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#i don't have space in here..
rubrtic · 2 years
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* chuckles * what a silly fellow
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I think it's so adorable that early humans took wild gourds - a tiny fruit that hollows out as it dries, making it float - and decided to make something out of it
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they thought the tiny fruit was so good that they bred it for thousands of years, making it larger to form into bowls and cups, and different shapes to become bottles and spoons
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and musical instruments
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And then, people took the hollow gourds they farmed, and they turned them into houses for birds. We adapted them into the perfect houses for birds, and now there are specific breeds of birdhouse gourd just for making into birdhouses
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And humans dedicated gardening space and time and thousands of years of breeding to make the gourds so absolutely perfect for birds, that there is a species of bird that lives almost exclusively in them
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autoraton · 9 months
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same as it never was.
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puppetmaster13u · 1 month
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The Au is Ra has been using the Lazarus pits for so long that causes him to see Danny like a human or his normal Phantom form Ra the only one that sees Danny like that
I love the idea of Deadly Decision getting together but Ra has no idea that Danny is no human he just thinks that Danny has his own Lazarus pit hidden somewhere away from him
Like Danny is full blown glowing white hair, green eyes, Sharp Fangs, an electrical being
Ra point at tall being of Life And Death it looks like he's about to rip you apart: This Is My Wife Danny.
Like sometimes people just ask him if he sees anything unhumanly about Danny and
Ra is like: What Are You Talking About ?
Danny's in the background forming Stars into his hand I'm trying to make himself a new sword
Talia and Dusan we're raised by Danny and Ra they just gotten used to also considering getting to be a normal human they find it hilarious to play along with their other two siblings Dan and Danielle that Mom is human
Slade: I've been meaning to ask what about that monster Ra has locked up back there
Talia: You Mean Mother
Slade: that's your mother I didn't know Ra al Ghul was attracted to on human beings
Dusan: what do you mean unhumanly our mother is perfectly normal he's not even assassin
Danielle walking out of his shadow: Maybe Your Mother Was The Weird One
Dan floating near Talia: Get the hell out how dare you disrespect our Mama
All of them are girlboss, gatekeep, and gaslight people into believe Danny is normal
Damien will give warning that his grandmother does not look like a Human they were all expecting meta not electric being
Danny got so used to Ra al Ghul no his Husban treating him like a normal person when he's like this that he forgot that everyone might not that treat him like that
Honestly? I love this.
And you know what? Danny might need someone like that, who even as his humanity slips away still treats him as human, as not an eldritch creature of Space, of everything Between. Someone who treats him as well, him. Is his and Ras relationship healthy? Well maybe not in human terms, but do either of them count as such anymore?
The idea of the kids playing along is also amazing lol. Especially that Jordan and Ellie? Definitely same hat as Danny. Sure their forms still look sort of human, but that just makes it very uncanny valley. So others and siblings who treat them the same? They need it just as much- if nothing else than to not become so arrogant and uncaring of humanity that they could watch the world end without a blink.
Which, Damian! I bet Danny absolutely adores the grandbaby. I bet he crafts little ice bats and miniature planets to swirl above his crib. I bet he has a literal strip of space and stars on his ceiling. And Damian isn't the only grandbaby too- Dusan has a daughter in some timelines too. Not to mention Ras' adoptive daughter Nyssa, who he gave one of the Lazarus Pits to.
But speaking of Damian, I have to know what that would mean for Jason. Who was practically completely braindead before being thrown into the Pit. Who would have probably met Danny while there because I can't see Danny not also gently doting on another grandson.
Gosh I honestly am just really enjoying this whole thing lol.
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kimtaegis · 1 day
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A Taegi Series, pt. 7: personal space ❌ being attached at the hip ✅
cr. namuspromised, jung-koook, 0613data
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kineticallyanywhere · 1 month
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Time & Space pages 1-2 ( This is the start || ao3 (not yet!) || next ) Starts less than 24 hours after the death of Willy Stampler. With the job done, there's finally time to sort some things out. They just need the right amount of space.
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starryarchitect · 10 months
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okay yeah yeah villain but the diagram is so cool you guys
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Wall I made for this (featuring: Russian, Spanish, toki pona, DNA code, women's script, a few alphabets, some geometry and arithmetic, and a language that I invented, among other things. I had fun with this)
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bruciemilf · 7 months
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"Comic books are the authentic form of canon and you should stay faithful to them," okay but like you realize that's limiting!! You realize that official content is put in front of you to be analyzed and criticized and adapted in your individual form of enjoyment, otherwise its just fucking boring, right? You realize it's extremely rare for official content to be enjoyable when it's written by someone who doesn't understand a character because they like them, but because they have to appeal to popular trends and what sells best, right? You realize you don't possess some superior leverage over others just because you stick to that only, right? Right?
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violetdisasterzone · 10 months
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me standing at the podium: "Luo Binghe is not actually manipulative! Shen Qingqiu's love being transformative is the whole point of the book! Bingqiu canonically have good sex that makes sense for both them and the narrative themes! Shen Jiu is still an abuser even if it's a result of the horrible abuse he was put through! The extras are a vital part of the story and analysis of canon without including them is-"
* I am dragged from the room and beat up in the parking lot *
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zeldasadork · 4 months
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amoral space socialite lizzie and her smug space pirate husband. I think they bail eachother out of the consequences of their actions like all the time
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I need everyone to know that speedsters are allergic to nanobots.
No, seriously. They're allergic to nanobots.
Speedsters have absolutely insane metabolisms, which means that they have an absolutely insane immune system. They don't get sick. Ever. Their immune system works at warp speed and takes out germs the second they enter their body. Call germs 'the Rogues' because they're getting tackled by super speedy blurs before they can even think about causing issues.
Okay, so they have a great immune system and don't get sick ever. What does this have to do with nanobots?
Great question! When nanobots are injected into a speedster's body their immune system sees them as a threat. Only problem? It doesn't matter how fast or efficient their immune system is, their body can't destroy a bunch of tiny metal robots.
Because their bodies can't fight off the nanobots they start to display typical cold/flu symptoms instead. Vomiting, fever, runny nose, coughing, being tired, ect. The nanobots aren't causing this reaction. Their own immune system causes this reaction. The fever is the bodies attempt to kill off the 'germs'. The vomiting, runny nose and coughing is the body's attempt to expel the 'germs'. They feel tired because their body is putting everything into fighting off the 'infection'.
In a normal person the nanobots wouldn't even be an issue because they'd be able to avoid detection. They can't avoid detection in a speedster body because their immune systems are dialled up to 500 out of 10.
As a result you get instances like this:
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(Inertia had injected Bart with nanobots and Bart had a reaction)
Just an FYI for people because this is extremely fun and versatile information. Especially because none of the speedsters are really aware of this and it doesn't kick in right away. I could totally see a situation where a mission requires nanobot injections and mid mission the speedster goes down out of nowhere. It's also great if you want to do a stereotypical sick fic or something and want to get around that pesky speedster immunity.
Anyway, it's fun information so I thought I'd share
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windslar · 5 months
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big, spacious apartments = big, stuffed wallet for our friendly neighbourhood rent collector
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jtl-fics · 1 year
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Fluent Freshman - Part 17
PREVIOUS
1. You do not talk about the Speakeasy in the basement 2. You DO NOT TALK about the Speakeasy in the basement
Those are two of the three cardinal rules of Eden’s Twilight both as a VIP customer and as an employee. The rest are more suggestions or requests that are fairly malleable depending on the night and the patron.
Andrew himself had broken the latter half of ‘Don’t be a dick or try anything with your dick on the club premises’ multiple times with Roland and then he’d broken it even further and with more vigor with Neil.
Roland had tried to bill them for the furniture in the break room and Andrew had been more than happy to use some of the blackmail he’d been holding onto to make it go away despite Neil’s repeated attempts to try and pay for it. “It’s my fault Andrew, I asked you to lay me there.” And “Allison didn’t warn me that it could stain fabric, she said it transferred really easily onto skin.” Had been waved away as Roland was happy to have those particular bits of blackmail out of play.
That being said Roland had come in despite the clear ‘occupied’ signs on the door and interrupted some of Andrew’s finest work a few weeks ago (His from? Excellent. His pacing? Excellent. His angle? Excellent. The noises Neil had been making? Perfection.)
Roland still couldn’t look at Neil without his eyes wandering where they shouldn’t so Andrew had a guest pass for the speakeasy waiting for him at the bar to make up for that wandering eye.
Which meant that he could take FF down to the speakeasy tonight. He was sure that FF would pass muster and be able to come without a pass after the night, he was just the kind of guy that they liked to have down there.
It would all be so simple if it weren’t for the third cardinal rule of Eden’s Twilight.
3. Nicky Hemmick is not allowed to know about the Speakeasy.
When Nicky had worked at Eden’s he’d been popular but he’d also talked about all sorts of secrets. He spilled tea like Aaron had spilled drinks.
So the club had done what it had to do in order to protect the incredibly select and private feature of their club:
They lied about what was down there and then they committed to that lie.
So the day came and Nicky was looking at the door with a guard next to it, “Where does that go?” He asked.
“It’s an exclusive club for straight swingers to meet and swap.” The lie rolls off of Roland’s tongue like the truth.
Nicky made a disgusted face. “Straight people.” He said shaking his head and then Roland swiftly made some purchases to sell his lie and offered the guard Frank an additional $5 an hour if he was willing to change his uniform.
Nicky Hemmick has never gone near the door since then and it is considered a success for the record books by all of the staff and VIPs in the know.
Which is why Andrew had needed a plan to pry Nicky off of FF for the night.
Nicky and FF had spent the entire time at Sweeties elbowing one another and laughing (well Nicky laughed and FF tolerated all of Nicky’s jokes and implications stoically), Nicky had been sticking with FF like he was one of the various flecks of glitter that stuck to FF after the freshman had slept in Nicky’s bed.
Before he’d gotten FF dressed up Nicky had made a solemn oath, “You and me Smithy, we’ll dance the night away!” Nicky had exclaimed.
“I’m good thanks.” FF said, “You know what will happen if I dance.” He says and Nicky grimaces as if remembering something painful. He wonders if FF just isn’t a good dancer or if the consequences of someone bumping into him were as painful as they were when someone bumped into Andrew on the dance floor.
“Well, then you and me will just have to spend the entire night chatting in the booth Smithy!” Nicky had smiled as if he wasn’t fucking up Andrew’s plans to take FF down to the speakeasy where they could sit without the headache inducing music that Nicky, Aaron, and even Kevin (he claims Stockholm syndrome) claim to love.
So, Andrew had needed to find a way to get Nicky to a state where he would be compelled to dance and leave FF alone for the night.
There are exactly three sure-fire ways to get Nicky Hemmick to become a slave to the dance floor.
1. You have to play his favorite music and Andrew doesn’t know if there’s enough blackmail in the world to get Roland to force a DJ to play nothing but Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass, Gasoline by Daddy Yankee, or Usher’s DJ’s Got Us Fallin’ In Love (his three current obsessions) on a loop for the entire night. (Bust)
2. You are Erik Klose and you want to dance. This option was unlikely due to Erik currently (as far as Andrew knew) being in Germany. (Bust)
3. Nicky has taken some party drugs. (Feasible)
So, Andrew may have been the one that had reminded both his brother and Nicky about Cracker Dust on their way to the car. Neil shoots him a look he ignores because Andrew hasn’t really pushed or mentioned Cracker Dust in almost a year.
It was something that they had all gotten off of for various reasons the year prior.
Neil had never started, Andrew had his deal with Neil, Kevin wanted to cut back on the substances he was abusing and he was not going to be giving up alcohol anytime soon, Aaron had needed a squeaky clean image for the trial, and Nicky had given it up in solidarity.
Aaron had been bemoaning that he had forgotten to get any the last four times they had gone to Eden’s so, really, Andrew was just being a thoughtful brother when he’d reminded his cousin.
So when they park the Maserati and head into the club it is no shock that after the first round of drinks (Neil & FF both had bottled waters) Nicky whips out the sandwich baggy he had gotten from FF and hands Aaron his share.
In a turn of good luck a bass heavy remix of Flo Rida’s Club Can’t Handle Me started playing and the only thing Nicky did was squeal, kiss FF’s cheek, and drag Aaron out onto the dance floor.
And then there were three.
***
FF had NOT been able to figure out where the hell the bathrooms were.
It might be due to the fact that his stomach is trying to stage a revolt against him but he’s pretty sure he’s forgotten how to read English. There are no other languages around  for him to see if this illiteracy has spread to other languages.
He wonders it he brought out his katakana flashcards if the lines would blur or if his brain would be so filled with the unrelenting desire to go to the bathroom that his Professor would wonder how he ever got full marks on his midterm.
Maybe clubs didn’t have signs that pointed to the bathroom? Was he supposed to go up and ask that bartender that Andrew kept going to? Was it like a gas station where he had to ask for keys?
Oh god Captain Neil just asked him something.
When the hell did Nicky lea-
Oh Dj’s Got Us Falling In Love is playing. Nicky is definitely on the dance floor. FF has yet to escape Nicky grinding on him whenever this song happens to come on the radio he is sure that someone right now out on the dance floor is suffering the same fate that he has 3-4 times a week.
He wonders if Nicky will call Erik like he usually does when it comes on outside of the club.
At least it’s super hard to hear in this club if Nicky takes a seat next to him and starts gushing to Erik in German.
Oh god Captain Neil just asked him something and he just remembered that this would be the second time Captain Neil has asked him something.
If there was one weakness in FF’s foreign language arsenal it is that he has a hard time processing language when surrounded by loud sounds. If he knows what language they’re talking in he can sometimes get by on reading lips (does that count as another language? Probably not) but Captain Neil speaks like four languages fluently and his Spanish is getting better and better every-
Oh god Captain Neil and Andrew just asked him something and he still hasn’t answered the other two times.
“I can’t hear you!” He calls out and hopes they can at least understand HIM.
Andrew rolls his eyes and bumps Captain Neil’s shoulder with his own. He sees Andrew whisper something to Captain Neil before pointing somewhere in the distance.
OH
They had noticed his obvious plight and were going to show him to the bathroom!
That was nice.
Maybe Nicky had asked them before his songs came on.
Andrew and Captain Neil are out of the booth and Andrew juts his chin off in a certain direction. FF does NOT need to be told twice, he’s more than happy to follow Andrew to the bathroom like some pre-schooler following their mom. These are desperate times.
So Andrew and Captain Neil guide him across the dance floor and…sure enough Nicky is grinding on some other guy who looks like he’s in heaven and he thinks he can see Aaron’s pale arms flying uncoordinatedly all over the place somewhere in the middle distance.
FF finds himself with Captain Neil and Andrew in a hallway. There’s a guard in front of the door with a bizarre pineapple shirt (why are they all upside down?) on but FF hadn’t even dressed himself tonight so he really shouldn’t judge.
“Minyard, Josten, and one guest.” He can hear Andrew say now that they’re away from the loud thrum of the music.
How fancy is this bathroom?
The man looks at Andrew, Captain Neil, and then FF. There is a visible head-to-toe inspection when he hits FF and whatever the man sees must past muster.
“Acceptable. You know the rules.”
Rules?
Wash your hands?
Don’t piss on the floor?
Let staff know if the urinal is low on ice?
FF hoped the rules would be posted in easy to understand pictures because his ability to read the English language was still heavily hampered at the moment.
Why is the handle to the door an upside pineapple too? Did someone install it wrong? Also Eden’s does not give off a very tropical vibe so why would they pick that?
The door opens and-
Oh.
Those are stairs.
Oh.
Andrew’s taking him to the basement.
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MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU
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radiotrophicfungi · 1 year
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BLINKIE REQUESTS #8 . . . PILED UP!
While checking out what requests I had energy to do, I noticed a lot of them had to do with making more health-related blinkies; so here’s a post with a whole bunch of them! <3
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otomehonyaku · 1 month
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DIABOLIK LOVERS アニメ公式ノベライズ Official Novelization ☽ Chapter 1 Translation
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[…] ☽ [Next chapter]
Hello everyone! It's been a while. I went back to Japan for the first time in ages last month and immediately fell back down the Diabolik Lovers rabbit hole when I went to the Rejet shop...
I recently found this so-called 'anime novelization' on eBay, and thought it might be fun to use it to get back into translating. This book was released as a novel counterpart to the first season of the Diabolik Lovers anime, thus following the storyline of the anime rather than the visual novels (almost to a T).
Please let me know if you like reading these and want me to translate more of it! I'm not exactly sure how active the fandom is anymore, so I think I'll just test the waters with a couple of chapters and see if it'll be fun to translate the entire book. Who knows!
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
Originally written by Yukuzuki Hiroha 結来月ひろは Translated from the Japanese by @otomehonyaku
STORY Following her father’s job transfer, Komori Yui is sent to live with the Sakamaki brothers. However, these six brothers turn out to be sadistic, ill-tempered vampires. The men are after Yui’s sweet and incredibly rare blood, and go to great lengths toying with her body and soul to get it. Before long, Yui finds herself trapped in an alluringly dangerous love game(1)...
1. 吸血愛戯 (ラブゲーム): Stylised as ‘love game’ but written with the characters for bloodsucking (吸血), love (愛), and play (戯). The latter character also has a connotation of playfulness/mischief.
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
DISCLAIMER This is an unofficial translation intended for those interested in reading the story of the Diabolik Lovers game/season in a slightly more literary format in English. I have no affiliation with Rejet or Frontier Works whatsoever. All rights belong to them, but PLEASE DO NOT POST THIS TRANSLATION ELSEWHERE OR TRANSLATE TO OTHER LANGUAGES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.
Now that that’s out of the way—have fun reading! ❤️
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
Episode 1
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
That day, like any other day, the sky was aglow with twilight. In the quiet forest, which was dimly lit by the evening sun, the sound of a car engine pierced the air. It was a taxi, driving alone on the narrow forest path.
What a pretty sky… Komori Yui thought as she gazed at the sky from the backseat of the taxi.
Yui was an ordinary second-year high school student. She lived with her father, who was a priest, before he had to relocate for work. Yui was sent to live with the Sakamaki family, who were acquaintances of her father's, and so she was currently on her way to her new home.
A lake came into view from the taxi window. The setting sun glittered off the surface of the lake. The wind, carrying the scent of the forest, rustled Yui’s hair when she opened the car window. She spotted a large mansion nestled between the trees through the window on the opposite side.
So that’s where I’ll be living from now on… 
The closer the taxi got to the mansion, the wider the girl’s eyes became. Aside from what looked to be the main building, which was built around a courtyard, there were even several auxiliary buildings and a gazebo on the property.
I’ve never even seen a mansion this big before.
Before long, the taxi stopped before a gate that was large enough for two cars to easily pass through at the same time.
“Thank you,” Yui said to the driver and stepped out of the car. The taxi returned into the direction from which they had come.
Yui took her suitcase and looked up at the large, Western-style building beyond the gate. It was a three-storey brick building that might as well have belonged to a family of European aristocrats. Briefly taken aback by the view in front of her, Yui opened the gate and went into the courtyard.
“Wow… I never thought it would be such an elegant house.”
Pulling her suitcase behind her and eying her surroundings with astonishment, Yui made her way to the front door. The entrance was still quite a ways away from where she was, and Yui couldn't quite make it there as she kept falling from one surprise into another.
There’s even a fountain!
The stone statue of a gargoyle was perched on top of the fountain and looked down at her. Yui wondered briefly whether this was the personal taste of the mansion’s owner. As she passed by the fountain, the shadows of raindrops started to appear on the stone tiles underneath her feet.
“Rain?!” Caught off-guard, Yui looked up. 
The sky that had been so clear earlier was now black with rain clouds. Just as Yui thought she'd seen a flash of lightning pierce the dark sky, a loud clap of thunder rumbled through the air. Startled by the thunder, she let out a small cry.
“Oh no, even thunder…” Yui clumsily hurried in the direction of the front door. The rain began pouring down the moment she reached it.
Thank God I didn't end up soaked. It wouldn't be appropriate to show up at your new host family’s doorstep drenched to the skin with rain, after all.
Yui faced the door. It was huge and covered in decorative engraving, and she used the ancient-looking door knocker to announce her arrival. The sound of the cold, iron knocker reverberated through the mansion once, twice, but nobody came to answer.
“Excuse me!” Yui called, and extended a hand towards the door.
Before she could reach it, the door inched open by itself with a loud creaking sound.
“Ah!” 
Yui flinched backward in surprise. Out of curiosity, she gingerly peeked through the gap in the door. Nobody was there. Did that mean she was welcome to go inside?
As if she'd been invited in, Yui stepped inside, and the door immediately slammed shut behind her.
Once inside, the first thing that greeted her was a lavish entrance hall lit by a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Still, the entrance hall somehow looked quite gloomy, stretching out far into the shadows on either side of her.
“Um… Is anybody there?” Yui ventured once more, her voice echoing off the high ceiling. 
“How strange. I wonder if they didn't know I would be coming today,” Yui muttered to herself as she paced through the hall. When she stepped onto the red carpet spread out on the floor, a large staircase came into view. She paused before the stairs, only barely visible under the dim light of the chandelier as she called out again, “Excuse me!”
Once more, her voice rang through the air to no avail. Nobody came.
What should I do?
She might have been looking for the master of the house, but that didn't mean she should feel free to snoop around in someone else's home. Yui was at a loss. She stood stock-still, trailing her eyes over her surroundings, and then she noticed something.
For a brief moment, a bolt of lightning outside cast a sliver of light on a sofa by the window. 
Wait, what was…
She only saw it for an instant, but Yui made her way over to the sofa. She saw a figure not unlike the shape of a boy laying on top of it. He seemed about the same age as her, and wore what looked to be a school uniform, but it was completely dishevelled. Under his head was a cushion, which he used as a pillow as he slept.
  What an odd place to sleep in… But I’m glad I managed to find someone.
The boy looked to be sleeping soundly when the lightning illuminated his face again. Even though Yui knew it would be rude to wake him up, she called out to him.
”Um… Excuse me.”
She reached out and touched the boy’s hand, but withdrew immediately.
“So cold!” 
The boy’s skin had been much colder than she’d expected. Regardless of how long he’d been sleeping on that couch, his body temperature shouldn’t have dropped that much.
He doesn’t even have a temperature to begin with…
“Are you okay?” 
Yui started panicking and held an ear to the boy’s chest, but the heartbeat she should have heard never came.
“His heart isn’t beating… Oh no, I have to call an ambulance!”
Yui pulled her phone out of the bag slung over her shoulder, and hurried to call the emergency number, but a hand shot out from beside her and swiftly took the phone right out of her hands.
“Ah!”
“…Shut the fuck up. Who do you think you are, walking into someone’s house yapping like that?”
The boy Yui had assumed had been dead suddenly stood up from the sofa, her phone in his hand, and shot her an irritated glare with his emerald eyes.
“Y-you’re alive?!” 
“What?”
The words had escaped Yui’s lips in an involuntary whisper, but the boy didn’t bother hiding his annoyance when he responded.
“Obviously. Who’d you think Yours Truly is?”
The boy responded like this was the most normal situation in the world, but it didn’t make sense to Yui at all.
What’s going on…?
Without realising it, Yui slowly started backing away from him. “But… Your heart wasn’t beating…” She was absolutely positive that she hadn’t heard a heartbeat.
And yet… Why did the boy in front of her look so calm and composed? 
A flash of blind panic urged Yui to make a run for it, but the boy caught her in his arms and pushed her onto her back on the sofa.
“Ah! What are you doing?!”
“What, isn’t it obvious? I’m gonna eat you up.” The boy’s face dipped in close, but bent down further to lick the nape of Yui’s neck.
What on Earth…
Yui’s mind reeled at the boy’s unexpected behaviour, and she yelped, but that only made her assailant’s face twist into an amused grin. He bent down again in an attempt to bite into her neck. 
“Ayato! What is this? Tone it down.”
The boy—Ayato, apparently—clicked his tongue and glared at the person standing next to the sofa. “Reiji.” 
The person Ayato referred to as Reiji was a highly strung-looking boy with glasses perched on his narrow nose. With his calm and polite demeanour and white gloves, he almost looked like a butler, but when Yui looked closely, he was wearing the same uniform as Ayato.
Reiji looked at Ayato over the rim of his glasses with an exasperated expression. “This is the entrance hall. A place where we welcome guests. Please take these sorts of activities to your own room.”
“Ugh, boring.” Ayato reluctantly sat up.
Did this boy just come to save me?
Yui flung herself off of the sofa and scurried to Reiji’s side. “P-please help me!”
He gave her a puzzled look when she called for help. “And you are?”
“Komori Yui. My father arranged for me to stay here.”
“I don’t recall hearing about that.”
After listening to Yui’s explanation, Reiji returned his attention to Ayato. “Ayato, will you explain what’s going on here?”
“What? Like hell I know,” Ayato answered gruffly, and swung a leg up onto the sofa. He looked directly at Yui. “Y’know, Pancake, you could’ve told me all of that earlier.”
“That’s because you attacked me all of a sudden.”
“Huh…”
Somewhat unsurprised that she wouldn’t be able to have a normal conversation with the person who had just plainly assaulted her. Ayato turned away from her as if he hadn’t done anything wrong.
What’s wrong with him? He’s been nothing but rude… Yui thought, and suddenly something occurred to her.
“Wait, you said Pancake… Did you mean me?”
“Of course, you idiot. You really that dense, Pancake?” Ayato cast her an amused sideways glance, clearly making fun of her. 
Next to Yui, who was still fuming at the rude nickname, Reiji crossed his arms in thought.
“Strange indeed. Nobody has reported this to me, either.” 
Then Yui must have come to the wrong mansion. But still, there aren’t any other houses around here.
“Ah, um, so you are…”
“Let’s not discuss this here. Please follow me. Your luggage will be taken care of.” Before Reiji had even finished talking, Yui noticed that a butler had appeared beside her suitcase. 
“Oh!” When did he get here?
The butler acknowledged Yui with a little nod and disappeared with her suitcase. What on Earth is going on in this mansion? A front door that opens by itself, and a butler that appears out of thin air, without a sound. And then there’s…
When Yui cast a glance toward Ayato, who was still sitting on the sofa, his eyes met hers with a disgruntled expression. Remembering what he had done to her earlier, Yui quickly looked away and followed Reiji instead.
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
Reiji led Yui into a spacious living room. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling gave off a dazzling light, and firewood was burning in the hearth.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you.”
Yui did as he said and took a seat on the sofa.
“You too, Ayato. We cannot have a proper conversation if you do not.”
“Ugh. Fine.” 
She watched as Ayato took a seat next to her, and Reiji started to speak.
“Firstly, please do us the courtesy of explaining why you barged into our home without permission.”
“Ah, yes.” 
I didn’t really barge in here, though… However, to Reiji and the others, that’s what it must seem like. I should apologise and clear up the misunderstanding.
“Um…” Yui straightened her spine but was interrupted before she could speak.
“Oh, oh, oh! What’s this?” a voice laughed from above. When Yui looked up, she saw a boy peering down at her from the mezzanine. “To think such a cute girl would show up here!” He looked about the same age as Ayato, but wore a black hat on his head. His bright green eyes bore into Yui’s, making her a little nervous.
Has he been there the entire time? I couldn’t even tell. Just as she took in the strange circumstances, a tongue trailed over Yui’s left cheek.
“Ah!” 
Did someone just lick me? 
Touching her cheek in surprise, Yui looked to the side and was met with the boy who had just been on the mezzanine. What? How did he get over here so fast? Feeling as though she’d been pinched, she cast him an accusatory look.
“Hm… She smells so sweet.” 
When Yui pressed her back against the sofa to get away from the boy, another voice suddenly sounded from right behind her.
“Please let me have a taste, too.”
Someone licked her ear this time. Yui spun around and saw a purple-haired boy of small stature there. She cringed at the moist sound of his tongue, pressing a hand to her ear. 
“She tastes sweet, too.”
What on Earth is going on? The two boys looked entertained by Yui’s confusion. 
Reiji seemed unable to look on, and broke the silence. “You two. That is no way to treat a lady whom you have only just met.”
The boy with the hat whined in protest at Reiji’s reprimanding tone.
“Do you have anything to say, Laito?”
“Well, if something so delicious-looking is put in front of me, I just have to taste it. Right, Kanato?”
“Yeah,” the purple-haired boy replied with a nod.
“Fuck off, all of you!” Ayato wedged his way into the two boys’ conversation.
 “Yours Truly found this one, so I’ll be the one to take all of her firsts.”
“...Asshole.”
Ayato frowned at the source of yet another voice filled the living room.
“With your ‘Yours Truly, Yours Truly,’ just shut the fuck up already.”
“The fuck did you just say?” Ayato flung himself off the couch with unnecessary force, and looked around the room. “That’s Subaru, isn’t it? Show yourself, coward!” 
“I’m right here.” The sullen voice came from a boy leaning against the wall, presumably Subaru. The white shock of his hair, which covered his right eye, was a stark contrast with his red eyes, which leered at Yui. “I was just thinking it reeked of humans in here. So it’s you. How are you going to compensate for my lack of precious sleep?”
“W-where did you come from?”
“I asked first!” Subaru yelled in annoyance, and slammed a fist against the wall behind him. Cracks began to form in the wall from his fist outwards, sending plaster crumbling to the floor. He fixed his gaze on Yui, who was at a loss for words.
Seeing the dilapidated state of the wall, Reiji sighed heavily as he repositioned his glasses. He turned toward his brothers gathered in the living room.
“Are any of you listening? The lady will be living here from now on.” 
There was no response.
“Um, I think there’s been some kind of mistake. I’m sorry for troubling you. I’ll be on my way now.” Yui resolutely rose from the couch.
“Please wait.” Reiji’s voice made her freeze in place when she attempted to flee the living room, her eyes trained on the floor. “I am still confirming the facts. Do you not think it would be rude to leave now?”
“B-but…”
Reiji certainly had a point, but considering the mansion’s other inhabitants certainly weren’t intent on following his orders, Yui could not bear to be there much longer. They’re scaring me…
A new, listless voice came from the direction of the window.
“Are you the woman he told me about?” 
When Yui turned to look, she spotted another new face. The boy was spread out lazily on the sofa by the window. He wore the same school uniform as the others, but instead of a jacket, he wore a beige-coloured cardigan over his shirt. He appeared to be listening to music, as a pair of earphones plugged his ears.
There’s one more brother?
“Shuu, what do you know about her?”
“...Nothing much.” Shuu replied dismissively, his eyes closed. Could he hear Ayato even though he was wearing earphones? 
“Nonsense. Please elaborate,” Kanato urged.
Shuu reluctantly began speaking. “He… contacted me the other day. He told me we’d be receiving a guest from the church, and to ‘treat her kindly,’ ‘make her feel most welcome,’ all that.”
“The hell? You mean Pancake’s the Chosen Bride?” 
An involuntary noise slipped from Yui’s lips at Ayato’s remark. What does that even mean, the Chosen Bride? At the very least, she knew that her father, who had to move away for his job as a priest, had arranged for her to live here, but this was the first time she heard of this whole ordeal. However, contrary to Yui’s astonishment, the brothers listened to Shuu’s explanation rather calmly.
“Ah, I see.”
“A bride? Well, more like a living sacrifice, right?”
…Living sacrifice?
Yui was taken aback by Kanato and Laito’s exchange. 
Then, Shuu opened his eyes and spoke as if to deal the final blow. “Right, he also ordered us not to kill her, so…”
Not kill me? What the…?
“Huh… Well, then we’ll be enjoying her company for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Yui had frozen in place. 
Reiji ignored her shock as he called her to attention. “Wonderful. It appears that the issue has been cleared up. Then, let us properly introduce ourselves.” He first turned to Shuu. “That is the eldest brother, Sakamaki Shuu. I am the second son, Reiji.” He paused briefly before turning to Ayato and the others. “Those are the triplets. Ayato–”
“I won’t let you get away next time.”
“Kanato–”
“Please let me taste you again. Exciting, isn’t it, Teddy?” Teddy must be the name of the one-eyed bear Kanato was cradling in his arms. The boy tilted his head and giggled.
“And Laito–”
“Let’s have fun together, Bitchlet.” For such a crude name to call a woman, Laito was laughing as he said it.
“Lastly, that’s Subaru, the youngest brother.”
“Ugh, this shit sucks.” Subaru looked displeased at Yui’s presence, and turned away immediately.
Reiji had properly introduced all of the brothers to her, but still, she did not know how to make sense of everything they had said to her. “There must still be some kind of mistake. I haven’t heard anything about a bride…”
Something suddenly occurred to Yui, a peculiar thought poking at the back of her mind. Many strange things had happened to her since she’d arrived here, but the most unsettling thing of all…
“S-something’s… off about all of you…” Yui asked, her gaze gingerly shifting from brother to brother. All of their eyes were trained on her.
What on Earth…
Their cold, piercing gazes radiated danger, and Yui’s fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. I have to get out of here.
“I-I have to contact my father…”
Yui reached for the cell phone in her pocket, but, somehow it had ended up in Ayato’s hands again.
“Ah!” How did that happen? Never mind, this is not the time to think about that. “My phone! Give it back!”
“I dunno about that.” Ayato toyed with her phone, a sadistic smile forming on his face.
I won’t have any means to contact my father if I don’t have my cell phone…
“Give it back, please!” Yui tried to take the phone from him, but every time it seemed just within reach, Ayato dodged her. He seemed to be enjoying the look of despair on her face. He then tossed the phone to Subaru.
Just as she thought he would return it to her, Subaru’s expression changed to a look of disgust, and Yui knew immediately that he wasn’t going to.
“W-what are you doing?”
“This.”
With one swift movement, Subaru snapped the phone in two. 
There went Yui’s lifeline to her father. Why are they doing this? 
“This is cruel…”
“Shut up.”
Watching the tears forming in Yui’s eyes at the sight of her broken cell phone, Subaru shot her an irritated glare.
“Oh, Bitchlet, don’t be sad!” Laito said cheerfully and patted her shoulder as if to console her. “We’re going to get along great, so you won’t need your cell phone anyway. Okay?”
Before she had time to think about it, she had been sandwiched between Laito and Kanato.
“I’ve been so hungry.” 
Kanato edged closer to a now distraught Yui as he spoke, and Laito simultaneously leaned in to whisper in her ear. 
“Ah… You smell so good, Bitchlet.”
Huh? I’m not even wearing perfume.
Just as she pondered his remark, the light reflected off something in the corner of her eye. She tilted her head to look, and it turned out to be the canine teeth poking out from Laito’s mouth when he bent down to her neck as if he was going to bite her.
The thunder rumbling in the distance coincided with a fearful scream from Yui, both reverberating through the room. 
I have to get out of here. Now.
She dashed for the door, but in her haste, her foot caught on something and she fell flat on her face. Yui scrambled back up, but a flash of pain ran through her leg. Looking down, she saw blood welling up from a cut in the skin of her knee.
Suddenly feeling the brothers’ attention on her again, Yui raised her face. She was met with their ominously glistening eyes. Their unusually sharp canine teeth were now plainly visible. It’s… like they’re…
“V-vampires…”
Yui reached for something in her pocket and held it up in front of her face.
“Eat this!”
It was the rosary that she’d gotten from her father. 
Vampires should be weak to crucifixes! However, much to her disappointment, the brothers didn’t cower in fear. From the sofa by the window where Shuu lay, Yui even heard a low, mocking laugh.
“Huh?” 
Why didn’t it do anything?
“Good grief…” Reiji said, exasperated. “The theories that vampires are weak to garlic, crucifixes, the sun, and that sort of thing… are all myths invented by humans. Did you earnestly expect that to work on us? That only proves how foolish you humans really are. This is most displeasing.”
Oh…
Yui made a dash for the door.
“You really haven’t an ounce of discipline, have you?” she heard Reiji say irritatedly from behind her as she ran.
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
The sound of Yui’s desperate, careless footsteps echoed through the entrance hall as she ran. The thought that they were not just no ordinary humans, but actual vampires, was incomprehensible. 
I have to get out of here as fast as I can!
Having run blindly focused on getting away, Yui came to a halt. Wait, which way should I even go? She wasn’t sure if it was because the mansion was so big, but there were so many hallways that looked so similar to one another that she quickly lost track of where she was. However, she had no time to hesitate. I have to run, or they’ll catch up to me…
Yui sped off again at the memory of the threatening look in their eyes.
Shortly after that, she spotted a table loaded with different kinds of sweets at the end of the hall. What is this doing here? As she eyed the sweets in suspicion, Kanato suddenly appeared from the shadow under the table. 
“I’ll break you.”
“Oh!”
The way Kanato smiled at her made her quickly continue her path. What was he doing there?
A small desk with a landline phone on it caught Yui’s attention when she turned the corner into another hallway. 
Good, I can use it to contact my father… If I can, I could make it out of here somehow… Yui picked up the receiver, but the cord that she thought had been connected to the phone before had now been cut. 
Oh no… Briefly stunned, she lost hope. 
From somewhere in the distance, Laito’s voice called out to her. “Hehe… I told you you wouldn’t need a phone anymore living here.”
Yui frantically looked around to see where he was. Laito was nowhere in sight. 
“Come and find me, Bitchlet…”
He probably enjoyed the sight of her frightened. Laito’s voice made her shrink away in fear. While scrambling backwards, she bumped into someone, and Yui held her breath as she felt hands closing around her shoulders.
Please, no…
“Guess who?”
Yui yelped. 
Terrified by Laito whispering so close to her ear, she quickly shook off his hands and ran. 
When she somehow finally reached a door, it wouldn’t budge. No way! Why won’t it open?
“Please, please open!” She pounded her fists on the door, but it didn’t help at all. I’m going to have to look for a different way out…
Before she could move away, two hands reached out on either side of her and pushed Yui’s body against the door. It was Ayato.
“Where are you going? This is the part where you scream for my amusement. Let me hear you cry out, at the top of your lungs.”
Yui was trapped in his arms.
“You can’t run away, you know.”
The girl was somehow able to shake Ayato off as well, and ran in the opposite direction, deeper into the mansion. I’m better off finding a place to hide…
Upstairs, Yui found a room that looked suitable for hiding, but the door didn’t open when she turned the knob. As she ran down the dimly-lit hallway on the second floor, she heard the sound of something unlocking. 
Yui spotted a spiral staircase further down the hall. Did it come from up there? 
She followed the stairs and came to a stop in front of yet another door. Padlocks and chains were scattered on the floor before it. 
It’s unlocked. I should hide in there.
Yui went in and shut the door behind her.
The dim moonlight gave the room a gloomy atmosphere. Yui looked around. There were many pieces of furniture and paintings with sheets draped over them, as well as different kinds of tools. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, making it seem like nobody ever came in here. It might be a storage room, Yui thought as she padded through the room to a dresser. Her eyes fell onto the accessories spread out on top of it, which were adorned with gemstones and glittered in the moonlight. But if they’re laid out like this, this must be someone’s room after all? 
Yui’s gaze unintentionally shifted to the window.
A woman was standing on the balcony.
The woman’s back was turned to Yui, so she couldn’t see her face, but her long purple hair shone in the moonlight. She gave off an elegant aura in her long dress, which was almost as purple as her hair.
The purple-haired woman noticed Yui’s presence. Just as she turned to look at her, an intense pain spread through Yui’s torso.
Yui choked on air.
What’s happening? 
She had never experienced such pain in her chest before. 
I can’t breathe… Her heart started beating erratically, her vision slowly becoming blurry. The pain was so severe that she lost her footing and collided with the bookcase along the wall, sending books tumbling to the floor. Yui could only focus on bearing the agony. 
After a little while, the pain subsided. 
What on Earth was that?
Yui snuck another glance towards the window, but saw nothing but the new moon in the night sky outside. Did I just imagine all of that? The pain in her chest and the illusion of that woman might not even be so strange in the line of things that had already happened today.
The books that had fallen from the bookcase caught Yui’s attention. Alongside a number of books was a leatherbound notebook. Her eyes stopped on a picture that had slipped out from between the pages when she had bumped into the bookcase.
“This is… Dad?!”
The picture depicted a priest holding a small, sleeping baby. So that baby is…
“Me?”
But how did this picture get here?
When Yui looked at the notebook from which the picture had slipped out, the writer summarised their day’s events and achievements in a familiar handwriting.
“So this is my father’s diary. But why?” 
Why would it be here of all places? I might understand if I look inside.
She opened the diary and began reading.
Yui brings me so much joy. The fact that she is not my own child bears no meaning at all. She is truly a blessing, and I am nothing but grateful for every day I get to spend with her…
Yui could not believe her eyes.
“What does he mean, I’m not my father’s child? What is this diary even doing here?” 
Am I not his biological child? It couldn’t be so…
“To think you went into this room, of all places.”
The sudden sound of Reiji’s voice made Yui look up, and she saw that the Sakamaki brothers had somehow all gathered in the room in the blink of an eye.
“This is a forbidden room. Nobody is allowed inside.” Reiji glanced at the door and let out a heavy sigh. “I will have to put new locks on it.”
“Really, though. How did you even get in, Bitchlet?” Laito asked and crouched down before her, but even Yui did not know why the room had been unlocked. 
I didn’t even unlock it myself…
Yui tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t quite come out.
Kanato stood before her as well, leering down at her. “You’re nothing but food, so please stay still so I can eat.”
“I-I’m not food…”
“Quit complaining already.”
Yui shrieked when Subaru slammed a fist into the wall like he had before, sending more books falling from the bookcase to the floor.
“Oh, not again, Subaru.”
“Fuck off.”
While Laito and Subaru bickered with one another, Yui looked on, frightened beyond her wits. What should I do? I’m surrounded. There’s no way I can run now. 
What are they going to do with me?
“That face…”
Someone grabbed her chin and forced her to look up. There was Ayato, his face splitting into a satisfied grin.
“It’s so tempting.”
“Let me have a bite, too!”
“I want to lick her.”
“N-no…”
The triplets started towards Yui.
“You have no right to refuse. The only thing you need to know is this: you can most definitely not run from us,” Reiji stated plainly.
“Beating around the bush, as always. What he means to say is that we’ll kill you if you try to get away.”
Yui had no choice. She was surrounded by the triplets as she quietly took in Reiji’s and Subaru’s words. On either side of her, Ayato and Laito took turns turning her neck this way and that, and when Kanato stretched out a hand towards her, Yui let out a fearful scream.
“Please stop!”
CRASH!
Yui screamed, and the sound of glass breaking pierced the air. The triplets, who had been swarming around her in an attempt to steal her blood, snapped their heads in the direction of the sound.
A few landscape paintings had fallen over by Shuu’s feet, and glass was scattered all across the floor. 
“My bad,” Shuu said, and turned his back toward her. Yui’s eyes must not have conveyed her desperate need to be saved from the triplets.
While she was rooted in place, terrified, the realisation dawned over Yui.
Even if I run, I have nowhere to go.
“Hey, Pancake.”
Yui, still startled at the nickname, turned around. Her mind could barely keep up when Ayato grabbed her by the throat and pushed her down onto the floor.
“Are you ready to accept your fate?”
His eyes had a dangerous twinkle in them as he hovered over her. Yui could no longer find the resolve to move away. Ayato pinned her to the floor and held her gaze, his sharp fangs glistening in the light of the new moon peeking through the window. 
Please, save me…
“Oh, God!”
However, Yui’s voice never reached Him.
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feminetomboy · 1 year
Text
I guess I'd just like to make an appreciation post for any non-binary people out there who speak heavily gendered languages. The folk who cannot just "make pronouns everyone else's problem", because their language doesn't allow it. People who are forced to choose a binary gender to even just articulate their thoughts. Who have to choose a box, even if they don't like it.
I promise I see you. I know it's tough. I am holding your hand tightly, as we walk this road together.
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