#had a lot of fun with this one! experimenting with lighting ooh

[pridoo]

dinluke advent 8 <3 (the man is so far gone)

#dinluke #skydalorian #lukedin #luke skywalker x din djarin #din x luke #dinluke art #the mandalorian #luke skywalker #sw art #my art #had a lot of fun with this one! experimenting with lighting ooh #alexa play visions of gideon sad playlist

[aureatchi]

⋆·˚ ༘* A NIGHT @ A JAZZ BAR! ft. dazai, chuuya, & ranpo!

a/n. i've never been to a jazz clb myself (hopefully in the future <('o'<3) !) but i keep seeing videos of them on my tiktok fyp ‘n i could vividly visualize the snug, intimate atmosphere...i was immediately reminded of these bsd men,, imo the vibe fits them v well !!

info. fem!reader. fluff as chambré as the ambiance. mentions of lots of drinking ‘n reader gets tipsy. to have the full experience i recc. listenening to jazz music while reading! \(^_<)\ wc. 6k (total)

DAZAI :

You needed a break. You had been working yourself morning to evening this past week for extra money—you wanted to make sure you still had a decent amount of savings in your bank account after all the shopping you had done with your friends the previous weekend. Thankfully, your final shift had ended earlier today, so you went home, indulged a nice, hot shower, and decided you should treat yourself for getting through the long week.

You had never been to a jazz bar before, but you thought it would be a fun twist in comparison to a regular bar—which is what you needed anyway. You wanted something to wind yourself down, and some drinks along with incredible music would certainly satisfy the interest.

So here you were, sitting on one of the tall, cushioned barstools as a bartender prepared your first drink. The atmosphere in the bar was cushy and cozy, already relaxing your mind.

“I’ll take what the miss ordered over here,” you heard from the handsome man who sat on the stool next to you, brunette hair covering his eyes.

He noticed your gaze and then turned towards you. “I haven’t seen you before; this your first time?” he asked, a friendly smile on his face.

“Yeah,” you replied, a shy smile in return. “My first time at a jazz club in general.”

“Ooh, how exciting!” he responded in delight. “I hope you’ll like it here.”

The bartender handed your identical drinks.

“What’s your name?” the dark-haired asked. You responded with yours, asking for his in return.

“Osamu Dazai,” Dazai replied with a wink. “Nice to meet you, bella.”

You were initially confused because you had just told him your name, and it wasn’t Bella (unless it was, ignore this!)—maybe he misheard? But he gave you no time to correct him when he raised his glass towards you.

“What brings you here?” he asked. “To try this out for the first time?”

“To celebrate still being alive after working my ass off this entire week,” you replied with a half-hearted laugh.

Dazai chuckled with you. “I could say the same for myself,” he replied, a hint of thoughtfulness in his voice. “Well then! Let’s toast…to being alive!” He raised his glass higher, and you did as well, meeting his in the middle.

Clank!

“And to a new friendship! Or possibly even more…” his grin turned smug as your expression contorted in confusion, and you felt your cheeks warm up.

“…Hey Osamu, we just met,” you responded with your own smirk, playing it off after your initial reaction.

“Just a possibility,” he giggled. “Because your response helped me figure out you were single, anyway! If you weren’t, you would’ve been like, ‘Oh Osamu~ I regret to inform you that I have a boyfriend…'”

“How sly.” You shook your head in amusement.

He simply laughed as you both took a drink of your cocktails.

...

You were on your fourth drink now. You and Dazai had conversed a lot throughout the evening—you had learned his occupation was a detective agent of sorts, and on that topic, he babbled on about how one of his coworkers would always complain about him being lazy and obnoxious.

“Kunikida’s always pissed at me,” Dazai giggled. “But he plays right into my entertainment—I get on his nerves on purpose! Actually, I was supposed to be investigating something this evening…wait ‘till he finds out I was at a bar all night gossiping about him with a fanciable lady!”

You laughed in response, cheeks tinted, while your eyes admired how the ambiance of the balmy-toned light in the room complimented his features. His gaze was soft and his eyes rosed in honey. Meanwhile, brown bangs rested gracefully on his face, while a strand of hair was tucked behind his ear. To further add to the dreamy atmosphere that surrounded you two, the smoothness of the melody in the background—especially with the use of piano, could be compared to a romantic candlelit dinner in itself.

“You’ll be fine slacking off, though, right?” you asked. “Your job seems important, so I wouldn’t want you skipping someth-”

“Don’t worry, bella, I’m more capable than you think,” he replied. “Or at least, you can have my word that I won’t get fired.” He gave you a playful smile.

“You’re so cute, though! Caring for my well-being. Awh, and now you’re smiling. Wait—don’t turn away; you don’t need to be shy!”

You also observed this man was a huge tease, quite literally pointing out your reactions to his flatter out loud the entire night. It was all Dazai’s doing though—how could you not fluster whenever he called you adorable? Especially when he looked as pretty as he was—there was no doubt your new friend was very attractive.

Your face was still turned away from him when you noticed other people in the room start to get up from their seats and move towards an area not crowded with tables and chairs, in front of the band playing the music live.

A new song had begun, and people started to dance with each other.

You turned back to Dazai and were greeted with an outstretched hand toward you as he stood up.

“Mind if I do?” he asked. “You need to experience the dancing too.”

You took his hand with a smile, and then he led you across the floor. “I’ll need help, though, Osamu. I'm not familiar with dancing here.”

“Don’t worry bella! I got you.” He dragged you into the center of the crowd and started guiding your movements—the dance was a fashion of stepping back and forth to the rhythm. His hands clasped around both of yours.

“The most important part is footwork,” Dazai whispered. You turned your head to see other couples and their movements, and you did your best to replicate them. You then focused your gaze to admire the band—seeing instruments such as the saxophone, piano, drums, and clarinet being played. You looked back at Dazai, both of you happy you had gotten the hang of the swing.

He suddenly stepped back at the same time you did, stretching both pairs of arms. He pulled you back in, and with it he let go of one hand and spun you around.

“Here’s one move,” he chuckled as he spun you once more, in the opposite direction. "Let's see how long it takes for you to get dizzy!"

...

The rest of the night was lovely. You danced with Dazai until the songs ended, and then you two had a few more drinks until he realized you had drunk too much.

“Are you fine?” Dazai asked, noticing your flushed cheeks and unfocused gaze.

“Hm? Yes,” you replied, though it was evident you were very tipsy.

“I think that’s enough drinks, hm?”

“Aw,” you replied, swishing around an ice sphere in your glass. In this state of intoxication, you had taken to stop looking at Dazai while he looked at you, because whenever you made eye contact with him now, you couldn’t control hiding being smitten by his charm anymore.

You stole a glance at him this time though, seeing through your peripheral that he wasn’t looking.

“Oh!”

Dazai had noticed your little solitaire’s rules and decided to join in your game too. He immediately caught your look and stared back.

Unconsciously, your chairs had gotten closer throughout the night, and at this point they were touching. Your personal bubbles had eloped, and Dazai was now very close to your face.

Your lips slightly parted, your heart racing in anticipation of what would happen next, a stark contrast to the flow of the slow music. Dazai’s breath on your neck, his eyes on yours, and his attention completely focused on you. The tension was unmistakable, especially when his pupils darted to your mouth—it truly seemed like he was going to kiss you right then.

But then, he pulled back, calling the server, leaving you stupefied.

“I’m paying for Miss too,” Dazai said to the bartender, handing him his card before looking back at you. “You should go home before midnight at least,” he looked at his watch. He then noticed your dismayed expression, and simply laughed.

“I want to get to know you to where I’ll know for certain I can do something like that while you’re in this state first. And you’ll be fine with it when you’re sober again—you’ll even let me do it when you’re sober,” he joked whilst giving you a reassuring smile.

He was so considerate. You were glad and thankful that he was a polite man—you would’ve definitely freaked out once you were sober if you let someone you just met at a bar kiss you.

Because you would’ve definitely let him.

“Okay, Mr. Gentleman,” you replied lightheartedly, but you too smiled to show you were seriously grateful for his self-control when he had an advantage.

After paying, he stood you up and put his beige coat that he hadn’t been using around you. You both walked—or you rather stumbled out into the cool evening air, and you immediately sobered up at the breeze.

“Thank you for keeping me company. My first experience was amazing thanks to you,” you said, merry.

“I thank you as well,” Dazai smiled too. “It was a pleasant night.

“Keep the coat for now. It’s an excuse for us to meet again.” He winked, and you chuckled, nodding your head in agreement.

Dazai then signaled for a taxi to come over to take you home.

He outstretched his arms a bit, an invitation to hug.

“May I?”

Your lips curled upwards, and you wrapped your arms around him too as he embraced you warmly. He gently kissed your forehead.

“Have a lovely night, belladona,” Dazai said as you both pulled back, the taxi vehicle stopping close by you. You realized then that he wasn’t calling you by the name, Bella—just the abbreviation for the romantic endearment he had called you by the entire time.

“You too, goodnight Osamu!” you responded.

…

At home, you went through the pockets of Dazai’s coat to see if he had left anything by accident. You found a small piece of folded paper, and opening it, he had left his phone number for you.

“Give me a call, bella!~”

CHUUYA :

“Almost done, doll?” Chuuya asked as you looked at yourself in the full-body mirror, seeing what your outfit looked like from all angles. You were dressed up—classy black corset top with a frilly skirt, under a matching blazer that belonged to your lover. 

“Yeah,” you replied, smiling when you saw the ginger appear behind you through the reflection, who gently lifted your hair and clasped a ruby-jeweled necklace around you. 

“We look s’good,” he said, looking into the mirror as well after putting on your necklace, both of you posing in your attire. You couldn’t have agreed any more. Chuuya was equally dressed as flamboyantly as you—designer branded black suit and tie with a matching fedora to tie it all together. 

“We’re like fashion icons,” you added, earning a smirk from him. It was always like this whenever you two went out—you and Chuuya would always subliminally earn the title of best dressed in the room, no matter the occasion, no matter how casual or formal the event was. 

“You’re right,” he agreed, planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Well, shall w’go now, mon amour?” Chuuya stepped back, holding out his palm for yours to take. 

You giggled at the extra-ness of the ginger-haired. 

“Lead the way, Chuu. Or what was it…oh! Monsieur Chuuya.” You took his hand as he led you out of your elegant hotel suite. 

Chuuya Nakahara had brought you all the way to Paris. He had gotten a week off from his work—this was seldom; he barely got any breaks from the Port Mafia, so he knew he had to do something special with you while he had more time on his hands. And what better to do than take you to the City of Love? 

Tonight’s evening plans included dinner at an elaborate restaurant—very lavish (usually, a table would have to be reserved about a month in advance, but Chuuya used his PM connections and money to buy you two a spot—you didn’t know this of course). 

Your dinner was delectable. You knew you would be dreaming of the delicious flavors of all seven French courses for days after finishing eating. 

Though, you and Chuuya weren’t tired yet, and it was still pretty early in the night, so you two decided to go to one of the underground jazz bars in the city. The warm, sultry air immediately filled your senses as you ran your fingertips through the texture of the auburn brick walls; the atmosphere of the place complimenting you and Chuuya’s aura perfectly. 

Some people even turned to you both as you made your way across the room, admiring how attractive you two looked together—the way your outfits highlighted your best features and coupled each other’s from the head accessories to the shoes you wore. Chuuya guided you from behind with one of his hands on your waist and wore a smug smile on his face as he noticed the glances. 

“Baby, they’re looking at us,” Chuuya whispered close to your ear, chuckling. “I know they all think we’re hot.” 

“Shh, Chuuya!” you responded in embarrassment, playfully swatting him away, but you too observed the other people in the bar gazing at you. 

You two sat at down at a booth, crimson red velvet cushions decorating the wooden sofa. 

“I’ma get drinks, alright?” he asked and you nodded before Chuuya made his way towards the bar. Meanwhile, you sat and watched the band on stage play. 

You and Chuuya were no strangers to jazz bars. It was an activity that became a statement in your relationship—back in Yokohama, whenever any of you needed destressing or just wanted to go out an evening without any plan, he would take you to one. So it was nice you could finally visit one in Paris, too. This one in particular was less known than others—usually, only a local would be able to find this jewel of a place. All knowledge credited to the expert Chuuya!

You also thought he enamored the vibe so perfectly. The setting of the place radiated of the top mafia executive so well—alluring nature; soulful, captivating music; the sophisticated selection of home-specialty cocktails on the menu—or even better, just the wine. 

Which is of course what Chuuya came back with, in red.

“Now what is this?” you asked, amused. You knew the ginger’s upscale taste in wine—after all, you’ve walked through his entire cellar worth multiple banks at home. You were awestruck, to say the least. 

Chuuya set the bottle down on the table. 

“This is a Pinot Noir. Domaine Georges and Christophe Roumier Musigny Grand Cru 1990,” he pronounced while you stared at what you bet on the Eiffel Tower cost thousands in front of you. “I love this place. Didn’t think they’d have such a good bouquet here.”

“Chuuya! That’s such a long name?!” you responded, jaw-dropped. “Why the hell are these titles so long?”

He simply smirked. “Well, I think this is perfect for the occasion, doll. Do ya know why?”

“Hm…because we’re in France?” you guessed, knowing how most of Chuuya’s favorite wines were imported from the country. Since coming here, he’s tried a lot. 

“Not wrong, but there’s something else,” he continued. 

“You remember Musigny, right?” You nodded, recalling the previous three times Chuuya mentioned a wine from the Le Musigny vineyards while educating you about what he was drinking. 

“The story b’hind this wine involves a Musigny girl who marries a lad in 1924. As a dowry, he receives parts of the Chambolle Musigny vineyards. Then, Domaine Georges and Christophe Roumier were born, and this wine was produced. Kinda romantic, huh?” 

“Awh! Yes, it is,” you replied, smiling. You found it adorable that Chuuya had chosen a wine with some sort of lovey story behind it for this event. 

He smiled back and then opened the bottle, pouring you about a third of the glass of burgundy liquid. 

“Here, nana.”

He sat down beside you after pouring his own glass. You took yours and clanked his glass, seeing a smug smile on his face. 

You sniffed the wine first, a sous-bois—earthy aroma filling your senses, redberries and spices akin. Then you tasted it, intense, grapey flavor on your tongue. 

“Miam!”

…

You and Chuuya had finished the bottle and moved on to other cocktails. And though Chuuya did like liquor on special occasions, he also could not hold it very well. Tipsy yourself, you didn’t realize he too was intoxicated until he randomly jerked you up from the seat. 

“Let’s dance pretty girl,” he said, dragging you across the floor. 

“Wait, hang on Chuu!” you stumbled, trying to find your balance. 

You made it to the middle of the floor where many other people were and joined in with the vitalizing, fast-paced song. You and Chuuya swung around, dancing to your heart’s content. Though your mind was hazy, you made an effort to step in the right places, so you wouldn’t topple Chuuya and both go down. 

Except, it seemed that he was too drunk to focus as well. He had accidentally lingered his foot on the floor too long, causing you to slip when you accidentally moved yours to the same spot. You gasped and fell backward.

An arm swiftly wrapped around your back, though, saving you from hitting the ground. 

“Sorry baby!” Chuuya had snapped out of his fuzziness the moment you tripped, acting fast to stop your fall. Your eyes widened as you looked into his concerned face above.

You realized a few moments later that everyone in the crowd had parted, leaving you and Chuuya in the middle, still in the same position. Unintentionally, he had disguised your slip-up as a dip in dance, and everyone there was impressed! They started clapping as you both remained there, confused looks on your faces. 

But then, Chuuya smiled and pulled you back up into a kiss. He started chuckling as his lips lingered on yours, finding the entire ordeal funny that it had worked out so pleasantly. You smiled too, wrapping your hands around his neck while you heard shouts of “Ouah!” and “Comme c’est romantique!” from spectators. 

Chuuya wasn’t done yet, though. Even the band had stopped playing music to acknowledge this interlude, so Chuuya jumped up on stage headlong without hesitation and took the microphone. 

“This princess right here deserves everything,” Chuuya spoke, eyeing you with a grin, causing you to heat up in embarrassment. “I brought her to Paris ‘cause why shouldn’t someone as lovely as her experience the city of romance? I say I’m one damn lucky man to have her.” 

There was another applaud while you melted in your lover’s broad proclamation of endearment towards you. You almost couldn’t believe it—surely you were just drunk and imagining things; there was no way Chuuya had gotten on stage with the band and started speaking. But the reality of it proved when he jumped back off, and embraced you again. 

“Love you,” he whispered in your ear. 

“Or, the French say ‘Je t’aime.’”

“I love you too,” you giggled back, enjoying the warmth of his hug. 

… 

You were both exhausted by the end of the night, yet Chuuya still carried you bridal-style back to the hotel room. You scrambled to get ready for bed, showering and changing into your pajamas, and in no time, you were both tucked in under the covers. 

“That was fun,” you sleepily said as you wrapped an arm across him. 

“I’m glad it was,” he replied. “You deserve to enjoy every day.”

“I do enjoy everyday because I’m with you, Chuuya. What you said earlier…

“I’m one lucky girl to have you.”

RANPO :

“Ranpo-ohh, c’mon!” you exclaimed as you practically dragged your lover out of the kitchen. 

“Why do we gotta go!?” he whined back, trying to grab another cookie out of the glass jar on the counter. 

“It’s—literally a mission from the President?” you used all your force and pulled Ranpo away before he could latch his hands on the sweets. 

“Why does he gotta send us?” he continued to complain, but fortunately, no longer trying to escape from you. “He always gives me such boring missions…I should be getting much more important cases as the world’s best detective!” 

He ended his exclamation with a hmph! and crossed his arms. You sighed as you looked at his stubborn state, but couldn’t help but smile when you realized he looked kind of…adorable like this.

“Ranpo, your missions are probably so trivial because you’re just that smart! You can figure out the answers and solutions to people’s questions and problems right away, so of course, everything that isn’t some huge, world-threatening issue would be mundane to you!” 

“Yeah, ‘cause humans are stupid,” he responded, but it was evident in his eyes he appreciated your words. You’ve grown to learn this over time—Ranpo absolutely loved praise, tripling in significance when it came from you, but he was too prideful to admit it. You’ve seldom seen him thank other people when they complimented him, but he always made sure you saw it, even if it was in an indirect way…She’s brilliant anyway. She’ll know I cherish it. 

“But! Seriously? A jazz concert? Why couldn’t the President send someone more suitable for that setting? I have no interest in somewhere like that!” 

“Why not?” you asked. “It seems fun! There will be music and dancing and stuff.” 

“I’d rather stay here! There won’t be snacks—probably just drinks! And I don’t like drinking; nothing is sweet enough for me!” He pouted once again.

“Well, the point of the mission won’t be to entertain ourselves anyway. We’re going to find a suspected murderer and possibly stop another murder caused by this one from happening. Therefore, drinking isn’t even important—it should be out of the question. For tonight, anyway.” 

“Fine. Let’s go!” 

“Wait—just a minute! We need to be dressed for the occasion! So we blend in?” 

You found it ironic that the world’s best detective could easily solve any case with a snap of a finger, yet he couldn’t even use the train. His ignorance of things was quite amusing; something such as an event’s dress code had slipped his mind.

“Why, what’s wrong with my outfit?” Ranpo asked. 

“Or do you just want a reason to dress me up?” You could see a slight smirk forming on his lips. 

“Well, I wasn’t lying with what I just said, but yes, picking out an outfit for you would be quite fun…” 

…

You and Ranpo were dressed and ready to go to the event. You had styled him in a cocoa-brown button-up paired with some slacks and yourself in your favorite little black dress. 

“Earth tones fit you the best,” you commented as you admired him in the outfit you put him in. “They compliment your eyes really well.” 

“Really?” he asked as he strode over to a mirror and shoved his face directly in front of it. He opened his viridian eyes, wide, and tried to examine why you thought that by holding up a piece of the fabric to his face.

You giggled as he felt you wrap your hands around his waist, hugging him from behind. 

…

“The murderer is going to be in this large crowd,” you repeated facts that the both of you already knew. “They’ll be unsuspecting—they’ll blend in with everyone else like us.”

You walked through a slim door but were greeted by a vast, lively room of vibes and music. The concert hadn’t started yet, but there was already a sea of people inside conversing with each other and ordering drinks. 

“The murderer may not have bought a ticket,” you said just loud enough for Ranpo to hear after you showed your entry tickets. You scanned the guest list and saw that everyone currently in the room did buy one, casting aside the staff, so you ruled out that everyone there right now could be a suspect. “So that their name wouldn’t be documented here. We should keep watch to see who tries to sneak in.” 

Ranpo nodded. “There are definitely other entrance doors in here, though. There’s probably an emergency exit in another corner of the room, and there is the backstage door.” 

“So they can sneak in through here, bribe the doorman, or sneak in through the other door,” you clarified. “And if not…they would hide among the band performers and enter with them.” 

“Or! They could be one of the band players.” 

“Hm, really?” you asked. “I looked into this band when we first got assigned the mission. It doesn’t seem like any of the members have any dirt or sketchy controversy surrounding them.” 

“Just a possibility! But yeah, any of those three ways would be how the murderer will get in.”  

You nodded in agreement. “I’ll go around to find the other entrance then. We’ll text each other if we see anything; otherwise, we’ll meet back when the concert starts. 

“Okie dokie!” 

… 

Thirty minutes had passed. You had found the back entrance and idled by it to see if anyone would enter, but noone came. You waited for a text from Ranpo, but it didn’t seem like anything suspicious happened on his end either. 

You heard a smooth voice through a microphone that sounded the entire room as the lights dimmed. 

“Welcome. The concert will begin on stage shortly.” 

Taking one last look at the door, you left and made your way to the stage where many other people started to gather. You sifted through the congregation, trying to find the pretty brunette among them. 

“Boo!” 

“Hu-uh?!” You slightly jolted, immediately turning around. You were undoubtedly greeted with a brunette. But instead of Ranpo, you were met with… 

“Dazai?!” 

“Hey-y!”

“What are you doing here? And why are you dressed as a bartender?” 

“Oh!” he replied, taking your hand. “Well, Ranpo was trying to find you, so come with me first.” He led you through the group until you were at the bar area. 

“There you are!” Ranpo shouted, seeing you appear with Dazai. 

Dazai brought you to Ranpo and then went behind the counter. 

“Well, to answer your question, long story short, I got punished. For ‘being lazy’. Kunikida caught me trying to catch a nap on the couch and went and complained to the President. He came in, saw me still there, and decided to punish me by leaving Kunikida to punish me.” You lifted an eyebrow in amusement. 

“So, Kunikida said I’d have to work here for the night. To prove I’m worthwhile doing a job.

“But anyways, drinks?” He glanced at you and Ranpo. 

“No thank you,” you replied. “We’re on a mission right now. There’s a murderer we have to catch tonight.” 

“Oh yes, Ranpo already told me,” he replied, looking at Ranpo. 

“Dazai helped us a little,” Ranpo said. 

He explained that when Ranpo discovered he was here too, he helped by counting everyone in the room after one of the band members announced the concert was about to start. Then, all left was to ask the doorman a question that would tell them how many tickets were sold. If more people were in the room than tickets sold, they would’ve already entered. 

“And since you and I didn’t see them trying to enter through the two doors, that must mean that the murderer came in the third way,” you contemplated. “They would sneak in with the band.” 

“Or again! Be part of the band!” Ranpo exclaimed. 

You sighed while Dazai chuckled in amusement. 

“You don’t believe so?” Dazai asked. 

“I just don’t see how. I mean, there’s no way all the members would have such clean slates if one of them turned out to be the killer.” 

“Or you’re just biased,” Ranpo sparred. “I know you’re really fond of jazz. That’s why you were so excited to go on this mission. You probably don’t want to think one of the jazz musicians could turn out to be a criminal.” 

You frowned. “Ranpo, that’s not the only reason-” 

“Whatever! We need to see how many people bought tickets for here.” He cut you off.

“Alright, I’ll go,” you replied and walked over to the security man at the door you came in from. 

“Hi, I run a blog and I was interested in making an article about my experience here, would you mind if you could answer a question about something?” 

“Of course, I don’t mind,” he replied. 

“I was wondering how many people are here tonight,” you said. “This place seems popular. I was curious to see if the atmosphere makes it seem like there are more people than there are, haha.” 

“If everyone shows up, then there should be one hundred and seven people here,” he replied. 

“Cool, thank you!” 

You walked back over to Ranpo. 

“He said one-hundred-seven,” you told him. 

He and Dazai looked at each other. 

“I counted one-hundred-eight people here,” Dazai said. “Ranpo double-checked, by the way.” 

“Oh,” you said. “So, they did show up with the band.” 

“Let’s go check backstage,” Ranpo said.

…

You two snuck behind the stage with ease, no one paying attention to your trespassing when the band was already playing the third song. Dazai stayed behind; he had been greeted by a pretty woman who wanted a drink and seemed eager to serve her. 

“I don’t see anything odd here,” you said, scanning the room. Luckily it was empty, so you didn’t have to knock out anyone there. 

“Here’s the entrance,” Ranpo pointed to the door. 

“Yeah, so can’t you use ultra-deduction to figure it out now?” you asked, out of leads. There was an extra person in the concert, and they entered through the backstage, but you didn’t know anything else.  

“I told you! They are part of the band! Look, there’s a fingerprint scanner for security,” Ranpo said, pointing to a screen. “If you open the door, the scanner is on the outside. That means only they can enter.” 

“We can’t assume!” you argued back, running to a computer. “I don’t believe it! There’s no way one of them could be the murderer…I—I’ve been a fan of this band for years…” You turned on the computer to see the live recording of the security cameras in the room, one of the screens peering at your back. 

“Are you saying you’re doubting my ability!?” Ranpo clamored childishly.

You ignored him, rewinding the footage to earlier that evening when the jazz members arrived. And to your disappointment, no one else entered throughout the whole timeline until you and Ranpo. 

Is the murderer…really among them? 

“The final song will now begin.” The instruments had lowered in volume, and the same voice spoke in the microphone again, announcing the concert was almost over. 

“Found any other suspect, sweetheart?” Ranpo mocked immaturely. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” 

“What are you going to do? Jump up on stage and tell everyone one of them is a murderer?” 

“Mhm,” he replied, looking up at their backs. “They’ll all be interrogated, the murders will match up with one of them, and-” 

“There just has to be another explanation! I know we found one thing, but we should at least have more proof than just who entered this room to convict someone! I just think you usually have more reason for your conclusions, Ranpo!” 

He stared at you. It was obvious you and Ranpo were frustrated at each other, but you both fought to not cause a scene or verbally displease one another. 

“…I actually can’t figure it out. I tried but…it’s not giving me an answer. I don’t know why. It’s like, in reality, there’s no murderer here at all!” 

He looked disdained, and you immediately felt concerned. But before you could respond, Dazai walked in the room.

“What are you guys doing?” He pulled you with one arm and Ranpo on his other. “There hasn’t been a murder yet, so shouldn’t you be keeping an eye out for it in the crowd?” You three entered the show again, and you eyed the musicians on stage. 

Which one looks most like a murderer. And how will they murder? Will they bring someone on stage and do it there? Or after the concert ends? Or will they abduct the victim and then kill them?

And then the last song ended. The band thanked everyone for coming, and the audience started to either file out or go to the bar for some final drinks. 

It’s going to happen sometime now! 

You immediately tracked down the musicians, keeping them in your sight, even following them as they went backstage. You hid behind the doorframe so they wouldn’t see you watching them. 

But it seems that one of the members noticed. 

“Hey!” he spoke out, the one who played the saxophone. 

Shoot! Now I’m going to be their victim! 

He walked up towards you, and now you couldn’t escape. 

You didn’t even bother to tell Ranpo what you were doing before you ran off. 

“Hm, are you looking for a signature?” he asked, a friendly smile on his face. Fake friendly, possibly. Inviting and warm. So that you’d fall into his trap. It has to be him. 

“Y-yes!” you replied, trying to conceal your fear. “I’ve been a fan of your group’s music for a few years. I am glad I was able to hear it tonight.” 

“Wow, thank you!” he replied, humbly. “That really means a lot. Here, you can come in and I’ll sign wherever you want.” 

And this is where it happens, huh. You debated stepping inside when suddenly, Ranpo appeared in front of you. 

“Back away from my girlfriend!” 

Hu-uh? 

The musician immediately stepped back, seeing the livid face of your lover as he outstretched an arm in front of you for protection. 

“You’re not murdering [Y/N] next! I won’t let you touch her-” 

“Woah-woah!” A new face popped up in the room as the entire jazz band group looked terrified—“Dazai?”

Dazai ran in between Ranpo and the saxophone player, pulling Ranpo and you back. 

“I sincerely apologize for this matter,” Dazai groveled frantically, almost dramatic. “It seems our friend here has gotten very drunk and is acting impulsively! I’m responsible for both of them, so I’ll be taking them now…” 

…

Dazai dragged you and Ranpo out by the collars to the bar counter. 

“Now what was that about?!” you both asked simultaneously, dumbfounded that Dazai had stopped your confrontation with the murderer and even made up a whole excuse for the suspicion. 

“The fact is there is no murderer here,” Dazai calmly said. “The entire case was a setup.” 

“WHAT?!” 

“The President just wanted you two to relax a little because of how diligently you worked; you solved about two cases a day this week, after all. He thought maybe you’d catch on quickly how this was just a scheme, but-” 

“That’s why I couldn’t figure it out! Because you planned this, Dazai!” Ranpo was pouting with his eyes sealed shut and arms crossed, but you could tell he was also a bit relieved that it was only a silly prank by Dazai instead of it being a case he couldn’t find the true answer to. 

Dazai was one of Ranpo’s countable competitors, after all. His intelligence was almost if not as equal to your lover’s. 

“But the extra person in the room?” you asked. “That was still true unless you also hired the doorman to lie about the number.”

“Oh! Well—oddly, the security hasn’t noticed me yet. I’m not even a worker here. I snuck in!”

“So you’re telling me YOU were the extra person at this concert?!” you and Ranpo screamed. 

“Shh! So loud, you two! So now that this case is solved…drinks?” 

…

“I’m sorry for getting frustrated over you,” you apologized to Ranpo as you two sat on the bar stools. “You weren’t wrong; I was being biased whether this was a true mission or not. I really like this jazz band.” 

“Duh, I know,” Ranpo replied, having one of the sweeter cocktails. Of course he did—you had a massive poster of them on your wall.

“…We can come to their concert the next time they perform. Dazai was mean for watching us get worked up over nothing. The music was pretty cool anyway.” 

He gave you a wide grin. You smiled back, shoving a cookie in his mouth. 

“Saved it. Because I knew the best detective in the world would prevail in the end.” 

“Usually you say ‘solve the case in the end’.” 

“Okay well, technically, this wasn’t a case at all—y’know what, forget it.” 

“I’m just kidding. Thanks. For the cookie.” 

You smiled once more. You knew Ranpo meant more than just the sweets by how his cheeks blushed a soft pink. 

reblogs are cherished. <3

reverie is back and in her bsd era i fear...daz’s hair tucked behind his ear>>. ugh he was so polite here. chuuya ‘n his expensive tastes ‘n his expensive dates mwah! lit researched wine lists ‘n wine etiquette for this. v much got carried away on ranpo...it’s okay he’s the cutest and intelligence bows before him! thoo, he’s so so stubborn.

© AUREATCHI 2023 — no reposts or translations. do not steal.

#₊ ⊹˚✉︎𑁤 with love; reverie #bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs x reader #bsd x reader #dazai x reader #dazai osamu #chuuya x reader #chuuya nakahara #ranpo x reader #ranpo edogawa #dazai x you #chuuya x you #ranpo x you #dazai fluff #chuuya fluff #ranpo fluff #bsd scenarios #bsd drabbles #bsd fluff #bsd x you #bsd imagines #reverie’s comeback fr!! #aureatchi

[redheartedtramp]

Ruby: Oh Penny, I'm so happy to see you again! I-I thought...I thought that-

Penny: I died?

Ruby: Well, I mean, I heard about what happened with Jaune. And I just thought that...I never got to say goodbye.

Penny: Oh Friend Ruby, that's really sweet of you. But it's silly.

Ruby: S-silly?

Penny: I already met the sweet embrace of death once. Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared for it again?

Ruby: W...w-what does that mean?

Penny: *presses a button on her wrist. Erecting from the ground is an elevator and she leads Ruby inside* Friend Ruby, walk with me. Talk with me.

Ruby nervously steps into the elevator and rides it down.

Ruby: P-Penny? What...what is this?

Penny: Friend Ruby, let me answer that question with another one; how do you think it feels to die?

Ruby: ...Cold. The heat just drains from your body like pouring water from a cup until there's nothing and you pass.

Penny: Oh. I was not expecting the correct answer.

Ruby: The Ever After was a trip, Penny.

Penny: For that, I appologize.

The elevator door open and Penny leads Ruby through an underground laboratory.

Penny: But anyway; when I was rebuilt after my untimely demise, I began to really think about life; my life. In this robot body, I am not real in the same way you are real. Even if I have a soul, I do not have flesh and blood. And the one time I did have it, I had to give it up for the greater good.

Ruby: ...Penny, I-

Penny: Oh no, don't misunderstand. I do not want pity. And I do not resent Friend Jaune for doing what I asked of him. In a way, I was quite happy to die.

Ruby: W...what?

Penny: Dying for the second time was quite the experience.

Penny opens a door. Ruby is left speechless as she sees another Penny; she's floating in a tube of suspended animation, eyes closed, nude, in a tube of liquid.

Penny: It was like meeting an old friend. I embraced death, this time prepared for it, and held her in my arms like a bride.

Ruby: Penny, what...who is-

Penny: This is my solution for death, Friend Ruby. *she casually walks around the tube* What do you think? I gave this body more freckles. I couldn't explain the feeling when you kissed all the ones on my face.

Ruby: Is she...a clone?

Penny: Not quite. You see, Friend Ruby; this is an alternative body I made myself. This lab was constructed by me to build myself new bodies. Bodies suspended in a special solution that, well, emulates my soul. It acts as an anchor, you see. So when I die, I'll be drawn to this lab and can inhabit the new body. So, she's more like a shell.

Penny snaps her fingers, the room lights up and they're surrounded by 10s, maybe 100s of empty Penny bodies. Ruby is looking in awe, both afraid and interested.

Penny: You'd be surprised how much free time being the Protector of Mantle gives you, Friend Ruby. It took a long time for me to rebuild my body just right. There's a certain artistry to the science of building me, surprisingly.

Ruby: *Ruby pauses as she stares at one tube, with a Penny that looks like her original self before Beacon fell*

Penny: A fan of the original, Friend Ruby? Don't worry, I am too. She's quite nostalgic, don't you think?

Penny: Oh, but if you're impressed with her, how about this?

Penny presses a button on her wrist as the tubes shuffle about before another Penny is in front of them, this one has white hair.

Penny: Hmm, thoughts? I always admired Commander Winter. She was like the sister I never had. You're a fan of the Schnees, right~?

Ruby: W-well...

Penny: Ooh, I also come in other colors. *Penny presses a button as more tubes cycle in front of them* How about blonde? I hear they have more fun? Or maybe brunette; mature, refined, chocolate. Speaking of, how about a tanned Penny? Freckles don't show as well, but a nice caramel skin looks so delicious on me, don't you think?

Ruby: Penny, this is just...a lot. I get making these bodies, but...why all the variants?

Penny: Naturally, so I can be whatever you want me to be.

Ruby: Penny...all I want is for you to be yourself and with me.

Penny: Oh, Friend Ruby...you're gonna make me cry.

Ruby; You can do that?

Penny: *sniffles* I made some modifications to this body for expressions.

Ruby: *cups her face in her hands* Then I'll kiss those tears away~

#rwby #Ruby Rose #Penny Polendina #nuts and dolts

[telomeke]

Get to Know Me Tag :)

I was tagged by @lamonnaie at this post here. Thanks for tagging me! 😍 It was such fun to read your responses; now here are mine. 🥰

do you make your bed?

Never ever. I'm pretty messy, and if I don't watch my hoarding tendencies I will morph into the worst pack rat. But I like a bit of clutter around me; I think it helps my creative side since my output (whether at work, or writing on Tumblr) is always tidy and tidied up to a fault, which can stifle creativity (at least that's what I tell myself! 🤣).

what's your favourite number?

Don't have one. However (even though I like to think I'm not superstitious) if I can I'll try to avoid the number 13 and anything with 4 in it...

what is your job?

Not gonna get too specific, but my work involves design, project management and construction.

if you could go back to school, would you?

I was too stressed out at school to want to repeat the experience. But I wouldn't mind a bit of time travel back to advise my younger self not to take things so seriously! 🤣

can you parallel park?

Yes. Not well, but the car will be fully in the lot eventually. 👍

a job you had that would surprise people?

Some minor modeling jobs when I was younger. Hush! I don't like to talk about it. 🤫 You wouldn't think it to look at me now (me 🤝 Ricky Gervais 😂).

do you think aliens are real?

There are too many planets out there for our little blue marble to be the only habitable one, so yes I do think there are aliens out there. I just don't think we've been visited by them yet though! (Aylin doesn't count. 🤩)

can you drive a manual car?

Yes. Mom taught me how to drive in one... until the day I jammed on the accelerator when she said "Step on it" and I almost up-ended us into a ditch. Then I was sent to driving school instead. 🤣

what's your guilty pleasure?

Ooh. It's this bad boy here:

Sadly I've been over-indulging, so chocolate is now banned from the house for the foreseeable future. I'm still lusting after it though. Other guilty pleasures: I do like a good nightcap, so any (gluten grain-free) alcohol makes me light up – cognac, cabernet, sherry, sake, port... (But I don't always know my limits, so this is now banned too.) And a steamin', stonkin', trashy BL every now and then (bonus if there's a nice muscley actor for me to get all googly-eyed over – shoutout Gap Jakarin!). 😁🥰

tattoos?

I like art and have fanboyed over beautiful tattoos before – but I'm put off by the permanence of them, so I have none myself. Don't like the idea of not being able to change them much once they're inked in, because I will always be wanting to change things up if I were to get one. And no, even for looking at I prefer an uninked bod over an inked one. It takes a lot of work to get a body in shape, and I can't understand someone wanting to cover up the results of their hard work at the gym. 🤷‍♂️

favorite color?

A deep, rich blue most of the time. But when the mood hits, I like a bright, bold red too.

favorite type of music?

My tastes are a bit eclectic, leaning lighter and not challenging. Anything with a strong melodic line will get me hooked. Bonus points if the lyrics can come together with the melody to tell a story, and elevate it even more. So – pop mostly, but I also like R&B, soul, light jazz and the odd heartfelt country ballad or foot-stomper (go Queen Bey! 😍). Also like things with a nostalgic bent (I melt at Karen Carpenter, Seals & Croft, and England Dan & John Ford Coley). And then throw in a couple of show tunes in there for good measure! My YouTube playlist is all over the place – Sheila Majid, New Country, Renaissance, Nunew, Miley Cyrus, Streisand, Li'l Nas X, Ayumu Imazu, The Carpenters, Clean Bandit, so many others, all side-by-side.

do you like puzzles?

I love them, especially word and logic puzzles. I'm always shouting over Pat and Vanna. 🤣

any phobias?

Oddly, not the usual suspects, but I'm a bit phobic about birds. They're just creepy up close, even though I find them fascinating and beautiful with a bit of distance. While the bog-standard creepy-crawlies don't bother me one bit – I'm the one always getting called in to whack the roaches and chase away rodents. I dream of getting a cobalt blue tarantula as a pet (but that's not going to happen for various reasons, alas).

favorite childhood sport?

I wasn't that sporty growing up (classic bookworm) but I did enjoy a bit of soccer when I got to play. But I guess my favorite was probably swimming, though I didn't compete.

do you talk to yourself?

All the time. There's a nonstop monologue going on in my head and I've been known to startle people by accidentally voicing that conversation out loud. So I've learnt not to do it around others. 🤣 And no I'm not hearing disembodied voices; it's just me keeping myself company (plus I find it helps me focus my thoughts).

what movies do you adore?

My all-time favorite: Cinema Paradiso; it really pulls unabashedly at the heartstrings, but then again I'm a sentimental fool and love it all the more for that. That's also why I like Love Actually, especially the scene where the repressed Jamie (Colin Firth) travels to Portugal in order to confess his feelings to Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz), having realized he loves her despite the language barrier, and doggedly learnt Portuguese just to make his declaration – and then he finds out that she, lovelorn and bereft, learnt English just in case ("just in cases") he came back. 💖 And my second favorite is from the other end of the spectrum, actually quite a bit before my time as well: Hello Dolly! 😆 Don't judge... A couple of songs in there are really amazing – Love is Only Love and Just Leave Everything to Me especially (which are not in the stage version) are mindblowingly good. The former is almost pithy in its bare-boned purity, all about looking at love without sentimentality while reprising themes heard earlier on in the musical; the latter has the among the cleverest lyrics set to music I've ever heard:

Streisand is in fine fettle portraying a campier, more youthful incarnation of Dolly. Such a shame it was not better received. The costumes are spectacular too.

coffee or tea?

Coffee (or rather the caffeine it contains) is my drug of choice, and I drink buckets of it. But I like a good cuppa when I'm feeling nostalgic and/or sentimental, because tea is what I drank a lot of growing up – at my gran's there would be a perpetually-replenished, giant kettle of dark, bitterish Oolong on the sideboard for whenever you felt like some (which was often), while at home there was always a big pot of tea on the table in the morning, that would then be set to chill in the refrigerator after breakfast. I would always have an ice-cold milk tea with the papers when I got home from school, and it was my favorite daily ritual.

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

A paleontologist – like a lot of kids I loved dinosaurs, and I can still rattle off the names of the more well-known ones (including every one in Jurassic Park 👀). But that got pushed aside for more practical considerations later. Still wish I'd explored my second childhood ambition more though, which was to be a writer/journalist. Maybe that's why I like posting so much on Tumblr! 😍

Onward tagging (too many people as usual, but no pressure to play if you don't want to or can't 🥰): @hughungrybear, @relativelydimensional, @neuroticbookworm, @wen-kexing-apologist, @waitmyturtles, @airenyah, @twig-tea, @solitaryandwandering, @recentadultburnout, @lurkingshan, @grapejuicegay,@bengiyo, @urikawa-miyuki, @pickletrip, @suni-san, @kattahj, @dimplesandfierceeyes, @7nessasaryevils, @imminentinertia, @befuddledcinnamonroll, @pandasmagorica, @nihilisticcondensedmilk,@shortpplfedup, @rokklagio, @thegalwhorants, @brazilian-whalien52, @callipigio, @respectthepetty, @corettaroosa, @colourme-feral, @virtualtadpole, @aroceu, @belladonna-and-the-sweetpeas, @delesaria-blog, @dribs-and-drabbles, @inventedfangirling, @jiirotu, @visualtaehyun @happypotato48,@akawrites000, @kleopatras-cat, @dc-alves, @toschistation, @lovelyghostv

I've been tagged by others in various tag games over the past few weeks but have been too busy with work to be able to play. 😭 Not gonna post half-assed replies if I can help it, but then I'm always beset by dread thinking people might assume I'm ignoring them for whatever silly reason. But I just haven't had the time until now.

If you've tagged me and I've not responded, please know that I really wanted to but I just kept getting sidetracked by urgent deadlines. (In fact, my drafts folder is full of half-written tag game responses that are too far beyond their use-by date to ever see the light of day. 😮) So to any and all who see this, please accept my apology for not replying to your tags and invites, and if you'd like to play along with this one even if I haven't tagged you directly (and you have the time for it) – please do so! I'd love to read your responses! 😍

#tag game #get to know me tag

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

Wilbert's Worst

Right, so I really was open to having my mind changed on The Worst One but nobody’s argument has budged me.

I was going to write a complete, balanced essay on The Worst W. Awdry Book, but I’m a) mired in the research phase (hey if anyone knows someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of Tom and Jerry hit me up, for real) and b) right now I wanna talk about the characters and their Beloved Dynamics instead. 

So I'm just gonna get this out of the way so I can post the poll and move on to answering fun asks and watching Tom and Jerry in peace. Behold: a salty and unbalanced review.

Wilbert’s biggest failure of a children’s storybook? 

Henry the Green Engine 

Ohhh… because of the, uh, ra —?

Because of the racism, yes!

Oh. You do know that since 1972 they’ve republished it without the n-slur? 

Good for them. Two things: 

1. I know it used to be there, I’m never able to read it without knowing it was there in the first edition.

2. I consistently try, when ranking the books, to consider them in the context in which they came out. Because of this, I don’t like using “things that happened later” (like a new character never being properly used again or whatever) against the book. This helps me evaluate the author’s successes and failures against what they were trying to achieve when they wrote it vs what I would most want (blorbo content). It helps me not bring to bear the whole weight of fanon and fandom on a text that should be able to stand or fall on its own. Tl;dr I try to read the books like a guy who picked it up in 1951, or whatever. 

And yeah, if I’d bought this when it came out it would have had the slur. I’m going to judge it accordingly. 

Look, racism is bad, no argument, but does that mean the book as a whole must be condemned? 

Yeah, I think the slur and the “aaaand suddenly, blackface! heeheehee” bullshit fuck over the entire book, game over. Go directly to jail, do not collect $200. 

The Railway Series is not a work of high art or deep thorny complex literature. The books are meant for children — small children, at that. Children small enough to get bedtime stories read to them. The main goal of each book (especially this early on — you do have to manage secondary priorities like “pleasing the long-time fanbase” the longer you go, but right now we’re only 6 books into the series) is to create a happy imaginary world to enhance childhoods and family lives… to impart to other parents and kids a similar cosy happiness to that the author and his own kids enjoyed when he was workshopping/drafting the stories for them. When we say “children’s book” we really do mean little’uns — these average 1.25 full-color illustrations per page!

And these books sold in large numbers. This means it’s a certainty that somewhere in 1951 there was a Black family who owned the whole series, who went out to the shops, whose kid was like “ooh! Henry gets a book, neat…,” who like everyone else enjoyed the wild ride of Henry’s inspection and coal and wreck and rebuild… only to get verbally spat on one page from the end. 

Real mood-killer there. Epic fail, as the cool kids used to say in my youth. 

All right, fine, cool kids never said that. Anyway, statistically speaking there was certainly even more than one family that got that experience. Not to mention the non-Black families who even in 1951 were like “... wtf? i’d smack my kid if they ever said a word like that around me, geez. no.” Just a lot of people who had the light the book was kindling in them snuffed out all at once. 

You can actually be totally racist and your book not commit creative suicide on the penultimate page! Awdry flubbed his job of 'bestselling books-for-six-year-olds' here. Creative failure. Unforced error. Automatic zero. 

But times were different then, you have to consider it in the context of the time. 

1951 U.K. was not the nadir of multiracial equality or Black power, but jfc. I can assure you that over 99% of children’s books published that year in the Anglosphere managed to not use the n-slur. 

All right, all right. That was bad. But this feels off-topic. If you had never known about what used to be “Henry’s Sneeze,” would you still rank the entire book as dead last in the Wilbert Awdry corpus? 

Not dead last, but it is not a strong book. “Coal” and “The Flying Kipper” are super-interesting as material for Henry, but after that the book kind of falls off a cliff; the intrigue drops dramatically. The railway incidents chosen to make stories of are all solid choices, but it was not only “Sneeze” where Awdry’s handling of the material feels clumsy and weird. (And I’m not even talking here of the “heehee blackface — ain’t i a stinker?” gag in “Sneeze.”) 

But… “The Flying Kipper”? C’mon. It’s a superb story and no book that contains it can be the absolute worst in the series. 

“TFK” remains easily the best single TVS episode ever – but a lot of that is down to Britt and David’s artistry and judgment. 

Don’t get me wrong, a full-on railway wreck makes interesting material. But I don’t think the book does nearly as much with it as it could (and I’m trying sooooo hard here to forget about the amazing TVS adaptation, as I think it REALLY shows Awdry up. Even so, the storytelling here is surprisingly tepid and low-stakes). I get that Awdry probably wanted to lean into the comic angle and not make Henry’s condition afterwards seem too grave, in order to ensure the material wasn’t too dark for his young audience? (*mutters* again, a level of tender consideration for his readers’ youth that went right out the window when it came to small Black kids, evidently coz he couldn’t imagine that they read) Understandable, laudable — but if he outright refuses* to make the wreck too dramatic or scary then, well, then the wreck isn’t real scary or dramatic. And it can’t save the rest of the book from its flaws. 

*For all I know it could have been the publishers who insisted that the wreck be made preschooler-safe, that’s possible (although it’s also consistent with Awdry’s brand of humor and his overall low degree of emotionalism in his writing). Either way, though, the end result book is what it is and it will be judged accordingly. 

In addition to not being as exciting as many remember... @trainsupessandhuntresses asked me once if I thought some of Awdry's stories were "mean-spirited." I had to assent vigorously. And a surprisingly high proportion of those "mean" moments are in Henry the Green Engine? For some reason? It’s not just the racism. Awdry was not in the game to give Henry a deserved happy ending, he’d wanted to kill him off (the fuck?) and when his publishers prevented him (I don’t say this often, especially since I love how salty the Awdrys get about their publishers, but this in case good job, publishers!!) he wrote “TFK” with the primary motivation of giving Henry a new engine basis. Any soft or hearty emotions we get out of the deal are a side-effect — the only emotion that was fueling Awdry as he wrote this was spite, spite and a weird resentment towards his poor, long-suffering, invaluable illustrator. (I don’t blame Awdry for being frustrated that the engine illustrations were continually inaccurate or confusing, but I do think it’s weird to read all this great Henry material knowing that it was written with such poor grace.) 

So his ‘happy Henry’ stuff feels perfunctory; his Percy interlude is just brutal (why did you have to drag Percy into Henry’s book purely to give him a fuck-up, a scolding, and a messy dunce cap?); Gordon’s savaging of Henry for being too happy after recovering from a near-death experience is such an incredibly low point for Gordon that it’s hard for me to accept it as canon (there’s being proud, boastful, and self-absorbed, and then there’s being the straight-up raccoon dumpster fire Gordon is in that scene). Oh, and I think “call the police [local constabulary, doesn’t bear firearms]” woulda probably a less reckless way of dealing with the rock-throwing youths than the sneeze of hot locomotive ashes, which of course the Fat Controller doesn’t like, that shit coulda been real dangerous! Mind, there are small rays of kindness throughout that do get me (the interactions between Henry and his crew feeling to me the least perfunctory and most heartfelt), but this is overall such a mean-spirited book. God. It starts off with such a gentle story (almost a non-story, if you’re in it purely for the “railway incidents” game and not character drama), but in short order the vibes just sorta suck. At least in other RWS books, when the vibes are off, they’re usually off near the beginning and then improve by the end. This one gets worse as it goes on. Oof. Don’t like that. 

Also, the last page is sooooo lame. I suspect the publisher strong-armed Awdry into writing most of it so that at least the slur wasn’t on the last page of the book... and if Awdry had any idea of how much he’d just empowered Henry and all his fans in this book he shouldn’t have found it hard to find 50 extra words to sum things up. As it was, he’s just filling space and running out the clock, lol. Lame wrap-up. Boring. As usual when it comes to every little thing about this book, Britt and David closed this up better (mind, their closer – “He had taught Gordon and silly boys a lesson, with a whistle and a sneeze” – also sucked. But at least it was blessedly short.)

Didn’t you once list HtGE on a list of your favorite Wilbert Awdry books? 

I did list it as one of the books that “at one time or another” have been my favorite in the series. Unfortunately in the case of HtGE, that was back when I really couldn’t read a story that I knew from the TVS without mentally substituting the adaptation into my brain as I read… largely overriding the actual text. Plus, everything I knew from TVS as a kid kind of automatically got a halo effect. Plus, I was super into Henry’s arc. 

The first time I read HtGE after calming down and actually reading all the books as books... massive disappointment. There is such a gap there between what I'd thought the book said (all our incredible fanon work overanalyzing and headcanoning Henry and building this beautiful fantasy arc about disability!) vs. what it actually said (limp and careless writing, mean vibes, airbrushed n-slur, bad aftertaste). 

I do think there is some stuff about the development of Awdry’s storytelling technique here that is interesting (again, Tom and Jerry superfans reading this, please shoot me a message!) but it doesn’t counteract everything else. 

At least we’re over the racism stuff? 

Nah, I’m not over it, actually. 

#showed his whole ass #an rws book shouldn’t leave a nasty taste in your mouth #but! here we are #okay this rant was not as short as i thought it'd be #but again. there will be a proper analysis in the fullness of time. #henry the green engine (rws) #rws discussion #racism tw #slur mention tw

[sunnyie-eve]

2 | Pick on

Series: Unexpected

Paring: (Matt Sturniolo x OFC Brock!) (Chris Sturniolo x OFC Brock!)

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: none

| MASTERLIST |

~

"Colby..." Dani watches him walking towards a door, "How old are you?" She asks as he walks face into the door, "You're not dead."

"It's Jim Hogg's room." Chris reads the name above the door.

"Who's that?"

"I dunno... It says his name on the top." Chris points out for him so they all laugh.

"We got a Big D. We got a Jim Hogg." Nick names then men they have come across.

Matt find the knocker on the wall and plays with it while his brothers tell him to stop, "I've never seen a knocker on a wall." Dani looks at it as he keeps playing with it.

"I like playing with knockers." Sam says making Dani look at him.

"Really?"

"If it takes a lot of effort to get into somewhere, I don't think that's somewhere I need to be." Nick says about the door and the knocker.

"We have a bad reputation of breaking into places." Sam turns the camera to himself.

"Ooh, Nick look it. So many men over there." Chris points out the hall of paintings.

"You need to stop with this immediately."

"Let's rate them one through ten." He adds.

"Is this a pick on Nick video?" Dani laughs as they all make their way over.

"Exactly!" He shouts, "And I don't want their ghosts to be made at me like in an hour."

Nick picks Dan Moody as the most attractive one and they agree he's the best in the wall before they make fun of Beauford Jester's name.

Colby goes to ask do the brothers have roles and they say Matt does the laundry and drives. Nick is the leader and Chris is just there, so Nick says he the creative one.

"Let's tell them about what happened last night." Sam passes the camera over to Colby, "We were standing right in the middle of this area. And our guide screams and looks over to the left, and she saw for the first time ever, someone waving at her. And I look by this little light and a full on shadow passes the light."

"I might have left out I saw the exact same thing she saw last night." Dani tells the group.

"Don't do that stuff." Chris looks at her so she laughs as they head for the elevator.

"I hate the elevators." Matt speaks up.

"Wait, what?" He catches Sam off, "You hate the elevator?"

"Yes,"

"We have maybe a little... Ritual to do in the elevator tonight." He tells the three.

"You can count me out." Dani says hearing that for the first time.

"You know what, we can sit out together." Chris pats Dani on the shoulder as she stood next to him, "I hate those two words together."

"Me and Chris have been stuck in an elevator before for like an hour and a half." Matt tells the group, "It traumatized me a little bit."

"I'd cry." Dani shakes her head at the thought as the all pile into the elevator.

"Is this the one we're doing the ritual?" Colby asks Sam.

"No. We can't talk about the ritual."

"Did you just feel the elevator drop like three inches?" Matt asks the group.

"I did." Dani looks at him, "What's the weight limit of this thing?"

"We all just fall to our death." He jokes a bit.

Arriving in the lobby they get with their tour guide, who explains how Driskill was a big cigar guy, so they'll smell it in the hotel. Matt says things are adding up because when they first arrived Dani had the smell follow her around.

They then move to where Audrey saw the person last night talking about her experience, so Dani tells her she saw them too but didn't know how to react so she frozen in place.

"I don't know if I would freeze or run." Chris nods his head before Audrey takes them by the vault and talks about the ghosts that are normally around there.

Heading towards the elevators to go up to the fifth floor Sam asks if there was an specific haunting with them to which they conduct a lot of mischief. Dani looks over at Matt to see the look on his face, "Matt's gonna take the stairs." She chuckles as the all get into the elevator.

"I'm just gonna stand here." Nick stands closely in front of Dani since it was packed tight as she was tightly between Matt and Colby.

"It's okay." She rubs his back with a smile.

"I wonder if we all just sing Kumbaya right now?" Maddy says as they wait to go up but the door just opens again.

"Did we just pressed five and went to one?" Sam asks.

"It didn't even go up, Sam." Dani looks over at him.

"I hate elevators." Matt reminds everyone.

"I think I might join you on that." Dani turns her head to look at him to her left as she rests her arms on Nick.

They press five again but the doors just open again without moving.

"What the f..." Sam says.

"What's happening?" Colby asks.

"I'm about to say F this." Dani looks at the doors so Nick turns around to rub her shoulder.

"Lily are you fucking with us?" Audrey asks stepping out to ask.

"Dani, I might take you up on those stairs." Matt moves his head to look at her so she nods hers agreeing. "If I get stuck in this elevator." He looks over at the camera now.

"You see me though, I'm pressing five." Audrey says but it just opens again.

"Maybe we give her a minute to breathe." Nick says.

Sam looks over at Matt and Dani telling them to stand on the other side to see if anyone of was fucking with them so the step out and watch the doors close.

"We're just gonna leave my sister alone with him?" Colby asks before the doors open again and they them him no onw is messing with it. "You just said these malfunction." Colby tells Audrey.

"We need to try it alone." Sam suggests.

"Dani?" Colby turns around to look at her.

"Fuck you," She makes the triples laugh so Sam tries it alone.

Once it works Audrey tells the group about Samantha being their most known ghosts. She was just about four when she passed playing with her balls by stairs and fell down them. On the fifth floor they were taken to Samantha's painting.

"She doesn't look four in that." Colby stares at it, " She looks about eight."

"Really? I thought she looked four." Audrey looks at it more.

"It's probably the getup." Nick speaks up, "She had a fancy getup on." He says so they agree with him.

"She looks 1894 not 2024." Audrey says.

"That's a lot of hair for a four year old." Colby adds making Dani look at him.

"Dude, I had a shit ton of hair at four."

"You forgot how Dani looked?" Sam laughs so everyone smiles at Colby.

"He didn't care." Chris laughs now.

"He was non observant." Nick joins in making fun of Colby.

"Trust me he never payed attention to me when he was supposed to." Dani crosses her arms eyeing down Colby, "I ended up with a Dora bob and micro bangs just like my dolls. Scissors were off limits for me."

"Chris would've been the one to give her scissors." Nick laughs and so does Matt.

"Honestly, I probably would've found her a buzzer." Chris smiles.

"Thank god I didn't know y'all." Dani laughs as they make their way to the room now.

#sam golbach #colby brock #sam and colby #sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #chris sturniolo #nick sturniolo #oc #sibilings #matt sturniolo imagine #chris sturniolo imagine #ff #fanifiction #fanfic #sturniolo fanfic #best friends #friends to lovers

[wasyago]

sorry to bother but i have a few questions! curious if you ever used other art programs besides sai and more about art things

- have you ever used sai 2? i think its still being refined

- whats your art program “progression” if you ever used a program before sai exactly, like ex: ibispaint -> fire alpaca -> sai

- are you a many layers artist with a seperate lineart layer and color each individual spots like skin, hair, eyes and etc in different layers? or do you combine the lineart and colors and just paint over it? or maybe you have multiple ways?

- do you use references a lot? or do you “wing” how stuff looks like? (which could honestly show te growth when it looks so right which you do always! your art is amazing?)

i still have so many questions but i dont want to bother by making this ask too long, sorry about that!

ooh this is interesting

i have sai2 downloaded, but i think i got the wrong version (the one that has a time trial thing and stops you from saving the files after a certain period of time). and i kinda just never bothered switching to it amd looking for a normal version? i know sai2 has a lot more options and textures and what not, but i like my old sai1 more for some reason.

for the art program progression, hmmmm. it's pretty much all sai1 i think! i have fire alpaca installed and still use it to make gifs and animations or to import text to sai / manage files / edit minecraft textures / etc, but it was never my main program. i drew some stuff in ibispaint as a kid before i had my computer, but i think back then i also mainly drew on paper, ibis wasn't my "main". never got into photoshop, never used any other programs.

for the layers. i do use them a lot, but like, for testing mostly? for example, when i want to change something in the sketch, i copy the layer and then compare the old and the new versions, deleting the one i don't like. i color and shade on one layer, but when i want to check how it'll look with different colors, i make a new layer and then compare them. when i want to fix something, like redraw the eye or clean up the sketch a bit or see how the character will look in a coat intstead of a vest, i make the new layer on top and just paint over everything. and eventually merge all the layers together and keep adding on top. so, i make a lot of layers, but then i also delete/merge a lot of them.

i used to use a lot of references and put all of them in the backgrounds of my drawings with low opacity to create this effect of busyness but also so i didn't haveto switch tabs constantly. but i stopped doing it for some reason. i do still use references, mostly for things that i don't have much experience drawing or want to be accurate. like armor, muscle structures, certain clothing elements, instruments, background elements, etc. and i wing things like poses, anatomy, expressions, clothing, lighting, composition, whatever else. i also recently find myself looking at a lot of art of other artists for inspiration, but not necessarily as references? like, the specific way that one artist drew hair poking out of the bandana, or the specific way that other artist drew a shadow on the glasses, or the specific way that other other artist drew a tail, its inspiring and i go "huh, i never thought of that" and i try to implement it in my art. well, i guess kind of like references.

i feel like you've answered all your questions in your ask, so this wasn't very helpful, but uhhhh...... yeah! thank you for this ask and thank you for the kind words, it was a lot of fun! and feel free to ask anything else

#yagotalk

[captainpikeswoman]

Ooh I’ve love to find out what spending Christmas with TOS Bones is like!

Hope you like it!

Christmas with TOS Bones would include:

•dear Bones takes Christmas seriously. He likes the vintage and traditional elements!

•his front door has the most incredible seasonal wreath on it- he brought it from a local florist, and it’s so magnificent! Full of evergreen foliage, mistletoe, holly berries, dried fruit and glittery bows! It’s absolutely beautiful, and tells you from even before you’ve stepped foot in the house that Christmas with him will be an experience you’ll never forget!

•and you’re not disappointed by the decorations inside! There’s paperchains, fairy lights and gingerbread garlands everywhere- not to mention lots of handmade ornaments from his daughter!

• absolutely everything in terms of food has been made by his own talented hands! There’s peach flan, chicken pie, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding! Honestly absolutely everything you could possibly want to eat, and he made it all himself according to the old family recipe!

•Bones has absolutely everything organised down to a tee! There’s snowman table runners for the dining table, glittery green tree confetti, crackers with absolutely terrible jokes that make you both laugh until you’re wheezing!

•and so when it snows, you wouldn’t be at all surprised if it turned out that he had arranged it! But of course he hadn’t, it was a happy coincidence that you both enjoyed- just watch out for his competitive streak if you start a snowball fight!

•so many presents under the tree, and he wrapped every single one himself. And they’re so neatly wrapped that it’s almost a shame to tear into them on Christmas Day- but then those blue eyes twinkle at you and suddenly you’re just overwhelmed with childish excitement and tear into them!

•mistletoe is dotted about the house, and Bones definitely takes a few chances to catch you under the mistletoe.

•Christmas with Bones is ultimately a lot of fun, full of laughter, good food and plenty of enjoyment!

#star trek #star trek x reader #star trek imagine #star trek headcanons #star trek the original series imagine #star trek the original series headcanons #star trek the original series x reader #star trek the original series #star trek tos x reader #star trek tos headcanons #star trek tos imagine #star trek tos #tos dr mccoy #tos bones #dr mccoy headcanons #dr mccoy x reader #dr mccoy imagine #dr mccoy #Christmas

[edosianorchids901]

Liminal Space

@flashfictionfridayofficial prompt - "mall at night"

On the occasions when Crowley had assignments in America, it was kinda fun. He didn’t leave London much these days, and a change of scenery kept things fresh. New places, new drinks, new experiences.

It did have one major downside, though. It was lonely.

In London, if he got a little depressed, it was easy to deal with. Just a quick drive, and he could be at the bookshop in minutes. Aziraphale always greeted him with enthusiasm, with that bright smile and those kind eyes. Just seeing him was enough to make everything feel loads better, even if they had to constantly be careful not to misstep.

Here, a continent away, Crowley had to find a different kind of mood boost. He’d tried alcohol. He’d tried driving his rented car really fast and listening to loud music. It hasn’t worked.

Which meant it was time for something else, a challenge, some sort of adrenaline rush, something to get the heart rate up. In this case, breaking into a shopping mall without using any miracles.

He’d parked the black Mustang across the street, then crept over to the mall. Dodging the street lights, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. Evaded a guard and snuck over to a back door.

Crowley usually opened locked doors with a miracle, but he’d recently learned how to pick locks. It seemed like a good skill to have, a cool skill. The sort of thing that would be a terrific challenge.

It actually turned out to be kind of tedious, but he tried to enjoy it anyway. Needed to appreciate the little things if he wanted to cheer himself up.

The interior of the mall was more interesting. An odd sense of peace settled in as he slipped inside, his footsteps echoing down the empty hall. No humans to worry about, no jobs to do, no needing to put on an act as a big bad demon. Just him.

Or so he thought, right up until he strolled into the food court and found Aziraphale seated at one of the tables, delicately working his way through a massive soft pretzel.

Aziraphale looked up, and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he beamed. “Crowley! Hello, my dear. I was wondering how long it would take you to pick the lock.”

“You were…” Crowley paused, gaping at the angel. “You were watching me? What’re you even doing here?”

“In answer to your first question, I was indeed watching you. I considered providing assistance, but you looked like you were having an awful lot of fun.” Aziraphale ate another bite of his pretzel. “You were swearing quite enthusiastically at the lock.”

“Nnnh.” Crowley crammed his hands in his pockets and sauntered closer, tilting his head curiously. “Hold up, you know how to pick locks? Since when?”

“Oh, for a few centuries. Sometimes there’s a, er, lovely little book that needs to be liberated from behind locked doors.” A faint hint of pink crept into Aziraphale’s cheeks. “And sometimes, my miracle allotment is a bit low when I happen across one. I decided that multiple methods would be ideal. And you?”

“Just recently. Although for me, it’s more because…” Crowley winced, his own cheeks heating up. Aziraphale looked at him curiously. “Because it’s something James Bond would know how to do.”

Aziraphale’s smile brightened even more, and he dusted salt off his fingers before standing. “Ah, of course. I ought to have known.”

“Hn.” Still a little embarrassed, Crowley strolled over to one of the food places and liberated a bottle of soda. “Wanna Coca-Cola?”

“Ooh. Why not?” Aziraphale collected his rubbish and threw it away, then came to Crowley’s side and held out his hand for a bottle. “I don’t believe I answered your second question. I’m here because I’ve been sent to influence the same politician you were.”

“Oh!” Crowley said, thrilled. “Terrific. That means I can stop talking to the bastard.”

“Mhm. I know I could have simply called you, but I thought it would fun to take a little outing and come visit you.” Expression shy but eyes twinkling, Aziraphale held out his hand.

Crowley took it, and they strolled through the empty mall together. Past all the little restaurants, toy stores, arcades. On his own, Crowley would have killed some time in the arcade, delighting in all the beeps and flashing lights.

But just being with Aziraphale was a million times more exciting than beeps, flashing lights, or anything else. Crowley’s earlier loneliness vanished and he grinned at the angel beside him. “I really like these places at night. Peaceful, eh?”

“Very much so. In a way, these sorts of spots seem to be, well… in between everything else. Their own little world.” Aziraphale gestured with his soda. “It’s quite a relief, isn’t it? Our world is so starkly divided.”

“Opposite Sides and all that,” Crowley said softly. He pulled Aziraphale to a stop outside one of the darkened doorways and gazed into eager hazel eyes. “None of that here, is there? We’re just in between.”

“Yes, rather.” Aziraphale swallowed hard, gaze drifting to Crowley’s lips. “One might even think that certain things aren’t forbidden, in a space like this.”

“Yeah. It does feel like that, doesn’t it?” Crowley asked, leaning in.

He kissed Aziraphale gently, taking advantage of the shadowed halls and locked doors. In the real world, they had to be constantly mindful of what lines could and couldn’t be crossed. Here, there were no lines. Just them.

#good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale

[laniemae]

Hello, on my main right now! Could I ask Haruka for 2, Amane for 6, 14 and 18, and Mikoto/John for 16? I know these are a lot of questions, I just like asking people about these things.

Haruka 2: oh god this is probably the best character for this but also the hardest fowheoqhwowhk. This is really hard but Weakness has my lots of my absolute favorite screencaps (sorry AKAAA but weakness has a cooler vibe to me). But this one is probably my favorite.

There’s something just so magical about the composition of this frame and the colours and the drawn fireworks and paired with the song I just akdbeiiwhaj. I absolutely love how Weakness blends real imagery and the anime style of milgram and it fits so perfectly, like it reminds me a lot of the final fight from undertale and stuff from Omori. And just the aesthetic and colours are so good I really have to applaud Mana Inoue on this one. Kinda a personal dump but the whole feeling of weakness really reminds me of this one art exhibition I went to a few months ago that had interactive pieces and light shows and whenever I watch weakness it reminds me of that amazingly surreal experience. Just the whole MV needs to be put up in an art gallery.

Amane 6: definitely amane and fuuta I’ve been thinking about their potential friendship a lot. I really like how their stories parallel each other, with themes of social conformity and fantasy vs reality. And it definitely seems they’re gonna become friends in canon as they’ve been interacting a lot with each other. There’s also how it seems that fuuta is adopting some of Amane’s beliefs which I know isn’t a good thing but it’s really interesting on a plot perspective and what that could say about fuuta’s mindset. They’re kinda like fucked up siblings and I love it.

Amane 14: I usually don’t have appearance headcanons but I guess it’ll be fun to make stuff. I can imagine her liking a bunch of animal stuff and yknow like the clothing in animal crossing that has those animals on it I can imagine her wearing that sort of stuff. In fact I feel like a lot of the items from animal crossing fit her. I also imagine her when she’s older to be either really tall or really short and pissing off es because of that. I also like to think that Mahiru painted her nails for the first time and she’s in awe but doesn’t want to admit it.

Amane 18: this is probably the best timing for this question ever. A song that really reminds me of her is “animalistic” from Creep-P and I’m currently doing some fanart of Amane in that song. Just it fits her so well and especially with her aggression in trial 2 and how the audience is perpetrating that cycle of abuse on her and even down to how it has a similar name and feel to deco27’s “Animal” which she covered. It really encapsulates the situation where because of the guilty verdict in trial one, she has lashed out and become “animalistic” and because of her lashing out the audience is more willing to give her another guilty vote and make things worse.

Mikoto/John 16: ooh this would be hard. I think Mikoto would have a pretty decent singing voice, he probably does karaoke from time to time and has a preference for pop rock songs. With John I can imagine him really not being into singing and tried it once but he was absolutely awful and his voice cracked constantly, to the opposite of his performance in meme/double lmao.

#milgram #Ask #ask game #haruka sakurai #amane momose #mikoto kayano #john kayano #John milgram

[akihabaradivision]

ARB Birthday Special: Criss Hiromi

~~ November 1st ~~

"All a skeptic is is someone who hasn't had an experience."

Login Lines:

"Hmm... morning Leraje! How'd you sleep, old buddy? Yeah, me too! I'm glad to be back home. Don't get me wrong, I love exploring, but sleeping on a soft, warm bed beats sleeping outside on the ground any day. Speaking of which, I better get a move on! This day won't seize itself! ...Wait, what's this?"

"A letter from my grandparents? 'Happy birthday, Criss!' ...Wait... Oh yeah, today's November 1st! My birthdate! I can't believe I forgot! ...Leraje, guess what? I'm 19 years old now! One year away from 20! Wow, I can't believe it... I'm 19!"

Voice Lines:

"I got a lot of 'happy birthdays' from my followers online on YouTube! I have to admit, it's a little embarrassing, but I'm glad to have so many people who follow and watch me do what I do. I guess I have Nikki to thank for introducing me to YouTube and showing me how to become more popular with it. Without her, I don't think I would have met all of you. So... thank you all!"

"Several of my classmates wished me a 'happy birthday', as well, which is a surprise. Usually, some of them either think I'm weird or strange and don't want anything to do with me, or just make fun of me. But I'm glad at least a few of them are nice. It really means a lot! It's nice to have good friends!"

"...Mom, dad. It's me again. I... I don't know if... if you guys are listening, but... it's my birthday, today. The day that... that I was born, I guess. I... I just wanted to say that... that I love and miss you both very much, wherever you are. ...And... I'll never stop searching for you."

*sighs* "What am I doing? You're just wasting your time, Criss. Face facts. They're not here anymore. They haven't come to see you the past two years. What makes you think this one will be any different? After all, you're just... 'unwanted'..."

"Hey, Keiko! Thanks for stopping by to visit! ...Yes, I know. I promise I'll head to class this week. But I have been keeping up on my assignments, so there's that! ...Yes, I know that's no substitute. I promise I'll try to do better. Sorry."

"...Ooh, a gift? What is it? ...A ghost necklace?! And it lights up too?! Cool! Thanks a lot, Keiko! I promise I'll wear it always! It's too good not to keep around my neck! Thanks again, Keiko!"

"Hey Nikki! I'm kinda surprised to see you here. ...You... you came to see me on your own? How sweet! ...Aww, but why? Isn't it normal for best friends to hug? ...But... it's my birthday... Yay! Thank you, Nikki! ...Aww, just a while longer? ...Fine, fine! I'll stop!"

"Hehehe! ...I try not to shake the camera, but it gets hard when I'm juggling it and my equipment together. ...What's this? A... helicopter? Ohh... it's a drone-thing! I've seen these before on the Internet! Awesome! Thank you, Nikki! ...Will do! ...Aww, you can't stay longer? ...Fine. But before you go... one last hug!"

Keiko Lines:

"Hey Criss! Happy birthday! I'm glad you're back here in the city. Your professors have been sending me emails asking about you. You haven't been skipping classes again, have you? *Sighs* ...Criss, we've talked about this. If you ever want to get out of high school, you've got to be more serious. And no, just doing your assignments is no substitute. You actually have to be there, in person. ...Thank you. I'm not trying to be harsh or mean. I just care about you, is all."

"But that's enough of me lecturing you. Here's your birthday gift from me! I know you like to go traversing around in the dark, so I bought you this. It's a glow-in-the-dark necklace. It automatically lights up whenever the area is dark. Promise me you'll wear it whenever you go out on way of your... exploits, okay? ...Good. That fills me with some sense of security. And again, happy birthday. I'm really happy for you."

Nikki Lines:

"Hey Criss. Happy birthday. ...Yes, I would have just shot you an email, but... that would have seemed insensitive, so... here I am. ...DO NOT hug me. You know I don't do hugs, no matter who they are from. ...I don't care that you're my best friend. DO NOT hug me. ...Gah, fine. ...Okay, you've gotten your hug. Now let go. ...Criss, do not think that just because it is your birthday I won't hurt you."

"Urgh, whatever. ...I've noticed lately in your videos that you have a tendency to shake it a lot, especially when you're running. ...I know that holding the camera and your equipment can be hard when you're exploring. That's why I bought you this. It's a drone. One that flies and hovers in the air, keeping your hands free. Think of it like a versatile camera or something. ...Yeah, sure. If you need help setting it up, let me know. ...Alright, I'm out. I've got a tournament to get to later today. Enjoy the rest of your day. ...Criss, what did I say about hugging me?"

#hypmic #hypmic oc #hypnosis mic #hypnosis mic oc #hypnosis microphone #criss hiromi #keiko yumi #nikki yoshie #otaku corps #akihabara division #alternative rap battle #hypmic arb #happy birthday criss 2023 #happy birthday #event

[agentnatesewell]

OOH so in regards to Serah's reblog and also your answer to my ask prior! Would Suri first have a baby with Nate before she would turn into a vampire? Considering the lore that two turned-vampires could not conceive and also onto a more wholesome ask! How many children would they have? And are their any names in the works!

Your headcannons and detective is truly wonderful! :)

Hello, my friend! Thank you for this ask! You know, I was going to put this in the headcanons but I think I forgot haha

So, before they events and reveals of book three, Suri had a plan! Suri does want to have children with Nate. What she would want, and if Nate was on board as well (shared family planning decisions), was that they’d have two children and then she could ‘retire’ in her 40s/50s. To allow her as much of the human experience as possible, to protect and be part of her town as long as possible, and to train for turning to survive the experience

Now that we know that the detective will be an agent and that Tina will take the reins, the detective piece is out. Will they stay in Wayhaven? Idk! But that part can be relaxed just a little. She still wants the human experience

That being said, there’s a part of her that wants the family that she never had and to have one with Nate. He wants a family of his own, too. They have Unit Bravo, and it’s more than she ever thought she’d have already. And I think they’ll continue to expand through the years, even after her turning. They have a lot of love to give and share and foster.

As for kids’ names! Being a mix of important and literary names, to start - Alice and Rumi are the top contenders.

Alice, through the looking glass, wonderland, exploration of a world beyond themselves

Rumi for the (translated) quote once attributed to Suri by her grandfather, “don’t you know yet? it’s your light that lights the world”

Thank you so much for the ask! This was fun and definitely something that’s been on my mind for a while!

#thank you for the ask! #ask #otp: nuri #twc headcanon

[aberooski]

Do you have singing voice HCs for any DM characters?

Ooh good question! Of course you can take my headcanons with a grain of salt, but I'm happy to share!

I sort of do, but not quite to the same degree as my hyperfixation on my GX crew singing voice headcanons. Or maybe it is actually it's been a while since I've thought about these guys that way aksksk

Like for instance we have a frame of reference for Seto because Eric Stuart is a singer. Which would apply to Bastion a little bit too through the transitive property of voice actors but Seto's voice is more or less just Eric's and Bastion's isn't so I think about them very differently.

Side note: Seto can sing and has a nice voice but would literally never sing ever in his life so I don't think even he knows what his vocals are like. 🤭

We also sorta have a frame of reference for Téa because in my experience we all just kinda agree that it's her singing We'll Be There even though it's not actually Amy Birnbaum singing. But from that frame of reference I think it's safe to say I think she'd have a very pop-y voice. Her voice is light enough to be very agile for runs and has the energy for more upbeat songs. I also think she lives more in the upper register, not quite full soprano though. She'd probably be more of a mezzo soprano in like a choir or something like that. But she's got a great belting range. So jealous

Tristan I actually think about the most. I think he actually has a very good voice and everyone is surprised by that when they find out. It's kinda like a secret talent but he's modest about it. He's the most musically adept between the four of them apart from Téa since she's a dancer and has that side on lock too, but he keeps it to himself. But goddammit his voice is smooth like butter and lives in that middle voice range. Get him on a nice slow acoustic song and he'll change your fucking life.

Joey is the most amateurish with his sound and general talent but he tries. He's lowkey jealous of Tristan's innate vocal talent and tries harder to get good so he can one up him at first but then just grows to enjoy it. And he's more of a belter than Tristan which he loves to flex but in a fun and playful way. Hid voice like I said is amateurish and rough and unrefined, but he's got the spirit and the potential to be a very very good vocalist as he improves.

Bakura has the sweetest most gentle tuckin voice in the world 😭 except for Yugi but shhhhh! Like you want him singing lullabies to your kids at night. His voice is very melodious and his British accent survives in his vocals which just 😭 his range is deceptively low though but is generally very wide.

I haven't thought super deep into Duke or Mai but I have decided they both have deep, sultry, very sexy voices 😩 Like they would KILL in a midnight piano bar. Voice part wise I've always had it in my mind that Mai would be an alto, probably 2nd alto, and Duke would be a baritone. I also can't imagine any senerio where Mai doesn't have natural vibrato 😩

And Yugi 🤔 Yugi is very self conscious about his voice but like Bakura, he has the fucking sweetest most gentle voice you've ever heard. It's just as gentle as he is, and his range leans more on the higher side but he's got more of a lower register than Sy does of you know my headcanon about him 🤭 Joey loves to be his hype man if the situation ever arises where Yugi sings anything like if they're having a karaoke night or something and he appreciates the sentiment but get soooo embarrassed. He and Téa duet at karaoke night a lot and their voices are very well matched 🥰

Tbh haven't really thought about Atem that much that way 🤔 but in my mind he's a bass/baritone. But he probably has a very nice voice too, strong and warm and just a kinda naturally refined sound. I dunno really, but he can definitely sing 😅

Hope that's a satisfactory answer for you! 💜

#yugioh #yugioh headcanons #yugi muto #yami yugi #seto kaiba #tea gardner #tristan taylor #joey wheeler #duke devlin #mai valentine #ryou bakura #answered

[shiningwonderland]

Tokiya Ichinose (Repeat)

Translator: Koto (twitter: kotowari16)

Proofreader: Mimi (twitter: _mimisaurora)

QA: Raz (twitter: agnadance)

October - An inquieto stage

(*Inquieto = restless/uneasy)

Tokiya: “Food… stall?”

Syo: “Yah. If we’re talking about a school festival, it’s gotta be a food stall after all. A yakisoba one. Takoyaki would also be nice. Aah! I’m already looking forward to tasting it!”

Ren: “Anyhow, if we’re talking about food, you’d want a maid café. Of course, I’ll take care of coordinating the outfits.”

Our class had started discussing the program in preparation of the school festival held at the end of October. 

Tokiya: “If you can afford to spend time like that, it would be better to practice for your own stage.”

Syo: “You might be right, but… It’s the school festival we’re all looking forward to.  Shouldn’t it be okay to be at least a bit excited?”

Ren: “It’s like Ochibi-chan is saying. A flower’s life is fleeting. If you don’t admire it now, then, when will you?”

At Saotome Academy, besides the program of each class, each individual has the option to go on stage.

However, places where one can perform, like the lecture halls or the outdoor stage, are limited, so if there are many applicants, it’ll turn into a lottery.

If we could take this stage by lottery…. I want to put my energy into it after all and practice a lot.

Therefore, I clearly understand what Ichinose-san wants to say. 

But, at the same time, I think it’s also an important experience to work together with everyone in my class.

We're together for just one year. I want to create lots of memories.

Tokiya: “If food and costumes are good options, then… I guess it should be that, right? How about a photo booth, then?

We can provide the costumes Ren prefers and have them worn by the girls of our class. They can take pictures with the customers, and if you want, you can also have the costumes be worn by the customers.

That by itself would be boring, however, so we can provide a simple tea room where customers can pour themselves some tea.

In doing so we just have to take care of the reception and guidance after preparing the costumes and refreshments. You won’t need a lot of people either.”

Syo: “It’s not a bad idea, but… isn’t it quite simple?”

Tokiya: “Nanami-san. What’s your opinion…?” Haruka: “Eh……. Y-you’re asking me…? I think…”

Select the phrase!

Haruka: “A photobooth would be nice.” (+20 Love) (写真館がいいです。）

Tokiya: “Ooh…”

Haruka: “… Practice is important after all…. So… then... what kind of costumes would we have exactly…?”

Ren: “That’s right, outfits that have that romantic charm would be good for me. For example, how about something like… wedding dresses?

Each and every girl clad in a pure-white dress shining like the moon lighting up the night sky. I’ll aim for the heart of every sublime and beautiful lady, I’m the hunter of love.”

Tokiya: “Nanami-san. There’s no need to take Ren’s exaggeration for word. It should be fine if you just choose what you’d like to wear yourself.”

Haruka: “Thank you.”

After that everyone in our class gave a lot of comments as well.

It seemed like everyone wanted to secure their practice time after all, and so Ichinose-san’s suggestion was accepted.

Now, all that’s left is our own stage performance….  First, I hope we can secure a spot through the lottery.

And since it’s a lottery, there’s no way but to pray that a good time and place are picked.

Haruka: “How was it?”

Tokiya: “We got picked. It’s the final performance in the lecture hall.”

Haruka: “Then….”

Tokiya: “Yeah, we can hold a live performance that day. Let’s practice without delay.”

When he spoke, his voice was a lot livelier than usual, and I knew right away that he was looking forward to the live performance a lot.

Haruka: “Yes!”

And so, we began our practice. Whether it was because we got a place on stage, or if he was really happy, Ichinose-san seemed to have a lot of fun singing.

Haruka: “Ah…Just now…”

Tokiya: “Ah… I’m sorry. I missed the pitch a little, didn’t I?”

Haruka: “No… That’s not it…. I felt warm when I heard you sing.”

Tokiya: “What…?”

Haruka: “I thought I felt your… heart…. It was very pleasant to… listen to.”

Tokiya: “Heart….? That’s…. I see… That’s how it feels, is it?

I feel like I understood a lot of various things thanks to you.”

Select the phrase!

Haruka: “I didn’t do…” (+20 Love, +5 Music) (わたしは何も・・・・・。）

Tokiya: “No, I wouldn’t be able to sing this way without you here. I’m grateful to you.”

Ichinose-san looked straight into my eyes.

Haruka: “???”

Tokiya: “… It’s nothing. Let’s continue our practice.”

What was that?

On the morning of the day of the school festival, I received a message from Ichinose-san.

“I’m sorry. Due to a sudden change of schedule, I might be a little late for our stage performance. But I’ll definitely come. Please get ready and wait for me.”

I replied that I’d be waiting and began on the preparations by myself. 

When I helped out with our class’ program in the morning, Syo-kun and Jinguuji-san were worried and said they’d help out if needed.

I declined that offer. Ichinose-san said he’d definitely come. And I believe him…

*applause*

Haruka: “Ah… we’re next…”

Ichinose-san still hadn’t come.  But he would definitely come. 

So, I can’t give up here.

Otoya: “Alright. That was everyone of Super Looper! Thank you!”

*applause*

Otoya: “Next is the anticipated star of the S-Class!  An unrivaled music-machine! It’s the duo consisting of Ichinose Tokiya and his partner!”

Ittoki-kun who was the moderator drew attention to me.

I hadn’t told Ittoki-kun that Ichinose-san was running late.

He didn’t know that Ichinose-san wasn’t here….

I wonder if he’ll be surprised if I appeared alone.

Haruka: “…”

Otoya: “Hm?  Could their preparations be delayed? Tokiya~ It’s your turn~”

Haruka: “A-Alright!”

I had no choice but to make a decision…

I slowly walked towards the stage.

Otoya: “Oh? You’re alone? Where’s Tokiya…”

Haruka: “Ah… ehm…. He’s running late… he’ll come.”

Otoya: “I see… What shall we do? If he doesn’t take too long, we can stretch it a bit by talking, but… will you perform?”

Select the phrase!

Haruka: “I will!” (+10 Music) (やります！）

Otoya: “OK! Leave the chit-chat to me. (louder) So, you’re Tokiya’s partner and said Tokiya is gonna be a biiiit late… right?”

Haruka: “Yeah.”

Otoya: “I’m sure he should be dashing as fast as he can this time around, don’t you think? I think there are some people who don’t know about Tokiya, so I’ll explain briefly….

Tokiya is a super cool guy and he doesn’t show his emotions easily.

I share my dorm room with Tokiya, but I have never seen him rushing or running at full speed even once.

Don’t you think it would be a bit interesting so see a guy like that appear on stage while out of breath from running as fast as he can?

And these two are the last ones. Is it alright if everyone could wait just a bit?”

*applause*

Otoya: “Thank you! I love all of you!

Aah, by the way, which songs are you two planning on singing?”

Haruka: “Eh… there are two songs.”

Otoya: “Two songs, huh? That’s not a lot, isn’t it? Everyone generally sings about 5 songs. There are also people who perform longer with 10 songs.”

Haruka: “Although few, I think the quality is very high…”

Otoya: “I see, I’m looking forward to them. And? What kind of songs? His sense of rhythm and pitch are perfect. He’s quite finicky, isn’t he?

Haruka: “Eh… ah… ehm, I made them after Ichinose-san’s image.”

Otoya: “Hmmm. What kind of image does Tokiya have? Is it scary, after all? That guy’s always angry.”

Haruka: “I think... he's cool.”

Otoya: “He certainly looks cool, doesn’t he? Hahaha, you're bold to speak of him so fondly on stage.”

Haruka: “Ah… no, not in a romantic way! Ehm, I mean that he's cool as a person….”

Otoya: “I’m kidding. It’s cute how honest you are. You should stop with guys who are late, how about pairing up with me?”

Haruka: “A… ehm… ehm….”

Otoya: “Ahah. You’re all red. How interesting! I want to see more of that.”

Haruka: “No…ah… I-I have to play so… d-don’t be too hard on me, please.”

Otoya: “Ah, right, yeah. It would be bad if you got too nervous.

Hmmm. Seems like Tokiya still hasn’t arrived yet, but… Stretching it even longer might be a bit difficult…. What will you do? Will you start by yourself?”

The closing event of the school festival would start in a bit.

If the performances don’t end, the guests and Ittoki-kun might not make it to the closing event in time.

I don’t want to become such a bother. And besides… Ichinose-san might show up while I’m playing.

Haruka: “I understand. I’ll do it by myself.”

Of course, I can play the accompaniment. I have the lyrics memorized. Though I can’t sing as well as Ichinose-san, this is my song, so…

I will show that that it can be sung splendidly, even if I’m alone.

And so, I began the live concert all by myself.

*applause*

Haruka: “Eh, ehm… thank you very much.”

I bowed deeply towards the seated audience.

Syo: “Haruka! You did well.”

Ren: “Well done, Lady. You have quite a stimulating singing voice, don’t you? It’s a bit hoarse sometimes, but that’s fine. It was ephemeral and I caught myself wanting to hug you.”

The entire program in the lecture hall had finished, when I headed down towards the audience, Syo-kun and Jinguuji-san called out to me. 

Ren: “At any rate, if he keeps this up, I might end up sweeping you away. Seems like your knight didn’t make it today as well.”

Syo: “… Hey, if you really do that, Tokiya will kill you...”

Haruka: “Ah… ahahah.”

I wasn't sure how to respond to Jinguuji-san’s joke....

Otoya: “Nanami! Good job! You really held your own out there earlier. I was a bit moved.”

Haruka: “Ah, good job. Thank you for earlier.”

Otoya: “Don’t mention it. But, Tokiya didn’t show up in the end, did he? Do you know why?”

Haruka: “Ah, uhm, he said he had something urgent come up…”

Otoya: “What’s with that?! Geez. This is the big moment we’ve all waiting so long for! He’s not only late, but let his partner sing the songs all by herself. What a cruel guy.”

Haruka: “No, eh… It was something important…”

Otoya: “Really? If you say so it’s fine, but…. I’m a bit bummed, though. I wanted to hear that guy’s singing.”

Masato: “I agree. Ah… no, your playing was also good. Quality aside, it was a song that resounded in my heart.”

Haruka: “Thank you.”

Natsuki: “Yeah, your playing was very wonderful~ “

Tomochika: “Yup. Despite your shyness and stage fright, you made it here, didn’t ya?

I was so moved it seemed like I could cry a little. Anyways, good job!

Ah, right. Afterwards, we’re all going to the closing ceremony. Want to come with us?”

Haruka: “Ah… I’m a bit…. Ehm… I thought about waiting for Ichinose-san….”

Tomochika: “I see, then, come if you feel like it.”

Haruka: “Yeah. Thanks.”

Everyone had left the lecture hall and I waited for Ichinose-san by myself on stage.

BA------NG!

I could hear the sound of fireworks.

The closing ceremony had reached its climax and I wondered if this was the moment where everyone was immersing themselves in the afterglow of the festival….

If I went to where everyone else was, I think they would readily usher me in.

I thought I could enjoy the school festival with everyone. But… for some reason I was unable to leave this place.

If I waited a bit longer, he might come. I’m sure he’s headed here about now.

My heart had grown large just because I wanted to see him, and it had stopped my feet.

Ever since April, I have only thought about Ichinose-san and the song we continued to make together.

It’s hardly perfect yet, but even so, we were supposed to experience it in its more or less completed state today…

I felt that if we’d stand on stage together today, something would change....

It’s not over yet. If I can’t listen to his song here today, I won’t be able to progress further on.

That’s how I felt.

It’s as if I was trying to avoid feeling lonely, searching for the sound while my fingers were dancing on the keyboard.

*door opens*

Tokiya: “… So, it is already over….”

Ichinose-san came rushing in, out of breath…

Select the phrase!

Haruka: “I’m glad you came.” (+20 Love) （来てくれて嬉しいです。）

Tokiya: “You say that… but what is it worth if I didn’t make it in time…?”

Ichinose-san sat down before the keyboard, approached me and hugged me tightly from behind.

Tokiya: “… I’m sorry. I didn’t make it in time…. Will you listen to the reason why?”

Haruka: “Not yet… It’s not over yet.”

Tokiya: “What…?”

Haruka: “Because, this is your stage…”

I started playing the song that should have been performed by myself and Ichinose-san.

Tokiya: “…”

Ichinose-san joined my accompaniment and started singing.

An empty lecture hall, a stage for just the two of us.

The blackout curtains and the beautifully lined chairs were quietly listening to our performance.

My sound… His voice… And our hearts overlapped.

A lot of poems permeated into the depths of my heart, almost as if they had the power to alter reality. 

Every time my fingers moved, his voice followed, and from the bottom of my heart something intense came welling up.

I wonder what it was. This sensation…

We’ve become one.

I wondered if that’s what it was. It’s feels somehow very comfortable.

Tokiya: “… That was a good performance.”

Ichinose-san muttered while breathing heavily.

Tokiya: “… To think that singing… could be something so intense. It’s the first time I’ve realized this.”

Haruka: “Tokiya-kun’s song… It was really attractive.…”

Ah…. Just now I said Tokiya-kun….

Surprised by the words I myself had said, I raised my head.

And…

Tokiya: “Thank you. Haruka….”

Ichinose-san… said my name. And on my hand which was still on the keyboard, he softly laid his own.

Haruka: “Eh… ehm…”

Tokiya: “I want to feel you more.”

Our overlapping fingers entwined naturally and tightly connected.

Ichinose-san closed his eyes for a moment, and then looked straight into my eyes.

Haruka: “Tokiya…kun…?”

I can’t avert… my eyes.

The beating of my heart becomes distant, and the hand he’s holding is tinged with warmth.

Aah, I see… I love this person, don’t I…?

Tokiya: “I’ve always been afraid that if I would tell you this, that you might end up resenting me. But…

If I keep this hidden in my heart, if I keep betraying you… I won’t be able to sing your song anymore.

Haruka. There is something I have to tell you. Will you listen without being surprised?”

Haruka: “O-of course!”

W-what was it…?

And, “I’ve always been afraid that you might end up resenting me”?

What did he mean by that?

Tokiya: “I am HAYATO.”

Haruka: “What…?”

Tokiya: “I’m saying that me being HAYATO’s younger twin brother is a lie…. Because I’m HAYATO himself.”

Haruka: “Ah….”

I see… That’s… how it was.

Haruka: “… So that’s how it was after all, wasn’t it?”

Tokiya: “… Why?”

Ichinose-san asked me a with a strange expression.

Haruka: “Because….”

Select the phrase!

Haruka: "...of your emotions." ( +20 Love) （想いが）

Haruka: “Because the emotions you put in your songs are identical… Though in the beginning I thought they were similar because you were twins…

But besides your voice or how you sing, I think it’s highly impossible that even your emotions would be the same…”

Tokiya: “Since when did you realize…?”

Haruka: “I felt somewhere deep down that you were the same person from the beginning, but it’s only recently that I had affirmation.

At first, since the way you and HAYATO sing and talk are polar opposite....

I was convinced that you were two different people for a time. But when listening to your singing recently....

I’ve been thinking about how you might be the same as HAYATO-sama whom I’ve come to adore…  You’re trying really hard in earnest to hide a passion that doesn’t lose to anyone.”

Tokiya: “You really are something…”

Ichinose-san’s hand touched my cheek and all of a sudden, he brought his face closer.

Tokiya: “Haruka…. I lo-“

He had his eyes fixed on me with an earnest look, and my body became unable to move.

My face became hot, and the palms of my hands were slightly sweaty.

Haruka: “What…?”

For just a moment, my eyes flick down, but he continues lean even closer to my face.

The sound of my heart beat is so loud that it seemed like it could be heard by Ichinose-san who was so close that our faces almost touched.

Tokiya: “I-…”

*creak*

The moment the door opened, we quickly jumped back at the same time.

My heart was beating.

Even though we separated, my chest is still this hot.

Ryuuya: “You guys, what are you still doing at this hour. The school festival has already ended. Go back to rest quickly.”

Urged by Hyuuga-sensei, we then quickly returned to our dormitories.

But…

That night my heart wouldn’t slow down, and I couldn’t quite sleep.

Mini Game

Ryuuya: “Well then. Let’s go back to the basics today and do some good rhythm. Even if they’re the basics, the difficulty has increased.

If you take it easy, you’ll fall behind!  If you wanna be a composer, go all out!

Be as it may though, today I will show you the model first as well. Play it similarly.

Let’s go! Don’t be late!”

S Rank

Alright, you pass. And that’s exactly why you’re my student.

Tokiya: “You really worked hard by yourself, didn’t you? I consider myself proud to have you as partner. “

Haruka: “No… that… That time of the school festival almost seems like a dream… And because I believed that Tokiya-kun would come…”

When I spoke, Ichinose-san looked at me and smiled softly. 

…M-my heart is pounding. 

Let’s continue to make good songs from now as well like I’ll always be able to be Ichinose-san’s partner.

Chapter End

#tokiya ichinose #utapri #tokiya repeat

[quickspinner]

LBSC Lukanette Week Day 3 - Pick / Cool Down

I really only used pick for this one. Again, no real planning, just let the words spill on the page.

Luka turned the familiar shape in his fingers as Marinette, practically vibrating from excitement, watched from her desk chair with her hands squeezed between her knees and her mouth shut tight. 

It felt right in his hands, and he ran a finger around the edge. It seemed smooth. It didn’t weigh more than usual. He took it between thumb and forefinger, hand curling in a motion that was second nature to him by now, and swept the pick down the strings, listening carefully to the reverberation of the strings.

“Yeah, I think it’s good,” he said, smiling at Marinette, and she bounced out of her chair with a squeal. “The tone’s a little different, but it actually sounds really cool, I like it. Unique.” He played another chord, just for fun, because he actually did really like the tone.  

Marinette let out a breath she’d clearly been holding in a breath. “Oh, I’m so glad! I only just started working with resin but the idea came to me and I found the mold and I HAD to try it, but I was afraid it wouldn’t actually work—” She whirled her chair to face the desk. “I have so many ideas! These things take such a small amount of resin, too, I can really experiment and if something goes badly, who cares? I’m gonna have so much fun with this!” 

Luka laughed at her enthusiasm. “Well, when you start taking orders, let me know.” 

Marinette turned to look at him, eyes rolling. “Don’t be ridiculous, Luka, before long you’ll be begging me to stop giving you the stupid things.”

“Hardly,” Luka grinned. “Do you know how hard it is to keep track of picks on the Liberty?” 

“You wouldn’t lose them so often if you and Juleka would quit throwing them at each other.” 

“Well, I definitely won’t be throwing this.” Luka held the pick up, watching the play of light across the electric blue swirled with sparking black. “I might wear it out though.” 

Marinette made a dismissive noise that wasn’t quite a snort and waved her hand. “That one was super easy, I can churn those out by the dozen. I’m thinking about maybe embedding a rose petal in one for—well, Rose. Ooh, maybe I can get a lavender petal and a pink petal and put them in one together…would that be too big? I could cut them up into pieces I suppose, and then she and Juleka can have matching ones—” 

“Rose doesn’t even play guitar,” Luka protested. 

“But she would wear one as a necklace I bet! I’m already thinking about linking some together to make a bracelet. I could really get creative with what I put in the resin too since I wouldn’t have to worry about it being too thick to play with or how it sounded.” 

“I want a bracelet if you’re handing them out,” Luka told her, taking off his guitar and coming to lean over her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as he looked at the scattering of supplies on her desk. There was a pad of paper off to one side with several sketches and a long scribbled list of ideas. 

“A lock of hair?” he asked, and Marinette whisked the list out of sight. 

“It was just a thought. I don’t know if it would be too weird. I’m not always super clear on what’s weird and what’s ‘metal,’” she said, fingers quirking into air quotes. “Lots of people had a loved one’s hair set in jewelry in old times. Rings and lockets and stuff like that. I saw someone online selling custom resin jewelry with a lock of hair from baby’s first haircut in it, so I made a note.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be peeking if you weren’t ready to show.” Luka kissed her cheek. “I never get tired of seeing you inspired. Personally I would absolutely wear a pick necklace with your hair in it, but Jules would tell you I’m weird anyway, so my opinion might not be worthwhile.” 

Marinette blushed, and fidgeted around with the things on her desk, but Luka’s mind had already moved on. “If I buy you a spray of plum blossoms can you make one with the petals?”

Marinette’s mouth dropped open slightly, and she sputtered for a minute before she said weakly. “Sure, um, I can try that. If you can even find plum blossoms—” 

Luka grinned. “Couffaines have connections. I want a whole stack of plum blossom picks. I want enough that Juleka throws a fit over finding them everywhere.”

“Luka!” Marinette covered her face with her hands. Luka just leaned around her and kissed her fingertips. 

“And at least one ladybug pick,” he teased, and laughed again at the look she gave him.

I have decided that Marinette’s signature flowers are plum blossoms and you will pry that headcanon from my cold dead hands. I had vague thoughts of Marinette making him sentimental picks over the years with a piece of something meaningful to the moment embedded in them, that end up on display at their home someday, but I didn’t really get there with this one. I’m filing that thought for the future though so don’t be surprised if you see it pop up again someday!

#quickspins #lbsc lukanette week 2022 #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug #pro lukamari

[hungeringheart]

Hi, Can you do a session analysis of a: Heir of Space

Seer of Breath

Mage of Life

Thief of Mind

Witch of Time

Heir of Blood

Knight of Doom

Rogue of Light

Ooh, hello! Big cast you've got there, it'd be a shame if anything terrible and tormentous happened to them.

(Apologies for the length of time this took, I'm repeating myself like a broken cymbal monkey to my entire ask log but I had a bunch of stuff happen and then a spine injury.)

Let's play in this space, big character sheet anon.

Dramatis Personae

☆ Heir of Space

☆ Seer of Breath

☆ Mage of Life

☆ Thief of Mind

☆ Witch of Time

☆ Heir of Blood

☆ Knight of Doom

☆ Rogue of Light

What Does This Mean For The Session

Looking at the spread here, we can make some suppositions about these good folks' collective problems already.

For starters, let's have a peek at Space and Time --

Space has an Heir (altruistic aspect manipulation class) and Time a Witch (active, slightly more personal aspect change class).

When John's session had an Heir of Breath, there was a wealth of Breath (agency, room to mess around, direction, momentum) in the game. The aspect existed, abounded (no one's parental situations substantially interfered with anything really), and seemed to have a vested interest in giving to/acting through him particularly.

In our case, refreshingly, the Heir of Space is an indicator species for the same type of collective lassitude and happiness. There's a lot of physical space separating your characters, but they also all seem to benefit from this one having more space and room to grow than even most of them, and some non-Breath amount of power over the agency they experience. Maybe the Heir can't actually give people more opportunities, but they help it feel like there are a lot more of them, or create the conditions -- the Space -- for others to grow into their roles in different ways.

The Witch of Time is a good sign too -- whatever the situation actually is with the workings of time for the team, the Witch has the ability to change the conventions of and affect the world through time, rhythm, tradition, cycles and endings. Everyone has room to breathe, and someone in their corner has the ability to refuse the end on their behalf.

You're being nicer to your little guys than a lot of people! I'd give you an award for being decent to your blorbos if I had anything like that to give.

Now, let's examine the two most important aspects for anything to get done, Blood and Breath.

Breath (agency, freedom, will) has a Seer, and Blood (bonds) has... wow, would you look at that, another Heir.

On the surface this looks really good: someone can see the optimal paths to take to preserve agency and follow the narrative, which is a core concern to the session, and someone else inherits, understands and changes for others their close connections and covenants.

BUT WAIT: blood as bonds theory is just one facet of the horrible diamond I'm about to painstakingly show you more of the facets of. And having someone dispensing wise seerly advice about the very topic of your own agency is not as fun as people think. At some point you may want to grab a Breath Seer by the lapels and ask, whose story even is this, dipshit?

Let's briefly digress.

So, the reason people say that blood represents bonds and responsibility ("blood of the covenant" etc) is that for Karkat, his personal arc is about that, it's about taking responsibility for his friends and doing what's right no matter what he has to sacrifice. I think Meenah and Vriska have the same basic journey, but interpreted through their own personal and aspect lenses (and therefore even worse for everyone).

And obviously this holds water, I mean, it does, that's the case. But let's consider something else.

Do you remember how much ... gore there is in that comic? It's mostly technicolor, so as a red-bleeding animal you intellectualize that this is blood but don't feel the same social-animal horror about it. But it's blood. Homestuck is up to the gills in gore (and so is the troll political system, starting from castes, which after all are based on blood and seem to cause tremendous suffering and loss of blood in human societies, and moving further to their war crimes and institutionalized infant cannibalism).

At this point many people hold up Kankri (or Kankri's adult, mangled corpse) like he's Simba and say, aha! Blood is about suffering despite effort! Blood is about sacrifice and futility! Blood is about obligation and the suffering inherent in interdependence!

And this too is true. But not exclusively.

What about all of the biohorror in Homestuck -- Blood as heredity, as genes -- as mutation, as cancer, as eugenics, as suffering therefrom, as the thing that locks you into your destiny? Blood as inevitability, then? Blood as that which is uncertain and feared? Blood as something always under scrutiny, as something vital and struggling? Blood as what is spilled? Blood as something that flows, that changes? Blood as omen on doorframe, both for harm and help?

As a foil and complement not just for Breath (which is in no small part about getting to do what you want, all of this be damned) but also for Doom (law, inevitability) and Time (tradition, rhythm, flow) and Life (the way of things, the struggle)?

Oho! Now we are cooking with the rocket fuel.

Heir of Blood, then... inheritor of and abounder in connections, but also in structural and personal suffering and struggle.

Things are beginning to look a little grimmer.

Well what about the Seer then, why is this a bad thing?

A Seer of Breath sees the optimal course to take about the aspect that doesn't have one, by definition. In a conflict between the nature of the force of existence itself and its representative, obviously the force wins; this Seer then sees possibilities and productive configurations, but they're at least initially flexing authority they don't have a solid basis for, telling everyone how best to be free to make their decisions. Doesn't that sound absurd and restrictive? Isn't this Seer really easy to invert to Doom? Or Rage?

The point of Breath is at least in part the multiplicity of paths; the point of a Seer is to pick one and stick to it. Unfortunately combining the most Rage behaviour with the literal antithesis of the aspect (on the axis of Rage's desperation) produces a guy who applies a very personal type of knowledge to something that approach is wrong for.

Annoying hyperonline friend who keeps trying to get you into discourse, basically, in the same pot as an intersectionally complicated and personally tormented real literal actual flesh and blood person. Ethereal online Thinker(tm) competing with someone Problematic who has nonetheless suffered more than them and has more of a concrete understanding of the things they beef about. Guy who bloviates about ideals because they got robbed by incredibly obvious cops on the way to a protest, in the same place as the organizer.

These people are tugging this game back and forth, Balkanizing the rest of the team; they probably do not get along. Tragically, they had to be doing that yesterday, and now it's everyone's problem.

We're beginning to see the complications.

Surely Life and Doom are set up in a way that hurts and bothers no one here!

Maybe. Mage of Life -- so, motherfucker who doesn't know anything about Life (flourishing, survival, mutation and struggle) and has to learn as they go -- and Knight of Doom, because somebody has to lay down the damn law in here, particularly since the existing people who should do that are too busy writing callout posts about one another and posting them in the group memo to make any decisions.

It's encouraging that at least one pair of these friends has each other.

But are Thief of Mind and Rogue of Light just sitting around on their hands then?

The Thief of Mind finds all this funny and derives fuel for their own thoughts and choices from fucking it up for other people. The Rogue of Light is supernaturally lucky and on the ball and wants to share that with everyone else. I think they're not really even in conflict, though -- I think the Thief is an annoying hanger-on from outside and the Rogue is these people's actual friend, and they undo each other's efforts , but at least they both want to survive and win!

All together now:

Examining all this we can see a narrative taking shape. Two people aren't friends but have mutual friends in common, and rope them into a game together. The group immediately balkanizes under the first available stress, along the lines of what people prefer in a leader. Dealer's choice: Facts and Logic (tm) about extremely personal choices, or decisionmaking by a horribly tormented and jaded person who has no idea how bad anyone else really has it but pontificates about it anyway.

Someone suggests making the game competitive, a bad time is had by all, the Mage and Knight have their own dyadic thing going on, the Heir of Space mitigates all this (or makes it worse, they're too out of touch to tell), and the Witch of Time is ferociously combing through universes to find a normal one to escape into, or maybe at least acknowledges they can't realistically win with the time they have and works behind the scenes to keep it all together. The Knight of Doom helps.

The drama, anon! The power! The presence! If you write this I would actually love to see it.

#session analysis #homestuck