English version

Just wanted to write a little because it's been a while since I've done so. And I thought of the bone king; so… here's a little something ^^

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At first, nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was even more than normal when he opened his eyes. The Bone King knew who he was. He knew what he had to do, he knew what was happening. Everything had come to his mind as if he were in those dreams where you don't know you're dreaming. Where you know that you are you and that you continue to act in accordance with the laws of the world that you inhabit, without worrying about anything.

Then, his eyes met the faux-bronze pupils of that shadow-furred monkey, and the world shook like a dream world would when too strong an emotion was about to jolt you out of your dream. This intrigued him. He had approached the stranger to understand what was happening, despite his mind screaming at him to stop moving forward, and memories he didn't know he had. Memories that were starting to pound his skull. His insides told him that if the world continued to shake like this, if his reality shattered, he would be no more. Still, the Bone King ignored this instinct, because he found it ridiculous. He was an invincible king. Nothing could defeat him, and his threat could not be summed up as a trembling monkey demon feigning bravery to protect a kid the king had planned to get out of his way quickly. He stopped right in front of the demon. He heard her voice, a little more confident than her posture was. The king's world shook again. He heard two voices screaming in his head as his vision flickered between blue and gold, before the latter returned to normal.

“Macaque”

The voices in the king's head had shouted in different tones.

The king then decided to take Macaque with him. It was an abrupt decision. Something he had chosen in the moment. The desire was too strong, and the confusion too curious. No matter how strange his memories were still, or how his mind seemed to have conflicting thoughts towards the monkey demon. He was sure of one thing. Macaque was his. He had to be since his mind seemed so perplexed about him. Macaque was a warrior and a champion. Macaque was the best of warriors. One like those the king deserves. The shadow monkey was his warrior far too deadly, and that made the king frown. He had to train him later, try to toughen him up.

After that, it took a while for Macaque to obey the bone king. The shadow demon had tried to flee, plot against his king, and rally the bone king's minion to his cause. Each attempt had ended in failure that Macaque had regretted each time. His proud little look quickly disappeared under the tremors, and his arrogant smile was now hidden by his scarf, which he pulled up to his nose, to escape the cold and all that it meant. He lost his confidence, answered his king's questions more often, and remained eternally trembling in Wukong's presence. Macaque changed from what the king remembered.

The more he did it, the less reality shook, and that was enough to assure the king that he was going on the right path. On rare occasions, the ice demon that followed him everywhere seemed to give the bone king a strange impression. It wasn't enough to shake the world, as it was with Macaque; but it left the bone king with an unpleasant feeling, and put him in a bad mood for the day. At those times, he sent the fake mayor elsewhere, or ordered him to go find Macaque for an even more unsatisfactory training session. Nevertheless ; and the king knew it, Macaque was the only one who was sufficiently at his level to hold out against him one on one for so long. And if the bone king was sometimes displeased enough that Macaque, during his unpredictable bursts of motivation, managed to make him flinch for a moment, to the point of causing the king to be more harsh towards Macaque, the shadow monkey would never know.

Today however was strange. The Bone King didn't know if the uneasy feeling he felt had to do with Macaque. For some time now, the shadow monkey had been getting closer, he had stopped fleeing from him. Now he was watching her from afar. He always stayed within sight, but did his best to keep the king from paying attention to him. Then he went back to hide for a few hours, and came back to see the king. The times when the two monkeys crossed paths were more frequent, and Macaque seemed to be more willing to initiate contact. It was strange…

New and familiar.

And today, the bone king was almost impatiently waiting for his weak little warrior to come within sight.

He saw her in the corridors. Macaque didn't seem to pay attention to the bone king. The king could see that the demon was preoccupied. By what ? He didn't know, but he figured it must be something to do with him. Him, or the strange kid who ran away from him and came from time to time to confront him before fleeing when Macaque noticed that he was in danger.

-Macaque.

The person concerned jumped violently when he felt his wrist being caught in the king's hand. The Bone King hadn't noticed that he had run to catch up with Macaque. Had he run? But how could he have arrived so quickly alongside the other? He could have teleported. Would he have done it unconsciously? Everything was too strange today.

-My king? You… do you need me?

Macaque's voice had faltered at first, but he brilliantly managed to show the king a half smile despite the trembling of his limbs and the worry in his eyes. A memory was superimposed on the scene. It was too fleeting for the king to retain it, however. The memory was something joyful. Sweeter than this strange moment. The Bone King took it as such, and he felt his tail hit the ground behind him. There was a little silence. Macaque's tail tightened a little on his leg as time passed without the king doing anything to release him. He would have problems, wouldn't he? He had noticed the movement of the king's tail, and it worried him to wonder what amused the king so much? What kind of sadistic thing could have crossed his mind? He never knew if it was the thoughts of the bone lady or Wukong that took priority in Wukong's behavior. When the king needed contact, Macaque knew it was Wukong, and when the king seemed to displease him more than usual, he knew it was the lady. Some days were more bearable than others. Macaque knew full well that the fact that one or the other took control of the bone king's mood changed nothing for him. Both beings hated him to the point.

-You've been acting strange lately.

Macaque's heart raced at the king's observation, and his tail tightened a little tighter against him. He didn't dare move, but his thoughts were racing. Had the king noticed something? So that was how long he had before Wukong and the lady noticed that Macaque had placed a seal on them. He had been stupid to think MK's plan would work. If Macaque could have easily left a magic seal on MK, without the latter noticing it; that would not be the case with the bone king. Obviously the latter would notice the shadow magic on him. Yet Macaque had been so active in being present to hide the fact that the seal was on the king. He had tried so hard.

“Sorry MK… it was a failure. »

Macaque thought as the king frowned a little more.

-It’s as if…

“Get it over with!” »

Macaque screamed internally as fear tore at him. He was totally in trouble.

However, the bone king does not finish his sentence. His world was starting to shake again. The memories came together before him. The face of someone smiling at him and telling someone he loved them. The memory of gentle caresses. The feeling of being supported in his cause, the memory of a rabbit so adorable in his frozen hands before his attention was drawn to a man with a bun, and a stern look, who seemed to be worried about him. Wukong's vision seemed to flicker between Macaque and the memories that burned his retina and melted his mind. Around him, the world was becoming blurry, as if it were going to disappear. Then, his heart jumped, when Macaque's face was covered in blood, Painful memories. Blood and flames on once-shining lands. A face destroyed by tears and blood; a little rabbit who died while crying for him. The feeling of injustice in the mix of memories he didn't even remember.

-something… whispers the bone king.

-Wukong?

The bone king did not correct Macaque. He was too focused on fighting his own thoughts, trying to even understand them. And Macaque's voice seemed to mingle with the memories. Be part of it. He seemed genuinely worried. The bone king's hand left Macaque's wrist to squeeze his shoulders.

-I… I always… I always wanted…

The Bone King searched for words as two states of thought screamed their worldview into his mind. His vision was swaying, and he clung to Macaque like one clings to a lifebuoy. The Bone King never knew what he said to finish his sentence. He doesn't even know if he even said anything. He just knows that Macaque looked at him with immense shock before his gaze softened,

and let fear not give way to worry. Concern for the king. The shadow monkey was still trembling when his hands approached the king's face, and he was still trembling when he silently asked the king to bend down to kiss his forehead.

-Don't cry, my king.

The bone king did not know to whom Macaque was speaking. The six-eared monkey often called him his king, but thought of someone else. But this time, he wasn't sure who this moment of comfort was for. The mode turned white on contact. Silence fell in his mind, his vision stopped disrupting his memories, and calm returned. He was himself again. Macaque still had his forehead pressed to that of the king, his eyes closed, his hands on his cheeks. The bone king is not sure when he knelt in front of Macaque to allow the latter to grant him this simple contact.

He also did nothing to push Macaque away, or to let him know that he was feeling better. Macaque had stopped shaking. Something so rare about the shadow monkey, and part of the king didn't want it to stop. He stayed like that for a minute, just enjoying Macaque's presence.

-My king? I did what you asked.

Macaque was the one who broke contact. This immediately soured the king's mood. Had he not sent this puppet far away? Oh ! That's right… he asked her to place a spy in this strange child's group. The Bone King immediately forgot what had just happened, and focused on the present moment. It's true. He should stop this kid and his friends from coming to bother him. They weren't a threat, but they were getting annoying. It was good to know that he could finally know when they would come to bother him, and act accordingly.

-That's good. Coldly congratulates the Bone King before turning his attention back to Macaque.

The latter was tense again in his presence. But the Bone King could still feel his world wavering slightly. It was annoying. But this day in general was strange.

-You.

-Yes? Macaque is quick to respond.

-Out of my sight.

Macaque did not hesitate. He fled immediately. The ice demon followed Macaque with his gaze until the latter disappeared, then he returned his attention to his king.

-Are you sure of yourself, my king?

The Bone King frowned.

-You think I'm not capable of knowing what I want?

-No! No, of course my king. I was just wondering if it was safe to let this simian get away with it. He could warn the group.

-Hm. Watch him.

The Bone King didn't miss how the fake mayor's smile had widened a little too much. He didn't like it. But he couldn't stay with Macaque here, now. The ice demon flew away, and the king groaned, placing a hand on his face.

-Strange…

Seasonal ski instructor/mountaineer Sanji working for a resort is on a nice off-piste outing by himself, basking in the sun refracting off the fresh fallen snow and through the tall pine trees, when he gets called because apparently a directionally challenged customer got really lost around his area and he should look for him. (Zoro. its Zoro)

Grumbling, Sanji removes the rackets he put on to hike up the mountain and snaps on his skis to go down and look for signs of a person (how could someone even get off-piste on ACCIDENT? It’s not possible you’d have to be purposefully trying to get away from the neatly delineated track ?? It would take EFFORT to go off piste into the forested areas)

Zoro doesn’t understand how his friends got lost on this beautiful piste- they seem to have disappeared and suddenly he was all alone out here, with way more trees towering over him than before . Well- more peace and quiet and enjoyment for himself, he thinks. Less people to slalom around and avoid, and more piece and quiet and fresh mountain air for him to enjoy with his solitude.

But then he hears someone behind him calling out and turns around to see a skier in a sleek blue jumpsuit. The person seems really angry at him for some reason. Weirdo.

He keeps on snowboarding a little more but the guy catches up to him and cuts him dry by stopping his skis right in front of him.

Glaring at the skis, his eye means to see who the asshole who stopped him is but he doesn’t make it there immediately. No, instead it slowly trails up long, long legs that the jumpsuit somehow wrap around tightly in a way that makes his throat a bit dry. He realises he’s been starting a bit too long so he snaps his gaze up and is met with soft, messy blonde curls being freed from a hat and googles and a red, scowling face. Cute. There’s still some red lines marked into his skin when the accessory was digging in just seconds ago.

He doesn’t know what he’s done to get this man’s attention, but he unfortunately knows he likes em’ kind of like this…a little flushed and combative.

After some wrangling and bickering Sanji drags this oddly muscular and attractive customer (and of course it was a fucking snowboarder. Always think they’re so cool and above the rules, don’t they?) back to the resort where a worried group of 20-somethings thank him for finding their idiot friend. A really beautiful red-headed woman tells him he should join them at a party later so her friend-Zoro? Can buy him a drink as thanks- and what a weird thing to offer up for someone else (especially considering the man’s protests at the idea) but he can’t say no to a face like that and a free drink, so he politely agrees to pass by.

The curly blonde- Sanji, Nami tells him, does end up passing by so Zoro makes good on his promise and asks him what he wants to drink. Unsurprisingly the prissy dude orders an equally prissy drink with some complicated liquor name in it- but Zoro quickly learns he doesn’t mind too much, because the man turns out to be the biggest lightweight after drinking just a couple of them, and highly entertaining when drunk. Their banter at their booth quickly devolves into an argument about skis va snowboards. (Snowboards are obviously cooler and better, duh)

Soon enough Zoro watches Sanji join the dance floor, elegant limbs moving to the thrumming beat of the bass, curly blonde strands of hair sticking to his sweaty face and neck, and he finds himself fantasizing about getting his hands on those hips and his tongue on that skin and getting those lips making soft noises in his ear- he gets to his feet, unconsciously deciding to join the tempting man- he spots Nami looking at him in surprise, then quick, smug recognition when she sees where he’s heading.

The next morning Sanji doesn’t remember much, but knows that despite the hungover he’s nursing he needs to go teach his beginner ski class. He’s lucky is the adult one and not the children’s one today, so he can count on the comfort of fawning over a group of middle aged women for the day.

But god has other plans for him apparently. Or rather, a certain mosshead who he knows can hold his own very well on his snowboard. Is he there to mock him? Annoy him? Discredit him in front of students?

Zoro joins the beginner ski class, hoping to get more interactions and opportunities to flirt with this absolute beauty of a man that he didn’t get nearly enough kisses from the previous night.

hm

Out at Sea

Salt. It stings my eyes

Breathe it in, feel it on my cheeks

Even as it pours out

The basin feels empty

Despite the endless waters

A hollow heart

Was it worth it

To chase that song?

I don't know

It hurts

A cavity has been carved

Into my chest

Tender

Aching

Raw flesh contracting

I gulp down air with envy

It's never enough

All I taste is salt

Where are you?

Where do you sing from?

It seems so far

I lower the flute from my lips

You own my heart. . 🤍

Do NOT repost, please.

I’m so excited🤩 wanna release this draft first.

Hope I won’t ruin it after coloring🥹 (not good at coloring)

sometimes, if I lit up my insides on fire

Then that’s all there is.

A glass of wine, a cigarette, a story.

All ready to carry me out into the unknown, the foreigner dreams I know all too well.

Sometimes, I wonder if that’s what life could really be like.

Sometimes, I wonder if I could just flee and rage and burn,

All for myself.

No one to think for

But myself and this flame.

Sometimes, I feel like dreaming is enough.

Sometimes, I know it isn’t.

A Warrior's Path pt. 1

This scene takes place after the destruction of Alderaan but before the first Death Star is destroyed. Thrawn is confronted about what it means to be a warrior.

More often than not, the paths we walk are not of our choosing. Our path can be manipulated by forces outside our control or by others seeking to either help or hinder our progress. It is our decisions that ultimately shape this path, regardless of who set us upon its course. Yet, we never truly walk a single path, even when we see no others. We all face a variety of paths, and we all have the power to choose among them, as long as we allow ourselves to see them.

A breeze rustled through the leaves, and the tall grass around the pond swayed with its caress. It carried the smells of campfire and the sounds of far off laughter. Thrawn sat on the ground at the edge of the water, leaning back to look at the stars above him. Stars that were simultaneously alien and yet familiar.

The memory of a winter’s night on Rentor surfaced. He went by Vurawn back then, just a young boy of 3 years, unaware of the path he’d walk. He and his sister had snuck onto the roof of their parent’s home, both of them bundled in blankets, their breath clouding the cold air. He remembered how her face lit up when she talked about the stars, and the despair that clutched at his heart when she never returned home the next day. 

Back then neither of their paths had been their choice to make.  

A slight change in the air alerted him to someone approaching. The gait and weight of the step indicated that it was Zhaena. She carried combat sticks and a long quarterstaff. When she neared she threw down the sticks. They landed with a clatter between them, just within his reach. 

“You will fight.”

He looked away from her. His gaze falling upon the pond and the reflection of stars scattered across the water’s surface. At one time he would have appreciated testing his strength against her’s, learning her style and adapting it to his own. He’d seen her take down a growel pack by herself. The large beasts roamed the nearby plains. They were not overly aggressive, but they protected their territories fiercely. She was a formidable warrior, a true testament of their people’s strength and resilience. 

She brought her staff against his chest, just enough to sting, but not enough to bruise. “No more hiding what you are, Mitth’raw’nuruodo. Or have you forgotten your oath?”

He hadn’t forgotten. He’d sworn to protect the Ascendancy. His entire existence, the sole reason for him to live revolved around that singular goal. Yet he had failed. That oath now lay shattered, drenched in the blood of millions, consumed by the fires of the Chimaera. He looked up at her, meeting her glaring eyes. “It matters little now, the one who spoke those words is dead.”

“Is that so?” She flicked the end of her staff upward. 

Thrawn snapped his head back, the staff brushing against his chin, as he dodged the blow. He rolled away and scrambled to his feet as she reversed momentum, the staff coming to a stop just before hitting the rock he’d been sitting against. 

Zhaena studied him, much like he studied her. He knew what she saw, dull, sleep deprived eyes that stared out from behind long tangled hair, the defeated slump of his shoulders, the thinness of his face from a lack of appetite. 

She approached him and brought her staff up, tapping him where the shrapnel scars from a battle long ago spread across his chest. “The scars of our regrets mark us just as much as the scars of battle.” She tapped his chest again. “Our failures only define us if we do not learn from them.”

No one is immune to failure.

“What have you learned?”

He had learned that his decisions cost the lives of millions. That he allowed a threat to the Ascendancy to manifest. That his actions put the very people he swore to protect in peril. 

“That I am no warrior.”

She swung the staff around and he twisted away too slow to avoid the blow that rapped across his shoulders.  

“Wrong.” The sharpness of her tone brooked no argument as she stepped into his space. She was half a head taller than him and broader in the shoulder. The pupils and irises of her eyes were non-existent due to the intensity of their glow. Her voice simmered with barely controlled fury. “You were our guardian, Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” she spat the honorific at the end of his name. “You found evil, and instead of destroying it, you served it.”

Thrawn straightened his shoulders. “I swore to do whatever was necessary to protect our people, to make every sacrifice needed to ensure their survival. I believed the power afforded to me by the Empire would be necessary in achieving that goal.” 

She sneered at him. “You sold yourself to the evil you swore to protect us from.”

“The Emperor only commanded the loyalty of my actions, not of my heart or mind.”

“You became nothing more than a slave to his will.”

He turned away from her piercing glare. “Perhaps.” The Emperor had been difficult to out maneuver. His loyalty had come into question often, and the requests to prove his loyalty had become more difficult to reconcile. He’d been forced to keep everyone at arm's reach, particularly those last few years. The threat to their lives…to Eli’s life….had become too great.

Zhaena stepped away from him; disgust twisted across her face. “Did you even care about the suffering your Emperor’s actions wrought?”

“There are greater evils out there. His actions paled in comparison to what could be.”

“An acceptable loss of life then?”

“I did everything in my power to limit casualties. I needed the Empire strong. Wasting resources would weaken it.”

“Resources. That is all anyone is to you, mere tools, weapons, assets.”

He saw the people but that was secondary; he saw possible allies, potential enemies, assets to be used and managed appropriately. He’d said as much to Ar’alani all those years ago. That was until Eli stepped onto his path. At some point in their journey he’d stopped seeing the asset and instead saw the man. 

“That's how you justified your actions against the rebels, not as people who fought against the injustice, the suffering you and others perpetuated but as threats to Imperial assets.” She shook her head. 

He noticed the minute change in her stance too late and she slipped her staff behind his feet, knocking him to the ground. She squatted down next to him, placing her staff across her knees. 

She looked at him, the anger gone from her face, replaced instead with sadness. “Then perhaps, you are correct. You are no warrior.

Zhaena stood, planting her staff on the ground. “But remember this, Thrawn, you must fight in order to live, and you must live in order to protect our people. Your path may have been built upon your past actions, but it is your decisions now that will shape it going forward. 

“It is your choice if that path will continue to be bathed in the blood of your failures.” She turned away and walked back towards the village.

percy when someone asks who's the head councilor of the poseidon cabin

It must be an insane mindfuck to know that Batman and Superman, the couple everyone in the JL thought consisted of “intelligent scary guy” and “rainbows and puppies guy” actually moonlight as “bimbo billionaire with no brain cells” and “highly competent but socially awkward investigative reporter” and all of those masks are true enough, but they don’t even come close to scratching the surface of who they are. One layer down from that gets you “Bruce Wayne, Father” and “Kal-El, last son of Krypton” but again, not quite close enough.

LIKE THE SUN AND THE MOON

I just felt in the mood to write something silly. Therefore... There you go. A little news without purpose. I literally googled the text I had written into French. I am not so good as to make a whole text in this language; Let's not be crazy.

_ENGLISH PART_

That It had been a while since Macaque and Wukong had started in a silent argument. It wasn't much really; Everyone just stayed in their corner, trying their best to ignore the presence of the other to win this ridiculous new war. Macaque could have just left, and left no news for days; But he had decided that to stay where Wukong could see that he was angry would be more fun. So, he sulked at the foot of the stone monkey's house, trying to focus his gaze on MK so as not to meet the eyes of Wukong. For Wukong; it was simpler; or at least, MK would have thought that That would be the case. The stone monkey was busy training him After all. But against all odds, Wukong's eyes did not cease to naturally seek to land on the Macaque form before turning away at the time he had assured that the latter was still there. The action was all the more frustrating because the king had No harm in beating his student when his attention was not clearly not fully focused on him. MK left the suffocating situation unfold, until he can no longer do it. He pushed Wukong away from him with his staff; and slammed it violently on the ground to have the attention of his two mentors.

-When are you two going to make peace? I thought that You were cool after we finished everything with the Lady Bone Demon.

Wukong and Macaque exchanged a look that MK intercepted all on end; before the two monkeys decided to avoid the look at the other. MK vibrated on the spot because of anger; but tried to act as an adult; and took a deep breath. -OK. Very well. I don't want to see you until you have not solved your problem of the day. -Kid, wait! Mk did not wait for the monkey king. He left immediately. after his words. If he did not take drastic measures; he knew that the two monkeys were just going to keep the tension rises until it explodes. It was better pierce the abscess immediately. The monkey king turned to Macaque, frowning. He then leaned over, hands on hips, before blaming the Shadow monkey for the departure of his student. Macaque raised the eyes to the sky. He was in no mood to listen to nonsense of Wukong. Yet, his body froze on its own, his hair became bristled, ready to fight with the one who assaulted him verbally; and he scolded back. After which, Wukong grumbled about frustration, at this time running out of repartee. He decided to return home, and passed Macaque, angry. Macaque let him. He didn't think it was a Good idea to follow the Sage right now. Still MK's warning came back to his mind. Would the kid be really able to refuse to see him for an argument with Wukong? Macaque didn't want to know how sincere MK was in his words. So, he reluctantly followed Wukong, and sat on the sofa, opposite Wukong. Both had ceased to meet dispute. Nothing had been said; but the cold of earlier had warmed up. That didn't stop their problem from being solved. Of course contrary; He would certainly remain there for an eternity. He was much deeper than any evil. They do not could never fix it. "at least, not until Wukong watches over him." Macaque's pupils landed on Wukong at this thought. And he thought again about why they were arguing in the first place. Macaque wondered why Wukong had abandoned him. He wondered as to why the monkey king had killed him; and; it is by knowing the answer he looked up at the television. Wukong caught the sudden movement out of the corner of his eye and carried his attention on Macaque a few seconds before diverting the look. He too was thinking of reconciling with Macaque. But it does not just couldn't. He would never accept it. All had gone well between them in recent months; and Wukong had thought that he and Macaque could have become friends again; but he had Macaque had to tell him that he wanted to be one with Wukong again. The request had taken him by surprise. Then, fear and panic had turned into anger; and an argument broke out. Wukong couldn't stand it. How could he ever Remake one with his oldest friend? How Macaque dared wish to leave him alone again? In itself; Both entities had separated for so long that it's been a eternity that Wukong had forgotten that Macaque was only a part of him. They had lived so long as two beings. apart; always with opposing opinions; that the monkey king had Forgot where the shadow monkey came from. Wukong clenched his fists, remembering tohe words of Macaque when he came to ask her to do one again. The monkey of The shadow had claimed to be tired of always looking for him for end up getting hurt. He had shouted at Wukong that he didn't want to not dying; but that he also did not want to continue their strange relationship. So, he had asked to disappear from the The simplest way he knows. By forming only one with Wukong again. Macaque and Wukong were the moon and the sun; light and shadow; inseparable partners; and both sides of the same coin. "Two bodies for one spirit" once said the Emperor of jade. Wukong turned his attention to the screen when the Main character to start shooting someone. Then finding the plot of the film boring, he focused his attention on Macaque. -Am I more uninteresting than the movie? Wukong startled when the reflection of his own copper gaze stared at him. Macaque slammed his foot on his to get him out of his stupor. -As if... Bouda Wukong in returning the kicks to Macaque. They had fun getting kick your feet for a while until you finally stop, satisfied with the way they had ended their argument without having to explain yourself to the other. Wukong smiled. There is no had no one who understood it better than Macaque. There was no No one who attracted him more than the jet fur monkey. How could he ever allow her to let him go? -We should warn MK that we have made peace. -Flemme to go on look for.

-And if we order noodles?

Macaque mouse at the Wukong's proposal, and agreed.

-It is you who Pay.

nanami kento, who hates dating, and didn’t do much of it in his early twenties. but now, he’s almost thirty, watching all the people he works with settle down, have kids, and he thinks he wants that. so he might as well try.

so satoru sets him up on a few dates — friends of friends, he calls them. and at the end of every one of the dinners, kento goes home empty, exhausted, because he knows what they want is not the same.

still; he thinks maybe he’s being a little self-destructive, maybe too picky, maybe he just got so used to being alone. with satoru’s insistence, he gives all the women another call, invites them over to his apartment.

the first time was a disaster… kento had barely set the dinner on the table before his cat had hissed at her, scratched her down the arm in a thin gash. and though it did draw blood, it was hardly enough to warrant that reaction.

he didn’t even try to stop her as she picked up her bag and left, huffing like she’d been morally offend. kento, though, could only smile to himself in amusement.

because maybe kento was a poor judge of character, a man who was secretly hoping nothing would pan out — but his cat could certainly tell the good from the bad.

it became a little game to him, after that. seeing if anyone could win his pet over, and if they could, perhaps they were the one. his darling animal was a fickle thing anyway. a bit too defensive, quick to bite anything threatening after years on the streets.

naturally, no one came back twice.

he was close to giving up, accepting his solitude because he was tired of empty conversations over dinner. but then, he ventured out over the weekend to a new coffee shop, during hours he normally didn’t spend out of his home, and met you.

though you only talked for a moment, kento felt like maybe he’d known you in a past life. a part of him thought maybe it was strange, the way he kept coming back to talk to you, catching you at the end of your shift to see if you wanted to grab a coffee sometime.

by the second date, kento started to think you could turn out to be his best friend.

by the third date, kento wondered if soulmates were real.

on the fourth date, almost two months later, an appropriate time to get to know someone when you were as reserved as kento, he invited you over for dinner. it was, perhaps, the final confirmation he needed to let himself be with you.

he let you through the door, smiling softly as you told him about the book you were reading, and hung his coat on the rack. a moment later, you stopped, distracted, hands covering your mouth in a gasp.

“kento! she’s the cutest cat i’ve ever seen, you didn’t even show me pictures!” you exclaim, and, a few feet away, crouched down. “look at her pretty eyes…”

“careful,” kento said, “she’s not very—“

but the cat approached your outstretched hand, sniffed once, before letting you scratch her under her chin, purring loud enough for kento to hear across the room.

“shes such a sweetheart, you told me she was mean!” you smiled, making a cooing noise as you threaded your fingers through her fur. “kento’s a liar, isn’t he… you’re so precious.”

a few moments later, she snapped her jaw at you in a biting motion, and you only laughed, withdrawing your hand. “alright, i get it, i won’t bother you anymore.”

though she still brushed against your legs, just as she did kento’s, and seemed to communicate some sort of message to him.

“do you want any help cooking?” you ask, tucking your hair behind your ears. “i’m a disaster in the kitchen, but—“

“sure,” kento said, his chest tightening as he blinked back at you, only in his apartment for minutes and already looking as at home there. he wondered if it was possible to fall in love so quickly. “but only if you want to.”

Slipping

Freud at my bed side

a manner of speech

choking down by the seams

i drift off

with a slip off my tongue

down my throat

let me say it

you torturous old toad

i can't even think it

trying to hold on to what haunts me

december 31st but i make it silly (based on a tumblr post, below the cut!)

everyone say thank you xenia, i made adjustments for the december 31st context but nyx avatar is still fitting.

original draft of the last panel. i considered putting the bi flag but i didn't know how to squeeze it in. we love ryoji mochizuki in this house.

The knowledge of some common plants

Since many people don't know most of the plants around them, this is information on some plants that are commonly seen in many places throughout the world

This is Lamium purpureum, also called Purple Deadnettle.

It's called deadnettle because it looks like a nettle but it doesn't sting you

This plant is a winter annual—it grows its leaves in the fall, lasts through the winter, and blooms and dies in the spring

Its pollen is reddish orange. If you see bees with their heads stained reddish orange, it is likely because they have visited Purple Deadnettle

This is Trifolium repens, white clover

It is a legume (belongs to the bean family) and fixes nitrogen using symbiosis with bacteria that live in little nodules on its roots, fertilizing the soil

It is a good companion plant for the other members of a lawn or garden since it is tough, adaptable, and improves soil quality. According to my professor it used to be in lawn mixes, until chemical companies wanted to sell a new herbicide that would kill broadleaved plants and spare grass, and it was slandered as a weed :(

It is native only to Europe and Central Asia, but in the lawns they are doing more good than harm most places

Honeybees love to visit clover

Four-leaf clovers are said to be lucky

This is Achillea millefolium, Common Yarrow

It has had a relationship with humans since Neanderthals were around, at least 60,000 years, since Neanderthals have been found buried with Yarrow

Its leaves have been used to stop bleeding throughout history, and its scientific name comes from how Achilles was said to have used Yarrow to stop the blood from the wounds of his soldiers. A leaf rolled into a ball has been used to stop nosebleeds

It is a native species all throughout Eurasia and North America

This is Cichorium intybus, known as Chicory

The leaves look a lot like dandelion leaves, until in mid-spring when it begins growing a woody green stem straight up into the air

Like many other weeds, it has a symbiotic relationship with humans, existing in a mix of domesticated or partially domesticated and wild populations

It is native to Eurasia, but widespread in North America on roadsides and disturbed places, where it descended from cultivated plants

Its root contains large amounts of inulin, which is used as a sweetener and fiber supplement (if you look at the ingredients on the granola bars that have extra fiber, they usually are partly made of chicory root) and has also been used as a coffee substitute

A large variety of bees like to feed upon it

This is Phytolacca americana, known as Pokeweed

It is easily identified by its huge leaves and its waxy, bright magenta stem

It can grow more than nine feet tall from a sprout in a single summer!

If you squish the berries, the juice inside is a shocking magenta that is so bright it almost burns your eyes. For this reason many Native American people used it for pink and purple dye.

It is a heavy metal hyperaccumulator, particularly good for removing cadmium from the soil

All parts of the plant are poisonous and will make you very sick if you eat them, however if the leaves are picked when very young and boiled 3 times, changing out the water each time, they can be eaten, and this is a traditional food in the rural American Southeast, but I don't want to chance it

British people have introduced it as a pretty, exotic ornamental plant. I think that is very funny considering that here it is a weed associated with places where poor people live, but maybe they're right and I need to look closer to see the beauty.

If you see magenta stains in bird poop it is because they ate pokeweed berries- birds can safely eat the berries whereas humans cannot

This is Plantago lanceolata, Ribwort Plantain

It grows in heavily disturbed soils, in fact it is considered an indicator of agricultural activity. It is successful in the poorest, heaviest and most compacted soil.

The leaves, seeds, and flower heads are said to be edible but the leaves are really stringy unless they are very young. Of course, it is important to be careful when eating wild plants, and make sure you have identified the plant correctly and the soil is not contaminated

I have also heard the strings in the leaves can be extracted and used for textile purposes

and that's some common plants you might often see throughout the world