 

“Okay, Papa Miles!” Trucy ran off to find Mrs. Wright, leaving Phoenix and Miles alone to hopefully reach an agreement.

“Well, what happens now?” Phoenix looked down. “Do I just never visit my parents again?” Was that his way of saying Miles was right?

“Of course not, love.” Miles massaged the blotchy areas of Phoenix’s arm. “You’ll just need to be more careful, which you’ve been failing to do a lot lately. Feels like everyday I need to pull you out of trouble.”

“I can’t eat mom’s cooking if I’m asleep, though.” Phoenix let his head hit the soft back of the couch.

“Then we’ll pick up something non-drowsy while you’re resting this evening.” Miles made it sound so easy. In fact, everything he had been saying recently sounded just so… so… Oh.

“You’ve been talking like this on purpose.” Phoenix accused, punctuated by a thick sniffle. There was that flush Miles was looking for. “Is that what I sound like?” He hid his face behind his hands.

“I took some creative license.” Miles smirked before kissing Phoenix’s cheek. “I was starting to get worried when you said you ‘couldn’t stop sneezing’ with a straight face.” 

“Don’t remind me.”

“And miss out on all this fun? I think not.” 

“So is this all-- T’TCHHHOOH!” Phoenix pressed his hand under his nose, giving his voice even more of a nasal quality. “It’s all just payback, huh?”

“Not quite.” Miles held Phoenix’s free hand with both his hands. “You always make me feel so attractive even when I’m looking like you do right now.”

“That’s because you can pull it off.” Phoenix finally managed to chuckle. 

“And so can you.” Miles didn’t let Phoenix protest that, shushing him with an index finger pressed to his lips. “I may not know one hundred percent how you see me, but I’d like you to feel every bit as special.”

“Miles!” Aha! Now Phoenix was very red in the face. Mission successful, if Miles said so himself. “Maybe when I don’t hear my mom’s footsteps coming down the stairs.”

[so-long-a-gay-bowser]

The Two Princes S3 reaction p7 [last episode spoilers ahead]

let’s get real for a second

i wasn’t a fan of fantasy-type genres and podcasts

The Two Princes is pretty much both of those but I had a blast

kudos to the crew, the voice actors, and everyone who worked in the final season

it’s been a goddamn wild ride

i’m super happy to have experienced it

anw last episode buddiessssss

last episode spoilers final warning

okayyyy here we goooooooooooooooo

oh yeah assume i’m still crying at this point

here we go the end of all things

here we go bois i'm ready to cry

ME TOO NARRATOR

willing to bet this is the only time i'm gonna be happy after this

oh wow intense music already

this is way better than a lot of tv teleseryes holy shit

rupert do not

oh  musical time

is this dear evan hansen

reverse au time

(later at night edit: at this point there were flashbacks and it brought me back to like last year when i found out about ttp and yet again me crying ensues)

*people start respawning*

OH FUCK OH SHIT

I LEGIT CRIED

OH THIS IS A GOOD ENDGIN I'M GOOD

THIS THIHSBHDKFLSABVKJFLV

THIS GAY HOLY SHIT EFKJSBJKN

percy: “i want to kiss boy”

das good news innit

dude,,,,,,

:DDDDDDDD

:0000000000 oh shitttt

NOOOOOO YOU EFVIUSDLFCBKSJ

OH MY GOD ADADFVJNA

THE LEGENDARY QUOTEEEEEE

WAITWAITWAIT

yeyeyeyeyeye

YEYEYEYEYEYEYYEE ODAIEFJK

OMGGMGMOMOSO

I AM THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF LIVID

UWUUUUUUUUUUU

I LIKE

THEY EPIC

WAITWAIWIAWI

YESSSSSSS THIRD SON EPICCCC

YSESYEYSYESYEYSE

OMGOGMOGMGOM

I AM SO HAPPY RNNN

OH WHAT THE FUCK MY PC LAGGED---

this is the sorta like the ending of last season--

WAIWAIWAIW OMGGGGG

WHOAAAAAAAAA

WOWWWWWWWWWWWW

LOVE REALLY WINS SUCK IT ASSHOLES

wh

WHAHAWHAHWHAWH

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

THIS

THIS IS AN EPIC ENDING HOLY SHIT

OH I AM HAPPY TOOO

OWOWOWOWWOOWWOW

WEDDING YES

IN JUST ONE DAYYYYY

YESYEYSYYESYYEY WOFWEFJWA

I AM JOYFUL JAKFHABscBA

I AM PART OF THE SPELL TOO APPARENTLY

WE ALL ARE

AKLJHVBAKJLWK

I LOVE

YES

EPIC

cecily holy shit------

YES

I'M NOT RUPERT BUT YES PLEASE

OFC YOU'LL SAY YES BUT YEAH

THAT MEANS YOU TOO AMIR

CHAMBERLAIN WAHAHAHHAH

OMGOMGOGMOMGOMGOMOGMOGMMGOMOGMOGMOGMOMGOMGMOGMOM

I ASKALCBKDJCBVKJDZLVBJALDKZ

MOM DON'T LOOK AT ME I'M AT A POINT OF UNBRIDLED JOY RN

OH FUCK RUPERT NO-------

YESYYEYYSYE

both of y'all are brave and beautiful okayyyyy

correction: all y'all are

FINAL SONG AND FINAL EPISODE OF THE WHOLE SERIES

OH MY GOD THIS REMINDS ME OF GODDAMN PHINEAS AND FERB---

yayayayayyayayaYAYAYYAYA

OGMOGMOGMGMOMOMGOG THE END

[entamesubs]

Episode 17 - Translation + Screenshots

Unfortunately, as there are no raws for me to sub, the best I can do for people who wish to understand what was happening this episode is to describe it the best I can with my translations.

There is really nothing else I can do about this situation; it’s completely out of my control.

-------

About Why No Full Script Release

I have changed my mind about releasing the full translated script because the document itself is very rough and not really meant to be read by anyone other than me and the proofreader. I also don’t feel comfortable releasing the whole thing without it having gone through the third “check” it usually does when I start timing and subbing.

For context, I usually translate as I watch, and everything is written down quickly as I get through it. This is the first draft, which I call the “rough” of my translation, and contains weird sentence structure + small mistranslations as I am mainly concerned about getting stuff down and less about the fine details. 

At this point the document is sent to my proofreader who then combs over everything and fixes grammar, wording, and translation errors. The second draft after editing is what I call the “raw sub”, as this is the file I take into the subbing program.

The third and final check is during the timing process, as I move these lines from a text document onto the screen, and get to see how they work with the episode itself. Translations may be changed, words removed or redone, etc as I watch a second time and read over the work. This means that the “final” translation that you would normally see in a subbed episode goes through three different checks at different times to make sure it all comes together nicely.

Of course, stuff still slips through the cracks even with these checks, but it is a lot less with them.

For this reason, because the script hasn’t (and can’t) go through its third and final check, I do not want to release the full translation as it is still, in my mind, an incomplete work.

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Episode 17

My name is Neil, 11 years old, the person who controls providence. It began when I was 3 years old. My parents, [...], gave me something else to occupy my time with. And that was... duels.

[OP plays here]

Winning as many tournaments as I did came easy to me. Goha came to scout me, and gave me this garden.

A vast underground space that encompassed the entire city, the centre of it being my haven, along with the complete control and regulation of duels around the world That was the beginning of my "providence".

At this point Otis comes in to ruin Neil’s complete control of the duel network. They exchange a few words; Neil recognizes Otis and vice versa. Neil asks if his interruption was his handiwork, and Otis says yes. 

Duels as you know will change. A new King of Duels will be born soon.

Otis does not mean “born” literally, as Neil and Yuuga are the same age.

Neil goes on about how the “deviation” from the norm were Rush Duels and tried his hardest to erase them, but couldn’t. Then he found Yuuga.

Leave everything to providence.

Neil introduces himself as part of Goha Corporation. 

Neil shows the USB stick with Kaizo’s data on it and Yuuga notices the Kaizo-seat react, so he deduces that it is real. Neil says he will only give it back if they win against the duelists that lurk within the Garden of Providence. However, if they lose 6 times overall, then it will be a complete defeat in his eyes, and he will delete their accounts permanently.

Yuuga asks why he doesn’t just delete everyone who has ever played a Rush Duel’s accounts, and Neil says it’s “not his providence”. 

Yuuga: Then you won't cheat? Neil: You're exactly how I imagined you. As expected of someone picked out by Otis. [...] Neil: Well then, have fun in the Garden.

At the end of this scene, Mimi is shocked that the rumored “genius programmer” within the company is just a child, and may be more important than her.

Yuuga and co. run into Nekoyama Schrödinger, who is the first duelist they must face. Luke volunteers to duel.

I'll pound some manners into that guy who wants to do something as ridiculous as permanent account deletion!

Duel proceeds. Nekoyama summons Blue Eyes White Cat and Red Eyes Black Cat, then sets 3 cards face down. Luke summons three monsters then tributes two of them for Rush Dragon Dragears.

He tries to attack but is stopped by Nekoyama’s trap card, which makes him have to guess what type of card is at the top of his deck. 

If you're wrong, [your attack is] nyagated, and you take 300 damage, meow!

Romin says she’s worried, but Gakuto says it will be just alright.

At this point the word “worry” makes Luke finally remember his troubles from two episodes ago, at the start of 15.

That's right, I just remembered. The thing that I'm worried about. When Yuuga becomes the King of Duels, will he really give the throne over to me? Agh, I remembered! What am I doing?! Why am I dueling a cat?!

Luke becomes too pre-occupied with his thoughts and decides to guess “monster” for what’s at the top of his deck. He is wrong and takes 300 damage.

He tries to attack again, but runs into Nekoyama’s trap card again.

Nekoyama: It's said that there are many possibilities that can coexist within this world. Luke: What are you talking about? Nekoyama: You and I, at the same time, can both win and lose this duel. Yuuga: That's Schrödinger's Cat.

Once again Luke chooses poorly and takes 300 damage.

Nekoyama tribute summons Odd Eyes Twin-Tail Cat, then summons another set of BEWC and REBC. Then, activates a spell card that has Luke guess what the top card of his deck is (again). If Luke is wrong, Nekoyama’s monsters can direct attack. 

Luke is still distracted by his thoughts of not becoming King, and chooses wrong. Nekoyama’s monsters direct attack.

Odd Eyes Twin-Tail Cat's effect, Nyanderful Trap, activates!

Nekoyama returns the trap he just used to his hand and sets two cards.

There are countless possibilities in this world. It seems one of them is about to be revealed, meow. That is, meowr utter defeat! Turn ennya~

Luke is still distracted and extremely depressed. Gakuto picks up on what’s going on, but Luke denies it.

Gakuto: Is the thing you're worrying about the King's Throne? [...] Gakuto: Then just listen to what Yuuga-kun has to say!

Luke asks Yuuga if he really will give him the King’s Throne when he becomes the King one day.

Yuuga: Luke is my friend. If a friend asks, then of course! Luke: Of course?! Yuuga: No way. Luke: What?! Yuuga: But, anyone can become King. Countless possibilities exist, you know. There is a possibility that Luke will become the King! Luke: I could... become King...?

Luke finally finds his resolves and says he can envision himself becoming King now. He says he’s found his “daor” (road backwards).

It won't be the same as last time! Because right now, I have decided to become King!

Duel proceeds. Luke tribute summons Thrust Dragon Bunker Strike, complete with a new summoning chant mentioning his new “daor”.

Bunker Strike lets him draw cards from his deck based on the amount of monsters his opponent has on his field. Since Nekoyama has 3, Luke draws 3. Then, he can put the same number of cards in his hand back on top of his deck in any order. This lets him choose the correct card for Nekoyama’s trap.

Foolish! I returned my cards to the top of my deck earlier, so the top card is— The card... uh, the card?

He forgets the order he put them in. The others express disbelief.

Yuuga: That's Luke for you!

He eventually manages to remember and defeats Nekoyama. 

Nekoyama kowtows and begs for Neil-sama’s forgiveness, but instead gets shoved down a chute that then closes after him.

Luke is furious at seeing this.

Let the future King come up and beat you already! Duel me!

Neil says it’s too bad, but the duel has been enough for one day, and to come back another time. He transports them to the exit against their will.

Neil: It's already very late. Dueling is all well and good, but go home and do your homework.

The gang expresses some disbelief as to everything that’s happened, but Yuuga reassures them that they will win for sure. He’s happy that Luke found his own “daor”.

Luke points at a twinkling star in the sky and declares it his “daor”, saying that it is the star of the King of Duels.

It then proceeds to fall and Luke jumps out in disbelief.

Aaah, don't fall already!!

[ED plays here]

And previews for the next episode where Roa duels his drummer, Getta.

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Hope this helped a little in at least understanding everything that went on! In lieu of raws, this will just have to work for now.

If you wish to support me, go here: https://ko-fi.com/sakaki

[sharks833]

Sad Face

Well, my relationship of over a year has come to a very sudden end. I am very saddened by this but to be honest it makes as much sense as the rest of the relationship. We meet here on Tumblr, we became partners for a writing/art event. I had been a reader for this event before and this year I wanted to be a writer. Iv passively been a part of the community around the event for a while now and wanted to try and become active in the community. I enjoy reading and have always wanted to try my hand at writing on the count that I have a very vivid imagination and would like to try and get some of my thoughts down. I thought doing so on Tumblr would be a good idea both because I could give back to a wonderful community and people would be more understanding of my dyslexia which I use editing software to try and correct but sometimes even they don’t understand what I’m trying to spell (which spell check never does). To be honest, I was also looking for a more intimate relationship, but never really expected anything to come from it. I was very fortunate to get a wonderful partner but was too shy to ask them if they were a girl until I accidentally called them him for my big post and quickly edited it (a point that I got a lot of much deserved teasing for once we started dating). We kept talking after the event though and slowly after talking to each other every day we became closer and closer until I asked them if they wanted to start dating. Originally they said no, to which I was surprised and disappointed but understood that they were wary of dating after past experiences which I was made aware of. I thought they deserved a wonderful boyfriend and always hated when people said that and yet were themselves unwilling to be that person, so I offered myself. It wasn't long after that however when they confessed their own love for me and would love to date with an understanding of the things they would be uncomfortable with given their past. I was happy to be able to just talk to them and was more than happy to make any concession that would make them happy. A year passes and it’s both one of the best and worst years of my life.

(This is the complaining paragraph and if anyone reads this feel free to skip)

I quit my awful part-time job and moved out of my apartment I share with a roommate to try and live with my aunt and cousin in DC to try and go to CU in DC or find a job that I don't hate. Unfortunately the week I get there covid hits DC and we have quarantine. After about two months it's very clear things aren't going to work out and I go back home. Sadly my mother passed suddenly a few years ago and my father didn’t waste time finding remarrying, selling our family home, and moving in with her across the state line. At this time my twin brother gets recalled from the peace corps and now we are both in this strange house with this woman that we barely know who retired the moment she married my father much to his dismay. Were both forced to very quickly get any job and I find myself in hell on a tugboat for two months. Living in that hell for two weeks at a time working six hours, sleeping six hours. Once off the boat I get two weeks off and get to try and hide in a room that’s not mine from the monster that is my fathers’ wife. All while studying for the GRE and joining my brother in an online class to learn all the math. After two months I quit that hell much to the horror of my father. I’m quickly forced, and I mean forced as much as one can without putting a weapon against my skin, to work five hours of labor at FedEx throwing boxes in the back of semi-trucks. After another month the monster has had enough and me and my twin are moved into an apartment we didn’t get to choose but still pay everything for. The apartment isn't so bad as I'm away from my father and his wife and me and my twin took the GRE and will now be attending grad school in August through housing and such still need to be acquired.

Through this time though I've had the wonderful experience of being in a loving relationship. Every day I talked to my love and she talked to me. We went on dates and skyped with each other and I honestly loved Them more than I have loved anyone before. I want to fill a page full of all the wonderful things that we did and how happy I truly was at the time but those moments were between us and I like to keep the details of my love life private. My very first relationship was a long-distance one and it was a wonderful six months before it quickly became one-sided. For the next two years that we were dating, I was miserable because I didn't understand that people with more experience in dating get bored of relationships. After that, I never wanted to be in a one-sided relationship again. Sadly that's exactly where I found myself the moment they came home from the end of the semester. I always knew they were close to their family, and didn't and don’t mind being second or third to family, but I wasn't even last on the list. We went from talking every moment of the day to, from waking up to falling asleep, to never at all. I for my part tried to text her and keep a lively conversation, but she was never interested. After a week I figured she needed some time for herself but it became clear after another week if I wasn't talking to her then I'd never hear from her again. I tried to talk to her about this, and every time she apologized and said she felt awful about not talking and she would in the next few days but she never did. I talked about my past relationship with her and how I didn't want to be in another one-sided relationship again, and just as I had made concessions for the sake of our relationship she would too. I didn't think a single hello sent to me in the span of a month would be a deal-breaker to our relationship but here we are.

We first met in September of 2019 and for almost two years I felt like, for the first time in my life, there was somebody that actually cared if I was around. Iv always had a problem with saying no to people and giving more the is proportionate and as a result, always felt used or taken advantage of. I struggle with knowing how much to contribute to any kind of relationship and it has hindered my ability to be in healthy relationships whatever form they take. For the first time in my life though I found someone who gave to me just as much as I gave to them. Unsurprisingly however they admitted to me that they suffer from that same problem and that they never focus on themselves. I don't have too many friends so I'm normally focusing on myself and it was nice to be there for someone else. However, they have a family and others to focus on and as a result, almost never get to focus on themselves. Now that they are home however they would like to focus on themselves and no longer want anything to do with me. I get that though I don’t know why you can’t focus on yourself and still send me a hello, I don't want them to talk to me because they feel pressured to. If they have decided they no longer want me in their life suddenly then all I can do is hope they are able to achieve their goal and move on. I will always love and respect them for the kindness they have shown me.

As a moral philosopher who has studied the nature of virtue, I truly believe this person to be so virtuous as to be one of the greatest people, I have ever met. An observation I came to make shortly after meeting them, and I am very grateful I had their compassion for even a short time. I thought if I could lead them down the path of some philosophical school they would be able to find the answer to the problems they had but I never knew how to do it and now it's too late. My only regret is that I couldn’t help them with the problems more. In the entirety of our relationship from the first meeting to the end we never even got into one argument. Technically we did have somewhat of a fight when she decided to tell me she could no longer be in a relationship with me and work on herself but she ended the relationship the moment she left her dorm, she just forgot to let me know. I am again deeply saddened by this but I always knew in the back of my mind she too would get bored of me and move on. It's been the thread through all my relationships dating back to that first one and I knew it would appear again, I just wish my head had told my heart. I know in every relationship you tell each other you want to spend the rest of your life with the other one but for some reason I really believed it this time, making this loss all the more crushing. I know they won’t read this as I suspect only two people ever will and that for the best, I doubt she is saddened by this whole affair but on the off chance she is I don't want them to feel bad. I have always wanted them to be happy from the start and even know that it's over. That's all I want, it's all I ever wanted truly. Plato says happiness is what happens when all three parts of the soul are doing their work well, each part representing a virtue. I’ve always been good at knowing what to do (desire) and I'm alright at knowing how to do it (reason), but I've always been horrible at doing it (courage). She led me to courage though, both for her and myself. And for those moments when the three came together through her and for her, I can truly say to have been happy. I don’t know if I ever inspired anything in her that led her to happiness but I hope she can find someone that does, and that I can come to know the courage she showed me I had myself.

[lesbiancarat]

Ahh my fish slapping comment xD lolol I am happy it makes you laugh but no reference. It's something I just have been saying since like, oof I was like 14 and on the internet? I truly don't know how or why I started saying this but I randomly did and it stuck with me ever since. Sadly not a cool backstory to the fish slapping

True, true. While you will spot similarities (as they are under the same company per se, that also means the manufacturer who creates the merch has things set up for not just one specific artists always) its how they do make it unique for said fandom. It is the first round of the new hybe rebranding so let's see how it goes for sure! I have some minor worries but I'm being optimistic! Oohhh that si also a good idea! I do know bighit did this for bts and school luv affair if memory is correct. The re-released that album for its anniversary as limited edition and I think there was some small merch for it as well. I do think that will be cool for the boys as well but as you said, we may have some minor issues with the repriting. Sometimes that can be solved but other times that cannot so sadly we don't know. I believe you can(?) Still get their older albums. Granted last time I saw this was during oh my era so I haven't checked since then via online stores.

Oohh no that makes sense! Doing bday merch isn't all too bad (granted not a western artist thing from what I have seen) but it is just well, capitalism lol. I do think they could have done the scoups (and possibly future members) differently. Like a book with pictures isn't a bad idea but idk...give me some pizzaz ya know? Like I get the simple design and I respect that but like you said, make it be related to the members personally like a cherry for cheol or tiger themed for hoshi (it would be chaotic but I would be here for it) if it is meant FOR fans. Make it seem like it has some thought besides just wanting an extra $$$ ya know? Apparently I saw that the scoups book has the letter H on the spine so some theorize that all together you get "happy birthday" spelled out which is unique if true! I just hope it is a bit ya know, something more. Not the worst but I hope you know what I mean! Ahh gotchas, gotchas. No, no thay makes sense with the svt ring merch. I think doing rings isn't a bad idea but it could have been a bit more unique to "carats" so have the ring be in either the official svt colors (so one in serenity and another in rose quartz) with something like "say the name! Carats!" Engraved into the ring, that would be I think a cute idea? A way to connect to the boys while being something unique? Of course it could be a bracelet or a necklace with a small pink or pastel blue diamond instead with a little charm with the engraving I suggested. Being too close to the rings the boys wear I think is slightly stepping lines but making a ring that is different but related to svt would be a good balance? Again just my suggestions (which am curious on your followers on what other merch would you like to see? I feel like you could so so much here! Just please no more plastic water bottles xD)

Oof yeah I think for me it is a similar time? Plus I sadly am not doing great money wise this week so I sadly have to miss out on it. But to those that will, have fun! I watched the 2018 one and it was fun (granted many stuff was cut? K believe the special solo stages weren't shown in the official vlive video) but it was a fun time so enjoy this year's caratland!

dhfjf that's fun though! the fish slapping does make me laugh 🤣

yeah i have hope for merch in the future as well! as far as old albums go i just bought my first "old" album this summer which was YMMDay and I ended up getting it used... a lot of sites have YMMDay and other old SVT albums listed but they're all sold out and as far as I know pledis isn't still printing new albums except for those on weverse shop (so like an ode onward. although i just checked and an ode and hitorijanai are sold out on WV shop too rn, idk if that's temporary or if they're permanently sold out too...). honestly this is why I'll probably keep buying svt's albums as they come out just so if i want them in the future i don't have to search for it, in hindsight i really wish I had just bought YMMDay back when it came out 😭

yeah exactly, i just wish they'd put more effort/personalization into the design rather than making it an obvious cash grab... it would be a cute design feature if the spines spell out happy birthday! and yeah exactly instead of the ring they could have done something else with its own meaning 🥺

I'm also interested in other carats merch ideas... whenever i see ppl talking about it i feel like they have such good ideas. and there are some carats on like twt and such who do merch resigns or theoretical concepts just for fun and they always look soooo good. honestly pledis/hybe just hire some carats for your merch team... DHGKGJG

caratland has come and gone which once again shows how long it took me to answer this DHFKGJ i know i don't have to explain myself but just to give you an idea of what I've been up to i was on the road for a week coming back to the Midwest and then going my sister's graduation ceremony and seeing family i haven't seen since before covid, then i moved into my apartment and spent a week settling in and catching up w a few friends i haven't seen since before covid, and today was my first day of classes! so I've been a bit busy and socially drained (but in a good way!) the last few weeks. but i did enjoy caratland! especially perf. units cover of chocolate, that lives in my head rent free DHFKGJ i think the links i posted before got taken down though, I'll need to update those at some point... did you have a favorite part from caratland if you watched it? (or from any clips you've seen djfkgjg)