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makima-s-most-smile · 11 months

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Trigun Ultimate 2 (Part 4)

Will this volume ever end? Why do I have so much to say?

OOOOooOOooooh, it is woowootime. Nyehehehehehehe *continues to say even more about its favourite character!*

Chapter 6: A gathering of demons

Oh, I love how nightow portrays the vastness of the desert. How much is an ile? How big is this planet? Is it earthlike? With no oceans and all... are the cities splayed out? I am European and live in a big city conglomerate. In two hours, I can switch countries and visit like 20 different cities. This picture reminds me of the "Wild West". I remember American friends being shocked at how connected everything is and how we Europeans see distance. For them a 4-12 hour drive is totally normal and you are still in the same state. I can only imagine that No-Man's-Land is even worse than that.

But what does that entail? Is travel between cities something regular or something you only do if you try and get work or flee from something? There is the big trade between the cities, but those have to be the outliers. Sandstreamers being something like trains. I imagine that they are mostly used for commerce, then. Transporting people has to be a lesser side hustle.

But how long does the journey with a bus between the cities take? I'd say days with the thoughts I just had.

I leave the Wolfwood introduction panel out, because of the limitations for pictures, but damn, it is good. It also took me too long to realise that this was not fabricated, but that Wolfwood literally had a bike mishap. His whole interaction with Vash reads differently for me when I take this into consideration.

Three things. 1. what I like about Wolfwood’s design is that if you don’t take the tit window and the facial scruff into consideration, he is dressed like a typical Japanese salary man! A nobody, one of many. Black short hair with suit, he could be a 0815 background character/random casualty in nearly any anime/manga. But here, he falls out of the line. All in black in the desert heat, that is suicide! He is not dressed like the others in typical western clothes. He’s an outlier from the start but at the same time a very usual sight for us readers!

2. I love how silly and welcoming he is. He is just a very charming random dude. We next to never see him interact with random people after this, so we miss this side of him in the later volumes. But he easily fits in and connects, even as a weird outlier. He is an idiot, but an idiot with street smarts.

3. Maybe because I am not a native English speaker, but I stumbled more than once over the word “tradesman” as a colloquial term for assassin. Kinda a roundabout way to say, hey, if you’re interested in me, I may provide you with more information and maybe I have the kind of skill you’re looking for. Tradesman basically means person with a specific skill, so not elaborating on that, but letting people mock him always reads for me as Wolfwood playing with being caught/putting his “profession” down/offering work. That he has a good eye is shown on the next page with him immediately realising who Vash is (at least he know the bounty pics and knows how to look. Wolfwood is not faceblind!)

Without the context of Milly being especially perceptive, this always read for me as Vash being absolutely annoyed by Wolfwood and being distrusting, when in reality he seems to be already warming up to him. Like with us readers, Wolfwood has wormed himself into his heart already. Who could deny Wolfy?

“‘Bout time I left, anyway.” Rings differently when you know him more. Wolfwood is a person that has his foot already out of the door to be not a burden to anyone nice. And we learn that in his introduction.

Wolfwood looks so damn fucking young there. I always have big problems in discerning ages in Manga. But even with his scruff, Wolfwood looks barely out of his teens.

When I think about the different WooWoo-versions, I always deck '98 as the oldest in his mid to end thirties, Ultimate barely 20, Trimax 30 max and Stampede... Sorry, StampWolfwood, you are still in your teens for me. You are baby.

I always remembered Wolfwood as a liar by omission, but damn, he is doing everything but spelling stuff out. “Not exactly just that…” Damn, and he looks so pained. Vash surely zoomed in on it. I now believe, the only reason why we know stuff so late about Wolfwood is because Vash never asked or tried to pin Wolfwood down.

The following pages is Wolfwood sharing his money with the orphans and I love it. We get to know Wolfwood as a very perceptive, benevolent and honest guy, who seems to be desperately begging for people to see him, to ask more about him. As much as he is funny, we also see someone who sees himself as a burden and who is burdened by a big responsibility and who still shares and gives as much as he can. No wonder Vash smiled with such earnesty. Wolfwood is the personification of what makes him still have hope in humanity.

Chapter 7: The demon’s eye

You know him just for this little bus drive and you already trust him with that info, Vash. Wolfwood is part of the team now, wether they realised it or not. Like I said in the chapter before, the journey must take longer, so they may have had a few days to bond.

He knows what happened. We learn in the next chapter why Wolfwood is there. It is easy to put two and two together for him.

Or regrets that they have to part ways and Wolfwood has to go back to being the Punisher. He had a short dance with Lady Death and then a little vacation where he could be human.

As much as we learn that Wolfwood hates his predicament, it is his duty. There is a reason why he does what he does.

It is kinda sad that Wolfwood left immediately. Nightow, most likely, had other stuff planned, but the cancellation of the magazine kinda threw a wrench into it. I kinda like how '98 did it with Vash and Wolfwood having their own little adventure on the journey.

Funny observation. People are there, because there is gunshots. Not children’s laughs or anything, it is gunshots that show that people are there. What a shitty world they live in.

08: The fifth moon

Did Legato control the corpses? Or did he “take in” the survivors and used experiments on them? Nicholas knows his bounties. Without him, I wouldn't peg them as the Slavers.

First of all, the hint/info that Vash and Knifes are both not human. A man between a rock and a hard place. A well-prepared dead man, but a dead man either way.

Since we as a reader already have a bond with Wolfwood, he is our point of reference for a "normal" human reaction to the shit that goes down. Nightow regularly flashes back to Wolfwood's reaction to it all. Either so we don't forget that he is part of the EVUL or to bring down that point how fucked up Knives is (especially with the SA-symbolism). People with uteri will agree either way that the scene with the sister being that pregnant and Knives bursting out is… massive body horror.

At least both legs and one arm are smashed, pelvis most likely, too, his head is squished into his torso, neck broken? and I have no idea how else he is crumbled up. Paper doll Legato

Vash didn’t only shoot himself to regain control. He shot Knives, too! He shot Knives to get free, but it was already too late.

While someone else (I am sorry, I am bad with names D; If I find you again, I will link your post) has put it brilliantly how Knives taking control over Vash can be read as assault, there is something else I’d like to point out.

Knives is the only person in the whole story who has been able to take control from Vash. We have seen him fight so many people, like Neon, Monev and others, but Vash never was not in control. He put rules upon himself that constricted him, e.g. the pacifism, but those constrictions were by his own decision. Vash takes into consideration that he may die, but it is by his own free will and as we have seen, he is a bit suicidal. Likewike, Vash gives people all the agency, all his agency. He mostly reacts to their decisions towards him. Knives is the only person in the whole world who is able to take away Vash’s agency and he uses that power over him. Not going into powerscaling or such a thing, but it shows what a powerful player Knives is.

Again, Wolfwood is our focus point for human reaction. Dude is scared out of his mind and mixing both brothers. Messengers of God coming to cast down judgement on us? That would be Knives, not Vash. But he demands an answer from Vash, with whom he already formed a connection. Wolfwood may feel even somewhat betrayed, as hypocritical as that is.

#trigunbookclub #trigun bookclub #Trigun Ultimate 2.4 #It is done #I am finally through with it #Also WooWoo #here to break my heart again

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fire-fira · 4 months

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A list of random (hilarious as shit) bad shark movies that I might or might not have Eddie subject La'gaan to in my first DC Rarepair Week fic:

This first one is a little on the nose, but--

Devil Fish. A shark-octopus hybrid. South Florida coast. With a line up of characters that sounds like the set up for a joke following the words '-walk into a bar'. Freaking 2.7 stars. It sounds delightfully horrible.

2) Then we've got--

"Amphibious shark-like monster"-- because why not? (I freaking hope this thing has legs. If it's like one of those shark puppy drawings I'll be cry-laughing.) This one's got a 5 star rating, but considering it's from '98 I'm kind of hoping it's one of those cases of 'so bad it's actually good'.

3) This though... Dear gods... 😂

ATOMIC. SHARK. 2.7 stars. And a shark that looks like it has a freaking bomb strapped to it because why the hell not? What's more destructively nonsensical and what-the-actual-fuck than gods-damned bomb-toting sharks?

4) And because someone had to almost combine a shark with a fucking xenomorph--

Toxic Shark. 3.3 stars. Not only is the shark somehow poisonous and "infesting" the water (seriously, how tf does a single animal 'infest' anything? You kind of need a lot of them for 'infesting' to be the right term here), but it has projectile acid spit. That it can apparently fire out of the water at its prey. Because WHY NOT?

5) Of course the what-the-fuck-ery can't stop there--

--because mother-fucking Sand Sharks. 2.7 stars. If I watch this one, istg I want this to feel like it should be a side thing to the Tremors series. I want it to be so hilariously stupid and nonsensical that it feels like it should exist in the same world.

6) Considering I've mentioned this one before in some of my headcanon posts of what Eddie would expose La'gaan to, I'd be remiss if I didn't include--

Ghost Shark. 3.3 stars. Because if you want shark movie crack, this is SHARK MOVIE CRACK. (Last time I saw this one there were some moments I was laughing so hard I was damn near wheezing. The deaths are just... so hilariously stupid. I can't.)

7) Ah, but guess what--

Did you know there's a Ghost Shark 2? Because I sure as hell didn't. 2.6 stars. I'm honestly hoping-- if I do see it-- that it's just as much wtf CRACK as the first one.

8) This one... I shouldn't pick on the anatomy of this thing, but--

Dinoshark. 3.2 stars. They straight up slapped a t-rex-like head on that thing. Why does it have a t-rex head? I don't know! Doesn't matter! It's a ✨dinoshark✨! It doesn't have to make sense! (Though I do have to wonder if it has a neck, because at this angle I can't tell. lol)

9) I didn't think it was possible to get this low on this list, and yet--

Jurassic Shark, at a whopping 1.5 stars. On one hand I'm curious because of that old trope of 'It was frozen in ice, but it thawed out and is still aliiiive!!!!' and I want to see just how bad it is. On the other hand, with it being the only one on this list so far to hit 1.5 stars, I do have my concerns that it'll drop from 'so bad it's hilarious' to just straight up 'OOF, this is baaad.'

10) This one, ngl, is here just because this description is making me crack up to no end.

The Shark Hunter. 5.1 stars. "A crusty recluse-" gross, but hilarious "-on a Caribbean island who is dedicated to destroying sharks-" dude why? Get a fucking hobby ffs. "-gets involved in a hunt for buried treasure." Because shark movies, wanting to be the source of the shark-pocalypse (against sharks), and being crusty and reclusive just naturally goes with treasure-hunting. Yeah. (And wtf is up with that spear he's holding and that thin-ass headband? What is even the point of that thing?)

11) And then there's more 'Let's fuck with nature via fictional science because fuck if it makes sense if it looks cool enough!'

SharkMan. 3.1 stars. Ngl, I barely remember this one-- I think I may have seen it once-- but if it is what I'm remembering then it's some solid what-the-fuck-ery.

12) omg... I can't... wtf... I never knew this one existed. Send help. I am freaking cracking up even thinking about this. JFC.

SHARK EXORCIST. Because it's not enough to have a monster-movie shark with all the nonsensical what-the-fuck bullshit that's involved, but let's have fucking Satan possess a gods-damned shark. 😂😂😂😂 1.3 stars! It's apparently worse than Jurassic Shark! This one might be so bad it's worth it, I don't know. All I know is that I am mcfuckin' losing it over how hilarious this sounds.

13) Wtf.... Was the other SharkMan a sequel? Idek...

Anyway, Sharkman (without 'Man' having the initial letter capitalized), from 2001 (whereas the one higher up on this list is from 2005). 2.3 stars. I'm honestly not sure if this is the one I vaguely remember, or if it's the 2005 one, but either way 'We fucked around and found out with science that doesn't have to make sense because it looks cool!'

14) Pffft. And speaking of things that don't follow logic--

Roboshark! 3 stars! Because a shark biting an alien spacecraft will, 100% for certain, magically make said shark a cyborg-shark. Yup. That's totally how that works. Totally. (This one is absolutely up for consideration because I'm just dying over imagining poor La'gaan going, "That's not how that works! That's not how any of this works!!!")

15) a;lsdkjldsjd;lfa;ldj

Sharkenstein?! Mother-fucking Sharkenstein?! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂Holy shit. 2.1 stars. Because why not have the reanimated sewn-together multi-corpse of a shark put together in World War II rampaging around? OMFGGGGGGG

16) omg, now we're going freaking Nightmare On Elm Street with sharks--

Nightmare Shark. 3.6 stars. People. Being hunted. By a "supernatural shark". In their dreams. TELL ME that doesn't sound like Nightmare On Elm Street But Sharks. 'Oh don't sleep, or Sharky Krueger will get you!' I now want to see this shark and Freddy Krueger in a knife fight in an Applebee's parking lot. lol

17) Pffft. Talk about understanding the assignment.

Bad CGI Sharks. 4.6 stars. If you know it's going to be a bad shark movie, then why not deliberately make it as bad as possible by having shitty CGI sharks pop into reality from a script you were writing and just have everything go tits-up like something that'd make about as much sense as Alice's trip to Wonderland? (Ngl, it sounds like they had waaaaayyyy too much fun with this one.)

18) Oh my f- This is like they're dealing with a raccoon. A giant fucking raccoon with giant sharp and pointy teeth, and I just- omfggggg--

House Shark. 3.7 stars. An ex-cop finds out his house is occupied by a 'house shark' and needs the help of a freaking real estate agent and an exterminator. JFC. IT'S A FUCKING RACCOON. 😂

I am freaking dying. lol

Some of these won't make the cut for whichever one I decide to include mention of in my fic due to time placement, but I definitely have a better idea of some of the possibilities.

(I might throw in a poll in a reblog for the most likely possibilities to see if there are any that are really jumping out to people from this list.)

#Devilfish #La'gaan #Eddie Bloomberg #shark movies #DC Rarepair Week #my life #writing things #I am freaking dying y'all

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randomvarious · 1 year

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Today’s compilation:

Now That's What I Call Music! 3 1999 Adult Contemporary / R&B / Pop / Teen Pop / Pop-Rock / Alternative Rock / Boy Bands

Went for another dip back into 1999 with the most ubiquitous various artist compilation series that the US has ever known: Now That's What I Call Music! And this third installment, just like its pair of predecessors, proved to be a commercial smash, peaking at #4 on Billboard's 200 album chart and achieving double-platinum status as well.

So, let's get into that nostalgic mood with a commercial for it, shall we?

youtube

Now, I've gone into this before, but I feel like it bears a little repeating here: while Now is something of a de facto authoritative resource on the contemporary hits of the day, it does have its limits, because, while it may seem like a pure representation of the broad pop music landscape from a specific set of a few months, each volume from its main US series is actually just a collection of songs that were put out by a conglomerate of labels. Basically, Universal and EMI and both of their many subsidiaries reached a pact to repackage hits from their own catalogues and then divvy up all the profits. So, really, it was just a genius mechanism to cash in on songs that they'd already cashed in on 🤑.

And that still means that there was a lot of different music at their disposal to choose from when they put these albums together, but it's definitely not everything. And that's why Now had a competitor like the Totally Hits series in the US, who were made up of BMG and Warner Music Group and both of their many subsidiaries.

But I only say all of this because the fact that Now is just a sprawling conglomerate of labels actually becomes pretty apparent with this release. This one, while it's still repackaging some major hits of the day, is letting its mask slip a little by recycling a whole bunch of the same acts that are featured on Volume 2, which I got into yesterday. On both of those sets, you'll find Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Fatboy Slim, Garbage, R. Kelly, and 98°. And when you see Now recycling artists like that, when there's so many other hit-makers out there in addition to the ones that these two albums share, you start to realize why that's the case. So, you might be wondering, “where are NSYNC? Where's Christina Aguilera?” Well, they were on RCA at the time, which fell under the BMG umbrella, so you could find their chart-busting tracks over on Totally Hits instead!

Another thing I'll say about this album is that there are some songs that I feel like I'm being reverse-Mandela Effected with here; It's not that I remember the songs sounding differently, but that I don't remember them *at all*. I'm someone who listened to a whole fuck-ton of contemporary hit radio in 1999, and, 🎶for the life of me, I cannot remember🎶 (😅) ever once hearing Ideal's "Get Gone" (a song so unremembered that it doesn't even have its own stub article on Wikipedia), Chanté Moore's "Chanté's Got a Man," or Case's "Happily Ever After." And those songs went to #s 13, 10, and 15 on Billboard's Hot 100, respectively. Often, I post about tunes that deserved better treatment by the charts based on how ubiquitous they seemed, but these three songs are the opposite: they were apparently pretty big hits and I'm almost certain that I've never actually heard a trace of them before. And, given the fact that all three of these songs are R&B, I wonder if my top 40 stations in my neck of the woods were really as all-encompassing as I thought they were. Anyone else remember hearing any one of these three songs on commercial hit radio before? If you do, I'd be interested to know what region you were in, because I really don't think they got much rotation in mine; definitely not enough to make me comprehend their chart placements, at least.

Live look at me looking up these three songs and seeing where they peaked on the Hot 100:

Hey, there's an idea for a big, long-term project, though! Wading through the archives of a bunch of radio trade magazines (some of them are free to view online) and finding the variations in what the different top-40 stations across the country were playing at around the same time. There's probably a certain level of universality among them all, but given the success of those three R&B singles, I guess there's just some songs that don't make it to wherever you're at and you're then left completely unaware of their very existence. Makes me wonder if there were any other big hits that were excluded from my area 🤔.

Anyway, this is *mostly* a fine trip down memory lane, but I wish it had a different variety of artists than Volume 2, and those three R&B songs from Ideal, Chanté Moore, and Case really threw me for a total loop.

Also, do not, *under any circumstances,* expect me to post about Volume 4 tomorrow ✌.

Highlights:

Smash Mouth - "All Star" Lenny Kravitz - "American Woman" blink-182 - "What's My Age Again?" Enrique Iglesias - "Bailamos" Britney Spears - "Sometimes" Backstreet Boys - "All I Have to Give" K-Ci & JoJo - "Tell Me It's Real" Fatboy Slim - "The Rockafeller Skank" Limp Bizkit - "Nookie" Garbage - "Special" R. Kelly - "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" Blessid Union of Souls - "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)" 98° - "The Hardest Thing" Fastball - "Out of My Head"

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guideaus · 1 year

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I saw someone say how trigun stampede is a massive improvement from the 98 anime in terms of female characters and they're glad they can watch stampede instead, and while 98 absolutely has misogyny all throughout it, I feel like just getting rid of vash being a womanizer, the girls getting in hostage situations, and the rest of it isn't enough? vash was definitely annoying in terms of his 98 characterization, and they also gave Milly the ditsy personality and is a love interest to wolfwood, but I don't think stampede is that much different? stampede in fact outright removes a good amount of female characters: milly, dominique, jessica, and basically elendira's character. meryl's has been turned into a novice, luida is cute and motherly, and... tbh I don't really remember anyone else.

tristamp seems like it can't afford characters (like how w my criticism of how marginalized people in trigun's manga are shown seems to be related to the fact that there are way more relevant antagonists than protagonists), but they still just took parts of these characters away, watering them down, making them one dimensional, or gone completely. I think adding more positives to a character is better than just taking away what they don't like. Sure, meryl isn't in a hostage situation in ep 11, but she just stood there the whole time and did nothing (and no i don't believe its some intentional metaphor for witnessing a "feminine" person's agency taken away 🙄 what would we even get from that), and wolfwood will most likely come and help somehow.

#personal #ig this post is another 'low bar' post but #and speaking of additions they made the EoM characters sexualized. that did happen lol #opposite of my point here but isnt exactly a positive lmao #idk maybe its another of those 'tristamp makes bad choices' things fgsdfhsd #and tbh... im of the opinion if an anime character is sexualized as hell but also compelling u can make me look the other way #as opposed to like. no women being there #not saying i'd want either but yeah lol #it is anime ig

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listen-to-the-inner-walrus · 11 months

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is it just ocean ships youre into or?

...this ask has a slightly threatening aura but like, if you give me a chance to infodump, im going to.

tbh, i wouldnt say im "into ocean ships". i go feral for ocean liners, correct, but like 98% of cruise ships ive come across are fucking awful. plus ro-ro ferries can also go fuck themselves. and im also not really into like battleships apart from a few specific cases, e.g. the hms captain (the last one to be given that name) because boy howdy was that ship terribly designed.

but like most ship aficionados, im am really into great lake ships. i mean, the great lakes themselves are like so fucking cool and honestly if i had to go to america, id like to see them. because of how unique the geography of the great lakes are (essentially inland seas with waves cresting much closer to one another), you get some really interesting ships coming out of it.

theres the more obvious ships that i find interesting like the fitz (edmund fitzgerald), the daniel j morrell and the bannockburn, but im not gonna retread common ground here; theres plenty of videos on youtube about them.

what i wanna talk about is whaleback ships:

they were dreamt up by captain alexander mcdougall and are a much obscure ship design for the lakes. only 44 were ever between 1887 and 1898.

see at that time, the size of a ship was limited mostly by a ships ability to get through lochs and rivers (and obviously materials + hull design theory) rather than power, which led to the common practice of one self-powering vessel towing several barges. and that became a problem when the seas were rough and the winds were howling. so mcdougall wanted to create a design that could easily be towed, which led to the whaleback design.

the hull of a whaleback is continuously curved, and the bow and stern were nearly identical. things like cabins were in the superstructure above the ship. when fully loaded, the hull would lay low in the water, giving it the eponymous whaleback look. it also looks a bit like a cigar.

while they were easy to tow and saw some success as self-powered vessels themselves, like the unfortunately named christopher colombus which was the only passenger whaleback vessel nicknamed "the queen of the lakes", they were flaws in the design. the curved hull made it harder to create watertight hatches, or hatches that would remain watertight as many warped. the working conditions were often poor as within the hull, its essentially a submarine. they were also quite vulnerable to and in collisions; they laid almost flush with the water so they were kinda hard to see.

i just find them very interesting and the design is actually kinda beautiful to me? idk, its just a bit of shipping history that doesnt get mentioned as much. the only remaining whaleback boat is the ss meteor which is now a museum ship.

also, as a certified yam-yam (a seemingly insane thing to call myself), i have to talk about canal boats/narrowboats.

see where im from in the uk has more canals than venice and thats a fact any comedian will turn into a joke if they do a show hear. i know theres at least one other semi-popular posts about narrowboats, but if you havent seen it, you might have seen them in peaky blinders because they were used to transport illegal goods amongst other things.

the canals (or cuts as they were also called) where im from were used a lot during britains industrial revolution in terms of transporting goods. and although canal travel declined due to several factors like better roads for cars, increase in rail travel (seriously, you can get a train to anywhere round here) and issues with wages, its still a pretty significant part of our local culture and history.

like in primary school, we were taught how locks work and i remember learning about all of the different kinds of narrowboats. im not gonna get into all of them because this post is long enough as is, but its safe to say, i have a personal attachment to narrowboats.

in the 60s, there was a restoration of canals and narrowboat tourism became popular. you can also live on a canal boat which one of my friends did for a while growing up.

plus we have a lot of very pretty architecture thanks to canals in the staffordshire ring/black country rings (its called the black country due to how much soot would emanate from factories as well as thick coal seam that came from the mines during the victorian era). the staffordshire ring is like a canal of a lazy river, i guess; it loops all the way round the area and surrounding areas.

i particularly enjoy this little area of the dudley canal part of the ring:

this part of our history also left a bunch of tunnels because canals went through things, and theres a lot of these tunnels. pretty sure theres a lot around the country in general? dont quote me on that; i know my local cut history better than the national canal history.

but anyway, you can walk through a lot of these tunnels such as the netherton tunnel:

which i walked, all the way through and back, as a young child with a headlight on that didnt work too well. me dad took me my brother and by the time we were on the homestretch, we had a single flickering headlight left. fun times.

#kai rambles #a lot #lmao #long post #im autistic what do you expect #anon #narrowboats #narrowboat #canal boat #canal boats #canals #great lakes #whaleback boats #ss meteor #shipposting

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mickstart · 4 years

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what do you think are some iconic/memorable schumi moments? i just got into f1 and would like to know more about him bc somehow i can’t really find anything like that about him.... just stats which are incredibly impressive but i can’t find anything about how he behaved or just anything about his personality..... thanks <3

:) Hi anon, thank you for unleashing the beast.

Ok I love you for asking me this thank you SO MUCH. Welcome to the circus I’m glad you’re here! Also yeah, Schumi is often talked about in terms of statistics and not as a human, Which is a shame bc like! Schumi is fascinating and the dynamics on the grid in late 90s F1 is so much fun! Also, this is mainly going to be late 90s -> early 2010s stuff bc I was born in 98 so uhhh I didn’t properly witness ANY 90s stuff and had to learn about it.

OK so I got super carried away but I’ve divided this into 3 sections: Drives/races that I think showcase some of his talents, human moments we need to talk about more, and Chaotic Little Bitch moments. The key thing to remember w/ Schumi is that he personally tends to be nice but as soon as you put him in a competition, Bastard Mode activates like a cat’s pupils going wide.

I am so sorry for the following short essay. Also some crashes are briefly mentioned but only ones with absolutely no injuries and there’s no details.

Chaotic Little Bitch Moments

Schumi debuted as a SUBSTITUTE driver for Jordan when one of their drivers was in police custody (yes. really.) The highest a Jordan had qualified all year was 10th and in his DEBUT at SPA, one of the toughest tracks, in the middle of the season, Schumi qualified that Jordan 7th! THEN his clutch failed before the first lap was even complete, but Benetton and Jordan WENT TO COURT to fight each other to sign him for their team before the next race in Monza. He couldn’t debut normally he HAD to cause a scene and set the tone.

The Red Strings of Fate: He qualified 7th, his iconic 7 starred helmet, his first victory next year was ALSO at Spa - his first complete race would be at Monza, Ferrari Holy Ground, and he finished 5th which 👀 1) he was immediately racing with The Greats. 2) Mr 5 Championships With Ferrari.

Winning a race by taking a stop and go penalty on the last lap, crossing the finish line in the pits, and making such a complicated argument about said penalty that in a hearing that was SUPPOSED to be Mclaren protesting the race result the stewards scrapped the entire penalty and the 3 who awarded it handed in their licenses??? Iconic.

Austria 2002 where Rubens was ordered to give the win to Michael. And then Michael fucking made him stand on the top step on the podium like “oh no no no RUBENS deserves this” and made a big SHOW out of it and its like “Michael stop you’re not making it heartwarming you’re making it WORSE Michael STOP” The Tension of germany 2010 podium VS the theatricality of THIS podium.

Team orders were banned because of this which also makes this indirectly responsible for Fernando Is Faster Than You having to be a coded message. You can’t escape him,

Blocking Alonso in Monaco qualifying and then, years later in 2010, overtaking Alonso technically illegally at Monaco (the race was ending under safety car, but the safety car doesn’t lead them over the line it pits and they’d crossed the safety car line and the regulations were NOT specific about the rules) and getting a 20 second penalty bc Damon Hill was a steward. Haunting FERNANDO specifically at Monaco like the ghost of christmas past? Getting a harsh penalty because ANOTHER driver he’d fucked over was a steward? Forcing the FIA to rewrite the rulebook to account for his nonsense when he was in his FOURTIES? I don’t know another chaos king.

Winning the 1995 championship by crashing into Damon Hill, getting AWAY with it for some reason, and then trying to do the same thing in 1997 to Villeneuve, failing to do so and simply rebounding off of him harmlessly, almost COMICALLY, and beaching his own car in a gravel trap at which point the FIA said “I have had ENOUGH of you Wacky Races Man!” and disqualified him from the entire championship

Forcing Mika off the track so bad at Spa 2000 that Mika realized the only way he was gonna be able to get past him was to re-invent the overtake and go for it whilst they were passing a backmarker. (The overtake itself is at 2:05 in the video but the build up to it is Important bc the key part it’s not just badass, it only happened bc Mika knew who he was dealing with.)

Spa 1998 was a Ridiculously Chaotic race it truly was the Mugello 2020 of its year, and after a crash at the start that took out almost the entire grid Schumi accidentally collided with Coulthard later in the race. (The teams used to have a spare car at every race then, so the race was able to continue after a restart.) This wasn’t a racing thing, Coulthard was getting lapped. So something in Schumi SNAPS, and he storms down the pitlane and tries to fight Coulthard while the mclaren and ferrari mechanics both hold him back and finally drag him away. He projected into the future, saw Coulthard was gonna talk non-stop shit about Seb, and acted accordingly.

Monaco 2012 Pole don’t talk to me about this I still can’t believe the audacity of this man to get the only pole of his comeback, at MONACO, at the ONE RACE where he had a 5 place grid penalty to take!!

In general, I know Cheating Bad but. I HAVE to admire the brainpower it must take to have the rulebook so memorized that whilst driving an F1 car Schumi could spot a loophole the size of the eye of a needle and then dance through it, forcing the FIA to add ANOTHER page to the rule book specially for him bc nobody else even REALISED that loophole existed.

Human Moments

A quick rant about Mika and Schumi’s entire friendship. After Spa 2000 Mika goes up to Michael, says something like “Don’t ever do that again” then they’re friends again. They had this mutual understanding that Racing was not Reality. This goes all the way back to their F3 days they were rivals AND friends for their entire career. They truly were the Sewis of the era if Sebastian was like 50% more evil. Their entire dynamic is “You’re the only motherfucker in this pit lane who can handle me”. Schumi would do some bullshit and every other driver would throw up their hands in frustration and Mika would just go “Okay” and drive better to put him in his place bc he was the only one who could keep up, and Schumi very visibly LOVED that he’s grinning after Mika owns his entire ass with that overtake at Spa. They were unstoppable force meets immovable object and I’m so sad their rivalry isn’t more talked about bc the way Mika is the only driver who can get him to behave like a normal human being is SO entertaining.

This is a sad one so I won’t link it but he started crying in the 2000 Monza press-conference with his brother and Mika when he equaled one of Senna’s records. The press kept trying to ask questions about it and Mika just has this death grip on his shoulder and tries to get them to stop or let them take a break and it’s so sad but also important to know about.

Once said he didn’t want Mick to race in F1 bc the pressure of his name would put Mick under so much stress and he wanted his son to be happy. (He fully supported Mick in his endeavors! But only after making absolutely sure it was what Mick wanted, and making sure he knew he could just race for fun if he wanted and it didn’t have to be F1)

This whole interview just after Mick was born with the Schumacher family. Special shout out to Gina on his head the entire video and also Corinna talking to the press while Michael is captivated by Mick. Me too Michael.

Once allegedly pleaded to take a stray kitten home from the track?

I reblogged this yesterday but. Sticking like glue to Sebastian at an F1 test and immediately being like “This is my new son he’s gonna go far”. There’s a lot of pictures out there also of Michael being a guest at the karting races Seb went to as a kid and baby Seb visibly losing his fucking mind at being given a trophy by his idol. Every day of my life I think about him trying to ruffle Seb’s hair through his helmet at Brazil 2012

WInning the championship in 2000. Him thanking the entire team individually and pausing mid-celebration to kiss his wife Corinna so tenderly it’s in the F1 opening. Also, the way it literally cuts from the rest of McLaren looking like they’re attending a funeral to Mika grinning at him and hugging him fucking SENDSSSSS me.

Schumi was a little shit in all the 2010-12 press conferences like, lowering Lewis’ chair, playing with a microphone wire, but ESPECIALLY corrupting baby Seb and getting him to mess with Nico Rosberg.

He’s just GOOFY! Like I refuse to let him be remembered as a terrifying force of nature he was so goofy kind of similarly to Seb. PLEASE watch this incredibly awkward interview he did with Coulthard on a golf buggy where they both had to pretend they hadn’t thought about murdering each other at least once. I think Sky F1 should force Brocedes to do this when covid’s over. “Do you mind if I drive?” “Yes.”

EDIT: I CANNOT BELIEVE I forgot the 1999 Canada press conference where Eddie Irvine and Mika Hakkinen get into a water fight and Schumi immediately grabs a towel and hides behind it and is like “I had NOTHING to do with it” 🥺 adorable, actually

A lot of people at Ferrari, including Rob Smedley (who was on the other side of the garage with Felipe Massa so not in his inner circle) have said that a lot of the success of the team came from Schumi’s LEADERSHIP more than anything, that he’d make the team get together to bond all the time. When Schumi moved to Ferrari in 1996 they were NOT dominant. He did the same thing Lewis did - went to a team that everybody said would be a huge mistake and helped build them up behind the scenes.

THIS bit of the Canada 2011 Rewind where his engineer gives him the strategy and he’s like “... OkaAaAaAay?” and then when it turns out to be the wrong strategy he cheerfully tells them it’s too late. Little shit.

Speaking of Mercedes I also wanna say that like. They were a MESS in 2012 and his car DNF’d because of a failing on their part MULTIPLE times. (In Canada qualifying his DRS was stuck open and they couldn’t close it.) He did not say a single bad word about them EVER even though the press used this to attack him non-stop as washed-up and bad without Ferrari to cheat for him. At Ferrari he was the exact same with the team, any bastard antics Schumi had for his rivals did not extend to the engineers and crew.

OK this one is soured bc Top Gear is trash BUT if you were like, a kid in England who followed motorsports? Schumi’s fake reveal as The Stig on Top Gear was like the coolest, sickest thing,

Please view this image of Schumi and Mika when they were young and stupid

Iconic Races

ok so I have limited myself to a few races that show off some of his key strengths!

Hungary 1998 / France 2004 - STRATEGY/SPEED - Schumi switched to a 3 stop strategy in 98 and a FOUR STOP strategy in 04 and won both races. In order for the strategy call to work he’d have to basically make every single lap a qualifying style ‘flying lap’ and you best fucking believe he DID THAT. God I fucking miss when Ferrari was the king of strategy.

Argentina 1998 - has it all. Talent, battling Mika, pit lane mind games with mclaren, and bullying coulthard xxx

Spain 1996 / a majority of the wet races - RAIN - One of Schumi’s nicknames was Rain Master bc he was so fucking good in the wet. If it started raining and you were a Schumi stan you were cackling evilly before the red lights even went out. I single out 1996 bc it was his first win for Ferrari and it was unexpected but in most wet races, even Canada 2011 post comeback, you can see Schumi thriving.

Malaysia 1999 - Schumi missed pretty much the entire second half of the season with a broken leg, came back for the last 2 races with everybody murmuring about whether he would struggle, and immediately put the Ferrari on pole. Also worth noting is that he was the number 2 driver for these 2 races bc his teammate Irvine was fighting Mika for the championship and he went along with that without complaint, allowing Ferrari to win the constructor’s championship if not the driver’s.

Monza 2002, 03, 04, or 06 just because it has the energy of the tifosi kneeling at the feet of an idol to their red god.

Brazil 2006 - Fuck All Y’all - Schumi’s last race for Ferrari. He got a puncture and ended up almost lapped, and then drove his way back from that to 4th bc he couldn’t go out without reminding us he’s a bad bitch.

Monza 2012 - Defending - Don’t tell F1 Twitter that there’s actual footage of Lewis and Michael having a genuine lengthy battle on track but DO watch Michael defending like a motherfucker and Lewis breathing down his neck for half the race we need to talk about this more.

Valencia 2012 - This isn’t necessarily anything special but I cried in my living room over the only podium of his comeback so it goes on here. It doesn’t have the same impact if you haven’t been watching him struggle with the car for years, DNF-ing from car failure most of 2012, and having BBC F1 telling you he’s washed up every single weekend, but you can just enjoy one of the best drives of FERNANDO’S entire career as he DRAGS that Ferrari by its hair to a home grand prix win and then watch the crowds embrace him like jesus and also Schumi being happy on the podium. Also, the very start of this clip from the press conference: him forgetting what language he’s supposed to be speaking

Basically, Schumi was a hyper-competitive ambitious bitch who turned into a goofball as soon as he switched the engine off. This is by NO MEANS everything if I was making an exhaustive best races guide I’d do more research and another post but I hope this is what you were looking for?? THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me go MAXIMUM SPECIAL INTEREST and I apologize.

#asks #Schumi #Mika #Alonso #long post #god I'm so fucking sorry #Anonymous #This is not comprehensive bc I didn't want to accidentally turn this into a whole research project especially if you're new to it!

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neophillims · 3 years

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Im (not) sorry, 70-100 (have fun answering)

this took me so much time but idc i love your account so much !! have fun reading 🥲

70. What’s the tragedy of your life?

the tragedy of my life is life itself,but i find myself embracing it

71. Would your life make a good play?

a play?no. a tv show with 3 seasons and a banger intro?yeah.

72.Should people be prosecuted for crimes that weren’t considered crimes at the time?

from a legal point of view it’s complicated because there is no law to back up the prosecution but from an ethical point of view definitely!prosecution though is a pretty legal term so ethically they should be punished

73.Would you fight for your country? Do you feel a sense of loyalty to your nation?

short answer:no i wouldn’t and no i don’t.long answer:while i deeply respect my country’s culture and impact and i live of off it’s wealth and study freely in it’s universities and spend my life reading philosophy and biology and physics which originated from greece or greeks contributed to them,i am 1)against war for the reasons it happens nowadays (capital) 2)they say a country is it’s people and as much as i love my culture,the majority of the people here have opinions and motives deeply rooted in misogyny and racism and are nationalists .

74.Do you believe in gender equality in every aspect?

what does gender equality mean to you guys?does it mean liberation like it means to me or does it mean to be one with the oppressor?because i see gender equality being thrown around a lot and it’s often in a really liberal way…

75.Do we have a moral obligation to care for others? To what extent?

“moral obligation”…it’s not moral obligation it’s societal expectations which in a way shape moral obligations as we think of them.it’s just safer for people to live in groups and create small societies and families etc etc but it’s just a way of survival.you can care about people to whatever extent you want to and you can not care about people.does the last one make you immoral?yeah sure,whatever…

76.Do you crave approval and/or praise?

yes i do but it’s mostly academic.

77.Is there comedy in all tragedy and tragedy in all comedy?

oh hell yes there is

78.Are you ever going to be satisfied?

no.it’s in a human being’s nature to never be satisfied.this is the reason of constant evolution and whenever i think to myself ‘what is the point of living if i am never going to be satisfied’ i reply ‘i am constantly evolving and that’s enough’

79.When you are sad, do you listen to music that conveys your emotions or music that makes you happy?

i am a little sad and listen to music that is downright depressing so do with that what you will (don’t try this at home)

80.Is your music organised by mood or sensation or do you just listen to everything at any time?

i have playlists with pretty specific moods but sometimes i am listening to a summer hit from 2010 just to play the smiths right after

81.Would you marry a friend if they needed you to (e.g. for citizenship)?

i may sound bad but hell no…i am against marriage sorry

82.Are you a deep person?

i won’t play edge lord here so the answer is :we all are deep people on our own ways

83.Given the chance to live your life on Mars, with no hope of returning to Earth but with the promise of scientific discovery and glory, would you take it?

just blast me into the next galaxy idc at all.but yeah i would because ✨universe and knowledge hehe✨

84.Are you who people think you are?

no but is anyone ever though?people who follow me on tumblr are closer to my actual personality than people who know me irl

85.Do you think you would be happier if you had been born a different gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, nationality or religion?

i am a white person in a christian family with heaps of privilege.i wouldn’t be happier being born anything else,not even a man.i would be happier to have been born on a planet with no discrimination

86.What’s your toxic trait? Are you trying to improve yourself and fix it?

i can be manipulative but to myself??yeah i am trying

87.Do you anger easily?

a lot of repressed emotions (sadness) can create explosive anger so yeah…i get angry easily but again i repress it

88.Are you a jealous person?

yes i am a really jealous person not in the way that i wish other people not to have something because i don’t but in the way that i work thrice as hard to have that thing myself

89.If you lost all your memories, would you have the same personality?

memories shape our personality so no , no one would

91.Is hate as strong as love? Who do you hate?

yes hate is as strong as love and i don’t hate anyone,because i have a life and i just don’t really care enough to hate someone

93.Do you draw meaning from your dreams, or do you disregard them?

my dreams are super complicated and 99,9% of the time i don’t remember them but the things i remember happen in real life just as i have dreamed them.and that’s on intuition

94.How would you describe yourself when you love? Do you love forcefully, unconditionally, gently, quietly, desperately?

i don’t love a lot but when i do it its unconditional and quiet

95.Is unrequited love real love?

yes,most love is unrequited.i think it’s one of the truest forms of love,because deep down you know that they don’t love you but you still do

96.Is your perception of yourself similar or the same to how others perceive you?

yes it’s similar the nights when i seem to dislike myself a little more than usual

97.Are you overly analytical?

yes and it’s just so tiring but i love always being right in the end :’)

98.Do you ever feel that you are really a terrible person, and only act good out of societal or some other obligation?

all the damn time and the thing is most of the times it’s true but that doesn’t necessarily make me a terrible person,it just makes me a person,human

99.Do you believe in magic? Are you superstitious?

no i don’t believe in any of that.i just like researching about that stuff,there is a lot of cultural knowledge behind them

100.What belief do you have that isn’t logically grounded, but you still firmly believe in?

i probably have something just not at the top of my head.it’s mostly philosophical stuff ,metaphysics etc

#thank you for the ask!#ari answers #this took so loooooong #hopefully people read it #asks and replies

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lesbian-vmin · 3 years

Text

I think vmin is real wouldnt it be mean for them to intentionally look romantic with things like 4 o’clock and saying each other soulmates? and how there songs connected.

Seemed like I should answer this.

I don’t wanna say vmin is real because of 4 o’clock and because they call each other soulmates. Let’s talk about those two things first.

Let’s talk about 4 o’clock first. While it’s clear that 4 o’clock is about Jimin (seriously come fight me) because Taehyung confirmed that himself, that doesn’t necessarily confirm them being romantic. (This post will be a mess, but below the cut)

I think many people believe the lyrics of 4 o’clock are romantic, and that’s why many anti-vmin shippers and many anti-shippers (different than non-shippers) in general want to try to argue about the fact that the song is, indeed, about Jimin. This was argued against when Namjoon initially said (and then deleted) that the feeling in the song was inspired specifically by Jimin. Taehyung had described the feeling that he wanted the song to give, and he talked about waiting on a friend. When Namjoon asked him if he had any specific friend in mind, his answer was Jimin. He ended up deleting the part about Jimin with no explanation as to why, so a lot of people said that it wasn’t. However, three years later, we get a new confirmation from Taehyung himself (and Jimin) that the song was, indeed, about Jimin.

No. He might not have said Jimin specifically. He just said that he wrote it about the time of the dumpling incident, and it was about their fight in the park. Whoever wants to come at me and say that doesn’t mean it’s about Jimin....really. I’m not saying 4 o’clock is a romantic song, okay? But it’s about Jimin because why would Taehyung write an entire song inspired by a moment that happened between him and Jimin when the song has nothing to do with him? Whether or not it’s a romantic song is a different story. But...it’s about them making up in the park, which means that the only person it can possibly be about is Jimin. And people can write songs for friends. It’s not like you write a song for/about someone, and it automatically has to be romantic. People write songs for friends and family all the time. But you know. Tumblr and how everything has to be romantic or nothing at all, so...

But anyway. That whole disclaimer paragraph is a little off topic from the ask. There’s really no lyrics in the song that specifically make it a romantic song. There are some deep meaning lyrics, and some might argue that the reference to the movie make it a romantic song. Specifically about a gay romance since the movie is a gay movie? I don’t know much about the reference, but here’s a block quite from Genius to explain the connection? Whether the song actually references that movie...I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anything where either Namjoon nor Taehyung specifically bring up the movie, so whether that’s true or not is still debatable to me until it comes from one of them themselves. Or if someone can provide the source in which they said so..because I honestly don’t remember them ever saying it. But it might just be a detail I’ve forgotten or something I’ve never seen. (BTS has way too much content for me to keep up with everything.)

RM references the 2016 film, Moonlight, which tells the story of a young, gay, African-American man growing up in Miami. One of its signature lines is:

Runnin' around, catching up all that light. In moonlight, black boys look blue.

Many of the main character’s moments of vulnerability and self-discovery take place under the moonlight. The play on which the film was based was also called, “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.”

Even so. The reference to the movie, if true, still doesn’t necessarily have to mean that it’s a gay love song. Because why that movie was referenced might not be because of the ‘gay’ part of the movie but the ‘moonlight’ part? I don’t know.

On a side note, I somehow think it’s sweet to think that Taehyung was telling Namjoon he was waiting on “a friend” instead of just outright saying Jimin. Part of me likes to wonder if Taehyung was a little shy about telling him it was Jimin when he asked. Another part of me wonders if Namjoon asked him about the specific friend because he had a feeling it was Jimin. (Also, I’m 98% sure that “the moon” that goes to sleep in the song is Jimin. I don’t think it’s a literal line. I think it’s a metaphor. And I think “the moon” is Jimin, and I don’t have to go into my justifications for that because there’s plenty of confirmation (from Taehyung himself) that he sees Jimin as the moon. Those aren’t theories. He literally says it himself.)

All that being said, I’m not trying to negate the possibility of the song being romantic, either. Because it is possible that it’s romantic, too. There’s just no guarantee. The song feels romantic to me, but that doesn’t mean it is.

Moving on, let’s talk about Friend and them calling each other soulmates.

The term soulmates is has a deep meaning, but that doesn’t mean it has to be romantic. It just shows there’s a deep connection between two people. Many languages use this term as something that can possibly be platonic, and even people who speak English sometimes use this as a platonic term. So, needless to say, the part in Friends in which they call each other soulmates doesn’t really confirm romance to me. In fact, it’s the least suspicious, potentially romantic part of the song. To me.

I think something that stands out more is the intimate “Hello, my alien” line and promises to stay together. I could be wrong about the intentions behind “my alien”, but it does feel pretty intimate to me. I’m stating this as an English speaker (though some English speakers may still disagree with my explanation depending on the individual and specific friend culture), and the fact that the lyric was written in English instead of Korean. Typically when we say “my x” it’s pretty intimate. It’s okay to address you friend, “Hello, my friend” but most of the time, adding anything else is a little different. An usually reserved for children or romantic partners. “My baby” “my sweetie” “my love” “my dear” “my star” etc. And, while it’s possible that friends joke around with friends and might say “my wifie” to their best friend, it’s usually in a joking manner. If the lyric was written in Korean, there could be a little more ambiguity here because Korean’s use “our” instead of “my” for many things. If you translate literally, a Korean woman calls her husband “our husband”, but that doesn’t mean she’s sharing her husband with anyone. So the choice to make the lyric in English makes the line seem a little more possessive and intentional to me. Because he’s not our alien (he’s expressed his dislike for being called that). He’s Jimin’s alien.

There are some pretty deep, potentially romantic lyrics in Friends. But again, nothing to be confirmed. Because it’s not obviously romantic. Or strictly romantic.

Still, them calling each other soulmates could be platonic, too.

And now. As for their song connections, I assume you’re talking about how Vmin bloggers often compare their songs and link the songs together. While I see all the possible connections, and they can certainly be suspicious to those of us who make those connections, it’s all just theories. Until Vmin themselves link their songs together, we can only assume that the connections we draw are based in our heads and unintentional. It’s a little silly to say they’re mean for unintentionally creating songs for us to connect to each other. They might not even think of the connections themselves, and it’s just coincidental that they go together so well when we get to analyzing it.

All that being said. I’m not trying to deny the possibility of their songs actually being linked. Because I’m one of the people who can see the connection. But I’m also highly aware of how human minds naturally notice patterns and make connections even without realizing it. And, while I like to think I’m impartial because of my reasoning behind shipping vmin, it doesn’t eliminate the possibility of me still being biased based on that. Because our minds naturally look for confirmation to affirm our own thoughts. It’s why you’re (probably) more likely to be drawn to articles and blogs that stand on the same side as you. Because it’s thought confirming instead of thought provoking.

On the other hand. There are vmin bloggers that say a lot of things I disagree with. Which is actually why I started talking about Vmin on here. Because I don’t necessarily agree with other vmin bloggers. Not saying they’re wrong and I’m right. But I just wanted to share another perspective than the others were giving. I think that’s why any of us start sharing.

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lemonietrinket · 4 years

Text

How Day6 would react to overhearing you admit your crush on him to one of the other members

AN: a request from anon. i feel ive treated this more seriously (and focused perhaps more on the confessions themselves, bc i interpreted ‘crush’ subconsciously as ‘having long-term-feelings for’) than you meant in your request but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Sungjin

“hyuuun, i’m in love please make it stop.” “only way that’s going to happen is if you go tell him.” “...i hate you.”

sungjin... i picture is going to date to marry (or an equivalent if marriage is not for you, as though i get the vibe he’s quite traditional, for the right person he would be very easily convinced), so he takes crushes and confessions quite seriously

probably would feel bad for eavesdropping

then would feel happy that you felt the same way

but then more serious issue of now having to confess would take over

would spend a long time thinking of the best way to do it

would probably settle on a classic walk or cinema/theatre depending on what’s showing

would make damn sure he and you would be alone while confessing—so to save both parties from pressure and embarrassment should things go wrong

also he’s quite a private guy and would want to let others know on his own and your terms

ngl probably wouldn’t admit he’d overheard you until like... a long time later

it would be under the initial reasoning that he would wait until you were stable so it wouldn’t have too big of an effect

but then he would forget

until it randomly came up in conversation

like we may even be talking years here

maybe when you live in your own place, just the two of you, and you’re hanging out with him and younghyun who is just refusing to go home bc the food is too good at yours who brings it up

“i don’t understand how it took so long for you two to get together, like even wonpil was starting to find yn’s pining sickening.”

and you would be salty, because “excuse me i hid my desperation very well!”

and sungjin would just immediately come to support you because he’s a loyal motherfucker and would begin, without thinking “she did, i didn’t know until i—”

that would be when he stops himself bc hes like oh shit i didn’t tell her and now two very curious sets of eyes are like staring at him and he’s 98% sure he can’t backtrack at all

“when you what?”

and he would just sigh “when i overheard you telling younghyun that you liked me”

and there’d be a moment of silence, followed by laughter

youngk would be confused, probably, having a surprisingly better recollection that you perhaps would “wait i remember that—how did it take you two months to work out what to do next?!”

and you end up just laughing harder, before noticing the the mix of emotions on sungjins face and reassure him “it doesn’t matter how long it took, we’re together now”

anyway overall sungjin is probably quite serious about it, but it will have a happy ending, you’ve just got to be patient lmao

Jae

“dowoon, what do i do?”

jae would be playful about it

after hearing you ask dowoon for advice since hes good friends with him he would be ecstatic, but would try and keep it lowkey

he’d hide out of sight of the doorway he’d passed by to have his little moment

and then he wouldn’t be able to stop smiling

his eyes would keep glancing to you for the rest of the day, even more than usual

but i think he would want to make things more official as soon as possible, as he doesn’t want to waste any time when he could do it sooner and be with you

and so he’d ask if you had a spare moment on the day or so, and take you some place quiet

not necessarily his room, more likely just outside the front door in the warm summer air

and ngl i think he would totally pull the “i think you know why i summoned you here today”

of course, yall have no idea, but you’re used to his occasional crackheadery—otherwise why would you crush on him so hard? “not a bit, but if its a trip to get snacks you don’t even have to ask, i’m in”

“well, that is a plan for later... depending on how this goes”

that’s the point where you would get confused and begin to wonder if something is up, but hel’l continue “i found out something really cool today yn.”

“really? was it the pin to brian’s credit card?”

he would laugh but shake his head, “nah even better” and that would give you the heads up that this was serious, and it would occur to you that he might have overheard something

but it becomes obvious when he follows with “a little bird... told me that someone, likes someone else, in our group. our friendship group.”

you briefly consider panicking, as the whole thing could still be construed as him not liking you back, but you put on a brave face and push through, “oh really? who?”

“that’s the problem, i don’t know, but i was wondering if you did.”

the chance was clear for anyone to see, and seeing the glimmer of hope, you seize it “well, i know someone who likes you... but i’m not sure if its mutual, so that might be why they haven’t said”

“if it’s who i think it is, then it definitely is... mutual” he would admit

and that would be the closest the two of you ever got to literally word-for-word confessing, because out of nerves neither of you would probably be able to admit it at the crux of the moment

however, like in all the movies idc if its cliche you would gravitate towards each other, and that would be the moment where you both recognised your feelings as well as shared your first kiss together

ok i’m going to stop before i combust

anyway as for whether he’d admit he’d overheard you, he would probably be quite quick to the chase on that one too, probably right after the kiss and you’ve spoken about it a bit more, he’ll probably just say “i kind of accidentally overheard you telling dowoon, please don’t be mad at me”

but how could you be, you’d gotten what you wanted after all

in conclusion, jae is lighthearted about it and woudn’t waste any time

Younghyun

“wonpil did i tell you how much i love his eyes?” “hmmm... perhaps... but tell me again, to just to make sure.”

god bless wonpil his emotional support would be A+

right off the bat our youngk is a songwriter

he probably finds a lot of inspiration out of love

and so his feelings for you coalesce to create love songs that he may or may not use in the future

anyhow, it means that to cope with his feelings he’s probably half composed something small where he admits them

with little intention of you probably ever hearing it at all

or at least, not without big chunks edited and names changed/cut

but when he overhears you rambling to wonpil who doesn’t mind the sappiness a characteristic you probably got off our brian anyway with his occasional borderline emo-ness

he’s grateful to his past-self for starting it, and realises that maybe its time to finish it

so it’ll take a week or so for him to finally confess

bc even though hes a bit of a flirt, i don’t see him wanting to tarnish love, since he owes it so much and its not fun to play with someone’s heart, especially not yours

so it might take him a little longer, and when he gets round to it, it’ll be perfect, just like you in his eyes

so prepare to be serenaded

yes, that sort of serenaded

in dim evening light, with the sun’s glow beginning to fade and make way for the stars, flickering like the candles laid out for you

again, that classical vibe won’t be missed on him

as for whether he’d tell you, probably only if you asked, but he would add that he’d been writing the song beforehand

he just may not admit to not planning on ever performing it

overall? when it comes to romantic flair, kang younghyun is king

Wonpil

“sungjin, uh, do you know where wonpil is? i can’t—” “isn’t he at your hip?” “as much as i kind of wish he was, he kind of isn’t.”

wonpil, my lovely sweetheart

probably wouldn’t be able to stop himself from just

walking straight in when he accidentally overhears you to ask right there and then

like, you’re probably pestering talking to sungjin in the kitchen or another equally frequented place, so it was likely that someone was going to overhear anyway

and maybe that was part of sungjins plan dont put it past him

but also it meant wonpil got further into the room the hunt for sustenance spurring him on, you know how it is before he caught onto what was being said, thus making it harder to back out

thus sungjin knew he’d overheard, but you with your back to the door were still clueless

and would’ve stayed that way had wonpil not continued and straight up asked or sungjin not said anything, which lets face it by this point he was really considering doing

he would be really excited about hearing that the feelings were mutual, and you were right there so what harm was really being done if he did just straight up waltz in?

as soon as you heard his small “you like me too?” you would whip around

aaand that would be sungjin’s cue to leave

“do you mean that?”

“it only feels right when you’re by my side, pillie.”

the words you would exchange would be in a soft flurry of emotion tbh, out of disbelief but excitement for the future

most likely ending with you embracing, foreheads resting against one another’s

fluff hours only in the house of pil, ok?

Dowoon

“jae, do you think dowoon will be free tomorrow?” “yea why?” “i want to take him to the cat cafe—” “oh my god is it happening?! is it really happening? are you finally going to tell him? plan ILU is underway?” “keep it down!” “oh god everybody stay calm, stay fucking calm—!”

my bean

my lovely bean

would feel guilty over accidentally eavesdropping, and this would reflect in his shyness later

however, he decides to run with the silver lining of having the chance to be prepared for tomorrow

and so he would not say a word and try and act natural

especially when you ask him if he wants to go out somewhere with you the next day

he’s not sure how he did, he tried to hide his ears as best he could but he was also well aware you knew him too well

when the next morning rolls around, he’s up early, getting ready in nice clothes that he hopes aren’t suspiciously too nice

and then he waits, trying to calm is nerves, before realising that maybe ignorance is bliss

when the time comes and you make your way to the cafe, he finds it difficult to act surprised, but also to try and keep his breath steady

finally, near the end, after asking if he had a good time and wanted to come back, you confess you liked him and it’s as if a weight lifts off his shoulders

he would kiss your cheek soon after, without much warning, out of relief and joy and nerves and a whole lot of else

and you’d probably pull him in for a proper kiss by his collar as soon as you’re sure he’s ok with it

and then the fact he eavesdropped would be a secret that he would die with

~~~

Masterlist

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cheri-translates · 3 years

Text

[CN] 100 Days - Victor (Day 51 - 100)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for e-mails which have not been released in English servers! 🍒

What’s the 100 Days Companionship Event?

Day 1 - 3: here

Day 4 - 30: here

Day 31 - 50: here

Day 51

Tonight, we’ll watch that musical you like. Don’t be late, and dress formally.

Day 52

I’ve seen your report. Its contents aren’t comparable to the supper takeout list from last night. Redo it.

Day 53

A pink apron? You think it suits me?

Day 54

Today, let’s visit that Internet cafe you mentioned - to take a look at what you’ve been pining after.

Day 55

The equestrian facility we went to before has recently opened again. If you’re interested, we can have a look together.

Day 56

There isn’t as disparate a connection between dreams and reality as you think. Dreaming about lions means that you shouldn’t watch animal documentaries before sleeping.

Day 57

It’s okay to use my voice as an alarm clock. But why did you set five of them?

Day 58

I saw you coughing a little during the meeting yesterday. The difference in temperature between day and night has been very large lately. If you have time, come over and have some snow pear soup.

Day 59

The black cat brooch you were wearing isn’t bad. It’s much more suitable than those incomprehensible sports shoes you’re wearing.

Day 60

You’ve been doing well recently. Do you have any plans over the weekend? Or should I plan them?

Day 61

The look you have when you crinkle your eyes to eat pudding - it’s even more Pudding than Pudding.

Day 62

The dogwood perfume sachet is already on the table. The chrysanthemum liquor needs a few more hours. There’s no need to be so impatient.

Day 63

The next time you can’t sleep, there’s no need to leave so many messages of you talking to yourself. Just call me directly.

Day 64

In this weather, don’t even think of having a cold beverage. Pick a hot beverage you want to drink, and I’ll make it for you.

Day 65

You concluded that the reason for your hair loss was work. So staying up late to use your phone is not to blame?

Day 66

If you want to eat something, just say it directly. There’s no need to post hints like “When the weather is cold, one should eat cream stew” on Moments.

Day 67

There are only two more months left to the year. Looks like the proposals you haven’t finished will be delayed till next year.

Day 68 (Halloween)

Title: Masquerade

If you want me to participate in the masquerade with you, just say so directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush. I’ve already received the entrance tickets, and will pick you up tonight.

Day 69

You were clamouring about playing the part of a Rose Witch, but you’ve become a Caught-a-Cold Witch today.

Day 70

The hoarser your voice, the more it expresses want. You have a lot of such worrying habits.

Day 71

It’s not that time doesn’t want to wait for you, but you spend too much time on useless hobbies.

Day 72

Managing your emotions is to allow yourself to mediate your emotions smoothly, not for you to hold everything in, dummy.

Day 73

That winter mountain villa you’ve been hinting at for a long time has started business. There are some themed suites - pick one.

Day 74

Someone usually doesn’t have a large appetite, but when it comes to her favourite foods, she always leaves me awed.

Day 75

Like many other things, there’s a limit to drinking. Being slightly tipsy is best. Don’t get drunk, especially if it’s you.

Day 76

There was a cat sleeping in the claw machine in the market. Even after getting the staff to open the claw machine, it still didn’t wake up. It’s just as nitwitted as you are.

Day 77

Not going to your own place, and even taking up other people’s territory… Looks like Pudding learnt it from you.

Day 78

Don’t buy too many useless items because you’re tempted. Just because there are many discounted items doesn’t mean you need them.

Day 79 (Single’s Day)

If I receive another meaningless message from you such as “Help me slash the price”, the thing that will be slashed could be the funds for your next program.

Day 80

If you have time to reminisce the past, why don’t we do the things you find worth remembering together once more?

Day 81

Refreshing the notifications for your deliveries a hundred times each day won’t make them arrive earlier. But the scheduled sumptuous meal can be brought forward by an hour.

Day 82

I don’t do meaningless hypothesis. If I had never met you? I won’t allow for such ‘if’s to happen..

Day 83

Things that I have decided upon have some leeway of changing. It depends on what you have that is worth exchanging it with.

Day 84

Chanced on the photograph you took with Pudding. Both the person and the cat haven’t changed much. It’s pretty good.

Day 85

Instead of imagining how we’d be like next year, why not spare some time to write a Year 2021 work plan to turn your ideal into reality.

Day 86

You weren’t around when I passed by your office yesterday. But the mess on your office desk surpassed my imagination.

Day 87

The coffee beans you felt were pretty good in terms of taste the last time - I’ve asked someone to bring some back again. Remember to collect it tonight.

Day 88

There’s a new special product in Souvenir today. Are you sure you’re going to keep saying that you haven’t had an appetite these two days?

Day 89

All I did was pinch the nape of your neck. Why are you staring at me like Pudding?

Day 90

It’s the first time I realised that reading comics during working hours can also be termed “gathering source material”. So is chatting with me termed “discussing a collaborative project?”

Day 91

A certain person has been signing in at increasingly later times. The closer one is to the end, the more one can’t slack off.

Day 92

Someone who has only won “one free bottle” a few times is always thinking of trying the lottery - truly indulging in the wildest fantasies.

Day 93

…I just mentioned it yesterday and you’ve won the fifth prize today. It’s truly a dummy’s luck.

Day 94

I might have believed your nonsense of being able to find inspiration while lying down, had you not fallen asleep on the sofa last night.

Day 95

If you have time to write a lengthy plan, why not put the plan to action immediately?

Day 96

Sometimes, I’d take a look at previous sign-ins and recollect the things a dummy has done.

Day 97

You’re usually too tired to even move after exercising for a while. Yet, you run faster than anyone else when collecting take-out.

Day 98

Every one of your so-called surprises tests a person’s psychological tolerance.

Day 99

There’s no need feel troubled that the signing in is about to end. As long as you want to, I can continue this childish game with you.

Day 100

It’s the last day. The next round of company doesn’t require signing in. I’ll always be here.

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rigelmejo · 3 years

Text

sometimes it is a bit frustrating how purist some language learning forums can be about their learning method being best and unquestionable, unable to find resources from more. like, i get liking a study method that works for you, we all do! i do not get shooting down resources that can and already helped someone, just because they didn’t help you personally (or you don’t like using them particularly), so it makes it hard for another person to find those resources and discourages using them in the first place.

the post (featuring some interesting links) by Strong-Philosophy-46 : https://www.reddit.com/r/Refold/comments/n09cxk/i_think_shadowing_should_be_used_in_the_early/

from all what I've read, shadowing seems to improve phonemic awareness (the ability to hear phonemes), listening comprehension and even pitch accent in Japanese. Which all seem to be the whole point of doing an only input/no output period in the beginning.

I was on the Refold reddit again (used to be massiveimmersionapproach). And someone mentioned that shadowing may have benefits earlier on in language study - compared to Refold, which does do shadowing but not until you are basically passively able to comprehend most things to all overall things in a language (so 1-2 years into study at least). Refold insists it is efficient (I would argue while it certainly is, it amounts to srs flashcards to speed up memorization and lots of comprehensible input and ambiguous input which generally will help learners at any stage improve comprehension skills). And that its goal in mind is to learn effectively.

I sort of think, to a degree, some people who do Refold appreciate the fact there’s no encouraged output early on - either they don’t like talking, practicing with people, don’t feel comfortable writing grammar until they have a much more solid foundation compared to when textbooks make you from day 1 (that last reason’s a big reason I tend to put off output until I know more grammar). Now its great to do what you prefer! Because it will get you to KEEP studying, and that’s always more effective and efficient than what makes you give up/avoid the language. So in that sense yes avoiding output until later, if you desire, is probably the more effective choice to make.

But at the same time? Refold encourages NOT doing output sooner, even if you feel the urge and even if some Refold studiers outputted sooner, the general consensus is ‘you will mess up accent, build bad habits, sacrifice your eventual output quality’ so people tend to discourage it. By earlier I mean like 5 months, in 10 months in - not day 1 of study. So if research happened to find, that shadowing at those earlier stages of 5 months etc actually Improves long term output skills? Then that’s great! It shows Refold’s tendency to discourage output until excellent passive comprehension fluency is achieved is unnecessary, and if you desire to output sooner (and it will motivate you, since what’s most effective is always what you’ll DO versus quit), then it would be great to know shadowing is something you can do sooner! And that it may even help your goals faster!

As I mentioned, Refold still eventually encourages shadowing after you’ve reached a high level of comprehension fluency - and at that point, you still have to do all the same shadowing techniques and work (you don’t get to skip steps, though the sounds might be more familiar). So ultimately Refold does use shadowing and already knows its helpful. I do wonder though if some people feel they need to justify their desire to not output earlier as ‘its better for my skills to Wait.” When like... in some ways that sounds to me just like perhaps a textbook/classroom learner who refuses to try to read target language novels for 2 years because they haven’t learned “the skills yet” and might misinterpret the grammar of what they read or reinforce fuzzy understanding - even though no matter how long its put off, immersion in target language content will eventually have to happen and be practiced.

Like, the unwillingness to do shadowing earlier even if it proves to be more effective - especially if the arguement is “oh well despite proof i think it will be less effective” just rings to me like people trying to avoid what they dislike. And i think its fine to avoid what one dislikes, because for an individual it IS going to be more effective always than quitting. I just also think that Reason is good enough on its Own - there is no reason to belittle other learning approaches and strategies as less effective (especially if its proven they are more effective, but even just if someone finds them useful they’re effective to the person who will do them), when your reason of ‘i prefer not to yet’ is really good enough. Its good enough.

Just to emphasize, I’ve seen the exact opposite - traditional learners claiming ‘refold’ is ineffective and should be avoided and it ‘slows’ progress and is inefficient and a waste of time. I really do think those kinds of discouragements just keep learners who might learn or simply prefer to study DIFFERENT from you from finding wonderful ideas/materials/resources that may suit them much better, simply because a person would rather shoot down offering more resources rather than just say “well that’s useful to someone, but for me I hated doing it so I do it this way since it works better for me/I can stay motivated.”

When I started studying chinese, I looked up lots of “how to read chinese” articles and forum posts. Since I wanted to read asap. I found some good advice. I also found a lot of angry posts. There were some people on chinese learner forums who insisted one must learn up to HSK 6 vocabulary (some were huge proponents of using anki, some hated anki - i relate to the can’t do flashcards crowd lol). And then even after that, start with graded readers, learn 3000+ hanzi before being able to tackle target language novels made for natives with a dictionary. Its pretty clear from what I describe, they probably had a personal preference for little ambiguity when engaging with chinese (too much incomprehensible input would cause them to want to quit/burn out and that’s perfectly understandable since most people generally don’t like tolerating under 95-98% comprehension).

They were very opposite of the Refold method’s idea of immersing in content from day 1, so huge amount of ambiguity for many months. Well these people on this forum really insisted reading in chinese even with a dictionary was an insurmountable task without years of study. I obviously ended up not following their preference. But they didn’t talk about it like “oh I dislike ambiguity so I prefer to prepare this much to make the material tolerable to immerse with” they instead talked about it like “doing it any other way is hopeless and will result in needing to do this anyway.”

I ended up following the advice of people who wanted to learn like I like learning - I found examples of people who did it more like I would, knew they succeeded so I’d have some success, and copied them. There really are all kinds of methods for different people and needs/wants. I read an article of a guy who read some radical basics (me too), learned 2000 common words in memrise with a linked deck (I did it too it took 2 months, but I spread it out over 4 months of a month on then a break then another month on). Then they said they just started reading, with a dictionary, learning more words from there. I did that too - it worked for me too. I also knew from prior japanese study I needed hanzi learning help so i read a reference for maybe 500 hanzi during those months. I knew from french prior study I did better reading a grammar summary ahead of reading, so I did that too (before the common words, it took 2 weeks). I did NOT end up having to wait for years, to learn up to HSK 6, to start reading with a dictionary (my initial goal). It took about 8-10 months for the grammar to click enough that vocab lookup became the only issue, and one month burst studying about 500 more hanzi in a Hanzi Mnemonic Anki deck to quickly learn some hanzi I was running into in reading and just wanted to remember easier. So about a year in, I could move to just reading for enjoyment and looking up words with a dictionary without new hanzi frustrating me (learning them the same as words now just looking them up) and without grammar confusing me. So that base goal, that some people’s experiences learning up to HSK 6 I read - they could not even tackle some graded readers by HSK 6.

I think part of what held back their progress there was just... not wanting to immerse and insisting it would be ‘too hard’ to try sooner. While its fine if it kept them studying, for people like me who need to engage right away? It could’ve been discouraging and caused some people to feel less motivated if they happened to be setting up such expectations. I still don’t know a lot of HSK 6 words, and about 2/3 maybe of HSK 5 words? After HSK 4 the common 2000 words I studied didn’t match up as much to HSK, and also I started picking up words mainly in my reading and shows so now what words I know is much more related to the genres I engage with. I’ve read some stats that The Little Prince has a low unique word count but about 50% of the words aren’t in HSK - so if you learned only from HSK without outside sources, its still not necessarily 98% comprehensible. Whatever smattering I learned from must have shared more words than 50% (though not 98% either I don’t think - not quite that easy).

My point is just like... yeah I am aware the lack of listening i did in french held me back, the lack of shadowing/producing in chinese is now my weaker area. I know i avoid them more because i’m less interested and mainly just would not be as motivated to write a journal/talk regularly right now as i am in other things. But i also think if people learn differently? Things may work better for them, we all have different preferences. Anything useful, that might get someone To study, I think is worthwhile to share.

#article #april #refold #mia #yeah i ran into some wild takes on chinese language learner forms #massive immersion approach is usually pretty chill because its flexible #but certain things i think relate to a lot of ppl who do it not liking the output skill work as much #which like. its fine. but also there's other studiers out there who love output and its how they get so good!#like people who choose to speak only in the language when they start learning - ive seen people do that for korean and chinese #and it worked well for them though id n #Neverrrrr wnat to do it personally #but them sharing what they did could help someone who learns/appreciates those activitities the same way a

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trickstercaptain · 3 years

Text

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 ?

You're the Stargazer — (A laid-back dreamer) You lie back, look up to the skies and dream.

Openness: 98% Your high level of openness suggests that you are imaginative, creative, and comfortable with variety and change. But you can also tend towards individualistic behavior and impractical thinking.

Conscientiousness: 1% You like to act immediately on impulse, which can be both effective and fun. But if taken to the extreme this can produce undesirable long term consequences for yourself and others.

Extraversion: 46% Your low level of extraversion suggests you are likely to be more reserved than other people, enjoy time alone and value maintaining strong relationships with a few close friends.

Agreeableness: 8% You have a healthy sense of skepticism, and a strong resolve. You don't shy away from making those tough decisions which can't please everyone but still need to be made.

Neuroticism: 90% You are emotionally reactive and prone to react intensely to events with feelings that linger for some time. This can affect your ability to think clearly or cope with change and stress.

Outlook: Realist Realists like to think they see things the way they really are. But it's important to remember that everyone sees the world differently. You might tend to keep a level head, and don't excite easily, but this can leave you susceptible to bouts of gloominess. If you feel yourself moving towards a negative emotional extreme, try looking to other people for fresh perspectives.

Character: Indulgent Indulgent people might have a tendency to be more concerned with their own comfort and pleasure than other people's. But they can also sometimes have problems identifying when their indulgences have become undesirable and unhealthy habits. You may fall into this category if you find it difficult to identify areas of self improvement from time to time.

Self Control: Impulsive You're usually able to keep things under control but sometimes anger can sneak up on you and take over very quickly. And when it does it feels natural to express it pretty directly. It's important to think not just about how your anger makes you feel, but how it makes other people feel too. It's also important - even if it doesn't seem so in the heat of the moment - to learn when it's best just to walk away from a situation.

Composure: Direct Direct people can find it hard to resist their urges and impulses. In fact, when they really want something it's hard for them to keep their desire in check. If you find it all too easy to sacrifice your long-term goals for instant gratification, or wake up with a major headache the next morning, this might be an aspect of your life that would benefit from a bit more concentration.

Taste: Creator Your real interests lie in creative activities. You can seem like quite a private person, but you're equally comfortable pursuing your interests with a group of like-minded people or by yourself. People who share this characteristic like a challenge they can get their teeth into and really focus on without any distractions.

Sociability: Master People with this characteristic can sometimes be a bit competitive when interacting with other people. Also, they value their privacy and sense of respect very highly, so can come across as quite distant and closed off figures. If you recognise this trait in yourself it’s important to think about the different ways of getting what you want from people, and giving them what they want too.

Action: Laid Back Laid back people don't worry too much about big plans and goals. They're much more likely to keep a fairly clean slate so they're able to respond to those sudden important jobs that always seem to crop up. You might sometimes lack the motivation to take charge or avoid coming up with new ideas, but you know deep down that putting in the effort will benefit you in the long run.

Attitude: Analytical People with analytical attitudes are true critical thinkers and like to consider each situation on its own merits in order to avoid being influenced by sentimentality or tradition. This leaves them free to think about every angle and option before making their own judgement. If this sounds like you, be careful not to disregard the feelings of other people in pursuit of 'the truth.'

Process: Dreamer Dreamers get very excited by the prospect of new ideas and ways of seeing the world, but they tend to lose their way in theoretical possibilities and flights of fancy. If this sounds like you, you might be seen as a fantastic starter but not so great finisher. But, no one can fault your enthusiasm and ability to thrive in the uncertainty of the new. Force yourself to be a bit more organised and you'll blow people away.

Resilience: Sensitive Sensitive people are extremely aware of potential dangers and problems around them - perhaps a little too aware sometimes. In fact, they tend to purposefully imagine worst-case scenarios. If you recognise this trait in yourself, rather than let yourself be overcome by fear use these theoretical situations to stimulate yourself to come up with imaginative solutions.

Tagged by: i stole this from @lighthouseborn a while ago and i’m only posting this now lmao Tagging: anybody who would like to do this!

#&. no survivors? then where do the stories come from i wonder? ( dash games. )#1% conscientiousness lmaooo #incredible #most of this is spot on tho

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lovingboy · 3 years

Note

6, 45, 46 and 47 !!💕

6. Your opinion on your body and how comfortable you are with it:

im pretty neutral about my body. Sometimes i hate it sometimes i love it but most of the time i feel neutral and try not to think too much of it. İ try to remember that its an asset and tool to be able to do things so how it looks shouldn't matter! İt's what i do with it that counts :)

TW/ disordered eating mention

however i am proud of myself for how far I've come in terms of my relationship with my body. i used to hate my weight and would try different exercise regimes and constrict my food intake as a literal child in a desperate attempt to rid myself of my stomach fat. Mostly because of my dad's encouragement. He would try to make me lose weight as a literal 10 year old.. he had me drink shit like meal replacement shakes. His way of thinking really became ingrained in me but I've come a long way and now i just mostly try to ignore the dumb shit he says which is frankly iconic of me 😌 i still have bad days but i like to think I've come a long way from the little insecure girl i used to be

45. Do you fall in love easily?

YES 😭✋ it's a problem how quickly i develop feelings for people. I've currently been crushing on a friend for nearly a year and I'm 98 percent sure they don't reciprocate yet here i am 😃😃😃

46. Do you think people say i love you too much?

no not at all!! İn fact i think we should say it more! İ love saying i love you all the time to my friends and family because i really truly love them and i want them to know!!

47. What's your favorite holiday?

this is a very basic gay answer but imma have to say halloween NFNFNGNGN it's so lovely and spooky and i love dressing up in costumes :) last year i was a clown and even tho i wasnt going anywhere i went all out for my costume it was so fun

thank u so much for the ask 🥺🥺💖 i hope u have a great day <33

#unusual asks #ask game #mutuals #trckingtime #asks

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physical-manifestation-of-spite · 4 years

Text

The Picture Pinned on the Wall - Mp100 Fanfiction

Also read on Ao3

Beware the read-more. It’s long.

“It started with a picture, and then it got worse from there.

Reigen wasn’t supposed to get so attached.”

Reigen meets the boy when he’s ten years old, and he’s pretty sure he feels nothing. Actually, the first feeling associated towards this kid is hostility, as this juvenile swaggers to his door and bemoans the destruction of his own powers. The prank is not elaborate, nor funny, but it wastes Reigen’s time, which is always the goal for these kids. He almost slams the door in the kid’s face — he never thought of himself as good with children, having neither the patience nor tolerance for these sorts of stunts — but then the child continues. His eyes are wide and bloodshot and full of terror, and it makes Reigen pause. Kids aren’t normally such good actors. The boy holds a white knuckled-grip on the straps of his backpack, his small body swallowed up by the expanse of the doorframe, and it takes another minute for Reigen to decide that he’s not lying. Then, there’s this twist in his gut that he knows won’t go away until he hears this bowl-haired kid out. He bites at the flesh inside his cheek and invites the boy inside.

It wasn’t supposed to go further than a cup of tea and a bid farewell. The kid shares his troubles with such vivid imagination that leaves Reigen impressed. A child conjuring the idea of spirits gnawing at the safety barriers in a neighbor’s home, with the boy able to exorcise all of them with a wave of his hand and, in a horrifying realization, harm the neighbors as well — perhaps there’s some psychological trauma Reigen has no business handling. But when Reigen presses for clues, the boy speaks of his parents fondly, without a hint of distress, and his life seems otherwise normal. It’s not much to go off on, but then Reigen remembers that this kid isn’t his problem, and he’s taking up time that could otherwise be used to be speaking with clients, so he chews on a quick speech to help soothe the child’s nerves enough to send him home, a reformed man.

“Be a good person.” That was fine enough. He couldn’t go wrong with that. Nothing to twist the child’s worldview into some killer. Whatever his complex — and confidence for this child to kill another human being was something new — if he was taught that his powers were not inherently evil, but rather a tool for him to use, then he would be alright. Especially after he broke out of his fantasy.

And then the child stares at him. It unnerves him, the open expression of awe on the child’s face, like a flower turning towards the sun. He looks as though Reigen’s led him to fresh waters and he’s been dying in the desert, and Reigen takes to flexing his fingers on his tea mug. The child asks if he can come again. This, Reigen did not sign up for. He runs his fingers around the back of his neck, concocting some excuse that the kid couldn’t possibly take as an insult. Then, Reigen burns his tongue on his tea.

The cup falls out of his hand. His stomach shoots up to his throat as he grabs vainly at the cup, but it’s already begun its descent towards the kid. He shouts for the kid to get out of the way, and then the cup, the bubbles of tea — they’re all floating. They bob in the air like they’re suspended in water, five feet over the ground, and Reigen’s mind goes completely, white-hot blank as the tea politely bubbles back into the cup and drops neatly into the kid’s outstretched hand. Reigen stares.

And stares.

He asks when the kid is available each week to meet.

—

Shigeo Kageyama is his name. Reigen calls him Mob. The boy is simple. It’s evident in his appearance; bowl cut hair that hides the top of his eyes, unexpressive in regards to anything, and he always wears his grade school uniform. Mob fits, and the boy doesn’t seem to mind the nickname.

Maybe it’s dangerous, Reigen giving him a nickname. He shouldn’t get attached. But on the other hand, the boy needs to feel attached to Reigen, otherwise this won’t work and he won’t visit clients with him. But it isn’t hard, with Mob returning to Reigen’s office each day, staring expectantly at the self-proclaimed psychic as though he’s going to perform a miracle. Reigen obliges when he can, and the boy is quite easy to trick. With a wag of his finger and a few choice words, he enrages the spirits before looking expectantly to Mob to “clean them up” for him. After their screams dissipate into a puff of smoke, he concocts a speech about self-restraint, and they leave, Mob satisfied with his brilliant master, and Reigen is satisfied with a thicker wallet. They return to the office and share the news with the client, an elderly woman whose judgment relies more on superstition than wisdom. She is his favorite kind. She signs the necessary paperwork, which Reigen slides neatly into a pile and wishes her well. Before the woman goes, she glances briefly at Mob, who is seated at a makeshift desk Reigen had clawed out of his closet to create, made out of two stacks of cardboard and a long wooden slab that’s covered by a tablecloth. Reigen doesn’t even remember where he got a tablecloth.

Her smile is fond. “Does your son come here often after school?”

Reigen chokes, which is unfortunate because he wasn’t even eating anything. Reigen disguises it as a cough and pounds a fist into his chest. Mob looks at him in alarm. Reigen is waving his hand in the air to belay any concern.

“No,” he chokes again, and there’s a disgusting amount of phlegm in his throat. “No, he’s not my son. He’s more of a, uh…” He almost says “employee.” He’s definitely not.

Realization dawns on the woman’s face. “Ah, he’s your apprentice. Excuse me for assuming. He’s just so young.”

Reigen is about to wave off her apology, but he notes the change of tone at the last sentence, and he closes his mouth. The woman is staring at him intently.

“Is he compensated well?”

Maybe her judgment is not so slanted toward superstition after all. Reigen likes her a lot less.

“He’s compensated just fine.” His tone is not necessarily snappish, but there’s a warning hidden there, at the back of his throat. The woman smiles, but it’s all thin lips and tight cheeks.

“That’s always good. A boy should learn early how to make a living for his family.”

Reigen matches her tight smile. “He’s a hard worker. He’ll be ahead of his peers in no time.”

“I’m sure he already is.” The woman shoulders her purse, smooths her blouse, and pats the base of her curls. She turns and winks at Mob.

“Perhaps I’ll see you boys in the future.”

“Oh,” says Mob, who enlaces his fingers together nervously. “I hope not. That means you’ll have more spirits. That’s... bad.”

The woman’s smile doesn’t waver, but it softens under Mob’s genuine concern. “Yes,” she says, “that’s bad.” She steers her gaze back to Reigen. “But who knows? After all, 98% reduction rate… well, it’s not 100%.”

Reigen bites his tongue. His smile is plastered on his face. “Well,” he says, voice smooth as silk, “you know who to call if it ever comes to that. Have a good day, ma’am.”

Her smile is more of a sneer, but she bows to them both and ushers herself out the door. The moment it closes, Mob looks to Reigen.

“What does ‘compensated’ mean?”

Reigen really doesn’t like that woman.

———

Weeks later, they arrive back at the office late. It’s nearly dark. Reigen had hoped to get back to the office earlier and close up in time to catch dinner before rush hour, but his call volume has gone up. Word was getting out that self-proclaimed psychic Reigen Arataka could exorcise spirits legitimately. It’s certainly not a back-to-back call operation, but it is more than he has ever gotten in the past. He has calls to return.

The office is stale and hot when Reigen swings open the door; he had shut off the air conditioner before they had left. It leaves the place feeling sticky, but Reigen merely adjusts his tie and flicks the lights on. The office is bathed in a tired yellow glow.

Mob ambles to his cardboard-wood desk and pulls his backpack from under it. The balanced cardboard sways precariously. “Shishou,” Mob begins, and it makes Reigen’s hand still over his laptop. Mob started calling him that the day after their client thumbed Kageyama as his apprentice. Sure, Reigen considered the term loosely the day Mob left his office for the first time with the assurance that he would be under Reigen’s tutelage, but the use of “shishou” left Reigen’s head spinning. It meant he couldn’t get out of this easily, if he ever wanted to. Pursue his next career goal of becoming a private investigator, for example. That was stuffed further in the wastebin the more Mob used that word.

Reigen still isn’t willing to throw the wastebin out just yet, though. He blinks and forces himself to take the name in stride. He begins typing idly against the keys of his laptop.

“Hm?”

“Um,” Mob says, playing with the zipper of his backpack. “Um, I’m going home now.”

“Hm.”

“Um,” he says again. The kid is clearly waiting for Reigen to acknowledge him further, so Reigen peels his eyes away from his laptop screen to stare at Mob.

“Right. Get home safe.”

It isn’t really his responsibility to walk the kid home anyway. If Shigeo’s parents are letting their ten-year-old son walk to and from school, with pockets of no communication between then and now, Reigen isn’t going to butt in. In a way, Reigen is grateful that Mob has such laid-back parents. The wary, clingy types always complicated things.

Mob nods. Reigen waits expectantly for a moment longer, eyebrows raised as the sun dips faster below the cityscape and his laptop begins to cast a blue hue over his face. Mob flushes the more he’s under Reigen’s steady gaze, and finally he stares back at his zippers, nodding again.

“Okay. See you tomorrow, Shishou.”

Reigen starts typing at his keys again, but the black text keeps fizzing in and out of his vision as he listens to the rattle of Mob’s zippers as he slips into his backpack straps, the loose pencils in his bag rattling their muffled tune. Reigen is gnawing at the inside of his cheek, a pitted twist forming at the base of his gut, and it grows with each clack of Mob’s shoes against the hardwood flooring. He sighs just before the office door squeals open.

“Oi. Mob.”

Mob turns, his hands still wrapped around the handle of the door. Reigen is getting up from his desk. He fishes out his wallet and begins to count. The twist in his gut loosens a little bit.

“Here,” Reigen says, holding a fist towards Mob. He waits for the boy to open his palm, and then he lets the coins fall with a faint metal ring, into the center of his palm.

Mob stares at the coins. “What’s this?”

“That’s compensation.”

Mob counts. “This is three hundred yen.”

Reigen raises an eyebrow. He almost takes it back. “And you’re ten years old.”

Mob counts the coins again. He rolls them around in his palm, then pinches each one between his fingers, staring at their thickness. “It’s three hundred yen,” Mob remarks again, but it’s not accusatory. He stares at the coins in wide-eyed wonder, as if he’s never seen three hundred yen in his life.

Reigen is starting to feel uncomfortable. He clears his throat. “ Well , as I said, you’re being compensated for working under me as my apprentice. Normally, I don’t fork out this sort of money, since you’re my apprentice, not my employee, but—” Reigen waves his hand upward, gesturing vaguely above him, as if the situation that he threw himself in with this kid is somehow resting in the middle space above him, watching with impish glee, “—I ought to compensate you for your, ah, training during my job.”

Mob looks at him, enraptured. His fingers close around the coins, and they don’t make a sound when Mob bows.

“Thank you, Master Reigen.” Reigen can only see the top of the boy’s head as he bows.

Reigen’s palm feels sticky when he rests it against his neck. He really needs to turn on the air conditioning. “Right. See you tomorrow.”

When Mob straightens, he’s smiling. It’s faint, and it could be a trick of the light, the way that the shadows curve over the boy’s face. Reigen doesn’t have time to check, because the boy twists the handle of the door and leaves Spirits and Such Consultation office without another sound.

The conman stares at the empty space, palm still pressed against the back of his neck. The air conditioner is ghostly quiet, dead against the window. When he removes his hand, it takes a moment to unstick from his skin. He sits there, the glow of his laptop beginning to dull his senses.

He’s just covering his ass. He gave him a threadbare amount — pocket change — to keep the elderly clients’ mouths shut. Hell, he doesn’t even have to pay the kid. He’s ten years old. They signed no documents. He’s doing Mob a favor, letting him come with him to his jobs. Now he’s paying Mob a modest wage that no other ten-year-old is making. Reigen’s neck is starting to feel moist.

He doesn’t turn on his air conditioning that night.

—

He’s trying not to care. But it’s hard — it’s so damn hard — when Mob looks at him with such open and baring trust, as though he’s placed his heart in Reigen’s hands and knows that he’ll squeeze it to keep it beating. He does it every day, nestling his backpack between the two cardboard stands of his makeshift desk, and watches Reigen with rapt attention, analyzing every move he makes.

“How do you do it, Shishou?”

Reigen glances up from his desk, seconds after he had bit into his burger, the paper crinkling noisily in his hand. “Do what?” he says eloquently around his wad of burger.

“How do you keep it inside instead of it going out?”

Reigen’s mouth feels like paste, and he swallows the burger with difficulty. He stares at the corner of his office, searching for something to say. (A small voice tells him that he’s way over his head — another argues that he’s just a kid, really; how bad can it be?) The bun of the burger had formed a thin layer of mush behind his teeth, and he buys time by cleaning it out with his tongue.

“Well,” Reigen says, and clears his throat when his voice cracks at the end syllable. “I’m doing it just like you are now. I stay calm. Remember the knife.” He forms his hand into a fist, wiggling around an invisible knife. “I’m in control. So are you. It’s not something to fear.” He offers a small smile. “I learn to trust myself, Mob. In time, you will, too.”

And there it is again, that look of raw hope. Reigen doesn’t have the heart to discourage it, so he smiles wider, encouragingly, before retreating to his laptop, burger forgotten beside him.

An hour later, with no show of new clients, he tells Mob to go home. But even after the door closes, Reigen can’t escape that wide-eyed stare, that desperate gaze, where the ten-year-old boy places his trust in a stranger, fastening a rope between them both and never letting go.

That old pit is forming again at the base of his gut. He disregards it at hunger, and he eats the rest of his burger.

———

It’s been three months since that day they met at the consultation office. Roughly. Reigen hasn’t kept count, with the volume of clients growing and his schedule growing in tandem each week. He’s noticed that the seasons have changed, though, because Reigen doesn’t have to turn his air conditioner on nearly as often, and that cuts back on costs, which Reigen always remembers. Mob comes in later in the afternoon, bundled in a scarf but otherwise as plain as the day Reigen met him. He says hello. Reigen replies with a wave of his hand, preoccupied with the emails left in his inbox. Regardless of the internet traffic, he’s made no new clients today, and he’s sporting a migraine. He barely notices Mob staring at him expectantly at his desk.

“Nothing today, Mob,” Reigen grunts. “Feel free to… do your homework or something. Or leave.” Without pay , Reigen adds. This migraine is making him particularly moody.

Minutes pass, he thinks, as Reigen is staring blearily at his computer screen, an ache settling at the back of his eyes, scrolling up and down his read and replied files. He might have spaced out, or completely forgotten where he was, because he jumps slightly at the sound of paper sliding across his desk. He looks past his computer screen to see Mob’s eyes peek over the desk, through his mop of black hair, as a tiny hand pushes a sheet filled with scribbles toward him. Reigen picks it up and squints at it.

It’s a drawing. There’s lots of swirls — greens and blues and pinks — and shapes and a form that, after a bit of deliberation, looks like a man in a black-grey shirt with a thin wispy line of pink on his chest, with bright orange hair that’s fringed at every turn and a crooked smile in thick black crayon. Reigen looks to Mob for answers.

Mob looks embarrassed. “For you. We drew it in class.”

And then there’s a light above his head. It’s an old, dusty light stolen from a hardware store, but it flickers to life over his head as Reigen stares at the page. The squiggly man is him, smiling in front of a crooked building with too many windows but with the sign — his sign — drawn squarely at the center of the building: Spirts n Such Consoltashun.

Something gets warm in his chest — something that replaces the black stewing pit — that makes him stare at the page for a moment longer. The warmth is not explosive — just a little ember, sitting at the center of his ribcage — but it’s enough for Reigen to know.

His do-not-care policy is quickly coming to an end.

He thanks Mob, of course, and tells him it looks great, even though, objectively, it doesn’t. Most ten-year-olds grow to draw more recognizable images, so if there was an art contest, Mob would most definitively be in last place. But he keeps it. He doesn’t know why, but when Mob leaves, Reigen searches for an empty manilla folder, digging through old cardboard boxes packed in the massage room, discarding less important paperwork — taxes, mostly — to find a somewhat fresh folder. Shaking off layers of dust from himself and his papers, he presses the drawing gently into the folder, repositioning the edges so it fits perfectly inside. It’s bright and colorful and so unlike the papers he’s read for years on end.

He stares at it for a long time.

—

It is not a one-time occurrence.

It happens infrequently, but Reigen knows when he’s about to get them. Mob walks into the office in a rush, both too slow and fast at the same time, shoulders hunched but eyes wide and clear, nibbling the bottom of his lip with nervous energy. He slips his backpack down, almost toppling his desk over, and then he opens it, the sound of paper crinkling as Mob ruins his homework but oh-so-carefully withdraws a new piece of art, this time with different colors, this time with different scenery. But the characters are always the same — him and Mob, sometimes lounging in the office, sometimes exorcising a spirit in a warehouse (he shouldn’t be concerned, but he hopes Mob’s teachers don’t talk amongst themselves about Mob’s new master and his continued encouragement of these macabre fantasies of spirits and demons).

Each day Reigen thanks him for them and places them in his manilla folder, each pressed carefully over the other. He’s not sure what to do with them, so he keeps them there where they can’t be damaged by stray crumbs or toppled coffee. They stay in a cabinet next to his desk when they’re not lying on display on his desk, nestled between his lease paperwork and old client contacts. Sometimes, Reigen forgets about them completely.

Until, of course, the next drawing comes.

——

It’s sometime in winter when Reigen finally invites Mob to get ramen after work for the first time ever. It’s cold and dark and, even though there is no forecast for snow, the air smells just like the beginning of snowfall in Seasoning City, where the acrid smoke of the city clears into this sort of musky, oak-like smell. Reigen is tired and hungry and, when he looks at the clock on his phone, deliberates how exhausting it would be for him to stick a cup of noodles in the microwave and let it bake until his eyes start watering. He sighs and stares up at the night sky.

“Let’s get ramen.”

Mob makes a noise beside him, something like cough or sneeze, and his eyebrows stretch skyward underneath his hair. “Really?” he asks. His tone reminds him of the first time Reigen gave him his pay. Reigen bites the inside of his cheek and finds it difficult to stare at Mob for longer than a second.

“Yeah. I don’t want to cook anything in this weather. S’gonna be a long night, so might as well take a break while I can. Come on.”

He leads the kid to a ramen stall, where they greet the cook and settle in their seats. He orders for them both, with a decidedly smaller bowl for Mob. Mob continues thanking Reigen even when he tells him to stop, and by the fourth time, Reigen is getting annoyed.

“Oi, don’t expect me to make a habit of this. This is a one-time thing. And this is coming out of your salary.”

Mob sobers after this and eats his ramen silently, but he still radiates this warmth that stays in Reigen’s chest for a long while, so faint and threadbare that he doesn’t even notice it until he opens the door to his apartment and is greeted by grey walls and papers strewn haphazardly over his couches, his year-old lights flickering their last sputters of light, and he realizes how good he felt in that ramen store, and how tired he feels in here.

Getting ramen does not stay a one-time thing.

——

It’s an off-day again. Reigen tells Mob to go home and then closes his office early, tucking old files below his armpit to take home with him. The weather is dark and gloomy that afternoon, which always raises people’s superstitions, which always lead to more clients, but apparently everyone is of clear mind today and hasn’t felt the need to call any psychics. Reigen can weather out the lax in calls, but he may be turning off his water for a while.

When he walks into his apartment, he scrubs the crust out of his eyes with the back of his palm, leaving his vision spotty, and he bumps into his kitchen counter. He stumbles and the files spill out from under his arm like a waterfall, and Reigen’s sigh echoes against the white tile. He bends down to pick up an unusually colorful paper.

He blinks. It’s a kid’s drawing, full of scribbles and squares, with a familiar man with orange hair and a pink tie grinning at him in thick black crayon. He looks to the rest of the spilled paperwork and sees those same familiar swirls of color. He must have accidentally added the manilla folder with his bills.

He gently extracts each one from the ground, regards his kitchen counter with a frown, and scrubs a corner of it clean to rest the papers on. His bills he’s less gentle with, crinkling in his grip, and these he throws onto his couch to pool over after his shower.

He doesn’t come up with his idea until after he’s out of the shower, towel over his shoulders, scrubbing at his still-wet hair and a toothbrush dangling in his mouth, and he walks back to the kitchen to stare at the blank surface of his refrigerator. The grey and orange and green is still bright at the corner of his eye. He huffs a breath of air out of his nose, a sort of “huh” noise that’s gargled by toothpaste, and realizes that he probably could have thought of this long ago.

He tosses his towel to the side and starts rummaging through his kitchen drawers in search of magnets.

The other papers lying on the couch are long forgotten.

“Shishou?”

Mob’s hand is still on the door handle when he stops in his tracks and stares at his master, who looks a little strange. He’s balancing at the top of his rolling chair, legs shakingly supporting the older man’s weight, as he’s pulling things from the wall and letting them fall onto the ground below. His suit jacket is discarded on his desk, and his tie is thrown over his shoulder. He looks especially sweaty up there. He also looks like he’s going to fall.

Reigen glances over his shoulder, and the chair wobbles below him. “Oh! Mob. Good.” Reigen’s voice is strained, like he’s out of breath, and the mere act of swiveling his head around is using up too much energy. There are beads of sweat on his face. He motions Mob inside with a jerk of his head. “Help me out over here. Grab those posters on the floor and put them in the trash. Then grab my chair for me so I can get down.”

Mob obediently enters, setting his backpack down next to his new desk — wooden and portable, something Reigen had bought at an online auction for less than a thousand yen, and so much better than the amalgamation of cardboard and wood and scratchy tablecloth — and goes to pick up the scraps of paper lying on the floor. They all look like posters of a younger Reigen, with his smile of too-many-teeth and flashy colors behind him. One looks out of place, of a man with black hair and a vacant gaze, with a name starting with “Mo” behind him. That one is torn.

“Shishou, don’t you need these--?”

“Bah.” Reigen waves a hand. The chair gets even shakier. “Outdated. Don’t need them. Now hurry up, Mob. I’m gonna fall.”

Mob rushes to throw the posters in the waste bin, which is too small and the paper scraps pool out around it. Then he rushes over to Reigen, who is huffing and puffing as though he ran several kilos, even though all he did was stand on a chair. Mob holds it steady as Reigen slowly crawls down. He radiates sweat, and when he tries to wipe his face, more sweat from his hand replaces it.

“Good job,” Reigen pants. Mob stares at the torn posters.

“Why didn’t you just use your powers to take them down, Shishou?”

Reigen coughs and then barks out a laugh. “Oh, Mob,” he tuts. “There’s no need to use my powers for such trivial things. I can’t be reliant solely on the one thing I’m good at. Sometimes it’s good to be dependent on your own physical strength. Plus,” he coughs, “I just took down a major spirit this morning. I have to, ah, save up my remaining energy for later.”

Mob stares at his wise master and nods sagely. “Okay.” They both elect to stare at the wall which, in this case, is still not empty. “What’s that?”

An empty cork board sits on the wall before them. It must have held the rest of Reigen’s old posters and advertisements, and now it’s completely bare. It makes the room feel a lot bigger.

Reigen clasps a sweaty hand on Mob’s shoulder. “A client-satisfaction board, my apprentice. Here, we’ll fill it with photos taken with clients after our jobs. It gives future clients a piece of mind. A bit of security, knowing we do our job well.”

“Oh,” says Mob. He looks to his shoes and thinks. “But we don’t have any client-satisfaction pictures.”

“Not yet, Mob.” Reigen rummages under his jacket, which still lies on the desk, and pulls out what even Mob can recognize as a cheap plastic camera. “But we soon will. Here.” He spins the camera around to point at them and leans over to Mob, who stares unblinkingly at the camera lens. The device clicks, and Reigen spins it around to see the finished picture. All they see is a brown blur.

“Ah,” Reigen grunts. “One more time.” They take another photo. They spin it around. This time, Mob can see both him and Reigen staring at the camera, Reigen with his hair stuck to his forehead and grin crooked, and Mob in midway blink.

“Perfect,” Reigen says. He sets the camera down. “And one more thing.”

He produces a folder from under his desk. It’s plain and tan and it looks like all the rest in Reigen’s office, but when he opens it, Mob can see some familiar scribbles. He cranes his head over the desk to see what Reigen’s doing with them, as the man pulls one, two, three from the pile and then rummages in a small box of thumbtacks. Reigen crosses the office and sticks the drawings crookedly on the corkboard, in a pattern that suggests he expects to put more photos around them, with wide space between each. They gleam in the afternoon sun, his drawings from school, that feature him and Reigen eating burgers in the office and exorcising spirits in the park.

“There,” Reigen says, arms folded over his chest, satisfied. He glances over to Mob. “Look good?”

The sun strikes the pictures just right, forcing Mob to squint at them as they make the office feel brighter. The little esper looks to his master, then to the corkboard, then to the folder that sits silently at the desk. After a long moment (and Reigen is starting to sweat again), he nods. He doesn’t even realize he’s smiling.

“Yeah,” Mob says, soft and quiet in the tiny Spirits and Such Consultation Office. “Looks good.”

In Reigen’s apartment, there are still papers strewn across the couch, the walls are grey, and the air is stale and smells like old ramen. There are dirty dishes in the sink and the counter could use a good wipe, and Reigen forgot to turn off the air conditioner when he left for work.

And in the kitchen, hanging on the refrigerator by half-faded blue and pink magnets, rustling in the still-running air conditioner, are five of Mob’s drawings, shining proudly in the dying sunlight.

#fanfiction #spiteful writings #fan fiction #fanfic #mp100 #mob psycho 100 #reigen arataka #shigeo kagayama #fluff #like an enormous amount of fluff #reigen arataka is bad at expressing his affection verbally

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