#when we say all the members of mc are terrible people…we mean ALL of them

[cruesuffix]

...the 94' rehearsals? im curious what did he do

bestie i hate to be the one breaking the news but he said the n word (hard r too) and specifically used it to describe the design on a tambourine…yeah. (called it a “goddamn n word painting) that’s why i said what i said on the tags of that one post, love the guy but he’s done some weird things and personally i would never want to meet him because i’m terrified he’d start using slurs i’ve never even heard of 😭😭

[zstargalaxy]

May I request a Suicune/Entei/Raikou!MC and them telling their story of how they were rejuvenated by Ho-Oh?

TWISTED WONDERLAND X POKEMON

TWST react to the legend of Ho-Oh {Suicune/Entei/Raikou MC}

"Long ago, during the time of constant warring, there were two towers that the people of Ecruteak city had built,The Bell tower and the Brass tower"

"The Bell tower is where Ho-Oh, guardian of the skies, reside"

The said pokemon soared through the skies with its colorful wings spread wide up in the sky.

"While Lugia, guardian of the seas, rested upon the Brass tower"

"These two towers attracted the two legendary pokemon, where it had became a place where people can commune with these pokemon and where peace can be bring among both species of human and gijinka. They worhiped while also admiring, loving and acquisitivly furnishing these two towers"

"Until-"

*BOOM!*

"Aaaah!"

You blinked at your friend's reaction upon hearing the sound of thunder from outside the Ramshackle dorm.

Some had jumped and let out a scream, while others had taken shalter under their pillows and blankets or anyone beside them upon hearing the roar of thunder.

"Tch" Leona look at everyone in the living room with a glare in he's eyes "its just thunder".

"Ahem" Sebek coughed as he compose himself from embarrassingly jumping onto Silver whem the lighting struck "Of course I know! I was just unaware of the storm approaching outside!"

Leona rolled he's eyes as everyone else quickly composed themselves aswell from the jump they had.

You see, today is your anniversary of being in Twisted Wonderland for atleast a year and some of your friends thought of giving you a suprise. With the storm outside reminding you how you came to be, you thought of giving them the story of how you amd your fellow trio members were came back to life.

Your status, species and where you had come from had intrigued every one of your friends when you had told them the truth. They all wouldn't have inagine, yet cant help but agreed, that you are one of the legendary ones in your home world.

The first ones to have discovered was the Adeuce and Grim.

Though, Malleus was the first one to have indirectly guess that you are of someone with great piwer without you sayibg anythibg upon first meeging eachother.

"Apologies for the sudden spook (Suicune/Entei/Raikou)" Vil apologize on everyone's behalf "You may continue".

"Yeah!" Grim shouted with a can of tuna in hand "Continue the story?!When did you came back to life anyway?! Just go to that part already!"

You rolled your eyes at Grim's usual unpatient behavior "In due time, Grim. In due time" the monster only huffed yet didnt say anyfurter as you resume your story telling.

"Where was I? Oh yes..."

"Until a lightning had struck the Bell tower on one faithful night. The lightning had cause a great fire, a fire so great that it had engulfed the whole tructure in a mighty inferno"

"Oh how terrible!" Rook exclaim grimly "What an awful scenario to have happen to such beautiful architecture. Being englufed by a powerful fire..."

"But not as great as mine" Grim boasted.

"Not now Grim" You, Ace and Deuce said to the cat monster.

"But still" Ace turn towards you "Where did you fit into this? You did say that you were resurrected during that flame, were you saving someone there?"

You shook your head solemly at that guess, remmebering the heat and burning touch of the flames that had grazed your skin during that time "No...no one had came to save us".

"Save us?" Epel questioned until it had hit him and slowly, everyone else followed on what that statement you had said have been implied to.

"Wait, you mean..." a nod was all they need to know that what they had thought.

"Yes" you nodded.

"During the burning, me and the other two of our trio were traped at the raging flames. We have no way out so...we perished among the burning wood and ashes of the bell tower"

"(Suicune/Entei/Raikou)..." Kalim didnt know what else to say, to hear that such a tragic end that he's friend had gone through "Oh (Suicune/Entei/Raikou)!"

"Oof!"

"Kalim!"

Jamil shouted upon the sudden action of the young heir hugging you out of no where with tears in he's eyes "Get off of them!"

Everyone sweatdropped at the scene.

"Were sorry that we had asked!" Kalim aplogize rather loudly as Jamil pulled him off of you " We should have known!"

You wave it off "No need to worry, Kalim. I quite use to it to be honest" It was kinda true.

You sometimes watch in disguse of various plays around Johto about the tale of Ho-Oh from long ago. Though it may be long ago that you have been given a second chance, that faithful night is always engrave to your mind during some days and nights upon remembering how you had once suddenly perished.

"But still, (Suicune/Entei/Raikou)" Malleus had spoke "That mustve been quite a horrible experience to remember by".

"It is" you agreed sadly at the

"I didnt know exactly what had happened next but I do know that soon after, a great rain had poured down onto the raging flames of the bell tower, eventually extinguishing the fire. We were already dead when the fire had died down but Ho-Oh, out of saddness and disgrace, had descended down amidst the destruction and had bestow life upon us once again. We have became the representation of the lightning that had struck, the flame that engulfed and the rain that extinguished"

"Ho-Oh is sure is a strong beast" commented Jade "To have the magic to resurrect life...that is quite impressive"

"Indeed" Malleus agreed, very well aware that giving life back to the dead is quite a hard feat to do and not very easy that not even he can do with he's current magic.

"Fufufu~ it seems there is more to you than we think, Prefect" chuckled the vice prefect of Diasomnie.

"Yes" Vil nodded "you power is certainly quite strong, even strong enough to rival Malleus" and that was saying something "yet also agreeable of what you meant by some people thinking that Ho-Oh is nothing more than a myth"

"But here I am" you proudly stated with your head held high and back positioned to give you a rather powerful look at how you had become now "And Ho-Oh does exists...waiting for me and my fellow comrades to see that humans, pokemon and gijinkas leave in corporation and harmony for it to return"

"Do you think that will ever happen soon?" Jack asked out of curiosity.

"..."

You arent so sure to be honest. Your job was to watch and observe the activities among the species of your world to see if cooperation had come between them all, yet through those long years, you never wished or even hoping of when that will come.

The minute you and your friends have been revived, many of the citizens quickly had thrown rocks at you, holding sticks and have writtened despise on their facial expressions that it was the cause of your wariness among humans and even gijinkas.

But you knew better that there others like some children arent spiteful.

All you knew was to wait for the time has come.

"Time will tell, Jack Howl, Time will tell" you calmly reply "After all, Ho-Oh revives us for a reason and we will serve that reason until it is complete".

"Such admirable devotion, (Suicune/Entei/Raikou)!" Sebek shouted " I highly respect you of your loyal to the one who had graciously saved you!!"

"Hush, Sebek" the said guard in training quickly quiet himself when you immediately said that.

After all, he didnt want to have the same consequence like last time.

Especielly from a Legendery Pokemon like you.

[misc-obeyme]

oh I love talking abt tbwse my creativity block is go n e

I like to think most of them don't live at the castle, though. Like they just work there and come and go and have varying shifts. Uhh but that's if they're just normal people and not criminals lol!

this too! in my hc Lil Ds, Maidservants, cooks & scullions and others with a criminal past lived at the castle while others worked shifts. some also didn't need shifts since their jobs weren't that heavy. some of the ones who's family live far away from the castle also do live there, younger ones as well. oh to be a teen wingless demon running erands at the castle and knowing Barbatos....,,,

I suppose whether or not they actually did something terrible has to do with how deranged you want Diavolo to be. Like if he was really kinda off the deep end, he could absolutely just obtain people he thinks are pretty and for no other reason. That's real villain behavior generally speaking. But if you want him to be a little less that way, you could say they were criminals. Then at least there's a legit reason for it, even if the punishment is a bit intense... they are demons, so really there's a lot of ways you can go with it!

My Diavolo is the villain.. in other people's stories lol /j i just love my man being a tiny bit cruel. he's actually pretty kind, and way kinder than the older kings. they ruled with iron fists and even something as small as stealing bread for your hungry child was punished with amputation-

the past devildom was horrible to say if you weren't a noble. When Diavolo took over the throne it became way better and even commoners could live a comfortable life.

most of those "I just thought they're pretty" staff are from the timed either he was a child or still new to the throne. he did learn, although still sometimes he can't help it. plus, demons are hard to rule, they're not like humans. one sign of weakness and you're done for. if it wasn't for Diavolo showing his power, MC & the angels were possibly dead at the first weeks lol (although, since RAD .. is a royal academy, the students are nobles or have family members work at the castle, similar things. also its smth like all grades are there so Luke makes sense >:( RAD isn't that populated as well- but itsbpopulated with famous people >:) )

but that doesn't mean the whole city RAD takes place in is like that though!. RAD may be safe, but the outdoors are not.

Ohh it sounds like you've worked out quite a bit about how these things work! It definitely makes sense for there to be a lot more people living and/or working at the castle.

Okay I dunno how I missed the part about Luke... if he's really supposed to be ten why is he attending school with everybody else?!?!? How did I not realize this previously?!?!?!

Anyway... that just isn't something I really thought about before, but now it's gonna bug me lol.

I think it makes sense for previous demon kings to be... well, demons. Then you get Diavolo who is still definitely a demon, but unique enough to have his own ideas, which makes him just a tiny bit softer than the others. I like the consideration of the fact that demons are harder to rule than humans. That makes sense to me. And I think canon could use a little bit more expansion on that in general. Just because they aren't humans, but sometimes the stuff the characters say makes me go hmm.

But anyway, I quite like your worldbuilding here, expanding on canon in a way that makes it a little darker, but also more realistic. Since we are dealing with demons!

I don't mind the demons being fluffy at all, but it's also interesting to explore them being more villainous in general!

[daytaker]

Hopefully this doesn't come off as a weird request. But can you do headcannons of reader looking up to Solomon as a father figure, then Solomons just a terrible influence for them. Thanks if you do this.

I won't lie, this is a kind of weird request, but that's alright! We can do weird. For the sake of my own comfort, I'm going to say ahead of time that the relationship between Solomon and the reader is purely platonic.

Hey, it's me again, three hours in the future relative to the above paragraph. I did my best, though I'm struggling to portray Solomon as an actual father figure. But these are some disjointed thoughts about you, Reader, and your somewhat toxic mentor-pupil relationship with your fellow human, Solomon the Sorcerer. (Fair warning, it gets a little silly at the end.)

CW: Manipulative Reader/MC, Bullying the Brothers

-------------

Wow, the greatest sorcerer to ever live? You didn't even know sorcerers were a thing outside books and movies before you got here. Not only that, this guy is functionally immortal? You could probably learn a thing or two from him.

When you unexpectedly arrive in the Devildom for the RAD exchange program, you're more than a little uneasy about the number of jokes people have been making about eating you. (Those were jokes, right?)

So when you meet a friendly human face on your first day of classes, you're relieved. How is this guy so calm in this situation? Isn't he an exchange student too? Isn't he at least a little bit confused about the world? Will sticking to him like glue keep you from dying by demon?

Answers in order: He's been doing this for thousands of years, yes, no, and probably.

Solomon is aware of your dependence on him, and he quickly grows fond of you too, albeit in the way you might become fond of the local stray cat. You're friendly and easy to manipulate and best of all, you're a human. Solomon hasn't had any actual humans to interact with in years.

And who better to recruit to the cause of the betterment of humankind in the eyes of the other two realms than a fellow human? Someone with a stake in the underdog team?

He encourages your attempts to make pacts with the brothers. What could be more useful than a binding agreement to do whatever you tell them to, anyway? Soon enough, you have five pacts under your belt. It was surprisingly easy to get them to agree to sign their autonomy over.

"Don't you find it interesting that you're the only member of the exchange program who didn't know such a program existed until you were dragged here? I mean, there's no delegation in our world that manages relationships with the Devildom or the Celestial Realm. Both of those places just do as they please with the human world, only kept in check by each other."

He's making a good point. Why are humans so disrespected? Hell, those brothers view you as so unintimidating that they agreed to pacts with you more or less on the fly, just because. Is it just because you don't live as long?

"Hey, can you come over after classes? I need your help with something."

You become Solomon's willing guinea pig, and the brothers soon become guinea pigs by proxy. Solomon teaches you how to summon them, how to command them, and how to make sure they don't say a word to their oldest brother about it.

"I find it interesting that humans are so much more dynamic and inventive than demons or angels. I'm of the opinion that it's because the natural human lifespan is so short, relatively speaking, that it encourages people to be more ambitious. If we had eternity to solve our problems, would we even bother trying?"

Thank goodness for Solomon. If he wasn't here to impart these teachings on you, you might have ended up becoming emotionally entangled with those demons instead; demons who thought of you as a novelty and an easy target.

Lucifer stops you on your way to your room at the House of Lamentation.

"I think we need to have a talk about my brothers. Why are they afraid of you?"

To which you storm past him, flip him the bird, stick your tongue out, and snap, "None of your business! Get out of my life!" The door SLAMS shut, and you shout through it: "YOU'RE NOT EVEN MY REAL DAD."

And so, without even meaning to do it, Solomon has gone from an ally to a guide to a mentor to the person who transformed you into a demon-disrespecting teenager.

[found-family-my-beloved]

Rules for new tumblr users

I'm sure people will have seen other mcyt blogs first and they've all given warnings but I'm just making this to pin at the top of my blog and so I can edit it when I inevitably realise I've forgotten something.

General ground rules:

If you have a default profile picture, blog and haven't reblogged anything, you will likely get blocked as a potential spam account. It doesn't have to be a lot, just search the tags for some of your interests and reblog some cool art or something.

You have to curate your own dashboard on tumblr. Search and follow the tags of things you enjoy, find users within those tags you want to see more from, follow and reblog posts from them. And if you aren't enjoying yourself, don't be afraid to unfollow people again (we don't usually pay attention to follower counts) and block tags/people if you really aren't happy seeing them.

If you want to keep things nice and neat, most of us will have a main blog (the one you get when you join the website) and then for any particularly strong interests will have a side blog. You can't like or follow from side blogs, but you can reblog things easily and people can follow side blogs if they share that interest with you. You can even make group blogs by going to the side bar of your sideblog and clicking 'members'!

Don't censor words, especially in the tags. You won't get reported or 'shadowbanned' for saying words like 'kill' or 'fuck' and if you do censor them then people who have them as blocked words and may be triggered by them will see them anyway.

When you join tumblr, there will automatically be sections showing what you've liked and who you've followed publically visible on your blog. Not only can you make these invisible in your settings, but we actively encourage it! People don't usually pay attention to them anyway but it's easier for you to like the things you want when you know people won't see them and judge you.

If you want to have a conversation with other people and get replies, put what you want to say in the main text of reblogs. If you're just trying to add a funny comment or say things without people responding to them, put it in the hashtags or as a reply. It means you can reblog things from other people without also having to reblog hundreds of people's random little comments.

Mcyt specific:

If you're gonna make posts, use 'mcyt' rather than the word 'mine/craft' when you're tagging. That tag is reserved for people who want to talk about the game and if you start talking about your blorbos in their tag, you will be told off for it. Same with tags where the word is included, use (e.g. use mc championships instead of the full name because it will still get picked up by the game's tag)

There are people in the mcyt communities on tumblr who ship and will post about those ships in the main tags. I'm personally not one of those people and try to avoid it where possible but you will inevitably come across it. If that's not your thing, don't make posts raving about how terrible it is or start harrassing them. If you don't want to see it just block the people doing it, block the relevant tags and move on. The communities here are pretty good at tagging their stuff using 'hermitshipping' for hermitcraft, 'trafficshipping' for the life series, 'empireshipping' for empires, and 'dsmpshipping' for dream smp. I don't think it happens much for dsmpblr but the others it's a regular occurence.

A lot of us (including myself) don't want to be noticed by content creators! We were here first and for the people who write fics or make art, they may feel uncomfortable posting if there's a chance a CC will see it. I believe Aimsey's now saying there's an 'Aimsey look' tag that they will go through each week so only people who wanted to be noticed will be, and I know we can't really do much to stop CCs going through the hashtags but just don't @ them in posts unless they're your own or OP specifically says you can.

No drama please! This is supposed to be a chill space and people moving over from twitter aren't going to ruin that. We've been here longer than you have, so you're the guests under our house rules. This is especially the case when it comes to MCCs. Leave Scott and Noxcrew be!

This is a personal one but please don't complain to me about buildmart. Yes I know people hate it and think it's unfair but I and other people here really enjoy it so I will simply block people who complain about it. We're all entitled to opinions but it's really tiring to see people shit on it once a month every month.

[astaroth1357]

How Often They Worry about MC…

For those who don’t know, I have a little dog named Charlie and she is a large portion of my world. There's no need to be alarmed, my dog is fine, but there are days where I hold her and all I can think about is how much I worry about her health down the line… I suppose we often do that for the people we love, particularly the ones who may not last as long as we will. Take that as inspiration if you'd like.

Lucifer 

Near constantly. 

If you tracked his blood pressure on a grid, you'd see it start to continuously rise about when he decided they were worth having in his life.

Lucifer is the eldest sibling to a whole crew of brothers so he's no stranger to worry. He worried about his brothers when they were young, he worried about them after the Fall, and he still worries about them now (even if he's less open about it).

But a part of him knows that his brothers can handle their own, at least to varying degrees. The MC, though? He's far less sure…

They've proven rather resilient, but also headstrong and reckless. Neither of which are good things to be in a place this dangerous...

If Lucifer isn't careful, he can catch himself staring at a wall or window just wondering where they are and if they're doing alright… If he called them every time he had a passing worry, their inbox would be full by the end each week.

He holds himself back because he doesn't have the time to constantly protect them, but that doesn't stop him from sending a text once or twice a day. They better respond or he'll start (secretly) panicking.

Mammon

He forgets their mortality from time to time, but every time he remembers it hits like a ton of bricks…

Mammon is a pretty "in-the-moment" person. He doesn't spend a lot of time dwelling on the future, but whenever he does the thought of losing MC always comes back to him again and again.

Like. It's gotta happen eventually, right? They're human, humans die, hell they don't even live that long to start with!

The MC can always tell when Mammon's getting worried because he'll get uncharacteristically quiet and pace around or hover by them…

Every little injury or strenuous task will suddenly seem like too much to him as well. 

If they need to carry some boxes, he'll carry them all.

If they have to jog to class, he's carrying them. 

If they so much as get a papercut, he'll have a heart attack.

It's not very hard to get Mammon out of these funks - he really does want them to reassure him that they're okay - but he's never going to get fully over it…

Not until he can steal whatever top secret immortality formula Solomon must have used anyway… He'll get it off that bastard eventually.

Leviathan

Thinks about it so often he has to actively try not to just to get any peace…

He dodges his fears for MC like a protagonist dodges lasting consequences. Every time he feels one creeping up, he's always got a distraction waiting…

"Hey where's MC at? I hope they didn't fall into the riv-OH HEY CHECK OUT THIS NEW GAME!!"

"What are they doing over there…? That looks hard, what if they bre-WAIT DIDN'T MY FAVORITE VOICE ACTOR JUST RELEASE A NEW PODCAST???"

"What if the MC dies tomorrow and they leave me all alo-DEVIL FIGHT 200! YOU CAN'T BEAT DEVIL FIGHT 200, LET’S BREAK MY HIGH SCORE!!"

Cut him some slack, his psyche cannot handle the idea of losing them on top of everything else he grapples with every day.

If, on the rare occasion, he does let himself fall down that rabbit hole he becomes extra clingy and practically begs MC not to leave his room… like ever. He'd bubble wrap them if he could.

Anytime they get really hurt or really sick he refuses to leave their side even if it means he has to awkwardly sit on the floor. He just needs to be able to glance at them every so often to be sure they're alive… Still breathing?? Phew…

Satan

He worries, preps, rationalizes, then worries again…

For Satan, knowledge is power and every scrap of information he can learn about MC is more power he can use to keep them safe and healthy.

Yes, he will want their medical history. Yes, he's going to need a list of prescriptions. Family members too. And no, you do not get a choice.

He'll read up on as many things as he can - pawn medical journals off of witches and get magical alternatives from Solomon.

The cycle usually goes: 

1. He's lying awake at night because he just heard about some terrible bacteria that makes human's skin peel off or something.

2. He does all the research he can on this bacteria, its treatment options, best prevention methods, etc.

3. Gets right about to break out the rubber booties for MC to wear around, then realizes they have a very slim chance of catching said bacteria since it's only native to incredibly remote parts of Indonesia.

4. Feels instant relief that MC will probably not catch flesh-eating bacteria and can finally sleep again…

5. Hears of some other human medical horror from Solomon and starts to worry…

It's a vicious cycle indeed… But at least he's getting a lot of medical training. Soon enough he'll be the Devildom's version of a human vet (which I guess is just a doctor, come to think of it. 🤔)

Asmodeus 

Lives so "here-and-now" that he doesn't remember often, but when he does it's always heartbreaking…

Asmo usually tries to worry about things as little as possible. It’s bad for the skin, you know? But when the MC is involved, all of that goes out the window.

Like how a delicate blossom eventually wilts in the snow, the MC is bound to leave them in time… Usually there's supposed to be something beautiful in that kind of tragedy, but perhaps he's just too close to them to find any romance in it.

The thought of their death gives him breakouts and anytime they get hurt or sick he's the first brother to offer them comfort. Every time.

Because he doesn't feel like he's as physically strong as he brothers, he tries to make up for it by minding their health in other ways. Anything to keep his MC strong and beautiful as always!

If Asmo is in a worrying mood, then he may also compensate by trying to take the MC out to a party or some fun event. Why sit around worrying by himself when he could be making memories with them now, right?

Beelzebub

It comes in waves, mostly at night.

When your thoughts throughout the day are mostly, "I wish I wasn't so hungry," it doesn't afford you a lot of time to think about much else.

In a way, it's a good thing since he experiences a lot less stress. But those worries are still there and they mostly plague his dreams…

Beel doesn’t feel hungry when he's sleeping, so a lot of his fears will make themselves known overnight. An injured or dying MC is often in his rotation of nightmares though, of course, he'd rather it not be…

After having one of these dreams, his first instinct is to always make sure the MC is okay. If they're with him, he'll hug them and check their heartbeat. If they're somewhere else, he'll go to them or shoot a text.

He has woken up without realizing his nightmare was all a dream though, and usually it's up to Belphie or MC themselves to console him while he cries… It's so heartbreaking, sweet boy just puts a lot of pressure on himself to be sure they're safe…

When he worries, it's like they're the most beautiful and expensive China set in a room full of bulls and hammers. If he could tape them to his side, he probably would. He gets scared for them that much…

Belphegor 

More scared about it than anyone else in the House.

Despite his calm demeanor, Belphie is truly afraid of losing his loved ones beneath the surface… He's already lost one of his most dear siblings before, going through that again may just break him.

Unfortunately, he's also felt just how fragile the MC is firsthand... He's not even the strongest of his brothers, yet he was able to snuff them out so easily… Who's to say someone else won't try?

Like Beel, MC's death is a recurring nightmare for him but he can usually shake off his dreams fairly well, if not change them mid-sleep. More scary is when something is actually wrong with them or they're not feeling well.

Belphie always sets his inner laziness aside for the MC when he can. If they get sick, he'll usually be right along with his family to take care of them - even if he has to skip school to do so (not that he cares about class anyway).

When he's worrying about them, he tries to play it off at first, but soon enough they'll notice him acting overly concerned and losing sleep… Best to calm him down before he starts getting cranky.

[forestlingincorporated]

I wanna talk about Janet Drake

I’m not against exaggeratedly evil versions of Tim’s parents, tbh. It’s fanfiction, if we can depict an Exaggeratedly Good version of Bruce (which we can, and I do, and I love) then we can depict the Drakes as Exaggeratedly Bad. As someone who personally identifies with Tim, and his brand of complicated parental abuse in particular, I find it cathartic to uncomplicate that abuse and rescue him from the Obviously Evil Bad People. 

That said, since much of comics lore is passed down word of mouth, the oral tradition surrounding Tim has developed this idea of Janet as The Worse Parent between her and Jack that was never really present in the comics. We see much LESS of Janet, and we have 20 years worth of comics depicting Jack as a neglectful hotheaded idiot who ultimate does love his son. More importantly, Jack isn’t very much LIKE Tim, so there is a habit to attribute Tim’s traits to his mother... and, as someone who really really identifies with Tim, Tim has... some negative traits. Tim can be a bitch sometimes. He’s fiercely intelligent and sweet and kind, with a strong sense of justice, but he can be cold and judgmental and unthinking - he fights those traits, but he does have them. 

And it is perfectly fine to depict Janet that way. I’ve enjoyed depictions of Cold Calculating Janet Drake, but it’s not the ONLY option, and I want to challenge fans to consider different avenues. Tim could pick up these traits from anywhere: a nanny, Mrs. Mc Ilvaine (”Mrs. Mac”), a teacher, tv, Sherlock Holmes novels, Bruce Wayne himself. Tim is capable of not being like EITHER parent. 

So, what do we KNOW about Janet? (I’ll also touch on Jack, but only in scenes he appears with Janet.) 

When Janet was first introduced she was depicted as a gentle but “modern” woman. This was written in 1989, told by a 13 year old Tim, so this theoretically was meant to take place in 1979. I’m not here to give a lecture on the history of sex discrimination in the united states, but much of the legislation protecting women in the workforce or surrounding women’s bodily autonomy would have been very very new in this initial depiction. 

Here, Janet is shown to be encouraging, emotional, maternal, and projects her own feelings onto Tim. Jack is shown to be slightly sexist, possibly discouraging, but not overbearing. And the artist is shown not to know how to draw children. 

To insert some speculation, I think it’s important to note all the Drakes witnessed a terrible murder/accident that day. I point this out, because this is the last time Jack and Janet are depicted this way. It’s possible they changed as a result of this event specifically. 

However, this is also a story being told by Tim. It’s also possible these events aren’t really “real” at all, and Tim is misremembering what his parents were like as a three-year-old, possibly projecting a more palatable version of his parents into the narrative. This is entirely up to personal interpretation. 

In fact, the Drakes are shown in Legend of the Dark Knight attending Haly’s Circus, and the artist knows what a toddler looks like and they’re depicted as already having a slightly strained relationship. Jack is clearly on the defensive, and Janet seems to be passive-aggressive, though she could just be attempting to explain the situation to her toddler honestly. The intended tone isn’t especially clear. 

I do want to point out, in this depiction, Tim isn’t being carried like he was in the previous one. He’s walking ahead of his parents, which isn’t a terrible horrible crime, but could be dangerous in a crowded place like the circus. Might be a subtle hint to his parents overall neglect. 

Back to A Lonely Place of Dying, in Tim’s memories of the night he discovered Robin and Dick Grayson were the same person at nine-years-old, his parents are home, and watching TV together while Tim played... trucks, idk, in the living room with them. (This is semi-interesting, because you could say “oh, Tim liked vehicle toys as a kid” or you could extrapolate that this is another subtle indication of Jack’s sexism, providing Tim with appropriately “boy toys.” Either interpretation is valid. If Tim was assigned female at birth, would they have been given “girl toys,” or allowed to play with whatever they wanted?) 

This is, to my knowledge, the only panel of the Drakes when Tim is between ages 3 and 13. They’re all together, which might indicate that the Drakes were home more often when Tim was 9, only later going on business trips when Tim was “old enough” but... 

This is Tim’s boarding school when he’s 13. While most boarding schools in the US are for grades 9-12, Tim is clearly not a freshman at age 13; look how much younger the other kids in this panel are. In the US, the youngest you can attend most boarding schools is 7. 

That means Tim could have begun going to boarding school anytime between 7 and 13. He most likely spent all of middle school in boarding school, at least. There are an almost infinite number of possible ways the Drakes handled having a business that required lots of international travel, an archeology hobby, AND a very young child. Janet staying home until Tim was 7, 11, 13, is equally possible as the Drakes having a nanny until 7, 11, 13. Tim just doesn’t talk about that period of his life very much.

(”What about Mrs. Mac?” - it is unclear when Mrs. Mac begins working for the Drakes. We only see her when Jack comes out of his coma. She could either be a long standing staff member, or a recent hire.) 

Note: I’ve seen it said that it’s canon that “According to Tim, when his parents were home, they made a point to try and include him in their activities, bringing him along to events that were normally adults only.” I have never seen this panel, or I don’t remember it, so I cannot confirm, but I also cannot debunk this because... comics. 

By the time Tim is 13, Jack and Janet are away on business trips a lot, with limited communication, and no firm return date. If I’m feeling generous, I’d say it was harder to communicate internationally in 1990 than it is today. If I’m not feeling generous, I’d say the Drakes are extremely wealthy, and international communication was easier than ever before in the 80s and 90s. They’re not even going home to see Tim in a week or two, they’re going home and calling Tim at boarding school in a week or two. 

Even Bruce thinks its weird, though he doesn’t say so to Tim’s face. It’s written almost as if Tim’s parents’ neglect was meant to be a plot point that just got forgotten about. 

Tim’s parents are fighting at this point (their poor assistant), but Janet still goes with Jack on these business trips. And she’s clearly involved in the business, somehow, but the comics never SAY what Janet’s JOB is. We’re told Jack is the exec, but Janet is ONLY ever referred to as Jack’s wife, though they’re later described as the “heads” of the company, plural. 

Just to be clear, this is Jack’s business. There’s a perception that Jack is a bad business man because he and Janet fight over company decisions, and Jack looses the business after Janet dies, but Jack looses the company YEARS after Janet dies, and maintains it for about a year after No Man’s Land at that. We’re not told how Jack looses the business, but he’s got to be doing something right. Janet isn’t necessarily the “real brains” of Drake Industries. 

And I’m not... gonna... touch the... exploitation and racism because... I’m not qualified to do that. But, here’s the panel. The Drakes sure seem exploitative and racist in their business decisions. Someone else can... analyze that with more nuance. 

Regardless how how long they’ve been fighting, when their lives are in danger, the Drakes fall back into a loving husband and wife. Their marriage may be falling apart, but they do care about each other. 

I want to show these panels because it shows that Tim and Jack do have things in common. They’re both level headed in a crisis and can be somewhat cold in their practicality. Janet meanwhile and silent. Jack is later willing rant and rave at their captors, but Janet remains silent. 

That is, until they’re alone, and she finally lets herself fall apart. 

God, Jack can be obnoxious. Janet just looks miserable and resigned. I actually think Tim takes after his parents in this respect in equal measure. Tim can have a temper, but he can also be fairly melancholy and defeatist. 

Jack keeps reminding Janet to be strong and in control, which could be period typical sexism? But Jack seems so practiced and ready with the words of encouragement, and with Tim’s history with depression, I wonder if Janet has an inclination towards it as well. 

As the end approaches, when Jack brings up Tim, Janet seems to have a lot of regret. She talks about “wasting” the good things, and I don’t think it’s too big of a stretch to assume she’s talking about time spent with her only child. 

From this point on, Janet is at times spoken of, but not seen. Like here, when Jack says Janet wouldn’t approve of him and Tim being so “far apart.” He says this after he tells him he takes back his threat to send him back to boarding school, which might imply Janet was against the idea of boarding school? Though she obviously lost that argument when she was alive. 

Jack will of course renege on this later, but that’s Jack Drake for you. 

Or here in Tim’s illness induced dream, where he gets everything he wants. Though, since this is a fantasy of Tim’s, where his father and girlfriend are both more accepting and understanding than they are in real life, I would take this depiction of Janet with a grain of salt. 

After loosing Drake Industries, Jack thinks about Janet (though, they call her Catherine/Cathy for some fucking reason) during his depressive episode. And... uh... 

Hallucinates a Valkyrie???? Is this symbolic of suicidal thoughts, or is she... real? Or is he seriously hallucinating? 

Anyway, we’re not here to discuss Jack’s mental state, the fact that he forgot Tim’s birthday, or that concerning “I was going to knock some sense into you but you’re still bigger than me” statement from Tim, we’re here to talk about Janet. And even though this entire arc is about Jack mourning his first wife, they don’t SAY anything about Janet herself at all. I mean, they don’t even get her name right, so I guess what was I expecting. 

Then there’s Origins and Omens, which also doesn’t say anything about Janet, except that Tim’s memory of her is faulty - Janet was poisoned, her assistant Jeremy’s throat was slit on television, but Tim seems to have conflated the death he did see with the death he didn’t. 

The only piece of canon to suggest that Janet might be cold, is Tim compares her to Thalia. And even then, he’s really just saying Janet was protective of him. It’s kind of a scary look to make at your kid, but Bruce does the same thing, so. 

I do want to say... it’s not 100% clear if Tim is even talking about Janet. He could be talking about Dana. Dana was observably protective of Tim, though I don’t think he’s ever called her mom. He PROBABLY means Janet. 

And finally we have Tim visiting his mother’s grave (in a duel Christian/Jewish cemetery, make of that what you will), where Tim says she was “a little religious.”

And that’s it! That is all we know about Janet Drake in New Earth. Hardly the Mom From Hell, but she isn’t perfect. I’d be interested in seeing some alternate depictions of her within the fandom. 

I’m still gonna eat up Terrible Parents From Hell like a starving puppy dog, though. Just some food for creative thought. 

[traxxmatic]

[TEASER] passion; is it really worth it?

sunghoon x fem reader

part one is here

idk what genre this is? angst? it’s just a teaser for now | warnings: cursing, mentions of cyber bullying/ online hate, slight hint towards y/n being depressed | word count: 665

“here we go now!”

one. two. three. four.

one. two. three. four.

one. two. three. four.

one. two. three. four.

“and all i want is you.”

one. two.

“hanaui gandanhan clue.”

one. two. three. four.

‘jeez i don’t ever remember getting this out of breath when practicing.’

perhaps the crowd of people watching and judging your debut performance made you a bit less stable than usual. maybe it was the fact that your anxiety is absolutely terrible right now. or, maybe it was the fact that 3 minutes before you got on stage you made eye contact with him.

park sunghoon.

at this point, you don’t even remember the last time you spoke to him. that’s actually a lie; you replay your last conversation with him in your mind over and over again. what you could have said differently, things he said that could have a deeper meaning, but really… you replayed it because you miss him. god do you miss the friendship you had. after he left, things weren’t the same. you had no one. it hadn’t occurred to you until sunghoon left that he was the only person you ever hung out with… hell, talked to.

your dance practices had felt empty.

your life had felt empty.

you had felt empty.

quite honestly, you didn’t know what to do with yourself. it hit you hard when he left: you were in love with park sunghoon. at this point though, so was his entire fandom. millions of people tune in now to watch or listen to enhypen content. ‘he really was born to be a performer. whether it be on the ice or the stage.’ today, though, that stage was the same stage you were performing on.

koreaboo

y/n l/n, new girl group “BLUSHs” most controversial member.

y/n l/n, new girl group “BLUSHs” most controversial member.

you didn’t think netizens could be so cruel. the amount of comments and the extent of some of them gave you a huge migraine.

you didn’t think netizens could be so cruel. the amount of comments and the extent of some of them gave you a huge migraine.

‘great. just what needed before my second ever performance’

“y/n are you okay? you don’t look very good.” you look up from your phone to see jia, the leader of your group, looking at you, concerned. she looked from your face to your phone and instantly frowned. “i told you not to look at the media. they barely know anything about us and yet they want to tear us apart. y/n you know they are all wrong. you know you aren’t what the media says you are.”

it’s true. ironically, koreaboo is calling you a koreaboo based on the sole purpose that you’re a foreigner. other sources claim that you had surgery on your eyes to “look asian.” none of it was true, but netizens were eating the shit up as if they were starving. many sent hate comments under your debut music video. others took it to twitter, instagram, and other social media platforms. ‘it’s all my fault. if i wasn’t in this group, my band members wouldn’t have to go through this.’

————————

“here we go now!”

one. two. three. four.

one. two. three. four.

one. two. three. four.

one. two. three. four.

“and all i want is you.”

one. two.

“hanaui gandanhan clue.”

one. two. three. four.

you didn’t realize how fast a song could become annoying. your debut song, “craze,” being pretty much the only thing you have listened to for months, though, made you realize very fast. you wonder if sunghoon has the same problem. ‘why am i thinking about him again? y/n, please, pull yourself together.’ the fact that sunghoon was the mc for music bank wasn’t helping your mind though. ‘he’s gonna ask me questions tomorrow… he’s gonna talk to me…tomorrow.’

honestly, you felt like throwing up. fuck, why was simply interacting with him making you feel the urge to cry? you were friends for several years. why are you so scared to see him again? it’s only been a little under two years since you last spoke.

really, what could have changed?

authors note: i have no clue when i will post the full thing because i haven’t finished it yet💀, but i thought i would make it known that there is going to be a part two to passion. i wouldn’t say it was “highly demanded,” but there were people who asked for it, including my own sister😭; so it’s coming! when? no clue… but it’s in the works!

[writingwithcolor]

Arab Character Joining Corrupt Superheroes, Police Parallels

Anonymous asked:

I’m writing a story with a Arabian diaspora main character. The story is about corrupt superheroes, and how they affect an oppressed superpowered minority. The main character is one of these superheroes, naively joining them in his teens believing he’s going to help people. Doesn’t help that his parents are having money trouble. Eventually he ends up fighting a superpowered crook, and gets a bystander killed.

1)I know portraying an Arabian character committing violence is a pretty touchy subject, even if accidental. Is there any way I can write this that makes it clear to the reader that the action itself is messed up without the unfortunate implication that Arabs are violent? 

2)A large part of the story is the MC’s parents reaction. They are loving parents, however after this incident happens, they are confused and ashamed. While they still love him, they temporarily cut ties with him. Eventually they reconcile and start to be a family again. In my research (they are diaspora Saudi Arabians), Family is very important and tight-nit. Shame towards the family is to be avoided at all costs. However I’ve also read that disowning a family member rarely ever happens. Is there a way to write this kind of narrative with respect to this aspect of Arabian culture?

Let us begin with some terminology.

- If a person is from Saudi Arabia, they are Saudi Arabian, or more commonly, Saudi. This is their nationality.

- They may or may not be Arab. Arab is an ethnicity. Not all Saudis are Arab. Not all Arabs are Saudi.

- Arabic is a language. Lots of people across the world who are neither Saudi nor Arab speak Arabic.

- Arabian on its own is a word used to refer to a specific breed of horses.

If you are referring to humans, you want to either say "Saudi Arabian" (both words) or “Saudi” to indicate nationality, or "Arab" to indicate ethnicity. If you’re looking to describe your character’s culture, you probably want to call it Saudi culture. (While grammatically correct, talking about “Arab culture” doesn’t make much sense because Arabs are an incredibly diverse ethnic group and there is no such thing as a single monolithic Arab culture).

Now for the first question. In my mind, the issue is less about the character committing violence, and more about the premise of the story and how it mirrors real-life oppressive structures. You have an organized group of superheroes who think they are doing good by fighting “crooks” but in reality are enacting systemic oppression upon a marginalized group. This immediately brings to mind police violence, racial profiling, and the way that policing in North America is used as a tool of white supremacy while glorified in propaganda as a force for good. Essentially, you are telling a story about a character who joins an oppressive policing force, enacts violence upon a marginalized group as a result, and (I’m assuming) eventually realizes that they are not, in fact, the good guys. This is very close to being a “bigoted character learns not to be bigoted” story. I recommend re-examining your premise in light of the real-life parallels and asking yourself whether this is the story you want to tell. 

The issue is compounded by the fact that your character is an Arab teen, who in real life is more likely to be the one facing racial profiling from the police. Taking this character and making him the oppressor in your story makes the already flawed premise even more problematic, especially if the characters in the oppressed group are white.

As for your second question, it seems believable to me that a teen’s parents might reject him if they learned that he committed a crime. However, when the family in question is Arab, you are suddenly feeding into harmful tropes about oppressive and violent Arab parents. You are asking if there is a way to write this respectfully. I believe that there is, but it requires a great deal of care, nuance, and cultural awareness. While it is possible to write a Saudi Arab character grappling with the consequences of violence and familial estrangement in a compelling way, the way your ask is phrased leads me to believe you are not equipped to do it justice. 

- Mod Niki

Think about why Arab people committing violence is a touchy subject, and then think about the general propaganda narrative that came about from the act that made things so touchy. 

It’s going to sound one hell of a lot like what you have here.

Military and police use buckets and buckets of propaganda to continue hooking in young, impressionable teens to commit state-sanctioned colonialism and oppression. That propaganda looks suspiciously like “we have health insurance, we will pay for your education, you just have to do what we tell you even if that means hurting or killing others, but it’s okay because you get to be the hero in the situation.”

Now, propaganda is a very powerful tool. I was taught, in my media classes, that controlling the message means shaping reality. The media is built as a propaganda machine, and when you start to see who owns what media properties you start to see some really disturbing patterns (Rubert Murdoch owns a lot of right-wing sources across America, the UK, and Australia, and he’s too rich to investigate his culpability in spinning terrible narratives found in right-wing publications. He owns the big names).

As Niki said, this situation mirrors police violence and police-sanctioned terrorism. And the very, very unfortunate implications of making the target of police violence be in that wheel. But I want you to look at the media situation that has made the plot happen.

Because even if you swapped out ethnicities, you’d still have a reckoning to do with the American culture that their primary social safety nets involve killing people.

I am not kidding.

Some of the most well-funded unions in the country are police unions. These people have pensions. They have health insurance. It’s damn near impossible to fire them. They get overtime very well mandated, and it’s a known thing among defence lawyers that arrests happen right before a cop’s shift will end so they get the overtime of filing the paperwork. They absolutely go into poor neighbourhoods and recruit based off people needing an escape, and them having the money to provide it.

A similar sentiment is true for the military, except they push for college education a bit more and don’t really have overtime, but they do have deployment bonuses. So the way to get extra pay for yourself is to go out and do colonialism outside the borders. The military doesn’t necessarily like it when the economy is doing well, and don’t like the idea of college being affordable, because they rely so heavily on poverty and fear of college debt to recruit. 

The story you’re telling here goes so far beyond an individual’s actions and instead taps into America’s single biggest cultural investment: that oppressing others makes you a hero. 

The Pentagon funds most military media out there as a propaganda tool, including most superhero movies and a large number of video games. This is in their budget. They will also go so far as to literally commission the games to exist. Part of getting that funding is you cannot critique America’s military, basically at all (the only exception I’ve seen is Ms Marvel, but that’s set in the 90s). This turns any sort of military-using media into a potential propaganda tool.

And the thing is? Even if you fall for that propaganda and were part of the military or the police, you still have to reckon with the fact you put whatever your own desires were above a huge track record of those groups being terrible. You still have to reckon with the fact you didn’t realize they were wrong, and were complicit in a lot of crimes.

This goes very far beyond “the action is terrible” and goes into “the system is rotten to its core, and you chose not to believe it, or to believe you could change what was built with blood.”

“Good” police officers get fired. If you try to question anything, if you try to say this action is wrong, you will absolutely get destroyed. Military’s much the same. You need some degree of buy-in to the concept of white supremacy to sign up for the military or the police, because you need to see their actions as not deal breakers instead of actions that violate multiple international laws. 

In short: you need to see the people being oppressed as deserving of being oppressed to some degree in order to participate with police and the military.

Marginalized people can hold this belief, it happens. But that is a very sticky situation that outsiders shouldn’t touch. 

It’s possible but difficult for you to write a white person having this sort of arc, but it would be extremely challenging to have it not come across as a white guilt story. To not have a socially aware audience roll their eyes at how long it took. You’d definitely not be writing a story with a diverse audience in mind, because you’d mostly appeal to those who saw the propaganda as just fine and not that bad.

This isn’t even getting into the oft-cited adage that boys who bully others become cops, while girls who bully become nurses. And the more police atrocities become mainstream news, the less and less people can convince themselves that becoming a police officer is a good thing.

Which brings me to the point of: how well-documented is this oppression? Is this character walking around in an oppressive situation like, say, pre-social-media where there was no direct access to the oppressed groups and you could close your eyes and look away even if it made national news? Or is this in a media connected world where these oppressed populations have a voice in the narrative?

The former has an angle of the character slowly realizing the horror and it’s slightly more forgivable for their early ignorance. But in any sort of world where there’s access to the people getting hurt? Things get more and more “ignorance is indistinguishable from maliciousness.” And keep in mind, these stories are read in the real world, where police brutality and war crimes go viral, and a lack of knowledge is getting harder and harder to defend as a position.

Media plays a huge role in shaping our perception of what’s happening. Cameras on a situation makes different activism tactics work, as we can see with how activism changed in the 60s and 70s as tv reached the masses. Social media has made it possible for you to look up firsthand accounts of discrimination within seconds. 

This is a factor you are absolutely going to have to consider, when you want to look at how nice your hero is seen by marginalized or otherwise socially-aware people. If there is a way to find out how bad this superhero organization is before you sign a contract with them? Then that doesn’t look particularly good on the “hero”. You’d really have to establish them as super idealistic, super sheltered, super desperate, and/or just swallow the knowledge that they really don’t see anything that happens “over there to those people” as that bad. 

All of the above is more than possible. And they’d still be seen as complicit no matter what justification you gave, because they are.

Does this mean all corrupt organization stories are off limits? No. The reason these stories have such deep cultural resonance right now is because of the propaganda I outlined above. 

But you as the author are going to have to examine your own engagement with the propaganda narrative and do your own private reckoning so your own sense of guilt and compliance doesn’t bleed through the narrative too strongly, so you can tell a good story instead of an overt message story that’s you working out your own feelings.

By all means, write a story where police and the military are taken down, where propaganda is weaponized and the media is controlled (because that’s sure as hell the modern world). 

But know that stories where the hero discovers the corruption already have a ticking clock because we, in the real world, are slowly being faced with a mountain of apathy instead of ignorance. The knowledge of oppression is out there so much that marginalized people are tired of the ignorance defence. 

As the saying goes, “privilege is the ability to ignore the oppression of others.” 

Propaganda, centralized media, and strategic cultural investment made it possible for police and the military to have a chokehold on their public perception. But that’s changing. The chokehold is starting to fade, people are starting to question their beliefs. 

The past year has shown that knowledge isn’t the issue; it’s white supremacy. People don’t want to believe that any of this is that bad. People want to believe that oppression is justified, that if people just followed the law they’d be fine. They don’t want to question themselves. And marginalized people are tired of these narratives where, suddenly, people snap out of it. Because there was so much evidence to show it was bad, but it was only when you do one of the worst crimes imaginable that you realize this is bad? It’s only when it becomes personal that things are worth looking at critically?

No. And you need to examine where you are in processing your own complicity before writing a story where you’ve swapped around the ethnicities to try and distance yourself from the problem, where in the end you made the target the oppressor.

~Mod Lesya

[kyotakumrau]

2021.02.16 1st talk session of Meguro Rock-May-KanGIG at Zepp Yokohama

Zepp Yokohama is a such a nice venue, I really hope we will get to see dir play there live properly!

The concert recorded at Meguro RockMayKan was great! The setlist surprised me quite a lot (especially encore!!!)! And I think that was the smallest stage I ever saw dir on!😆 the footage definitely deserves a separate entry and I don't want to spoil anyone if they go to next events.

After the concert film screening staff quickly prepared the stage, bringing two long tables and four chairs, they also placed a water bottle at each seat.

Punctually (thank you for not repeating Nagoya's situation😆), at 3:30 Fujieda came on stage and started with greeting everyone, and asking us to greet the band members with applause.

After a moment of uncertainty (even as my heart was almost set it will be Kyo) Die came on stage with Kyo after him.٩( ˆoˆ  )۶

They both looked super classy. Die had a dark grey suit with a long jacket, his usual award winning hair and wore sunglasses.

Kyo had a black jacket (with a round Chanel pin) and shirt, green hair, he wore glasses (not sunglasses).

When they sat (Kyo stood in front of the chair first until Fujieda gestured them to sit) F asked them to introduce themselves.

D: ども、Dieです

K: 京です

...and then F announced 'today is Kyo's birthday!' and a birthday song melody began to play😆

Kyo turned on his murder face glaring at Fujieda who happily observed 'oh what's this song?'😂

The soft Happy Birthday melody got then a guitar joining in and Takabayashi came on the stage carrying a small strawberry shortcake (with a chocolate message おめでとう京さん) which of course he placed in front of Kyo.

We couldn't sing but we clapped.

Kyo snatched a strawberry and popped it in his mouth. He gestured 'throat slashing' looking at Fujieda😂

And then ate another strawberry🍓😂

F: the song was made by Die.

K: (only interested in the cake) Could I get a fork?

(staff went to get him one)

F: how do you feel? (about your own birthday)

K: I don't care.

The fork arrived and Kyo literally dug in right in the middle, scooping a huge piece he put whole in his mouth.

Fujieda wisely left Kyo to his cake then and started talking about RMK footage. Die said they had hard time deciding on a tour or events like this in COVID situation. They also mentioned the secret show in 2009 was held in RMK.

Next Die talked about how nice it was to rehearse and play together with the band, first time since March, he was happy about the show, creating sound together as 5 people.

F: did you finish eating K?

K: yup

(there was last 🍓 left (out of 4 big ones), he ate about 25~35%?)

F: then tell us about recording the RockMayKan show!

K: the place was very narrow.

F: anything else?

K: Not really.

But then he added more, that as it has been a while it felt like the first day of the tour.

F: was there anything that was difficult? Was a struggle?

K: when recording I can do it at my own pace, I can do one song when I want, but that day it was back to performing over 10 songs all at once, it was tough, hard on my throat, energy/stamina wise.

But at the same time it was exciting, meet with other members, play music together, that was nice.

F: 2019 was filled with shows, it was busy, then things changed. So after a break to see an audience again got me nervous, in a good way.

Next F said had would like to talk about the release of Oboro.

D: what do you want to know?

F: so the song is not out yet, any hints?

D: it's gonna stay a secret for a bit more.

F: the 2nd track is TDFF？

D: (interesting letters ???didn't catch exactly) it's a powerful song.

F: how is Oboro for you Kyo?

K: quite fresh/refreshing

F: really?!

D: especially the video

...but then Kyo just burst with a whole speech how Fujieda always ask something and when he gets an aswer he didn't expect he doesn't react well, just says what he wants, is not listening to what Kyo says and... it went for a while😆

Next F moved to the topic of the merchandise and asked the band members which items they like.

K: the big badge, before the big pick was huge, shouldn't the badge be like this size (showing about 20cm with his hands). It bothered me from when I saw it. Isn't it just normal?

in the end they agreed it's just 'a bit big' 😂

F: how about for you, D?

D: the rubber key chains?

F: they got sold out very quickly, sorry to fans about that.

D: they are cute. And I like the wristbands too. The color combinations are nice.

T: the badge has the old band's logo, it brings me back

D talked about old times when artists made stickers like that, with logos, to put on their equipment, they worked a bit like business cards, he said he still have some at home.

T picked the rechargeable heat pack.

K: so it's to be used instead of heat packs? (ホッカイロ)

F: uh, it's already warm.

D: huh? Show me? (F passed it to him) it's like a phone that gets hot when charging.

Next they moved on to fans questions. ("~~" is a question from fans they read)

K (unusually picks the first question super fast): "what's your favourite cake?"

K: Well, the strawberry shortcake is good, but this one doesn't have strawberries inside, just some jam, it should have strawberries inside too.

(F so dead😂😂😂)

F: "what's your best or bad memory connected to birthdays?"

K: at a concert somewhere, it was quite long time ago, I got a present all wrapped and in a bag from a silver accessories brand I liked, so nicely wrapped, I opened it and it was empty, isn't that really strange? I looked at the attached letter and it said the person is keeping the item for themselves. It annoyed me so much, the worst bd memory ever.

☹️

F: how about you D?

D: it's not exactly bad memory, but many band members have birthdays in February, in the past when we were still giving each other presents Toshiya and I had to think what to get for 3 people, it was always tough. We stopped that at some point.

T: "any memory/story about China Town?"

D: I like China Town

T: do you go often?

D: sometimes. But only to my favorite restaurants. (?? Talked more about the stadium?)

T: do you usually order the same thing?

D: Mabodofu, the spicy version

(then I think he said something like there's no point in overdoing spicyness, it's not healthy??)

K: I don't know which restaurants are good so I get annoyed. I don't know what decides it's a good one or not.

F: I don't go, but I'd like to.

then they talked about the types of Chinese food and food they tried when in other Asian countries.

K: when we were touring in the US I ordered Chinese abd it was terrible, it was all bad. The egg soup was all clumpy, so bad.

D: "any stories about RockMayKan?"

D: honestly I don't have good memories with this venue, when with a previous band we played together with more senior bands and they took over the dressing room, we couldn't use it, and we also had to greet all senpai musicians.

K: remember when Shinya sat on the lockers? Like on top of the 170cm lockers?

D: was it in Nagoya?

K: he's done his make up there, like a cat or something

D: Shinya climbed a locker and made a space for himself there

K: He's not exactly human. Normally you would not even consider climbing a locker...

D: we usually did our make up on the stairs, didn't use changing room. When we played at RMK as dir for the first time I saw 'this is the changing room!'

He also talked about how the hair spray used by all the bandomen would stink up the whole place 😂

F: "what do you usually wear to sleep?"

K: just underwear. Doesn't matter if it's summer or winter I want to feel the towel like fabric, I use towel cloth for my bedding, I want my whole body to feel it so there's no point in wearing pajamas.

D: at home...wait you mean my home or my family house? At my parents' I always wear the pajama my mum got me, currently the Mickey Mouse one. I only have that one there.

K( with sudden interest): can you draw it?

D: it's about this big, quite big print. The one I wear at home, it wasn't sent by my mum.

K: not Mickey one??

D:  that's Nightmare Before Christmas.

K: Disney theme?

D: this one has a face in the front.

K: do you change characters (for pajamas) every year?

D: this year it's Nightmare.

Next was something they wanted to say to F. K chose to comment on his haircut, because it's asymmetric K is bothered that it will end as an uzumaki in the back. They talked more about F's style.

F: "I'd like you to tell us about your costumes you wore for RMK show".

D: I wanted something motovating so red colour.

K: I had no special reasoning, just what I wanted to wear then.

D: "have you gotten any food delivery?"

He said he only got it once or not much, I think he said he's not fond of shops that don't do it properly, but when recording it's good???

F: Shinya said he orders Uber almost everyday.

K: I only got Uber once.

F: what did you get?

K: Burger King. I quit McDonalds. After eating Burger King I can't go back to McDonalds.

They talked about sizes of burger here?? Whooper versus Junior Whooper?

F: So McD is not good?

K: the meat taste is different. McDonald now tastes like trash.

F: what about the Mc fries, when they get a bit soft.

K: not only a bit. Gross.

D: in the US we usually also have some American staff, when we had some time and we went to eat out, it was funny, American staff went for sushi, Shinya went for McDonalds.

F: was it last time?

D: no, quite some time ago.

F: when did you eat McDonalds the last time?

D: I also don't eat it, it's been some time already.

They talked more about the food, some restaurants D liked in the US (didn't catch the name🙃 but in Sacramento?), then F talked more about event schedule and the time was over.

Last comments from the band members:

Die: From today the new series of film screening starts, thank you for coming to the first day. So well... the band is working on the new album while coming to the events at the same time, we're working on creating a great album. Please come amd enjoy the events.

Kyo: I don't have a special thing to say. Many of you will be coming to few or many events and will end up with many t-shirts, you can do whatever with them, even use them as a doormat, there are many ways to use them, no problem for the whole year.

[brownandblackpearls]

📜 🖋 𝒞ourting with 𝒟r. 𝒟evorak (Julian x BlackReader) Pt.3

PART 3 SUMMARY:

You are a reputable, young beauty of means in Vesuvia, enjoying the winter courting season. An odd letter from an odd doctor finds its way to your door. You are on the second segment of your first date, attending a play in Vesuvia.

─── Julian x black female reader

─── imagery + fiction

─── explicit smut

─── regency/historical/fantasy, courtship rituals, wealthy! MC, love letters, drama, handsome redheads

☾ previous. next. 

.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:・゜゜・．✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: *

.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:・゜゜・．✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: *

The obsidian carriage was a comfortable reprieve from the glare of the chilled sun rays. Drifts of snow were all too happy to try and reflect the light into your eyes, but the dark, shrouded curtains of the doctor’s vehicle saved you from the visual spotlights. 

Swept in by your courter, you sit and watch Julian seat himself before his man yips the horses and pulls you all off, down the snowswept cobblestones.

You watch Julian watching you, thinking quietly to yourself about the events that have happened thus far, and letting the moment of silence cover you both. Sometimes, silence was just as good as words. What kind of man was Julian, in silence?

Shy, it seemed. He tries to pretend to glance out the window before being reeled back into your gaze, and finally, staying there. Shoulders stiff, you could almost feel the thoughts running through his mind.

You graced him a gentle smile, an offering.

Julian is more than eager to return it, nervousness be damned.

You were beginning to understand a little better why you felt so fond of him so fast, you realized. He was so…eager. Open. Even with all the little charades of character he pulled from time to time, they were more entertaining than anything. It did not come off as malevolent or manipulative. It was more experimental than anything. As anxious as your presence seemed to make him, Julian seemed comfortable enough in himself to try different things, different ways of being.

It didn’t hurt that he was very easy to read, and he read a tale of a soft heart on his sleeve.

You were very good at keeping yours under your sleeves, and something told you that Julian—as well as many others—liked the challenge enough to rise to it.

“You’re enjoying yourself,” Julian says rather than asks, hope tingeing his tone.

“I am,” you confirm easily, showing your cards.

Pleased, his chest almost seemed to puff up in pride. You realize that Julian wants this courtship to be not just enjoyable, but memorable. Memorable enough for you to call upon him once more, memorable enough for you to savor spending time with him, to become hooked to it, and in turn, to him.

“What play shall we be seeing...?” You wonder aloud, tiring of your mental courting maps.

“It is a new showing,” Julian answers brightly, “’To Rake a Shrew’. One of my old friends behind-the-scenes, he explained some of the outline. It sounds delightfully dramatic.”

Your eyes widen. 

You’ve always enjoyed a good, romantic drama.

“Do tell.”

Julian leans forward, looking every bit the cat that caught the canary and intended on sharing its prize. His large frame and sweeping height becomes much more apparent in the tiny space as he forgets himself and his nerves, confidence gleaming through his silver gaze as he speaks excitedly on the play. 

He’s such a large man…yet graceful when he desires it…like reedgrass curtsying in the wind on a breezy, summer’s day. The whole of him is enough to cover you entirely. He’s visibly strong, you realize as your eyes rake over him. Yet he moves with such gentleness, especially when it concerns you. A helping hand, an assisting palm to elbow, a touch’s kiss above the lower back. You can feel the ability course through him, yet he remains composed and contained, as a proper doctor would.

Under the doctor however, there is yet a man.

With him this near, your senses flare.

His cologne is somewhat sharp, if not heady. All of him sticks out, dark, dashing, and enough to do whatever he’d like with you…to please…to pursue...to protect…

You suppress a shiver, taking in the sight of him. You’re not new at this particular game of attraction, but you’re still made of flesh and blood, and behave so. You swallow slightly, ignoring the way your heart picks up speed.

“…?” You suddenly realize Julian has called your name, and you’ve yet to answer.

“Forgive me,” you apologize. “I was caught in a thought! Please, tell me once more. I shall not wander again.”

Julian tilts his head curiously before smiling. 

“It’s quite alright. I can be a bore, I’ve been told! What thought draws you away from me?”

‘You, actually.’

“Nothing of imminent concern, I assure you. I’d much rather hear you tell me of your friend and this play.”

Julian pauses before nodding, dropping the matter easily. 

“Well, ‘To Rake a Shrew’ is about a Casanova descending upon a bustling town to find more conquests in love. He is a slave to beauty, but unfortunately for him, the most sought-after beauty in the town is a shrew unlike any other. She will bend to no one, especially not clownish, predictable seducers such as him. He changes his tactics to try and best her at his own game, however she wins in the end and dupes him while entertaining the love of another. And so...he attempts to seduce them both! The outcome of that mess is yet to be determined.”

You clap, terribly excited now. You love interesting plots and twisted triangles of romance, tripe and as common as they may be.

“Ooh, how devilish!”

“Indeed,” Julian agrees. “Do you think he’ll succeed in the end?”

“Well,” you suppose, “I’d have to see this Casanova. I want to know if his wooing is actually something of interest, or if he is simply full of his own air. Seducing two lovers at once? The gall! The work!”

Julian chuckles.

“Some could manage, I’d assume.”

“Oh?” You wonder. “Like who? You know people who could draw even those already entangled, in? That’s quite a feat.” 

Surely he didn’t mean himself...? Julian seemed the shy sort, but was it all really an act? Could he be a playboy? He was certainly handsome enough to pull it off...perhaps you'd gotten ahead of yourself thinking that he was easy to read? It hadn't even been a day.

Julian pins a heavy gaze on you before flicking his eyes down to his hands casually, adjusting the hem of his glove. The leather creaks in a wonderful, quiet way over his regal fingers.

“I think perhaps, I know a few who could make that Casanova look like child’s play.”

‘Oh…’

“A few, you say?”

“Perhaps less than that, even.”

“...One?”

“Would it please you to hear so?” Julian teases lightly, a low heat simmering underneath it all.

“Only if it pleases you, to please me,” you test, returning the flame. “So it is one.”

“Perhaps.”

“Hm…an allure like no other is on the loose in our city…Dr. Devorak, should Vesuvia be afraid?” You jest, playing along with him.

Julian’s fingers halt at the sound of his title in your mouth. He levels another look at you, a smirk drawing up his face.

“Vesuvia will last. I, on the other hand…”

The carriage door sounds out a rapping of knuckles. Neither of you look away from one another. The challenge you both find there is too sweet.

“Sir Devorak, Lady _______, we have arrived at the Theater!”

You finally decide to turn away from your suitor then, the heat of Julian’s interest surprising you a little into your own nerves. 

You like what you see there, you had simply…not expected to see it so soon in such a...heated manner...? Where did his nerves go?

‘So much for shy!’

The carriage door opens and Julian steps out first before clearing the snow with one big sweep of his boot, and lifts out a gloved hand to assist you. You gently take it, allowing him to ease you down onto the stones of the street. Though the sun is high in the sky now, the chill of winter has crept further into the air. 

You do your best to suppress a shiver, but the concerned look on Julian’s face tells you that you’ve been caught.

“Allow me?” He asks, offering his arm for you.

“Naturally,” you consent, taking his arm in a deeper hold and stepping close to leech the warmth from him. Julian, though blushing now, seems all too pleased to have you nearer than propriety allowed, excluding chilly winter walks of course. No suitor would let the one they were courting be left out to the elements, unguarded! That was a quick recipe to losing out.

Julian leads you both away from the carriage, past the doorman, the playbill boys, the ushers, and down to the head seater.

“Tickets?” The staff member crows.

“We’ve our own box in the center section,” Julian says, his voice clear and assured. 

You quietly watch as he easily discusses your seating with the somewhat confused staff member before watching as the worker realizes his grave error and bows, showing you both your way to your accommodations. 

“Right here sir, madam! Watch your step! Ring the bell if you need anything—!“

A sudden noise makes all of you turn to the entrance to the private box, curtains now swishing aside as an angry, bustling man launches towards the staff member.

“This is my box!” The man bellows, puff sleeves flying. “I am gravely insulted. How do they train you louts these days? Even in Vesuvia’s worse I’ve never seen such a display of disrespect. I’ll be seeing your manager about this, most certainly.”

The man advances but Julian moves before anyone else really can, cutting the stranger off at the throat of the box’s entrance and herding him back with his own immense volume and size.

“Surely we can settle this like gentlemen,” Julian says in a soothing way, with a tone that is anything but.

“I beg your pardon? The only way this will ‘settle’ is if you all escort yourselves out of my box—“

The man tries to sidestep Julian, but finds himself blocked with every motion he makes. Julian is large, imposing, and will not let him pass.

Julian leans in then, his voice murmuring so low and so subdued that you can make no sense of it outside of the rumbling vibrations that do reach you. The staff member looks just as confused and out of the loop as you feel, but the man before Julian seems to understand with crystal clarity as trepidation colors his face. It soon melds into fear, to a quick, prideful facade.

The stranger takes a step back, scoffing loudly before exiting the box in a flurry of curtains and stomping boots.

Julian turns back to you both, a strained, yet somewhat humored look on his face.

“Well! That’s taken care of. Dizzy man, that one. Must’ve lost his way.”

“Ah,” you note, unsure of how to respond.

You were...admittedly nervous when that hostile, aggressive stranger entered the box so suddenly. It felt as if a fight had been imminent with a temper like that. And yet…

…Julian effectively diffused the situation. You’re fairly sure he used his own version of hostility, but he was conscious and chose to hide that side of him from your sight. You’re not sure why, aside from manners. A show of protectiveness does very little to wane your ever increasing interest in him.

Quite the opposite.

Maybe the Doctor is not as harmless or bumbling as he portrays himself to be...?

“Are you alright?” Julian asks you. “Is this box fine, or would you prefer another? That man will not be returning, but if you’re not comfortable, I will ensure that—“

“This is fine,” you insist gently. “As long as you’re here, I have no need to worry.”

When the initial surprise in your full trust finally fades from his eyes, Julian gives you the warmest of smiles.

“I—well, I—yes!”

The usher sneaks out as you and Julian lock gazes. The lights begin to dim in the theater. The crowd rumbles below in the pit, up in the stands, and from the teetering little boxes on all ends. 

The show is about to begin.

“This way,” Julian says, offering his hand.

Julian helps guide you to your seat before securing the privacy of your box and seating himself beside you. For a moment, he is a flurry of cape and leather and boot before settling in to the cushy theater couch. His long legs jut out and he folds them, eyes on the stage, excitement in them. 

You can’t help but follow suit, your eyes trailing the orchestra down below as they prepare to play alongside the show and its actors. 

Suddenly, you feel eyes on you.

You take it in stride, keeping your gaze focused, but you know that Julian is peering at you. The dimmed lights have certainly sparked a more romantic mood than even the lit, dazzling, gilded chandeliers of the theater could evoke. There, in the cover of shadow and stage light, you feel yourself becoming the center of his particular show.

“You could have a portrait commissioned,” you joke lightly. “That would last you far longer, Doctor.”

A smooth chuckle resounds from your side before the words.

“If you’d allow it, I’d be honored.”

Now, it is your turn to look at him.

“You jest, sir.”

“I do not.”

You feel a smile break onto your face, before you turn once again towards the stage, biting your lip in amusement. The heavy, red stage curtains part before you can speak.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Vesuvia! Welcome to the grand debut of To Rake a Shrew…!”

.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:・゜゜・．✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: *

AN: Do not copy, repost, translate, or edit any of my work. If you see someone do so, please let me know.

☾ previous. next. 

☾ check my blog for more imagines.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Why is literally everyone in Barnaby’s family so fucking awful?? Like does he not have any even slightly nicer family members? His parents are verbally and physically abusive and literal death eaters (his dad is at least). His grandma doesn’t sound that much better than them and he’s living with her. Cecil seems alright towards him I guess, I mean I think he’s pretty annoying and I’m not on board with the werewolf capture thing but at least he’s not abusive toward him going of their interactions in year 7. I’m surprised Barnaby didn’t turn out worse given the shit he’s been through tbh

You know, it's funny, but when I first saw the passage about his grandmother, it reminded me of someone else. In general, I doubt the writers intended for us to take that line too seriously or read that much into it. Much like the joke Bill made about Barnaby not having a brain during Levi's quest, we can probably just chalk this up to being another joke about Barnaby being dim witted and not meaning much else, as the game loves to play that for laughs as his primary character trait. And don't get me wrong, these jokes are funny, they are. And I doubt most characters mean them as insults rather than just acknowledgements of Barnaby's semi-obvious character trait. Still, I do wish the game didn't feel the need to reference it quite so often. I would love it if there were quests where it didn't come up at all, and he was treated as every bit as competent as everyone else.

But you know who the grandmother mentioned in this scene made me think of? Augusta Longbottom, actually. There are two ways to think about her character. One interpretation is that she is a hilarious and badass grandma who took no shit and knew what was what. That she saw potential in Neville and wanted him to live up to it. The other, less flattering interpretation is that she was horrible to her grandson and her behavior bordered on emotional abuse, that she was often a bully and shamed Neville for the crime of simply not being the same person as his father, for not living up to that abstract and impossible standard. I mean, Neville never even had the chance to know his father, much less have any ability to emulate him. Never mind if he even wanted to, never mind his own issues with confidence and everything else.

Barnaby's grandmother, though we only know this small detail, gives me Augusta Longbottom vibes. She's probably a better personal overall than Barnaby's parents, but that isn't necessarily saying much. If anything, I still say that Barnaby is most likely better off living with Cecil. Though Cecil is by no means a good influence at all, Barnaby should still look to his friends at Hogwarts as the people that he surrounds himself with and learns social cues from. But Cecil is the one family member with whom I am relatively certain Barnaby will never be directly abused or harmed. Cecil does mean well, he doesn't think that he's doing anything wrong...but he's still hunting other human beings simply for existing as they are, for having a condition that they cannot control and did not choose to have. Still, again, this doesn't strike me as cruelty so much as idiocy. I mean, don't forget, this guy admires Gilderoy Lockhart...

I am proud, so damn proud, of how Barnaby turned out. And I think getting to meet and grow close to MC and his other friends played no small part in him becoming the sweetheart that he is today. He was never a bad person, his instinct was always toward doing what he thought was right...but hanging out with Merula and Ismelda was toxic for him and teaching him the wrong lessons. I've said this before, but I don't believe Barnaby would have ever had it in him to grow up into a terrible person. He would never be Death Eater material. But he might have turned out to be much more like Cecil if MC had never reached out to him. Well meaning, yes, but hating what he doesn't understand simply because he was taught to hate it. But with his current trajectory, I expect Barnaby to wind up being more like Hagrid in his adulthood, which is one hell of a step up in my opinion.

[beewolfwrites]

An Iron Box - Perfect Portrait

On the off-chance anyone’s still reading this series, I hope you enjoy this update. 

It may be shorter, but it’s a scene between Chishiya and MC/Reader that was in my mind but I never put it into the original fic :) 

You can also find it here on AO3.

If you haven’t read the original, you can find it either pinned to my Tumblr or on AO3 here. 

Thanks so much for reading. It means the world <3

-----------------

People were so predictable. Even in a world where you can’t trust anyone, they still look for someone to connect with.

It seemed that saving (name) from that awkward situation at the bar did the trick, as afterwards, she clung to Kuina’s side – and by extension, my own. However, there was a slyness in her eyes whenever she looked at me. A calculating curiosity that revealed her distrust for me.

And yet, it didn’t keep her from seeking me out.  

One morning, several days later, I headed downstairs earlier than usual, hoping to enjoy the rare quiet as I ate breakfast.

While the bread from supermarkets was inedible, flour and yeast were perfectly intact, and with the Beach’s over-abundance of electricity, making bread was a favourite pastime for the former-chefs and bakers living here. And so, grabbing two slices of toast from the kitchen, I took a seat at a table in the far corner of what would have been the hotel’s restaurant.

Soon enough, people would filter down from their rooms and the usual circus would begin. But for now, it was silent. Peaceful. I lifted a piece of toast.

‘一緒に朝ご飯食をべないか.’ Do you want to eat breakfast together?

Typical.

I put the toast down. ‘You’re leaving too big a gap between words. It sounds unnatural.’

Something brushed against my hood as she hovered behind my chair. ‘Teach me to sound natural then.’

‘No.’

‘どうして.’ How come?

Perhaps she would leave soon. If I waited until she disappeared, I might actually be able to enjoy my breakfast in peace.

It’ll be cold by then.

Weighing up the options, I gave in and took a bite of my toast. ‘Because you’ll only learn by speaking it more,’ I said, swallowing. ‘And also because I don’t want to. You should practise on Kuina instead.’

She circled around the table, holding a small bowl of dried fruit in one hand. There was a screech as she pulled out the chair opposite and sat down. I turned away, looking out of the window instead, but in the corner of my eye I could see her watching me, fingers playing with the bowl of fruit. She was still wearing my hoodie.

‘Kuina doesn’t speak English as well as you do.’ She huffed. ‘And if I make a mistake, she doesn’t tell me what’s wrong. I think it’s a Japanese thing. Everyone here is so polite, and nobody wants to correct you if you have bad grammar.’ She paused. ‘But you will.’

So I’m rude enough to correct her, hm?

She wasn’t wrong. But this still wasn’t enough of a reason to make me want to waste my time teaching her a language that she would pick up eventually.

‘You do have terrible grammar,’ I said. ‘You sound like a textbook.’

When she shifted her chair closer, I instinctively leaned away. ‘I know. I probably have a foreigner’s accent too. But I need you to tell me how I can get better.’

She did have an accent, strong yet not unpleasant. And surprisingly, I didn’t mind it. I knew I had an accent whenever I spoke English, but it was only normal. As for not sounding like a cardboard character in a language textbook? Well... she was clever enough to figure it out by herself.

Picking up my second piece of toast, I began to take a bite when a set of fingers wrapped around my forearm.  

And there it was again.

That warmth

It was just like in the pharmacy when her knee had touched mine. That same warmth seeped into my skin, humming under the surface. A shiver ran through my body, and I yanked my wrist away, severing all contact.

For the first time this morning, I looked at her fully, seeing the briefest flicker of astonishment in her expression before it relaxed into idle curiosity. If she was surprised by my reaction, she didn’t comment on it.

Instead, she shifted in her seat, chewing uncomfortably on her dried fruit. ‘By the way, you never told me how you learned English? Did you study abroad?’

The question took me back a few years, to those nights spent in my bedroom as a child, pouring over language textbooks. The one-sided conversations with myself, the books I had spent hours picking apart and translating until the early hours of the morning.  

‘I was bored as a child, so I taught myself a language.’

Her eyes widened. ‘When you say you were a child...’

‘I was seven when I started learning.’

I was seven when I gave the housekeeper some of my pocket money and asked her to buy me an English language dictionary. And even when she asked my father if it was alright, he didn’t once turn to look.

(Name) shook her head in disbelief, and muttered under her breath, ‘that’s insane.’

By now, we were no longer alone. People were filtering in regularly, filling the tables as they chatted with friends about their recent games. I put my headphones in, hoping that she would take a hint and find someone else to have breakfast with. Only, she remained seated, munching on a dried apricot.

‘Perhaps,’ I said, ‘but if a seven-year-old can do better than you, maybe I made a mistake in bringing you here.’

She pulled a face and boldly took one of my headphones out. ‘Maybe you should convince Hatter to let me leave.’

I glanced down at my earbud twirled between her fingers, before meeting that wide-eyed stare. ‘Maybe I don’t want to.’

Maybe you’re too valuable to let go.

There was a moment of quiet where neither of us looked away. She was close enough that I could see the variation of colours in her eyes, and the slight hint of pink washing over her cheeks. So that’s what she was thinking of. How very amusing.

If she had feelings for me, it would certainly be easier to convince her to go into the royal suite. But then again, she would cling to me in that annoying way.

And I don’t have the patience for that.

Breaking eye contact, I retrieved my headphone from her fingers. ‘Don’t get the wrong idea. You’re useful to have here at the Beach. It would be a shame to let you go.’

‘I’d be more useful if you helped me learn Japanese.’

‘No.’

At this, she turned away. For a long moment, neither of us spoke and I was just starting to enjoy the silence when she mumbled, ‘has it occurred to you that you’re the only one I can actually talk to?’

Ch... that’s a lie.

She had Kuina. The two of them got along rather nicely, and (name) was still blissfully unaware that none of it was real.  

Ignoring her comment, I left to take my plate back to the kitchen, but when I re-entered the restaurant area, I noticed that every table was full. That was, except ours. Elbow on the tablecloth, (name’s) hand rested over her mouth, the smallest hint of a frown tugging at the corners. She was staring vacantly at the tiny bowl of half-eaten dried fruit.

‘Has it occurred to you that you’re the only one I can actually talk to?’

Understanding dawned on me. She stuck out like a sore thumb, alone on a table for four.

The other Beach members were avoiding her, probably because they knew only high school English and assumed she wouldn’t be able to speak Japanese. Even when talking to Kuina, I had seen her mixing up the two languages, sometimes struggling to understand small miscommunications.

Her expression reminded me of the Mona Lisa, those trips to the Louvre where I was made to tag along on my parents’ business trips, only to be left in the hands of his uninterested assistant. (Name) wasn’t smiling, but there was something hiding beneath the slight pull of her lips that echoed DaVinci’s painting. It was something uniquely human that I couldn’t seem to read.

It was enigmatic.

But it was also a perfect portrait of isolation. Everyone wants someone to understand them, to be seen for who they really are. And she was no exception.

The thought pulled at me, persistent, but I pushed it well away. If she was isolated, it would come in handy later on. So long as Kuina and I were the only people she could comfortably talk to, she would be more easily swayed into relying on us.

And when I do send her into the Royal Suite, she’ll have no reason not to trust me.

With that thought, I left her there alone in the hotel restaurant.

Later that night, it wasn’t until the clock ticked into the early hours of the morning that the hotel finally fell into a slumber. And it was then that I slipped out into the empty hallways.

The meeting room was lit only by the faint yellow glow of the patio’s outdoor lights. It wasn’t much against the darkness of an empty Tokyo, but it was enough to illuminate the pinboard propped up against the far wall. Names and numbers had been tacked on, all split into groups of four or five in preparation for tomorrow’s games.

My eyes scanned over the board, narrowing down on the one name that stood out in katakana, Niragi’s kanji right beside it.

But it was only when I switched Niragi’s name with my own, that her enigmatic frown appeared behind my eyes once more. That same portrait of isolation that haunted the back of my mind.  

[souvenirsofsurgery]

monty’s horror movie list

no one follows me for this but i’m back in my horror movie obsession era so here we go. some of them are good, some of them are bad (but I love them), and some of them are kind of unacceptable, like, morally tbh, I’m sorry

anyway, in no particular order:

mother!: I just watched this one today so it’s on my mind. get ready to be stressed out by deeply uncomfortable social situations for like, the first hour and a half and then genuinely disturbed for the last twenty minutes. i finished this and then sat in my room mouthing “what the fuck, what the fuck”. v good, 10/10

Orphan: What if you adopted a kid but they sucked?

Absentia: I was really impressed, cause this was like a low-budget, crowd funded movie but it’s so so good. This one is about a woman whose husband went missing years ago, a creepy tunnel, and family relationships. V quiet and sad

Possum: Not very much happens in this movie for a long time but the atmosphere is so good, and it’s genuinely creepy. The ending also made me so uncomfortable I almost couldn’t watch it, so there’s that

The Wolf House: Incredible unsettling stop-motion animation, and I’m a sucker for good animation. Makes more sense if you know a little Chilean history, but it’s interesting even without that context

Amityville: It’s About Time: Jumping right from that foreign arthouse film into cheesy schlock, what if a clock made people evil and fucked up?

Hell House LLC: More! Schlock! This is a fake documentary/found footage movie about people trying to make a haunted house in an old hotel... but what if it was haunted for real??

Host (the 2020 shudder original): Unfriended if it was good

Hereditary: Made me sad :( This was one of the first movies to genuinely scare me in a while, and my sister-in-law won’t even let anyone talk to her about it. The story about a family dealing with grief and complicated relationships is also just so interesting to me, this one’s in my top 10

Anything for Jackson: Reverse possession movie: they try to put a spirit IN someone! Hell yeah. So many good, weird ghosts in here, I love some good, weird ghosts

13 Ghosts: (the early 2000s remake) Speaking of good weird ghosts. What if your estranged uncle died and left you a house but there was a ghost jail in the basement? I just rewatched this movie with my little brother and remembered how much I love it. Very schlocky, Matthew Lillard’s acting is off the fucking walls and I love it, why does he act like that??

Kindred: One of the only “is it in her head, or is it real?” movies where I actually really wasn’t sure. It’s about a woman whose husband dies right before she’s about to give birth, so she ends up staying with his family and slowly starts to question their motives

Parents: What if you were just a little kid and you started to suspect your parents were eating people?

Basket Case: I’m not crying over a B movie, I’m not crying over a B movie. In this one, two conjoined twins are surgically separated against their wills, with one of them getting thrown in the trash. As adults, they start hunting down the doctors who did it to them

The Poughkeepsie Tapes: Very depressing fake documentary about a serial killer. Just fucked up and sad

The Taking of Deborah Logan: One of the few found footage movies that I think is actually good. A small documentary crew goes to film a woman and her aging mother who’s suffering from dementia, but they start to think that... huh, maybe this is something a little worse than dementia...

Ju-On: The Grudge (the original Japanese one): this movie just freaks me out, I don’t like how Kayako moves around, I don’t like the sounds she makes, and I don’t like her weird little son

The Ring (the American remake): I saw this movie when I was like 8 bc someone recorded it over the Willy Wonka VHS I’d gotten from the thrift store, and I’ve been fucked up ever since. In it, a woman sees a cursed tape that will make you die in seven days, and has to try and figure out how to save herself before then. GREAT atmosphere, very creepy

Sadako Vs Kayako: What if the girl from the Grudge and the girl from the Ring fought each other? Hell yeah. Plus, love that a ghost hunter comes to help with the situation and he’s got a random mean little girl with him. People are like “why is she here?” and he’s just like “she’s my associate” okay?? Where did she come from??? I’m obsessed with this movie

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A classic. Rancid, nasty atmosphere, just feels gross, 10/10 

Society: Rich people suck so so bad and are very fucked up

House of 1000 Corpses: I love this movie and I’m sorry, its just some disgusting, campy fun. Like, what if your car broke down the night before halloween and ended up in a house with some terrible (but very entertaining) people?

Oculus: The idea of being a little kid, stuck in the house while your parents are slowly losing it, or potentially being possessed by something evil, is really scary to me. This movie does it so well. It moves back and forth from the main characters going through that in their childhoods, to them as adults, back in the house where it happened, and it’s so so good

Hellraiser: You tell me it’s about the blurry line between pleasure and pain and I watch it. The designs for the cenobites are so good. I like this first one a lot, but I also really enjoy the second one bc the torture dimension looks like MC Escher designed it and it’s sick as hell

The Others: This is one of my favorite, like, classic haunted house kind of movie. A mother keeps her kids inside an old mansion, with all the curtains drawn, because they have an illness that means they can’t go in the sunlight. Very, very creepy

The Blair Witch Project: This one just feels so real, I’ve never seen another found footage movie that reached this level. The actors knocked it out of the park, how am I so freaked out just by a couple of people wandering around the woods? It’s the blueprint, honestly

A Nightmare on Elm Street: You guys know this one, he gets you in your dreams! Probably my favorite of the classic slashers, I love some good old practical effects. my brother actually just bought me the WHOLE box set for my birthday so I’m gonna start working though the ones I haven’t seen yet 

Jennifer’s Body: What if your best friend, who you have a very homoerotic relationship with, started eating dudes? Iconic. No, but seriously, this movie has a lot more going on than you might think 

House of Wax (the 2000s remake): Bad, but so good. It’s really got that uncanny valley thing going on, love that fucked up wax museum

Ichi the Killer: Pretty unacceptable, I can’t in good conscience tell you to watch this movie, but it’s definitely an experience. Very very very violent, like super violent, but in the wildest fucking ways. Basically, what if you were a masochistic Yakuza member with a weird joker mouth and you just wanted a sadistic vigilante to beat the absolute shit out of you? Anyway, I think there’s something wrong with Takashi Miike and probably also me

Black Christmas: This is one of the og og slashers. It’s about girls getting killed in a sorority house, but surprisingly it’s like, not really an exploitation film, and I really like the characters. Good, unsettling killer, too

The Baby: WEIRD. Weird and uncomfortable. I’m not trying to kink shame anyone when I say this, but it’s probably definitely a fetish thing. In it, a social worker takes on the case of a family with an adult son who they’re claiming has the mind of a baby. This one’s probably kind of unacceptable too, to be honest with you

[deepdarkdelights]

I dont mean to sound rude to those who ask but I always find it odd when people try to redeem the versions of bts in your (and other) stories. When its something as serious as sexual assault, murder, or any other big thing. Like I know it's all fiction but, I don't think any character despite who their based on should or even could be redeemable after doing something so traumatic. I also don't actually root for character development rather I just kinda hope that the mc can get away or escape or get help. It's kind of fascinating to see how many people actually do root for the "couples" to work things out though. I wonder if it's just what they feel for stories like yours in general or if its cause they're attached to irl bts in some way while reading. All that to say, What are your thoughts? Would you want character development for some of the members in your fics? Do you think any deserve a happy ending with their mc?

This was a really great, thought-provoking ask anon! Thank you for sending it in!

So, I agree with you 100 percent, these characters are not remotely redeemable. Even if they were to undergo some character development it does not absolve them of everything that they did. I still wouldn't want them to end up with the mc even if they did "change," because no matter what the "relationship," always started out extraordinarily unhealthy.

Now, why would people want these characters redeemed? Because they are wearing the face of someone they care about. I can understand both sides of this predicament, those who don't want them redeemed and those who do. Even though they have done something horrible, they are still based off of incredibly kind and gentle people.

In fact, I have contributed to perverting that kindness, so in some part, this is my fault 😅

In fics I do tend to enjoy character development, that way we aren't always looking at a flat character who appears to have no motivations and no history. We can sort of see this with 10 Series, if I were to have simply left it at part one (10 Seconds) we would have only seen one dimension of Jungkook's character. I love to see people begin to garner sympathy for him in particular because it creates conflict in the reader just like the mc.

There are only two "characters" I would want to be redeemed at this point in time: 10 Series! Jungkook, and Purgatory! Yoongi.

And what I mean by redemption for Jungkook is that I want him to realize his mistakes, all of the terrible things he has done, and let the mc go. For me, that would be "redeeming." But knowing me...that most likely won't happen...or it will who knows 👀

In my mind, Purgatory! Yoongi is the only one who deserves a happy ending.

Okay, what am I saying? They are not redeemable, but it is totally understandable why readers would want them to be!

[cheri-translates]

Headcanon - his kiss doesn’t count as a dare

This work, 他的偷亲，不算冒险, was originally written by 喵小柒吃很少 on Weibo, and she has given me permission to translate it 🌸

[ GAVIN ]

Eli grins cheekily as he rushes into Gavin’s office, slamming his palm on the desk. “Let’s grab dinner after work. Treat it as a celebratory feast for solving this big case.”

Gavin looks up, glancing at Eli. “...okay.” 

Over the past month, Gavin and Eli had led the team in working tirelessly to resolve a major criminal case. With the mission finally completed, the team is preparing to head out to celebrate over beer.

-

Tipsy from the feast, the young policemen commence a game of ‘Truth or Dare’. Likely attributed to the nature of their work preventing them from relaxing and cracking jokes under normal circumstances, everyone is fully immersed in the game.

Gavin doesn’t seem to be interested in such a meaningless game. He sits at quietly, taking sips of beer while watching as everyone gets engaged in lively discussions involving each others’ gossip.

Male gossip is pretty scary too... Gavin thinks to himself. 

Suddenly, Eli exclaims. “Eh? Gavin hasn’t had his turn, right?!”

In just a moment, everyone’s eyes are focused on Gavin. He sets down the glass in his hand, the alcohol leaving a faint reddish hue on his face.

“Ahem...” Gavin subconsciously rubs his neck. “That’s right...”

“Eh~ It isn’t interesting enough for you, Captain Gavin? Come come come, let’s play!” An officer stands up, stumbling over to Gavin and patting his arm. “Captains have to lead by example, don’t they?”

“...okay.”

“Hey hey! Captain Gavin, pick one - truth or dare?” Eli asks excitedly.

“...dare.” Whatever can be settled using actions don’t require words.

“All right!” Eli becomes even more enthusiastic. “Let me suggest one! You have to promise that you won't refuse!”

“...”

“Kiss Sis-in-law! You have to take action once you reach home. This is an order!” Eli pats Gavin’s shoulder, rocking with laughter. “You can’t refuse! If you’re truly a man, you’ll post it on Moments as proof!”

The faint flush on his cheeks seems to deepen in colour at Eli’s words. Slightly embarrassed, he turns away. “...okay.”

By the time Gavin returns home, the house is very quiet. The tender moonlight seeps through the gaps of the curtain, illuminating the girl who is in a deep slumber.

You’re lying on top of the blankets, hugging the pillow Gavin gave you.

“...why are you asleep this early?” He slurs, worry surfacing on his face. He lifts you up, carefully tucking you underneath the blankets.

“Today... ahem...” Gavin stammers as he looks at your sleeping form. “I...”

After struggling internally for a while, he leans down. When his lips are just about to touch your forehead, he suddenly stops, his face as red as a steamed crab. “Does this... count as taking advantage of someone?”

He thinks for a moment. Finally, he decides to leave a gentle kiss on your forehead anyway. “Goodnight, my girl...”

-

The next day, you see a picture of yourself sleeping (with a horrible posture) on Gavin’s Moments, accompanied with the caption: “My mission has been completed. It doesn’t really count as a dare.”

You: Gavin! What in the world is this???

Gavin: Ahem... n-nothing... [his face turns crimson when he recalls the secret kiss last night]

You: Are you hiding something from me?

Gavin: No... I just... kissed you... that’s all...

[ KIRO ]

“Cheers~ Everyone has worked hard!” Director Yang shouts. Kiro and the crew members, including Savin, raise their glasses.

Everyone is enjoying themselves to the fullest during this feast dedicated to celebrating the finalised manuscript for the new movie. In the midst of it, Kiro has downed several glasses of beer without realising it. 

Savin attempts to stop him. “Kiro, stop drinking. Your mistress of the house wouldn’t like it.”

“Ahh Savin~ I’m just so happy today (// ▽ //) ~” Kiro sounds upset as he pushes past Savin half-drunkenly, snatching his glass back.

At this point, a voice interrupts Savin’s nagging -- “Hey, we’ve spent such a long time drinking. Why don’t we play some games?”

“Sure! How about ‘Truth or Dare’?”

“All right, stop drinking. Go and join them!” Savin finally seizes an opportunity to grab the glass from Kiro.

“Hm???”

Kiro purses his lips as he gets pushed to the middle of the group unwillingly. 

-

“Truth or dare - Kiro, pick one!”

“...ahh.” Kiro scratches his head. “I pick dare.”

“Okay! I'll give you a task!” Director Yang volunteers. “I heard that Kiro recently announced publicly that he has a girlfriend?”

“Oho~” The surroundings burst into an uproar.

Kiro is stunned for a moment, but returns to his senses soon after. A smile reminiscent of sunlight surfaces on his handsome face.

His voice is tinged with pride. “That’s right~”

“Wow! What a lucky man!” The rustling of voices drift in the air as everyone starts whispering to each other.

“In that case, your dare today is--” Director Yang pauses dramatically. “To go home and kiss your girlfriend. You also have to post a picture on Moments! This way, you can't think of squirming out of it!”

Kiro chuckles. An even more brilliant smile appears on his face, which is currently flushed from alcohol. “No problem~ I promise to complete this task!”

When Kiro returns home, you’re already asleep. He doesn’t turn the lights on. Based on his familiarity with the layout and the numbness of his yet-to-be sober mind, he staggers into the bedroom. 

“Miss Chips~” His voice is very soft and exceptionally gentle. “Are you asleep?”

...

The steady breathing in the air gives him an answer.

“It’s okay even if you’re asleep. Today, I’m incredibly happy~” He leans down slowly, drawing closer to you. “I’ll tell you more in your dream...”

After saying this, he plants a kiss on your lips.

-

The next day, you see a picture of yourself sleeping on Kiro’s Moments. The room is dark, but you can still vaguely make out your profile. The caption reads: “To Superhero Kiro, there’s no such thing as a ‘dare’~”

You: Kiro? Why did you post this???

Kiro: Because I had to complete a task~ Hehe...

You: A task? 

Kiro: Does Miss Chips want to know what it was? I’ll tell you if you give me another kiss~

You: In your dreams! (hold on... why did he say “again”?)

[ SHAW ]

“Come on bros! Tonight, we aren’t going home till we’re drunk!” The band members are currently gathered around a table in Live House. 

The performance that night was a resounding success. As such, the band members decided to have a small beer gathering to celebrate.

“Eh? What’s wrong with you, Shaw?” You’re drinking so little today - it’s not like you!” A man with purple hair asks, staring incredulously at him.

“What drink? Hurry up and serve dinner already! I’m heading home after that.” Shaw impatiently waves away the beer bottle offered by the band member.

“Oh? You’re going home early? Is it because someone’s waiting for you?” The man teases. The other members start hooting.

“What ‘someone’? You’re thinking too much. I’m just tired, so I want to return home to sleep.” Shaw answers casually, nibbling on the chopsticks.

“You don’t? What about that Sister who watches our performances often?” The purple-haired man pipes up again, clearly unafraid of death.

“Her name’s MC!” Shaw has reached the limits of his patience. “Tch, why do I even need to tell you!”

Everyone at the table starts laughing. 

“Since you’ve already brought her up, I don’t think you’re in the mood for eating. Just go home! We won’t miss you anyway hahaha!” The man says relaxedly.

“You said it yourself. I’m leaving.” Shaw immediately sets down the chopsticks. Grabbing his jacket, he turns towards the door.

Before he can take a step, the purple-haired man continues. “You can leave if you want to, but you’ve got to kiss your girlfriend and post it on Moments! Or else we won’t let you off tomorrow! Got it?”

“Tch...” Shaw scoffs. “It’s just a kiss. What’s so difficult about it?”

“Oho~” The group of people once again start hooting from behind him.

When Shaw reaches home, you’re already off in dream land. He tosses his jacket onto the sofa, then heads into the bedroom. 

The night is incredibly quiet, and the air is filled with the rustling of his clothes as he walks over.

You’re sleeping on your side, your head tilted upwards slightly, revealing your neck. Shaw casually squats down next to the bed, staring at your sleeping face--

“Hey, MC? Are you asleep?” He asks.

...

“Why do you look so terrible when you’re asleep?” He shifts closer, carefully observing you.

“Forget it.” He arches his brows. “Why did I even notice such a dumb and troublesome woman?”

Despite what he says, he leaves a deep kiss on the side of your neck...

-

The next day, you see a picture of yourself sleeping on Shaw’s Moments. The caption reads: “This is called a ‘dare’? How boring...”

You: Shaw? What’s the meaning of this?! Care to give me an explanation?

Shaw: The words are clear enough. You can’t read?

You: I’m asking why you posted a picture of me sleeping?! It’s so ugly! Delete it immediately!

Shaw: Why should I? I don’t want to!

MC: Shaw!

[ VICTOR ]

At a LFG gathering, several rounds of drinking result in everyone having the Dutch courage to start joking around with CEO Victor...

“CEO, want to play a round of ‘Truth or Dare’ with us?” Goldman is clearly intoxicated, swinging a glass in his hand while posing this question to Victor, who is sitting alone at the corner of a sofa.

Cindy immediately tugs at Goldman’s sleeve, and even shoots him a glare. “Hey, are you out of your mind?!”

In a hazy state, Goldman responds: “Hm? I... No I’m not...”

Before Cindy can celebrate the fact that Victor didn’t get angry, the man himself suddenly stands up and says: “Okay.”

!!!

Everyone, whether they are drunk or sober, are left flabbergasted. Victor actually agreed???

“CEO Victor, you have to promise to do a dare!” In a rare display of boldness, Goldman exclaims, “I want... a raise!”

Victor glances at him. “That’s all?”

“No no no!” Cindy rushes to cover Goldman’s mouth. “Let’s change it to another one!”

“Mm.”

Goldman suddenly has a new idea. “You... have to do it when you get home!”

“...what are you saying?” Victor’s brows furrow slightly.

With a gradually softening voice, Goldman elaborates. “You have to kiss the Lady Boss... and post a picture on Moments as proof...”

Everybody at the scene stops breathing. Time seems to halt as well, and no one dares to say a word.

Victor sighs, setting down the glass in his hand. “I’ll do it.”

By the time Victor returns home, you’re already asleep. He changes into a new set of clothes, treading into the bedroom quietly. The room is pitch black. Borrowing slivers of moonlight, he sits at the side of the bed carefully.

“Dummy, are you asleep?” He asks softly, as though he’s talking to the air.

...

A lack of response is an affirmation that you’ve been asleep since a while ago.

“I’ll do it without your permission this time then.” Victor leans down, planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Goodnight, my dummy.”

-

The next day, you see a picture of your silhouette on Victor’s Moments. The caption reads: “My task is complete. It doesn’t count as a ‘dare’.”

You: What’s the meaning of this? Why did you randomly post a picture of me, and when I was asleep...

Victor: ...no reason. A dummy wouldn't understand.

You: Why are you calling me a dummy again??? You’re the dummy!

Victor’s mind: I am a dummy. Or I wouldn’t have agreed to the game...

[ LUCIEN ]

The latest experiment conducted by the research centre has succeeded. To celebrate, Lucien and his fellow researchers have gathered for a meal. Of course, he also brought his competent assistant, Ah Ming.

Because this experiment was incredibly difficult, the research centre spent more than a year to obtain success. This propelled everyone to down a few more drinks than they typically would. 

At some point, someone suggests a game of ‘Truth or Dare’--

“Professor Lucien, want to play?” A colleague teases.

“Just forget it. Lucien definitely wouldn’t play these types of games hahaha...” Another colleague at the side chimes in.

“...I can participate.” Lucien looks at the colleague who had invited him to the game, a hint of a smile on his lips.

Ah Ming, who is seated next to Lucien, almost spits out his water. He splutters, turning to Lucien. “Teacher, are you sure you want to play?”

“Mm. Is there a problem?” Lucien tilts his head and smiles.

“No no no!” Ah Ming hurriedly responds.

“I pick dare.”

“Okay! In that case, Ah Ming will think of a dare for his teacher.”

“Huh? Me...?” Ah Ming frantically waves his hand. “It’s better if you do it...”

“It’s all right, just suggest something.” Lucien chuckles. He is as calm as always, though his cheeks are tinted with a faint reddish hue from the alcohol.

“Hmm...” The cogs in Ah Ming’s brain turn as he thinks of something that can make his teacher happy so his thesis doesn’t get scrapped and yet is a satisfactory answer for the others present. “Then... give Teacher’s Wife a kiss when you get home?”

Everyone suddenly grows quiet. In the entire room, only Ah Ming’s gulp can be heard.

Lucien’s smile is even more evident now. His long and slender fingers tap the glass cup before him. “All right, I’ll do that.”

The air remains still, until one of his colleagues breaks the silence. “You’re not allowed to back out! Post it on Moments as proof!”

By the time Lucien returns home, you’re already asleep. But... you’re sleeping at your desk. Probably drained from amending a company proposal, one of your hands rest on the keyboard, while your other arm acts as a makeshift pillow for your head.

Lucien walks over to the desk quietly. When he sees your sleeping face, he releases a gentle laugh. “Silly Girl, you're able to sleep even in such a position...”

He shifts to your side and leans down to your ear. “Are you really asleep?”

...

Silence is his answer.

With a laugh, he tucks some stray hairs behind your ear. “...silence is consent ^_^~”

And he kisses your ear lightly.

-

The next day, you see a picture of yourself draped on the table on Lucien’s Moments. The caption reads: “The difficulty level of this ‘dare’ doesn’t seem challenging enough.”

You: Lucien, why did you post a picture of me sleeping? And sleeping at the desk! It's so ugly! Delete it!

Lucien: It is? I think it’s very nice~

You: Yes yes yes! It looks terrible! But... why would you post such a random thing on Moments?

Lucien: Do you want to know? [laughs] Come closer and I’ll tell you...

-

More translated and original works: here

–

[ Permission to translate ]

喵小柒吃很少: Hello~ Firstly, I’m really touched that you like them, I feel very honoured~ You can translate the works! If more people who like MLQC can read them, I’m very happy too 💝 Thank you!