#but also as a pk i sort of just feel sad

[bluegekk0]

Do any sort of spirits/ghosts exist in your AU? And I don't mean how it is in the game like the dream spirits and warriors, but like past spirits following a person haunting a place that isn't associated with essences. I forgot whose AU it was, but there is one where PK is a ghost attached to a charm and follows The Knight. Is there something similar except they can't truly interact with the world.

Like I would imagine some spirit of Herrah following Hornet and gives her comfort when she is feeling sad, though Hornet has only a feeling of comfort but nothing is happening in the physical world. But I would imagine her soul would be at rest, just an example. (Also sorry for the long ask, just have a lot to add and say.)

Hm I'm not sure. I'm not a particularly spiritual person so I always imagined the AU world to be more... I guess grounded? There is magic, though, so it's definitely blurring the line, even if I imagine the essences are more like forces of nature than true magic, and the spells and such simply developed from them, gaining more "magical" properties. There is a higher plane where the gods live, and in those kinds of portrayals of godhood there is usually an aspect of afterlife included. So maybe?

It's a difficult question to be honest, it would make sense for that to be a thing, but I haven't really thought about it before. I did consider extending how the dream essence works, though, so time for a loud thinking session to figure it out. Hope you don't mind that.

---

Basically, just like the nightmare essence is drawn to fear and anxiety (and thus causes nightmares), perhaps the dream essence would be drawn to memories (and cause pleasant and hopeful dreams). Of course, many of those memories would be negative, so maybe there is some symbiosis between the two essences (which would go nicely with the idea that Grimm and The Radiance are siblings and were supposed to be equal). I do think the essences work independently from Grimm and The Radiance, their job was just to make sure nothing disturbs its balance in the Hallownest territory ("feeding" on it to draw power was a way of keeping the essence in check, so they can control its amount to an extent; which goes both ways, which leads into the infection).

Both essences can have negative effects when present in overwhelming amounts, causing signs of sickness and confusion, though in most cases it's not actually dangerous. The infection was an exception, The Radiance's rage influenced the dream essence to the point it became like a virus, infecting anyone who fell into its grasp (those who were vulnerable to her manipulation were the primary targets) and destroying their minds and bodies. But after her death, the dream essence returned to normal, and still persists. Meanwhile, Grimm's banishment weakened his powers and made him unable to detect essence at a large scale, only sensing it when it's close to him, so these days he only uses it as fuel for the Heart, as he's unable to fulfil his purpose. But again, the nightmare essence is independent from him, so he's not actually necessary for it to function, though it does mean that some areas with large amounts of essence can experience mild symptoms of sickness (dead kingdoms, for example, are such places, which is why he sends his Grimmkin to search for them so he can use as ritual grounds).

---

But to return to the question:

This would also explain the spirits we see in the game - since they manifest from dream essence, perhaps they would simply be images from the past rather than actual spirits. In large amounts, those images can be interacted with, though they're usually not fully aware of what is happening around them (and only those who hold the dream nail can see them). In smaller amounts, perhaps you could only hear their words, the ones they spoke when they were still alive.

So they wouldn't be able to follow someone, as they are bound to the essence that manifests at their final resting place. Perhaps Hornet could hear some faint words in her head when visiting Herrah's resting place, those her mother said to her when she was a child. This is as far as it would get, though perhaps she would find a little bit of comfort there.

It's possible that the spirits move on to some kind of afterlife, but they wouldn't be able to interact with anyone in the physical realm. What remains is just a memory of them, a faint glimpse of what they were like during their life. A small window into the past, one that can't be seen by most, but can be felt and maybe even heard.

So I suppose haunted places would be a possibility. Someone would have to be buried there, and the dream essence would need to be present in high amounts. And if those conditions are met, I could absolutely see some places having the reputation of being haunted, with whispers and voices playing in the minds of those who wander there.

I hope this answers your question. I might still brainstorm these ideas in the future, and eventually write them down. But these kinds of asks are great since they prompt the concept phase of writing, which makes me think about ideas I haven't considered previously. Though the downside is that I change some things all the time. But you all seem to like my rambling so I guess that's not a huge issue? I do want to sit down and work on the AU page to write it all down, eventually. Just have to deal with irl stuff first...

#ask stuff #feral pk au #au worldbuilding #save #grimm #nkg #radiance

[nonuggetshere]

(Apologetic tone)

Sorry if I seemed like a nit picking asswad, It was late at night when I typed that question and the social part of my brain was turning into cheese.

(Lighthearted tone)

And thank you, I can't help but wonder why PK was so easily overpowered by his child (especially since they had just fought all 5 knights), and feel sad abt WL and PK breaking up and wonder why as well, But both are nothing a little HCs, trauma conga lines, and applied pletheonium can't fix, Am I right?

It's fine, dw ^^ I figured

And yeah PK could most likely win against them and he was ready to kill until he saw their eyes and realised it isn't Radiance, but his child. His very much alive child. He refused to fight back at that moment, at first from shock but then realising he couldn't bring himself to hurt them, and just resorted to dodging; which didn't turn out great for him because while they're not as strong as him they are faster and more agile, and unlike him they don't get tired as easily thanks to their voud nature, so he couldn't dodge forever. White Lady also almost managed to win, and she very much would have, because she didn't hold back like her husband, except Radiance intervened at this point and it became a 2 v 1 which she quickly lost after getting yet another major wound from a surprise attack (PK couldn't assist her, because at this point Hollow had stabbed him half to death and poisoned him with void to keep him weak and drain him of SOUL). Hollow is lucky Radiance was there and their father did care about them somewhat or that fight would have gone very differently.

As for WL and PK, they're still very much in love even after their separation, but their relationship just couldn't survive the fallout of what happened.

There is a version of the AU where the two of them die though, and they sort of stay together post-death? Hard to have a divorce as ghosts when they both want to watch over Hollow, but their relationship does take a blow. They grow close again over time because it's hard not to when you spend years sticking close together, and they're the only person who can see and hear you.

#asks #thylacines can talk #usurper au

[pengosolvent]

"Haven't checked in on this thread in some days, so rate me late for this if you want, but damn is it sad to see that Pengo devolved into just another constant orbiter of Glip. The guy practically went MIA on most of his accounts and seems to have abandoned much of his old stuff, and all of it just so he can be a full-time asskisser, to the point he's basically a carbon copy of her in ways of behaviour. That's tragic. Here's to hope he doesn't get any ideas to fuck dogs too." - KF User

I used to talk to KF users a bit Like on twitter or elsewhere, sometimes they'd approach me or sometimes I'd try to talk to them They were pretty nice to me, when they weren't in public on the forum

So I'm going to try to read this in a genuine light, because what I learned from talking to so many users was that many of them have this sort of persona they put there to not get hurt, because many of them assume that others won't listen to pain … And many of them were actually in a lot of pain I was too, and there were many times I acted pretty hatefully, so I guess I'm not really surprised this is at least one sentiment about me on there (I haven't really checked KF for years and don't intend to check anymore. I used to when I was more afraid of everything going on)

I'm not sure if you, anon, are the KF user being quoted or not, but I'm assuming you agree with whatever you believe is the sentiment in the remark here or at the very least felt something strong enough from it that you thought I should see it

I'm not sure what your end goal is, presumably to get me to reply I want to reply, so in that instance we are both in agreement

"Haven't checked in on this thread in some days, so rate me late for this if you want, but damn is it sad to see that Pengo devolved into just another constant orbiter of Glip."

I don't understand why someone being someone's friend is considered being an orbiter. It sounds like if I want to spend time around someone, that is bad? The thread itself is all about them, which is also putting attention onto Glip, just from a removed distance. KFers were really excited when Glip actually went to KF, trying to get attention and such (at least from what I heard) so I'm not sure I understand very well. I recognize though that not all KFers are a monolith, so this one may think the other KFers were being bothers by trying to interact with Glip. I also don't understand why this is considered sad…

I went on KF some years ago and asked for issues others had that I would talk to Glip about, and then I did, and I tried to work with them to consider how they hurt others and why, and tried to listen repeatedly to what others said about Glip and how they were hurt

I also know there is a level of turnaround for KF threads, so the current users may not be the same as the previous users, but I guess I feel confused as to why my intent there that I stated and followed through with is treated as though it doesn't exist

Is it because I didn't go back to give step by step updates on everything? Things happen offscreen sometimes… Like how so much of what Marl did was hidden… It doesn't mean that it didn't happen or wasn't real

I didn't forget my own pain or the pain of others in the way I act? I try to be respectful when I can, but I also don't want to be stuck living in 2013 -2014 (when I was hurt) forever I try to remember what others wanted me to keep private, and not share that while still trying to ask PK and talk to them if things seem to possibly cause harm? I talked to Glip about my issues and pain and they talk to me about theirs, and I talked a lot and vouched for others like Lain and Bigfluff and Hare, sometimes to the extent that I would remove Glip's feelings from the equation which… was not healthy either

I guess, there's a level of negativity attached to the word "orbiter" that I don't understand (to be fair, I am not up to date on a lot of words and terms) It feels like attachment to someone or trying to understand their emotions or help them is seen as bad

Maybe it is seen as bad because the person I am around is Glip? In which case, I am not really sure I can understand that because I put in a lot of work to help them see more of what was going on after Marl left? I talked to my psych a lot and PK even talked to my psych too? Like, there is a level of … Assuming I haven't put forth a lot of my own effort and external efforts to make sure I'm safe and that I do feel that PK is updating

I guess, it feels like there is no real connecting that there is a reason I am around them when in the past I was so averse and in pain? It just flips into "Pengo is now just as bad" which does confuse me

I tried to talk to people if they come to me with concerns and if I see the message and if they're not being hurtful to me

Admittedly, I haven't been online as often so that has lessened, but it's not like I think everything that happened in the past has been erased? But I also don't feel that people can't change I also don't feel that if someone is still in pain from things, that their pain is not real or didn't happen

But the way I'm talked about here acts like that is the case If that's how they feel, that is not something I can make them NOT feel, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me

I've been spending a lot of time trying to process my own feelings to talk to friends I've been hurt by a lot or have hurt a lot, a lot is going on in my life, so this sort of black and white engagement feels so disconnected to me

"The guy practically went MIA on most of his accounts and seems to have abandoned much of his old stuff, and all of it just so he can be a full-time asskisser, to the point he's basically a carbon copy of her in ways of behaviour." PK goes by they/them, but actually, I haven't abandoned my work? I don't know why that assumption is made. My characters and stories are still mine even if I don't post online? If this user is sad I don't post online and misses my work, they don't have to assume that I just abandoned all of it. IRL stuff happens. Working through PTSD, working through home life issues, needing money, having pushy people vying for my attention a lot in a way that makes it feel easier to just not be online outside of closed interactions of my choosing I don't feel the need to broadcast my life publicly…? I was working on a game, and I was working on music too, me not posting about this doesn't mean I've given everything up? I understand I look MIA or whatever, but I don't understand thinking that means I've "abandoned much of my old stuff" I don't abandon things, I just don't feel motivated enough to finalize things when others hurt me

I can imagine a response to that being that maybe I am too sensitive, that I should learn to ignore more things online or not take it too to heart or whatever, but… I want to be able to connect to people and understand them more. So when people online are thoughtless or careless towards me, I don't want to ignore it. I feel like ignoring things feels quite bad actually

Trying to ignore how Glip hurt me instead of talk about it didn't help anyone really So, I'm trying to sort my feelings out specifically so I can be happy with my work again and focus on it in a way that feels healthy for me, without becoming so bogged down by what others say or are like

I'm not an art machine, or rather, I don't want to be one beholden to others who may not care about my feelings or needs (I've encountered a lot of entitled people about my work). Things in my life affect me and that affects my work I miss my passion for my art, I miss when I could connect more openly about art and not feel like people just want me to do whatever they wanna see and hurt me when I don't do that

My art is tied to my feelings and mental health, and while I've had a therapist for years, there's still a lot to work through. I also unfortunately can't take a lot of medication that would help me regulate my feelings more because of a problem with my liver no one really knows how to 'solve' so it kind of sucks I feel like I'm rambling. Oops.

As for being a copy in terms of behavior, I don't think that is a call that can be made accurately considering how small of a window KF users see into the lives of others? Like, I don't want to agree or disagree with the sentiment, I just genuinely cannot feel like this is a call that can be made and… I don't even know what they're referencing.

I did hear that someone thought I was being bad in some way by asking questions about a user's poetry? I try to be open and ask questions Some people get hurt by that, which I don't fully understand… But I also have Schizoid Personality Disorder which makes it harder for me to understand my impact on others relating to emotions sometimes I did mention it in that conversation too The user also seemed fine with questions and encouraged them from what I recall? I also mentioned something I said might cause harm too, so… I guess I don't understand if I was supposed to 'know' not to even try to ask the question at all?

I recognize my tone can come off as distant or cold, when I'm just kind of… I dunno I guess sometimes people take my flat affect weirdly, like I am putting out feelings there that I'm not actually feeling And sometimes, when I try to care and ask about people's feelings, they lash out at me? When they seemed to be nice before? So I just really don't undesrtand I'm trying to learn how to have feelings and share those feelings as opposed to just dancing around unwritten social rules I never understood

I know I can also react in frightened ways sometimes, especially earlier on when first joining the server, though that doesn't seem very different from how I used to act? Like, being scared of people is something I've struggled with for decades…?

I used to try to just be quiet and not ask questions when I had them, but that would get me hurt a lot and hurt others by assumptions I made It also made me… really isolated? Because I can't… really get close to anyone if I don't understand them

I get stuck on logic easily, I want to be able to ask things I recognize that can sometimes hurt others if maybe they think I'm asking questions in a way to put forth a "gotcha" maybe? But that's… not it? If I notice some kind of discrepency I want to actually understand it? I want to see why it's there of if I misunderstood something…

So I guess I don't really understand what's being referenced directly here, though I recognize the user (if they are not you, anon) probably didn't intend for this to be read by me anyway

I am replying to something pretty devoid of context

I don't understand the remark of being a full-time asskisser since I'm not even always on flora or whatever? Like, my online presence isn't my entire life…? I talk a lot sometimes, I have trouble being succinct (you can see that clearly here in this reply), but I am confused on the remark

It paints me as caring about a friend or being in their server as in contrast to caring about my own works? Like "The guy practically went MIA on most of his accounts and seems to have abandoned much of his old stuff, and /all of it just so he can/ be a full-time asskisser"

It implies that the reason I don't post online is so I can be in flora? Which is a weird conclusion. Like, I "abandoned much of my old stuff" "just so I can" post in flora? If I was doing that, wouldn't I join flora under an alt and delete my old accounts? Like, if I abandoned my work, why leave my accounts up? I cannot follow the logic very well. It feels like resentment towards me for spending time in the flora servers when I "should" be spending it working on my OCs and these two positions are mutually exclusive?

They don't feel mutually exclusive to me, is the thing? There's a lot of assumptions I can't quite untangle…

I want to spend my time in the way I feel helps me understand myself Talking to PK and untangling a lot of past pains helps me and helps me feel like positive change is possible if, after a feud of 6 years things could become better

I am sorry this apparently comes off as me "abandoning" my work… It does sound like to some extent this KF user valued my work and is hurt that I have not been posting online But again, I mainly have been lessening in posting online because I've been struggling for years with getting hurt online and I just finally decided to stop unless I feel like it

I WAS working on posting a new song for 99NONE, I actually have 5 completed songs, but they need titles and I wanted to write descriptions for them and then when I was going to post it, Iris decided to leak logs from the servers in the middle of me also getting really hurt at home with a lot of family trouble that's been going on since I was basically born, so it just… fell to the backburner, I guess?

This is kind of what I mean by… my art and posting is tied to my mental health and what goes on in my life I don't think I ever really learned how to have "fun" posting things very well

I got derailed, basically, I still care about my original work but it is tied up in a lot of difficult emotional trauma built up over years that I'm taking time to untangle

This is assuming that the poster actually cared about my work and didn't just bring it up as a way to try to act like I'm being stupid in some way for not working on original things and spending some of my time near Glip

"That's tragic." What is tragic? There are some assumptions being made… I don't really understand them. I stopped drawing my OCs because posting online felt extremely performative and I needed money and OCs just… really didn't make any I don't LIKE selling my art in ways that feel like marketing and whatever else

I don't like twitter, my art flow has been on the decline for years What used to motivate me is hard to come by, it's really common for me to be treated like a commodity than a person and it makes it hard to feel like I want to share art? I feel deep pain in regards to posting online that started when I was 11 and then deepened when I was 15 because I got semi-popular and people were garbage to me Yeah, a lot of other people maybe got through that fine, but it doesn't mean I ever fully processed all that and me taking time to try to understand that pain and not be exposed to posting stuff and getting hurt from that is… My choice?

People using my music and art without caring about the feelings I put into it is commonplace, it hurts the ways I view my art

What actually causes me to stop posting art and making art is people being thoughtless and careless in how they handle interactions with online artists… What feels tragic to me is how commonplace it is for others to be dismissive and thoughtless toward creative works or just others in general

"Here's to hope he doesn't get any ideas to fuck dogs too." If you're genuinely hoping for my wellbeing and the wellbeing of animals, then we have that in common

I had already shared how Marl tried to groom me into that and bypassed my feelings and pain to try to convince me that fucking animals is Fine, and I actually really dislike anything to do with IRL animals being sexual and have for years even before Marl tried to push me into things

Marl isn't around PK anymore, and I don't feel comfortable interacting in NSFW spaces (been unraveling a lot of ways NSFW spaces have hurt me a lot), and I don't even do sexual things IRL, so at the very least I can guarantee you that I'm not going to do anything with dogs

Glip has never pushed anything like that on me (Marl himself in logs I posted online said that PK was NOT a fan of dog stuff and basically begged me not to talk to them about what he liked) and actually supported me in regards to other sexual trauma I haven't really talked about publicly, and has been really good at checking on how I feel in regards to more sensitive topics or trauma

Someone else who used to be a close friend of Glip's in the past (but were no longer in contact) also vouched that Glip didn't like what Marl forced them into re: dogs, and this was before I actually reconnected to PK, so they didn't really have a reason to vouch for them outside of genuinely recognizing how hurt they were

That means taking me at my word though, which may be difficult with all these assumptions in play

I wanted to reply because I still don't really understand your decision to send me this text anon, and I did consider just ignoring it, but that actually hurt me more than to try to reply I don't know if I will keep replying though, because I don't really feel much from being weirdly middle-manned like this, and I feel like I've said what I want to say currently

Invulnerable sentiments like these feel difficult to parse, I'm sorry if I've barked up the wrong tree entirely

[beetlemancy]

so i finished Midnight Mass tonight. i thought i would have a lot to say about it, but honestly i feel like the whole thing was more of a horror story to people outside fundamentalism. if you come from the inside, it was all pretty par for the course.

yes, even the likening of sacrament to vampirism

i think it was beautifully done as always, beautifully written. i thought it portrayed the enticing nature of that kind of faith perfectly. i thought it showed how easily that type of community accepts people like beverly keane and how very little difference there is in the end between her and the people who thought they were kinder than her.

i think there's something to be said about how if you live your life in that kind of faith that you have to burn yourself in order to not be one of them, kill that part of yourself to not commit the kinds of horrors they did. lasciate ogni speranza voi ch'entrate, and all that jazz.

i liked the dream motif. its kind of funny how it seems a lot of us ex-pats from that world seem to really love star analogies.

#midnight mass #i think i could watch it again #maybe as a kind of catharsis #but also as a pk i sort of just feel sad #all those people remind me of people i know #and how far deep into the madness they still are #midnight mass spoilers #anyway walking into the sunset being a violent act is maybe the most relatable #cut to me in my early teens screaming out WT songs about the monster underneath the rose of religion #emo as it was

[heyheyloki]

U&I

Summary: The reader begins to realize his feelings for Saiki.

Saiki x M!Reader

Word Count: 8711

1. The Best Friends

Being friends with a psychic definitely had its ups and downs. At first, you didn’t notice a thing out of the ordinary with Saiki, well, granted you were kids when the both of you met so naturally you just wanted to be friends and thought nothing more. However, he noticed something odd with you the moment you two met.

He couldn’t read your mind.

Actually forget being about to read your mind, none of his psychic abilities worked on you. He couldn’t see through you and when he touched you without his super thin transparent gloves on nothing happened. You were basically immune to him.

At first, he thought something was wrong with you, or that maybe you had some psychic powers as well. That wasn’t the case at all. In reality, you were a normal human without any powers or tricks. That stumped Saiki even more, but it also became the soul reason he wanted to be your friend as well.

For one, he didn’t have to deal with your thoughts. Two, his image of you wasn’t ruined because he can’t see under your skin. Three, your calmer personality made him relax. And of course all those other things like your kindness and stuff, but those were irrelevant the moment he knew he couldn’t read your mind.

It’s been years since he met you in the park during recess, and now here you guys were, 16 years later and still friends. Oh, there was one thing that bothered him about you.

“What to hang out today?” You asked as you slung your bag over your shoulder.

“Sure.” Saiki said. Yep. That’s right, since he can’t get in your mind, he actually has to move his mouth when he talks to you.

It was a bit weird to others that he never did it with anyone else other than you, but he didn’t care.

On the way home he couldn’t help but notice you eyeing his antennas, the things that keep his powers stable. He turned his head towards you and gave you a curiosity look.

“Do those things poke at your head at all?” You asked, moving you hand up to poke at the top of the pink ball. “Like, does it make your head ichy?”

Saiki shook his head. He knew he had to talk to you at some points, but times like these he didn’t. He enjoyed that about you too, that you don’t force him to talk all the time. You knew it was a bit weird for him to talk, he explained it to you when he told you all about his powers.

“Hm,” you hummed out. Your hands going back at your side and into your pant pockets. “It would for me, if I was you. They just look painful, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do if you don’t wanna blow up the world.”

Saiki nodded his head, his eyes continuing to linger on you. It was one days like these when he saw you thinking so hard about something that he wished he could just take a peak. At some points, he loved the silence, especially when the both of you were watching movies, but right now, especially in this moment, he’d give anything to know. It was mostly prominent when he’d stare at you during class and you’d have this far out look in your orbs, you drew him in, and perhaps that’s why he fell for you.

Though, there were other factors that won his favor. Mostly the fact that, unlike everyone else, he can’t stare right through you and just see your raw muscles and pumping organs. Instead, he was able to focus on your handsome face and not get side tracked about your racing thoughts. You were the only person in the world that make him feel somewhat normal. That was a love-hate relationship at times.

“Think I could sleep over tonight?” You suddenly asked, “we don’t have school tomorrow.”

Saiki stared at you for a moment just to relish in that fact that nothing worked on you. No telekinesis, mind control, no nothing. He was going to have to win your favor just like everyone else. To him, it wasn’t normal, but looking at you, he didn’t seem to mind the extra work.

“Sure,” Saiki said. He still had trouble talking aloud, hell, sometimes he will actually use telekinesis and wait for your response only to have pure silence. “My parents are leaving for a wedding, so the house should be free for a while.”

When the two of you got to Saiki’s house, it was a bit peaceful until his parents had to head out. You liked his mom and dad a lot, they were like your second family, so you wanted to wish them a good time. It was for one Saiki’s dad’s coworkers.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come with us?” Saiki’s dad asked his son. “You’ve met Kirishima before, and you can bring [Name] as your plus one date.”

You knew Saiki wasn’t going to be interested in a wedding. He always told you normal happy events for others is misery for him since he can hear the jealousy and pity that the crowd is thinking. You felt sorry that he couldn’t turn it off, but you were glad that you were the only person he could catch a break with. However, when you looking over at Saiki, he seemed to entertain the thought.

It was a new side to Saiki, one that made you confused. It was always either you or no one. You could tell the way he wanted to get away from many of the people in his class that seemed to have declared themselves his friends from a small interaction. Sure, you felt their interest, but it was just a bit sad to you that Saiki could never actually enjoy friends unless they were pure. Otherwise, he could hear all the backstabbing thoughts or otherwise stupid comments that go around in their brain that was thought to be private to them.

“I’m going to have to pass,” you commented. “I don’t have a suit, besides, you two should enjoy the night. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you both go out alone.”

Saiki’s mom smiled widely at you. Her eyes clouding over with a wet film before wrapping her arms around you for a tight hug. “Ah, thank you, [Name]! What would we do without you?”

You chuckled softy at the comment before saying, “Who knows, I rather not think about that.”

When she finally let you go, you and Saiki waved the both of them off as they left. Honestly, you weren’t sure if they’d even make it back at a reasonable time. It was a wedding, after all. Oh well, as long as they make it back drunk and safe rather than drunk and not safe, you didn’t mind. You were sleeping over anyway, so right now, you just wanted to hang out with your childhood best friend.

“What do you wanna do?” You asked with a calming tone.

Saiki turned his head to you. “TV?”

“Sure,” you smiled. However, as soon as you turned to the living room, you noticed the absolute mess his parents left behind. So, out of the goodness of your heart, you said, “How about you find something and all clean up this in the meantime. Sound good?”

Saiki nodded once more. He truly thought your actions were kind, but he rather have you watching TV with him than picking up his dad’s dirty clothes. He knew his father tended to be sloppy, but this was just a mess.

As you were about to pick up a pair of jeans, all the clothes that were strewn about the floor suddenly started to float in the air and shoot into the open washing machine. The trash floated itself into the garage while everything else was moved around to make it look clean until otherwise.

You pressed your lips together as your brows furrowed in annoyance. Once you turned to Saiki and saw his innocence face, you knew you couldn’t be angry but you had to ask, “Do you really want me to watch TV with you that bad?”

“Yes,” Saiki stated.

You sighed, your lips parting as you left the oxygen leave your lungs. “Fine, but let’s both clean up a bit before than. It’ll be a nice surprise and a way to thank your parents for letting me stay the night.”

Saiki nodded. “Okay.”

It took a bit of convincing on your end to let him let you help out. You may not have powers, but you didn’t want to take advantage of his. You knew it was effortless and he made it seem like it didn’t affect him whatsoever, but you knew every time he does something it takes a toll. His powers aren’t perfect.

You both ended up cleaning the living room, Saiki’s room, and now you were in the kitchen sorting the trash. Saiki was using his powers to sort while you whipped down the countertops.

“Good grief,” Saiki said aloud, his voice drawing your eyes to him. He was crouched down with two bags in front of him and the garage floating upside down, it’s contents was either going in the first or second bag.

“What?” You asked curiosity. It wasn’t all the time that he speaks from his mouth without you talking first.

“How could anyone have let it get this dirty in here?” He asked aloud. “I mean, really it’s a wonder we don’t have bugs.”

You were going to respond. That was until he suddenly shut his mouth, a chest deep grunt leaving him as you notice him stare at something on the furniture next to him.

It was a cockroach.

Mind you, the moment you realized what it was you weren’t the least bit surprised when he suddenly teleported. Saiki hates bugs. He could read the minds of humans, as well as animals, but he couldn’t with bugs. He thought they were small minded icky things. Hell, he couldn’t even let his powers touch the thing.

You counted down the seconds before he came back. It was around ten, maybe fifteen. He also teleported right behind you.

“Welcome back,” you greeted and watched as his eyes dart towards the floor.

“Sorry, I may have overreacted.” He muttered. “I just hate them.”

“I know,” you hummed out before looking around and grabbing a cup and piece of paper. Saiki watched you as you let the roach crawl on the piece of paper before placing the cup over it so it didn’t run away. You were quick to put it outside and close the window after so Saiki didn’t worry about it coming back in.

“All gone,” you cheered with a smile. “Now, let’s watch TV, ya?”

2. Saiki’s Pushy Friends

PK Academy was a school were many different personalities and people collided. It was always fun to meet new people in this school, yet on the other side of the coin, sometimes they were more than a little odd. Not like you can speak, your best friend was a psychic. Though, he wasn’t delusional like this one guy in your class that declared himself Saiki’s friend. His name was Kaido. He thinks he has powers and has an evil organization following him around.

Then, you have Nendou. Basically, he’s stupid. Not that you minded, but sometimes being stupid isn’t the best thing in the world, especially now.

It was the sports festival at PK and Saiki and you had to participate in it. You both were on the same team since all the teams were decided by class. This also gave you a good idea of the friends Saiki has made. It was safe to say that Kaido was growing on you. You felt a little bad for the guy, what can you say.

Let’s not forget about Hairo as well. You knew him a bit more from hearsay than the others, plus he was class rep. Though, you had to say, he was a little too overly enthusiastic.

It was kind of a surprise to see Teruhashi, the most popular girl in school, try and interact with Saiki. Though, it was a bit amusing since to him, she’s nothing more than walking muscle. However, you did think he would swoon over her like all the other guys in your school if she was like you. However, you knew Saiki had no interest in romance so you don’t care either way.

Finally, Nendou. You were originally going to say that you didn’t mind the guy that much and thought maybe he would be a good thing for Saiki. However, after just watching him take out one of the antennas from Saiki’s head, you started to wonder how much of a danger his stupidity is to Saiki.

You watched that pink haired friend of yours collapse to the ground with a hard thud as soon as Nendou pull the thing out of his head. You were quick to rush over to him and sit by his side. When you flipped him over, since he fell face forward, worry grew about your body and infected your bloodstream.

You heard protests about turning him over, but at this point all the worried voices drowned before they were even audible to you. His lips were parted as drool leaked from his mouth and went down his chin, his eyes dead and without life as darkness surrounded them. It didn’t take you long to recover and swipe the antenna Nendou was holding and pop it back in its rightful place in his pink locks.

You didn’t know how long it would take for him to wake up, or if he’d wake up at all. All you knew was to sit and wait for him to wake up. To your surprise, he woke up rather quickly. Maybe a mere minute or so after you fixed him up. When his eyes opened, you felt yourself suddenly get surrounded as Saiki’s friends crowed over him to ask how he was.

You noticed him using telepathy to talk to everyone when Hairo said, “You passed out after Nendou took that think out of your head, lucky for you, [Name] put it back right away!”

“Yeah, he saved your life!” Kaido spit out next, their hands placing on my shoulder out of respect and gratitude. 

Saiki’s eye then direct to you, his voice never leaving his lips for a moment before you noticed him flinch.

‘Ah,’ you thought. ‘He tried to use telepathy with me again.’

When he noticed, Saiki just nodded in your direction. You knew he was thanking you, he didn’t need to word it out to you. The look in his eyes was enough.

Lunch came immediately after Saiki ended up waking up, and it was understatement to say he didn’t want to be bother with anyone else besides you. He was quick to drag you to the roof of the school to eat.

The both of you sat against the railing, lunch in your laps. You wanted I just forget about the scare that Saiki gave you, but the after effects he was having wasn’t making that easy. He was having trouble, and it was easy to see when his hands were shaking so much that he couldn’t even pick up his food without it falling back in the box.

You side eyed him, his expression one of concentration as he tried to pick up his food again. Though, he dropped it again.

He sighed quickly after that, only looking down at his food as you saw his mind wonder off.

Once you finished chewing whatever food you had in your mouth, you placed your food to the side and moved so that you weren’t side to side, but rather across from Saiki’s body now. He didn’t register your movements until he saw a hand come into his view and pick up an item of food with his chopsticks.

When he turned to you, you had the chopsticks in your dominant hand and your other under the food so it didn’t drop to the filthy ground.

“C’mon, lemme help,” you said. It was easy for Saiki to pick up the worry in your tone, however he knew not to address it or else you’ll just either deny it or baby him. “Open up.”

He obeyed your command after a moment, opening his mouth wide enough for you to place his food in his mouth. The hand that was meant to catch the food if it fell made sure Saiki closed his mouth, his fingers placed a bit of pressure under his chin to shut his jaws before slowly trailing away. The food wasn’t nearly as satisfying as the chill that ran down his spine at your lingering touch that crawled on his skin.

“I could hurt you.” He suddenly spit out. It was pained. “Having my antenna taken out messed up my powers.”

You leaned your head to the side, your eyes never falling from his. “Yeah, I kinda figured.”

“You should go.” He stated.

“Why?”

“I just told you.”

You smiled. “Saiki, you could never hurt me.”

He looked at you like you had something stuck in your teeth. “You don’t know that, I may not be able to read your mind, but I don’t know how my other powers react to you.”

You remained quiet for a moment before shuffling your body side by side again, your head falling to rest of Saiki’s shoulder. You felt him flinch at the contact, his muscles even began to tighten just out of fear.

“Yanno,” you started out saying, your hand coming up to play the antenna that you could reach. “It’s odd to me how these things are the only thing keeping you stable.”

“Is it?”

You chuckled and nodded. “Small things like these verses your powers. The thing that gets me is that these things actually win in that fight. Though, I suppose it does complete the look you have.”

“And what look is that?” Saiki asked as he gazed down at you to see your eyes already on him. He could feel his fingers twitch as he watched you say shamelessly, “The cute, mysterious loner type.”

Saiki’s lips parted as he gazed at you. He quickly recomposed himself when he noticed you waiting patiently for him to respond. He sighed before asking, “Mysterious loner? Where’d you get that?”

You laughed before sarcastically questioning, “yep, I wonder where.”

3. Your friends are my friends

You don’t know how you got wrapped into this, but perhaps it’ll allow you to know Saiki’s friends better.

Currently, you were walking with Kaido, Nendou, and Saiki to a good ramen shop Nendou suggested. You were dragged along when Nendou remembered you from the Sports Festival and as Saiki’s friend. They never really got the chance to speak to you since you’re usually out the door as soon as the bell rings, but today they finally caught you.

At some point Teruhashi joined the group, though you feel like she kinda took over since now the boys, except for Saiki and you, were fawning over her. Saiki and you took it upon yourselves to give them all room to talk to her, so you both sorts trailed behind.

It was silent for a while, the only noise was Nendou or Kaido talking to Teruhashi. However, you caught the, “what does that even mean,” that Saiki mumbled under his breath.

“Hm?” You hummed. “What does what mean?”

It was obvious to you he didn’t realize he said that aloud. But he just seemed to be glad that only you heard that.

“Teruhashi wants me to go ‘oh wow’ or something to her.” Saiki revealed. “I don’t even know what that means.”

You kept your gaze on Saiki for a moment. “So, she likes you?”

“I guess,” he muttered. “I think it’s more that I’m the only guy that isn’t kissing her feet.”

You watched Teruhashi interact with Nendou and Kaido. You know that, normally, she wouldn’t take time to hang out with these guys. However, because of her crush on Saiki, she bares with them. In all honesty, she seems a bit perfect. Being able to deal with them just for the person she adores. It’s easy for anyone to do, and not a lot of people would even bother.

“She seems like a good fit for you.” You suddenly uttered out.

When Saiki heard that, he felt his hands twitch. He didn’t like that, not one bit. What irked him the most was that it seemed natural, like you actually meant it. And, of course, he had no way of knowing if those words were genuine or actually forced.

“No way,” Saiki stated coldly. “Never in a million years.”

“Damn, that’s cold, Saiki.” He heard you say, a teasing tone wedged in your voice.

“Why do you keep calling me Saiki, anyway? We aren’t acquaintances.”

“Hm?” You questioned. “I thought you don’t like me calling you by your first name in public?”

Saiki sighed. “Well now I’m telling you I don’t care.”

Saiki knew this way of showing that you were closer to him than anyone would ever be may have been childish on his part, but when he heard his first name come from your lips in front of his other ‘friends’, he felt more than satisfied. 

4. Friendship Can Bring Romance

Being able to rest during class was one of your guilty pleasures. Even if you got called out by your teacher, you didn’t mind. It was better when it was raining outside, the patter of rain when it hit the window made you want to nap.

“Hey,” a voice called out to you. You didn’t listen though, it wasn’t important.

“Hey, [Name],” it called out again. Okay, maybe you should wake up. Then again, sleep. You could always sleep later though.

You fluttered your eyes open as you felt your body being pushed around. When your sight became focused, the blurry figure in front of you showed a blue hair kid. You knew him, but from where?

“Saiki asked me to wake you up, sorry,” he confessed.

Oh, right. That’s Kaido, Saiki’s friend.

“Hm? Where is Kusuo?” You asked in a groggy voice, your hand coming up to wipe your eyes.

“Oh, he went home.” Kaido informed you. “Something just came up, I guess.”

“Alright,” you hummed before the end of your lips pulled upward. “Thank you, Kaido.”

It wasn’t easy for Kaido to wake up the quiet kid. Kaido only met the guy once or twice, and when he was hanging with him, you only stayed close to Saiki. It was kinda odd, but Kaido understood your attachment to the pink haired man. Saiki was Kaido’s first friend, after all, so he knew how awesome the guy was.

Though, he’s never got the chance to speak to you. He knows Saiki never really goes anywhere with you, and somehow you always end up by his side. He just always seemed to miss you when it came to getting the chance to introduce himself so Kaido was pretty glad when you came along the trip to that ramen place, even if it was a dumb and he got distracted by Teruhashi.

Kaido knew you were the closest person to Saiki. He’s pretty sure that not even Nendou is as close to Saiki as you are. And those two are best friends. Kaido didn’t know the extend of how long you two have been friends, but he does know from watching that Saiki has respect for you. So, it was critical that he makes a great impression with you so that he can become closer to Saiki and maybe you as well.

“S-Sure, no problem!” He stuttered, his bandaged hand retracting from your shoulder and holding them up in the air in a surrendered notion.

“Do you live around here at all? I’ll walk you home as a thank you.” You said as you stood from your seat and began to search for your bag.

“What? You don’t have to do that, really, it isn’t necessary!” Kaido spit out quickly, his words jumping all over the place.

“It’s really no trouble at all,” you stated as you put your bag over your shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get going before the rain gets worse.”

The rain eventually stopped when both teens got closer to your house. Kaido’s was further ahead, so he thought it would be better if he just walked you home instead so you didn’t have to walk more than you have to already.

“So, you’ve been friends with Saiki since he was little, huh?” Kaido asked as you explained why Saiki trusts you so much. “That’s pretty awesome! What was he like back then?”

“Pretty much the same.” You answered. “Though he did get more handsome throughout the years, and he used to be kinda sweet. Now, not so much.”

“I see, so you guys have been through it all together.” Kaido replied.

“Basically, though, he did start to worry me a bit since I was his only friend for a really long time,” you confessed. You paused as you looked up at Kaido and gave him a smile, “But I’m glad he finally made a friend like you.”

Kaido could feel his heart beat a million miles an hour just at the words you strung together. He never heard kinder words than those, and he was even more thrilled that he succeeded in making a good impression on Saiki’s childhood friend!

“It’s, uh, n-no problem, really!” Kaido muttered out as his whole face began to fluster, his hands going everywhere.

“Oh,” you hummed out.

“Hm?” Kaido questioned. His nerves going down. “What is it?”

“Did you know you were dragging your scarf the whole time?” You asked curiosity as your hands started to real in the extra fabric.

“What?” He asked out of pure shock. Though, realizing that he doesn’t make a fool out of himself he said, “O-Of course I did! It’s a fashion choice.”

“Not the best one,” you stated as you stepped closer to the blue haired male.

Kaido’s eyes widened as he stated directly into your colored orbs, watching them dance solely for him. It was like getting attention from a loved one, but this attention make him nervous to the point where he thought his face was going to explode with red. Kaido’s lips slowly started to disappear as the scarf started to build up around his shoulders and neck.

“There you go,” you said, “much better. Now your scarf doesn’t get more dirty and you look even better.”

‘Even better? What’s that supposed to mean? Does it.. does it mean he thought I looked good before?!’ Kaido thought.

Kaido let out an awkward laugh as he played with the end of the scarf. “O-Oh, haha, thank you.”

“Sure,” you hummed. “Now let’s get going.”

5. Blessing Turned On Jealousy

What’s that saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend? Yeah, that’s it. See, that could apply to this yet at the same time it would go a little different.

More like, the enemy of my best friend is my friend. At least for your situation. You see, walking home with Saiki has now turned into walking home with Saiki, Nendou, and Kaido. Not that you mind, but sometimes you really do wish it was back to when Saiki and you got to spend time alone together. However, being friends with Saiki and then having his friends automatically become your friends may have some perks.

Like now. Bumping into Kaido’s mom was totally accidental. But, in the end it payed off. Why?

Because coffee jelly.

“I know it’s not easy being friends with my son because he’s so shy, but please be patient.” Kaido’s mom announced as she placed the coffee jelly down in front of Saiki and you.

“Please don’t say that mama—I mean—mother.” Kaido pleased, his voice cracking as it got higher with embarrassment.

Overall, the beginning was a very nice. Hell, it was damn near perfect. Although, you just had to snoop around. Well, it was more like exploring Kaido’s room.

Your fingertips brushed along the spines of the many books Kaido had stacked up in his bookcase. It was seriously amazing how many books he had, he even had some original copies of some famous old books.

“This is pretty awesome,” you muttered to yourself before your eyes spotted something that didn’t quite match with the others. In all honesty, you were simply curious. However, curiosity did kill the cat. In your case, more like awakened the Saiki K.

“Hey, Kaido, what is the Jet Black Wings?” You asked aloud as the group sat down eating whatever snacks were about. You would always hear either chewing or at least some conversation, but after that question left your mouth it was dead silent. You felt like you killed something, but when you looked over you noticed Kaido’s face beat red. Seriously, his entire face was as red as a blood moon.

“P-Put that back!” He stuttered out, the blue haired boy suddenly running up to you to snatch the book from your hand.

As he reached for it, you held it higher. Even if he was about the same height or maybe a inch or so taller, you just needed to make him miss his hand from grabbing it.

“Don’t be embarrassed, I’m just curious.” You calmly said. “Is it bad or something?”

“N-No! It’s nothing, uh, bad! Just give me it back!” Kaido begged this time around, his hands trying desperately to grab it from you. Okay, maybe you were being a little mean at this point, but it was kinda fun to tease him.

You began to back up as Kaido trying to nab the book in your hand. “Just explain it!”

“No! Never!” He shouted.

You couldn’t help but laugh a little, though, that was your fatal mistake. Having yourself distracted by your own humor, your mind didn’t take into account the pile of prep books scattered about until it was too late. You quickly lost your voice, as well as your balance before slamming your head hard against the wood floors.

“Woah! You guys okay?” Nendou asked out of genuine concern.

As much as you would have liked to answer him, you were too concerned with the pain pounding into your skull like a jackhammer. Seriously, this is gonna give you one massive headache.

You scrunched your nose as your finally gave effort to open your eyes, though, they permanently remained open when you noticed a face staring down at you, a body on top of yours. You guessed that during the fall Kaido tried to save you, but only got dragged along instead.

“H-Hey, um, are you okay?” He asked under his shaky breath.

You only nodded before trying to avoid his gaze in any possible way. The position you were in didn’t help whatsoever in that department. Instead, you hoped that Kaido would take the hint and get off. That plan wasn’t looking too good cause all that was running through his mind was how you looked under him. Let’s say, the thoughts he had left a distaste in Saiki’s mouth.

Originally, he was just gonna let you handle it, but after hearing Kaido’s perverted thoughts about you, that plan blew up.

Saiki stood up, leaving his coffee jelly half eaten before grabbing Kaido by the back of his shirt and yanking him off of you. Saiki gave some strength into that but not enough to launch him into the bookshelf like he wanted too. He knelt down to come to your level and help you up, your massive headache being noticeable when you held onto the back of your head.

“Damnit, that really hurt,” you muttered to yourself but Saiki heard it clear as day.

It wasn’t long after that he took you home as well as the left over coffee jelly. Saiki advised you to stay home a day just to let the pain die down a bit before going back to school, so, the pink haired boy was all alone today. And all alone to everyone else meant to bother him more than usual.

Teruhashi, Nendou, Hairo. All of them. Though, it was a bit weird that Kaido wasn’t bothering with him today. Not that he was complaining, but he couldn’t pinpoint the answer until he heard Kaido’s thoughts, ‘I need to ask Saiki for permission. They’re best friends, it would be rude if I didn’t ask permission to ask out [Name].’

Never mind. He didn’t need to know that.

It was around lunch time that Kaido walked up to Saiki for the first one, the blush that littered his cheeks made Saiki want to gag for a moment.

“So, uh, Saiki, I have to ask you something.” Kaido uttered out lowly. Clearly, this was nerve wracking for him.

“What is it?” Saiki asked telepathically.

“Well, it’s about [Name], yanno, our [Name]?”

‘What other person has that name?’ Saiki thought. ‘And don’t say our, it’s creepy.’

“You see, I, well, I think I like him and I’d like your blessing to ask him out!” Kaido shouted, his body bowing at an almost 90 degree angle.

Normally, Saiki would just say to do whatever since he could read [Name]’s thoughts and see that he doesn’t like Kaido in that way. However, the one person in the world that Saiki actually wants is immune to his powers. He knew he needed to shut this down fast.

‘No way.’ Saiki responded.

“Thank you so much, Saiki, you won’t—wait—why not?” Kaido asked aloud, his voice getting higher the more he freaked out. He thought this would be easy, he means, it was Saiki. The most chill guy ever actually gave him a hard ‘no’ to asking out his best friend. Kaido shouldn’t be surprised, even though he is.

‘Because I said so,’ Saiki strictly put. He knew it was wrong to say this, who was he to say no to something that isn’t his business. Though, the feeling of relief that he still had a chance was more satisfying in the end.

By the time Saiki got to your house it was basically as soon as school ended. He used teleportation to get here as fast as he could, as well as just appear in your room. He wasn’t expecting you to still be asleep, though, he supposed this wasn’t too bad.

The pink haired male carefully walking up to the bedside of his best friend. It was odd to see your hair going in one direction instead of all over the place like normal, and don’t even get him started on the soft snores that came from your nose. Snoring isn’t usually the most attractive thing in the world, but this light snores from you made him think of the habit as cute.

Now, he would normally wake you up. But, just allowing himself to look at you for a moment longer without any consequences never hurt anybody. Saiki sat himself down on your floor, his eyes keeping to your closed ones as they slowly began to travel down to your lips. He doesn’t know what came over him, but it seriously began to freak him out when he started think about Kaido touching his lips with yours. After the freak out, jealousy was spiraling around in the psychic. He never knew that Kaido, of all people, would actually develop romantic feelings for you. If he did, he would have never allowed the both of you to interact the way you did at his house the other day.

Saiki let out a sigh before standing up once more, his hand came up to your shoulder slowly and began to shake it. It wasn’t long after that your eyes fluttered open and gave him that soft smile that caused his heart to skip a beat.

6. School Trip

The school trip was always the most looked forward to activity in high school. This year it was a three day trip to Okinawa. While you were excited to spend some time at a gorgeous place like Okinawa, Saiki was definitely less excited.

As kids talked with their friends in a group or just at their desks, you were currently sitting on top of Saiki’s desk with the pink haired boy sitting in the chair. This wasn’t something you always do, especially since at times Saiki has pushed you off out of retaliation, but after a moment or two of still being there, you knew he didn’t mind today.

“You excited?” You asked him.

“No. I don’t get the appeal.” He spit out, his eyes closing as he moved his head down. “I could get to Okinawa in three minutes.”

“Kusuo, not everyone is like you.” You explained. “So don’t go getting moody on this trip, I’m not letting you ruin it for me.”

“I won’t, I’m just saying a fact.” He replied.

You were about to continue with things you’re excited to do during the trip before Hairo came around to the both of you with a clip board in hand. He was responsible for dividing rooms.

“Saiki, [Name], did you guys decide on your group for the class trip?” He asked politely. “You should have three boys and three girls in your group.”

Saiki didn’t say anything, instead he just rested his head against your forearm. Perhaps he wanted Hairo to think he fell asleep and leave it to you, or maybe he was actually saying that he didn’t care as long as he was with you. Either way, you smiled at the contact and said to Hairo, “Kusuo and I will be rooming, it doesn’t matter who else is in our group.”

“Okay, great!” Hairo exclaimed as he wrote it down. “Kaido and Nendou are still available so I’ll just place Kaido with your group, and then randomly place you guys with a girls group.”

“Thanks, Hairo,” you hummed out as he walked away to probably inform Kaido about the rooming.

You never minded contact with Saiki, in fact, you sort of enjoyed it. However, seeing him still like this, even with Hario now gone, you worried.

“Hey, Kusuo,” you called out.

No answer.

“Kusuo?” You asked this time. And when he didn’t answer again you unconsciously moved your hand up to his head and moved it back to where you could look him in the eyes. Saiki’s face was still without expression, though, those eyes worried you. He seemed, almost, upset.

“Kusuo?” You asked. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, signaling that nothing was wrong. You knew he was lying.

You tilted your head, some of your hair moving with gravity to expose part of your forehead. “Why are you lying to me?”

“I’m not.” He said, his voice was steady and yet, that look in his eyes still bothered you.

You knew he wasn’t going to budge but still, just because you’re going to let it go now doesn’t mean that you weren’t about to keep an eye on him.

Throughout the beginning and the first day of the trip, you kept an eye on Saiki. He seemed way more tired than usual, but that didn’t startle you. Instead, it was how he was by your side more often now when Kaido was around. You weren’t an idiot, it was pretty obvious. You didn’t mind Saiki’s attention, but you didn’t want him to think just because you were friends with Kaido that he’d be put second.

“Kusuo, can we talk?” You asked him as the two of you had the room to yourselves. The others were out and about, but the two of you decided on an early night.

“About what?” He asked as he set up his sleeping area.

“Today.” You started out. “You’ve been acting weird around Kaido. Did something happen?”

You watched Saiki carefully, so carefully that you noticed his fingers lightly curl around the blanket. You didn’t want to push him, so instead of pushing him to speak, you allowed yourself to be silent and let him take his time. You don’t remember how many minutes pasted, but you swear it felt like decades.

“Nothing happened.” He informed you. “His thoughts just aren’t for my taste at the moment.”

“His thoughts?” You questioned as you slowly approached Saiki on his blanket until you were right in front of him. “Okay, then, what’s got you all bothered? Let me guess, he’s thinking dirty things, right?”

“Sort of.” He replied.

“I bet it’s about Teruhashi,” you theorized. “Is that why you don’t like it?”

“No, it’s not about Teruhashi.”

“Really? Then who?”

Saiki went quiet once more.

You sighed. Your head moving down to get a glimpse at his face. It wasn’t until you moved your hand over by his, your finger tips brushing with his accidentally to get more stability as you leaned in did you hear him finally confess.

“It was about you.”

To say that you needed a minute to take that in was an understatement. Kaido was a good guy and all, but it was kinda startling to realize he liked guys, as well as girls, since you didn’t suspect that even for a minute with him.

“Seriously?” You asked once more.

Saiki nodded. “He asked me if he could ask you out.”

“And what did you say?”

“No.”

You couldn’t help a smile crawl upon your face with that one. You knew it was a bit hard to read Saiki, especially when it came to you, but you were just beyond happy to hear that.

“Good,” you suddenly shot out. Saiki’s head moving back up in an instant to see your happy features. “I don’t like Kaido like that anyway, saves me from breaking his heart.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope.” You hummed out. You knew this may backfire on you in more ways than one, but right now, you didn’t care. The happiness you felt told you to take a chance and throw out the bait. “I know you can’t read my mind, but I actually do have someone I like.”

Saiki aimlessly stared at you for a moment and took in the words you confessed to him. It was an odd feeling, the rapid beating of his heart, but perhaps this was finally the start of things going his way for once.

On the second day of the trip, everyone went to Emerald Beach. It was one of the many places were people could stare at others and no one would think anything of it. A perverts dream. Though, for Saiki, he just wanted to hang out with you.

“Where’s [Name]?” Kaido asked Nendou as Saiki stood behind the two.

“He said he had to go buy a swimsuit. The one he brought apparently went missing.” Nendou told the blue haired boy.

Now, that want a mistake. Sure, it may have been a dirty trick but Saiki rather die than see you in the swimsuit you brought. After all, you bought a shirt with it. He knew you didn’t take off your shirt often, even at the beach, but he was determined to see you with just a pair of shorts.

Much like how all the guys that crowded around the girls changing house waited patiently to see Teruhashi in a two piece swim suit.

It was a while after Teruhashi came out, and when everyone was in the water that you made your appearance. You had your hands wedged into your swim shirt pockets as you allowed your feet to take in the hot sand that felt magical between your toes. You gazed around for a moment before noticing pink hair sitting under an umbrella.

A devilish smirk crawled on your features as you began to slowly approach the male. This may give Saiki a heart attack, but it was worth it. As you stood over him from behind, you attacked. Your body shot down as your arms wrapped aruund his neck and pushed your chest into his bare back.

“Hey, what’s a cute guy like you doing all alone at a place like this?” You teased, allowing your voice to go on for some time so that he realized it was just you.

Saiki immediately flinched at the contact before noticing it was just you. However, when he noticed the touch of your skin against his, he could feel his entire body heat up. The sensation was new, he’s felt his face go hot before, but his entire body was a new one.

“What took you so long?” Saiki tried to play off.

You just sighed and got a tighter grip on the male, your chest pushing more into his back. “Someone stole my swimsuit. Sadly, I didn’t have enough money to replace the whole thing, so I had to go by some swim shorts.”

“Hm, as least you’re here.” Saiki stated, making sure not to comment on the ‘stolen swimsuit’.

“Yeah,” you uttered as you released Saiki from your grasp and sat down next to him. You gazed out at the beautiful ocean that was filled with laughing people with this loving look in your eyes, all the while not realizing Saiki’s held that same gaze as he stared at you.

When you did turn to him, he completely lost himself in his mind as his eyes wondered about your figure. You weren’t the most fit guy in the world, but you did have these subtle yet enchanting muscle lines along your upper body that made Saiki lose himself.

“I saw that.” You suddenly said. Saiki’s eyes now darting back to yours. “You just checked me out.”

Saiki saw no way out of this one. So, he just confessed it. “So what if I was?”

In all honesty, he just expected you to laugh and tell him that it’s only fair if he does the same. However, the twist was unexpected and, well, definitely appreciated. He watched as you gazed down, this bashful look in your eyes as you did everything to avoid his gaze. Your body language wasn’t helping either. Your fingers were tapping against the towel and the heel of your foot was moving back and forth.

Maybe this trip wasn’t totally for nothing.

7. All That Was A Secret

Spring break. It was one of those weeks that Saiki went to go visit his grandparents all the way in the middle fo nowhere. So, for the most of this break, you were home alone. 

It was kind of boring. This break was definitely not one that you looked forward to, more now then before, especially after the beach during the class trip. Those words always ended up repeating in your mind, way too much then you thought they would. Then again, you shouldn’t be surprised. All those days that you’d try to subtly touch him, tease him, it was just a way to relieve yourself of the pent up emotions you’ve had for him for a few years now. 

Currently, you were in your room upon your bed, hugging one of your pillows close to your chest. You never tried to dwell on if Saiki felt the same or not, but recently, it’s been clawing at you more and more. It wasn’t like you didn’t think you had a chance, but more if Saiki was more comfortable just staying friends. You would understand, even if it would hurt, you’d do it for him. You’d do anything for that guy. 

You sighed before slowly lifting your body off the bed. Today wasn’t a good day for being sad, it was summer break, after all. You knew you had to get your mind off Saiki, and him being away made it a bit easier. So, you grabbed some clothes from your closet and laid them on the bed. You weren’t sure what you were going to do, but you were determined to fine something to take your mind off him. 

You let your pants drop to the ground before taking the ones on your bed and letting your legs slip through each of the pant legs. Next, you stripped your shirt off and took in a deep breath. You paused for a moment before dropping the dirty shirt on the ground and grabbing the new one. In all honestly, you never really pay attention to your surroundings when changing. But, does anyone? It wasn’t until your head went through the hole on the top of the shirt did you realize that the bed in front of you was now missing and the wall you were staring at was not the wall of your bed room. When you turned your head, you locked eyes with Saiki in an unfamiliar room. 

“Huh?” You uttered under your breath before your eyes widened, your face felling hotter than usual before frantically pulling your shirt all the way down. Once down, you opened your mouth and said, “You can’t do that without me knowing! What if I was in the middle of a shower or something and not just changing?”

“I would have given you some of my clothes.” He replied nonchalantly.

You bit the inside of your cheek before crossing your arms over your chest. “Why did you teleport me anyway?”

“I can’t stand it here.” Saiki confessed. Of course, you knew he didn’t exactly enjoying visiting his grandparents but he has never done this before. “Just hang out with me. I’ll send you back after.”

You sighed. You can’t exactly say no after that, so, with that Saiki and you began to watch a movie. It wasn’t one you two watched before so it was easy to get lost in it. Though, it was also easy to focus on Saiki when he suddenly placed his hand on top of yours as you guys watched. You weren’t too sure if he thought you wouldn’t notice, but there was no way you were going to pull away. After all, it’s not like he placed his fingers between yours, if he did that, you don’t know if you could handle it. 

After a half an hour into the movie you finally got the plot of it, and you weren’t amused at all. It was a best friends to lovers troupe. More specifically, childhood friends that drifted apart only to be brought back together by work and now slowly are developing feelings for one another. Let’s just say now, you were a little more than nervous. 

Thank god Saiki couldn’t read your mind, because now, you feel like you’d give him a headache. You couldn’t help but ask yourself if he knows and is only doing this to taunt you, or maybe this was all just a big coincident. Yeah, one massive coincident. In reality though, Saiki was just teasing you. He had no idea of your feelings but he wanted to watch the movie with you to implant the idea in his mind of the possibility.

Well, his plan was working. Maybe a little too much. Though, as you were about to spit something out, your eyes suddenly shot down to the floor in embarrassment. Yep, a make out scene. Of course, Saiki had no idea about that, but it was better than just the sappy stuff cause now it was really ingrained in your head. 

Once it was over and you had somewhat of your cool back you couldn’t help it. You needed to ask. If it blew up in flames, then so be it. 

“Hey, Saiki,” you uttered out lowly. Saiki caught it immediately and turned his gaze on you. “I have a.. question.”

“What?” He asked.

“Well,” your voice trailed off as you moved your eyes down to where both of your hands connected. “We’ve been best friends for a long time now but, have you ever, um, thought about doing...that?

Saiki remained quiet for a moment, his thoughts going everywhere before thinking to himself, ‘All the time, actually.’

As much as he wish he could have said that telepathically, he could never try to say that vocally. So, he just opted for a nod and watched your body flinch. The hand he touched growing warm.

“You’re hot.” Saiki suddenly spit out. This time, you brought your hand back to your body so he couldn’t tell anymore. 

“S-So what?” You stuttered out.

To say that Saiki didn’t like this side of you was an understatement. He’s never never seen you so flustered before, and it was really adorable to look at.

“It’s cute.” Saiki commented, his body leaning in just to see your face closer.

You turned your head to the side, eyes darting to the tv just to look away for a moment to compose yourself. You knew that there wasn’t gonna be another perfect moment like this so, you slowly reached over to place your hand on the back of Saiki’s neck. It was warm. When he noticed what you wanted as you started to lean back and gently pull him with you, he complied quickly until he gazed at you from above. Suddenly, he was jealous at the fact that Kaido got to see this view before him. 

He stared at you for a moment before watching you bite down on your bottom lip, his mind doing backflips at the want to read your mind, but also at how good you looked under him. 

“Kiss me.” You whispered under your breath, just loud enough for him to hear. 

“If I do,” Saiki uttered lowly. “I might not be able to stop.”

“That’s okay.”

#male reader #saiki k #kusou saiki #the disaster of psi kusuo saiki #saiki k x reader #saiki k x male reader #saiki x reader #saiki x male reader #the disastrous life of saiki k. #the disastrous life of Saiki k x reader #x reader #saiki k headcanons

[ganymedesclock]

Got any hollow knight hcs that even you know are pure crack?

At risk of going way too into it on an anon message, I have a weird inclination personally where I can’t get into anything I feel like is contradicted by canon. It’s tied to a buncha very subjective stuff in my personality so this is by no means me trashing crack headcanons I just have always been very limited in my ability to enjoy them.

I do however feel the siren allure of areas left either purposefully or unintentionally blank in canon where I claim absolutely no hardline accuracy I just see this empty space and take off running like a dog. PK is one of my favorite characters so he sees a lot of them, but he’s not the only one. So a tasting platter of odd headcanons I don’t normally talk about!

(Disclaimer that I tried to pick irreverent ones but HK is a pretty gloomy universe so I won’t guarantee none of them are sad)

Ogrim came from outside Hallownest and this happened because at some point in his young adulthood he just put all of his possessions in a bag and walked off into the wastelands with no particular direction in mind, fought everything that tried to kill him, and won. He earnestly doesn’t see this as a particular feat and gets kind of sheepish when people bring up that he just cross-countried, on foot, one of the most inhospitable environments known to bugkind and was mostly bothered by how lonely it was.

Zote is not that old but he superficially looks it because he’s nearly blind and squints at everything. Despite everything, he’s not lying about his sense of direction being good. When he actually has a specific goal in mind and has been there before, he’ll navigate it pretty much without trouble. This doesn’t always happen because Zote will never admit if he doesn’t know how to get somewhere and sometimes he’ll change his mind mid-trip multiple times, resulting in an erratic path there anyway.

Tiso is like seventeen and until very recently lived with another person so there’s actually some domestic chores he’s unfamiliar with and he would rather personally fight you right this second than admit he doesn’t know how to sew up a rip in his hood. He’s unexpectedly respectable at cooking, though.

Hornet has almost no opinions about food and not a lot of practice preparing it. Also both of her parents were more predatory than the average population so if she has no time she will basically just eat stuff raw. Home-cooked meals actually make her kind of emotional because she so rarely experienced them.

Ghost has a really eclectic collection of skills and knowledge. Given their silence (and willingness to maintain it for the most part) this means that things they’re familiar with will come completely out of left field; for the most part they just have practical mercenary skills but they also know the formal greeting customs of a nation beyond Hallownest that hasn’t been inhabited for at least a century, they’re a formidable opponent at several board games nobody ever really ‘taught’ them, and if they need to make notes to explain to someone what they want them to do, they’re prone to using military shorthand of a completely different nation (this one, they were actually taught, by an exiled former soldier of said nation)

Ghost is also super possessive of their nail and get antsy if just about anybody besides the nailsmith even handles it. Once they get the pure nail, they become somewhat obsessive about keeping it clean. This is actually at odds with Hollow, who, while they do worry about keeping things clean, heavily schooled themselves to have no attachments to anything and alternate between sort of disdainful of their nail and needing to hang onto it because they don’t feel safe if they’re unable to fight. Post-egg temple Hollow will actually lean on their nail as a crutch if tired (which happens easily), while Ghost is exclusively either wielding their nail or keeping it neatly tucked on their back.

Even when she was calmer and more approachable Radiance has always communicated distinctly above what’s considered a comfortable speaking volume for anybody else.

#Hollow Knight #headcanons #readmore #Anonymous

[realcube]

ARCADE

summary ★ she needs to get the action figure that's in the claw machine for her sister’s birthday, so saiki does her the favour of using his a telekinesis to win it...along with a few other favours.

trigger warning ★ gambling, god, swearing, fem!reader & reader has a younger sister

construction on the new arcade near pk academy had finally come to an end. the grand opening was today after school so of course, nendou suggested that they attend as a squad. usually, saiki tried to avoid getting roped into outings like this but for a change, he actually agreed without the need for any further prying. that's because the arcade was attached to a small cinema where they'd be premiering the latest action movie — based on the TV show adaptation of the game — 'Olfana's Story X-2'. as it turns out, a few months after saiki gave the game a shot, it became a craze and a massive hit among speed-runners. so from it's new-found popularity, they developed a TV show series which inevitably flopped so now they have created a movie. only the most elite people among the gaming community were allow to see it before the official release date and they all said it was incredible; but there was not a doubt in saiki's mind that they were being paid to sing it's praise. a crappy game turned into a crappy show, now adapted into a movie was sure to be crappy. so you may be wondering why he even wanted to view the movie if he was set on it being awful. Well, there are two simple answers; curiosity and the mystery. since it was so exclusive, he had yet to overhear spoilers through his telekinesis and he now had a germanium ring in his possession so he could watch the movie in peace. also, having played the game but not seen the show, he was curious to see how bad the movie is going to be and perhaps he'd be able to get a good laugh out of it. but he made the mistake of mentioning his plan to see the movie which screened a few hours after the opening of the arcade, as now kuboyasu, nendou and kaidou were all going to see the movie along with him. In theory, it shouldn't be a problem since he'll have his germanium ring on but in practise, the world seems to be against saiki so one of his friends will probably end up stealing his popcorn or chatting throughout the entire movie. he'll just have to wait and see. kaidou and nendou did not even stop to take breaths as they raced on about how excited they were while they were all walking to the arcade. "i'm sure the movie is going to be sick!" kaidou exclaimed, followed by rapid head nods from nendou as he replied, "yup! And i can't wait to see what sort of games they have!" saiki was a bit excited himself but he didn't care to show it like the others did. but when he saw the vaporwave building covered with bright neon lights come into view, his lips curled into a small smile. though it was short-lived as he noticed the massive queue to get in; it appeared as though they weren't the only ones who had the idea to visit the arcade after school as he noticed many familiar faces standing in line, amongst crowds of others. all of their cheery auras dissipated for a few moments until kuboyasu perked up, approaching the doors to the arcade with a smug smirk, cutting in front of everyone in the line and gesturing for the boys to follow him, "don't worry about the queue, guys. follow me." nendou followed without any further questions but saiki and kaidou were a bit apprehensive. all three of them watched as kuboyasu stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the guard by one of the doors, muttering something in the man's ear, causing him to sweatdrop and hesitantly open the door with a shaky smile; allowing all four of them inside. "woah, that was awesome, aren!" kaidou yelled, not only out of awe but so he could be heard over all the cheering, laughing and game noises from inside the arcade. "yeah, that was so cool! but what did you say to that guy? he looked freaked out!" nendou inquired, surprising saiki with his actually intelligent observation. kuboyasu's hand found it's way behind his neck, rubbing it awkwardly as he chuckled, "oh, nothing! it's not important-- hey! how about you guys start playing your games and i'll go get the tickets we reserved, yeah?" "yeah!" kaidou and nendou cheered in unison, high-fiving the purple-haired boy before the all ran off in different directions, leaving saiki standing alone at the entrance. he fidgeted with his germanium ring, contemplating taking it off as he stared at kuboyasu; he really wanted to know what the teen boy could've said that'd incite such fear into a grown man, but he decided against it — merrily making his way towards the claw machines, leaving kuboyasu's secrets alone. ★★★★★★★★★★ "shit." he cursed under his breath as he watched the cyborg cider man plushie that he's been trying to win — for yuuta — for half an hour straight slip out of his grasp once again. 'these things are rigged. and what's the point in having psychic superpowers if i can't use them.' he thought to himself but had to quickly shake off the idea, as there was no way he could risk using his powers in such a crowded place, especially for a plush that wasn't even for himself but rather for an annoying kid. he sighed, slipping another coin into the slot and about to find the right state of mind until he heard a loud "fuck!"  from in front of him. his head jerked up, scanning the area for the source of the noise until his eyes landed on you. the claw machines were lined up, back-to-back, and playing on the machine diagonal from him was a girl with enchanting (e/c) eyes which contrasted greatly with her disheartened expression as she stared at the box. the only emotion she wore was sadness as she stared at the machine, so out of curiosity, saiki slipped off his ring in order to read her thoughts; feeling no guilt in listening to the affairs of a complete stranger. 'c'mon, stupid claw machine, i need this!' your silky yet whiny voice rung through his mind, 'what's she gonna think about me tomorrow when i tell her that i couldn't get her the gift she's wanted? she's gonna hate me- even more than she already does. and now i've spent all my money on this silly game so i can't even try get her a crappy gift with the little money i had. Wow, (y/n), you're the worst big sister in existence.' saiki cocked his head to the side, peering through the glass of the machines to see the contents of the claw machine you were standing in front of and when he saw the limited edition, silver cyborg cider man action figure sitting on a pedestal — almost as if it was taunting the poor girl — he finally connected the dots. your hand dug through your pockets until you found the smooth metal surface of your final coin, 'just once more try. if i win her this action figure, maybe she'll finally respect me as her big sister! and this toy will surely make her more happy than any gift mom could've possibly thought of. i'll make her sixth birthday one to remember!' the dejected look on your face slow lifted into a determined one, but it wasn't very convincing as saiki — and anyone else — could see the worry and shame in your eyes as you dropped your last coin into the slot of the machine, giving you one more chance to redeem yourself and claim the title of 'best big sister in the world'. saiki watched you maneuver the claw of the machine with bated breath, admiring how your pretty nose crinkled and your tongue poked out from the corners of your perfectly glossed lips in concentration — 'ew, stop being a simp, kusuo.' he mentally rebuked himself before engaging with your scene one again. your fist slammed down against the big red button, followed by the claw opening and lowering over the box of the cyborg cider man action figure, slowly closing it's jaws around the box and grasping it perfectly, resulting in a slight gasp to escape your throat as your lips pulled into a grin. the claw kept it's grip in the toy as it lifted up, slowly making it's way over the hole where it would drop the action figure, straight into your possession.  that is, if the grip didn't falter hence allowing the toy to fall down, off it's pedestal and onto the bottom of the compartment to join the rest of the more average action figures. "fuck!" you screamed in an almost identical way to which you did earlier, expect this one held more pain. 'this can't be happening; is this the third year in a row that i'm going to show up to my little sister's birthday party empty-handed?' you thought, your bottom lips quivering so you quickly bit down on it, staring at the damned toy before turning on your heels, shuffling away from the game with your head hung low, the thoughts which cried in your head about how much you budgeted and how hard you worked made saiki's heart sink. 'maybe i could take out a mortga--' your thoughts were abruptly cut off when you heard the noise of something falling behind you. whipping your head around to see what happened, you exhaled a sigh of relief upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary. however, you caught a glimpse of inside the machine which you had been cursing at and realised that the toy wasn't with the packaging peanuts where you left it, as if it magically disappeared in the few seconds you had averted your gaze. creeping up to it, your gaze darted around in search of anyone who might've won it in less than 5 seconds but that was unlikely. now that you were closer, you peered through the glass once more to confirm that the toy was in fact missing and you were right. recalling the noise of falling you heard just before you turned around, you dropped to your knees and lifted the flap to the compartment which held the good that people would win from the machine. you almost screamed with delight and shock when you laid eyes on the limited edition, cyborg cider man action figure that was tucked snugly inside. yanking it out, you pressed it to your chest and the tears you were choking back finally came running down your cheeks, but now they were from joy. "thank you, god." you whispered to yourself, making saiki chuckle from his spot at the claw machine which he hadn't moved from. he wasn't god — nor was he friends with god — but he didn't mind not being able to take the credit for his kind actions of using his psychokinesis to drop the box into the hole for you. honestly, he found that seeing you happy, sitting on the floor with brightest beam gracing your features along with your now cheerful thoughts in his head, was enough of a reward for him anyway. also, he appreciated how you didn't question how the box ended up in the hole and instead you just deemed it a miracle as you were too overjoyed to use logic; that sort of thinking saved saiki a lot of trouble. 'i should probably go home and wrap this.' your internal monologue had now calmed down slightly as you were now able to produce a thought that wasn't just a squeal of delight, 'hm, maybe once i am done i could come back and see the new movie that's premiering-- but i've not got much money left so i guess i shouldn't get ahead of myself.' you hummed, picking up the box along with yourself, dusting yourself off before heading towards the exit. saiki must've been staring for a tad too long though as you caught his gaze while brushing off your clothes. he cringed, instinctively darting his eyes away so you didn't think he was an ogling creep but the fact he appeared defensive probably didn't help. so he fully expected you to frown or cast him a dirty look, judging him for his actions but to his surprise, you simply chuckled. waving at the pink-haired boy before strolling off with the box under your arm. 'he seems cool. where i can get clips like those?' why were you thoughts making him blush like an idiot? time to put the germanium ring back on. ★★★★★★★★★★ as it turns out, nendou is surprisingly good at poker. he figured this out after he stumbled across the casino section of the arcade, and since he looks way older than seventeen, nobody questions it when he took a seat at one of the slot machines, under the impression that it was a fancy, old-timey arcade game. he was then offered a round of poker with some old dude with way too many gold teeth and nendou ended up taking the poor, stubborn guy's entire fortune. god-knows how many games with how-many people later, nendou was sitting on stacks of cash at a round table with a tired dealer, and two grown men — one crying into the shoulder of his arm-candy and the other weeping into the sleeve of his suit — while the three boys who had came to give him his ticket stood by, all wearing matching confused expressions. "uh, nendou." kuboyasu tapped his friend on the shoulder, waving the ticket in front of his face, "the movie is gonna start soon, we should start heading over there right now so we can buy snacks and get good seats." nendou raised an eyebrow, puzzled until he recalled that he was supposed to watch a movie today, "oh, that sounds cool and all but i'm having a lot of fun right here." he smiled, motioning to the large casino area. kuboyasu chuckled awkwardly, backing away from nendou slightly as he turned on his heels, ushering the two other boys away, "alright, well, have fun, nendou! don't stay out too late!" nendou sung an okay in response, sliding a kaidou some cash for the extortionate theatre snacks before he was rushed away by kuboyasu, the purple-haried boy not wanting to spend anymore time in the casino than needed. "if nendou isn't joining us for the movie then we have a spare ticket. here, saiki, you should have it!" "why me?" "uh, because you said you saw reita earlier. so if you see him again maybe you could offer him the spare ticket." 'absolutely not.' was vocalised as "sure." by saiki as he took the ticket from kuboyasu's outstretched hand, fiddling with it before stuffing it into his pocket along with his own ticket. "what i said to nendou was kinda an exaggeration" aren mused, glancing at his watch before looking up at his two pals, "we still have some time left before the movie starts. i'm gonna go handle some business — you two have fun, and try find reita!" kuboyasu said before pivoting on his heels in the direction of the staff only closet. the only thing saiki could think to do during this free-time was escape kaidou's pestering to play dance dance revolution — since saiki didn't want to dance, dance or revolute, he darted outside as soon as kuboyasu left, leaving kaidou alone and confused in the middle of the arcade. 'finally, fresh air.' saiki inhaled, filling his lungs with the cool air rather than the stuffy, arcade oxygen. scanning the surrounding area, his eyes caught a glimpse of a figure standing by the ATM, which he immediately recognised to be that of the girl he had helped earlier. so naturally, he flicked of his ring to figure out the reasoning behind the awkward look on her face. 'do i really want to withdraw money to see some stupid movie? i mean, i could leave that money to accumulate and buy something nicer later.' without thinking, saiki hummed in agreement with your thoughts as he had been in your position many times before. 'but then again, i should treat myself! when was the last time i saw a movie that wasn't pirated? hmm..' your indecisive thoughts matched perfectly with your conflicted expression as you stared through furrowed brows at the screen of the ATM. a soft breeze passed, followed by something light smacking against you face. you winced slightly, your hand snapping your cheek and grabbing at whatever it was; just by the texture, you could tell it was paper. holding it in front of you, upon further inspection you realised that the mysterious sheet that had flew into your possession was in fact a ticket to tonight's showing of 'Olfana's Story X-2'  row G, seat 9. you double, triple checked it out of fear that this may be a cruel prank but no, this was completely real! you cheered, bouncing up and down and away from the ATM since you no longer needed it's services as god had blew the desired item straight into your hands — or your face, rather. either way though, you were over the moon, clutching the ticket to your chest and basking in your second miracle of the day. unbeknownst to you, saiki's smile was almost as wide as your own. you thanked god for your relief and saiki had no problem with that; seeing your little happy dance and squeals with your free ticket was enough for him. but actually, perhaps he might benefit himself after all, since the ticket he had given you previous belonged to nendou. meaning that saiki was seated at row G, seat 10; right beside you. ★★★★★★★★★★ saiki forgot to send a few notes flying your way in the wind, so you walked into the theatre and took your seat, completely snackless since you couldn't afford the exorbitant prices that they sold food for at the cinema. but perhaps that wasn't all bad as it revealed the possibility for saiki to offer you some of his popcorn as a conversation-starter, as he's usually not too good at socialising with new people — forget starting a conversation. however, he didn't need to work up any sort of courage to talk to you as the first thing you did when you plopped down in your seat beside him was turn to him and chirp, "oh, you're the guy i saw at the claw machines earlier! i love your clip thingies." your buoyant-adrenaline allowing your to be more bold than usual. the movie had yet to start, low murmurs of chatter coming from across the theatre as the trailers played in the background, "yes. and thanks." 'good grief, curse myself for not being more talkative. she probably thinks i'm dull now. perhaps i should channel my inner nendou..if i have one.' instead of ending the conversation right there like he assumed you would, you continued talking and saiki was..glad? why did he want to interact with you so much? he spends most of his days trying to avoid interacting with people; why were you any different? "no problem- also, did you get what you were playing for?" you inquired, tapping your lip in genuine curiosity. his ring remained on his finger, despite the fact he wanted to know what you thought about him, he didn't want to invade your privacy any more than he already has. "no. did you?" "yeah, i did, actually!" you chirped, not noticing the smirk creeping onto saiki's lips as you were too engulfed in your memories, "i thought those games were rigged but maybe they're not 'cause i managed to win this super special action figure that my sister has been on the top of my sister's wishlist for like- forever! and her birthday is tomorrow so i'll be a--" you cut yourself off, crinkling your nose in embarrassment, "sorry, i'm over-sharing, aren't i?" your enthusiasm made his heart flutter in a way he wasn't used to, if you didn't know any better, he would have thought he was having a medical emergency. his eyes widened slightly as you halted in your speech, "no, you're fine." he said, the uncharacteristic softness in his voice catching the attention of his two pals sitting on the other side of him. you shook off his comment, "i mean, i'm telling you my life story and i don't even know your name." you said, laughing sheepishly at the reality of the reality of the situation. 

“saiki kusuo.” he blurted out without a second thought.

you blinked a few times, shocked that he’d give his details away so easily as you somewhat expected him to be more of a reserved type of guy but evidently, you were wrong. “uh, i’m (l/n) (y/n).” you choked, biting down on your bottom lip slightly before continuing you story as he seemed to wait expectantly, “as i was saying, today’s just been the best day ever! everything has been going so well, i’m a bit scared as to what is going to happen when it hits midnight.” 

saiki nodded along, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth before remembering his plan, “oh- would you like some?” he asked, offering you some popcorn from his bucket. unfortunately, the plan was a last-minute thing so he had only bought a small, but he still wasn’t opposed to sharing. 

you shook your head, trying to grin foolishly wide at his kind offer, “no thank you.” 

saiki nodded, about to open his mouth to reply until the blaring music from the beginning of the movie started, putting a swift end to your conversation — despite the fact saiki would much rather talk to you than watch the crappy movie — out of theatre etiquette. 

★★★★★★★★★★

it was worse than you or saiki could’ve ever imagined.

it was painfully trying not to burst out laughing right in middle of it or lean over and giggle in each other’s ear at the silly dialog but out of respect for the other people in the cinema, you both stayed silent and just cast each other occasional knowing glances whenever something cringey happened on screen. 

you both let out audible sighs of relief with the credits began to roll, accompanied by a slow indie song. “that was..something.” you mumbled, grabbing your purse and jumping to your feet, wanting to exit the building as soon as possible and hopefully leave your memories of the movie behind you. 

“definitely.” he snickered, absently flicking the side of his empty popcorn bucket, “i stopped paying attention once i finished my popcorn.” it felt weird to vocalise — or rather, telepathically communicate — the comments he’d usually keep to himself; why did he feel so comfortable speaking to someone he only just met?

he began gathering his things, stuffing all of his rubbish in the bucket so he could dispose of it all at once. his mind was fixated on crappiness of the movie and how a five-year-old could’ve shot a much better film, until you grabbed his attention by calling out his name, followed by a question which made him blood run cold.

“before i go, it gotta ask’ how’d you do it? or more importantly, why’d you do it?”

he blinked several times before putting on his best bewildered expression, with the idea that maybe if he played dumb, he could gaslight you into thinking that it never happened or that he had nothing to do with it. “what?”

“oh, don’t give me that!” you scoffed, narrowing your eyes at the boy, “i’m not stupid. every time something good happened to me, you were nearby. i’ve connected the dots so fess up. why did you do all those nice things for me? was it out of pity or are you that nice to everyone?”

“i’m that nice to everyone.”

“i don’t believe you.” you snapped, fixing your tone when you remembered that even though he was lying to you, he still helped you get the present for you sister and gave you his spare ticket. “i don’t care if you’re not gonna give me a straight answer, but at least let me make it up to you.”

he huffed, an unimpressed look covering his features before you even proposed your idea. there was really nothing he could possibly need from you. what were you going to give him that he wasn’t capable of obtaining on his own? so he frowned, ready to decline your offer. 

“i saw that you bought one of those jelly pots from the snack stand and i actually work at a little café in the town, so i might be able to get you few things for free or discounted?”

“yes.” wait, that wasn’t refusal. 

“great!” you chirped, glad that you wouldn’t have to pry further, “does later this week sounds good? we could meet up here then i can walk you to the café- or i could give you my number and we can arrange a date later?” 

“sure.” saiki said without thinking once again.

but it wasn’t as though he regretted it when you slipped the piece of paper you had scribbled your number onto, into the front pocket of his shirt, tapping it with a smile. “alright! i’ll see you later then- unless you want to walk home with me?” you fidgeted with your fingers slightly, instantly regretting what you just came out with. not because you didn’t want to walk with him, but due to the fact you highly doubted he was going so say accept so you mentally prepared for the impact of his harsh rejection.

“sure.”

★★★★★★★★★★

BONUS 

saiki ended up walking home with some girl he met at the theatre so that left kuboyasu and kaidou to fetch nendou once the film finished. they both searched the casino area for almost half an hour but neither of them had any luck finding nendou. that was, until kuboyasu had to take a step outside to escape the casino as he noticed an old friend of his playing on the slot machines, and he found nendou crouched by the garbage cans, on his phone. 

“nendou! we’ve been looking all over for you- why are you out here by the trash? and what happened to all your money?!”

nendou chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck with his spare hand, “fun story actually. i was doing so well and i was on my way to becoming a millionaire until these schoolgirls came marching in and absolutely slaughtered me! it was so embarrassing and the only way i could escape them was by running away so i hid back here.”

kuboyasu’s aura just screamed ‘disappointed but not surprised’, “so you’re telling me that you lost millions to highschool girls?”

“they might’ve been middle-schoolers, i’m not too sure. i didn’t get a very good look at ‘em but they were all wearing creepy red uniforms.”

all kuboyasu could do was massage his temples to ease his headache at the stupidity of his friends, “so you lost all your money to school girls in creepy red uniforms?” he repeated aloud, just to make sure he was hearing things correctly.

“yes. but not all my money.” he said, pulling out his wallet and grandly opening it to reveal a few notes and a button, “i’ve still got enough to spend on ramen with my bros!”

#the disaster of psi kusuo saiki #saiki headcanons #saiki kusuo no psi nan #saiki no psi nan #saiki k x reader #saiki x reader #kusou saiki #saiki imagines #kusuo x reader #kusuo saiki x reader #the disastrous life of saiki k. #saiki k headcanons #psychic kusuo #kusuo saiki

[dangermousie]

Look at those arms! MMMMM!

You know, I really like Gilina. Or, more correctly, I really like what Gilina represents, both in terms of Crichton’s development and in his feelings for Aeryn. Gilina is Earth Crichton’s dream girl: she is blonde, pretty, sweet, and plucky (she is no push-over). She is also a girl geek, and a techie and for our scientist, that’s quite irresistibly appealing. (Btw, let me take a moment to note how much I like that the show showed us that Crichton had a type in women, B.A. (before Aeryn): they were blonde and sweet and had a certain safe niceness to them. Aeryn is not blonde, not sweet, and not safe at all. And neither is his feeling for her). If Gilina was a girl working for a research institute on Earth and she and John met at some party, I can easily see them talking, dating, falling in love and getting married. And having a happy married life. And the John of ‘PK Tech Girl,’ despite some unpleasant encounters in the Uncharted Territories is still enough of the Earth John to be attracted to Gilina, to be at the very beginning of developing something for her. He is still enough of an innocent, with enough uncomplicated and sweet left in him, for Gilina to be his type. But of course, that is not the case any more when they meet again in ‘Nerve.’ When they meet again, Gilina has had a fairly uneventful PK tech existence. She hasn’t changed much. But she is not Crichton’s type any more. Not after Maldis and finding out firsthand that there are psychopaths that will just enjoy watching you die for the fun of it, not after Crais and finding out that no, if you only explain the truth, it won’t make it better. The person will still want to kill you even if they believe you, even if it’s wrong and irrational, and there is nothing you can do. Not after ‘Jeremiah Crichton’ (my least fave ep of the whole show, but whose theme of Crichton’s long isolation is well taken). Not after finding out the truth about Zhaan, or almost dying out there in space with Aeryn. Not after the mind and soul fuck of ‘A Human Reaction.’   Gilina is not for this John. Not any more. And it’s not just that in the meanwhile he’s ceased to see anyone but Aeryn. It is also that his character has changed. And that is only the beginning. When he meets her in ‘Nerve’ it is pre-Scorpius, pre-Aurora Chair, pre-everything in S2, 3 and 4 (I’d do a list but it would take too long to type). If Gilina met S4 Crichton, she’d freak and run away and rightly so. A digression, but I find it fascinating how John's non-Aeryn women reflect his change. We have his ex-gf on Earth who he was serious enough to apparently want to propose to, before they went their separate career way. She is sort of like Gilina only blander, less engaging (Earth Crichton strikes me as someone who's had things come to him too easily because of his intelligence or what not. His passion (for whatever) was never truly engaged to the full, and the gf reflects that.) There is also Caroline (who we meet in Terra Firma) with whom he had something or other, but she is rather like his Earth-ex and it's clear the Crichton of TF doesn't even have anything to say to her any more. From them, we progress to Gilina (about whom see above). In first half of S2, there is the PK Disruptor. Now, she is a lot more edges, more hardness. If she is like anyone, it's a female version of Bond. And Crichton sleeps with her, because hey, he's tried everything to get Aeryn to admit any interest, he's beaten his head against the rock and he's beaten it and beaten it. But she refused and she's conclusively walked out of his life for good (not even came to see him for the very last time, when he needed her most). And also, girl can kill him, good to stay on her good side. There is no Gilina sweetness in her, at all. PK Tech Girl Crichton would annoy her and be intimidated to be with her, not so much Crichton of that s2 ep arc. But interestingly, that is the last time he even looks at another woman, no matter the circumstances. Once Aeryn and he admit their love to each other at the end of S2/beginning of S3, that is it. Even at the second part of S3, when Aeryn is off with Talyn-Crichton, Moya-Crichton goes deep into his obsession with wormholes, not any girls at all, and he is just as obsessed with Aeryn as ever. Even after the end of S3, the beginning of S4, even after he tells Aeryn "I can trust you with my life. But not my heart" and he locks himself away, he still does not look at anyone else. He cannot. And even the drugs cannot knock her out from his mind. Which is why his last non-Aeryn woman is Grayza, who rapes him while at the same time telling him if he gives her the wormhole stuff she will help him find Aeryn (OMG, that bit is seriously the worst in the whole scene). I think the darker progression of these women-others mirrors the darker and darker universe. OK, digression over.   I find it interesting that in S1 we have a number of people (beings, whatever) whose life is affected, changed by Crichton and who are grateful for that and thank him for changing/opening/saving either explicitly, or it’s implied. But after S1 this slows to a trickle pretty fast and then stops almost entirely. Crichton is such an innately kind person, and one of the saddest things in the show is seeing this kindness leach away under the tortures (literal and figurative) he is subjected to. I find it so sad and so significant that in the S3 finale it’s Aeryn who brings up the fact that the command carrier has a lot of lives which John’s plan might end. Aeryn. Not John. She’s become more compassionate (she, who started out saying ‘I hate that word’) and he’s become much less. These are both reactions to their environment, to events they are in (When they initially meet, she is a product of an individuality-less, soulless scenario. Even if he is wrong in reading her at the very very first in Premiere during intros, he is not wrong in reading her potential, in recognizing she is a person, and even as early as Premiere she proves him right. I also love that for Crichton, she is always her own person, not a preconceived notion of what she should be. He loves her for being Aeryn, not for some idealized being in his head). And yet it is never completely suppressed, it is always there, however muted and downtrodden, however circumscribed. He had to jettison most of it in order to stay sane and to survive, but somewhere deep inside he is still the guy who, in a completely strange world, took the time to fix the eye-stalk of a mechanical critter thingy he didn’t know at all.   And of course, part of the reason he jettisons it is also because whenever he tries to save someone or make it better, it often ends up making the situation worse. I am thinking for example of S3’s lovely ‘Different Destinations’ which turns a beloved sci-fi trope on its head and he has to live with it and he can barely bear it.   And I love how the show never lets us forget the cost this takes on him, that he is not a power-hungry psychopath, a cavalier callous being only caring about his small group of friends. That coda to S4’s ‘We Are So Screwed’ where he is with Aeryn, and he breaks down, and he can’t help it, and he weeps for what he’d done, for what he almost did (and it’s going to be small fry in comparison with PKW) is just brilliant and heartbreaking and one of my favorite bits (and I love that she is there, and she silently comforts him, and he clutches her arm as a lifeline). And that is why I actually liked the drug storyline in S4. After all the stuff that Crichton been through, I am surprised he didn’t end up going on something earlier, just to deal with it all somehow (I love that the show brought up earlier that he has nightmares, feels tremendous guilt, and that was mid S2, I am sure they are much worse now). And it also made sense that when his number 1 obsession, Aeryn, told him to give it up, he did, as he’d pick her over anything. She’s his number 1 drug. Basically, he needs Aeryn desperately. She is what allows him to function, allows him to stay (relatively) sane, what holds him together. When he can’t have her, or doesn’t have her, he falls apart and needs something else to get through the days (wormholes in S3, lakka in S4). I do find it interesting that Crichton keeps his compassion, however tattered, but he develops absolute priorities, as a result of choices he shouldn’t have had to make. Most people don’t really analyze whether they will pick the woman they love or selling one’s soul and giving up something which earlier, to protect, you didn’t give up even when tortured or hunted or broken. They don’t have to. Crichton’s developed rigid priorities are a result of the environment where he had to confront those hierarchies in himself. Crichton’s earlier ‘purity’ and goodness and optimism exist in part because he is a product of a relatively sheltered life (compared to Uncharted Territories). But that early cleanness allows others to see a better or at least a different path for themselves and so they repay the favor later by pulling him out when he is on the brink of succumbing to all these horrors (which really do seem to be scarily disproportionately triggered at him). One of the things I love about Crichton is that even after he’s seen and dealt horrors, he has a certain moral absolutism to him (however broken it gets at times) and a pure refusal to give up, and strength even if only to make the least worst of two bad choices presented to him. Something untainted is always there, maybe a legacy of his initial idealism, and so he never breaks, not permanently, not irreparably, though he comes very very close. Throughout the show, even as that world bends and molds and twists him to its own parameters, he manages to make the world somewhat bend and mold and twist to himself.   Do you know what I really really wish for John and Aeryn and the kid after the end of PKW? A few years of total peace, where they can just travel the space in Moya, and John can do his research, and be with Aeryn and watch their child grow, without having to worry about saving his and their lives every other day.

OK, these are getting epically long omg.

#farscape

[adamarinayu]

Can you tell us more about your author au, back in action au, and Notre duck au? Sorry if I'm asking for a lot but I just saw them on your AU list and they caught my interest 😅

Haha sure! I haven’t worked on any of them in a while but here we go! It’s a bit long, especially the Back in Action section....

In the Author AU, Donald is an author who works under a pseudonym, so that he and the triplets can have some normalcy in life while also being able to support them comfortably. He’s the author of a best selling series, which is the Paperinik series (maybe in this AU it’ll be called Duck Avenger, idk). 

He began writing the PK stories during highschool, and they were published as shorts regularly in a small magazine. Of course, being a teenager, it began as a fantasy- it was how he vented his frustrations. Gladstone, of course, figured it out, as did Della, but Scrooge had no interest so no one else outside of Donald’s closest circle (that is to say, Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Goofy) knew. It soon grew to be a hero story, rather than a story about vengeance. At this point there are no nephews in the story.

After highschool, his story got picked up by a publishing company and Uno was his agent. He ended up including the character ONE based off of Uno, which Uno is equal parts amused and exasperated by (”Honestly, I thought you said you wanted to be anonymous.”). The two don’t officially become friends, however, until a couple of years later, when Della went missing. Donald had taken a surprisingly dark turn in the story which would have resulted in killing off the main characters, at which point Uno decided to intervene and talk to him. With Uno’s support and growing friendship Donald rewrote the story, keeping the darker tone but ending it on a higher note with all the characters alive and happy.

Donald also gave PK a family of his own, having him be a single father to three children (hinted heavily at them being adopted, after PK saved them as eggs), a decision which forever changed the direction of the books from being about a duck who fights because it’s all he’s good for, to being about a duck who fights because he has something worth fighting for. He and Uno obviously become very close over this time.

Gladstone reads every book that comes out. He always wins a free edition but insists on buying it, as his way of helping Donald out. He uses the tone of each book and the events that happen in them to determine whether or not he needs to come and kick a little sense into Donald.

Donald ultimately concludes the book series after Della comes back, with the story having a happy ending all around. Which definitely includes ONE getting a physical body and joining the family. Unsurprisingly he and Uno get married. Scrooge and the kids find out he’s the author of PK after Scrooge announces his studio bought the movie rights to the film lol. Della and Gladstone are just like “wow seriously, you guys didn’t see the writing clear on the wall?”

--

The Back in Action AU is basically, PK was a TV show and Donald was the titular character, PK. His co-star was Uno, who lent his voice and face to the character ONE (the names of all the characters in PK are changed, ofc, their real names are the actors’ names now, except for Uno and Xadhoom). The entire cast (yes, including Angus Fangus) were a pretty tight-knit family, of a sort. So while Della and Scrooge were adventuring (as he had left the adventure life behind, feeling as if he wasn’t contributing or seen as an equal among the group) he became part of a family of his own. Daisy also played PK’s love interest, though the two of them are actually more like Best Pals. They went to highschool together so. Daisy wasn’t in the main cast and was just a recurring character, as she had a main role in another series.

The triplets in PK were just babies, but PK wasn’t their primary caretaker. They were more like background characters, but occasionally PK would get roped into babysitting them and having to balance watching the children and saving the world because “oh god even if I stop the Evronian invasion if any of their feathers get singed my sister will kill me!” (Note, PK’s sister was only seen in photos and was a blonde, like in the original comics. You can hear her voice now and then though)

Donald was close with everyone (oh the bloopers he and Angus had.... and of course the Evronians, something ALWAYS went wrong with their costumes!) but Uno became his best friend (and his almost-more). The series was the most popular thing on TV for a while, and Gladstone and Fethry were so proud of their brother cousin and so sad that Scrooge and Della were missing the best moments of his life. Gladstone and Fethry are much more involved in Donald’s life than Della and Scrooge are in this AU. That isn’t to say they don’t all love each other very much, it’s just Della and Scrooge’s interests laid elsewhere.

Anyway, every series hits its end, and more often than not it comes much faster than planned. PK ended a whole season sooner than expected, due to the sudden buyout of their studio and the new owners choosing to shut PK down in favour of one of their own shows (couldn’t afford both at the same time, and their own show had a smaller budget). So the series ended on the cliffhanger of PK losing ONE and (Lyla’s character), the Evronians being defeated and PK choosing to hang up his cape because of just how much that final battle cost him. It was an ending that angered many people, extremely upsetting especially knowing that it hadn’t been the planned ending of the series.

The entire cast and crew split up, most still staying in acting but a few leaving. Donald went back to adventuring with Scrooge and Della while Uno went back to Italy with his brothers (Due and Tre, the former of which played a major part in 2-3 episodes) to work in their father’s lab. They ended up falling out of contact (not by their own choice, just due to the nature of their jobs). Then a few years later Della went missing and Donald was left caring for her three children- it was a bit ironic, perhaps.

In the 10-12 years Donald was taking care of them, a “sequel” movie and a spinoff came to be with different actors and stories, but neither were well received because they lacked the “spirit” and charm of the original series. Especially the spinoff, which was animated in a very Saturday-morning style.

The triplets don’t really know about the OG PK, only knowing it by the spinoff, or that their uncle used to be a big name actor. However, 10 or so years later it’s announced that PK is coming back.... with the original writers and actors (except for the kids). Including Donald Fauntleroy Duck, the actor who played the titular PK. They are shook.

The original children who played PK’s nephews were unavailable (”We were like 2 during all that, we really don’t care”) and, besides that, had already aged out of the roles (the comeback was a Ten Years Later kind of deal, and it had been more like 14 or 15 since the end of the show, so the original kids were already mid-late teens. Therefore, when the director discovered Donald was now caring for his three nephews (convenient that there were three) he suggested they play the role of the triplets. Donald left it up to the triplets, under the stipulation that they would have minor roles (as the triplets always did) and this wouldn’t interfere with school.

They actually made a whole new role for Webby in the show! Because the triplets agreed on the condition that Webby gets to join them. And that’s how Webby began to play the triplets’ younger sister. The director decided to take a page out of Donald’s real life and wrote PK’s sister out (this was also partially because the actress had died) so PK was now being a full-time father to his kids who had no idea who he really was.

But then Donald finds out that not only is Lyla there, not only is Angus there... so is Uno. Uno and both of his brothers. It’s quite a reunion. And of course everyone expects Donald’s most emotional reunion to be with Daisy, but no. It’s Uno. And Uno is the one he ends up on the front of a magazine with lol.

Also yeah they get married :3

Man I think I may have overspoke about this one XD But I really enjoy this one what can I say jkkghfdsjlk

--

Notre Duck!! That’s another one I enjoy though it isn’t as in-depth as the last. So basically Everett came to Earth, and it’s kinda like.... a Duck version of medieval times. He came here for inspiration, then ended up building Uno, who became like a son to him. However, when other flesh-and-blood ducks realized he was an android, they became fearful and called him a monster, and tried to attack and run him out of town.

After that, Everett hid him away in a tower attached to a church, where no one but the church staff would go. He didn’t want to lose his android son. But Uno watches the world below his tower change, dreaming of a day when he could go out there too.

One day he meets Donald, who is a street performer with an association to Scrooge McDuck, a king in a neighboring kingdom. Donald finds out very quickly that he is an android and doesn’t judge him for it, instead encouraging him to leave the tower because “life is about the adventure.” This, of course, does not sit well with Everett, who forbids Uno from leaving the tower or seeing Donald.

Donald is wanted by the lord of the city, who wants to use him against Scrooge (and earn favour with his own king). There’s no creepy old men lusting after young women and no slurs being used casually so.

Also anyway this actually spawned from me imagining Uno to the song Out There so yeah.

#Ask #DT17 AUs #They're all DUno

[ofcoffeeanddreams]

Rant coming up.

This has been on my mind lately, and I needed time to sort my thoughts out. I briefly considered not writing about this, but I feel that I need to let this load off my chest. Apologies in advance if I upset anyone, that is not my intention. Oh and also, quite a long post ahead.

Exactly a week ago, Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide. I went through a whole myriad of emotions. It still affects and haunts me till today. Which is why I think I must let it out.

I first watched Sushant in Kis Desh Mein Hai Mera Dil. My mother was into watching Hindi serials and somehow along the way, I joined her occasionally. A year or so later, I saw Sushant in Pavitra Rishta. I started watching the drama purely for Sushant. There was just something about the quiet and strong Manav that captured my attention. I then watched him on Jhalak Dikhlaja and supported him all the way as a fan.

A few years later, I saw him debuting in Kai Po Che, and I watched him in PK, as the ever dashing Sarfaraz. It was at this point, that I marvelled and remember telling my mother, “Hey mum, you remember Manav from Pavitra Rishta? He made it to Bollywood!”

It was this thing about him making it big and that his talent was not going unnoticed. With his death, it did shock many of his fans, me included. The more I looked into it, the more upset I get.

Here’s my two cents worth.

Nepotism has been rampant in the Bollywood industry lately. Kangna Ranaut raised many questions and got herself a fair number of enemies when she deemed Karan Johar as the flag-bearer of nepotism. One thing I admire about her is that she has the guts to fight for her cause. There are some actors who might not have relatives in the industry, but they have their respective godfathers to give them the push they need to rise.

I was born in the nineties, so I grew up to the likes of Karisma Kapoor, the Deol brothers, Raveena Tandon, Akshay Kumar, the Khans. It did not occur to me that some of these actors were products of nepotism. Back then nepotism was not rampant, unlike now. There are some who are supremely talented. However, it seems like now, just about anyone can be cast simply because of their connections.

It is true that producers or directors can launch whoever they want, but this raises a few questions. Are you launching a star kid because they generate profit better than the talented outsiders? Is launching a star kid better than launching a talented actor who worked their ass off to be where they are? Doesn’t launching star kids make the road much narrower for upcoming actors looking to make their mark?

There are so many gems in Bollywood that have been overlooked, and they are capable of so much more. They should be appreciated more and protected at all costs.

“Outsiders” who are under-appreciated:

Randeep Hooda, Jimmy Sheirgill, Ranvir Shorey, Sayani Gupta, Taapsee Pannu, Radhika Apte, Kriti Sanon, Kriti Kharbanda, Siddharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Richa Chaddha, Manoj Bajpayee, Kangna Ranaut, Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Ayushmann Khurana, Rajkummar Rao, Sushant Singh Rajput, Vicky Kaushal, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Siddharth Malhotra (I know, people might say KJo is his godfather, but he is not a star kid and I feel that he grew by himself), Konkona Sen, Sharman Joshi, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajpal Yadav, Kalki Koechlin, Bipasha Basu, Dino Morea, Abhay Deol (he might be related to the Deols, but he worked his way up by himself damned well).

 I am a fan of star kids who I feel are talented and worked their asses off to enjoy the stardom they have now. I like Aamir Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Karisma Kapoor a lot. I used to like Aliaa Bhatt because I felt like she had the guts to try out different projects and she proved she could act.

However, I somehow let my judgement cloud me a little and it has affected how I see these celebrities now. I came across a video of Katrina, Alia, Shahid and Varun ignoring Sushant at IIFA and it kinda sucked. I should not be judging just based on the context of that video, but still, it sucked seeing Sushant being ignored. Suffice to say, my level of disdain with these actors is going up.

When news of Sushant’s passing came out, I went onto Instagram and my newsfeed was flooded with many “tributes” to Sushant, by many actors from the film fraternity. It baffled me, because these actors posted photos with Sushant, as if trying to prove they had a genuine connection with him and that they apparently cared. Hmm. 

Some can even attempt to pull the attention to them, that depression is an issue we should address seriously. There are talks of actors getting Sushant’s projects, and endless preaching of depression, linking it back to themselves. I am sure you know who I am talking about, Repeat after me repeat after me, how about stop hogging the bloody spotlight?! My respect has only gone up for people like Kriti Sanon, Vivek Oberoi and Shraddha Kapoor, who really proved they are friends who loved him. It struck me that this industry I grew up loving, turned out to be shallow and fake.

I unfollowed some people on Instagram. I just got more annoyed when I hear directors say how star kids get roles and do not even need to audition for their roles. This is unfair.

If these talks about Bollywood sabotaging Sushant’s career and pushing him to the edge are true, they have disappointed us as fans. I see a lot of finger pointing after Sushant’s death. Fingers are pointed at the bigwigs of Bollywood, and somehow, us, the fans. That shocked the shit out of me. We as fans, appreciate our talents and actors, which is why we watch their movies in theatres and support them as much as we can, without caring if they notice us or not. I for one, go to the theatres to watch movies and wait excitedly to watch my favourite actors on screen. This shit about nepotism has to be addressed and if this is how it’s going, then so be it. Not being invited to weddings, parties, and to be rated and not invited on a stupid show on his looks and talents and being termed too boring. How could a mind like Sushant’s be boring? THAT IS UTTER COW DUNG.

Sushant’s death, like Irrfan’s, hit me like a personal loss. He grew by himself, defying all odds to be a self-made actor, oozing talent, and love for his fans. He had a brilliant mind, and he was a wonderful person in and out. He had an unsatiated curiosity on how the universe came about, and the thirst for knowledge got him excited. He made time for his fans, he did donations quietly, he sent children to space camps, he appreciated his fans and chose projects that showed his talent and he was paving a way for himself, in all aspects. He was an inspiration for many upcoming actors, who probably told their parents, “If Sushant could do it, there might be a chance for me.” It is sad that all these questions are raised after his abrupt departure. 34 is too young of an age to go, but we will never know what he went through before he made the decision to take this final step. All I have to say is, I hope you are happy wherever you are Sushant. Bollywood did not deserve a gem like you. May you shine as bright as the stars you used to marvel over. We will never forget you. Never.

#nepotism #ssr #nepotism bollywood #sushantsinghrajput #sushant singh rajput

[vynnyal]

Throwing random thoughts, headcanons, and a variety of pasta at the wall (but only those having to do with vessels and/or their biology this time): The Thrilling Third Installment™

...aka pretending i can be dark and dramatic jskhdfd

Thk's larger form is not the standard, but the exception. Thk was cited as being "raised and trained to prime form", which people take to mean pk assisted in the vessel's natural growth. However, that conclusion leaves a lot of unanswered questions, most important of which being “then what about Ghost?” In short, I think that train of thought is backwards. Vessels can't grow- they are ageless, and immortal. We know this due to Ghost, despite living as long if not longer than thk, being completely unchanged over the years. The only thing pk trained into "prime form" was thk’s mind and fighting prowess. Their body... well, I think it was mutated. Most likely either directly by pk, or ordered by him- and with the shenanigans happening over in the sanctum, I wouldn't be surprised if Soul was involved, too. In any case, it was in no means natural. Vessels are corpses reanimated by void; neither corpses nor void tend to make drastic changes on their own all that often. Whether pk predicted the vessel’s “issues” and intended to manually “upgrade” them from the beginning, it's hard to say. But... yeah. Unless Ghost goes out of their way to make themselves grow- if its even possible, now that pk is gone- its fairly safe to say, they never will.

...with that in mind, we are promptly gonna ignore that for the rest of this post lmaooo

Grown-up vessels wouldn't look like thk; while they are described as being raised into "prime form"... prime form, to whom? Rather than looking like an idealized pk soldier, it sounds much more fitting that they’d have an entirely different, natural adult form. Consider: their cloaks being longer and fuller, perhaps filling out into something with a more practical use to their “species”. Better yet, they could even grow up to be more beast-like. Feral vessels, YEhaW

The black egg temple is cited as being "built to sustain [vessels]", yet it can't be their lifespan that is sustained. Rather, it seems the egg is specifically designed to keep the radiance from tearing thk apart, physically and/or mentally. Ngl its p obvious, but worth noting.

Sorta-au where Ghost’s shade has 8 eyes, and/or is generally all-around more cryptid-looking.

@ the sharpshadow charm and the strange, 6-eyed creature their shade turns into: kudos to this post, they bring up something super interesting- the creature not only resembles the Shade Lord, but the lord outright becomes it during the Embrace the Void cutscene.

makes me respect the ol’ civilization a whole lot more if a single charm can turn a baby shade into a baby lord.

The concept of finding ghosts unconscious body, laying next to a corpse, while they battle in their dreams. Alt: when ghost enters the dream realm, their shade leaves their shell... And protects their body from harm.

If steel soul mode is taken as canon, just how did ghost and the shade meet? Alt: Ghost may never have “met” it at all, as it technically doesn’t exist in that mode- instead, its more of a metaphor than an actual entity.

What the vessels looked like- or were supposed to look like- before the void. Alt: a story following a child, alive and untouched, that somehow managed to be spared. They could even have a gender. Alt alt: the void intentionally spared them for some purpose, or even out of simple kindness- or at least, something that resembles kindness.

Re: the shade inexplicably having a nail: all the vessel's swords are crafted from “will-bearing rock”- of which i’ve come to lovingly call living stone- and as such, are of void themselves. That's how the shade seems to conjure up its own copy; it merely shapes it, from the ground, using void. And, while more of a stretch, Ghost’s nail being some sort of living stone/pale ore alloy could explain just how Ghost can do seemingly pretty crazy things with an otherwise ordinary nail. Better, while 100% a baseless hc, its material might actually enable Ghost to build it up and modify it to suite their size as they grow older. finally, a logical reason adult Ghost has an adult-sized nail-claymore. hdsfghjfghdsjf

On that same thought: Ghost outright invented the "art" of manipulating- or creating- living stone to make their nail. ...gimme a sec. The other escaped vessels have nails, too, right? Either meaning they also discovered this ability... or that theres some legitimate ground for the “vessel gang” hc. Or, yanno, i’m reading too much into Ari’s sprites but sHHhh

How did all the vessels know to race to the top? They seemed to be falling merely because they had just been born and had literal, actual baby strength; yet not only did they inexplicably risk everything competing to the top, they somehow knew death was waiting if they lost. Alt: pk just, bringing a fucking megaphone and telling them like a sports announcer.

What if Ghost made it, and instead of falling, they managed to joined thk at the lip? What would pk do? Push them off the edge??? Or just adopt them both?? Oh fuck au where they're raised as twin sacrifices. Or worse yet, they’re raised unequally, and one is trained only as an afterthought. As a backup.

Alternatively, pk keeps all the vessels au, only a few years later when they're grown. Pk now has a literal army of pure knights. Radiance is fucked.

Hm. If vessels were fully coherent entities from the moment of birth, why was there a crib in the white palace? Did... did they use it? I have a feeling team cherry made that asset before the abyss scene lmaooo alt: they did, uh, use the crib. Cue a very awkward scene of thk, clearly not a normal baby, staring at wl with like... idk, the poofy baby hat and pacifier. I can’t tell if the image is more funny or more sad rn shdfgfjsdgg

The og notes that inspired this post, in case my rambling makes more sense (and w/o the awful comic hjsfgjsdfhj): Oh oh OH i GET it now. The void is all about "will" and whatnot, right? And shades are "fragments of a lingering will"- will, like the one you leave after your death, but instead of inheritance its the vessels' desires...last regrets.... DAMN team cherry, that symbolism is clever as heck. That took me a while. Kinda funny how a will is, technically, a person's last regrets Like I knew they were last regrets but I didn't understand WHY. Duh, it's because they're literally Made Of Will. They are the vessel's "wills". I'm so stupid.

Ghost, walking thru the abyss, getting increasingly fed up / freaked out, ducking into a crack in the wall. They follow the crack into the Scream Chamber, pause, then exhale in relief that this was EXACTLY what they needed.

Ghost's shade rolling up its void-sleeves like “fuck it, ima defeat thk myself”

Why was thk's sword there? Was its pedestal decayed? Did it fall from their body? Was it place there as an afterthought, or hurriedly? alt: taking thk's sword before freeing them, but doing the mom thing like you're grounding them hdhfjchjch

I can’t believe it just occured to me now, but... as objectivley stupid as the vessel’s test was, Ghost... technically came in second place. What if that whole scene was a metaphor? Because really, it’s just too silly to take seriously. To do so isn’t too far fetched, either; many other elements in the game’s story are better taken as symbolic or metaphorical, anyways. Take the PoP cutscene- while it could’ve been a literal moment, where they just happened to find themselves standing around and took the moment to appreciate each other... imo it makes much more sense to read it as the concept of their faint ~forbidden love~ and parental pride itself. Or, better yet, the scene at the end of the 4th pantheon. Sorry, but I severely doubt that was an actual event. What I’m trying to get at is the significance of “second place” in the cutscene. My brain is too fried to chase down any other possible connections to this theme rn (if thats even what the theme is), but even without proof, the theory smooths out a few interesting tidbits related to just how Ghost could tough it out when all others failed. All except for #1, anyway. Either way I’m just happy to take this as an excuse to pretend that cutscene didn’t literally happen because like, l m a o

The story of a small group of vessels as they work together to escape hallownest. (aka the aforementioned vessel gang hc... im sure theres a more formal name but you get the idea). Its impossible to tell how long it took them to discover that near-invisible hole, the last exit remaining after the king ordered the abyss to be sealed up. Once they did, however, the remaining vessels were quick to make a desperate scramble to escape- only for the entrance to suddenly crumble shut, far, far too soon. The remaining 8 slowly made their way through deepnest, their numbers quickly dwindling as the jouney started to take its toll. The group was nearly wiped out by those terrible, spiney-legged creatures that used their own kinship against them. Only three finally escaped the deep, yet only two made it through the basin- the third, largest sibling, left to fight alone againt a hopeless battle, just to buy the others time. It was in greenpath, so close yet so far to their goal, that the second succumbed to the infection. It was a mercy killing, that nail through the heart. The last, after all of that, finally made their way to the very precipice of howling cliffs, hesitating for just a moment to gaze out upon the still-fresh ruins of hallownest. But only for a moment, before Ghost jumps down to begin their journey beyond this wretched place.

A vessel running from its shade as it tirelessly pursues them, the vessel refusing to put it to rest.

tw: suicide, + personal on main

Ugh ugh ugh ugh Either thk was fully conscious and in terrible pain for all those years... or they couldn’t feel anything at all. The former is horrible, but imagining thk waking up, chained, unable to do anything but wait for Ghost to heed their call? Did they turn their nail on themselves to help Ghost, end the pain, or some awful mix of both? For someone who has personally dealt with close friends and family that struggled with suicide themselves, hollowknight is one of the worst horror stories I've ever seen. And the fact that the story is so personal, so open to interpretation? The fact that each character is so genuine yet vague enough to be read completely differently to someone else’s biases? Its why hollow knight- the game, and the character- will forever be one of the most powerful stories to me.

in short, good LORD THIS GAME IS SO FUCKING SAD

#hollow knight #Thonking abt hollowknight #blabbing.txt #i should probably proof-read this.... uuuaaaah #anyways #@ that last one: i had to take a week-long break after tiso died. so like. you can imagine my reaction to thk #other than that some of these are VERY OLD #and dsfhhfdj the test one literally just occurred to me #sweet catharsis.... fuck you pk.... #also.... yeah. vessels have a p bad time all considered #ghost is like 'i know i look 7 but im actually 1000 years old!' #then hornet punts them into the sun #OH WHAUFHDFKJ

[datastate]

how do u feel about ogrim?

HE IS NOT JUST A SHIT SENTINEL

honestly i think he’s a real sweet dude!!! and his whole story makes me really sad because he’s lost A Lot of people that he clearly loved and was probably fairly close to w how... open? he is. he so freely cares abt people and he’s light-hearted and sweet and I Love Him. he was open to admitting his faults or where he was lacking (the dialogue where he asks isma to teach him) and just asked for people to have faith in him, to give him a chance. and he reflects that same sort of mindset where possible, he believes in people and encourages them (as he did with ghost) and is just generally a really upbeat person who seems like he’d be nice to be around.

i like thinking he and dryya, even though they weren’t. as close, all things considered, were still generally able to enjoy each other’s presence because ogrim’s a really genuine person and dryya herself prefers to be upfront about things. they don’t spend much time together despite both being in the palace most of the time in comparison to the other knights, but. they’re friendly enough w each other!

ogrim and isma like spending time with each other because they’re both pretty excitable and can encourage one another’s projects (ogrim’s tends to be helping with stuff in the palace / organizing stuff for the knights to do in their few moments to actually spend together as Fambly, isma’s figuring out stuff in her grove and/or helping out the hive) and tend to take things slowly, they’re both people who appreciate the moment; though it’s isma who keeps ogrim looking forward and stop lingering on stuff so much that he’ll like. start kind of falling into a relapse mentality you know. like there’s a point where it goes from ‘processing an event’ to ‘overthinking it’ and ogrim has trouble figuring out the two.

hegemol Lives and Thrives on ogrim’s laughter and validation. ogrim’s validation is Good Shit. of course they can have more serious moments but most of the time ogrim and hegemol are just vibing together! hegemol cooks (he’s a lot more. Lenient with ~spices~ than those in the palace which is refreshing) while ogrim keeps him updated on how the other knights are doing while he’s in the city and they just pick up the convos as they go and it’s feelgood times. they’re both comforting figures; hegemol’s like. a stable force for everyone in the group i feel, he’s the sort of person that you just expect to Always be there, who knows when to cut humor and just listen to someone and their issues. and ogrim is. Yeah.

ze’mer and ogrim interact the least out of everyone here unless they’re relaying info between the archives and the king but they appreciate each other! ogrim finds her ability to recall events in extremely vivid detail Scary but also charming? especially when she starts telling him abt her Yearning for one of the mantises (he was probably the first one to hear it bc she knew, open as he is, he could keep a secret if asked and is generally like.. even if he wants her to be cautious, he’d phrase it in a kinder way than dryya and ze’mer was biased toward being encouraged to go for her mantis lover y’know.)

anyway back to present, i still get like. Chills reading through his dream/nail dialogue especially, he clearly vaguely knew what was going on w thk and even though he was like hm! fucked up! he didn’t put a stop to it because he believed in pk and his plan (it probably helped to just. be left unaware of the whole abyss thing too (”so there were others”)) and he just!!! he wanted what was best for hallownest and was doing his best to help it stay, not only for his king but for the other four knights and hallownest’s people as a whole and aaaaaaaa :’[

+ it Hurts me when he still mentions isma as if she’s alive? i still don’t have isma’s grove entirely figured out or why ogrim can’t leave to at least help out w those survivors who come to hallownest now, but if i have to think abt it now it’s definitely something intrinsically tied to isma’s duty in the waterways area, though why he wouldn’t be closer to her is weird?? i mean i guess he would need to guard the switch there but. augh. i don’t know. their whole situation feels really convoluted BHGJMDJ

tl;dr I Feel Many Things Over Him. he is a good person and i can forgive him for trusting in the king (even if i really wish he didn’t) because he does have the best intentions and wasn’t aware of what the king did to get to that point.

#TY FOR THE ASK i'm sorry for going on abt him #ask #Anonymous #long post #hk posting

[syncogon]

[QZGS TL] Butterfly Blue 2015/08/15 Taiwan Q&A

Hello! Bringing another Butterfly Blue fan Q&A translation here today. This one is from August 15, 2015, for an event he was doing in Taiwan. 

This is a translation of a transcription of a recording. Because it was spoken, there’s some filler words and awkward phrasing; I focused more on getting the gist of what he was saying. A few notes have been included in [brackets]. Also, the transcriber said that they lost the recording of the second half of the talk, so this is only a portion of the event.

The transcription was originally found at this link, http://sinstar529.lofter.com/post/3330e5_7e8c0e7, but the Lofter seems to have been purged. To keep a record and some accountability, the Chinese is included in this post. As always, let me know of any major errors.

past BB translations here: /tagged/bb-interview

Please enjoy! As always, BB has some fun and interesting insights.

********

提问：虫爹我想请问，孙翔当年是怎么被发掘的呢？是在网游里被发现的、还是自己报名训练营的？

虫爹：孙翔他是比较有天赋、比较有才华的，我其实没有想过（全场笑），这样有天赋的选手大家都会比较关注的

Q: Bug Dad, how was Sun Xiang discovered back in the day? Was he discovered in game, or did he join a training camp himself?

A: Sun Xiang, he’s rather talented. I actually haven’t thought about this (audience laughter). People will always pay attention to such a talented player.

提问：王杰希的接班人高英杰是怎么被挑选当选手的？

虫爹：这不是跟上一个问题一样吗？ （全场笑）因为表现得比较有天赋就会比较让人看重

Q: How was Wang Jiexi’s successor, Gao Yingjie, chosen to become a pro?

A: Isn’t this the same as the last question? (audience laughter) Talented performance will always attract attention.

提问：虫爹你觉得杜明追得上唐柔吗

虫爹：我觉得难度可能会比较大一点（全场笑）而且他还只是暗恋，还没有比较主动地去表现出来，所以这样看起来……嗯、我觉得他应该是……追不到（全场笑）←小明不哭（Ｘ

Q: Bug Dad, do you think Du Ming can chase down and get together with Tang Rou? 

A: I think it’d be relatively difficult (audience laughter). And plus it’s still a secret crush, he still hasn’t even taken the initiative to express it. So from that… mm, I think he… couldn’t (audience laughter)

提问：那个，孙哲平和韩队都是那种、硬派的、呃、男人（不然是什么Ｘ），所以我想问，谁感觉比较、爷们一点？

虫爹：他们俩个吗？差不多吧，性格上没必要拿出来比较吧

提问：那如果ＰＫ的话，会感觉谁比较有胜算呢？

虫爹：你说真人ＰＫ吗？ （全场笑）

提问：真人ＰＫ也是可以的

虫爹：真人ＰＫ就不要讨论了吧（笑）不过如果是赛场上的胜负的话是很难说的，那怕是叶修这么强的人都没办法保证百分百能胜过哪个人，所以谁强谁弱的这个，我觉得、恩，不太会有结论。因为打得越多胜负出现的次数也会越多，大概是这样吧

Q: Um, Sun Zheping and Captain Han are both that sort of, strong-willed, uh, men. So I wanted to ask, who’s more, manly?

A: Those two? Probably about the same, there’s no need to compare personalities

Q: Then if they PKed, who do you think would have a higher chance of winning?

A: Are you talking about a real-life PK? (audience laughter) 

Q: Real-life PK is fine too

A: Let’s not talk about real-life PK (laughs). But if we’re talking about the outcome of a match, that’s hard to say. Not even someone as strong as Ye Xiu can 100% guarantee victory over another person. So who’s stronger or weaker, I think there isn’t really a conclusion. Because the more matches played, the greater the number of victories and losses, it’s something like that.

提问：虫爹我想请问一下，莫凡以前是做什么的？怎么有办法说来就来兴欣，然后一直被拐带留在那边都不用回家（全场笑）

虫爹：喔你说他现实里的工作是吧？呃依照设定来说我想就是游戏里的那种职业玩家吧，就拾拾荒啊、卖卖装备啊，然后每天换点零花钱这样子，因为他年纪还不算很大，还比较年轻

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, what was Mo Fan doing before joining Happy? How could he just drop everything and come to Happy, and then get abducted without needing to return home? (audience laughter)

A: Oh you’re talking about his real-world work? Mm according to what I had in mind, he was just a pro in-game player, scrap picking, selling equipment, and then trading this for some spending money every day. Because he’s not too old, he’s still relatively young

提问：请问台湾有可能出巅峰荣耀吗？

虫爹：台湾啊？如果是出版的话还是交给出版社，因为他嫌我现在的字数还有点少（笑）因为大陆那本现在应该是七万七千还是七万八千字左右，但我们这边说至少要到十几万字才有可能出版呵呵

提问：那虫爹可以多写一点番外吗～补上去嘛～

虫爹：这个可能要慢一些，因为一次写两本还是有点吃力，那我写现在的连载，有的时候还是不知道该写什么（惊）所以可能会慢一些

[Q about prequel release in Taiwan - unlikely because too short for the publisher]

Q: Then could you write a bit more prequel content ~

A: This would probably have to be a bit slower, writing two books at once is still a bit of a struggle, and when I’m writing the serialization right now, sometimes I still don’t know what I should write. So it would be slow

提问：虫爹我只是纯粹好奇想请问，沐秋的身高到底是多少？因为我是他的粉丝，所以说很希望可以知道他的身高

虫爹：沐秋啊？这个设定我还没有做到欸，因为我角色设定只做到一半，现在还在做后面的设定，所以这个还没有做到

Q: Bug Dad I’m just curious, how tall is Muqiu? Because I’m his fan, so I really hope to know his height

A: Muqiu? Eh this I still haven’t figured out, I’ve only done around half of the character profiles so far. I’m still working on the second half, so I haven’t done this yet 

提问：那网游时期第一代的大神们有在现实世界中见面过吗？就是在游戏之前，因为有的时候我们在游戏里熟识到一个程度的时候会出来见个面啊、吃个饭啊、聊个天啊什么的，他们有这样行为吗？

虫爹：这个……因人而异吧，我觉得初代的……因为他们后来打到比赛的时候就会见到的，这些活动……我来考虑吧，比如说叶修应该对这些不会有太大的兴趣呵呵

Q: Did the first-generation gods ever meet in the real world? Because sometimes when we’re somewhat familiar with people in-game, we’ll go out together, meet up, get a meal, chat, etc. Did they ever do these kinds of things? 

A: This… probably varies from person to person, I feel that the first generation… Because they’d meet later when playing matches, so these kind of activities… I’ll think about it. For example Ye Xiu probably wouldn’t be very interested in these things haha

提问：虫爹我想请问叶神大大是什么时候开始染上烟瘾这个坏习惯的？

虫爹：呃……这个可能就是在长期熬夜的过程中……这个你问得太细了我没有想过，因为我看我写番外的时候、呃、他十五岁的时候我应该没有写到他抽烟的画面吧？那就是在后面的……离家出走以后吧？

提问：那他有没有考虑要把烟戒掉？

虫爹：我不知道欸哈哈哈哈哈哈

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, when did God Ye pick up his bad cigarette addiction?

A: Uh… He might have picked it up after many nights of staying up late… Your question is too specific, I haven’t thought about it before. Because when I was writing the prequel, hm, when he was fifteen I don’t think I described any scenes of him smoking? Then it would have been later… after he left home? 

Q: Then has he ever considered quitting smoking?

A: I don’t know hahaha

提问：虫爹我想请问，因为很多人对后面世界邀请赛的部分感到很好奇，那我想请问虫爹会写这个部分的番外吗？

虫爹：嗯我暂时没有想写后面的番外，因为这个结局我个人是觉得非常满意的，如果现在写了我觉得就是个画蛇添足的举动吧，所以我暂时不想写后面，所以我现在写的番外都是之前的，可能把他一些过去的心情啊什么的让他补的更完整一点，那未来的我暂时没有想过要写

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, because many people are curious about the later world championships, will you ever write about this?

A: For now I haven’t thought about writing any sequels, because I’m very happy with the ending I have. If I write it now, it’d be like drawing feet on a snake. That’s why the extras I’m writing now are all prequels, so I can fill in more details about their past feelings and such, but right now I don’t want to write about the future. 

 提问：江波涛是怎么知道周泽楷在说什么的

虫爹：呃这个问题昨天刚好也有人问过，就是如果大家有玩过网游的话，比如说一些比较常一起玩的朋友，就会比较知道你接下来会有一些什么举动，就会比较有默契，你知道的、呃、默契（全场笑）

Q: How does Jiang Botao know what Zhou Zekai is saying?

A: I think someone asked this question yesterday too. If you’ve played an online game before, for example if you have a few friends you play with often, then they’ll tend to know what action you’re likely to take next, you’ll have that tacit understanding, you know that, uh, tacit understanding (audience laughter) 

提问：虫爹我想请问因为有些同人创作有在写衍生，那我想请问你对衍生的看法是什么

虫爹：因为……衍生可能就是大家对于正篇所产生的脑补，我个人的话其实没有看过，所以我不好评价，没什么可介意的，大家开心就好，我不会太介意的

Q: Bug Dad I want to ask, there are a few fan creators writing derivatives of your work, what is your opinion on that? 

A: Mm… Derivatives tend to come from everyone’s thoughts and ideas about the original work. Personally I haven’t looked at them, so I can’t give a judgment, but there isn’t much to object to. As long as everyone’s happy that’s good, I won’t mind too much

提问：虫爹我想请问一下，孙哲平退役期间有跟张佳乐联络吗？

虫爹：退役、呃、我个人觉得，应该是不会有太多联络的，因为他的退役在我们来说是比较呃、难过的、比较无可抗拒的，这种是最无力的嘛，所以我想他可能会……不太会想继续联络

Q: Bug Dad I’d like to ask, during the period of time Sun Zheping was retired, did he ever contact Zhang Jiale? 

A: While retired, hm, personally I think there wouldn’t have been much contact. Because his retirement was rather sad, as we’d describe it, it wasn’t something he could fight against, it was the most helpless kind, so I think that he probably… wouldn’t really want to maintain contact

提问：老师当初是什么契机之下会想要写《全职高手》这部作品

虫爹：全职这个嘛，我在近战法师写到一半的时候就有想写一个、呃游戏类的小说，但是写一个人整天在那里玩游戏好像有一些、呃、不务正业嘛，唯一的办法就是把他变成职业的、比较正经的，那就是电竞，像体育项目一样的事情。所以我当初就想写一个电竞类的，然后我就加了一点网游的部分，因为这样过渡得比较流畅比较自然一点，也不会像一直打比赛那么枯燥嘛，

Q: At the time, what drove you to come up with this work The King’s Avatar? 

A: When I was about halfway through writing Close-Combat Mage, I wanted to write a gaming novel, but writing about a person playing games all day felt a bit, mm, like neglecting honest work. The only way around that would be to make him a professional, relatively official. That’s esports, like normal sporting events. So at the time I wanted to write about esports, and then I added sections about the game, because this kind of transition felt a bit smoother, and it wouldn’t be as monotonous as just having endless matches.

提问：那如果要用一段话形容王杰希的话，你会怎么写？

虫爹：一段话？我在里面写了那么多字你要我用一段话讲ＱＡＱ我写那么多干嘛ＱＡＱ

提问：那最深的印象呢？

虫爹：呃我一时想不出来，但我想他应该是一个责任心非常重，然后对战队有非常非常���的憧憬，怎么说，就像他对微草战队的期许吧，所以有很高的责任感和（？？？？？？没听清楚

Q: So if you were to use one sentence to describe Wang Jiexi, what would you say?

A: One sentence? I wrote so many words in the book and you want me to use one sentence to describe him? Then why’d I write so much?

Q: Then what’s your deepest impression of him?

A: Mm I can’t think of an answer right now, but I feel that he’s the type of person to take responsibility for things, and then he has an extremely high vision for his team’s future - how to put it - like his hopes and expectations for Tiny Herb, so he has a very deep sense of responsibility. [transcriber’s note: “??? Didn’t hear clearly”]

提问：我想问叶修的家庭到底是怎么样的，让他会那么怕他的爸爸

虫爹：呃我觉得会怕家长这是尊重吧，因为不好、太忤逆所以他干脆不敢面对就离家出走了

Q: I’d like to ask, what is Ye Xiu’s family like, for him to be so scared of his dad?

A: I feel that this “fear of parents” is just respect. Because he wasn’t good, too rebellious, so he just didn’t dare confront them and instead ran away from home 

提问：想请问虫爹在写文章的时候会听音乐或同时做其他事情吗？比如说吃东西

虫爹：呃、呃我没有吃东西，听音乐嘛……就是……尽量写吧（？

提问：那请问在写战斗画面时是想像然后就直接打出来吗？

虫爹：你说我、自己还要、打出来吗（惊）当然没有啊（？）只是脑补而已你想太多了←虫爹好像误会了www

Q: When you’re writing, do you listen to music or do other things at the same time? Like eating? 

A: I don’t eat while writing… listening to music, I… guess I try to focus on writing [transcriber note: “?”]

Q: Then when you’re writing battles, do you imagine it and then directly hit it out? 

A: You’re asking me if I – myself – fight out the battle? Of course not? I’m just imagining it, you’re thinking too much 

[transcriber note: “BB seems to have misunderstood”] 
[translator note: I think it’s a pun-misunderstanding of “to type” vs “to hit/fight”?]

提问：那想请问因为听说会拍成电影，那因为有很多游戏的战斗画面，虫爹有想过有怎么表现这一块吗？

虫爹：这个版权已经卖出去有点久了（？！）不过现在还没有到实际的创作阶段，游戏画面的表现的话就是用特效啊，大家看电影都会知道有一些场景实现不了就是用特效

[Q about potential movie, irrelevant now that it’s released]

提问：老师为什么你不会想要写那种、草根少年崛起之类的，就是为什么他是从大神再从头爬起，为什么没有想要写他原本就是默默无名的人

虫爹：因为我之前写的几个故事大体都是这样的，为了做出区别所以，呃比如说武侠小说，像金庸就是你说的这种嘛但我是比较喜欢古龙呵呵呵（嗯？）就这样出来就比较无敌啊哈哈哈

Q: Why didn’t you want to write a story about grassroots youth rising to the top? That is, why is he a god starting over again? Why didn’t you think about writing his origin as a nobody?

A: Because many of my previous stories were all like that, so I wanted to do something different. For example, wuxia stories like Jin Yong’s stories were like that, but I prefer Gu Long’s hehe, where they’re rather invincible from the start 

[T/N: both famous wuxia novelists]

提问：因为刚刚提到孙哲平所以我就想到魏琛，想问魏琛退役之后是真的没有跟黄少天连络吗？因为黄少天是他从网游带进去的，算是他的徒弟了，那他就完全不会想要联络吗？

虫爹：这个嘛，退役就好像退休一样嘛，就要换一种生活嘛哈哈哈，所以虽然他还是在玩荣耀，但网游跟职业圈两者还是不太一样的，所以就不太会再有交集 

提问：那黄少天没想过要跟他连络吗？

虫爹：如果他不见了要怎么联络哈哈哈

提问：但是叶修找到他了ＱＡＱ

虫爹：叶修只是偶然碰到而已哈哈哈，因为叶修有时间玩网游哈哈哈

Q: Since Sun Zheping was mentioned earlier, I thought of Wei Chen. After Wei Chen retired, did he really never contact Huang Shaotian? Because Huang Shaotian was the one he brought in from the game, he was like his apprentice. Did he really not want to contact him at all?

A: This… it’s retirement, you’re changing your way of life, haha. So even though he was still playing Glory, in-game is still quite different from the pro circle. There wouldn’t be much intersection anymore

Q: But wouldn’t Huang Shaotian want to contact him?

A: If he’s vanished, how is he supposed to contact him? Hahaha

Q: But Ye Xiu found him!

A: Ye Xiu just happened to run into him by chance, because Ye Xiu had time to play in-game haha

小编：那接下来还有同学要提问吗……噢有男生欸！

虫爹：噢终于有男生了！

提问：虫爹你好，我想请问《近战法师》的韩家公子和叶修喷啦叽话谁会赢呢？

虫爹：噢，只是言语啦，韩家公子应该会更胜一筹，噢呜，叶修是吧（惊讶脸）叶修哇，我刚刚当成顾飞了，这个不好讲啦哈哈哈哈，而且叶修可能会用键盘打字哈哈哈哈，这个就……回答不了哈哈哈，不好意思我刚刚当成顾飞了，顾飞的言语……他就是用行动的哈哈哈

[the host?]: Then are there any more questions… Oh, a guy!

A: Finally, a male! 

[Q about Close-Combat Mage] 

提问：虫爹想请问你创作的这十年来有什么特别印象深刻的吗？

虫爹：这个要追溯到最一开始的时候，我一开始是先看了一本网游小说，不过他到一半就没有了，当时我不懂说……那不是后面没有了，而是后面是要付费的哈哈哈，然后我就不看了，但是我想……就觉得很委屈嘛，然后我就看到他的第二篇文，就觉得……怎么不写个完呢？那时候我才刚要上大学，我的同学就常常去网吧玩嘛，我们就泡在网吧里，他在打游戏嘛，但我那时候就在旁边开始写小说，就同学就整晚不睡觉在打游戏看影剧，那我就在那边打小说嘛，然后他们就看我在那边努力写，像看白痴一样的看我，那时候比起辛苦我倒觉得写作是一件很高兴的事这样，也没有想到其他太多的东西，印象最深就是最初的这段。

小编：那原先启发你的那篇文你后来有去储币看完吗？

虫爹：噢那时候因为他写到一半就出道了，所以我也不知道他后面还有，那后来因为他是有付费嘛，那我想那我就不要看了哈哈哈哈哈（抓头）

Q: Bug Dad, over the course of these ten years that you’ve been writing, do you have any particularly deep impressions?

A: For this, you’d have to trace back to the very beginning. Back then, I was reading a gaming novel, but after reading half of it there was no more. At the time I didn’t realize, it wasn’t that there was no more, it was that the rest was paywalled hahaha. And so I didn’t read any more, but I was thinking… I felt wronged, you know? And then I saw his second work, but I felt… why not write a complete story? At that time I was just about to start university, my classmates were often going to play at internet cafés, and so we’d hang out in the internet café. They would play games, but I would stay off to the side and start to write novels. Similarly, while my classmates were playing games and watching movies late at night instead of sleeping, I would just be writing off to the side, and so they would watch me working hard at writing, as though I were a total idiot. At that time, it was very hard work, but I felt that writing was a very happy thing for me, and so I didn’t think too much about other things. This early period left the deepest impression on me. 

Q: Then did you ever go back to read that first story that inspired you?

A: Oh, back then it was because he made his real debut after writing half of it, so I didn’t even know that there was more. Later I realized that it existed but was paywalled, then I just figured I didn’t want to read it anymore hahahaha

提问：虫爹虽然这个问题很多人问过了但我就是想知道ＱＡＱ就是张佳乐能拿冠军吗ＱＡＱ

虫爹：这个在现有的情节里是没有拿到的，未来嘛因为我没有写所以也不好回答，就知道你们会这样问哈哈哈，所以大家就不要再问这种未来的，因为我没有写啦哈哈哈

Q: Bug Dad I know many people have asked this question before but I want to know – can Zhang Jiale win a championship QAQ 

A: In the story as it currently stands, he hasn’t won a championship. As for the future, I haven’t written it so I can’t answer either. I just know that you guys are like this haha so everyone please don’t ask me these kind of “future” questions because I haven’t written it haha

提问：那因为虫爹一直都很擅长写这种网游类的小说，那想请问虫爹有没有参考过什么网路游戏或玩过什么网路游戏？

虫爹：我是有玩过因为以前在上学的时候有玩DNF，那全职前面有一些职业都是从那个来的，那职业的设定有一些就是参考这个，因为那时候大陆最红的就是这个啦

Q: Because you’ve always been good at writing these kinds of gaming novels, have you referenced any online games or played any online games?

A: I’ve played before, when I was in school I would sometimes play DNF (Dungeon Fighter Online), so a few classes in The King’s Avatar are from there. The design of the classes was influenced by this game because at that time it was the most popular game in the mainland 

提问：虫爹我想请问因为你是从台北吃到高雄那你最喜欢什么

虫爹：我没有一路吃下来（澄清）呃、每一顿都要叙述一下吗？因为我口味比较重一些喜欢吃辣，感觉台湾口味就是会混搭一些吧，但我个人的话其实我不太喜欢这样，混搭的时候我会觉得很奇怪，但吃习惯了之后其实也还好，那因为很精致，而且分量很小，所以一次可以吃很多种哈哈哈哈，我们家去吃饭你最多最多就是点两个菜，不然你就会吃剩下很多，但在台湾我可以点四五个都还没有问题，就分量会比较小，这点我觉得很好

Q:  Bug Dad you’ve eaten your way from Taipei to Kaohsiung, so what’s been your favorite food?

A: I didn’t spend all my time eating! Uh, do you want me to narrate every meal? I’ve always liked spicy foods, I feel like Taipei’s flavor is a mix of a lot of things, but personally I’m not a huge fan of that, I’d think it’s strange when you start mixing things together. But it’s still pretty good once you get used to it, it’s very refined, and the portions are small, so you can eat a lot of different things at once hahahaha. When my family goes out to eat we usually order two dishes max, because otherwise you wouldn’t finish and there’d be a lot left over, but in Taiwan I could order four or five without a problem. The portions tend to be smaller, which I think is very nice

提问：虫爹我想请问今天有没有更新

虫爹：啊、啊昨晚啊，昨晚昨晚昨晚因为我躺到床上就起不来了哈哈哈哈，今晚回去再写吧

Q: Bug Dad I’d like to ask, did you update today

A: Ah? Last night… last night last night last night… I was lying on my bed and couldn’t get up hahahaha, tonight I’ll go and write

提问：那个我想问跟同人创作有关，因为有满多是女性向的作品，那虫爹有什么想法吗？

虫爹：呃、呃呃，这是大家的脑补嘛，那我也只能说……耽美吧？你说的是耽美，那……大家就是喜欢这样脑补嘛，其实也没有办法说什么，大家喜欢，但其实我要强调原著没有那个属性啦哈哈哈哈

提问：那虫爹对这个有什么看法吗？

虫爹：这个……以我个人来看，写成这样的话其实就不太能算是这个角色了，因为他们就是没有这个属性啊哈哈哈哈

Q: I want to ask a question about fanworks, because most of them are targeted toward a female audience, Bug Dad do you have any thoughts on that?

A: It’s all everyone’s own ideas, right, so all I can say… Danmei, right? You’re talking about danmei? Then… People just like these kinds of ideas, I can’t really say anything, everyone likes it. But I want to emphasize that the original work doesn’t have any of these characteristics haha

Q: Then do you have any opinions on this?

A: This… my personal opinion is that, if you’re writing the characters like that, I don’t really think they can be considered the original characters anymore, because they just don’t have any of these characteristics hahahaha

提问：那那那我想问，叶修喜欢怎样的女生（全场暴动）

虫爹：我……叶修他现在还专注在工作上，还没有时间考虑这个问题哈哈哈，我觉得他应该不会太关心这个问题吧呵呵

Q: Then then then I want to ask, what kind of girls does Ye Xiu like? (audience goes wild)

A: I… Ye Xiu is still focused on his work, he hasn’t had the time to consider this question hahaha, I think he wouldn’t care about this question too much right haha

提问：虫爹你好我想请问一个假设性的问题可以吗？

虫爹：什么性？ ！

提问：假设性。

虫爹：噢噢假设性，那你问吧，问完再说哈哈哈

提问：如果苏沐秋还在，跟叶修组成搭档，他们会拿几个冠军？

虫爹：这个至少开始的三个是万无一失的啊，这个我觉得就不好说得太多，因为其他选手也很强，也不是说有什么人就……因为比赛是不可预期的嘛，可能当天晚上拉拉肚子啊隔天就……所以这种假设嘛我觉得不好回答，回答了也是对其他选手不尊重嘛

Q: I want to ask a hypothetical question is that okay? […] If Su Muqiu were still alive and partners with Ye Xiu, how many championships would they have received? 

A: Well, they at least wouldn’t lose the three at the beginning. But I feel that I can’t say too much about this, because the other competitors are also very strong. You can’t just say that “because they have this person then this would happen…” Because matches can’t be predicted, maybe someone had a stomachache the day before and then… So I can’t really answer these kinds of hypotheticals, and moreover, answering would be disrespectful to the other competitors.

提问：虫爹我想问在写作的时候会不会突然写不下去或遇到瓶颈什么的，如果有的话会用什么方式来解决这个困扰

虫爹：呃这个可能……经常会有啊，因为我每天都要写每天都……那写不下去的话这个就是……断更啊不然要怎么办哈哈哈哈哈，有时候就是花多一点时间啊，有的时候……写不出来就没有更新啊，这个没有什么技术上能够解决的

Q: Bug Dad, when you’re writing, do you ever suddenly find that you can’t write any more, or run into writer’s block or whatnot? If you have, how do you solve this struggle?

A: This… I often do, because I have to write every day, so every day… If I can’t write anymore then I just take a break from updating, otherwise what else can I do hahaha… Sometimes I spend a bit more time, sometimes… if I can’t write then there’s just no update. There isn’t really anything technique-wise that can solve this

提问：蓝雨假如喻文州和黄少天都退役之后是确定小卢会接队长吗？还是会选其他比较有经验的队员来当队长呢？

虫爹：队长的人选他们现在还没有开始做选择，因为小卢……就是卢瀚文，主要是培育来等黄少天退役了之后接手黄少天的夜雨声烦的角色，那队长还不一定是他，也许后面还会有更合适的人选，他还小，他还年轻呵呵

Q: In Blue Rain, after Yu Wenzhou and Huang Shaotian both retire, is it for sure that Little Lu will become captain? Or would they pick a more experienced team member to become captain?

A: They haven’t yet begun to choose a next captain, because Little Lu… that is, Lu Hanwen, he’s primarily being raised to take over Huang Shaotian’s account Troubling Rain after his retirement. So he wouldn’t necessarily become captain. Maybe later there’ll be an even more suitable choice. He’s still small, he’s still young haha

#quan zhi gao shou #the king's avatar #qzgs #tka #全职高手 #translation #mine #bb interview #i was very lucky i had the foresight to save the text of the post and not just the link

[petekaos]

RAHUUULLLL I actually got so happy when I saw you answered the ask and said I can rant here! I legitimately feel so excited talking about DBK (and KTS and KMA!) and you're such a sweet person to talk to! 💗 I might come off anon at some point, maybe that would make it easier to talk? But first I've got to sort out my mess of a blog 😅

It's sad how little I see people hype DBK... So I'm thankful that at least you keep them on my dash ♡ I understand that a lot of people like umm "spicier"(?) content and skip on slower dramas with less kissing scenes and such, or then they just watch the compilations. But it's such a pity because DBK is a beautiful drama all over; the characters, the story that tackles important issues such as trust and coming out, the dialogue, the directing... One of the few dramas I actually replayed even "insignificant" scenes of merely because of how gorgeously they were shot. This ask is getting too long so that's all I wanted to say for now! Just know you made my day with your answer❤

-with love, PeteKao anon for now ✌🏻

pk anon!! hi hi hello!! thank you so so much for this long long message, i smiled so much when i saw it :^) and please do come off anon when you’re ready, i’d love to talk to you like that as well! :’)

the dbk and especially petekao hype is so not prevalent on tumblr. however, there are people on here that do make content for them, like madeline, @earthfluuke, kylie @wjmild, roa @bisexualpang, nuria @taytawan and sam @armshare, amongst other people! 

there are also people over on twitter who hype petekao up specifically and it’s so heartwarming to me. and yeah, i’ve mentioned this a lot but dbk is truly such a wonderful and... mature drama? it’s specifically made by lgbt people for lgbt people and that’s why it resonates with us so much. the talks about sexuality, the struggles of coming of age, the entire differences of being out or not out and just... it’s such a meaningful drama! and petekao really are That Couple. the depth of their characters and everything they go through is just so real and tangible to me... dbk really makes you feel so Seen. it’s such a pity that gmmtv never promoted it properly and i’ll be bitter about it every day honestly, and it’s such a pity that a lot of the ‘bl fandom’ didn’t take it seriously either. but oh well! it is like that sometimes.

don’t even get me started on the cinematography and all the wide shots :((( i adore this one specific scene from when kao is at his desk studying and pete is shirtless and has a towel over his back and he has a hand on his shoulder and is just teasing him, smiling at him. i love love love all the little scenes like that, and i’ve watched dbk so many times that i pick up on all of them, and still see something new every time i rewatch. this show is just too meaningful to me!! 

#this ask made me so so happy thank you so much!!!! #rahul answers #pk anon

[ruthlesslistener]

😍 🤷 and 🤣 for reader asks?

😍 What is your favourite fic trope?

-Gods, apart from going fucking feral over a loved one getting hurt? Whenever someone is hit with a REALLY HEAVY REALIZATION about something deeply important to them and it changes their entire worldview. Like, it’s a punch to the gut, gasping-for-breath sort of revelation and they’re suddenly drowning in their emotions. Tied with that is when someone super cold and closed off suddenly does something to show their trust around someone they love and that knowledge takes the breath of the op away; augment that with one of the people being human and the other being like, an inhuman creature or something and you have a killer combo. Which is like three different tropes in one but whatever, idk, I’m gay and I can’t do math anyways

🤷 What thing that your fandom loves do you just not “get”?

-In Hollow Knight specifically? The fucking,,,’haha WL got cheated on oh she must be so sad about that’ jokes and her being depicted as a waiflike figure who wanted nothing to do with the vessel project and had no choice in the matter. Like, she specifically said that she never cared about PK having a kid with Herrah because it meant nothing in the long run, and she felt fondness for Hornet. Not to mention, she’s a fucking goddess?? And the queen of Hallownest?? And a tree???? She was the equal to PK, and most likely had the same feelings about the vessel project than he did- hell, she succeeded where he didn’t, and seemed to have successfully held herself distant enough from Hollow to be able to command Ghost to replace them. If she has any sorrowful feelings on the matter, she keeps them locked away because her duty to what’s left of her kingdom takes precedence over her feelings. I have no doubt that she wanted children, but her maternal instincts are different from ours, she was able to put her kingdom before her kids entirely by choice. She was PK’s equal, a ruler, and she still loves her husband even years after everything fell apart- he didn’t force her into doing anything, and if she disagreed with him then I’ve no doubt she would say something about it in her dialogue with Ghost. She ain’t no housewife and this is not a stereotypical het pairing with stereotypical roles and power shifts. If anything, she’s a Mother Nature allegory- kind and beautiful, but also cruel, in a distant, ‘what needs to be done will come to pass, and I must mourn after the deed is done’ sort of manner. That’s what makes her an awesome character! 

🤣 Has a fic ever made your face hurt from laughing so much?

-YES there have been fics where I’ve had to hide my face in a pillow or something because I was laughing so hard that I was worried my family would hear me wheezing and come into my room thinking I’m dying or something. It’s GREAT but also kind of terrifying because my family is the deeply judgmental sort

Send me reader asks!

#reply #vivifrage #thanks for the asks! #ask meme #ask game

[ganymedesclock]

hmm, for the ask meme: The Hollow Knight, The Last Stag, Relic Seeker, Soul Master

The Hollow Knight: What was the saddest part of the game for you? Which ending is the most sad to you?

Honestly I feel like more than specific reveals in the game, a lot of the most brutal things that have hit me about the game are moments of not-necessarily-linear realization? So the two examples that come to mind are first discovering the memorial fountain in the City and the Birthplace cutscene. They both carry this kind of… this sinking sense of “oh,” and I think there’s something poignant to how Ghost is someone deprived of a lot of avenues to express their grief, but, they’ve suffered some of the most out of a cast of characters who’ve all had harsh lives, really.

Spared, but not spared; cast aside, rejected, but, ironically, protected in a way, but at a cost that they would have never accepted if they’d had any say in the matter. Surviving, not really out of spite or a specific thesis, but the sort of feeling that they just have too many regrets to die, and those keep tugging on them even when they don’t remember why.

As far as saddest endings, Sealed Siblings absolutely tops The Hollow Knight. I think this is something you and I have actually discussed in private messaging- the idea that Hornet actually builds up her hopes enough to risk her life on Ghost being able to stop the plague, and ultimately, the best she and they can do, together, is just perpetuation. 

It kind of breaks a bunch of people’s hopes all in one go- Herrah’s dying wish for her daughter to survive, Ghost’s desire to save their sibling, Hornet’s desire to not merely be an agent in Hallownest’s further stagnation.

And the real freaking kicker is I don’t have that achievement yet, so while I know about it, I’m going to get to actually live that. Oh boy.

The Last Stag: What area of the game do you visit the most?

I hit Dirtmouth a lot, honestly. Dirtmouth and the City of Tears, because they’re an easy way around and because once the Crossroads turns I don’t really like dawdling around there (call me the protagonist of The Tell-Tale Heart but I do not like hearing the infection pulsing any more than I absolutely have to)

Resting Grounds would be a fantastic chill-out place and I always like to slow down and smell the roses when I’m around the blue lake but ultimately it doesn’t beat Dirtmouth, because, ultimately, this game has gone and gotten me extremely emotionally attached to the NPCs so even if I can no longer mine them for new dialogue or buy new items from them I just. wanna go back and hang out with Sly and Iselda and Zote and Elderbug. Everybody talks up all the dads in this game but Grandpa’s been rooting for us since our first NPC conversation. He isn’t even sure what we’re doing but this man deserves his damn flower, and, also, as much basically unjustified town-dawdling as I give him.

Relic Seeker Lemm: Favorite piece of lore? Favorite theory?

Honestly it tends to vary wildly based on whatever catches my fancy because HK writes lore in a way that I’m just tearing around like a wildly overstimulated child in a candy store. Like right now I’m freaking the hell out about Deepnest and the Weavers in anticipation of Silksong.

Likewise, a lot of my really excited theories are Silksong-related just because that’s where the cool new business is. If I had to pick something related to the base game I do really like the, “NKG and Radiance were siblings” theory since I have, in fact, wrote fic for it. I also like the idea that much of the caverns that construe Hallownest were originally carved by water and void during a past pelagic age until the Abyss slowly retreated downwards, leaving all those ammonite shells we see as a predominant motif.

…It’s not exactly lore necessarily but I like the stone journals, especially the saying Lemm cites that apparently beating the fuck out of things with the Power of the Written Word is a documented and recommended occurrence. I’m a little sad, actually, that we don’t have an in-game opportunity to take that for a spin ourselves. I know at least one wild son of a gun in HK’s playthrough community would post a video of themselves beating Absolute Radiance by hitting her with a book.

Soul Master: What part of the game do you find most dark or mysterious?

See the really good thing about HK is it’s gothic as fuck but it’s got basically every different flavor of horror you wanna whet your appetite on. You’ve got the “isolated in dangerous wilderness, only for the seeming bastion of civilization to prove about to feed you to the beasts” of Deepnest, you’ve got the good old Things Man Should Not Have Tampered With erudite horror of the Soul Sanctum, you’ve got the Ancient Blood Sins Black Magic vibe of the Abyss and what PK did down there, or the cold, scientific, medical horror of the White Palace, you’ve got that quiet but powerful sense of just-edge-of-terror awe that comes over you in Hallownest’s Crown where nothing jumps out at you but you’re sure in the presence of something, and then you’ve got the oh-my-fucking-god-this-is-happening moment when you stop and realize that the “rising sun” in the Dreamers’ realms and then ultimately in Hollow’s mind really shouldn’t be there at all because this is a sunless world, and then that “sun” spreads her wings and descends to death laser your face.

No matter how smart you are by the time you face Radiance, there’s just this certain uncut “oh shit” when she makes herself clear, especially since you’ve been technically seeing her since you faced your second dreamer.

It’s like a lovely tasting platter of mystery and horror. It’s got everything, really. At this point, the biggest mystery is things like the Weaver’s Den and Jinn’s Masters, things that feel like they’re actively pointing us towards Silksong and what it’s going to mean.

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