#Because the longer I think about rice I start thinking about the stuff connected to rice production and then Stress

[mojaves]

💭 + 🚫 + 🍎 + 💔 + 🍛 + 🧐 [one of each category for seb!! 🤭]

💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)?

i did this once for him a loooonnng time ago and it was. estj i think??? and i did it again just now and he got infp,,, very. very big difference WHJSDHGSHJEDG infp definitely feels more right for him at the current point in the story,,,, he is much more reserved than he used to be, but also much more Himself. whereas earlier on he tried soooo hard to force himself to be extraverted,,, to appear much more cocky and confident than he really is. also just a fun result to show how much he has developed as a character since i first made him [:

🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

oh of course. he's never been like. Bad with smoking. doesnt do it all too often. he has made a pack last for well over a month a few times. as for drinking!!! well. he's getting better. he has slipped into old habits when things have gotten particularly stressful [especially before he left arasaka]. the important thing here is that he is a huge guy who has been pumped full of different medications and steroids and fun new cyberware for many years. it is VERY difficult for him to get drunk. so if you ever see him flat out wasted. well!!!!! it's safe to assume he's not having a very good time!!!!

🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

he was born in night city, and will live AND die there given the opportunity. grew up in heywood, and still passes through there from time to time for jobs. he loved it there growing up, and used to miss it a LOT after he got kicked out and had to move elsewhere, but as he got older and the nostalgia faded, he realised he really wouldnt want to live there ever again. the connection it has with his family is Too strong and difficult to ignore for him. so it would just make him Insane if he had to stay there for too long now

💔 BROKEN HEART — what are three of your oc's negative traits?

entirely too stubborn for his own good which has almost lead to his death on Multiple occasions. he has FINALLY!!!!! started accepting help from others, but that took well over 30 years and one hell of a lot of convincing. he doesnt like feeling like he's a burden on others [he isnt!!! he's allowed to ask for help!!!!] and he's finally realising that is Not the case

that goes hand in hand with his hostility and tendency to be VERY quick to judge people on some occasions. he will get a hint of a rancid vibe from someone and thats IT!!!! he doesnt want to talk to you anymore. he will spend the rest of the conversation trying to stop himself from throwing you off of a cliff. while that Is a side effect of the damage the arasaka chip did to his brain, it's also something that he has to learn to keep under control. it is VERY difficult sometimes, but he'd rather exhaust himself with trying to keep that at bay than end up killing a guy who stared at him for a second longer than necessary.

🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner?

he used to looooove cooking. so much. but bc of all his time at arasaka and the work he does now, he kind of. lost interest in it, so he usually makes something very very simple. it's generally chicken with a bunch of veggies, and either noodles or rice, depending on the day. he Does start being more adventurous again with cooking, and generally just better with eating, as he gets closer to a guy who he is definitely not hopelessly in love with for many years. its fine. hes fine. dont even worry about it [theyre married now]

🧐 FACE WITH MONOCLE — is your oc more logical or emotional?

it entirely depends on how he is that day, but generally he tends to be much more logical about stuff, because thats the best way to get through problems. but sometimes, if he's having a particularly bad day, or week, the negative emotions WILL cloud his judgement about literally everything and make him completely shut down. basically dont let him make very important decisions on a bad day. someone will end up dead probably.

[youantisocietysymbiont]

A PART OF THE SYSTEM

Now when we ask ourselves what it means to be a part of the system we say that every civilian is in the human database of the government. Well if that’s the case how deep does go?

For the government to be able to run a nation, run a world economy and control society; they must have been able to watch and experiment on society for the last fifty, seventy-five years. Why would I say those numbers of how many years?

Well when we go back when the end of WW2 the world nations had come together to not only put dictators and those who served under them on trial for their atrocities. But as well to the first ever world government/New World Order. They had made us think that forming this new world government was a good thing, to protect us from evil dictators like Hitler and Stalin. And also promising to never go into World Wars.

But as we know everyone is human including those in our government, which means people can change and everyone knows that power corrupts all. The government has used different events through the decades as simulations to experiment society and watch how we would react, why?

Because they can find ways to twist and manipulate how we think, what we eat and drink, through our culture and religions; how we spend our money. All this to set up what they are planning for humanities future,

What is humanities future? To be connected to the world government, how? Well one of the things is something they have been making and preparing for the last two decades is sticking microchips in every human being. These microchips are the size of rice and they can insert it into a syringe and inject it into the palm of your hand, painlessly.

Now you ask yourself what’s good about this chip? Well let’s start with your wallet you have your I.D., medical insurance card, car insurance, credit and debit cards, cash app or Venmo cards; cash all of this stuff will inside your chip. You will no longer have these cards or cash in hand physically anymore

So when the police or the doctors run information on you all they have to do is scan your hand and BAM your information pops up on their screens, then you ask it can be hacked right? Well not if their using technology where it is hack-proof. Then no.

But not only that stuff it can do, the chip can also unlock and lock doors to your house, your car or even at your office. The chip will become your security for places, Vehicles, even your phones. If you commit a crime it will track that persons move no matter where they go, even if they are on top of a mountain or in the middle of the ocean. That person will be found and will be caught.

So all this sounds too good to be true, but now the question is..what’s so bad about?

Well let’s begin with this, the central bankings are the rulers and so-called protectors not the government. And you what they are protecting, not your money. No. It’s their money, let’s say you have an eating habit of bad foods like fried food and sweets. Well with digital currency the central banks can control your digital wallet by limiting what you can spend on food.

Now that’s not so bad right, we’ll let’s say another covid lockdown happens and you can only go under 2 miles to shop for food. If you go over 2.5 miles then they will cancel your spending on your digital wallet to where you cannot use your money at all.

Think of all this as living in a nice, cozy so-called safe prison. Speaking of feeling safe here’s the kicker, you know how when a crime would happen against you and you’re the victim. You call the cops and use to take ten to twenty minutes for them to get too you. Now your on hold speaking with a computer cause your in line behind 2-300 people. Tell me how safe you feel now.

Or how about to protect the environment the computing program will control your digital wallet to control what you spend on when it comes to red meats, chocolate, plastic and aerosol cans. Why it’s to protect the environment and your well being.

This computing program is an A.I. that will control the central banking and how people spend their money. Where it’s not your money anymore but the governments. Your digital wallet will be accessed through a free app on your phone and they will even give you bonus money for just applying on there.

Now why would these powerful elites “the government” do something like this, it’s easy they are losing control of us and we the people are finding out who they really are. And what they really want from us and we’re starting to fight back. But their way of distracting us, keeping us at bay is doing things like deforming our morals, turning our culture into something dysphoria, or keeping us locked in our homes because a virus that they created and released into the world.

For decades they have been setting us up for this moment where they knew that someday they would lose control of things like society and our economy. Soon they will force us to accept the CBDC “Central Banking Digital Currency” because something bad happens to our environment or because we are in another Great Recession but it’s worse this time around.

Too understand things like the CBDC and how you belong to system works, you also need to know how things like political spectrums work..

There are five basic forms of government you have Monarchy, Oligarchy, Democracy, Republic and Anarchy. When we look at those you have far right for full government power and too far left is no government, dead middle is protecting the peoples rights. For Monarchy it is rule by one, Oligarchy is rule by a group, Democracy the proper amount of government is freedom, Republic for the government and the public and Anarchy is without government.

Though we are blessed to have Democracy but later on in time, that beautiful land of the free, home of the brave becomes diluted and manipulated. As Samual Adams use to say-

“Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself.”

An empire that knew best at this rise and fall of Democracy was the Roman Empire which had a many of things of why it fell. Like the raise of taxes, dysphoria culture, mass immigration, lawless anarchy and traded freedom for security. Sounds familiar? How about countries like Europe and America that are following this path. As these great empires are slowly falling apart and soon they will fall. And if there is someone that hates losing money which means, losing power. They will do everything in their power to not lose it.

Now we are seeing politics spreading their power in different areas, one of the biggest transitions is in energy. As energy supply is the basis of our society, economy and wealth. Energy plays a huge role in political transition.

For example Europe imports 33% and in the same years even 40% of our gas demand from Russia, from one country. That’s not what we call a healthy situation. Europe currently needs two resources that are scare. It’s dependent on the rest of the world for oil and gas.

That’s why Lithium and other rare earth resources are the next major resources. But while countries like America and Europe need these resources they are also forced to play the game of competition. Who are their competitors? Russia, Iran, China and North Korea as they will work together in a new world order.

Chinas goal is to keep growing their energy and keep it from the outside world, so that the communist party can keep going. As China is poised to be the bigger competitor in energy, because of their high innovation.

But there are other competitors besides these countries, but they are against the lithium mines and they are the people. Protesting against this new age of colonialism warfare. But how lithium is extracted from these countries it includes human rights and all the other complicated conditions. Including recycling the batteries.

And yet Lithium is a critical resource where countries like Chile is the largest supplier of lithium so world would be 100% dependent on Chile. The green rush will create mines but also create pollution. Fossil fuel mining has destroyed the land and environment like Siberia.

As the world is moving faster towards change and transition into energy, the question now is the world ready for things like digital currency. China has already revealed to the world they will end cash, using crypto currency. The feds have already been looking into digital currency.

Most countries in the world are doing this, the U.S. is about to replace the dollar with digital currency. What most people understand about the CBDC that it will be attached to your I.D, and social credit. Giving the government technological power to control what their citizens spend money on.

You think the government is trust worthy and are here to protect us, well a study was shown that 20% of Americans don’t trust in the government comparing to back in 1968 when it was 73%. Don’t believe it as of last year an article showed that the IRS admits targeting conservatives for tax scrutiny back in 2012 election.

China has already been using social credit where literally if you do not support certain things that the government believe like communism than your social credit will go down. If you do things like stay on your cell phone for certain many hours they lower your social credit score.

114 countries, representing over 95 percent of global GDP, are exploring a CBDC. Though the people don’t CBDC, the government wants to stay ahead and they dive into the digital money currency. But financial currency becomes financial enslavement.

But when we ask ourselves how is society slaves to the system who really rules over us, who are the people that work inside of the new world order? They are the elites who are a mix of bankers, treasuries, politicians global leaders, people in law, business leaders, economists and secret society members. These are the people that rule our societies, culture and economy. They weave their way in and out of our busy lives to make it more complicated and addicting.

We wonder why anyone can’t get into the top, why everyone be happy and their dreams to come true. Because it doesn’t make money and if it exposes what the elites are doing they come down on you with the chariots of fire. And they will crucify you.

The new world order leaders have not been secretive of who they are, what they have in store for the future and everyone in it, and why they are going to do this.

Even in their history you can find where their new world organizations had started. If you look back in 1773 a professor named Kaneki tried to join with the free mason army but found it too costly, so he created a secret society of his own. He called it “The Covenant of Preventability” and in 1778 they changed their name too “The Illuminati” candidates are chosen and sent to positions like into law, business and government. But Christian’s, Jews, pagans,Women and monks were excluded. Favorites were young between 18-30, wealthy and willing to learn.

They also learned things like alchemy and science, Kaneki became a mediator and attracted the free masonry. But now today we wonder who are the new modern day Illuminati? Well it is WEF, EU and the UN you see these world organizations, world police, so-called peacekeepers have ruled the way everything works in the world.

These organizations have always played a role in changing how our society, economy and government works for decades. And their reason for this, is because they know best of what is right and wrong for our nations. We have seen this especially when the pandemic happened.

A SYSTEM OF CORRUPTION

“The government [took] coronavirus as he opportunity to demolish democratic space.” -Respondent from Cambodia

We live under a system of control and dysphoria over our society, turning it into a dark and confused reality. He new world over men has been lifted from the veil to where we can see it clearly. We may no who he individuals are, but we know heir roles, what they want from us and what they are going to do too our future. Society was pushed into the next level of simulation when the pandemic happened.

We saw this when China was flanged into months of intense police state actions of crackdowns upon journalists, its civilians with sever lockdowns to where everyone’s was literally barred inside their homes from coming out. They couldn’t even go to grocery stores to get food, their pets were taken from them and killed right in front of them. People were losing their minds to the point of jumping out of their windows and hundreds of thousands screaming out of their homes.

This was setting up a model look of what the future could look like for the rest of the world, or that’s what we all feared. As massive protests all around China was rising up with desperation for freedom. But anyone that showed resistance towards the communist government were black bagged and taken into camps. Never seen again.

Governments around the world were using the pandemic to create justification to have their way upon their people and use their super powers to re write the rules of law and destroy human rights in order to promote public health. They became dictators and were okay with it, saying what they were doing was to bring safety upon their country in order to kill the virus.

62% majority of respondents say they distrust what they are hearing about the pandemic from the national government in their country. These surveys complied are saying the idea of corruption is thriving one article says. Journalists that have been following this pandemic have been hunted down and black bagged, forced to be quiet about the crisis and most of all targeted with violence, harassment and intimidation. All part of control..why? Because it’s all apart the simulation experiment.

“The implant can be used to pay for a drink on the beach in rio, a coffee in New York, a hair cut in Paris or at your local grocery store.” Says founder and chief executive Wojtex Paprota

“It can be used wherever contactless payments accepted.” One article says

Imagine a device that is so powerful, more powerful then the internet filled with unlimited data. Your data. Is all inside a chip that is the size of a grain of rice, this has rumored to us for decades until now for the last 10 years it has been confirmed that the government will be releasing this to every citizen in every country. The question is, when?

The technology inside this chip and program is called WalletMors Chip, using field communication or NFC, which is a system that even our smart phones have. But it will be inside the palm of your hand using based radio frequency identification called RFID which is similar technology inside your debit and credit cards.

It’s really genius technology and engineering of the science. And for one survery from an article says that 51% of people in the UK would consider in implanting this chip inside their hand. Most disagree in the implant because of it being used as a tracking device when the respondents say that’s not the case and could not be tracked as it is similar to the internet. But everyone knows that you could pretty much find any information you want about anyone’s data on the internet from address, jobs, where their from, birthdate to their own I.D.

One article says that the reading distance is limited by the small antenna coil inside the implant. The implant needs to within the electromagnetic field of a compatible RFID reader.

As well the respondent says “There is a dark side to the technology that has a potential of abuse.” She says “Those with no love of individual freedom, it opens up seductive new vistas for control, manipulation and oppression.”

Conclusion

There is a system to all this so called, life. Everyone has their groups they are with. Doesn’t matter who you are, you can’t say their isn’t a group you don’t fall in too. Even if you run solo you still have opinions, you still have questions. Everyone in those group has favorites or think they do. In politics left or right if you follow their narrative you will fit right in too their system. Satan or god they have favorites, if you play well into their game you will be in ones eternity or the other.

Teachers and professors only work with what they call prodigies, the rest are just simulated NPC’s, peasants to them. They will give their part time of teaching, if you don’t support their ideas, politics and anti religion. To them your nothing, scum of the earth.

Yes, there is away to know this system and even away to cheat through it. Play pretend with their opinions, ideas and politics. Rise up the ranks and continue to waste away that empty cup, when you could really be doing some good in filling your cup up with some divinity. Following the truth, speaking out what’s right and wrong. Man has always followed the law which for awhile it brought balance, justice and honor. But in due time it killed itself because it never had meaning, their was no more good and evil, but evil and good. The good things in life became evil and fighting for good became ignorance. Freedom was ignorance.

Power became everything and that everything always led to money. God use to look like love and grace, when really it was the law why, because I guess since Adam and eves fall it seems to work. Without the law, civilizations have fallen, killing people has never been a new things, it’s always been there, people just got tired of losing loved ones to murderous criminals and most of the time would avenge them. Creating thousands of years of a line of bloodshed. That’s when the law and order came into the picture, it gave families the right of justice.

Something that’s interesting is that quote from the Bible, that god made us equal In his image, doesn’t matter what religion, political belief, slave or free. We are one in Christ. It maybe bullshit to people but we don’t realize that word “equal” has gotten us a free country to live in. Cause in most countries you wouldn’t have that luxury of freedom in your life. But democracy would in time kill itself. Even the fore fathers of America knew this would happened. This is the story of how when freedom dies…everything goes with it

Resources:

:YouTube:

—ILLUMINATI FULL MOVIE| DOCUMENTARY MOVIES| The Midnight Screening|

—The Feds Plan To End Our Money| CBDC| What You Need To Know

—The Coming Central Banking Digital Currency (CBDC)

—The Mark Of The Beast- Full Documentary

Articles:

—https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2020/democracy-under-lockdown

—https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61008730

—https://devpost.com/software/how-ripple-cbdc-chip-implants-can-transform-your-life

[keefwho]

December 04 - 2023 Monday

10:57pm

This morning I took a quick shower and made a sausage and cheese sandwich with rice and corn. I didn't like the corn. I hurried my shower because I was finishing writing the letter for Daisy's friendiversary gift and it made me half an hour late to streaming. In stream I warmed up with a sketch for a redraw of a Venus pic and a couple of pony bodies. Also tweaked Opaline's face on a sketch. I finished Error's commission today and started one that's supposed to be private but I usually still stream those. In Mia and Me, Onchao talked and I thought he was very cute. He Man had a good episode covering some ancient Eternia stuff. After stream I dawdled a little but buckled down and got my workout done in a reasonable time. I think the stress helped me jog for longer as opposed to speedwalking. I did 3 miles instead of the usual 2 because I left out my 50 squat reps. After mile 2 is when I get into the groove and can keep going without discomfort. I took a shower and stepped out to touch up my hair which I think I did okay. I feel like I should know by now how to cut my own hair but I keep making the same mistakes. For lunch I made Dinty Moore stew and it tasted a little bland, I could taste the carrots more than normal as if they weren't cooked as long and I don't like that. Shortly after my dad arrived home with my groceries. I felt kinda icky packing them all away, more than usual because I'm averse to not knowing where things have been, especially things I'm going to eat. But that always wears off after a day or two of having the food in my house. I bought WAY more frozen veggies than I thought but it's good because they are all different. For some reason none of the 3 people I contacted about winning requests contacted me back yet so I had to work on a pic of Opaline I was doing. Halfway through someone did reply so I did their request and then finished with Opaline again. I did the majority of my work in VRchat desktop so I could listen to people talk. I found some teenage eboys and egirls to camp next to. For the last 15 minutes I was in TDS chatting with Rousso before he left to get on VR. After work I felt weird and stressed in different ways so I tried to play some Cities with a stream on the side but I didn't have any good streams. I switched to Hell Let Loose and did VERY well, I got 15 kills in one life laying in a field with the default bolt action rifle. I was a good shot today in general. Daisy asked to get in VR so I abandoned my teammates for that. I got my new trackers set up which was as easy as connecting them and waited for her in my bridge world. A good few random people joined and I conversed with them until Daisy arrived. We hopped to the Black Cat and found out about a couple of teleport rooms. Then we hopped to Furhub and checked out any new avatars. We found a very cute cat model. Then we went to a vore world before hopping off. We kissed in the stomach acid. I did my dishes while she transitioned upstairs like always. In bed I played Neopets while we chatted about our feelings and things between us. I spent the whole time cutting grass around a big campfire.

[stardomthenightwing]

I’m sure all of you noticed my week-long absence, or didn’t…

Anyways, do I have a funny story for all of you that at the time was absolutely traumatizing and terrifying. Sit back, relax, get a drink and make sure to not spill it all over your PC as I tell you the tale of how I almost lost everything...

So, I have an extremely expensive laptop that I use for everything and do not remember a life without. That laptop contains every digital thing I have ever owned on it, from phone pictures, to drawing templates, to my entire 1000-file fully animated character that is organized in 50 folders and took about 256 hours to make. You can see where this is going, right?

So, by Sunday the 22nd, I was already experiencing extreme burnout because everyone does, right before summer, am I right? I mean, what better time to strike an innocent guy with a disaster, right Devil?

I decided to take a break from doing anything for two days after Sunday, and then, BAM, disaster! On Tuesday, I had finally started feeling better, and I remember sitting down on my office chair with my vitamin water. I was typing on a Microsoft Word document when I reached over carefully to get my drink, and I tipped it over and tried to grab it but that only made it launch across my keyboard and spill all over my Razer keyboard, Logitech mouse, HDMI plugs connected to my monitor, multi plug adapter, multi plug adapter beneath my table, my laptop keyboard and somehow the wifi adapter inside my laptop. All that equipment right there cost at least 3,000$, and I started twilighting hard if you know what I mean.

Long story short, I used a blowdryer on all of my stuff, and next thing I know, my laptop wont turn on anymore. Can you imagine the amount of dread and panic I must have felt at that moment? All of that work possibly gone forever all of a sudden. Fortunately, my laptop didn’t explode and didn’t start smoking, so there was a chance I could prevent a trip to BestBuy. Two huge sacks of rice later, my laptop is completely covered and ready to dry for the next two days. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures because I was sure it was toast. Can you imagine two days of anxious waiting to receive potential news that you may never play on those unsaved Minecraft worlds again? Never see those dumb pictures of you as a kid again? And never see all of that artwork you worked on in the highest possible quality again?

Two days later, I took the laptop out and found that it was able to be turned on. I had already bought one of those storage devices and immediately started transferring all of the laptop’s files so that I would never lose them if an accident like this ever happened again. Of course, there are still consequences to spilling vitamin water all over your electronics:

My wifi adapter broke, and my laptop could no longer use wifi at all. I had to get a new one, and now the internet on the laptop is way slower.

My laptop charger broke, and I had to buy a new one.

My multi plug adapter broke, and now I have to get a new one.

My laptop keyboard is extremely sticking and is very hard to type on without an adaptor keyboard.

My laptop can no longer turn off while it’s plugged into a charger. I have no idea how to fix this, and I think I’m going to have to live with it.

There is FREAKING rice rattling inside my laptop. HOW DID IT GET IN THERE? HOW DO I GET IT OUT?

I couldn’t post anything on Tumblr for a long time. I’m so sorry, everyone! Thanks for bearing with me!

Moral of the story: Electronics and water don't mix.

[aching-tummies]

Quiet in the Library!

I think I lived out a kink-scenario again completely on accident today (note, this was written a couple of days before posting due to a busy schedule).

My area is currently experiencing an unprecedented heat wave. We're normally a colder climate so built-in AC units are not a thing in our area. Older houses come with ways to heat one's house, but nothing to cool it down because our climate is normally either cold or freezing. On my day off from work I decided that I wanted to go out somewhere with AC to kill time. I had some stuff I needed to work on and some things I needed to print off so I made plans to head to a public library and work/chill for a couple of hours.

I discussed my plan with family members. Some family members are going through medical treatments and stuff, so the entire household has been wary of going outside and potentially bringing germs and other stuff back home with them. I'd be going out for "recreational" purposes. We have a printer at home but it is only connected to someone else's desktop...so if I absolutely had to print something off I'd have to hop onto that computer...which I have done in the past...so the library trip was more for the idea of spending a couple of hours in a building with AC going. I wanted to let family know of my plans so that they wouldn't plan for me to be at home...and also offered the idea of someone tagging along with me if they wanted to beat the heat in the library too.

Turns out someone else was toying with the idea of going on a grocery run but they were on the fence because of the heat wave. I suggested that I'd tag along with them on the grocery trip, help them carry items and all, and then they could drop me off at the library and save me one trip on transit...I'd take transit home when I was ready. With that plan, I suggested that we eat breakfast at home because I had plans to buy lunch outside while on my library trip and I did not want to have to buy or eat two fast-food meals in one day. This was all discussed the night before my day off, fyi.

Plan made, upon waking up we worked together to put breakfast on the table. Unfortunately, my first task upon waking was to chug some ice-cold water out of the fridge. It was hot and I was sweating not even 10 minutes after waking up. The shock of cold water so soon after waking gave me cramps. Imagine how you'd react to being rudely woken up by someone dumping a bucket of ice-water on you...yeah, that's exactly how my stomach reacted. I hid in my room, doubled over with cramps, and left the rest of breakfast prep to family members.

Something went wrong with breakfast, apparently, that resulted in half of the food being inedible so I ended up eating about three mouthfuls of food and leaving the rest for other family members. The spoiled breakfast put other family in a bad mood so they reneged on our plans. Timing-wise, it resulted in a mad dash to the bus stop for me after swallowing my third mouthful of food because I had decided I'd be in the library today. The little food I had eaten was only barely enough to whet my appetite and my stomach was grumbling and snarling for more by the time I reached the bus stop. I rubbed my tummy a little to try to calm it because part of it was still griping over the ice-wakening.

When I got to the area with the library, I had a choice to make: walk further in the heat, by-pass the library, to find food at a nearby food-court first...or hit the library as intended, spend a few hours there, and then search for food hours later. The heat made my decision for me...looking for food first would have resulted in double the amount of walking in the heat because I'd be bypassing the library only to return to it after getting food. My stomach had calmed down on the bus ride (thanks to some discreet tummy rubs) and was no longer grumbling at me.

I hunkered down in the library with my earbuds in. It's been over a year since I set foot in a library due to the pandemic shutting them down for in-person services. I missed this. My favorite thing to do in the summer in previous years was to bring my laptop to a library and enjoy the ambience and the air-conditioning. It doesn't cost anything but transit fare so I did this often before the pandemic hit. I was enjoying myself. I felt a little self-conscious though because people that walked by my table gave me strange looks...and I don't know why. I had my mask on, other people at other tables were doing the same as I--had their laptops out and were working on Word-Processing documents. I'm at the age where I can totally blend in as a post-secondary student...so I couldn't fathom why I was getting strange looks and I kept on checking if my hair was out of place or if I had something on my clothes.

When I wrapped up my work, I shut down my computer and pulled by earbuds out...that's when I realized that the rumbling I felt throughout my three hours at the library was not due to my music being too loud. The grumbles had come back with a vengeance and apparently had been going for at least two and a half hours. Something about tables always seems to act as an echo chamber for stomach growls and these ones were audible...so...yeah...my best guess as to why people were giving me odd looks: my tummy was growling and they heard it.

To add to my embarrassment, a stunningly attractive person was in the table behind me. There was no way he didn't hear my growling tummy. I packed up, printed off my stuff, and left the library in a rush in order to spare myself further embarrassment.

Onto food. I stopped by a nearby convenience store to hunt for drinks. Pro-tip when eating at a food court or going to the movies or something: drinks and snacks are cheaper if you get them from a grocer or a convenience store or something than if you were to get them at the food court or theatre. I know, it's bad to do that to a theatre, but most of the people I know working in theatres tell me that they don't mind if you bring outside food as long as you don't leave evidence...don't throw out your own wrappers and zipper bags in their trash bins and don't leave bottled drinks and stuff lying around. You shouldn't do that sort of thing if you bought concessions at the theatre either...but yeah.

The convenience store here almost always has a "3 for $5" sale on drinks...it's just a matter of which brand/flavors are on sale when I go. I lucked out and it was on 500mL bottles of lemonade that day...so I trudged over to the food court carrying 1.5 litres of drinks. I was hungry and it was hot, so I ended up buying some of those premade sushi platters. It wasn't a big one...8 pieces or so. I bought a small bento box as well that basically just had some meat on top of the rice and a side of vegetables. I was hungry, so I was sure that this amount of food was alright for me to finish in one sitting. In previous trips I'd bought a 2-item large bento and the same sushi platter...I'd be able to finish the bento and maybe eat 2 of the rolls before being full in previous trips, so I was sure that what I had bought would fit comfortably in my stomach.

I forgot to factor in thirst. It was a hot day and all, so I ended up drinking more lemonade than I otherwise would have. I drank 2 of the bottles during my meal...so an entire litre of drink went into my stomach along with the food. By the end of my meal all that was left on my plate was one roll from the sushi platter. I brought it to my lips but my stomach definitely didn't want it and it was too hard to swallow.

My gut was packed. The litre of lemonade (as well as about half a cup worth of water from a waterbottle) filled up my tummy and brought me to 'stuffed' rather than simply 'full', The food alone would have comfortably brought me to 'full' as I usually only have my waterbottle with me for meals so I don't drink too much.

I was wearing a loose button-up shirt over top of a camisole and pants that day. The clothes were very flattering and highlighted my slimmer waist. I've got a higher BMI than is considered normal/healthy...but my figure is basically on the bigger end of average rather than into full blown obese territory...and most of my fat distribution goes toward my bust, arms, and thighs so my stomach was flat in those clothes. Not after lunch, that's for sure.

My stuffed tummy was aching, stretched and fit to bursting. The glut of food and drink had rounded out my stomach and I was immensely glad for the loose button-up hiding the evidence. I sat at the table for a while, unwilling and unable to stand up because my stomach felt so heavy and there was pressure at the base of my esophagus from all the food. I was terrified that I'd throw up if I moved and jostled my tummy. I spent a few minutes discreetly rubbing my tummy under the table as I flipped through headlines on my phone. I wasn't paying attention to my phone, mentally begging my stomach to start digesting so that I could finally move.

When I finally got up, I opted to walk around the mall for a bit in hopes of coaxing faster digestion. My stomach churned and sloshed the whole time. Surprisingly, there wasn't really any gas in my guts. It was all liquid and solid food. The rice must have absorbed some of the liquid because everything felt like it had swelled up inside of my belly. The stretch was intense. Thanks to my clothes, I felt like some of those "surprise inspection" fanarts I've seen floating around. If I had a partner and a discreet/private setting, I wouldn't have minded playing out a "surprise inspection" scenario. I was alone in public and terribly shy and embarrassed about my tummy though. If anyone tried to press their palm into my tummy at that moment I'm sure I would have been embarrassed and that I would have thrown up from all of the pressure in and on my tummy. I was stuffed to the point it hurt--my stomach felt like it was on the verge of a rupture.

[akaashisupremacy]

How to Find Love

Summary: Iwaizumi is on a quest to find love with an old friend. What can he do to get there?

Iwaizumi x fem!reader/Oc || Read it on A03

Genre : romance, friends to lovers

Hajime Iwaizumi ran into the cafe, eyes wide and panicky. “I’m already twenty minutes late for the date.”

As he composed himself before he entered the place, he took a deep breath. He was determined to enjoy this date because it might be their last. Hiromi had never taken lateness kindly.

“Gomen, the meeting ran longer than expected,“ he said, nodding his head into a bow, too embarrassed to meet her eyes, “I’m so sorry.”

She looked up from her books with a weary smile. Beside her was a pile of four or five books, some of which were beginning to yellow, meticulously tabbed with colorful post-its.

“You still made it,” she said, closing her book “I usually walk out if my date was a full hour late.”

It was a Thursday. She had an afternoon at the library while he had an early off (if it wasn’t for his work meeting). Neither of them worked traditional 9 to5 jobs. He began to wonder if seeing each other would be easier if they did. Iwa was leaving on a Friday for Osaka for the rest of the weekend. He was a physical trainer for a professional volleyball team, which meant that he travelled with them during their season.

They called for a menu and began to order what would be their dinner.

“How’s work?” he asked, surveying her through the menu.

“It’s a lot of reading,” she gestured towards her stack of books, “But we’re at the beginning of a new research-heavy campaign so it’s normal. How about you?"

“Mmm…it’s still the start of the season so most of the team is quite healthy. Some of them are a little excited so we’re just trying to reign them in to keep them from straining themselves.” he said, thumbing through the pages.

He had settled for a hamburg curry rice while she had gone for a bowl of tuna pasta. She looked distracted.

“What’s up?” he asked, leaning into the table now that the niceties were done with.

“I like my job. I like my team. But why do I feel like I’m just grinding day in and day out." she sighed, resting her chin on her books, “There’s got to be more in adult life than this."

“You’ve got to find the reason out on your own because your employer won’t do it for you. Not that I’m qualified to give advice or anything.” he said, looking up from his drink.

“I know,” she murmured, her head rested between her folded arms “It’s just so difficult to find the energy for it sometimes.”

Iwaizumi nodded. He knew what she meant. No one job could fulfill all his desires for accomplishment. He liked his job, but it wasn’t a perfect job. He wished that he didn’t need to spend so many weekends away from home.

Man, this date was sobering.

“You sound burnt out. Maybe take it slower at work?” he quirked his head to match the angle of hers.

“What is it that you want to do that you’re not doing for work?” he asked. Despite less than a year in the workforce, she already looked so glum.

She pulled herself up and swept her books aside, “I don’t know to be honest. Within the next two years, I just want to be published in other big publications. It doesn’t have to be necessarily on food, more like the stuff I write for fun. The stuff I’m willing to freelance while I have a day job, y’know?”

“Like what?”

Their order had arrived. She stabbed her fork into her pasta and gently twirled it around.

“The New York Times has a column called Modern Love where you write a long essay about some type of love. It doesn’t have to be romantic. It can be platonic, familial, or even failed love as long as it is set in modern day. I’ve been meaning to write about my failed relationships.” she said thoughtfully.

Iwa choked on his first spoonful.

“Well, if this doesn’t work out, I can at least write about it. Get three hundred dollars and buy you dinner to thank you for the experience.” she laughed drily.

“Are you always this pessimistic on your first dates?” he coughed, taking a sip of water “Either ways, I’m glad to be of help.”

She perked up a bit and grinned. Her whole face lit up when she smiled. A wave of warmth washed over him.

“Send me a copy when you get published.” he added, “I want to see what you write about me.”

“I’m definitely going to writet that you were late on the first date.” she said without skipping a beat. She was grateful that they had chosen this cafe. There were not too many people even if it was dinner time, yet the ambient noise that filled the air kept their pauses from being too silent.

Iwa stopped eating and squinted his eyes at her, “You are not gonna let me live this down, huh?" She winked at him with a glint in her eye. He smiled in response.

He couldn’t care less about what the New York Times was but she was evidently fascinated by it. He wasn’t going to own up to uncultured swine he was on a first date. He had already been late.

“Anyways tell me more about this Modern Love.” he settled back into his dinner.

She pulled out her phone and began typing, “The Modern Love column came out with questions to help get to know someone. This could be a fun date activity.”

“Sure, you want to give it a go?”

She shoved the phone in his face and scrolled through the questions. “There are three sets of questions. Each set more intimate than the last. You can choose from the first set.”

Iwa lightly held the phone, his fingertips grazing the back of her hand. He chose the first question that caught his eye.

“Number 4. What would constitute a ‘perfect’ day for you?” he read out loud. Hiromi took her phone back and read the question to herself.

“What’s your answer?” she asked.

“I just got back, I hadn’t figured out what a perfect day would be like here.” he shrugged sincerely.

She snorted loudly, “What a cop out answer!”

Iwa looked up and thought for a bit, “A day spent walking around in the city…maybe a day that starts with a morning jog and a hot unrushed breakfast after. Catching up with friends sounds good too.”

Hiromi nodded. She was fully absorbed as he talked. It was like she was going through the scenes of his day in his mind as he described them.

“What about you?” he asked, snapping out of her out of her reverie.

“A day at the market,” she said quietly. ”Any market day is a good day really.”

“To be honest, it doesn’t depend on the activities so much at times. The people you’re with is definitely important. A day at the market can still be terrible with the wrong company.” she added.

“I wasn’t subpar last weekend, was I?” he asked.

“No...you weren’t.” she replied a little more shyly than usual.

They moved onto the next question.

“What roles do love and affection play in your life?” she read out loud, “Doesn’t have to be romantic again.”

Iwaizumi inhaled sharply. That was such a loaded question.

“If you’ll use this for an article and it gets published, you better buy me dinner someplace nice.” he tutted.

“Then make this one good.” she smirked.

Iwaizumi stopped eating for a few minutes to think through the question. Before he answered, he closed his eyes and breathed out slowly.

“It defined my entire career in volleyball. My best friend and I watched a game and we kind of chose to go into the same school team after that because we were both so obsessed with the sport. Our connection was almost telepathic. We barely used signals when it was just the two of us. We basically ran off instinct.” said he softly, his eyes reminiscing a different time.

“Although we went our separate ways after high school, I spent so much time in volleyball that it defined a huge part of who I was too. I mean, if I didn’t play volleyball, I would probably be in another sport, but I’d still think I’d be different, y’know?”

You could tell he was avoiding the word “love.” Iwa was not one to be vulnerable.

“In college when I was in my first serious relationship, it was the type of love that gave me confidence and assurance. But I guess it wasn’t enough…for me to say it deeply impacted my later choices on career and other decisions, unlike volleyball.”

“I can’t help but feel that any defining…relationship I have romantically will be weighed against with my time with volleyball…my first real love…" he tried to laugh it off, but you felt the weight off his words, “And I’ve been lucky enough to have enough love in my life that I don’t need to constantly be in a relationship to feel complete.”

A moment of silence fell in between the two.

“That’s a lot to heap on a relationship.” she whispered in contemplation.

Iwa awkwardly scrambled for damage control, “…no pressure.” was all he managed to say.

“So why try to date? When it’s so tough to find someone who can match up with volleyball?” she asked.

“Companionship?” he shrugged, “It’s still nice to date around.”

“And you’re…nice. I’ve been wanting to date you since we were in college. I’ve liked you for a long time…” his entire face flushed pink.

Her eyes fluttered wide open. Since college? Is he serious?

“Our friends were right,” she said in a hush, “You did have a thing for me. I thought they were just teasing us.”

“You had a boyfriend back then and when you broke up with him, I was seeing someone else.” he exhaled, looking her earnestly in the eye, “Wasn’t it obvious to you?”

Iwaizumi couldn’t tell if Hiromi just didn’t want to speak or was too busy contemplating. She was too stunned to speak.

“It felt like fate seeing you on the plane.”

A million things were going through her mind, she slowly opened her mouth, “Now that we’ve been on two half dates, what’s it like? Is this what you’d thought it would be?”

“College is very different from now, but the short answer is yes.” he nodded, rolling his shoulders back. “Everything just clicks. I’m so comfortable with you. It’s so easy for us to talk. I like you just as much as I did in college…I just really like you. Time hasn’t changed that at all.”

Hiromi looked overwhelmed. She was unable to look him in the eye. She was barely getting to know him romantically and he had long been decided about his feelings for her.

“Do you wanna ask if they sell alcohol here? You look like you need a drink.” he joked. Hiromi didn’t look like she heard him.

"This is so intense for a first date.” she shook her head in what seemed like regret.

“We can stop,” he gently interjected, “We can talk about something else.”

She finally looked up to him and whispered, “Hajime, you’ve just dumped a lot of pressure on me.”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to do that,” he smiled apologetically, “Anyways, I’m aware that we’re both at different…stages of attraction. Besides, I think this would be way more awkward if we both were pining.”

“Wouldn’t that be sweeter?” she asked.

“Way too sappy for me.” he waved with his hand. Hiromi let out a small chuckle. Iwa secretly sighed in relief.

——————————————————————————— After dinner, they headed to the arcade to blow off some steam. Iwaizumi offered to carry some of her books to which he somewhat regretted. Her books were like rocks. How the hell was she lugging them on her own in the city?

“I could carry them on my own if it’s too heavy.” she offered.

Iwaizumi looked at her incredulously. She was at least half a foot shorter and much smaller in build. His biceps weren’t going to buck in front of her.

They wandered around the arcade for a bit, unsure what to do first. Iwa silently prayed they didn’t have to do any dancing. Just when they were about to decide on the claw machine, Hiromi pointed towards a small karaoke booth at the corner of her eye.

“Let’s go in there.” she tugged at his jacket.

Iwaizumi flipped through the songs. None of them seemed to be in Japanese. All of them were in English.

“Did you pick up a default english karaoke song?” she asked, browsing through the catalogue. The room was clearly designed for kids. It was so small their knees touched and Iwa could barely sit up without hitting his head on the ceiling.

“Nah,” he shook his head, “I don’t really sing…in English. Any suggestions?”

Hiromi typed in the number of a song.

“I’m about to introduce you to your first usable English karaoke song.” she grinned at him mischievously. Iwa looked at her suspiciously.

The opening notes started to play—some acoustic guitar and a trumpet. The song sounded…Mexican? For the longest time there were no lyrics on the screen. Hiromi swayed to beat as her eyes were glued to the screen. When the song finally began to hit what sounded like the chorus, the music paused for a second.

“TEQUILA!” she yelled into the mic.

Iwaizumi was so startled he jumped up and hit his head on the ceiling. Hiromi was giggling uncontrollably.

“That’s it?!” he exclaimed.

“Yeah,” she laughed, pressing the mic towards him, “You try on the next chorus.”

When the trumpets began playing, Iwa readied himself. The song hits its familiar pause soon enough and he pulls the mic closer to his lips.

“Tequila?” he said tentatively.

“With more conviction, Hajime!” she urged, taking back the mic. On the third chorus, she moved closer to him so they could share the mic.

The music hits its third pause, they looked at each other and yelled, “TEQUILA!”

They both grinned and laughed, almost as if the act of singing about alcohol was like a drink in itself. He could feel her shins pressed against him as she continued to sway for the music. A glint in her eye flickered as she nudged him to dance along with her.

Iwaizumi wasn’t going to refuse. Especially not on their first date. He swayed what he could on the tiny box while the song lasted.

————————————————————————— At the end of the night, they both sat in the train waiting to get off on their respective stops. The carriage shuttled back and forth, pushing and pulling their bodies back and forth into each other.

“Hajime,” she tapped him on his shoulder, “We didn’t finish the last set. Let’s do a quick one before I get off.”

He nodded, “Pick one we can answer with just one word.”

Hiromi swiftly browsed the list, before looking up.

“Finish the sentence, ‘Right now, we are both feeling…’"

Their faces were both so close they could feel the heat of each other’s breath. The back of their hands were touching, but neither dared to reach out or pull away.

“Hopeful.” whispered Hiromi, an evident earnestness in her voice. She was fighting off her shyness just long enough to look him in the eye when she talked.

Iwa smiled, “Smitten.”

Before she could react, the train jolted as it shuffled towards her station.The train stopped at Hiromi’s station and she got up from her seat, taking the books from Iwa’s arms.

He followed her to the exit and watched her as she got off. She gave a small wave from the platform while she watched the doors closed.

Iwa was tempted to press his hands onto the window, unwilling to end their time for the evening. His last sight of her was her smile when the train plunged itself into the night.

“Did he start out his day at the market with a morning jog?” she asked herself, watching the train swiftly pull away.

Iwaizumi took a deep breath. The night had gone differently from how he thought the date would proceed. For one thing, he didn’t expect to confess so early into the relationship.

He took his phone and curiously googled the questions she mentioned.

It turns out the title of the New York Times article was not “Questions to Get to Know Your Date” as Hiromi had led him to believe. Instead, it was titled, “Thirty Six Questions That Lead to Love”.

“Huh,” he said to himself. He shut off the screen to his phone.

36 was too much. In his opinion 3 was enough.

-----------------------------------------------------------

This is part 3 of a series on Iwa living in Tokyo after he moves back from California. Comment or message to be added to the taglist. 

Also, I’ve been feeling quite down lately, so say some nice things if you feel like it in the comments 😬✌️

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4

Series taglist: @itstheee-ha-chan

[takuyakistall]

I recently re-read his Dorm SSR personal story here! A few questions and thoughts lingered inside my head as I read it and it collectively got worse when @poisonepel​ started questioning things too. Which ultimately led to me writing this down while running on half a brain cell and a spoonful of rice for lunch. This isn’t necessarily an analysis but more of just me questioning a lot of stuff. I already pointed out things that are already obvious so it might get repetitive. Placed under the cut since it’s a bit lengthy! I tried my best to be coherent in the very least.

Rook’s Nickname for Jade - Rook calls Jade “Monsieur Mastermind” and perhaps you’re already telling me right now that I shouldn’t look deeper into this since it doesn’t look like it matters anyway but let me tell you right now that I tend to overanalyze things when it comes to Jade. I find it a bit odd how Rook calls Jade the mastermind, presuming that we’re talking about the Octavinelle trio, when it’s often Azul that’s shown to be as such. Of course, it’s been revealed that Rook analyzes or stalks nearly everything that happens to catch his interest (Jade’s Gym Personal). So it’s safe to presume that his judgement is, if not entirely correct, accurate. “Your staple food, your habits, your walking speed, when you sleep, your heart rate, how many times you blink… those and many others I have recorded perfectly.” Just by reading this line alone I became pretty sure that he observed something deeper than that--which is his personality.

       The question is, why is Jade the mastermind instead of Azul? Why is Azul’s nickname “Roi du Fort” instead of being the mastermind? Well, it might be common knowledge but Jade, in a way, controls Azul despite what it looks like to the public which is Azul controlling Jade since he, as the higher authority, has power over him. I read a popular post explaining why Jade probably undertakes the role of a servant rather than taking the position for himself knowing that he has the full capabilities to do so. This will be explained further later in a different note.

What I’m trying to imply is that behind the scenes, Azul isn’t really the mastermind behind everything despite what it seems. It’s Jade who’s really in control of things, by picking up the act of a servant or butler. 

“If the entire hierarchy collapses just due to the absence of a single person, then that proves that they aren’t all as great as they seem.” - I just had the need to point this particular line out since it just seemed so… Jade. Everything about this line just screams out the same vibes he radiates, cold and severe. I know he’s faking the whole thing about having a falling out with Azul and wanting to join Pomefiore but I think it is true that without him, Octavinelle won’t nearly be as great from when he was still there.

First of all, He’s Octavinelle’s vice-dorm leader. Surely, being in such a high position, he carries a lot of duties that only he can do as the acting vice leader. There’s also the fact that he does it superbly than other people which is why Octavinelle is the way it is right now, it would be hard to replace him. They would have to look for someone who’s on par with Jade, in the very least.

Secondly, he’s somewhat an emotional pillar to Azul. Judging from their childhood and current relationship as of now, I like to think that a big reason why Azul is the way he is right now, is because of Jade and Floyd acting as his emotional support or whatever even though they insist that their relationship is purely just for business and will drop it if it’s no longer beneficiary to them. The main reason why I think that way is because of the Octavinelle CM which has a scene of Azul holding a bubble in between his hands. Inside the bubble were the twins in their eel forms. The next thing that happened--the bubble popped and disappeared, along with the tweels inside it. We could see the horror on Azul’s face when it happened in that scene and slowly led to the overblot scene which says a lot about how Azul views the twins. Have a more detailed explanation regarding their relationship here! Summary, Azul will lose his shit if Jade were to disappear. Now, where is Octavinelle in all of this? Probably a mess in the corner right there with their dorm leader not in his right state of mind. In short, Octavinelle will probably crumble under the absence of Jade. The reason why Octavinelle is still functioning under Azul’s command during this whole stunt Jade is making is precisely because Azul knew that it was all an act.

"Jade’s excellence in everything he does is renowned even among the Dorm Leaders. He might be a super secretary or something to be able to answer Azul's difficult requests." - Vil's words to Rook during their little talk about letting Jade into Pomefiore. This stuck out to me because back then I didn't really give this much thought but now that I'm re-reading this, it makes me wonder how good is Jade at his job as a Vice Dorm Leader? These words coming from Vil hold a certain weight I can't describe, for him to say that his excellence is renowned even among the Dorm Leaders and to be described as a Super Secretary.

For Jade to have earned this kind of reputation despite being in the land for only two years so far is quite a feat! I would've expected less from someone else but this is Jade we're talking about so, ignoring his terrible weakness in flying, I can assume that Jade worked hard for him to have reached this kind of performance level in such a short time. To be recognized by almost all of the Dorm Leaders isn't an easy feat.

Jade as an attendant - During his first day as Vil's attendant, Vil mentioned how off-putting he is from the fact that Jade was almost too good for someone on their first day. "You managed to get on such friendly terms with the stuffy and straight-laced people of the industry in such little time; and you were also perfect when it came to helping out with the shooting. You've worked much harder than I thought you would." His words. I think this is due to the nature of Jade's silver tongue, which is being able to speak in a way that makes other people do or believe what you want them to do or believe. It seems very fitting for a character like Jade.

Because of the recent personals that got released for Jade, namely the Birthday SSR, they talked about family there and it got me thinking quite a bit as to how Jade can speak so eloquently especially now that I've read that he managed to get on the good side of people who are probably way older than he is and straight-laced, no less. He vaguely mentioned their family background when he was telling a story from his childhood and said how different people would come over to their party and offer them presents. I'm assuming that these people are possibly older than he is, judging from the fact that one of them attempted to give the twins liquor despite them being at a young age, and I thought that maybe Jade grew up used to being surrounded by adults to the point where he picks up a lot of speech patterns and habits. Which inevitably leads to what he is right now. Nothing is confirmed yet, this is a mere thought I had.

Jade's past with Azul - It's briefly mentioned here in the story. Jade mentioned how there weren't as many mer-folk as there are humans so they were all basically put in the same class together during elementary school. Azul didn't catch his interest back then, it seems. He mentioned not being able to remember the very reason why the three of them—Jade, Floyd, and Azul—ended up together currently in Night Raven College.

I am genuinely curious as to what actually made the twins interested in someone like Azul. Correct me if I'm wrong but they did mention it in Chapter 3, right? Was it the growing interest when they finally took notice of Azul using his unique magic on basically everyone who fell into his trap? Someone tell me the details if it was ever mentioned, my memory is failing me.

“Tenebres” - The shoe brand Vil wanted to get his hands on but unfortunately did not obtain, particularly, the Mirror Shoe. "Tenebres" apparently only sells their products to people who they deem worthy for designs, even the designer themselves has yet to make a public appearance as they are shrouded in mystery. Vil didn't have enough time to acquire it but, surprise! Jade Leech has somehow managed to get his perfect hands on the pair of red shoes Vil wanted so much. Frankly enough, Vil was impressed he managed to obtain something he could not—alone, no less.

This is just me pondering but this particular line made me wonder, "Heh, they did some at the cost of a bit of trouble. No matter, how about you try these on instead of dwelling on the matter?", to what lengths did he actually have to go through to obtain just a pair of shoes? Or rather, what connections does he have to be able to obtain this so easily and brush it off with a mere, "cost of a bit of trouble" when clearly Vil already expressed the difficulty in obtaining these?

Another note I have to make but not completely sure if it's relevant is his family. As I've said before, they mentioned that they deal with a lot of people due to the nature of their business and that made me wonder if the designer/owner of this certain shoe brand is one of them? Perhaps Jade was able to easily contact them because of connections his family has although Floyd's wish in the event Stars & Wishes contradicts this possibility.

In Floyd's wish, he mentioned wanting a pair of shoes and Idia immediately asked him why he couldn't just buy them. Floyd answered with a simple, "I can't usually get them." Because of the price. Which, again, contradicts my theory about the Leech family being connected to the shoe brand. Although! Vil did mention how the shoe brand only sells it to people they deem worthy. Perhaps, Floyd isn't…? No—it still wouldn't explain how easily Jade got the shoes and had the brand get Vil a job there as an ambassador. Surely, that isn't due to just any normal connections anymore. Definitely shady, I want to know more.

Jade is in control - As I've said earlier, Jade is somewhat in control despite playing the role of a servant. Prime example is when Vil told him his throat was parched, Jade immediately acted upon it fully knowing what his original intentions were. He gave Vil a drink that the Mostro Lounge was apparently serving without having Vil question it further and even went as far as to let Jade take a picture and post it—even he decided the caption for the post! With a simple flow of events just like that, Jade has managed to manipulate Vil without him knowing. He did it all while taking in the role of a servant and that in itself says a lot about how he does things

I think it's worth it to take note of the fact that Jade does not like bringing attention to himself and merely brushes it off as mere shyness of some sorts when really, all he wants to do is lay low and draw as little attention to himself. It makes his job easier that way—perhaps that's the reason why he lets Azul take the spotlight all the damn time.

Another thing to take note of is something I saw from a post in Tumblr which basically sums up the whole reason why Jade is always adopting the butler persona wherever he goes. It's because he likes to be in control that way—you'd let down your guard around him and let him serve you. You want a drink? He'll serve you a drink but-! He is in control over what you will get. That's exactly what happened in this exact scene, Vil waltzed right into the center of Jade's palms.

Vil never noticed - I'm not saying Vil is dumb, because he is most definitely not. Although through the very end, I don't know if it's just because Vil got carried away with the feeling of achievement taking over him due to recent events but he did just brush away the reason why Jade was in Pomefiore in the first place and let him go away peacefully, "So long as he doesn't bare his fangs at us." In other words, Jade managed to outsmart Vil and possibly, Rook.

This is probably one of the reasons why I am confident enough to say that Jade truly is one of the most cunning bitches in the entire game because this whole ordeal just pretty much proved it.

Aftermath - There we go! We got an explanation about how Jade managed to manipulate and use Vil for his own gains err, in this context, probably Azul's. When Jade took a picture of Vil with the drink and posted it, he did it with the intention of taking advantage of Vil's popularity and viewer reach. Jade expressed his thankfulness when he mentioned how Vil saw him as "useful" perhaps his reputation prior helped him reach his goal? 

Azul praised Jade with something along the lines of "As expected of you, Jade. You're the best Night Raven's College has to offer when it comes to sneaking into another's pockets after all." Which really just backs up some of the statements I made earlier about how Jade manipulates people by letting people let their guard down around him while thinking they're the ones who have power over Jade when clearly it's not as simple as it seems. Azul mentioning that only Jade could pull off something like this just puts me off for some reason but I'll leave it be for the time being.

After that, Jade and Azul had a conversation that started with Azul asking him if he had any difficulties during his stay in Pomefiore and if he had any troubles keeping up with Vil. Jade, jokingly(?), responded that it was nothing compared to Azul's demands and orders and his time at Pomefiore was actually a vacation of some sorts for him. Which really makes me wonder what jobs does Azul usually give him if this one was somewhat of a break for Jade? A task that seemed impossible to Floyd, Jade said it was a vacation. It's a bit frightening but I guess that's his charm? Hard-working is one way to put it. 

That's the end of my Dorm SSR mini-analysis, I guess! Thank you for sticking with me till the end even though a lot of these might be repetitive. I'll probably add more depending on future brainrot but for now, this is fine. Feel free to tell me what you think about this!

[ambassadorquark]

here’s a long post about a bunch of webcomics i love and recommend. i’ve certainly read & liked other ones and have just lost track of them somehow but these are like, mostly classics that basically anyone who reads newer webcomics will recommend to you and a couple i’ve found more recently that i loved. tried to limit it to FAVES that update pretty regularly or are already completed so you can get quality stories out of it but it still ended up mammoth so uh, it’s goin’ under a readmore

namesake - super long-running comic with beautiful art, consistent and frighteningly frequent updates, made by Webcomics Pros. it’s about people who have the ability to enter the worlds of essentially any fairy tales in which the protagonists happen to share their name, and the lore only gets more intricate from there. this one is a very engaging archive binge as it’s been running for about a million years

gunnerkrigg court - honestly if you’re not already reading gunnerkrigg court i'd be very surprised since this is another one that’s been going easily since the invention of webcomics (not really, but THAT ARCHIVE!). i don’t know how to summarize it beyond saying it STARTS as a story about a girl attending a quirky boarding school and is now kind of a sweeping epic about the intersection of technology, nature, and divinity. there’s time travel or something in there now?! you will love renardine. i love renardine

paranatural - another one i’m sure you’re already reading and if not, WHY? it’s a fun li’l action-comedy about middle schoolers fighting ghosts with the help of other ghosts. has been running for a good while and gone through some weird changes but is also probably one of the funniest serial comics i’ve ever read

he is a good boy - a super weird, cerebral, since-finished comic by online comics vet KC Green, about a little acorn finally leaving the tree he grew on after it dies. this one has more “adult” content than any of the previous ones, but if you can handle some cartoony gore and obscenity it’s really funny, strange, and worth checking out

anything by evan dahm tbh - these come recommended by absolutely anyone with taste because evan dahm makes beautiful fantasy comics. rice boy and order of tales are both completed and have a bizarre, super-unique setting and bittersweet approach to these delicate, human stories (despite having no actual human characters). vattu is still currently running and is a slightly more grounded fantasy comic about a little girl from a nomadic hunter-gatherer culture getting caught up in the machinery of the empire that’s moving in on the land where she was born. cannot recommend these enough TBH

also anything on johnny wander - this site contains a bunch of comics by a couple of married comics pros; a big backlog of their really funny, charming autobio comics, the entirety of their graphic novel lucky penny, a whole bunch of shorter comics you might have seen around, and also their new, longer-form webcomic barbarous, which is about a wizard school dropout who’s appointed as a super at an apartment building full of weird magical folks. recommended because there’s a lot of quality stuff in there for you

the sword interval - on webtoon, completed. legit my favorite thing i’ve read in a hot minute. modern fantasy about a young woman who tracks down a legendary, but retired monster hunter for help on her quest to find and kill the lich-like being who killed her parents. gorgeous art, super awesome monster designs, twists on twists, characters you will never want anything bad to happen to ever. reggie the golem.

widdershins - a pretty well established comic i only just read recently. a series of connected stories following different characters from a big ensemble cast and their various adventures in a magical town in victorian west yorkshire. full of fun old-timey shit and wizards. i read it obsessively in like a day. super funny, super long archive. extremely endearing characters who you also will never want anything bad to happen to.

the last halloween - abby howard is a godly horror artist who’s been doing this comic since her style and sense of humor were almost completely different, but the story really does grow as it goes and is both very spooky and very funny. book one is about a little girl facing the potential extinction of humanity after the spontaneous appearance of billions of monsters. it’s currently in book 2, which is a direct sequel about different characters that actually updates sporadically at the moment because the artist is making other cool stuff. definitely still worth it though. gets intense as hell

string theory - this one got back into regular updates pretty recently! i’m linking the about page, not the homepage, because this one is about nasty people doing nasty things and there’s a few CWs that the author mentions right in the summary. it’s an alternate history sci-fi set in a near future where the USA was devastated by nuclear weapons after the cuban missile crisis but is mostly a character driven story about a jerkhole scientist having a terrible couple years. i can’t explain this one at all. if you like terrible men as much as i do you’ll probably enjoy it

tiger, tiger - a beautifully drawn maritime fantasy about a young noblewoman who impersonates her sea captain brother in order to launch an expedition to study sea sponges. there is a sexy nonbinary sea monster character if that sweetens the pot for you any. awesome, subtly integrated worldbuilding. super funny and charming. i love this one a whole bunch

bybloemen - i’m not just recommending this because i’m vague internet acquaintances with the author, it’s ALSO an extremely one-of-a-kind comic about the dutch tulip mania, and also demons. the art is gorgeous and the character designs are some of my favorites out there in newer webcomics. just kind of an extremely good concept that i think everyone should check out. and it’s funny, duh

mare internum - completed. an extremely affecting sci-fi set on Mars. you really just have to read this one, honestly. i’m also linking to the about page on this one because it contains CWs to keep in mind; it’s an incredibly well-constructed character study of some flawed, complicated people and also awesome if you like space aliens.

ozzie the vampire - another supernatural action-comedy because i know what i like, about a recently turned vampire girl and her best friend defending their small new jersey town from demons. super funny, super exciting, and really grounded and realistic for a story that’s about a vampire punching demons. the artist is also a superhuman wizard who draws a whole other comic, a shounen inspired action story called station square that you should check out if you end up liking ozzie.

[dwellordream]

“…I should hardly need to say by now that the idea that there is an intellectual downturn in early medieval Europe (or indeed medieval Europe more broadly) is a part of a specific imperial colonialist historiography which seeks to argue that any point when Europe wasn’t violently subjugating the world around it was necessarily a bad time. To this way of thinking, when the Roman Empire goes around turning everyone into slaves and violently opposing anyone it can get its hands-on things are good, because also some amphorae are traded across the Mediterranean; but when there isn’t one giant state oppressing everyone things are bad because fewer amphorae.

This is obviously a stupid and racist position which presumes that the nice things which rich Romans enjoyed (slaves and hegemony) were available to everyone, and also requires us to just ignore the fact that slaves are people. Rome wasn’t a very nice time for the great majority of individuals, and the medieval period had plenty of nice things for the average person – you just got fooled by a later medieval advertising campaign for art and a bunch of people who wanted to do slavery in the modern period. Accepting the idea that Europe did suck in the medieval period is automatically ascribing to this racist and imperialist version of history. In order for a society to be good and have worthwhile things it doesn’t need to be constantly attacking other cultures and enslaving people. Look inside yourself if you think that is true.

Another reason why this falls down as an argument is also that the whole “Europe as an isolated not trading enemy in opposition to the Arab world which had nice things and was gloriously well-connected” thing is not how things happened. If, for example, we look at trade routes in the earlier medieval period as a starting point we see that is in no way the case. We do see a drop off in international shipping when the Roman Empire collapses.

This is because the Empire itself used to ship goods along with moving troops in its fleets of tax-funded vessels. This existed alongside independent trading, which also moved stuff like olive oil from the Iberian peninsula or amphorae out of what is now Tunisia. Once there is no longer a state propped up by taxation doing shipping itself, shipping across the Mediterranean also slumps. That does not mean that it stops.

While we see a decline in movement, the key here is that we see a decline, not a total cessation. Movement very much continued throughout the early medieval period, and we have ample pot-shard based evidence to back that up. Yes certainly many people shifted to making their own pottery, but rich people could still get their hands on the good stuff if they wanted to.

You know when European shipping in the Mediterranean really slowed down? After the Muslim conquests. Where there had been a lively shipping economy suddenly there were a bunch of real bad ass guys who had carte blanche to intercept the ship of any infidel they could find. Oh and if you could take some of their land while you were at it, that would be great. All of this was made possible famously, the Umayyad conquest of Hispania went really well, felling the Visigothic kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula and turning all those olive orchards over to Muslim rule.

In quick succession, you then see the establishment of the Emirate of Ifriqiya on the North-African coast, as well as the Emirate of Sicily on, well, Sicily. In other words, a lot of the Western Mediterranean just wasn’t Christian any longer, so it’s kinda weird to blame Europeans for not maintaining trade routes there. You can’t simultaneously demand that Europeans trade more with the Muslim world while ignoring the fact that the Muslim world was also a part of Europe, and very much interested in dominating any extant trade routes.

This narrative also completely ignores the fact that there was thriving trade which existed all through this period. We have plenty of records on port tolls and taxes which tell the story of luxury goods crisscrossing the continent and across the Mediterranean, regardless of who was doing what. Walrus ivory and amber from the Baltic coast ends up at the Eastern Roman court in Constantinople.

Furs, honey, and elephant ivory popped up basically anywhere anyone had the gold to trade for it. Oh and gold, which largely came from Africa, was around the shop too. Indonesian spices like pepper and nutmeg featured happily in European cuisines, and lapis lazuli from Afghanistan was being ground into ultramarine. You want luxury goods? They were there, because trade was still happening. It just wasn’t happening on an imperial scale – an undertaking which I will again remind you takes a whole lot of slaves to maintain. The idea that Europeans were an unwashed and unrefined mass in opposition to the glories of life in the Arabic world just doesn’t hold up to scrutiny.

The backward post-Roman Europe versus glories of the East narrative also very helpfully ignores the fact that one of the glories of the East was the still extant Eastern Rome – with its afore-mentioned capital in Constantinople. (You may also know it as Byzantium, but we are trying to be precise here.) Of course, Eastern Rome was one of the big losers in the whole Muslim conquests thing, losing its extremely valuable territory in Egypt, which accounted for a huge amount of its tax revenue. It also very famously lost the near east more generally.

Having said all that, it was still a major maritime power, owning territory on the Italian Peninsula in what is now Calabria and Apulia. Constantinople was still very much about that Roman life in the medieval period, with a keen popular interest in Chariot racing, a lively trade with the near East and Western Christendom, and even what could be seen as a sort of pre-modern welfare state, ensuring that its citizens in cities always had enough grain to eat. If we want to pretend that everything was bad and gloomy in medieval Europe compared to the Arab world because Rome collapsed, how then do we account for the fact that it was actually still going at that time, and trading just fine?

Obviously then, narratives of trade stopping totally in medieval Europe are incorrect and overwrought, but why would I say that buying into them supports a colonialist narrative? The answer to that is saying that Europe didn’t have anything nice, as opposed to a flourishing Arab world is a way of justifying the violent incursions on the part of Europeans into the Middle East.

These arguments usually hinge on the idea that before the Crusades, Europe was a disgusting place full of people who didn’t bathe and nothing but unsalted porridge to eat. All of that changes, in theory, with increased contact to the Middle East with the establishment of the Crusader States in the middle east. The theory goes that it wasn’t until Europeans were able to carve their own ports out along the coast of the Levant that anything nice got into Europe at all. Without Europeans at Jaffa, there would be no spices, oranges, or rice in Europe. Hell, without all that religious violence maybe Europeans never would have anything nice ever!

That is not only factually incorrect, but it is a way of justifying what amounted to centuries of attempts to violently subjugate the Holy Land. Sure, all that violence was unseemly – but access to the Silk Road! It also amounts to a convenient justification for modern imperial and colonial violence. Well Europe was a terrible hell hole! What choice did they have other than to sail around the globe, enslave huge swathes of people, do a spot of genocide and begin to extract all possible value from any native people! After all, everything they had before they started in on the colonising in earnest was bad.

None of this is either historically correct, or acceptable. We can, and should, point out the major advancements that Mulsim society presented to the world. There is absolutely no doubt that there was a tonne of interesting stuff going on in the near East, and I in no way dispute that assertion. What is incorrect is the idea that medieval Europe was cut off from that brilliance, a backward hole where there was no trade, no spices, no intellectual culture.

Europe and South Western Asia have always been connected, and indeed the term “Arabic World” very much includes huge swathes of Europe at various points during the medieval period. If you want to say medieval Europe is a sad foil to the Muslim kingdoms, how do you account for the several European Caliphates? If you want to say that without the Roman Empire Europe lost everything bright and worthwhile, how do you explain the still up and running Eastern Roman Empire? If you want to say that without post-Crusades trade there never would have been meaningful trade in Europe how do you explain all the fucking trading?

The desire that many have to defend the medieval Arab world and its culture in the medieval period is laudable. I in no way am here to argue that it had a lot of good stuff going on. However, pretending that all of this had nothing to do with the European world and trade, or that the only place where intellectual advancement was happening was the Arab world is simply incorrect.

The medieval world was complex, interconnected, and very much a part of an on-going scholastic tradition. To argue that without violent force Europe would have languished as a dull afterthought it to argue for imperial colonialism. Medieval Europe was a vibrant and well-connected place, and it could have continued to be so without all of the slavery and genocide. Europeans didn’t need to rape and pillage their way through the world to learn and grow. They just did it because they could.

Pro-imperialist historiography is the air that we breath here in the decaying carcasses of the modern Imperium. I am extremely sympathetic to the urge to celebrate non-white cultures, and I spend quite a lot of time doing so myself. However, to argue that this was happening without any contact with Europe, and that Europeans cannot think or enjoy luxuries without also being involved in a violent imperial enterprise is extremely dangerous.

I know that the people who make this argument think they are being enlightened, but they are still making a pro-imperial argument when they trot out tired myths about the medieval period. We don’t undo the colonial historiography by agreeing with it. We need to write our own history which admits that every world culture has something useful and beautiful to offer us all, and that a better world can be achieved without the subjugation of others.”

- Eleanor Janega, “On colonial mindsets and the myth of medieval Europe in isolation from the Muslim world”

[peaches-writes]

bibingka

skz of christmas day 6: rice cakes with changbin

member: changbin  wc: 1.9k genre: fluff, comedy, slight idiots to lovers au, neighbour au, this is actually a binsung fic jk warning: explicit language  note: obligatory ben&ben christmas post duh + connects to the jisung entry + issa bit rushed just bc ive been busy da whole week im so sorry hnnnnnnng

day 3

Even with Changbin’s deadliest glare almost burning holes on his face and a stomach cramp threatening to explode on his lower half, Jisung wouldn’t stop laughing. In fact, other passersby are starting to momentarily look their way because of his cackles echoing as loud as the church bells tolling for the next mass.

“I fucking hate you.” The boy being ridiculed rolls his eyes and punches the younger boy on the arm. “Shut up.”

“I just—“ Jisung seemingly wipes away a tear in between his non-stop giggles, clutching his stomach again after as he slows his breathing down. “You’re such a—you’re such a wimp and it’s like the third year now!” 

Changbin wants to correct him by saying that it’s only the second but ultimately decides against it to avoid feeding the mocking laughter. “I’m not! I was just trying to be respectful!”

“Seo Changbin, you’ve been neighbors with Y/N since who the fuck knows how long. If anything, not holding their hand during the Lord’s Prayer is actually rude and disrespectful.” Jisung scoffs. “Like look, I scored a date with my neighbor yesterday and they’re only here during the holidays. Where’s your progress?” 

The last comment deepens Changbin’s glare and disapproving frown. “Well, what if—what if they didn’t want to? Not everyone likes holding non-family members’ hands during that prayer. And excuse you, you landed that date from stalking me.”

Jisung comically slaps his hand up to his temples this time, exhaling a very deep breath in amusement before shaking his head in disapproval. “Oh, Binnie, until when are you going to keep telling these things to yourself? Y/N literally had their hand up for you a while back! Just hold them for a minute!”

“Yeah, but—“

Before Changbin could fully refute, however, the two boys then see you pass by with your grandmother, a passing smile gracing your features as you wave at them politely with your free hand. “Good morning, you two!” You briefly greet before shifting your attention back to your grandmother again, your gaze lingering to Changbin for a second longer definitely not going unnoticed by a grinning Jisung. 

“Good morning!” Changbin and Jisung return your sentiments, the latter then elbowing the older boy as soon as you turn away. 

“I’m telling you,” Jisung whispers tauntingly after, leaning his face close to Changbin and placing a hand over his ear. “just hold Y/N’s hand. It’s not that hard.” 

Taking one last look at you right before you’re whisked away to your grandmother’s friends, Changbin sighs and mumbles, “Oh no, Sung, you don’t know shit.” 

day 5

Every time Changbin does so much as glance in Jisung’s general direction at the choir area in the middle of the service, the younger boy would wink suggestively or make the most comical kissy faces and it doesn’t help his case at all. Somewhere in the back of Changbin’s head, he hesitantly thanks whatever driving force there is in this universe that you’re mostly occupied with looking after your grandmother and passing the time with mindless gestures to notice.

“Just do it, man!” Jisung mouths to Changbin for what already seems to be the eighth time since the mass started, balancing his guitar on his lap to clasp his hands right in front of his face. “I got you!”

Changbin rolls his eyes before glancing over to you standing right next to him. To make things worse, the topic of holding your hand makes his attention wander over to the said body part that taps a noiseless beat on the pew in fromt of you. On your other side, your grandmother seems to have fallen asleep right after you made her sit down because of her weak knees.

Now would be the time, dumbass, The voice in Changbin’s head points out in a way that awfully resembles Jisung. Do it!

But when the familiar tune starts playing and your gentle tapping stops, Changbin’s quickly overcome with nervousness again.

The poor boy’s lifted knuckles knock against yours but fails to take your hand once more.

“Even Jesus can’t help this dude now.” Jisung sighs from across the church as he watches the helpless scene unfold. “Ah, whatever.”

day 8

“Dude, come on it’s been eight days. Stop staring the rice cake down, it’s going to burn up!” Jisung scolds, clutching Changbin by his nearest bicep and pulling him away from the rice cake stall. “Come on, let’s re-group somewhere else!” 

“Re-group?” Changbin furrows his brows, letting himself get dragged to a nearby corner right underneath the outdoor display grotto anyway. “What for?” 

Jisung, skidding to a halt once he’s reached a spot far away from the usual crowd of church-goers, rolls his eyes and faces Changbin belatedly as he answers, “Because you’ve been looking like a whole dumbass at church for the third year in a row now and I swear even the priest is starting to get frustrated!”

“No, I don’t!”

“Yes, you do!”

Changbin squints his eyes in annoyance now and crosses his arms in front of his chest, visibly unamused at the younger boy’s antics. “I’m...a respectful person.”

“You’re a coward.” Jisung argues back bluntly with a draamatic and disapproving shake of his head, taking ahold of Changbin’s two hands after and holding them up in between them. “Just hold their hand like this, chant the Lord’s prayer, and be done with it! We’re all friends, it’s cool!”

Changbin scoffs, wriggling his fingers out of Jisung’s death grip only to get caught immediately. “You don’t understand, dude.” He sighs in exasperation, frowning even more in annoyance when Jisung makes a judging face at him with pursed lips. “It’s Y/N.”

“Exactly, it’s just Y/N.” Jisung retorts in a gradually patronizing tone, making sure to drag out his words. “It’s not like you’re obligated to get married if you hold their hand! Heck, even the kids who sit two rows behind you are braver and those two are just making gang signs at each other during Mass.”

“I—“

And, as if it’s the way of the universe siding wholeheartedly with Jisung, Changbin hears you stifle a giggle with your hand from behind him. When the flustered boy turns around, he sees you and your grandma approaching with candles to offer to the grotto’s statues.

“Shit.” Changbin curses under his breath, quickly hiding it with a greeting to you and your grandmother. “Good morning, Mrs. Y/L/N! Hi, Y/N!”

“Hi, grandma! Hi, H/N!” Jisung waves with his hands still intertwined with Changbin’s, making the latter blush even more as he quickly lets go. “Ooh, scented candles! Are you guys out here to pray for wishes?”

You nod with a hum, pursing your lips quickly at seeing Changbin pretend to wipe his hands down the sides of his jeans. “Yeah, just the usual year-ender stuff.” You explain, helping your grandma up to the stone steps leading to the religious status. Glancing over the two as your grandmother goes ahead on her own, you then ask, “Were you guys in the middle of...something?”

“W-What? N-No, no! We were just...” Mentally, Changbin’s cognition is already shutting down under your genuinely curious gaze. It doesn’t help that you’re a step above him and Jisung too, giving you a rare opportunity to tower over them. “Jisung was just being weird!”

“No, I wasn’t!”

“Dude, you just held my hand out of nowhere.”

“Yeah, to tell you that—mmfffff!” Changbin interrupte Jisung midway by clamping his mouth shut and making you chuckle.

“Okay, if you say so...” You finally let out a laugh with ease at seeing their antics, waving goodbye once more and taking another step upwards again. “I’ll just see you two around later! Grandma and I still need to say some prayers for our relatives.”

“Sure. See you around, Y/N.” Changbin smiles up at you, returning your wave with his free hand.

Behind his other hand, Jisung tries his best at yelling out to you, “Pray for Changbin, please! For everyone’s sake!”

day 9

The first thing Jisung notices—well, the second thing since he noticed your rather sleepy expression prior—is how you walk in and sit down next to Changbin at your usual pew without your grandmother. Changbin, on the other hand, notices rather belatedly when he notices you only when you’re already seated.

“Where’s grandma?” He asks, whipping his head around everywhere for your grandmother’s familiar grey hair and white church veil. “Is she okay?”

“She just stayed up too late for a Christmas party last night so I told her I’ll go to mass for her while she rests.” You nod reassuringly, only at such point fully comprehending the unfamiliar atmosphere of only the two of you sitting on your usual place. “She’ll be around again tomorrow but, you know, as far as the legend goes, she won’t be able to make a wish on Christmas Eve.” 

Changbin chuckles at this, leaning back in his seat more comfortably now as you giggle along. “You still believe in that? We all know that parents only say that so we wouldn’t sleep at Mass when we were kids.” 

When the boy glances over to you, he sees you nod in between laughs. “Yeah but don’t you think it’s something nice to think about and believe in? Don’t you make wishes after the ninth Mass anymore?” 

“It depends.” He shrugs. 

“Then why do you still go, hm? Your parents don’t even come around as often.” 

To see you, Changbin’s mind immediately drifts off but he bites his tongue back quickly before he could accidentally blurt it out. “I just like hearing the choir sing in the morning.” 

“I doubt that.” You chuckle with a shake of your head, just as the choir begins to sing the opening song. “Speaking of which...” 

Changbin whips his head around in the same direction you avert your gaze to, finding the Mass already starting. “Oh, it’s starting.” He muses out loud, following the crowd and standing up. When he turns to you again, however, you’re still seated. “Aren’t you standing up?” 

“Will you help me up?” You ask rather teasingly, holding your hand up to him. 

“What?” His eyes widen, blinking twice slowly until he’s sure that your hands not moving back down to your side. 

“Changbin, just hold my damn hand.” You hiss under the loud music, waving your hand in the air until he finally and reluctantly takes it and pulls you up. “There. Wasn’t so hard, was it?” 

Changbin is quick to blush under the bright lights around you, fumbling around his words and even more when you don’t let go of his hand. “I—y-ya, you’ve known all this time?”   

In response, you simply shrug as you bring your hands down in between the two of you. “Maybe? Why do you think I’ve been making grandma sit here and not at the front as usual?” You explain sheepishly. “I was hoping, since we know each other and everything anyway, you’d...hold my hand at prayer. It’s silly, I know.”

“So you—” 

“I like you, Changbin.” You beat him right to it, clearing your throat immediately to ease the atmosphere. “I just...hold my hand at prayer, will you? If it isn’t weird or anything.” 

“S-Sure.” He awkwardly nods, looking away to hide an embarrassed smile. “I-I like you too.” 

Across the room, Jisung almost jumps up in his seat while playing the guitar and elbows his significant other rather harshly as they play the piano. “Ya, dude, it’s happened! Look!” 

The pianist hisses in pain at Jisung’s elbow on their sides before mustering up a chuckle once they’ve regained composure. “That’s good to see. Now, how many days will it take for him to buy the rice cake?” 

december 22 (lee minho)

skz of christmas (masterlist)

m.list

@skzwriternet

[yandere-sins]

Food

Yantober List! Feel free to participate at any point :3

Food was an interesting chapter to write, it really helped build up the story for the next two days, and I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do! Thanks for reading ^.^

»»————————————  ♡ ————————————«« 

Who knew that there could be a time where food wasn’t appealing to you anymore.

It wasn’t like you had a serious condition. You neither ate too much nor too little, but certainly, you mostly ate for Rhys rather than yourself. Rhys cooking skills were underwhelming, so most of the time, he fetched you two take-out, convenience store food, or delivery of what you felt like having that day. You had a variety of tastes, every day something different, and he wasn’t skimpy on the money or way he had to take to fetch you your latest craving. 

There was nothing to not like about food, aside from the few things you didn’t like eating. But really, eating something helped soothe your emotional distress, and it also filled you and made your body feel a bit happier than you actually were. It warmed you up on cold days, and it was a nice reward after a long, stressful one. 

Still, the longer it went on, the less you liked eating. You absolutely hated it when Rhys was still feeding you, thinking it was so adorable to stuff your mouth to the brink with a big spoonful of carbs and soups. More than once, your tongue felt like burning off in slow, agonizing pain, and though you liked spitting into his face, if the food left you again, it was more likely it was from you having to cough after having to consume it roughly.

But even afterwards, you began following Rhys’s intentions, waiting for him to allow you to eat, waiting for him to give you a spoon to eat yourself. You’d always glance in his direction rather than just go for it. After a while, it became another simple habit, and you’d even do it on your trip outside of the apartment, just like your boyfriend always intended.

It was just more comfortable this way.

But ever since he took you out, you weren’t able to connect food to good emotions anymore. Perhaps it was the frustration and how much the topic of your stolen life bothered you, but now you didn’t look back fondly at the day where you had eaten out for the first time in months again. Now it was just… uninteresting.

At first, Rhys didn’t force you to eat. He’d offer you some, prepare it lovingly, fetch your favorites, but if you didn’t eat, then he’d put it in the fridge, offering it up again a bit later. But with the time, he too noticed how you barely took a bite before complaining you were full and how little you actually ate. It was the perfect amount to not fall under his radar, but with someone who watched you as intently as Rhys did, studied all your behavior, it was soon revealed that you, in fact, did not eat enough.

Before you could get up the next time, saying you were done, he grabbed you by the wrist, making you look up surprised before you slowly settled down next to you. Fetching a spoonful of rice, he smiled at you, holding it up to your face. “One more. Because it’s so delicious.” 

You really didn’t want to, but there was no arguing. One haps and done. You were ready to leave again when the grip on your wrist tightened. Looking back at him, you saw another spoon waving in front of you. “Another one, for me, right, Love?”

After four spoons, you felt fed up. Not on food, but on his insistence on you eating. You couldn’t care less if it was for him or if it was good; you simply did not want to eat it. For a long time, you had suppressed your more stubborn side in favor of regaining some liberties. But you were drawing a line when he held up the fifth spoon, lips closing tightly while you shook your head.

“I don’t want to,” you told him clearly.

“But you have to, it’s dinner!” 

Turning your head away, you were nothing more than a pouting child in his opinion, but by his grip on your wrist alone, he noticed you had started losing weight already. Rhys didn’t like this predicament of you refusing to eat. Had it been one meal, alright, you could have some choice every now and then. But that’s as much as he’d give you.

“Eat,” he urged you on, and you shook your head heartily, trying to make it clear to you.

“I said, eat!” 

Spoon falling to the table, the curry splashing everywhere, he used both hands to get you closer again, folding down your resistance to a minimum by using his own body to hold yours. “I don’t want to! I don’t care!” 

Your struggles weren’t in vain, testing his patience and how well he could hold you, but eventually, he managed to place his hand on your nose even though you clawed your fingers in his bare skin and tried to bite what you could. With his free hand, he dug into the food, proceeding to shove it into your pitiful yapping mouth and covering it quickly so you couldn’t just spit it out. 

For a whole lot of time, you gave him the nastiest stare you could, smelling nothing but curry. It was a mess, the table was a mess, you were a mess. But the biggest mess undoubtedly was that maniac you once trusted. Slowly but surely, you had to give in and swallow the damn food, even though your throat was closing in on you in disgust.

It made you realize that it didn’t matter in the end. It didn’t matter if you were behaving better or not, as long as you didn’t fit the very small and compact image he had of you, Rhys would forever try to form you. You felt sick to the stomach, close to tears, and hopeless, but at least now, you found another reason for yourself to fight.

Because if you wouldn’t, Rhys would simply continue torture you into his perfect little darling. If you were honest, before that happened, it may be better to at least have tried to escape and resist him. Otherwise, you could be as good as dead too - one way or another.

However, Rhys just loved that about you too. You never entirely lost your fight, after all.

Continue

[alonelytinywriter]

Excuse Me?

Anonymous said to alonelytinywriter:

Can I have a Hawks x reader where she's in japan and she's homeless and she steals Hawks coffee outside a coffee shop and he just - "EXCUSE ME?"

Ooooooo, Darling, you better bet. I still don’t do readers, though, sadly. It just doesn’t flow well with my writing style and makes it where the stories just don’t sound . . . good? I hope you’ll forgive me! If you like what you read don’t forget to drop a big fat heart on this fic (Support your local fanfic writers!), and let me know what you’d like to see next.

Warnings: There be soft smut here. And Hawks actually being a soft guy, and some heavy language because OC is a 2 kool 4 skool. Very soft Hawks. Warm Hawks. Gentle ball of . . . feathers doesn’t sound as good. Lets be honest, this prompt got me feeling a certain kind of way, and I really just wanted some self indulgent comfort.

Soft Yandere! Takami Keigo (Hawks) / Original Female Character

Playlist - Hitohira No hanabina - Stereophony

Name: Sato Ichika ~ Birthday: April 21st ~ Age: 19 ~ Hair Color: Blue ~ Eye Color: Green ~ Gender: Female ~ Height 5’0’’ ~ Quirk: Specter ~ Occupation: Subway/Train Musician

Appearance ~ Ichika is a fairly short girl with a rather full physique despite her willowy appearance. She has dark blue hair that falls just below her collar bones and crystalline green eyes that point slightly outward, which seems to resemble a cats. Due to her Quirk, Ichika’s skin is ghostly pale, almost stark white; using her Quirk causes her skin to fade to transparent at her hands and feet, while her hair begins to float about her head and face as if she has her own personal breeze. ~ Ichika’s appearance has always been a bit of a sore spot for her, making her an outcast at an early age. After becoming a teenager she began to dress to suit her appearance, adopting a punk/grunge style with lots of fishnets, oversized sweaters, dark colors and darker makeup. Now she wears next to no makeup, unless you count chapstix, but she still dresses the same.

Quirk: Specter ~ As her name-sake suggests Ichika, when activating her Quirk, can float, as well as permeate any solid object. - It should be noted that while she can permeate through another living thing, the effort is nearly enough to make her pass out. - She also has the ability to manifest and maintain ghostly images that have been known for their ability to produce sound, though not their ability to interact with the corporal world, something which many thought as the hindrance which held Ichika from becoming a Hero. Ichika uses the ability to preform on the subways and trains to earn money throughout the days and nights. As mentioned before, while her Quirk is activated her hands and feet become transparent and her hair floats - the longer her Quirk is activated, the farther the transparency will travel up her limbs. This can be dangerous for Ichika, as it becomes harder to control her Quirk and once 100% transparency has been archived, Ichika has been known for blacking out and even attacking those she considers friends. Due to this, Ichika refuses to use her Quirk for longer than 1 hour at a time, at which time the transparency will only reach her elbows and knees.

Power - 2/5 ~ Speed - 2/5 ~ Technique - 5/5 ~ Intelligence - 3/5 ~ Cooperativeness - 3/5

~Excuse Me~

~ The first time Ichika stole she thought she was going to throw up. Or maybe that had been the fact that she hadn’t eaten anything in four days and only drank stagnant water from a broken fountain. It had been three rice balls shaped to resemble cat heads from a small grocery market and when she had walked through the doors after slipping the plastic wrapped food under her sweatshirt, she had been sure that the nearest employee would appear and scream THIEF into her face before calling for the police. She would go to jail or worse - go home to her parents and their cross expression as she turned out exactly the way they believed she would. But they didn’t. No alarms sounded, no one tried to drag her back into the market, no one seemed to notice at all. They had tasted amazing - even the one she dropped on the sidewalk and had to fish from the gravels - and the glow of victory had stolen over her like a living thing. Each stole item felt lighter in her fingers as she took them, her natural dexterity and knack for misdirection making her a perfect pickpocket. The fact she could use her Quirk to preform on the train - simple musical sets as she danced and allowed her ‘Ghosts’ to make the music - helped to distract the silly sheep around her and she danced and slipped past. Fingers found wallets, watches, an elderly woman’s bracelet, a single diamond hoop earring, a cup of coffee -

~ “Excuse me? What do you think you’re doing?”

~ Now. Now, Ichika knows she’s going to vomit. She can feel the bile churning in her stomach as she turns towards the voice - Gods above, why did it have to be his coffee? - and confidently meet the bright golden eyes of the Number Two Hero - Hawks. Of fucking course. Of course there was a Hero on the train. But she stamps down the rising horror and smiles brightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But the Hero isn’t stupid and he snags her wrist before she can skip away, turning it so that the hand hold the large coffee showed the name scrawled across the front - HAWKS <3. Him turning her wrist does something worst, though. It rattles to hidden pocket in her sleeve and makes several of the stolen items to rattle to the floor of the train. A man to her left quickly recognizes his wallet at the top of the pile and frowns, looking for all the world as if he might attack Ichika at any moment for having dared stolen his belongings. 

~ “Shit.” Ichika activates her Quirk without thinking, her hair whipping about her face so quickly that it surprises the Hero into letting her go and she rushes to go above the others heads, straight up and through the roof of the train and into the sky above. Her heart is racing painfully against her chest as she slips through the metal as if it’s no more than water, thumping so quickly that she can feel the pulse beating against her sternum when she lays her hand there to calm herself. There was no way the Hero wouldn’t know what she had been doing. He would come looking for her soon, if he hadn’t already called for the train to stop. She needed to leave, and fast. It wasn’t the first time she had been caught in the act of taking what wasn’t hers, and normally it didn’t bother her to know that people knew what she did but there had been something in the Hero’s eyes as he stared at her in disbelief that set Ichika on edge.

~ She landed three miles away panting and covered in sweat from the effort of keeping her Quirk active for so long. Her vision was blurry, and she could feel the Earth swaying beneath her feet, rocking like a ship during a typhoon. She was still holding the damned coffee. Sighing, she allowed the transparency to fade from her skin, until she was whole again, until she was her again, and then she took a long draft from the coffee quickly cooling in her hand. It was intensely sweet, chocked with sugar and caramel until it reminded her of a milkshake instead of a coffee drink. Crinkling her nose at the intense taste of sugar on her tongue, Ichika forced herself to take another swallow before she started walking. She was only a few blocks from the grate that would lead her to the abandoned platform she used as a hideout, and she needed the energy to make it on foot since she had pushed her Quirk so far. Her heartbeat was still beating in her ears, a steady thwump thwump thwump . . . that didn’t match the beat of her heart at all.

~ This is all the time Ichika has before a dark shape hurtled from the sky above her, a laugh as dark and rich as honey sounding through the air. Hands clutched the back of her shirt and her feet her jerked out from beneath her as she was lifted forcefully into the sky. “Well, well, well, look what we found here.” Hawks voice is just as smooth as his laugh. “What do you think you’re doing, kid? Taking things from strangers is dangerous stuff, don’tcha think?” Ichika screamed, her Quirk flaring to life and sending her slipping from his grip. But it was too much. She had used her Quirk too much, since first thing that morning in fact, and the transparency had already been working well up towards her elbows and knees and she was too tired and she really hoped the Hero would at least take the time to make sure she didn’t die when she fell. Between one heartbeat and the next she slipped unconscious, her eyelashes fluttering to hide her sea-glass eyes and putting and end to the chaotic string of thoughts racing through her mind. 

~ She has no clue how long she’s been asleep, how long she floated in the inky darkness, but when she opens her eyes she finds a ceiling above her head that for certain wasn’t the ceiling of the abandoned subway station. And there, next to her, laying in the soft bed with nothing but a pair of boxers was Hawks. He wasn’t ugly - not by any means with his  smooth skin and thick hair and his muscles . . . But why had he taken her? She tried to scoot away but Hawks mumbled something in his sleep - something intellagable - and pulled her closer, forcing her front into his side.

Ichika jerked away so hard she fell from the bed, landing in a heap of blankets and sheets hard, making her cry out as her hip connected with the hard wooden floor. Hawks is up in an instant, looming over her, laughing softly. “What’s the matter, kid? Isn’t this a whole lot better than the place you where heading?” Hawks was already unwrapping her from the blankets and Ichika was trying to desperately separate herself from both them and him. She had to get away, get away, get way - why and the fuck was she in a bed with him and not in jail?? - but then Hawks hands are on her arms, hoisting her up, pulling her against his chest. “Don’t bother trying to use that Quirk of yours, kid. I’ve got a Quirk canceling cuff on your ankle, so you’re not going anywhere.” Ichika wants to speak, wants to ask exactly what the hell is going on, but he continues before she can. “I’ve been watching you for weeks, you know. Letting you get away with picking those peoples pockets. Watching you dance and trick your way into getting away with your loot, kid. It was hilarious watching you, knowing you thought no one knew. And you’re damn good, kid.” Ichika was shaking, pushing against his chest, trying to get away, but Hawks just held on tighter. “Awww, c’mon, kid. This is much better than a jail, isn’t it? I might have taken you, but I also made sure you didn’t turn into a pancake on the side of the road, you know?”

~ Ichika could barely remember her encounter with the winged Hero, and as her eyebrows furrowed, her sluggish memory trying to piece together what his words meant, Hawks wings curled around them both, encasing them in the soft red feathers. “It’s not so bad. I can feel your heart beating, you know? So hard, and fast against my chest. You don’t gotta worry, I’m not gonna make you do anything you don’t want to. I have plenty of time to make you change your mind.” His fingers where running across the skin of her back - she was only clad in her bra and panties - and he allowed his nails to drag across her spine, making her shiver. “But I can already tell you, I decided weeks ago I was gonna bring you home, kid. I knew I wanted you. I just had to wait till I could catch you and guess what, kid - I did!” He hugged her closer to his chest, his cheek resting against her hair. “And I’ll keep you here as long as I need for you to want me the same way I want you. See, not a lot of people know this, but I’ve been working both sides for a while. I’ve got enough saved we can go on a nice long hiatus and it won’t bother me a bit. Pus, I’m raking in loads of cash for all the wrong reasons, and I have all the time in the world to be able to shower you with enough affection and attention, and I can make you love me.”

~ Hawks voice was low and rough, like gravel and Ichika couldn’t stop shivering. She was still held against his chest, desperately trying to move herself off the Hero’s - Villain’s? - lap, but the more she moved the more pronounced Hawks attraction became for her. He was still talking, whispering dirty, senseless declarations of love and affection against her ear as his fingers continued to skim across her skin, but Ichika couldn’t seem to find her voice. She was in shock. What was going on?? what was going on?? What was going on?? What was -

~ “I’m sorry.” Hawks cooed into her ear, his beard scratching softly against the soft skin of her cheek before he forced her to look into his eyes. “Didn’t I make it clear enough? You’re mine now. You’ll be staying here with me, until the unforeseeable future, and you’ll be paying me back for that coffee you decided to steal this morning.” Ichika was already thrashing in his arms before he finished, and he allowed her to tire herself out, panting in his arms before he continued. “It won’t be that bad, kid. Look kid, I’m a mess, but I’ll take care of you. I’ll make sure you’re safe and feed and you have a roof over your head. And I won’t hand you over to the police. How does that sound?” Hawks sat there, waiting for her response, knowing that she didn’t have a choice. But for the moment he allowed her to mull over the supposed ‘choice’ he had given her.

~ Ichika’s mind was racing; she could fight - without her Quirk she would loose. She could play along and try to escape but what would she do? What would he do? He would go to the police, tell them everything, and then where would she be? In a jail cell, and there would be no one there to bail her out. Her body drooped as she came to her decision, every muscle in her body going lax as tears pooled at the corners of her eyes. Hawks nearly felt bad as he watched the girl deflate in his arms, and he nudged her cheek with his nose, a teasing smile spreading across his lips. “Maybe you should tell me your name?” It falls from her lips easily, and Hawks repeats it, rolling it across his tongue, enjoying the way it tasted in his mouth. He’s still saying it when his lips begin to brush across her neck, her hair falling across her shoulders like a waterfall. His nails dug into her skin as she shivered, the tears finally spilling. Her skin was so soft, her hair like silk between his fingers. There were freckles scattered across her body, freckles that shone against her skin like fragments of opal when Hawks laid her back on his bed, her bra discarded to the floor. His fingers dipped across her skin, her voice raise’s and falls in sync with Hawks movements, and by the end the blush spread across her cheeks matches Hawks face perfectly.

~ “You’re gonna stay here with me for now on, kid. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

[kuronanox]

Reminiscing - Izuru Kira

3 years ago

"Drinking tonight? But it's Thursday." Kira blandly says as he hands in his reports to Hisagi, but the older man just pats his back with excitement. "Ma! Don't feel so down! It's (Your Name) birthday dinner! Rangiku is setting everything up!" He cheers with a blushing face after closing his nose from bleeding.

"Why is your nose bleeding Hisagi San?"

"Be-be-because the theme is erotica."

"EHH?! I mean I don't really know (Your Name)!" Kira defends trying get away from such crowds, he rather be writing some haiku or a small gathering. "I already RSVP you Kira!"

He sighs and recalls that (Your Name) had been promoted 3rd seat recently for squad 10. "Don't tell me she is another Matsumoto San?"

Hisagi walks Kira off and bids a farewell until tonight.

(Your Name) agreed for Rangiku to throw her a birthday dinner because she was busy finishing all the paper work that her lieutenant absolutely refused to do. "Good job (Your Name) you can get off early since it is your birthday." Hitsugaya slightly smiles at her as she smiles back.

"Really Taicho?!"

"Yeah just make sure to get Matsumoto to wake up tomorrow so she can help you." Hitsugaya says returning to his paperwork.

(Your Name) smiles and runs out to her room to get changed and apply some make up. On her bed was a present already left from Rangiku it was a short kimono. "It's pretty revealing." She happily accepts it and wears it for the dinner because it was the only 'nice' thing she actually had to wear since she grew up poor.

"I wonder who Rangiku invited? She has a lot of friends and I'm pretty new. Hopefully Ikkaku and Yumichika are there because we are pretty close." She adds tying the kimono tightly and adding some lipstick before smiling at herself in the mirror. "Whatever, I'll have fun either way!"

Kira was pretty dead set about not going but Hisagi knew him to well and pulled the blonde man out of his own room as they walked to the restaurant together. "Did you get her anything?" Kira asks Hisagi as he happily hums some song from the world of living. "She didn't want anything!" He says back as Kira shakes his head in embarrassment.

"At least get her something if we go to her dinner."

"Well what did you give her?"

Kira sulking looks down at a wrapped rectangle and sighs. "Nothing much."

Hisagi notices and holds it. "Don't worry Kira! She's really friendly! She doesn't really want anything but if you don't want to show up empty handed then she will appreciate anything she receives."

By the time they arrived it was already rowdy inside, it was screaming from Ikkaku and Renji fighting over the last piece of gyoza on the plate. "DAMN RED HEADED PINEAPPLE THIS PIECE IS MINE!"

"THE LAST PIECE WILL BE GONE BY THE TIME YOU GROW HAIR!" Renji defends as they held each other in a lock as Yumichika protects (Your Name) by putting her by his side. "Insolent behavior, it's (Your Name) day have some manners." He stinkingly looks at the men and flips his hair.

"There's more coming out guys." Hinamori awkwardly says taking the last piece and places it on (Your Name) plate.

"Shuhei!" (Your Name) says running towards the taller man. "Oh is this Kira?" She says tilting her head. "Hi! I've heard so much good things about you! My name is (Your Name)." She introduces herself as Kira tried to smile and bow his head.

"Izuru Kira."

"Oi Kira!" Rangiku calls out patting the seat next to her! "Sake is on the house!" She screams already tipsy as he contemplated if he should drink or not tonight.

(Your Name) was happy tonight she was surrounded by so many friends.

"Your clothes (Your Name)." Shuhei says holding his nose. "What? I guess it goes with the theme Rangiku picked it out!"

Kira looks around, Renji and Ikkaku were shirtless while Yumichika wore a thin robe. Hinamori was wearing a short kimono but nothing to revealing like Rangiku and (Your Name). "Sorry we aren't dressed according to theme." Kira apologizes as he took a sip of the sake poured out for him.

"It's okay! Let's all have fun!" (Your Name) shouts with a sake bottle in her hand. The night was filled with laughter, food and lots of drinks. They played a numerous amount of drinking games so it led to drunken words and an excessive amount of compliments.

"We all know Shuhei jerks off to those magazines Ichigo's sister found one time!" Yumichika states as a matter of fact. "I-I do not!"

"Sounds like Hisagi San." Kira agrees blushing at the details.

"I forgot to tell you (Your Name) I knew the kimono would look good on you." Rangiku brings up as a drunken Kira looks up and watched the way it hugs her body showing every inch of legs and chest.

"WE COULD HAVE PICKED A DIFFERENT THEME!" Shuhei yells from the other side of the table stuffing his face with rice trying to ignore the two busty women infront of him. "Oh please, we can all appreciate women's beauty." Yumichika cooly says catching a drunken Ikkaku from falling.

"I agree! It's so pretty!" Hinamori chimes in with a giggle. "Right Kira kun?"

Kira turned a whole 360 when he was drunk he thought (Your Name) was beautiful already from first glance so he was already nervous to even attend the dinner.

"(Your Name) HAS ALWAYS BEEN BEAUTIFUL HINAMORI KUN! LOOK AT THE WAY IT FITS HER! THE MATURED BODY WOULD MAKE ANYONE SWONE, EVEN ME!" Kira blurts out jumping out of his seat waving his arms frantically. "IF I WAS LESS EMO I WOULD CONFESS SHE IS A PRETTY WOMAN, TAKE MY BABIES (Reader Name)!"

(Your Name) couldn't help but get embarrassed and blush, she looked away from Kira and drowned it by chugging down water.

"Ayy! Kira! You actually like girls? WAIT WAIT TAKE YOUR BABIES?!" Renji blurts laughing as the blonde man flicks Renjis forehead. "Kira! Did you just confess!" Rangiku yells pushing him closer to (Your Name).

"NO!" He screams trying to get away and endlessly starts ranting about how he didn't want Rose as the captain of the 3rd squad to cover up his embarrassment.

Present day

Kira rarely smiled but thinking about how he met her was a fond memory he liked to think about sometimes. That night he ended up throwing up in the grass along side Ikkaku. They have been dating for 2 and half years already. It was a huge shock for everyone when news got out that Kira had a girlfriend.

After the night of (Your Name) birthday party she and Kira would often hang out if they weren't busy and she initiated the first date between them because he was to shy to even admit to liking her. "Kira what are you smiling about?" His captain asks from across the room. "U-Um nothing, if you will excuse me." He tells Rose hiding the tint of red in his face.

Rose could only admire the couple. Rose knew from the start that Kira didn't fully accept him as Captain yet because he was still mourning over Gin, but over time (Your Name) kept telling Kira to give Rose a chance so Kira decided to give it a chance and recently the relationship has gotten better so far.

Kira waits for (Your Name) patiently to return from a mission that night. He cleaned her room and folded left over laundry she had tossed around in her room. He was trying to make time pass by faster. The mission was longer then he expected it to be. She was gone for almost a week, and he was starting to get gloomy again because her cheerfully presence wasn't around.

After about an hour he was falling asleep on her futon that he had laid out for her. Hearing footsteps coming closer to the room he gets up and stretches before opening the door.

"Kira? I didn't expect to see you tonight? You miss me that much already?" She teased him as he welcomes her in. "How was the mission?"

"Ehh, just tedious." She answers back falling into the futon dragging him with her. "Oi!"

"Mm I miss cuddles." She smiles rubbing her face into his chest as he caresses her hair. "Did you miss me Kira?"

"A little bit." He admits kissing her head softly as she looks up to him and smiles. "What are you thinking about Kira?"

"Old memories. Remember for your birthday I got you a haiku book while everyone else got you something better."

(Your Name) rolls her eyes at Kira. "Why is he always a downer."

Walking to her desk she shows Kira that the book is placed as decoration. "Shut up, I loved it."

He laughs lightly and pulls her back to him. "I'm so embarrassing when I'm drunk, I can't believe I said for you to take my babies."

"Oh my gosh, I remember you did yell that. It's not like we aren't doing that stuff now."

Kira blushes lightly and scoffs before laying her down on the futon and climbing on top.

"(Your Name) if you insist, I don't mind making it happen soon." He jokes connecting their lips together as she pulls him closer holding his head lovingly.

"Sure, make this night promising." (Your Name) deviously smirks.

[phoenix-downer]

34

Thanks for the ask! This prompt is from this list, and this particular one is “A kiss to pretend,” so without further ado…

Kisses and Lies

“Oh shoot, I think they’ve spotted us!” Kairi said as she anxiously glanced over Sora’s shoulder at the men in uniform behind him. They were supposed to be tracking these guys undetected through this mall, but apparently their cover was blown. 

Sora quickly looked around to see if there was anywhere they could hide. A cart? A bush? Anything?

Kairi had a more immediate solution in mind. She grabbed his face and said, “Quick, kiss me!”

A confused, “Kairi, wha—” came out of his mouth before she managed to cut him off, smooshing his lips against hers. His arms hung dumbly at his sides while she wove a hand into his hair and did her best to devour his lower lip.

She broke away long enough to hiss, “Sora, don’t just stand there, kiss me back!”

“Er, sorry—”

He was used to fighting Heartless and stuff, not going on undercover missions. But if this would throw the local guards off from noticing they were here, well… 

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, then joined their lips together once more. This kiss was much more successful than the first attempt, probably because he hadn’t been taken off guard this time. Memories of warm summer evenings spent on the Play Island together filled his mind, and he let his eyes flutter shut as he lost himself to the kiss. It wasn’t like Kairi was doing anything to stop it, either. She was letting the kiss go on and on and on in a way that would’ve scandalized all their friends back home. Maybe this meant… maybe this meant she still—

She pulled away and glanced behind them. “All clear,” she whispered, then blushed as she realized there was still a strand of spit connecting their mouths together. She quickly wiped her mouth and cleared her throat, as if that could wipe away what had just happened between them. 

“Sorry for springing that on you,” she said with a sheepish smile, “I kinda panicked and didn’t know what else to do. At least it worked though, right?”

“Oh, um, yeah,” he said. “No one wants to watch two people making out. Good thinking, Kairi.” 

He turned away from her for a moment to get it together. Of course that kiss didn’t mean anything. Kairi was serious about this mission, and the kiss was just one step along the way to successfully completing it. It was a distraction, a diversion to throw the guards off their trail.

Too bad it had distracted him too. 

“Sora? You okay?” she said, and even without looking he could picture the concerned look on her face. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied as he adjusted the baseball cap on his head and straightened his jacket. 

The truth was, he was anything but fine. That kiss had awakened old feelings in him, feelings he thought had been dealt with a long time ago. Before he and Kairi were assigned on this mission together, the painful fog that had clouded his thoughts and memories had finally started to lift, but now—  

“I’m sorry, that was out of line,” she said. “Very unprofessional. My brain just… blanked, and that was the first thing that popped into my head.”

He plastered on a smile and faced her. “It’s okay, really. We needed to keep our cover intact, and now the mission can continue. No harm, no foul.”  

“If you say so,” she said as she chewed her lip. “I know… our breakup was really hard on you—”

Sora really wished she would drop it. The less he thought about how she’d chosen to break up with him, the better. So much for the paopu fruit keeping them together forever. He hadn’t tried using One Heart, the most powerful magic he and Kairi were capable of, since the night of their breakup, either. The last thing the worlds needed was another one-winged angel. 

“What’s in the past is in the past,” he said. “We don’t have to talk about what happened. It’s all behind us.”

He started walking towards the food court, and she followed after him. She had to walk quickly to keep up with his long strides, and he hoped that meant she wouldn’t try to talk.

No such luck.

“But that’s the thing,” she said, her voice low. “We didn’t really talk about it at all. You just… ran off the next day, and I didn’t get to see you for months.”

“That was the point,” he muttered. “It’s what happens with a breakup, Kairi. You stop seeing the person you were seeing so you can both get over it more easily.” 

“Did it work?”

He sighed. “You tell me.” 

She dropped the subject after that, thankfully, and he figured now was as good a time as any to eat.

“Here,” he said as he handed her enough munny to get herself lunch. “Get whatever you want. I’ll meet you at that table over there in ten.” 

“Okay.”

He watched as she made her way over to a restaurant that served Chinese takeout and sighed. Even with her hood pulled over her hair and her arms stuffed in her pockets, she still looked great. 

Curse his brain for trying to make him as miserable as possible. And no fair that she’d gone to the exact restaurant he’d had his eyes on. Oh well. Guess he’d have to try the Greek place, that looked pretty good. Some of the stuff on the menu even reminded him of the food on Herc’s world, and the line wasn’t too bad. 

When she joined him again, he was about halfway through his kofta and rice. She opened up her white takeout box and attacked the rice and stir-fry inside with her chopsticks, eating gracefully despite how hungry she must be. 

“That looks really good,” she said in between bites as she glanced at his food. 

“It is,” he said. “It’s similar to the stuff on Herc’s world.” 

“May I try it?”

“Sure.” 

He watched as she deftly snatched a piece of the kofta from his fork and savored it, her eyes fluttering shut as she enjoyed its taste. It reminded him of all the food they’d shared on dates, of how much he’d enjoyed giving her new things to try. 

“Wow, that really is good,” she said with a smile. “Thanks for sharing.” 

“Glad you like it.”

She was silent for a few moments, then said. “Sora, listen—”

He shot her a warning look. “If this is about earlier—”

“I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” 

He grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth. “Really, it’s fine. It was just a fake kiss. Just pretend. We’re both on the same page about that, so there’s nothing to worry about or apologize for.”

Her shoulders slumped and her head drooped a little despite his reassurance. Her eyes were fixed on her plate, too. 

��Yes, of course,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure you… felt the same way I did about it.” 

“No worries there,” he said, plastering a smile back on his face. “That kiss meant as little to me as it did to you.” 

Her head drooped a little more. “I see.” 

“Now,” he said, ignoring the uneasy feeling in his gut and pulling out his Gummiphone, “let’s talk strategy.” 

She was still staring at her plate like it held the answers to the universe. Time to try a different approach. 

“If we put our heads together, Kairi, this mission will be a success before we know it.”  

She lifted her head. “You really think so?”

“Yeah, of course. We work pretty well together.” He smiled sadly. “That much hasn’t changed.”

The sooner they got this over with, the sooner Sora wouldn’t have to be around her anymore. And yet… a stupid part of him wanted to be with her. The old, foolish Sora that wouldn’t let go of her. But another part of him didn’t want to be with her, the newer, wiser Sora that was better at not getting his heart broken.  

Why were feelings so complicated? Following his heart had never been an issue before, but now his heart was pulling him in about ten different directions, and he didn’t know what the right direction was. 

She nodded. “You’re right, we do work well together. It’s no wonder we got paired together for this mission.”

Sora still felt like cursing Master Yen Sid for coming up with this idea, but now that Kairi’s smile had returned, his anger and frustration was dissipating a little. Curse her smile for having that effect on him still. As much as he hated to admit it, that kiss had been anything but pretend for him. It didn’t matter what lies he told Kairi or himself. A small part of him still cared for her. 

No, that was a lie too. The part of his heart that still loved her was anything but small, and their kiss had made that blindingly obvious. Sora, local idiot and laughingstock of happily partnered people everywhere, was still desperately in love with Kairi, his ex-girlfriend of over a year who had willingly broken up with him. And knowing his luck, which was about the worst of anyone he’d ever met, she would figure it out soon too. 

No, that was another lie. As she looked into his eyes and smiled, he knew she already knew. 

Curse his eyes for being an open book. Curse his face for being so terrible at hiding his feelings. Curse his heart for still being in love with someone who was no longer in love with him. He could only hope she would keep things professional. For that, he would pretend for as long as he needed to. 

And maybe, just maybe, it would stop being pretend for her. Maybe it would become real, like the fake smile on his face that was quickly becoming genuine in response to her smile, like the hearts he’d willed back into existence when everyone else had given up hope they’d be saved. Maybe there was more truth to her smile and to the sparkle in her eyes than she was letting on. And if experience had taught him anything, it was that even lies revealed something of the truth. 

That was the best thing about make-believe. If they pretended long enough, maybe, just maybe, they might get their storybook ending and happily-ever-after in the end. It was no guarantee, and yet… maybe the legend of the paopu fruit wasn’t wrong, after all. 

Whether it was a lie or the truth, Sora would allow himself to believe in it again. And maybe with time, Kairi would too. 

[fortheloveoffanfic]

The One That Stays

Keanu Reeves x reader

Chapter1  Chapter2  Chapter3  Chapter4  Chapter5  Chapter6  Chapter7  Chapter8  Chapter9  Chapter10

Chapter 11- Caught

“Used to think that lovin’ meant a painful chase but you’re right here now and I think you’ll stay.” -Halsey Finally//Beautiful Stranger

"What do you think of this one?" Julie's question had Y/n raising her head, shifting her attention from the page of the magazine she was holding, to Julie's laptop screen; the tab opened to the preview of a hotel in Vegas. Taking the laptop, Y/n went through the pictures; the place had a simple, elegant design, all high ceilings with white pillow posts and pastel murals punctuated by marble floors and walls. The pool area replicated the decor of an old fashioned villa with palm trees and an artificial waterfall.

With raised eyebrows, Y/n nodded slightly, "Its nice," she hummed, "Are you gonna call them?"

Reclaiming the computer, Julie gave the place one final, decisive glance, “I think so. Obviously, I’m going to ask Eric what he thinks first though.”

“Okay,” Y/n nodded, going though a binder of wedding cakes, sticking colorful tags on the ones she knew Julie would like. Ever since Julie had told her a couple days prior that her ‘planned elopement’ would be in two weeks, she and Y/n had started planning that very evening. Thus far, they had chosen the music, the color scheme, some of the decorations and flowers and they had even compiled a small guest list. But there were still lots of bigger decisions to be made; dresses, a menu, venue, an officiant and a wedding cake, and that was just the tip of it. Three days in, Y/n was already stressed, and it wasn’t even her wedding.

They lapsed into another bout of silence, both occupied with their own tasks, until Julie spoke up, her tone cautious and a little unsteady, “Hey,” Y/n looked up, eyes questioning, “Can I ask you something?”

Scoffing a laugh, Y/n rolled her eyes, “Of course, you can ask me anything. What’s up?”

Sucking in a calming breath, Julie closed down the top of her laptop, proceeding to wring her hands together, “I was wondering.......would you give me away?”

Y/n breath caught in her throat, surprise etching her features, “Jules, are you sure?”

“Yeah,” she nodded with resolve, “You know my mom’s been gone for a while, I haven’t spoken to Victor,” her dad, “In years. Eric’s dad offered, but I want you to do it. You’re my family, and you’re the person I want at my side as I walk down that aisle. If you want to be there, of course.” 

“Jules,” Y/n reached across the short coffee table, taking her hands, squeezing affectionately, “I’d be honored to give you away.”

“Really?” Julie’s large doe eyes sparkled in question; she knew it had been a lot to ask, seeing as Y/n was already going out of her way to help make sure that the wedding was perfect and didn’t want her to feel pressured into doing it just because of how close they were, “Cause you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Scooting around the oak coffee table, Y/n moved to sit next to Julie, and shoulder to shoulder, they pressed the sides of their heads together, arms around each other’s back. Julie had been like a sister to Y/n since they were kids, they had been through everything together; from the bad to the really good; Julie was family and it made so much sense that they’d do that together. “I’m sure,” Y/n hugged her tightly.

“Thank you,” Julie returned quietly, hugging her back.

Y/n had left Julie’s apartment late that evening, when Keanu swung by to pick her up with the same bike he had on their first date. They were supposed to go see a movie and then grab dinner together, but one quick stop back to his place so they could drop off her overnight bad, had gotten them distracted and they ended up forgetting about their plans. 

Y/n had been staying over a lot lately and some of her things had quickly found a way amongst his; a spare toothbrush in the glass next to his, a sweater in his laundry, and her shampoo and conditioner next to his minty body wash in the shower. It was nice seeing her stuff intermingling with his, like it fit perfectly together, just like Y/n fit perfectly with him. 

Instead of going to dinner, Y/n and Keanu had ordered in, and after the food had arrived, they stood in the kitchen, shuffling around getting plates, utensils and pouring wine into sleek, stemless wine glasses. They moved around in comfortable silence for a while, though, eventually, Y/n started telling Keanu about wedding planning and he listened intently, smiling at how her face lit up. “Oh!” Y/n stopped suddenly, putting down a disposable box of fried rice, “Julie asked I’d give her away.”

Turning to lean on the kitchen island, Keanu stopped trying to open a bottle of red, “What’d you say?”

Y/n shrugged, grinning lightly, “I said yes. She’s my best friend, I can’t even imagine saying no,” sauntering over to Keanu, dressed only in the plain black shirt he had been wearing earlier, Y/n ran her hands up his arms, gently squeezing his biceps, “You’re coming with me right, to the wedding? I know it’s less than two weeks away and you probably have other things planned and-”

“Do you want me there?” Keanu’s arms went around Y/n’s waist, his palms settling on her lower back. Y/n was right, in the coming weeks, he did have things scheduled; a couple events and shoots for Arch, meetings with his agent and even a lunch with a director. He had really planned to tell Y/n about each one as it came up, but if she wanted him in Vegas, then that’s where he’d be, tomorrow or two weeks from them. 

Dragging her lower lip between her teeth, Y/n brushed a couple strands from her face, nodding vigorously, “Of course I want you there. And umm...” Y/n quietly cleared her throat, a little uneasy with telling him the rest. She wasn’t even sure if he was ready, and it had been so long since she’d done something like that, “My parents are gonna be there, I know it’s not the best way to meet them but.....”

“I’ll be there,” Keanu leaned down, pulling Y/n closer as their lips connected, “And I’d love to meet your parents,” he sucked in a nervous breath. The thought of meeting them was sort of nerve racking; it was obvious that they were moving quickly and he was no doubt more than twenty years her senior. But he loved her. That’s what should matter right? Besides, if he wanted any kind of future with Y/n, he’d have to meet them one day anyway. 

Breathing a sigh of relief when Keanu agreed, Y/n leaned in more, most of her weight now supported by him and her arms loosely circling his neck. “Thank you,” she mumbled, reaching on her toes to thank him again, that time with a soft kiss. 

“My pleasure,” Keanu obliged between the movements of their locked lips. His hands skimmed Y/n’s figure, the material of his shirt smooth and cool beneath his touch. Gently grabbing Y/n’s arms, Keanu unwound them from around his neck, lacing the fingers of his right hand with those of her tiny left one, “Come on,” he urged, pushing off from the counter as he secured his other hand on her waist.

Giggling and confused, Y/n let Keanu lead her to the center of the kitchen were the tiles were cold under her toes, “What are you doing?” Her voice shook with soft laughter, her un-held hand going to Keanu’s shoulder on instinct. 

“We’re dancing,” Keanu quipped, staring to lead them a leisured version of a slow foxtrot. Keanu’s hand slid from Y/n’s waist, pressing her to him when it went back to the lowest part of her back, “We need to practice for the wedding.”

Rearing her head back to get a good look at him, Y/n playfully rolled her eyes, “There’s no music playing,” she teased.

Chuckling, Keanu pressed into her back a bit, encouraging Y/n to relax into him, “Shh,” he urged and when she finally submitted, her body sunken into his, her ear to his steady, soothing, Keanu began humming under his breath. The sound was quiet and deep, the sound rumbling in his chest.

Y/n couldn’t recognize the song, but she didn’t really care. She didn’t even care that it was way out of time with their dance. Nothing mattered outside of that moment. It was perfection incarnate; dancing with the man she loved, barefoot and in a shirt that smelled like him. Her mind slowed and her eyes slipped closed, trusting Keanu completely with any direction. Y/n had never been much of a dancer, but with Keanu’s lead, she found it easy to glide around their little bubble of cozy warmth without even stepping on his toes. 

In that moment, in the minutes she had lost track of counting, in the soft breaths and his out of tune humming, Y/n felt herself willingly sink further and further into swell of fuzzy warmth that accompanied being enveloped in the safety of Keanu’s strong arms. As the feeling consumed her, the worry and stress of everything else melted away; the anxiety of a wedding that wasn’t even hers and the stress of knowing that there was the possibility that her parents wouldn’t like Keanu, slipping away

Keanu’s humming grew softer and softer as he looked down at Y/n cozied against him. He never imagined he’d get that again; the security of love. At fifty-five, Keanu often thought that his chance was gone, that he should just through in the towel or even settle for then next woman that would look his way for longer than a fling. But Y/n wasn’t a fling, and building a life with her didn’t feel like settling either. She was like a breath of fresh air after spending too long inside. Ever since he’d met her, Keanu though that he could see his future reshaping; maybe he’d give marriage a go, in past it was frightening, being with one person until the day you died, but after Y/n, he couldn’t imagine wanting or loving another. He wanted marriage with her, kids, and everything in between, if she’d have him for it. 

Keanu had it in good measure that Y/n would too. They’d survived their first big fight, and hopefully, learned from it too. She’d learnt that there was nothing to be scared of when it came to her feelings for him and that the best things in life didn’t have to make perfect sense to be right and Keanu had learnt that no matter what, he’d wait for Y/n and that his love for her would always out-weigh anything that threated to separate them; he’d do anything to make sure she never had to leave like that again.

“I love you,” Y/n whispered after a while, her eyes still closed, her words breathy and almost getting lost.

Bending to press a chaste kiss to the top of her hair, Keanu’s lips lingered there as he returned, “I love you too.”

The next morning, Y/n was putting the final touches on her make-up when Keanu was sauntering out of his walk-in closet, pulling a t-shirt on, his hair still wet. “Aren’t you gonna dry your hair?” Y/n frowned, eyeing him though the mirror at his dresser.

Keanu shrugged, running his fingers through his dripping, dark mane, “It’ll dry on it’s own,” he said, plopping onto the bed to put on his shoes. He was in the midst of getting ready himself, intent of dropping Y/n off at work and then heading to Arch where he’d start working on shifting things around to making himself available for the week of Julie’s wedding. 

Passing the brush through her hair one more time, Y/n discarded it on the varnished surface, grabbing her towel as she padded over Keanu. Standing with one of his thighs parting her legs, Y/n dropped the drying towel on his head. “What’re you doing?” He chortled, face hidden by the fluffy white material. 

“Drying your hair so you don’t get sick,” she explained with a huff. Y/n rubbed the towel gently all over his head, in between feeling the softness of his hair between his fingers, biting back a smile. She hadn’t realized how much she could enjoy doing something so menial for someone else. Y/n thought she could get used to taking care of Keanu like that, doing little things that he could definitely do for himself, for him, just so they could be close for a few minutes more.

Keanu smiled under Y/n’s ministrations, his cheeks warming; he had probably been a kid since he last had someone do something like that for him. When Y/n was finished, his hair was barely held any dampness, still a bit cold, but it was nothing that wouldn't be gone by the time they were ready to leave. “Done,” Y/n declared, tossing the towel to the bed.

His hands found her hips, pulling Y/n into his lap, “Thank you,” he pecked her red stained lips.

Cupping his face, Y/n deepened their kiss before saying, “It’s no big deal.” Grinning, Y/n tucked some of Keanu’s hair behind his ear, her thumb tracing a nearly invisible wrinkle under his eye as she did so, “We should get going.”

“We should,” Keanu agreed despondently, “Don’t want you to be late.”

“Yupp,” Y/n reluctantly stood from Keanu’s lap, going over to the full length mirror near the bedroom door, smoothing her outfit, a pair of black paper bag pants with a white, low-necked, sleeveless blouse tucked into them, with her hands.

“Ready?” Keanu stood from the bed, putting on his watch and shoving his wallet into his back pocket.

Hurriedly, Y/n plopped into an armchair near her waiting shoes; a pair of simple black heels, “Yeah,” she breathed, “Let me just put these on.” Glancing at the beside clock, Y/n groaned inwardly, hating that she now knew that she only had half hour to get to work before she was late. It was a hustle, and one or twice her fingers fumbled, but eventually, Y/n was ready, and four inches taller.

“Thank you,” she hummed musically when Keanu helped her into her black tailored blazer.

“No problem baby,” he quipped in return, kissing her cheek before leading Y/n down the stairs. Grabbing his keys from the bowl at the front table, Keanu was about to walk them through the side door that opened to the garage when he stopped, huffing before, turning on his heel, “I gotta go get the mail. I don’t want it to get soaked if it rains again.” It had been doing that a lot lately.

With his hand still around Y/n’s waist, they left through the front door instead. Slowly, they walked to the mailbox at the top of Keanu’s tiled front yard. When he unlocked the front, Keanu got the contents out, and with her back turned to the streets, she waited as he sifted through it. “Just bills,” he grumbled, and Y/n giggled when he playfully swatted the tip of her nose with the edge of the gathered envelops, “You’ve got the cutest little nose ever.”

“Why thank you,” Y/n retreated to his embrace once again, and Keanu used a button on his keys to open the garage doors. 

They were so lost in each other that neither Keanu or Y/n heard the approaching bus, slowing as it drove past his house. Startled into turning around when a voice over a microphone announced that it was in fact the “residence of Keanu Reeves.”

Sucking in a breath audibly, Y/n’s eyes widened when everyone on the tour started snapping pictures, the flashes from their camera dazzling her eyes more than the sunlight had when they first stepped outside. From the street, fans screamed his name while other turned to the person beside them, chatting quietly, probably wondering who she was.

Keanu’s arm stayed around Y/n’s waist, stiffening, more out of annoyance at their predicament than anything else when she turned to hide her face in side. He had become used to the occasional tour bus driving up his street once in a while, but Keanu knew that Y/n wasn’t and that he couldn’t even begin to imagine how she must be feeling. They hadn’t even discussed going public or the possibility of the nearly constant occurrence of a camera being shoved in their faces since the Saturday of their fight. And even that wasn’t a discussion.

Feeling her heavy, uneven breathing against him, Keanu did his best to guard her identity with a protective hand over Y/n’s face as he tried to steer them into the garage. Fans on the bus still called his name, some even bold enough to try to get Y/n’s attention, “Come on,” he urged, closing the doors when they were safely inside.

Y/n stayed in his arms, her hands circling his middle, her face pressed into his t-shirt. Kissing the top of her head, he shushed her, trying desperately to comfort her, “I had no idea that they were going to drive by today,” he said, his hug tightening, as if he were still trying to protect her from the harsh reality of his life, “I’m so sorry,” he breathed, knowing that now, more than ever, they’d have a lot to talk about. 

********

Tagging- @baphometwolf666   @harrisongslimited​  @a-really-bi-girl​  @soarocks​  @kindainlovewithkeanu​

[littlethingwithfeathers]

Quarantine Cuisine: Soup Making 101

So here’s another installment that’s more technique than recipe (though don’t worry... there is a recipe at the end). Forgive me for going a little long with this one, but I feel like not enough people know how to look at their pantry contents and summon soup. So... here we go. Soup-making 101.

Here are the basic building blocks of soup:

Protein:

If you’re wanting soup that is an actual meal, you’ll need protein, and since it’s sort of the central component of your soup, it informs every decision trickling down. Cook time, flavor palate, additional ingredients. On and on and on... And the list of soup-worthy proteins is endless. In fact, it’s probably best to list what -doesn’t- make good soup. And generally, what doesn’t make good soup is anything that is best cooked on high heat for a short amount of time. So... lean steak, delicate fish... things of that sort. Here are your best choices in most categories...

Meat: anything tough like roasts, shoulders, shanks. And sausage... links or ground. And anything cured like bacon or ham. (watch your salt with those though). You basically want things that aren’t going to just boil away... things with some fat and connective tissue.

Chicken: Thighs. 100%. You can do breasts but it’s a pain because they dry out with long cooking. And they’re more expensive. Just do chicken thighs.

Seafood: shrimp or clams... tougher fish like swordfish. But unlike the proteins above, you don’t want to add them in until the very end.

Veg: any sort of bean or mushroom. Lentils... all that good stuff.

If you’re new to soup making, I recommend starting with something forgiving. Chicken thighs, bacon, ground beef or sausage, mushrooms, or chick peas... These things stand up to being souped and are pretty hard to overcook. That said, your meat choice will arbitrate your cooking time. Meat with lots of connective tissue needs a longer cooking time, whereas chicken thighs will only take about 20-30 minutes to cook through. Keep that in mind moving forward.

Broth:

Your broth choice depends largely on your previous decision... but you can sort of think of it like wine. Red wine is like darker heavier broths like beef... save it for the red meat. Chicken broth is like a dry sturdy white wine... good for chicken obvs but also veggies. Fish broth is really only good if you’re making a fish dish. And veggie broth... I really only ever use it for keeping a dish vegetarian... it’s good but the flavor isn’t super strong. My go-to is chicken broth for most everything except heavy beef stew. And even then it would work in a pinch.

There are other liquids to consider as well. Wine... vinegars... acids... juice... coconut milk... but we don’t want to really settle those until we decide the following.

Fat: All soups need a little fat. It can come from your protein if you’re using meat... or you can go with oil or butter. Keep it fairly neutral.

Aromatics and spices: Herbs, spices, and things like onion, lemongrass, garlic, or ginger. This is where you decide your flavor palate. And don’t worry... it’s not complicated. I tend to choose my flavors based on geographical location. Here... watch.

French soup: onion/shallot, celery, carrots, tarragon, parsley, lemon, thyme, rosemary.

Italian soup: onion, celery, carrots, a shitload of garlic, oregano, basil (fresh or dried).

Thai: onion, ginger, garlic, chili paste, lemongrass, Thai basil

Indian: red onion, garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powders, turmeric

Central American: lime, garlic, cilantro, onion, cumin

Or if you really want an advanced course in flavor matching, check out this book:

The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

You can search by ingredient and see what goes with it. Magic! It’s probably the most well used cook book on my shelf and it’s not even a cook book!

Veg: Again... go with things that are forgiving when it comes to cooking time: Mushrooms, carrots, celery, bell peppers, sturdy beans, frozen corn. But that being said, you can add things in stages. Simmer your meat and onions and carrots for awhile... add more sensitive things like potatoes in a little later. Then when everything is almost done, toss in your spinach or fresh peas and such like that to just cook through at the end. Carbohydrate: Honestly... pick your poison. Potatoes, rice, barley, pasta... go nuts. Just pay attention to the cooking time and be careful not to overcook.

***

So, with those base ingredient categories in mind, we’re just going to think like we did with the scrappy pasta from last week. You want certain flavor roles filled: Salty, sweet, fat, acid, umami.

Salty: salt. Just... straight up. You don’t always have to have something filling in... but other things to think about that might help in that department are sausage, bacon, soy sauce, grated cheese. And bear in mind... if you’re using a lot of starch like with beans, pasta, or potatoes, keep tasting as you work along to make sure you use enough salt.

Sweet: Okay we’re not talking sugar... but think about things that have a sweet component to them. Carrots, sweet peas, sweet corn... it isn’t a must have but it helps keep a dish from falling too flat.

Fat: This can come from the meat you’re using or be added by you. Keep the smoke point high so things like plain olive oil (not Extra Virgin), bacon fat, or a little butter are best. Save your fancy stuff for something else. This is more utility than anything.

Acid: This will also help keep your soup from just being all one note. Tomatoes make a great acid. As does a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice right at the end of cooking.

Umami: Ah that witchy little concept... the X factor of every dish. It’s hard to explain exactly what umami is. It’s a complexity that usually comes from a combination of flavors... think about chocolate and pretzels, and the way those two ingredients bring out flavors that don’t exist when those two things are eaten on their own. Have a look at this list and you’ll know what you’re looking for... bacon, toasted sesame oil, olives, parmesan cheese, miso paste, balsamic vinegar. For savory dishes, it’s usually something aged, brined, or smoked. You get the picture.

Alright... all that out of the way. I’m going to make an example soup from just crap in my pantry. I’ll give substitutions as we go along as well. Another thing you can do is google soup recipes and use this guide to make substitutions. It’s like you’re one of those neural net learning computers! Only with better context clues.

***

Pantry soup:

6 pieces of bacon, cut into one inch pieces (could also be literally any kind of fatty meat... sausage, ground critter. I wanted this to be a mostly veggie soup, so I’m going with this one)

one onion, chopped (could also be some shallots)

four carrots, cubed (could also use some celery here if you have it. I don’t.)

3-4 cloves of garlic

Some white wine... 1/2 cup-ish (for my acid and for liquid... you could totally just use more broth, but a note about cooking with alcohol... there are flavors that are soluble in alcohol but not in water. Use both broth and wine... you get the best of both worlds.)

Chicken broth (enough to liberally cover all the ingredients... this took about 48oz)

one Parmesan rind (or a little Parmesan cheese)

1 14oz can diced tomatoes, juice and all. (Pro tip... rinse the can out with about half a cup of water and dump that into the pot too so you get all the flavor.)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp Italian herbs

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

1 14oz can chick peas drained

one cup frozen green beans

3-4 potatoes cut small

spritz of lemon juice.

Things I don’t have but really wish I could add to this: Mushrooms, celery, bell peppers, and fresh spinach. Other possible adds could be frozen corn, frozen peas, sweet potatoes, kale, fresh grape tomatoes (halved), other beans like kidney, cannellini, or great northerns. In a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, cook bacon until it starts to get some color and most of the fat is rendered. Scoop the bacon out with a slotted spoon. Add onion and carrots and saute until softened. Add garlic and cook for a minute more.

Add white wine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and allow to cook down by half. Add the broth, bacon, tomatoes, Parmesan rind, and spices. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Taste for salt here. I’d go easy up to now, what with the bacon and the parm. But with the potatoes and the chickpeas coming into the mix, you’re going to want to make sure the broth is well seasoned. Scoop out the Parmesan rind. Add the chick peas, green beans, and potatoes and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are fork tender (it was closer to 40 minutes for me). Taste again for salt.

Spritz with lemon juice and serve.