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bfiaflbox · 5 months

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This is how it starts - Chapter 3

Pairing: Matty x Original Female Character Warnings: swearing

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

The next day I have a client who's not very talkative so I have time to weigh my options during work. I could text Matty and just tell him the date is off. Or I could go on the date and feel weird the whole time. Or I could just ignore it? Or I could fake my death and leave the country and tell Carly to give him my best and to enjoy life with his girlfriend. Great, I love overthinking. After a few hours of trying to figure out where and how I got the wrong Idea about Matty and about the flirting and about the date that's definitely a date because he called it that multiple times, I decide to text Matty.

Me: Hey Matty, I had a lovely time getting to know you but I don‘t think it‘s a good idea to go forward with this date on Friday. I wish you all the best.

There. That's good. Simple, unmistakably clear. I feel sad though. I liked Matty. He was refreshingly not boring and great to hang out with and nice to look at.

I go to the chat with Carly

Me: Did you know he had a girlfriend?

Carly: who? Matty? He‘s single as far as I know.

Me: No, apparently he isn't.

Carly: That‘s weird. Adam didn’t say anything. How did you find out?

Me: He was at my place and she called him, he ended the call telling her he loved her and then quickly left. Almost like he had a bad conscience.

Carly: That‘s weird.

I put my phone in my pocket and clean up the shop. I check the appointments for the next day, see that I still have to finish the drawing for my client tomorrow and get out my iPad to see the state of the rough sketch I made when they first made the appointment. I draw for a few hours, totally focussed on the task at hand. It's already dark outside when I'm happy with the design.

I get out my phone to check the time and see that Matty texted back.

Matty: honestly, that bums me out. What happened to change your mind?

Is he playing dumb? But fine, if he wants me to spell it out to him...

Me: I don’t want to be the girl you cheat on your girlfriend with.

He answers in a matter of seconds.

Matty: What girlfriend? Matty: Did you read something in the tabloids? It‘s all made up, you know?

Me: No?! I mean the girl that called you the other night? Danielle? Denise? Whatever! You told her you loved her??

Matty: Hannah

Matty: Darling

Fuck him, calling me darling right now!

Matty: That was literally my mother.

Oh. Oh.

Well now I'm completely mortified. The idea of faking my death and leaving the country seems more and more appealing.

Matty: But just to be completely clear I don't have a girlfriend. The last one broke up with me a few months ago, thanks for the reminder.

Me: Sorry to hear that.

Matty: No you're not :D

Me: The date on Friday is still off though, the floor just opened and will swallow me now. byeeeeee

Matty: I'll be at your place at seven

///

Friday rolls around and I'm nervous. I'm always nervous before a date because the whole spiel of do they like me and do I like them and are they a serial killer or a trustworthy person is terrifying and nerve wracking. But the Idea of a date with Matty is taking nerve wracking to a whole new level, especially after what went down the other day. I'm obsessing over my outfit and if it was the right choice and am just considering if I have time to change again when my doorbell rings. Ok, no 5th outfit change then. I grab my coat, check for my keys and leave my apartment. Matty is waiting in front of my building, big smile on his face.

"Hi! You look lovely" he greets me. "And other generic things to say when picking up your date" I jokingly snark and raise an eyebrow. Fucking hell where did that come from, he was just being nice! "Will you take the fucking compliment? Jesus" he laughs. "Fine, yeah, sorry, that was harsh. Thanks. You look lovely as well!" "I know" he retorts. "Talk about being able to take a compliment" I snort. "By the way, where are we going?" "Well I thought... ok tell me if you think this is lame but there's this small museum that shows an exhibition on 80s industrial punk zines and also some graphic design and photos from that era and I thought it'd be cool but like I said if you think this is lame we can totally do something else but I kinda wanna se it, I'm really interested in that kind of shit but haven't had the time to go there, no hard feelings if you don't wanna see it, I was just..." "Matty!" I interrupt his ramblings. He looks at me with raised eyebrows, I continue "that sounds quite very interesting, let's go there".

After about 15 minutes of walking we enter the courtyard of what looks like a former industrial building. We cross the courtyard to the entrance of the small museum. The exhibition is really just one room. The walls are filled with black and white photographs, pages from said zines and posters advertising gigs from 35 years ago of bands called Einstürzende Neubauten, Killing Joke and Skinny Puppy. Except for the former, none of the bands ring a bell but to be fair, 80s industrial rock isn't what I hear when I want to sing in the shower. I enjoy the aesthetic of it all, though. I also enjoy watching Matty who looks like a child seeing a Christmas tree for the first time. "Wow, you see, this is totally interesting, the scene back then was so DIY, really down to earth. They literally created all that stuff themselves." he muses. "There’s not many generative alternative scenes left, nowadays." He goes on to talk about bands like Slowdive and what he calls garage pop stuff. I just observe him. I'm not gonna lie, I haven't heard many of the bands he's mentioning but he's in his element and I love how passionate he is. After a while he looks at me and kind of stops himself. "Sorry, I... I'm really enjoying this, I'm probably rambling, it's just all so cool!" but it's so endearing. He's not afraid to like things. Unironically. "We should get going though, I reserved a table for us".

///

Half an hour later we sit down in a rather fancy looking restaurant and a waiter hands us a menu. "So...", Matty starts "how many kids do you want to have?" "Oh sod off, you!", we both laugh. "Haha, sorry, couldn't help it." I look around and start to feel kind of out of place. The people here are posh, there's no other word for it. I can't help but notice that I stick out like a sore thump with the tattoos all over my body and the kind of minimalist casual attire I had chosen for tonight. It's not a good feeling. I try to distract myself with the menu but metaphorically gulp when I see the prices, way out of my league. I get nervous, look over to Matty who's looking relaxed as ever. Right, right, I almost forgot he's a rockstar. Also out of my league. I refuse to let the uneasy feeling that's starting take over. Be who you are, face it head on, talk about it. I put the menu down and fold my fingers over it.

"Ok, I'm just gonna say it like it is: All I can afford here is a glass of water and a side salat without going hungry for the rest of the month. Yep, that's embarrassing but it is what it is, I'm a barely not-starving artist, not a rockstar, I already got my sister in law that awfully fancy pan and there's still the cozzie livs. Soooo, we might have to stop by a chip shop later. Or, I don't know, you have to pay" I say the last part before thinking better of it. Great. Talk about money, that's always such a good topic, not at all laced with all kinds of prejudice and negativity.

"Hm. That's a bummer, I thought you were paying", Matty hasn't even looked up from the menu.

I look at him with a raised eyebrow. He puts the menus down and places one hand over mine. "Darling, this is a date date, you're not paying for shit. Relax, it's ok. I'm not one of the guys who thinks a woman owes them sex when they pay for dinner. Also, I think, Carly would slap me if she found out I made you pay"

I laugh at that and relax a little. "I don't even know what half the words on here mean" I admit in a sort of whiny tone. "Is it rude if I google? Like, what's vadouvan spice? or Acquerello risotto?" at that, Matty just laughs. "I've got no fucking clue, to be honest. Ok I'll order us something and the next time we go to a restaurant that's less..." he waves around "...this?" "The next time, huh? Someone's feeling confident" "Yeah, I have to downplay how embarrassed I am about the fact that my choice of restaurant makes you uncomfortable by appearing overly confident, don't mind me." "God, you're such a self-aware millennial" We both laugh before I continue "Speaking of embarrassed: who the fuck has their mother saved under her first name?" "It's her name, what else would you like me to call her?" he sounds mockingly defensive. "I don't know? Mum lesser three?" "Lesser three?" "Yeah the little..." I wave my fingers, trying to convey the < 3 symbols "...heart thingy" "That's so gay" he laughs.

The waiter comes back and we order some fancy sounding dishes. "So, Matty, I have a question" "Ask away" "Would you rather kill a chicken with your bare hands or live with the chicken for a year" "Does the chicken have to come on tour with me?" "It sure does" "Yeah, then I'm gonna kill the chicken, I'm not dealing with a chicken on a tourbus" he laughs. "Ok fair, I don't blame you" He suddenly stills and his face sours, his gaze is fixed on a point behind me. I study his expression for a second and try to figure it out but come up with nothing. I want to see what seems to have turned his mood but as soon as I try to turn my head, Matty grabs my hand and clears his throat and wants to focus my attention back on him.

„What is it?“

„Nothing“

„You’re a shit liar“ I laugh.

„I don’t lie“ he says seriously.

„Like… ever?“

„Yeah. Ever since I got clean I try to not lie. Lying was the worst part about being an addict“

„Ok, wait, we just brushed three subjects in five seconds, I‘m getting whiplash.“ how did this conversation take this turn all of a sudden?

„Sorry, I‘m a lot“ he sounds sad now.

„No, Matty. It‘s fine“, I try to lighten the mood with my tone. „just… what’s going on?“

„Wait here, ok?“ he gets up and vanishes in the direction of the bar.

Well that leaves me baffled. I’m not annoyed or sad, just surprised. I play the conversation back in my head and try to figure out what nerve I hit that made his mood change that abruptly. I start to feel small and weird. Like I definitely don't belong here.

A few minutes later, Matty comes back, stops at the table and just says "Let's leave, please?"

I look at him and see that his expression conveys a sense of urgency. I get up, grab my coat and let him guide me out of the place. On my way out I meet the eyes of a giggling woman who looks at me knowingly. I frown at her and try to make sense of it all.

Once we're out on the street, Matty starts walking without saying a word. I follow him, although I don't really know why. The vibe is off, to say the very least. We round a corner and I really don't feel comfortable anymore. I stop.

"Matty, what's going on?"

He turns around to face me, clears his throat and sighs. "There was a woman at the restaurant that took photos of us." I suspect it's the one that looked at me like she just hit a jackpot when we left. "She's probably gonna sell it to the tabloids and you're gonna be on the news tomorrow. At least it's going to be all over the internet."

I stay silent because I really don't know what to say now. Is this what it's like for him when he goes out in public?

"I'm sorry, Hannah, I can't do this to you"

"You're not doing anything"

"I am though. Like, when you're around me you're gonna end up in the crossfire of hateful comments because, you see, I'm a really bad person according to the internet. I fucked up, said the wrong thing, laughed at the wrong time and they hold everything against me, call me a Nazi or worse things. And everybody who's around me is guilty by association. I don't care anymore but I can't do this to you." he looks sad, almost like he's close to tears. I don't know what to say that might make things better. He must feel lonely. I want to tell him that I don't care, that I like him for who he is and that I will deal with it if that's what it takes but before I can open my mouth to say anything he just says "I'm sorry", turns around and walks away.

I just stand there and try to process what just happened. It doesn't take long for me to get angry at Matty. Fuck him for leaving me here, standing in the street like an idiot. He didn't even give me a chance to process this. What does he mean it's going to be all over the internet? A feeling of helplessness creeps up at me. I hate feeling this way. My heart hurts and I start feeling very sad. I can't process all of this right now and decide to just turn around and head home.

#matty fic #matty healy #matty healy fanfiction #matty healy fanfic #the1975fanfic #matty healy x oc #this is how it starts

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biteghost · 1 year

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State of Affairs: oh, it's not good. Bad, in fact!

listening music (lol)

Greetings, all! I apologize for not much communication, art or comics this month, but things were a bit out of my control! I'll cut right to the point: I had a big oopsie at the start of May, and the situation overall has not gotten much better since then.

Here's the scoop as plain as I can explain it: I dropped my external hard drive, and it no longer connected to my computer. My computer has a very tiny amount of memory (the OS capacity is less than 120GB), so I have used an external hard drive as the brain of my computer for years now. I have no back-ups either on another hard drive, older computer, or cloud service.

This external hard drive housed everything I have created and brought with me between computers since 2013. It stored all my art. All of it. My comic pages, my working files, my works-in-progress, my commission pieces, as well as gifts from friends and other artists. It had all the sessions of my at-home tabletop game 'Blueshift', which is a pretty big hit for me as I had only just finished the game. I didn't even have time to be happy the game was finished until I had to mourn a loss of it I had not anticipated.

I sent the hard drive to a data recovery company with good reviews. It had nearly 2TB of data on it, and I tried very hard not to get my hopes up that they'd be able to retrieve most of my data. Despite this, I still was disappointed by what they sent back.

To be blunt: they did not retrieve most of my data. In fact, I'd say in total they only recovered about 40%, if I am being generous. They were unable to recover any of my in-development projects (A Cure for Athanasia, Super Manifest: Steward Cycle, The Tenth, The Sword of Hours, etc), and unfortunately BACKLASH didn't make it out unscathed either. Old art files that I one day wanted to make Prints off have been lost, as well as small doodles and secret sketches which never made it online.

While reviewing the files that they managed to recover, I also noticed that whole chunks of BACKLASH's working page files have been lost or corrupted. This isn't a huge setback for the comic itself since all of BACKLASH is online to read. But it is hard and heartbreaking for me, because despite everything I did one day want to make a printed edition of BACKLASH. I wanted to hold my comic in my hands.

That dream is not impossible, but it is now much further away. I can recreate my old pages with what I currently have, but it will be a lot of extra work, and there is no getting around that.

Losing this much of my history, artistic journey, relationships and formative time as an artist has been really hard on me, emotionally and mentally. I'm very sad. It's hard to draw right now for myself. Commission work comes easily, since I am given a prompt to draw for someone else, but creative ideas are not flowing for me at the moment. My hands are frozen and dejected.

I am now waiting to get back the files that the data recovery people managed to retrieve for me (probably by tomorrow, they said), and I am looking into other places in order to get a second opinion of sorts. At this point there really is no harm in trying, and maybe a different operation might have better luck. Who knows? It may be grasping at straws, but at this point things can't get any worse than this.

When I get my data back I'll be able to finish up BACKLASH chapter 7. I want to finish it off - there are not very many pages left, and miraculously the few remaining pages are among the ones that were recovered! So that's good. I will be finishing up the chapter, and afterward BACKLASH will be taking a bit of a break. I don't know how long the hiatus will last, and I won't be making any kind of estimate. It'll take as long as I need until I feel I can put one foot in front of the other again. Maybe I'll work on something else for a while, maybe I won't draw anything. Who knows! I don't, haha.

Eventually I'll be okay, and I'll get back on the horse. Even in the midst of all this turmoil I really just want to be making comics ;_;

Until then, I just need some time. It's the only cure for this kind of problem, I think. So, I thank you for your patience, and I thank you for the love you've shown me, my work, and my characters. I couldn't be where I am and I couldn't have made all the work I have without your support and love. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

I'll see you when I get back! Much love and many kisses, xoxo 💖💖💖

(cross-posted from patreon)

#state of affairs #not art #long post #UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGH #RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHHH #BRR:URUUURHHHGHGUURHHGNNGH #HRNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG #UGH.#i didn't really proofread this so if it's bad or rambly sorry but also ughghhghhsklgajdl;kgLKSgjlsdgjdlkj

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jccatstudios · 6 months

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I just wanna say i wanna eat ur art u draw the crows immaculately and imma combust please keep doing what you're doing you're litrly amazing and ur art is so expressive and unique and just shows ur love for the characters <3

aw thank you! I love this story and these characters so much. I'm glad it shows in the art! It makes me so happy to be able to work on a project that allows me to spend time in this world. That makes it sound like this isn't a self-motivated project (which it is), but part of deciding to continue with chapter 3 was the immense amount of support and excitement you all have shown for it, so thank you for that. :)

As for Chapter 3, I thought I'd share some info about it before it comes out next week. It's gonna be 56 pages total, so 14 more pages than the last chapter! Unlike last chapter, there wasn't really anything I had to cut, so I didn't. That also means I have no material for the bonus page, but I'll see what I can do when the time comes. I'm also excited for this new chapter since it comes with a lot of challenges I'm excited to tackle! Lots of internal monologuing (thanks, kaz), psychological imagery, and worldbuilding stuff.

In all honesty, I'm not as far in progress as I'd like to be, but I'm really proud of what I've got so far (I'm on vacation, after all). Right now, I'm about finished inking page 5, and that might just be my favorite of the pages I've done. Remember the last panel of chapter 2? I'm really trying to push all the backgrounds to have that level of detail. And what surprises me is that I'm enjoying it! Big thanks to my 1890s Amsterdam Pinterest board.

Anyway, thanks again for your patience. I can't wait to start up what I hope to be a truly weekly comic next Wednesday (not tomorrow). Time to finish inking page 5.

#hijacking an ask to share more about the comic?#it's more likely than you think #asks #soc comic adaptation

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amethystina · 7 months

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I was tagged by @a-very-fond-farewell! Thank you so much darling 💜

1. Last song: Shishen Take On the Challenge from The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity soundtrack (which I paid a small fortune to get my hands on so you bet I've been listening to it almost non-stop ever since. The music is SO FUCKING GOOD OKAY)

2. Favorite color: Purple — which I feel should come as a surprise to no one xD

3. Currently watching: The Killing Vote, because I apparently need more dramas where the Korean public is allowed to vote on whether or not to execute people. Quite enjoying it so far! The characters are a hoot xD And I'm curious to see what they do with the Kwon Seok Joo dude.

I also just started The Guest because I want to watch it before they remove it from Netflix but BOI. That's not one I'll be able to binge, that's for sure. Horror is great but also, well, terrifying x'D

Though, I must say, I might have to take a detour and rewatch the Along With the Gods movies. I've been meaning to do so for ages and seeing Kim Dong Wook in The Guest makes the urge even stronger. Because, let me tell you, I'm SO EAGER to rewatch the movies and observe the characters now that I've seen the twist at the end of the second movie. A twist I figured out before I actually reached the reveal, sure, but I don't think that's a bad thing? Like, for real, guys. The AUDIBLE GASP I let out when I realised what the twist was going to be and then got to sit there and see it slowly dawn on the other characters? BEAUTIFUL. And it CHANGES SO MUCH. Like, I need to rewatch them because so much of what I thought I knew is now a lie! Circumstances have changed! My initial analysis might be wrong! Characters I thought I knew are now completely different! I need to do more research! I NEED TO KNOW.

(This is what happens when your brain works like mine. And one day I might tell you all about why Kang Yo Han is such a fascinating character to me, because, let me tell you, I've rarely seen a character remain so solid in his characterisation even through the kind of reveals we're given in the drama. It's fucking SPECTACULAR)

4. Currently reading: Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (I do it in bursts because it's not the kind of book I can just binge, okay? x'D), We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson (I would have finished this LONG ago if it didn't give me so much anxiety (but in a good way?)) and Eld by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergman Elfgren (though I should probably start over on this one since I was very distracted when I read the first chapter)

5. Last movie: No Regret, because why not dabble in older Korean LGBTQ+ content? It was a ride, that's for sure xD And the next movie will be The World to Come (also one I want to watch before it's removed from Netflix)

6. Sweet/spicy/savory: Either sweet or savoury — it depends on my mood, really.

7. Relationship status: Married! :D

8. Current obsession: I'm not sure if I have one right now? Though I am hoping to get back on track with that diorama thing soon. I've almost collected all the materials I need! I just need fake foliage (preferably red) and I'm going to try and buy that either tomorrow or on Saturday.

9. Last thing you googled? Why my phone kept taking only green photos. And everyone kept telling me I shouldn't have unlocked the bootloader (which I don't think can be done by accident and I sure as hell haven't done it intentionally) so in the end I just restarted it and now it works just fine xD

10. Selfie: I don't really take selfies but here's a cropped version of a drawing WIP of mine.

If you know, you know ;)

(... LOOK, the suspender-pulling had to happen eventually, okay?)

11. Currently working on: Chapter 5 of A New Dawn (Begins With Us) and, after that, it'll be either chapter 37 of Who Holds the Devil or maybe the sequel to Gravitational Pull which I'm STILL struggling to find the time to work on. I'm also working on, like, six different drawings simultaneously. Because why make things easy for myself?

Tagging: Whoever wants to do it! Tell me about yourself! :D

#Amethystina Does Tag Games #I feel very all over the place right now x'D #And I have read so few books this year :/#That's such a bummer #I should look into that #I kind of miss reading a shitload of silly romance #And I also want to draw a lot #But then there's writing too #So many hobbies #So little time

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recurring-polynya · 5 months

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Writing/Art Update 1.9.2024

Bleh. I was holding off doing this update, hoping I was going to be able to report that I had finished That Stupid Scene that I have been working on since before Christmas. I had so many thoughts in my head while I was cooking dinner and then, when I actually sat down to write, they had departed. Maybe they'll be back tomorrow.

In any case, I did make a huge amount of progress this week. It was hard! I had a lot of writing time, which was nice, except that I spent a lot of it staring out the window or clicking on my other browser tabs, which is always very irritating. However, I did manage to get most of it written, and it hit all the bullet points I needed it to. I basically just have to wrap it up and transition into what happens next. It shouldn't actually be that hard, I'm just tired and I'm not sure I can swing it right now. It's a big scene, too-- I clocked 4,375 words on it this week in addition to the 900 I already had, so it's probably going to be about half the chapter.

I've had a feeling for quite some time that I had not actually budgeted enough space in the outline for the back half of this fanfic. The thing is, though, it is nearly always the case that an extra chapter manages to sneak in somewhere along the way. I decided to just leave the outline as it was, and that way, if an extra chapter appeared, then my pacing problem would sort itself. That...may be happening. I am not entirely sure. I'm in sort of a weird place where I simultaneously feel like I am very close to done and also very, very far away from being done. Hopefully, in the next week or two (that is, when I finish Ch 7), that will sort itself out. Either that, or I'll just keep writing chapters, like Zeno's fanfic. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen. I will die.

Ugh, I want to post. I am wallowing in the pit of it's been so long since I posted, I feel like I have literally stopped existing, and I keep getting dumb urges to "just take a little break and write a short one" (note that I do not actually have any ideas towards "a short one", it's 100% urges only). Anyway, I definitely do not want to do that, because I want to finish this one very, very badly, and it's taking long enough as is. What I should probably do is polish up Chs 5 and 6 and send them to the beta, but that would require coming up with a name for the art museum that I placeholdered a bunch of times in Ch 5. I actually named it in Ch 1 and then decided I didn't like it and needed to rename and I just haven't yet.

Speaking of names, I've also fallen into It-Needs-a-Title Madness, where I start to go Actual Nuts because I can't think of a title for this stupid fanfic. I forgot that in addition to staring out the window, I spent a lot of time looking through the lyrics of songs on my Ductwork playlist and googling for, like, "phrases with injury" in them. I hate this. It's such a waste of time and yet I do this every time. Why can't you pay someone $10 to name your fanfic for you? Can I just call it "Ductwork"? Does it even matter? (it does matter. I regret every terrible title I have ever slapped on a fanfic in a fit of "Fuck It, We Post")

In other news, I drew all seven days last week (the theme was fruits and vegetables). I took yesterday off, but then I drew a can of soup today, which was hard. It's cool. The people in art club are very nice. I am really hoping to draw a Rukia for her birthday. I have never drawn a bankai Rukia, and I'd like to give it a shot. I bet it would be a lot easier if I could resist doing a full body shot, but somehow, I always do a full body shot. We'll see!!

#writing update #art update

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justsomerandomfanfic · 1 year

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Tattoo Talk - Indiana Jones X Female Reader

Title: Tattoo Talk

Indiana Jones X Female Reader

Additional Characters: Students (Mentioned)

Requested by: @groovy-lady (Thank you so much for requesting again, I had a lot of fun with this! P.s. love the tattoos!)

WC: 1,666

Warnings: Pre-existing relationship, Reader wears a skirt, Reader has long enough hair to be pinned up, mentions of killing, mentions of death, mentions of slight suggestiveness, slight nudity (brief and nothing really shown?), a smidge of angst, and fluff

"Don't forget Michaelson chapters four and five for next time," Indiana reminded the class as he tapped the chalkboard, his students leaving the room in a hurry. "If you need any help or advice on these two chapters just ask."

Letting out a sigh, Indiana rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand, taking off his glasses and setting them on his desk as he sat down in his chair. Leaning back, Indy grabbed the papers his students left for him, shuffling them in a nice stack before grabbing his glasses again and standing up. Adjusting his suit jacket, Indiana left his classroom, walking a couple of doors down and stopping at your classroom.

Looking inside, Indiana couldn't help but smile gently when he saw you; animatedly speaking about something. Opening the classroom door, Indiana shut it quietly behind him as he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as he watched you. You had been dating Indiana for almost a year now, and Indiana was loving every second of it. It felt good to be with someone who was so... Passionate about what they were doing.

"Now, Loki, the God of Mischief, had made a deal with the giant to build a wall around Asgard. In return, the giant wanted to have Freya as his wife. Now, it's said that the Gods didn't know that the giant was indeed a giant, funnily enough, and Freya didn't want to marry him anyway, so she asked Loki to do something; because it was his fault after all. So, Loki turns himself into a beautiful mare, gaining the attention of Svadilfari, the giant's stallion. Loki was able to distract Svadilfari, and off into the forest, he galloped after Loki, the gorgeous mare. Meanwhile, the giant is looking for his horse and tries to kill Odin, but Thor kills the giant. And nine months later, Loki had given birth to a wonderful eight-legged horse named, Sleipnir." You spoke, finishing your little lecture. "If you have any questions, please let me know. And good luck with your midterm presentations. I'll see you all tomorrow!" Your voice rang out as you waved goodbye to the rest of your students, some of them greeting the other Professor as they left.

Indiana continued to watch you, pretending not to ogle over you as you turned to the chalkboard and began to wipe away your little drawings and notes. Your hair was up in a cute updo, while you were wearing Indy's favorite skirt. Indiana's lovesick sort of smile faltered slightly when he looked at your back, seeing something under your slightly-sheer shirt that confused him; making him curious. Turning back around, you brushed off your hands of any chalk residue before you clasped them in front of yourself, smiling over at your boyfriend.

"Hello, Indy. Didn't know you were going to step in for my lecture today." You greeted him as you walked towards him, reaching out to lightly touch his chest, admiring the man in front of you. Oh, how lucky you were...

"Sorry for interrupting, my class got out and I wanted to see you," Indiana replied, his hands automatically going to your waist.

You laughed lightly, shaking your head. "Oh, no! You didn't interrupt anything important, I promise!" Indiana just hummed, his eyes half-lidded as he leaned down to press his lips against your lips. You sighed happily in the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck. You pulled back first, smiling softly at him and kissing his cheek; Indiana sighed contently. "Was my lecture too long or boring?" You murmured, your hands slipping from around his neck onto his chest. "I feel like I ranted."

Indy tapped his fingers to an unknown rhythm on your waist, looking off as if to think, "Hmm, no no, it wasn't bad at all, doll. Quite the opposite actually." You giggled softly, leaning in to peck his lips quickly. "Hey, doll?" He began, a hum coming out of you as you looked up at him; head tilted to the side, "What's on your back?" He then asked and your eyebrows furrowed, as you tried to look behind you, your arm going behind you as you wiped your back.

"I have something on me? Why did no one say anything?" You asked, slightly frustrated as Indiana just shook his head, reaching for your bicep to stop you.

"No, uh, your shirt's pretty sheer, honey."

With that, your eyes widened and your face flushed, "Sheer?" You asked softly as Indiana nodded.

"Yeah."

You let out an annoyed sigh, your eyes rolling and your shoulders dropping in defeat. "Are you serious? I wouldn't have worn this if I knew." You complained, pouting slightly at Indiana. "So everyone's seen my tattoo?" You then asked and Indiana's eyebrows raised up on his forehead, eyes widening slightly.

"So that's what that is?" He asked and you nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I have a couple of them."

Indiana's eyebrows dropped as he stared down at you confused, "How come I've never seen them before?"

You dropped your eyes sheepishly, fumbling with your fingers as you shifted your weight from one foot to the other. "Well, Indy, it's usually dark, and I steal your shirt in the morning..." You trailed off as Indiana nodded, feeling his own face warm as he thought back.

"Do you want to see them?" You asked abruptly, making Indiana jolt out of his steamy daydream, making him stubble over his words.

"W... What? Huh?"

You let out a sigh, glaring up at him, "Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, Jones. Do you want to see them or not?" You asked, embarrassed and impatient; crossing your arms.

Indiana pressed his fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat, "Sure, doll."

You nodded, dropping your arms as you walked to the other side of the room, sliding the blinds closed as Indiana watched you, catching a glimpse of your supposed tattoo as he leaned over, pulling the door window's blind closed without looking. Walking back over, you began to unbutton your shirt, Indiana watching as his mouth began to dry. Pulling it off, you hold it draped over your arm as you turn your back to him. Indiana sucked in a breath as he saw it, jaw-dropping slightly as he took in the ink on your back; a large tree, its branches weaving and swirling around themselves, roots spiraling downwards; branches upwards. Though part of it was covered by the back strap of your bra, it had an ancient look to it. If Indiana found it pictured in an old book, he wouldn't be surprised. But, it was mesmerizing, to say the least.

The question floated on the tip of his tongue before you spoke, "It's Yggdrasil. The world tree; a giant ash that supports the universe. Part of Norse Mythology." You answered, hearing the quiet intake of breath as your boyfriend seemed unable to speak. You turned around, biting your lip when you noticed him staring at you in silence. "Uh... I also have two more..." Turning around to face him and open your right arm. At the underside of your arm, was what Indiana knew was a Norse Rune, from his time watching your lectures. This rune was a line with two shorter diagonal lines pointing downwards from the right side; engulfed in flames with a snake surrounding it, "This is the Rune, Ansuz. Odin's Rune." You then opened your other arm, with a different rune on the other side in the same place. To Indiana, it looked like a line with a triangle on it, with gloomy storm clouds and a lightning bolt, “This is Thor’s Rune, Thurisaz." You finished, looking up at Indiana.

He just looked at you, unblinking as he stalked forward, slowly reaching his hand out to take your arm in his. He gently ran a finger over your tattoo, outlining it as he started talking; you could hear the reverence in his tone as he talked. "These are... Incredible." He breathed out, still tracing over the tattoos, before trailing his hand down your arm and taking both of your hands in his as he finally looked into your eyes. "So, Thor and Odin?"

The anxiety that Indiana wouldn’t like your tattoos quickly fell away as you smiled up at him, the smile almost blinding. "Yeah, Odin and Thor. Odin is the God of War, and Thor is the God of thunder.” You stated matter of factly, and Indiana chuckled quietly at the look on your face as you started getting excited; your cheeks burned as you realized just how deep your feelings for Indiana went. "Um, well, I know it sounds sill-"

"When did you get them?" Indiana interrupted you, completely enraptured by you; as you bit your lip before you spoke up again.

"Thor Rune when I was eighteen, Yggdrasil at twenty-two, and Odin at twenty-four. I'm thinking about getting another one soon."

Indiana was quick to speak, looking down at you with excitement that you only saw when he found a missing artifact which really surprised you, "Could I come with you on the next one?" He asked, and you were quick to nod.

"Of course, you can hold my hand and everything." You teased, earning a playful glare from him as he rolled his eyes. You couldn't help but laugh, grabbing his hand and kissing his knuckles softly as he smirked down at you. "Are we still on for lunch?" You asked, and Indiana nodded, taking your shirt from your arm, and opening it to you.

"Of course, doll. In fact, lunch is on me." He teased, helping you put on your shirt, your arms passing through the sleeves as you giggled.

"You always pay for lunch, Indy." You gave him a smile in thanks, buttoning up the shirt as Indiana went over to your desk, grabbing your suit jacket and bag.

"That's because I love to spoil you, sweetheart. So... How do you feel about a surprise trip to Iceland?"

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whenthechickencry · 10 months

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Umineko Ch1. Replay 7

Switched to the Switch version, so that's why everything looks different.

This is the first time Battler steps in to argue and it's funny how he pushes the direction in a wronger direction.

Though yeah he's entirely right at this point, considering you know, she can't explain that because she was in fact aiding the murderer.

And this unwillingness is what's going to lead to 4 episodes of Battler struggling to understand anything until it's too late

Guess she can't keep pushing without drawing suspicion to herself, even if she wants to.

Eva felt a little bit too safe just because she's an accomplice and it definitely bit her in the ass later, Rosa's a bit more careful about this next chapter.

I imagine red flags blaring on her head as soon as Eva heard that

To be fair that is indeed mostly correct! Even if you are really grasping at straws here

Getting second thoughts about becoming an accomplice and your motives behind that decision, Eva?

You are definitely a big enabler of the worst of Eva's impulses, Hideyoshi, though you can definitely see how much Eva appreciated her family despite her faults and how that grief will end up destroying her post-1986

A bit of foreshadowing at how much Maria is ignored by her mom

You already did that Battler!

I remember this mystery seeming so impossible for me when I first played... but the answer really was as easy as the door was never locked at all. Of course, I didn't get the hint that the narrative lied to me at the time, so, it felt a lot harder than it was!

Interesting how the only 2 people to see the butterflies in this episode were Shannon and Kanon - and how this one happened right after the scene where Kanon discovers a "locked room" - I think you are supposed to look at how this scene couldn't possibly have happened in reality and look at previous scenes with Kanon

This monologue being given by Kanon is very interesting, Kanon defeating Beatrice seems to represent a 'defeat' in Yasu's mind of what Kanon is saying, that they ARE furniture and the death of the last bit of resistance they had in carrying out the plan.

Yeah I bet she's laughing her ass off at how she's gonna prank everyone

He definitely tries to, at least!

Aw, wouldn't have minded seeing these 2 bond a bit more

Jessica tagging along was probably a bit annoying for Yasu!

Seems Natsuhi is a little bit relieved they will be able to pin Kinzo's death on something else, though also alarm bells should be ringing in her head about how the culprit is probably a servant here...

Yes! Follow that line of thought Battler, whose corpse wasn't seen very well?

It's more like dying is what she's looking for Battler...

Also, this scene plays a new song for the Saku version of the game now and it's really good!

If Yasu is hearing this, they are probably very split between both the love and hate Jessica is showing them, huh? Though they might just see it as further proof they can't be loved for who they are as a whole - only parts of them can be.

Maria's probably right, though, even if at this point Maria told George who Beatrice is, they won't believe her.

Maria....

Huh, the gang locking themselves up in Kinzo's room was part of Yasu's plan... I guess Yasu was hopeful doing the risky play would force Battler to finally figure out what's going on

This is gonna be a recurring theme Battler, for a loooong while.

Battler actually gets the right idea a surprising amount of times in this chapter, it's just that he's unable to commit to any theory.

Seems Nanjo Genji and Kumasawa are all feeling guilty and remember their role in enabling Kinzo with regards to Beatrice 2

We are pretty close to the end now so I'll probably finish this up tomorrow or so, though the tea party might take me another day even if I don't remember it being very long.

#umiepisode1 #umineko

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neptoons1998 · 1 year

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nannying a ceo

a/n: Imma be real this one is short but I wanted to post so bad today. plus with work and school worse case I'll add more chapters if I feel like it isn't completed yet.

3/4

tag gang: @pantherheart @somethingcleaverandwhitty @mal-urameshi

In the coming weeks, Shuri realized how good Riri was at watching and caring for Toussaint. The short woman was able to pick up ASL pretty fast. Based on what Shuri could see the woman adored the little boy. She couldn't help but feel something about the new hire, Riri was sweet, kind, and funny. Who wouldn't fall in love with her? Shuri thought to herself.

Somedays she would watch Riri and Toussaint play from a distance. It was like the pair were in their own little world.

And Riri became confident in her relationship with the young boy and his guardian. Riri sometimes thought Shuri still didn't trust her; she always lurked around the hallways or have Toussaint's many bodyguards talk to the CEO about Riri's ability to take care of her nephew.

The small boy, even though mute expressed his wants and his needs through his hands and eyes. Riri learned quickly what the young boy liked and disliked. He loved green grapes and distasted tomatoes. He likes when they take walks to the parks and do child-friendly experiments; he dislikes when he watches his friends he would make in the park leave with their parents.

"Will it ever get easier?" Toussaint signed out to his nanny. Riri had to think about it for a moment, she could recall the grief and despair she felt when her dad and her close friend were killed in a driveby.

Riri took a deep breath before signing, "It won't. You still feel sad when you get older the easier it is to hold that weight. But until then if you ever feel sad or lost come to me or your aunt okay?"

Toussaint gave a nod as he slipped his hand into Riri as they start their way home. Some time later Shuri came back to the townhouse, she move quietly knowing that it was past Toussaint's bedtime. She didn't want to disturb what little sleep her young nephew could get. What she didn't take into account was Riri being in the kitchen. The woman was in her own world as she worked on scrubbing a dish. Shuri couldn't help but like how domestic it made her feel. Is this what her brother felt when he looked at Nakia? Shuri thought. Before Shuri could make her presence known. Riri jumped a couple of feet in the air when she saw Shuri, "Jesus! you need a bell around your neck."

Shuri couldn't help but laugh at the poor woman's freight, "Now why would I do that if I live here?"

"So you do want to send me to the grave early," Riri muttered as she went back to finishing the dishes.

“Did you draw this?” Shuri asked one night as she picked up a drawing. Riri gave a sheepish smile, cutting the water off.

“Yeah,” Riri chuckled, “What can I say, I’m more musical arts than actual art.”

"Oh good that you know you're strengths and weaknesses," Shuri commented as Riri gave a fake laugh, "Who knew a CEO was a comedian. when's your next stand-up?"

The pair not realizing how close they were with each other, were far too busy ribbing each other. Shuri was the first one to realize how close they were to each other. Her nose could smell the hint of coconut and lavender on Riri's head. Shuri had to keep her groaning to herself.

"I'm sorry what?" Shuri asked not realizing Riri asked her a question. Riri's almond-shaped eyes looked at her again, "I said do you want to come with us to the zoo tomorrow?"

Riri put space between them, causing Shuri to feel a hollow longing in her chest. Riri was slowly grabbing her stuff, Shuri not thinking what she had to do tomorrow nodded, "Yeah I would love to."

Riri gave a warm smile as she open the door, "Great, then it's a date."

#shuriri #riri williams #shuri x riri #writing #fanfiction #ao3 #shuri #shuri udaku

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uknowyato · 1 year

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Hatori Yoshiyuki no baai volume 1: chapter 2

This is a repost from my old blog. Old chapters will be coming every Thursday until I catch up. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer:‌‌ ‌‌I‌ ‌do‌ ‌not‌ ‌own‌ ‌Sekaiichi‌ ‌Hatsukoi,‌ Hatori Yoshiyuki no baai ‌and the characters within the stories. Please support Shungiku Nakamura by purchasing the official emerald releases. Thank you!

Raw cre‌dits go to the lovely youmeandteddybears ‌on tumblr.

Masterlist: {01 | 02}

He didn’t want to go to work.

That was his first thought when he woke up in the morning. In the beginning of the week, Hatori felt unmotivated just like any other adult. Nevertheless, he had duties and responsibility, so he headed out for work.

It had been a long while since Hatori had spent the weekend like a normal couple would. Well, you could even say it was the first time they ever spent time like a normal couple.

We weren’t even disturbed by Yanase, which was unusual.

He stayed over at Yoshino's house on Friday night. They went to the grocery store on Saturday and he made Yoshino help prepare the meals. Then they stayed at home catching up with a TV series they recorded.

A delivery man came at noon, which was a surprise to him. Yoshino had ordered a cake from this popular bakery, Buche de Noel. Which meant he had planned this weekend beforehand. He was thrilled that his surprise was a success.

Seeing Hatori who couldn't hide his surprise, Yoshino said as he put on a smug face, “Didn't expect that, did you?”

“I can get things done when I put my mind to it!” in Yoshino’s own words.

To think that Yoshino actually cared about Christmas? And it wasn’t even for his manga’s story plot? Hatori wouldn’t be surprised if hell had frozen over.

If not, then this must be his imagination, or a dream. Although there was no sign that he would be waking up soon, so this must be reality.

It was almost time to finish up his work for the year. As long as there were no major problems, Hatori would be able to kick back and relax on New Years.

This year was definitely a lot more peaceful than usual. So far, none of his work was running late. In other words, Yoshino didn’t have any urgent tasks either. There was still time before the game packaging’s color manuscript’s due date, and the story plot finished up quicker than usual. There were no issues at this point, which only made Hatori worry something bad might happen.

...Thinking negatively won't do me any good though

Yoshino had been working hard, so he was making quite a lot of progress.

Meeting a set deadline should be a given, but when you’ve known him for so long it felt like a miracle. They were both tired of how they were always negative, but keeping their feelings for so long, they were not quite adjusted to being content and happy like now.

Going to the office on Monday felt harder than ever, but that didn’t mean he was going to allow himself to be late. Waking up at the same time each morning, riding the same train, and ploping on his desk before 9 o’clock was how he always operated.

When he walked up the slope heading for the office, he felt someone drawing closer from behind him.

"Good morning!” That lively voice, it must be Henmi from Sales. He slowed down and turned around.

"Good morning."

“Hatori-san, you're always early. Even though everyone else in the editorial department is more chill because of the flexible hours.”

“My head is clearer when I get there earlier.”

His work progressed better in the morning. Maybe because it was easier for him to focus when there was less people and noise around. Besides, if he was going to work the same hours it was better to come early and go home before it was late.

“Oh, by the way, I want to discuss Yoshino’s comics campaign next year, do you have time?”

“Sure, I think I can do that tomorrow morning. But I'll let you know after checking my schedule. Just in case."

He had a thousand things to do, but an hour shouldn’t be a problem. It was better to handle the smaller projects sooner rather than later.

“Thank you! Oh yeah, the book store was very pleased with the autographed illustration that Yoshino drew. Could you thank him for me?"

“That's good to hear. Let me know if you need anything else."

The other day, Yoshino did an illustration for the bookstore exhibition because he couldn't accept the offer to hold an autograph session. He felt awful for not being able to accept the invitation.

"Chiharu Yoshino" often got offers for autograph sessions. However he refused all of them without any exceptions because he didn’t want anyone to know he was actually a man.

He didn't mean to hide that fact at first, but it became more difficult to bring up as he gained popularity. He thought the fans would be accepting if it ever went public, however Yoshino didn’t want to ruin the image his readers had. He wanted the audience to purely enjoy his work without any assumptions.

That was the reason he only did written interviews, and any comments were kept to a bare minimum. In return, he was willing to go to lengths with the bookstore to please fans. No matter how busy he was, Yoshino would always accept.

“I apologize regarding the autograph session the other day.”

"No, don't worry about it. Many writers like to keep to themselves, right? The other day I was forced to fill in a host because they didn’t have enough people at an event. I understand it’s a lot of pressure to appear in front of people.”

As he listened to Henmi, they arrived at the office building. They parted ways at the elevator, and he headed to the upper floors. As expected, there was no one on the comics floor yet. He hung his coat and sat on his desk. He turned on the PC and went through his emails. There were a lot of things that needed to be checked, as per usual.

Why were there so many things that needed urgent confirmation at the end of the week? Things would go a lot smoother if they send it on Friday morning at least. That was what he always thought to himself.

He couldn’t help letting his thoughts wander towards such inane things in the morning.

Just as we have our circumstances, they have their own.

As much as he was fed up with putting in the three-digit for new emails, he pulled himself together and started to sort through them. Sorting them by subject, he started replying to the ones with the closest deadlines.

He checked for any typos on the obi’s design for the campaign, along with forwarding it to the artist for confirmation. He also had to submit the advertisement design for the manga by the end of the day. That and print out a multiple paged proposal for confirmation. He would also like to finish the circulation request application and begin to put together the synopsis for the manga.

People think that being an editor was a highly creative job. Of course, that was one aspect of the job, but there was also a lot of negotiation with various departments and detailed paperwork.

The process of clearing away the piles upon piles of work and making it smaller was something he greatly enjoyed. He was always good at working hard, and can work better as long as he can see the results.

“Good morning, Hatori-san.” As he was immersing himself in his work, another editor had come to work. He looked up when he was approached, and saw that it was Onodera Ritsu, the youngest in the Emerald editing department.

“Good morning.”

He had joined the company midway through his career, and was apparently in charge of literature at his previous company. He had no experience in manga editing before coming to Marukawa Shoten, but his diligence and hard work have made him an indispensable member of the editorial department.

He had the title of “the son of Onodera publishing”, but it wasn’t a particularly important piece of information when it came to his work. His connections had nothing to do with his work.

“Today is the day of the magazine line up. I can’t get used to this day no matter how many times it comes. I always end up going to the bookstore on the day it goes on sale.”

“That’s right. I usually go to the bookstore on the day it goes on sale.”

“Wait, you too Hatori-san?”

“Of course. I’m interested in both the sales and the reactions.”

Hatori always felt anxious around the release date of magazines and comics, and he worried about the sales and reputation.

He appreciated the numbers given to him by the sales staff, but he felt a sense of relief when he could actually see them being taken to the checkout counter.

“I thought Hatori-san would have a more calm and composed attitude.”

"That’s not true. Well, I just don’t let it show on my face.”

Hatori had the normal emotional ups and downs like everyone else, but he had a hard time letting them show. Even as a child, he was often told that he was calm for his age, but that was probably because he had the expressive Yoshino by his side.

“Oh, that's right! The manuscript will be submitted as soon as the vacations are over. How is Yoshikawa-sensei's progress going?”

Onodera, who was in charge of progress, must have been worried about Yoshino’s work.

“It seems to be going better than usual. We're at the rough sketch stage.”

“Really? That’s amazing!”

“It’s been okay for now. You can relax, you’ll see what happens in the end.”

The reason he couldn’t let go was because of past experiences. It was only when you let your guard down that things got even worse. The more prepared you were, the less likely you were to panic when the time came.

He believed that Yoshino would come up with good work, and he didn’t believe that he was lying, but he didn’t trust Yoshino’s ability to manage his schedule at all.

“If you’re motivated, you’ll be fine. I’m very excited for the new year!”

Hatori couldn’t help but feel envious of Onodera’s sincerity to believe so honesty.

“I can only hope he will meet your expectations,” he said, staring at the calendar on his desk.

“It’s that time already…?” Hatori glanced at the clock on the floor and sighed.

He had planned to leave earlier, but he had been working for just a little longer, and now time had passed.

Hatori felt like he had more extra work to do than on a normal Monday. He was also frustrated by the fact that he couldn't make as much progress as he wanted to because he was busy checking details.

I guess when something good happens, there's always something bound to happen…

However, there was no end to it if he didn't cut it off at the right time. After reviewing the synopsis of the comic that he had just finished, Hatori decided to send the writer a confirmation email and call it a day.

He checked my unanswered emails, made arrangements for work tomorrow, and was about to shut down his PC when a new email arrived.

“Hmm?”

The email was from Nakahara.

Hatori had contacted her at noon to discuss the problem she was having. She seemed to have been in trouble, but he was able to solve it without as much trouble as he had thought.

Apparently, she was able to draw the storyboard of the piece they solved and sent it to him as soon as she could. The attached file seemed to be the new two pages.

I told her that she could send it to me only after he had finished it…

He knew it was painful to want to see him right away, but it was important to hold back and think for yourself. If she didn’t, she may become dependent on him.

At the end of the email from Nakahara, she wrote, "I would like you to directly instruct me on my storyboard.”

“Directly, huh…?” There was nothing in particular that he needed to discuss in person, but Hatori wondered if it would be better to see her again before he started work.

There were times when it was more reassuring to say the same words face-to-face.

Hatori had met her twice before, once when he brought her in and another time when she was assigned to him.

At that time, she was shy and didn't say much, but as they talked on the phone and via email, she seemed to relax.

Hatori, who had been pondering how to respond, came back to reality when someone suddenly called out.

“Tori. Are you gonna come to the drinking party the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes, I will.”

The person who called out to Hatori was his coworker Kisa Shouta.

Kisa was older than Hatori, but his small frame and baby face made him look much younger. He was often mistaken for a part-timer by outsiders, but he was a full-time employee.

He was a cheerful and caring person in the Emerald editorial department, and he often helped to ease the tense atmosphere before the publication.

“Then, everyone’s attending. Be at the usual place at seven o'clock. Let me know if you're going to be late.”

“Okay.”

The day after tomorrow was the last day of work, and he was deeply happy to think that this year would soon be over.

Every year, he was so busy with his daily work that the year went by in a flash. Especially in December, the speed of the year was much faster.

“Hey, I know that serious face of yours. Is Yoshikawa-sensei's progress getting worse again?”

“No, his progress has been good so far.”

If Hatori had a problem, then it was inevitable that Yoshino’s situation would be suspected first.

“Seriously, it might actually snow before the end of the year…If it’s not Yoshikawa-sensei, then who is it?”

It was a horrible thing to say, but since Hatori thought the same thing, he supposed it was a normal reaction.

"It's not that I'm concerned about the progress.”

“Well, what are you so worried about? Tori’s sighing at work, what’s wrong?”

Kisa’s keen eye for observation was astonishing. To be honest, he didn't even realize he was sighing.

You’ve got me there…

It had been a while since Hatori had been in charge of a rookie, but he never thought he would have to worry about how to interact with an author.

“I'm having a little trouble with the author I'm in charge of now, Nakahara-san."

“Nakahara-san? Oh, you mean the new girl! She's really good at drawing, isn't she? Her prize-winning work was quite easy to read, it seems like she'll be popular if she makes her characters more traditional.”

“I think so too.” That was why he spent so much time on the plot. The story he was working on now was the first one that they were working on together.

In a world where fads came and went, no one knew what kind of work would be successful.

Still, he could use the know-how he had accumulated as an editor to widen the scope of his work and make its merits more visible to readers.

To put it another way, It was the writer's job to forge the jewel and an editor's job was to help polish said jewel. But he couldn’t teach her how to polish it and help her.

“Didn't Takano-san give you the OK for the plot the other day? Aren't you working on the storyboard now?”

Hatori had asked Kisa to read through the plot before it was completed. As the reader changes, so do their thoughts. Opinions from a different perspective were valuable.

“I heard that she was stuck on the storyboard. She has a lot of talent, but she doesn't seem to have confidence in it, so she's having a hard time.”

He couldn’t say for sure without seeing the final product, but at the moment Hatori didn’t see any major problems with the storyboard.

Hatori thought that the panels were a little too detailed, but it depended on the balance of the whole that he would fix. At that point, it was hard to judge.

The parts that were bothering him were things that he could overcome if he thought about it.

It would be easy for Hatori to intervene, but if she let the editor's opinion dictate everything, he would lose track of whose work it was.

“I used to say, "Well, you can't help it in the beginning. I'm often told, ‘The more you fix it, the less you understand it.’ I guess we'll just have to let them finish.”

“I told her that, but she kept asking me to check every second page. I'd give her advice, but it's hard to give partial advice.”

“Oh… that’s tricky… So it's the mental part that needs to be followed up on, right?"

Kisa folded his arms and fell silent with a serious look on his face. He wasn’t sure what to do, but he was sure she would be fine.

Of course, in the end, it was a problem that the writer had to overcome on her own. However, as her editor, there were some aspects that he could support.

What Hatori was worried about was that he may have interfered too much in the beginning, because he wanted to bring out the best in a talent that was still in its infancy.

"Are you sure you're saying it's interesting, or are you just being paranoid about compliments?"

There were times when Hatori felt so insecure that he felt as if every affirmation had an ulterior motive.

In such cases, he tried to make them understand that he was telling them the truth by sharing why he thought it was theoretically interesting or pointing out the parts that weren't so good.

In fact, it was more troublesome to have someone blindly follow you. Hatori didn’t want people to abandon their thinking and leave everything to the editor.

However, Hatori’s recent concern with Nakahara was that this tendency was becoming stronger.

“I've been wondering about that when you asked me to give you firsthand guidance.”

The fact that she wanted to meet with him meant that even though Hatori had tried to tell her over the phone and by e-mail that it would be interesting and that there was nothing to worry about, she still hadn't shaken off her anxiety.

“What? You mean the author asked you to meet her?”

“Yes. I think it might be better to talk to her face-to-face again to ease her nervousness.”

“...Are you sure about that?” Kisa gave him an uneasy look.

“About what?”

“Well, the fact that she asked to see you is a bit of a problem…”

“I'm worried that she's a little dependent on me, but I'm sure she'll calm down once she gets used to me.”

"No. But look, of course if Tori thinks meeting up is a good idea then you should go for it. But, you know, be careful and don’t get too involved.”

He knew what Kisa was worried about when he gave him such advice. To put it bluntly, he wanted to make sure she didn't fall in love with Hatori.

Not that he was being conceited, but it wasn't as if that hadn't happened to him before. He thought Kisa was worried about Hatori because it reminded him of the past.

Most authors keep their work and their private lives separate, but there were some who merge the two.

In the midst of the seriousness and closeness of the relationship between editor and writer, there was a tendency to perceive it as a personal tension.

“I know. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything rash.”

For now, Hatori didn’t plan on seeing her right away because Nakahara's progress wasn’t particularly urgent and there were many other things that were more pressing.

He was sure they would have time to discuss it when the storyboard was finished.

“I hope you're right. Tori is very popular with writers. Every time I go to a party, writers always ask me, ‘Is Hatori-san still single?’ You’re so honest and devoted that it would be deceitful to make them dream that you’re still single~”

“I'm just doing my job.”

Hatori did things differently depending on the type of author, but he didn’t give special treatment to any of the authors he worked with, and he didn’t dare cut corners.

Of course, as people, he didn’t do anything that might upset them. He was drawing a firm line in the sand.

......Except for Yoshino.

In fact, there was no author that took as much time to write as Yoshino. If you asked him, he would deny he was playing favorites. To be exact, he spent extra time with him due to his personal feelings.

Normally, Hatori wouldn’t cook a meal, clean the house, or do the laundry just because an author asked him to.

Of course, as his childhood friend, he was just helping out, but he had never thought of it as his job as an editor.

That was why Hatori made sure to switch it on and off and give Yoshino as much private time as possible.

“That’s just normal.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, what’s normal for Tori may strike a nerve with a girl.”

“I mean, you've got a lot of older authors who like you.��

“They just think I'm easy to tease and I'm not serious. It's fine if you're like Takano-san, but Tori's serious.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

Just as his name came up in Hatori’s conversation with Kisa, Masamune Takano, who had just returned from a meeting, walked by.

“Ah, welcome back Takano-san.”

“Here's a souvenir. So, what were you talking about with that serious face of yours?"

Masamune Takano was the editor-in-chief of “Monthly Emerald.” Although he was younger than him, he was Hatori’s direct superior.

There was an uproar in many ways when he joined the company.

One of the reasons was that he was a mid-career hire from another company who was selected as the editor-in-chief with great fanfare. But what attracted more attention was his appearance.

It was mainly the female employees who were in an uproar. Surrounded by these women, whose eyes had lit up, they were asked, "Does Takano have a girlfriend? Is he single?” He remembered well how Kisa crawled away from them.

Even now, he seemed to have many fans within the company, and there were several female employees who tried to give him gifts on his birthday and Valentine's Day.

Takano refused all birthday gifts, and on Valentine's Day, he accepted gifts from the entire editorial department, but every year there were a few gifts that looked to be chocolate.

He didn’t keep track of his private life, but he guessed a man like Takano had a certain partner. He must be having a smooth relationship.

His work ethic was nothing short of talent. He was one of the best hit-makers in the company, strict with himself and others, and Hatori had never seen him cut corners.

At his previous company, he had been an editor of a boys' magazine and had no experience with girls' magazines, but he was able to turn around Monthly Emerald, which was on the verge of collapse due to a drastic drop in circulation, within a year.

Everyone acknowledged that the Monthly Emerald of today would not have been possible without Takano. That was why the editorial staff, including himself, were following him.

“I told Tori to watch out for her, because he was popular with writers.”

"What, are you being pursued?”

It seemed that Takano's perception was not so different from Kisa's. Looking at it from the other side, Hatori wondered to himself if he was so naive.

“No, that's not what I meant…”

“I'm not sure yet, but I'm pretty sure he will be. I feel like his guard is looser than before."

“Wait. I'm not so sure about that.” He countered Kisa's assurances with certainty, but he was starting to feel a little unsure.

“Because that's what you want to see at this time of year.”

“By ‘this time of year,’ do you mean Christmas? And it's not like I said she wanted to see me.”

“To be precise, she said, ‘I want you to help me directly’” The nuance was a little different. If she was more concerned about the event, she would have approached him earlier.

"Is it like asking for direct guidance? In fact, I wanted you to ask me to meet with you, but it didn't work out, so you asked me yourself.”

“I think that's too much of a guess…”

Perhaps because of Hatori’s profession, the editor of a girl's magazine had a slow imagination when it came to this kind of topic. The reason he couldn’t just laugh it off as overthinking was that Kisa's suspicions were highly accurate.

“Tori, you're very popular with serious and reserved girls, aren't you? Many of the girls who go for Takano-san are fans, but in Tori's case, there are a lot of serious girls.”

"That’s true.” He was at a loss for words to reply when Takano so bluntly affirmed.

“So, who asked you to meet up?"

“…The new rookie I’m in charge of, Nakahara-san.”

“Oh, that's her. She used to be shy, but she's grown quite fond of Hatori, hasn't she? I mean, you just finished the plot the other day. What do you do for immediate guidance?”

“It seems that the storyboard is not going well, and she's getting impatient. At the moment, it's about a third of the way through…”

“Yes. I think it’s a bit too frequent.”

“To be honest, I’m worried too.”

“What?”

“You seemed to be in touch with her a lot. You've been answering the phone with a despondent face, and I've been wondering about it.”

When he was on his desk and answering the phone, it was easy to guess who they were talking to. Takano, the chief editor, seemed to be concerned about Hatori’s situation.

To be honest, he wasn't without his concerns, but Hatori didn't expect him to be that concerned about him. He may be in a more precarious situation than he realized.

It was his belief that when he was in charge of something, Hatori should put all his effort into it. However, if that caused misunderstandings, then he needed to reconsider how he interacted with them.

"I'm sorry to have caused you so much concern.”

“No, it's my fault for assigning her to you. I should have been a little more discerning of the type. If Kisa is right, you might want to take over as soon as possible.”

“...You’re right.” It was true that it was harder to do things when there were feelings that were non-work related. It may be necessary to take her feelings into consideration.

It was very possible that she was just respecting him as her first editor.

“Well, there's no point in mulling it over. Now is not the time. I'll just have to accept it.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It pains me to be bothering you with something outside of work. It's my own inadequacies that make me worry.”

“It's not your place to apologize. There’s nothing for you to apologize for, but since we're going to make something good, I hope it goes well.”

“Yes.”

Hatori surrendered to Takano's encouragement. Hatori told himself that the only thing he could do was to do his best to produce the best product.

Edit- 05/14/2024: Added the illustration

#sekaiichi hatsukoi #sekai ichi hatsukoi #sih #sih domestica #torichia #hatori yoshiyuki #yoshino chiaki #hatori yoshiyuki no baai #it's the queue shot #lilly's translations

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