#For when I'm drawing a blank on Confessing It and the other thing with the lamb outfit I recently started

[tswwwit]

CYOA Game: Part Five!

"You're an idiot," You say, voice flat.

"I'm not hearing a no." Bill's voice has turned, if possible, even more smug. "You got something up your sleeve, don'tcha?"

Technically, yes, but also no. You didn't have anything nefariously flirty in mind; your only 'plan' for the day was neutral at best. The only *current* plan is not letting Bill know you didn't pull one off.

Bill, for his part, takes the silence as confirmation. "Jeez, sapling, you usually got a better retort than 'nothing'. You must have something big going to get your brain all busy." A tut, sounding amused. "Come up with a better coverup next time."

You glance down at the failed spell, and grimace.

Lying to Bill is pointless; even after he's had a few, he'll zero in on it in no time flat. Part of you would like the hand in figuring out what went wrong. Another, bigger part doesn't feel like hearing mockery on top of your failure....

So you change the subject instead.

"How's the party going?"

"Eh, I've been to better. The host is a drag, it's a cash bar, and half the crowd's playing friggin' 'spin the human'. I got zilch to do here." Bill sounds grumpy; he must not be having the best time - and consequently, has spent the majority of it at the bar. Paid or not.

You make a soft agreeing sound. Yep, doesn't sound great. Bill huffs, going on about the rest of the party's inadequacy, talking over you in slightly slurred current of complaints -

But an idea must strike him, because his next sentence is oddly perky - "Hey! Why don't you come join me instead? Not like you got anything going on, allegedly!"

[3minsover]

back on my steddie bullshit fr

Thinking about hope(ful)less romantic Steve driving to Eddie's trailer in the pouring rain to finally confess his love after months of dancing around each other and almost-confessions that crumble on the tips of their tongues before they can become anything real.

Steve finds himself pacing around the ground floor of a house that's too big and too quiet, thinking about a guy who should never, ever have taken up as much of his brain as he currently does. It's a Friday night, and Eddie's most likely out at a gig, or at a bar, or doing nerd shit. He's most likely doing anything but thinking about Steve. And yet here Steve is, entirely preoccupied with the reckless marvel that is Eddie Munson.

Fuck it.

It's been four months since Vecna, and everyone seems to be okay again. It's been long enough that it wouldn't be weird for Steve to make a move, right?

Before Steve can really consider what it is he's about to do, he has his keys in hand and he's heading out towards his car. He doesn't even realize it was raining until he steps out onto the porch, tugging the door shut behind him. And there's not much thought that goes into any of it, really. It's instinctive, the way Steve knows the route to Eddie's place by now. Regardless of the thrashing of his heart, there's an easy kind of familiarity in the sodden streets and jutting roads. Steve's windshield wipers are working double time, fending off the sheets of rain that pile down amidst the humidity of late July; it'd been a cloudless day until the sun set. But like the heaviness of Steve's heart, the clouds had begun to weigh themselves down with water, waiting for the moment where the heft of it all became too much.

Steve hadn't quite beaten those clouds to the punch.

He arrives at Eddie's with really no recollection of how he'd gotten there, only that he needed to see him and nothing was going to get in his way. Eddie's already sitting out on the porch when he pulls up. The dusty ground is darker, saturated with fat, relentless raindrops. Eddie sits on the steps of his trailer, only just covered by the awning. The toes of his sneakers shine with wetness.

"Why are you out here?" Steve asks, clambering out of his car. It's all he can think to say. It's not the words he wants to purge, not the things that have been itching in his throat every time they've been alone together for the last however-many weeks. But it's what comes out.

"Wanted to hear the rain," Eddie responds, a cigarette pinched between his thumb and pointer finger. It's a simple enough response. Shouldn't warrant a reaction. Only, Steve's standing a few yards away, dampening by the moment, and he needs to just get it out.

"I need to- I gotta talk to you," Steve stutters, drifting closer. Eddie's eyes narrow.

"About what?" he asks, clearly skeptical.

"About you. Or, me. Us. I- shit, I used to be good at this." Steve raises a hand to swipe over his mouth: it comes away wet. He's fucking soaked, standing defenceless against the onslaught from above. Eddie flicks the cigarette and the butt lands at the base of the steps. He hinges upright, dropping down a step until the raindrops begin to splatter onto his curls, landing like spits of silver against the glow of the street lamps overhead.

"Good at what?" Eddie calls through the low rumble of the rain.

"Good at- I dunno, confessions? I told Nancy how I felt about her no problem. Robin was a little tougher, but I still got through that, but with you," Steve gushes, entirely unsure as to where he's going with this, "I just can't seem to find the words."

For an impossible amount of time, Eddie stares. His pretty features seem to go through about a half dozen emotions before he settles on something that Steve's soul recognizes as pity. He prepares himself for inevitable rejection.

"You're telling me you can't find the words?" Eddie asks, incredulous, "Dude, i'm a songwriter, a fucking wordsmith, and I've been drawing a blank on you for months!"

Steve squints, a little at a loss.

"What?" he asks, feels stupid for not getting it straight away.

"Steve, I should be able to write songs about the guy I love, right?"

"Well- Yeah- I- Wait, what?" Steve starts before Eddie's words catch up. The rain's growing heavier, beginning to sting his cheeks a little, but he's fixed to the spot, not daring to move any closer. It's Eddie that draws nearer, dropping down the final steps until they're on even footing.

"If you hadn't- If you didn't come over here tonight, I was gonna- I was gonna come to you. I had this whole fuckin' speech planned out - I'm pretty sure it was stupid, honestly, but I wrote it anyway, because I have all these goddamn feelings about you, Steve. And I couldn't find a way to make them sound like anything other than what they are." Eddie's waves are flattening by the second, darkening under the weight of the water falling from above. Steve's heart pounds against his ribs, threatens to break free altogether.

"But I- I came here to- You're- Eddie?"

"Fuck sake, Steve. I'm-"

"Wait." Steve interrupts him, his brain catching up all at once, overfilling and spilling over. "Wait, just let me- Can I say what I was gonna say?"

Eddie folds his arms around himself, chilled by the rain despite the thick warmth of summer around them.

"Sure. Shoot."

Steve heaves in a breath.

"Okay. Eddie. I've been thinking, and you and me, we're good, right? Like, for each other." A droplet of rain catches between Steve's lashes, forcing him to blink it away. Eddie's slim figure remains in front of him, proving that this is real, this isn't some hallucination, some daydream borne of an idle brain. "I think you and me could be something good. Great, even. And I- I- I think I- I know you maybe said it already, and I shouldn't even be-" Eddie strides forward, closing the space between them in a breathless moment. Steve's breath catches in his throat. Eddie's dark eyes dart frantically between Steve's own, so round and wide and beautiful. Steve's so in love with him. "Eddie, I'm- I think I've... fallen in love with you." Steve skates his palms over Eddie's biceps, up and over his shoulders, until he's cradling the sides of Eddie's neck. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm in love with you."

Where they're so closely matched in height, Steve's eyes are crossing just to keep his gaze focused on Eddie, who's looking more like the proverbial deer in headlights right now.

"Shit, Harrington," Eddie breathes, and Steve feels it warm against his rain-chilled lips, "took you long enough."

It's a kiss that follows, soft and hesitant, like Steve would do anything but lean into it, like he's anything but head over heels, absolutely and embarrassingly in love. it's a kiss, and it's wet and a little too cold, a little too out in the open, but Steve wouldn't change it for anything.

[darkcircles4lyfe]

I've given it some thought--

Now, if you've read any of my posts and you've read 430, you know there are a lot of ways it falls short of what I wanted. On the other hand, I can respect an open ending, one where we are allowed and encouraged to dream. All things considered, I'm not satisfied or disappointed, but a secret third thing... bear with me.

For a lot of storylines, I can fill in the blanks how I want.

I'm heartbroken over Himiko's fate, but there's no denying that the lack of camera footage leaves open the possibility of her simply disappearing. Perhaps she is waiting in hiding for the world to change, just like Lady Nagant.

Dr. Yoshida is described as someone who can cure the incurable. That may be referring to Katsuki, but the doctor himself said it's a complete mystery how he survived, all Katsuki's own doing. Maybe he cured someone else in those 8 years... someone like Touya?

Honestly I got nothing on Tenko but who knows. Who knows! Something something OFA connection. Izuku having vestige visions. Idk.

As for the manner in which society is changing, I'm drawn to Shouji's speech: "I'm dedicating the honor to those who joined the uprising eight years ago. All I've done is stand atop the resolve that they demonstrated to the world, nothing more." That at least tells me his earlier judgment of the other heteromorphs "setting them back" was a narrow point of view Shouji was supposed to grow out of, rather than a way of Horikoshi trying to criticize revolutionaries. In general, just because a character says something doesn't mean we're supposed to take it as gospel. That's lit crit 101, people.

Then there's Izuku. Once again I am feeling this pretty close to home. I keep coming back to the fact that the class is 24/25 now and I'm 25, man. On top of that, anyone else who was 14/15 ten years ago when the manga started gets to feel like we've all grown up together. I wanted catharsis for Izuku's trauma so badly. I wanted words. But I can't deny that the way Izuku is shown attempting to make the best of things and be content with a humbler life resonates with me, as painful as it is, as much as I know deep down he's kidding himself. It doesn't surprise me that he kept his walls up all this time and continued to shun his "selfishness."

I almost feel like there's an all-encompassing narrative theme being expressed here, in the fact that Izuku was trying to push past his pain and focus on the next generation, but surprise, his story's not over yet. I think the implied message there is that more can be done in the here and now, and maybe other stories that seem to be over, aren't.

With these things in mind, I can take the ending in stride, even if this is all the more we get from Horikoshi. However. There's one thing that is jolting me out of my peace every time I start to get comfortable here. It's actually related to the storyline that got the most closure.

I've seen a lot of fellow bkdk enjoyers calling their conclusion the best part of the ending, and I agree with that. They got a truly full circle moment, and a way of communicating to the reader that they're together, they have their forever, in a way that is personal to them. It's not "canon" in the way a kiss or a confession is, but I've said it before--this makes sense for them. And Horikoshi also did something legitimately interesting and groundbreaking by not making Ochako confess, not showing her future being tied to the main character as a love interest.

No, the thing that's bugging me is a seemingly small detail: why does Izuku and Katsuki holding hands at the end, of all things, have to be implied? Lots of things about 430 make sense in the context of the interview Horikoshi recently gave where he expressed being content with what he has drawn, and what he has left to the imagination. But not this. You can't convince me he didn't want to draw this. It's a motherfucking story about hands. This is the one thing I was 110% certain would happen. It's been teased for forever. Katsuki clearly wanted it so bad. So many other characters got to hold Izuku's hand in-frame. What the hell. Why.

Idk. I will be thinking about it for the foreseeable future.

[archangeldyke-all]

No bc I keep thinking of modern Sev trying to get into the dating game because she wants to settle down and she gets on a dating app because Jinx had mentioned in a conversation with Silco and she ends up matching with reader,,, ahh it’s stuck in my brain

i changed this just a bit to make jinx even more of a shithead hehehe i hope u love it

men and minors dni

"aunt sevy." sevika rolls her eyes at the nickname she hates, and looks up from her book at jinx.

the girl's ten years old now, old enough to know just the right buttons to push to annoy sevika. and sevika's stuck on babysitting duty, because she's an idiot and agreed to be the shithead's godmother when jinx was still a harmless, quiet baby.

"what?" she grunts.

"why don't you have a wife?" jinx asks.

sevika groans. "did your dad put you up to this?" she asks. silco's been bothering her about the same thing lately.

"no." she says. "'m jus' wonderin'. when we have birthday parties and stuff, all the adults bring their boyfriends and girlfriends and wives. but you never do. why not?" jinx asks.

sevika tries her best not to kick jinx's shin. she manages, but not without flicking the kid's forehead.

the truth is that sevika's been asking herself the same thing lately. but she's realized that after so many years of emotionless hook-ups, she's got no idea how a relationship would even fucking work, and she's decided it's easier for everyone if she just... doesn't try.

"mind your own buisness." sevika grunts eventually. jinx studies her with those frighteningly inquisitive eyes of hers, before she smirks, turns on her heel, and runs to her room.

sevika's too relieved by jinx's disappearance that she doesn't even consider that the girl could be up to something.

three days later, sevika gets a call from silco at five in the morning.

"do you know what fucking time it is?" she groans into the receiver as she rubs her sleepy eyes.

"i'm sorry."

"what's so fuckin' important that you couldn't wait to tell me at work?" sevika asks.

silco's responding sigh is long enough for sevika's stomach to sink. "you should dress nice today. a suit, maybe, or at least nice slacks and a button up."

"why? do we have a meeting?"

"no." silco says. sevika waits for him to elaborate, but he doesn't. she huffs.

"silco what the fuck is going on?" she asks.

"you have a date tonight."

it's silent for a few moments. sevika tries to remember if she'd drunkinly given out her number to someone, or if silco asked her to butter up a client. she draws a blank. "...i do?" she asks.

silco sighs again. "jinx got the idea in her head that you need a wife, so she made you a dating profile."

"what?!"

"she's been cat fishing some poor person as you, and she's scheduled a date for the two of you tonight at seven."

"she what!?" sevika screams. her neighbor pounds on the wall that they share. sevika pounds right back. "silco, there is no way in hell i'm going on a date jinx set up for me."

"yes, i figured you'd say that." silco sighs. sevika's phone buzzes. "check your messages."

sevika pulls her phone away from her face and checks the new text sent from silco.

she gulps when your picture pops onto her screen.

you're... everything. if sevika was asked to describe her type, she'd have described you to a tee.

silco starts talking on the other line, and sevika blinks down at your picture one last time before pulling it back up to her face.

"fine." sevika grunts. she can hear silco's smile, and she huffs. "shut the fuck up. which suit should i wear?"

silco cackles on the other line.

sevika almost passes out when she meets you in person. you're stunning, and she's nervous, and she knows absolutely nothing about you even though it seems like jinx has told you everything about her.

it's only when you've ordered your dinner and are chatting over bread that sevika finally confesses.

"i have to tell you something." she mutters.

you pause mid-chew, your lame story about a fat squirrel you'd seen earlier today entirely forgotten at the sight of your gorgeous date's grimace. "don't tell me you're straight." you groan.

sevika cackles, and you relax a bit into your seat, smiling as you watch her catch her breath. "no!" she laughs. "god, no." she wipes her eyes. "i am very gay. and i find you..." she trails off, her eyes darting down to your lips for just a flash, before she blinks and shakes her head. "very attractive." she says.

you gulp, ignoring your sudden arousal. "so... what's the problem?" you ask.

sevika sighs and looks down at her hands. "you've been catfished."

you frown. "uh..." you study the woman in front of you. "you are sevika right? i mean... you look just like your pictures..."

sevika chuckles and shakes her head. "yes, that's me in those pictures. but you haven't been talking to me all week."

"so..." you're beyond confused. "who have i been talking to?" you ask.

sevika cringes. "my fucking shithead niece." she says.

relief floods your body. this isn't a scam or a fucked up prank-- it's a real date with a beautiful woman who's looking at you like she's expecting you to throw your glass of wine in her face.

instead, you burst into laughter. "you sound awfully fond of her."

sevika's stiff posture relaxes, and she huffs her own laugh. "she was cute before she could talk." she says, shrugging. you laugh even harder, reaching across the table to take sevika's hand and squeeze it as you try to compose yourself. "but now she's old enough to ask me why i'm still single and work a smartphone..."

"well, that explains why you had so many typos in your texts."

"oh, god." sevika groans.

"you misspelled 'restaurant' like five times."

"it's a hard word." she chuckles.

you pull the gorgeous woman's hand up to kiss her knuckles, and watch in fascination as all her worry and embarrassment melts away. "so." you say.

"so." sevika repeats.

"if you'd like to leave i understand, i won't be offended. i'm not sure i'd be into the dates my little cousins would pick out for me."

"no!" sevika shouts. she cringes as half the restaurant turns to look at her. you giggle. "no, that's not-- i really want to be here. i just-- i just wanted you to know that you weren't talking to me... you were talking to a ten year old."

it's quiet for a minute as you try to wrap your mind around the situation. so you'll have to re-introduce yourself to the woman in front of you-- that's fine. you're looking forward to getting to know her, and it seems like she wants to get to know you too.

you take a sip of your wine, then giggle when a thought occurs to you. "god, i'm so fucking glad i didn't try sexting with you." you say.

sevika bursts into surprised laughter, and she has to pinch herself to keep from launching over the table and kissing you.

(jinx never lets sevika live down the fact that she married the first person she picked out for her aunt.)

(jinx also officiates your wedding.)

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@shimtarofstupidity @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@ellsss @sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @realgreeniebeanie @k3n-dyll

@sevsdollette @ellieslob

[stariikis]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 | 𝐧𝐫𝐤 ˖ ࣪⭑

synopsis ; like the moon needs the stars, riki's whole life would crumble without you. his inspiration, greatest motivation, and his muse.

pairing ; artist!nishimura riki x muse!reader genre ; fluff, established rs, realllly really short drabble of thoughts

this love's possessing me, but i don't mind at all

There are a million ways to say, 'I love you.'

Aren't there?

One chasing after their certain eye-candy may purchase a whole bouquet of that person's favourite flowers. Another would pour their heart and soul onto a piece of paper, a subtle love confession decorated with stickers and fanciful designs. Another might try their hardest to impress them with whatever their forte is.

Riki, however, takes all these and mashes them into one gorgeous painting on an easel.

He emerges from his 'workplace', one of the study rooms in your shared apartment. A blank canvas, about the size of his hand, accompanies him out. Not to mention the various brushes, the bristles sticking out all over the place revealing how loved they are. The paints, watercolour in a small box, acrylic aligned in their designated tubes, and oils of any colour possible.

Lips puckered in a pouting motion, he scans you as if wondering what light he wants to paint you in today. Where he wants to set up his painting station for the next few hours.

The reasons for his choice of background go from the smallest of things to the most obvious. It could simply be the style of your choice of clothes, but once it had been because of the way you reacted when he woke you up in the morning.

He used a fiery red base colour for that artwork. Perfectly encapsulating the constant frown you wore the rest of the day. His words, not yours. They could only ever be his words.

When he finally dismissed you from 'work', he paid you for your efforts with a kiss.

Your sour expression morphed instantly. In the blink of an eye, it was almost as if you had never woken up on the wrong side of the bed.

it's taking over me, don't wanna fight the fall

Today he quietly brings you to the edge of a field, just as sundown occurs. He looks up at the sky, cotton candy clouds bleeding into a warm hue of orange. Nothing leaves his mouth. An absolute silence has overcome him.

And knowing that there's no need for you to break it, there's no need to coax him out of this state for the better, comforts you deep down to the core.

It's like you know exactly how to go about routine, as you settle yourself in the wispy, tall grass and wait for him to set up his materials. However, after propping up his easel, he doesn't unpack his paints and brushes like he usually does. He doesn't unroll his scuffed-with-paint marks apron.

He merely gazes at you, soft and mesmerised.

As an artist, he should have neutral feelings towards his muse. He should be evoking surrounding emotions and feelings. He should be drawing them from deep within himself, and expressing them on the canvas before him.

A muse is only meant to be an inspiration. At times, it's the subject of the art piece. However, it's never the sole purpose.

But the way Riki looks at you proves all that wrong. The way his calloused hands held yours on the way to this destination. The way he scoots closer to you just as you drift off into sleep, and whispers all the newest paintings he's made. He confesses all the sketches he makes are of you. He can't get you out of his mind, he murmurs in a shaky tone, he can't rid himself of your influence on his artistry.

But he's so in love.

Why would he ever want to?

it's like supernatural ₊ ⊹.𖥔 ݁ ˖

thank you for reading! i'm so sorry to anyone expecting me to write any other members. i'm just too addicted to writing for riki... i promise they will have their own fics soon. pls scold me if i don't churn them out... TT

[peachsayshi]

Hi love! 🧡 Could i ask for some Choso with the prompt "finally kissing, after a long time of pining" pretty please? I struggled between a few choices but I'm always a sucker for some mutual pining

₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ minors / ageless blogs / blank blogs dni

⥽ notes: tension; yearning/needy choso; virgin!choso; established friendship; suggestive

the bed feels smaller with choso settling in, his well built frame easily taking up most of the space. you nervously snuggle underneath the cover, mindlessly smoothing out the sheet in front of you and keeping your eyes fixed on the ceiling to avoid gazing at your crush.

half-human, half curse; but wholeheartedly the most beautiful soul you've ever laid your eyes on.

it's the third night, your last one together, and with the mission coming to an end you'll be back home before you know it. however, it still doesn’t erase the tension that’s been simmering over the past forty eight hours, and when you accidentally brush your bare shoulder against choso’s, you feel it all spark once again.

"sorry," he states apologetically and making the heat rise up your neck, "I can sleep on the couch if it's better for you..."

"don't be ridiculous," you scold playfully despite your voice wavering, "I can barely fit on that thing, much less force you to sleep on it."

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

his gentle tone grabs your attention and forces you to turn to him. his face is partially illuminated by warm light, a noticeable blush highlighting his cheeks which is framed by his black hair that falls freely down his neck.

your eyes dip to his exposed shoulders and upper chest, lingering on the prominent muscles. "I'm fine, I promise," you reply a little breathless and squeeze your thighs together.

he’s suggesting the alternative now,because the first night was spent with the two of you in this very same position, only choso was asking a lot of questions…

questions regarding human intimacies; about their needs, their lust, their hunger...

you can't help but be empathetic about his curiosity. after all, his mind is governed by two completely polarizing forces.

the conversation was innocent at first, but he made a bold declaration that sent shivers all over your body.

"I feel an ache whenever I'm around you," he confessed, "I can't explain it,"

"It's natural," you attempted to explain, keeping a neutral tone while brushing aside the way your cheeks stung. "sometimes I feel it too..."

"why does it happen?"

you can only shrug your shoulders, unable to fully define the laws of attraction to the man you longed for the most. he left you speechless with his admittance of yearning for you, and last night was stifling to the point where the both of you were completely on edge with each other.

the memory of that conversation now plagues your mind, and you can see it reflecting clearly within choso's dark eyes.

he's thinking about it too, recalling all the tidbits of information that you shared with him and carefully piecing it together.

“you seem a bit squished,” he states with concern, pinching his brows adorably as he shifts to lay on his side. the warmth of his palm finds your waist, and he carefully pulls you closer into him so you're rested more comfortably. “don’t want you falling off the bed…”

face to face, you both stare longingly at one another for minutes, like you're trying to pluck at the seams to find evidence of where this gnawing pain even begins.

teetering on the precipice of a very long drop, you lick your lips absentmindedly when you realize that choso's palm is still on your waist, his thumb now drawing tiny circles.

"this is better, right?"

he's so close that you can feel the vibration of his deep voice run right through you. "yeah," you sigh, inching even further into his touch, and boldly taking the leap as you arch your pelvis against his. "yeah, much better..."

your name sounds heavenly from his lips as he exhales from the contact, and you stifle another moan feeling his prominent bulge rub up against you.

"is this desire?" he murmurs into your lips, "is this why I ache?"

"cho-choso..." you stutter, but grow still when you feel him gently press his lips onto yours.

silence veils your loud thoughts. his kiss is so tender, so pure, motivated out of sheer instinct and nothing else. it's such a gentle act, one that brushes over your lips far too quickly that you find yourself tilting your chin up in search for him when he pulls away.

"it's only you," he groans with a twinge of frustration. "I only feel this way about you,"

he leans in again, this time allowing the kiss to linger, and you eagerly let him explore your lips, tasting his saccharine inexperience with every peck.

"this is how we satisfy those feelings, right? isn't that what you said?" he presses, begging for answers as his hand slips underneath your top to brush strokes along your lower back.

a tightness coils inside your lower belly, and you're only able to manage a hazy, "mhmm" in response.

"show me," he pleads, collapsing the weight of his body onto yours as he repositions himself over you, "please, show me,"

he looks unreal above you - a physical embodiment of divinity and sin. the breathtaking image of his angelic expression is constrasted harshly against that wild, lustful gaze, making it impossible for you to even deny his request.

half human, half curse; but as you nod your head and guide his lips back onto yours, you knew that moving forward all of him would forever belong to you.

⥽ requests?

[astra-ella]

𝐙𝐎𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

fandom: haikyuu ship: nishinoya yuu x oc/reader status: complete ao3 link

"I think you're really pretty. Will you go out with me?" That was the first thing he's ever said to her. And needless to say, Amari Chiyo was not impressed. So as promised, Nishinoya Yuu will get to know her better and confess again. And again. And again. And again. It'll take 6 years and 9 confessions, but he'll get there. Eventually.

⌦ content: fluff, light angst, love at first sight, friends to lover, slice of life

⌦ note: you are free to insert yourself into Chiyo, just keep in mind she has her own character/backstory. i know some people don't like that, so just a heads-up.

story masterlist | this is the first chapter! | next chapter

The first time he confessed was the day they first met — on the first day of middle school, when they were just twelve years old.

After a long day of orientation classes, meeting new teachers and classmates, and just a long day of sitting still in general, Nishinoya Yuu was exhausted. And just as he leaned down to rest his head on​​ the desk, he saw her stand up from the corner of his eye.

Growing up, his grandfather brought home a different lady every other week. They were pretty, sure. But he never thought much of it.

For the first time, he was enamored.

At the time, she was about the same height as him, with long, neatly styled brown hair and dark blue eyes. How could he not have noticed her earlier? He tried to remember her name, fishing through the introductions their homeroom teacher made them do only to draw a blank. Thinking back on it, he sorta nodded off to sleep after doing his own — a result of not getting much sleep the night before due to the sheer excitement of starting at a new school.

As he sat there pondering, the girl put the last of her textbooks into her school bag and headed out. Suddenly, Nishinoya was struck with the realization that if he let her leave now, he'd lose the chance to make a stellar first day introduction.

"Be bold," his grandpa always said.

With those words pushing him on, Nishinoya hastily shoved his textbooks and school supplies into his bag and ran after her.

"Hey!" He caught up to her just a few feet outside the school gates, right under the blooming cherry blossom trees. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. This was perfect.

She glanced back upon hearing the call.

They made eye contact and she watched him in a mixture of curiosity and confusion. His scruffy black hair was styled upwards, with a small tuff falling forward that was bleached dirty blond. And judging from how dry it looked, it had been that way for a good while. He had a bit of a goofy grin, one that she couldn't quite make out the reason for, but she found kinda adorable.

She recognized him. He was the one who's self introduction was the most loud and energetic of all their classmates. Though what Mister Confidence wanted to do with her, she didn't know.

"Nishinoya-kun, right? Is something wrong?"

She remembered his name. He could feel his cheeks sore from how wide his smile was growing.

"I think you're really pretty," he said, eyes twinkling. "Will you go out with me?"

A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling the nearby cherry blossom trees and whisking up a rain of pink. Nishinoya took a deep breath. He said it, just like how he saw on TV. And amongst the falling petals, he saw her lips part slightly.

"No."

With that simple answer, she turned on her heel and began hurrying away, leaving Nishinoya a little shell-shocked.

This was definitely not how it went on TV.

Once he got over the initial shock, he quickly shook it off and gave chase. He soon caught up and gently grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Wait, why?" He asked earnestly. "I'm being serious — you're really pretty!"

"That's not the problem here," her face was tinted slightly pink. Perhaps from the cherry blossoms, perhaps from embarrassment. "We just met today. I barely know you."

"And?" Nishinoya looked genuinely confused.

"You could be a weirdo for all I know!"

He certainly was acting like one.

"Well, you can trust me." He pointed to himself with an air of absolute confidence. "I'm definitely not a weirdo."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that makes it so much better."

"I don't get it," Nishinoya cocked his head to the side. "Isn't the point of going out to get to know each other?" At least, that's what the dating reality shows said. "Why does it matter if we do now?"

"Because you know absolutely nothing about me!" She then took a deep breath to try and settle herself. "Look, you said you like me 'cause you think I'm pretty, right?"

He nodded.

"What if we start going out, then you find out I'm a thief? Or a baby-eater? Or uhh, someone who steals lollipops from kindergarteners? Would you still want to date me then?"

Nishinoya thought for a bit. "No, I guess not."

She gave him a questioning brow raise. Guess? If she found out the person she was dating was any of those things, she'd be super angry. She'd maybe even call the police.

Either way, she shook her head in exasperation. "See?"

After hearing her explanation, Nishinoya gave it some thought. "So if I get to know you, then ask you out again. Will you say yes?"

"W-Well," she felt her cheeks heat up at the prospect. "Depends if I like you, maybe. But most likely not, cause I already think you're a huge weirdo!"

Despite her insults, Nishinoya only grinned. "Nice," he laughed. "I still have a chance."

"Don't look so happy," she crossed her arms over her chest. "For all you know, you could stop liking me once you know me better."

"That won't happen. I know it," he assured as she rolled her eyes and marched on ahead of him. He waved after her.

"I look forward to getting to know you, erm..." He then stumbled over his words, realizing he forgot to ask something extremely important. "Hey! What's your name again?"

A few feet ahead of him, the girl spun around, her long brown hair fluttering amongst the cherry blossom petals. She pulled down her lower eyelid and stuck out her tongue at him.

"My name is Amari Chiyo," she shouted back. "Don't forget it!"

story masterlist | this is the first chapter! | next chapter

[mifithemuffin]

◆Satsuten 8th Anniversary Post Translation◆

Happy Satsuten 8th Anniversary!!

Sanada Makoto made a public post on her fanbox acc with a drawing of characters she doesn't draw together that often. This month it's Rachel and Eddie!

Below is my translation of their possible dialogue in a make-believe interaction scenario. It's mostly gags.

You can find the full blog post here

◆Rachel & Eddie Conversation: Start!◆

Eddie: Wow! A drawing of Rachel and me, what a nice surprise!

Say, Rachel, when was the last time we’ve talked to each other anyway?

Rachel: Probably during Episode.NG?

Eddie: Yeah, I think so too. Man, Episode.NG was such a disaster.

Didn’t you step on me and feed me some extremely spicy pizza back then?

Rachel: Oh, it wasn’t... intentional.

Eddie: Was it now?..

Rachel: I should apologize, shouldn’t I?..

Eddie: Ah! N-no, you don’t really have to!..

I’m actually alright despite all of that! Look, my arms are fine at least, my arms...

Rachel: If you say so.

Eddie: Uhm… Y-yeah…

Rachel: …

Eddie: …

...B-but you know, it’s so rare to have a chance to talk to you like that, I’m really happy!

Because even back when you first came to my floor we didn’t have a lot of time to chat.

Q1: What was your first impression of each other?

Rachel: Nothing outside of “a person who can kill me and lay my body to the ground” I suppose.

Eddie: What?! Is this really it?

Even though I did my best to properly confess my feelings to you!

Rachel: It was... a confession?..

Eddie: Of course! I was interested in you from the very beginning.

It’s not like we have a lot of girls my age coming to the building, you know!

Rachel: I see.

...Even so, why did you decide to confess to me? We haven’t met each other even once.

Eddie: Well, I’ve got plenty of reasons!

First of all, when I saw you burying that little bird on Zack’s floor, I couldn’t help but think: “We’d definitely get along!”

And then I heard your beautiful voice...

Rachel: A little bird… Don’t tell me you’ve been watching me?

Eddie: Yeah! One of the next floors was mine, so of course I had access to security cameras!

Rachel: ...For some reason it doesn’t sit right with me.

Eddie: Huh, why? Urm, s-sorry I guess?..

I don’t think it’s that strange of a behavior for a floor master though…

Q2: Did this impression change after?

Rachel: Yeah, to “green”.

Eddie: Green… Is it because of what I looked like during the trial?

Rachel, don’t you have anything else to say about me?

Rachel: ….

Eddie: ….Okay, nevermind. Just please stop giving me this blank stare.

As for me, I thought you were a little bit selfish.

You're also stubborn, don’t listen to what others tell you and only ever care about making things yours.

But in all honesty, I do get it. You and I are more alike than you think. To the point of maybe someday digging graves together, you know!

Rachel: Not that I wish to dig graves like you, though.

Eddie: Wait, what??

Rachel: So all of this time you thought I’m as passionate about grave digging as you are?..

Eddie: Because you tried your hardest to make a nice grave for the little birdie, I...

Rachel: Eddie… you’re terribly assumptious.

Eddie: But doesn't it make the two of us?! Say, doesn't it?

Rachel: ….

Eddie: Did you frown just now?.. It means this time I'm definitely right!

Rachel: ….

Eddie: Hey, no, don’t ignore me!

Say “yes” already!

Fin!

Sanada-sensei also said she's planning to draw Zack and Danny next month, so if you're interested in more unhinged interactions please consider subscribing to her fanbox!

[mileslovesdick]

When Edgeworth asks Gumshoe to retrieve his notepad from his car so they can review the notes he took at a crime scene Gumshoe is more than happy to do so, but when he gets his hands on the little book he can't believe his eyes!

His name is written all over the page!

Gumshoe storms his way back up to Edgeworth's office, big frown on his face and notepad tightly gripped in his fist.

"I can't believe you'd think such a thing, Mr. Edgeworth!"

Edgeworth looks thoroughly confused. "... Excuse me, Detective? What exactly are you talking about?"

"Don't play innocent, sir! You've got my name written all over this page!" Gumshoe shoves the paper right in front of his face.

Edgeworth turns bright red. "I-! Look, Gumshoe, I can explain that- it's really not like that-"

"It's not like that!? I'm looking right at it! All along you've been looking at me like..." Gumshoe trails off. "I feel so..."

Disgusted, sick, gross, Edgeworth has already anticipated every last possible word that might leave Gumshoe's mouth next and yet he's not sure he could actually handle hearing any of them out loud, so he braces himself for the worst.

"I feel so betrayed, sir! I can't believe you thought I had anything to do with this case!"

What?

"... I'm sorry?"

"Good! You should be! My name's written all over here, like I'm the main suspect or something!" Gumshoe huffs.

"I... Gumshoe..." Edgeworth lets out a long sigh as he tries to think of how to work his out of this little predicament without flat out confessing but he draws a blank.

Gumshoe starts flipping through the pages, frowning as he realizes his name is written on multiple pages. Did Edgeworth think he was some sort of criminal mastermind??

The real reason behind Edgeworth scribbling his name on every page doesn't become obvious to Gumshoe until he comes across a page full of hearts, scribbles and doodles.

'Miles Gumshoe, Dick Edgeworth, Miles Edgeworth-Gumshoe, Dick Gumshoe-Edgeworth / M.E + D.G / He looks so handsome today.'

"Oh... So... You don't think I'm a suspect..?"

Edgeworth rises from his desk and snatches the notepad from Gumshoe. "Do you see any other suspects names that're written in hearts, detective?" he huffs, trying to keep his calm exterior despite the fact his cheeks are still bright red.

Gumshoe's mood switches like a light, his face brightens up and his frown turns into a big smile. "Aw, Mr. Edgeworth! You really had me worried there for a second!" Gumshoe laughs. "And just so you know... I like Dick Edgeworth-Gumshoe."

"Not another word, Detective!" Edgeworth snaps, cheeks somehow getting redder. "Go do your job and bring what we found at the crime scene to the precinct."

"Yessir!" Gumshoe leaves the office with a huge smile on his face and a little pep in his step.

Edgeworth on the other hand is a blushing mess as he tries, but fails, to focus on work. How could he possibly focus on work when his feelings were just exposed, and he wasn't even rejected!

He keeps trying but more often than not he finds himself scribbling "Gumshoe, Gumshoe, Gumshoe" on the margins of his paper.

[embrosegraves]

【Prompts】

I found all of these from a bunch of lists on Pinterest.

Dialogue Prompts: "C'mere, you can sit on my lap until I'm done."

"He/She did it." "No she/he did!"

"I think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified".

"It's not a double date. Me and [blank] are just third and fourth wheeling"

"Just play along. Please."

"Don't open your eyes!"

"I read once that holding your breath can stop a panic attack so...when I kissed you...you held your breath."

"[Blank]?" "Yeah?" "I'm gonna kiss you now." "Okay."

"It won't be easy, y'know...trying to love me"

"Here, let me hold that for you."

"Did you just call me your boyfriend/girlfriend?"

"He loves you, y'know? He's just afraid of admitting it."

"Should I stop talking?" "Don't, your voice is very soothing."

"You're so cool!" "...I am?"

"Wait, is this...?" "It's the (thing) you wanted the other day!"

"Look, we can pretend I never confessed if it means you'll stay-" "What?! No! You can't just take back your confession! That's such a coward move and I'll not allow that! Especially when I feel the same way about you."

"I never meant to fall for you." "Neither did I." "...Fucking pardon?"

"Gimme a kith." "No." "Gimme a big ol' kithhhhh"

"Are you decent?" "Probably not morally, but I've got clothes on, if that's what you're asking"

"Why are you like this?" "Because fuck you that's why."

"Would you like me to whisper it in your ear?"

"You're being all cute and sweet, it's making me want to kiss you."

"Oh my, what have I done to deserve such a beautiful smile?"

"My family was never the touchy-feely type."

"You were my first kiss."

"Could we cuddle, like, platonically?"

"I haven't been hugged in years."

"Are you on your period?" "I started my day in a pool of my own blood. Is that how you'd like me to end yours?" (found it on pinterest but I'm pretty sure it's from @buginateacup on Tumblr.)

"What are you doing?" "Giving you affection." "Disgusting...do it more"

"I know every inch of your body and I know for a fact that scar wasn't there before."

"Don't you know who I am?" "Oh I know, I just don't give a fuck."

"Why do people keep asking who tops and who bottoms? We don't even have bunk beds." "Oh my darling...no..."

"You're very endearing when you're half-asleep."

"Are you flirting with me?" "Have been for the last (number of) years, thanks for noticing."

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again...I'm sorry." "It's okay! It was an accident, I know you didn't mean to."

Scenario Prompts:

Booping noses

Drawing on their skin

Hand kisses

Marriage of Inconvenience

Accidentally referencing them as "my"

Knowing what they're trying to say when they struggle to explain something

Making playlists for them

Person A going out of their way to learn more about Person B's interests and hobbies.

Talking about funny things that happened as kids

Sorting lollies by colour

Smelling their perfume/cologne in a crowd/out in public

Smiling while in the middle of a kiss

7 Types of Love

Answering fan questions

Peppering kisses

Slow dancing

Tracing tattoos

Person A reading out loud to Person B

Holding their waist

I'll also post a list of tropes that I'll link on my pinned post.

this is mainly for when people want to request but they can't think of anything.

Neither of the lists are complete. Both will be added on to and edited occasionally

[pretendicanwrite]

Oh idk bro (gender neutral) how about some more supportive cubs? One of them, like Logan, going through a rough time and his boys trying to get him to talk and open up about it when he's ready so they can figure out how to best help him when he doesn't know how to help himself?

Wow that got oddly specific 😅 once the idea starts rolling it doesn't stop lol

Hi! I have been working on this for a little while, and I hope you like it, but it doesn't exactly follow the prompt. I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoy it!

Character credit to @lumosinlove

CW: Mental health discussion and symptoms, SH discussion

**********

Logan sat on the couch just staring at the blank t.v. screen. The team had practiced earlier that morning, and Logan had opted out of the team lunch they were going to after. He hadn't showered at the rink, choosing to just put on his sweats rather than changing, but he had lost track of time sitting there.

He only focused back on the world around him when he noticed Finn squatting in front of him.

Finn's mouth was set into a hard frown, and his eyebrows were creased. Logan tried to focus in on what he was saying, but he could only gather bits of it, 'Goin on... You okay?'

"I don't want to talk about it." Logan could barely even register that he was talking to Finn. He noticed Leo walking back in from the kitchen with a bottle of water. "I'm also bored, but I don't know what to do to fix it."

Leo sat next to Logan, being careful not to touch him. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"No."

"Alright. I'm going to make lunch for you, and I'm not going to force you to eat, but if it would make it easier for you Finn and I can eat with you," Leo said, standing up from the couch.

Logan merely nodded, and laid down, going back to staring at the television. Finn sat on the floor below him, leaning against the edge of the couch where Logan's head was, and stared up at the ceiling.

"This might sound weird at first, but I want you to try something for me." Finn got up off the floor and walked to the desk he had situated in the corner of the living room. He grabbed a pen, a piece of paper off it, and a book. He brought it back over to the couch. "I want you to just scribble. Don't focus on it, but I want you to scribble as we talk. Don't look at the paper, don't try to draw anything, just go for it." he handed over the supplies, resting the piece of paper on the book.

"What are we talking about?"

"Anything really, Why don't we start by talking about practice? Talking hockey has always been easy for you. That new play we ran today worked really well. You got a shot past Leo today. It worked so well he barely even knew what hit him."

"You fed me a really good pass." Logan was staring at Finn as he scribbled on the paper. He started in the middle, just drawing crappy circles, but now he was just drawing one continuous line with no idea where his hand was taking it next.

"Yeah, but the play was brilliant. Anyway, Cap said we're having an extra optional practice next week as a bonding activity. He wants to do things like tag on skates, and play other games. He thinks we need it before we go to the playoffs. We're one of the closest teams, but Cap thinks we can elevate that. He wants the team to be able to play like we do together. So close we can almost read each other's minds. When we play, we always know where each other is. Cap thinks the rest of the team can achieve that through activities he plans to do."

"I don't think the team is going to get as close to each other as we are. Unless they plan on being in love with a person they think doesn't feel the same way for their entire adult life, confessing their love, then moving in together with their third boyfriend." The paper was about 35% covered at this point.

"No, but I do think it will help us get closer. It can't hurt to try."

Leo walked into the living room with three plates. "Lunch is served." Finn reached up to grab two of the plates and handed one to Logan. Leo made a sandwich for Logan and cut one in half for him and Finn to share. He had steamed broccoli on Logan's plate, with a salad.

"Thank you knutty. We were just talking about the bonding activities Cap has planned for Tuesday."

Leo nodded, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Did you tell Lo about Cap's plan for soccer on the ice? Kasey and I will be facing off against each other in goal, and Cap and Dumo are going to be team captains."

After swallowing the bite of food he had in his mouth, Logan put his plate down and continued his scribbling while he looked at Leo. "That sounds like it could be fun."

"Yeah. So, babe, Cap asked about you at the lunch today. We told him you just didn't feel well and didn't go into specifics, but he was very worried about you." Leo explained, "I think it would be a good idea to talk to him. You don't have to right now, or ever if you don't want to, but he looked ready to sprint his way over here."

"I think i should probably call him later."

Logan was still mindlessly scribbling on the paper. it was almost halfway covered, and Leo watched Logan's hand, noticing that it never stopped moving. Even as Logan was talking, his wrist was still moving in miniature circles.

The boys continued trying to hold a conversation with Logan, but he was eating and scribbling rather than talking. It seemed like he could barely keep his eyes open, so Leo suggested they all go to bed.

When Finn woke up the next morning, Logan was sitting on the edge of the bed. with a new sheet of paper on top of the book. he was watching something on the television they had resting on the dresser across from them.

"Hey baby," Finn rasped, "Having fun?"

"Not really. I'm bored, but I don't have the energy to do anything."

Finn just sat up and looked at the paper Logan was drawing on. It was pretty covered, meaning Logan had been up for a while. "Have you talked to anyone about these feelings?"

Logan's head snapped up and stared Finn down. "What?" Logan spoke so loud that Leo rolled over and groaned slightly, so he motioned for Finn to follow him to the living room.

"Why would I need to talk to someone? I'm fine."

"lo, baby, I know it may be hard, but I think it would be beneficial for you to try it. Lots of players talk to specialists, and there's nothing wrong with it."

Logan was getting defensive, and he set the book and paper down. He turned to fully face Finn on the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. "I know that there's nothing wrong with it. I never said that there was. I just don't think I need it."

"It's not about if you need it, baby. It's about if you want it. I talked to someone during my freshman year of college. The team had a therapist that I talked to once. She just gave me some tips to help me process my feelings, and she really helped me. I didn't want to go either, but the coach recommended it, and I never appreciated a recommendation more. Seeing a specialist is not a sign of weakness or anything like that, it's admitting that you're strong enough to seek help rather than let yourself feel like this, or God forbid hurt yourself."

Logan uncrossed his arms and tried to subtly wipe the tears from his eyes, but Finn noticed and opened his arms. Logan practically launched himself into them, placing his head into the crook between Finn's neck and his shoulder. "I need you to know that I would never do that. No matter how bad this gets, I would never do that to you guys, or to myself."

"I know, baby. I know."

Logan was still crying and was basically laying on top of Finn when Leo stumbled out into the living room. He was bleary-eyed, and his sweatpants were hanging low on his shirtless torso. As soon as he noticed his boys on the couch, his back straightened and he sat on the opposite side of the couch from his boys.

"Hey loves. What's going on?"

"Logan and I were just discussing my suggestion of him speaking to a professional. I think it would be beneficial for his mental health, and there was a bit of a sidetrack, but I think we've recovered from it."

Leo just looked at his boys and nodded while he thought through the new information. "I think it would be good for you to talk to someone. I know that this probably isn't what you want to hear, and I don't want you to feel like Finn and I are ganging up on you, but I think we've both noticed that you're showing signs of depression. We may be very wrong, but I think it would be best to see someone. The lack of energy, the boredom, your loss of appetite. it doesn't have to mean anything, and the only thing it'll change is how you take care of yourself. We'll change our schedule to benefit you, and we'll get you into a cycle that will maximize your health. I promise anything that happens will not deter us, or change how we feel about you."

"I was never worried about that, I just didn't, and still don't want to admit that I have problems. I saw a therapist when I was in high school, and she said she wanted to get me to a specialist to diagnose me with depression, but I never went back after she told me that. I've known about it since I was 15, but I couldn't admit it to myself."

Logan sat up and faced the turned off television while he waited for his boy's responses.

he had feared his whole childhood what was wrong with him. He knew that it wasn't normal to feel this way, and every time a wave hit him, he thought, 'maybe this is it. Maybe this one will be the last one,' but every time he was wrong. Another one would come along, just like this one. He would lose his appetite, his energy, and his social battery.

"Okay. Well, will you at least consider talking to someone? you can choose if and when but I want you to know that nothing will change between us if you do or don't get a diagnosis. you are the love of our lives, and if you have a mental illness, or not, that's not going to change. We want what's best for you, and if that means having an intervention, you can damn well bet that Dumo, Sirius, Remus, Leo, and I are all going to be there. Right now, we are giving you your time, and letting you know that you have options, and the choice is yours, but if you start to get bad enough that we fear you're going to hurt yourself whether that be accidentally, or on purpose, I don't care if we have to tie you down, we will get you the help that you need." Finn didn't move from his spot in the corner of the couch, but even without body language, you could tell that he meant every single word he said.

Leo slid off the couch to kneel in front of his boyfriend, and slowly reached his hands out towards him, palms up. "I don't ever want you to feel like you can't trust us enough to talk to us or to admit that you need help. Everyone needs it now and then, and there is no shame in admitting that. We are always going to be here for you, for anything you need. We love you."

Finn followed Leo's motion, sliding to the ground, and also offered his hands.

Logan took one of each boy's hands, and let a few more tears slide. His boys were there for him, and they weren't pushing him. They were understanding, and he knew that no matter the outcome of the appointment he planned to make, that wouldn't change.

**********

I hope you enjoyed this!

There was a bit of a problem in the formatting of this, so just let me know if something is wrong.

[kaaytea]

Hey Kay! Could you do GoM + Kuroko and Kagami where they mess up their confession to the reader (if it's soo many characters you can drop some)

Messing up their confession

⤷Includes: Kuroko, Aomine, Akashi, Kagami, Kise, Murasakibara, Midorima

Warnings: gn!reader, blood, mention of boobs bc Aomine, Akashi feels a smidge ooc, I'm sorry but Mura basically spits on reader 💀

A/n: KnB request, my beloved :') I'm still playing around with characterizations and was drawing a blank for what to write for Aomine and Kashi, so I'm sorry if it feels a bit off!

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

Kuroko

Oh poor sweet, sweet Kuroko

You just came into his life on a whim and he fell hard

It started with you actually noticing he was present

One of your friends was literally about to walk straight into him—which he's used to, so he's already braced for impact—but you reach out and pull your friend away, sending him a warm smile as you walk past

He immediately gets a fuzzy feeling in his chest, a feeling that expands when you end up willingly partnering up with him for an English project

He didn't think being seen and acknowledged by another person would impact him so heavily, but damn is it nice

Kuroko believes in honesty, so once he gets to a point where every little thing you do makes his heart flutter, he decides to confess

He's so cute, he has what he's going to say all planned out to avoid any slip ups :))

You'd think nothing would go wrong with how organized he is and you're right

He does nothing wrong, but Kuroko still has the least amount of presence which leads to the saddest situation

Kuroko planned to confess to you during lunch break. The two of you went to a quiet corner of the school and ate like normally

He was a little shaky, so you asked if something was wrong and that's when he took a deep breath and started vocalizing his feelings

But moments before he formally confessed a boy from your class called your name from down the hall and literally stepped IN FRONT of Kuroko, completely cutting him off

Kuroko was . . . Irritated to say the least, but the icing on the cake is when the rude guy asked you on a date right in front of him

Any confidence Kuroko had was gone, like his entire soul just crumpled in on itself

You, on the other hand, were pissed

Although Kuroko hadn't said the words out loud, you knew exactly what he was going to say and this Bozo just ruined it

So you just flat out "No ❤️" the guy, gather your things, and grab onto Kuroko's hand to pull him into an empty classroom

You coax Tetsu into finishing his confession (he tried to protest, arguing that you wouldn't want to hear what he has to say)

You squeeze his hands reassuringly, which gives him a boost of confidence, and he finishes his confession

Aomine

Please he's so weird

He definitely has a crush on you it just took him a long ass time to realize why his stomach would get all ↗️↩️↙️ whenever he saw you

He didn't even come to that conclusion, it was Imayoshi who was like "Wow do you have a crush on them or something?" After Aomine said something dumb in front of you

Of course Aomine said no, but then he thought about it and had a "Wait a damn minute" moment

Listen he is Whipped, with a capital W, for you

But having a crush isn't going to stop him from looking at dirty magazines

You guys are literally chilling on his little roof hangout and he's actively asking if you want to watch a movie or grab some food together

And this fool is flipping through one of his magazines

He is asking you out while looking at b00bs‼️

Sir . . . That's not really how this whole dating thing works

At least look at the person you're asking out, stop hiding behind pages of women in bikinis 😭

Kise

You were special to Kise, so obviously he can't just give you a boring, old normal confession

He had to do something qUirky and fUn!

He was already confident that you liked him back, so literally anything he did he was sure you'd accept

The most perfect way to confess came to him one night

Or more accurately, his Tik Tok algorithm gave him the perfect confession idea

He was going to do the "Kissing your crush/best friend trend" with you

It was perfect! First kiss and confession all wrapped up in one!

Kise invited you to hang out with him at the Kaijou gym while he worked on some ball handling drills

Which eventually led to the two of you fooling around and trying to make really dumb shots or passes

Kise set up his phone saying he wanted to make a Tik Tok with the two of you acting all silly and you went along with it

But then he started recording and a slightly familiar audio blasted from his phone and then he was leaning in towards you and placed a hand on your hip

And then you slapped him

You panicked and slapped Kise Ryouta on the cheek

It wasn't hard, but it was enough to startle the both of you and make a bought of guilt weigh on him

You started apologizing and then he started apologizing for making you uncomfortable and it was all a huge mess

Kise honestly was close to getting teary when you smacked him. He really thought you liked him, so it was a shot to the heart when you avoided him

The two of you decided to pack up your things and go home because the gym felt a little too awkward now

When he dropped you off at your house, you placed a gentle kiss on the side of his face you slapped to make up for ruining the moment earlier

He pulled you in for take two of your first kiss shortly after

Murasakibara

I don't care what anyone says, Murasakibara is a sweetie at heart

Sure he's a bit blunt, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about the people around him

Whenever you're around, Mura just longingly looks at you. He's pretty good friends with you, but he wants more than that and doesn't really know how to act on his feelings

Everyday poor Tatsuya is forced to watch Mura pine after you, but it's like a weird pining because Mura doesn't really talk about you, he just sort of sadly watches you

Tatsuya is at his limit and is basically like "Please just talk to them, please."

So Murasakibara does what he does best, which is dragged people around to different stores to look for new snacks

And you just so happen to be his victim this time

The day was pretty chill, you just shared some snacks and explored the shopping district you were in

Murasakibara was uncharacteristically quiet and had been sort of distracted the entire day, which was cute, but made you a bit worried

The two of you eventually sat down to share one of the foods you picked up from a street stall and Mura just started chattering about you

And technically he did ask you on an official date, but he was also kind of speaking with his mouth full and uh . . . Kinda spit crumbs onto your face

Yeaaaaah it was pretty nast

He tried to casually play it off and apologized while whipping your face clean with his sleeve

He looked unbothered, BUT HE FELT SO BAD ON THE INSIDE

It was an honest mistake, but it's kinda up to you on if you accept or not 💀

Midorima

Oh god, I'm so sorry

Your family moved into the house next to his a little less than a year ago

Midorima hadn't paid much attention to you initially, but then one day you just enraptured him and he slowly started to seek out conversations with you

Just quick neighborly conversations

Which turn into him WALKING to school with you

Yes. Walking. Takao finally gets a break from carting his ass around town

Now, It's well known that Midorima puts a lot of faith into horoscopes

Maybe a little too much

So on a lucky day for cancers, mans gave it his all and asked you on a date while walking to Shutoku

And you said yes! Midorima was super sweet and you'd be lying if you said you weren't a little bit interested in him

He could have stopped there, he should have stopped there, but no

Midorima went on about how compatible the two of you are

And he started spewing out all these random facts about you and he sounded a bit. . . Stalkerish

(How the FUCK does he know your blood type?! YOU don't even know your blood type!)

Yeah talk about uncomfortable . . . You discreetly put some distance between the two of you on the street

Midorima ended up apologizing later and promised he wasn't creepy or anything

(note that he only noticed what he said when he told Takao he had asked you out and told him everything that happened)

Akashi

You may be thinking: "But Kay! How would Akashi mess up on something as important as a confession?!"

Well, your answer is he wouldn't!

Nothing goes wrong . . . Kinda

He doesn't goof up and nothing out of the ordinary happens

Akashi just takes his confession very seriously and tries to convey his feelings fully through his words

You had interacted with Akashi regularly and he was always courteous and refined

You became acquaintances in Rakuzan's library and eventually became book buds (you went to study and he went to hunt down a new novel. Eventually the both of you started sharing a table and you continued to share that same table everytime you were in the library)

You were so confused as to why this golden boy was so interested in spending his leisure time in the library with you, but hey, you weren't complaining!

The day he confessed he asked for you to walk with him around campus once you both left the library

In the quiet of one of the sunset lit hallways he gripped onto your hands and spilled his heart out to you

And it was sweet, but he went above and beyond in his words

Like some of the things made you a bit hesitant because it sounded like he was demanding you go out with him

Shit like: "I would make you the happiest person in the world." "You would be my Emperor/Empress." "My heart belongs to you and would cease beating if you turned me down." "Our future together will be perfect."

Damn, Akashi, maybe chill out a bit?

He'd probably already have some kind of fancy dinner reservation booked

I mean Akashi is super sweet, but that confession was giving 🚩🚩

Kagami

Kagami is a gentleman, but he can also be dumb of ass

You had been helping Riko run practices for a bit and eventually you were just adopted as the Seirin manager

Kagami was drawn to you, originally out of curiosity, but now it's purely because of his massive crush on you

By some grace of God, you hadn't picked up on his affections, but literally the entire team knew

It's that bad . . .

The team is begging him to confess because it's unbearable to watch him flounder everyday

The only problem is that Kagami isn't that great with words is the romantic sense, so he struggles a bit

Until he thinks of what, in his mind, was the perfect way to confess

From his time in America, he vividly remembered that people would ask their partners out by writing on a basketball (or whatever ball they used in their sport)

So he does that, whether that's a good idea or not is to be determined

Kagami writes the most basic "Want to go on a date?" on a basketball and his plan is to pass it to you during practice

You're literally just talking to Kiyoshi when Kagami calls out to you and passes the ball your way

He doesn't even do a bounce pass, this boy does a full force chest pass to you

He didn't even calculate for the height difference, so he absolutely domes you in the face with a basketball

Full contact with your nose, you are now bleeding into your hands to make an effort in stopping the blood from getting onto the court

Riko is handling your injury and literally everyone else is harassing Kagami because "whY the fUcK?! Would you dO thAT?!"

Poor baby feels terrible now

He apologized the entirety of practice and bought you a milkshake after

He properly asked you out then

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Hi lost! I've recently started writing fics again (after going cold turkey for, what, 10 years?) and I was wondering– do you have any tips on writing Erwin and Levi respectively? I've always struggled with deep insights of characters and feel like I always have to have complex thoughts and emotions explained to me to understand them, and in the case of eruri I feel like that really isn't sustainable 😂 (1/2)

it sometimes feels like their entire existence is shrouded in mystery and such intricate complexity that I just never get a grip on what they truly think or who they fundamentally are– i've tried going through your meta tags about them and am currently reading a bunch of fics to try and figure it out but always draw a blank. it feels like i'm trying but taking backwards progress and i'm sorry for putting you in this sort of position!! i just feel like a few pointers would be a good start (2/2)

Congratulations Anon! That’s great that you’ve taken the plunge and started writing again! Erwin and Levi can be quite daunting characters to write, but they have such depth nuance, that once you get a feel for their characters, every other OTP pales in comparison.

Before I try to answer your question, I want to preface this by saying that every reader and writer has their own interpretation of Erwin and Levi’s characters, and that’s just fine. Some writers prefer to follow canon characterisation, while others enjoy pushing their characters to extremes or changing them entirely. It’s fine, it's fanfiction, anything goes! Personally, I try to stick as closely as possible to canon characterisation, I have no idea if I’m successful, but that’s what I’m aiming for. So this is my interpretation of Erwin and Levi’s canon characters.

The first thing to be aware of is that both Erwin and Levi are unreliable narrators who see their own actions in the worst possible light. Levi claims that he doesn’t mind being a lunatic and a killer, and there’s certainly some truth in that, but he is also one of the kindest characters in the entire series. Meanwhile Erwin sees himself as a cheat and fraud who fooled his men into dying for humanity, while he alone pursued his own selfish dream. That of course is patently untrue, Erwin is far from the only character pursuing his own dream.

Erwin is definitely the more complex character of the two. On the surface, he appears to be the personification of the cold, ruthless military commander, driven to pursue his goal and willing to sacrifice anyone and anything, including his soldiers and his own humanity, in order to achieve it. However this facade conceals a deeply vulnerable human being with great emotional depth, who is haunted by his father’s death and the guilt he feels for pursuing his dream. Of course it’s only to Levi that Erwin reveals this vulnerability, when he admits the toll that this mis-placed guilt has taken on him and confesses that he often thought it would be easier to simply die.

Erwin is also a deeply compassionate individual, in addition to the guilt he carries for pursuing his dream, he also feels enormous guilt and personal responsibility for all those that died under his command. He’s a gambler and a risk taker but he always calculates his risks to minimize casualties, and he never hesitates to lead from the front. Erwin also has a talent for seeing potential in people who others might write off as worthless; a crazy heretic like Hangi, a monster like Eren, a thug like Levi. Erwin clearly has incredible strategic intelligence, but he’s also a bit weird and he sharesLevi’s off the wall sense of humour. He is also kind and generous to his subordinates, loyal to his friends, and tender and gentle with those he cares about. In the Smartpass stories you’ll find him buying gifts for his squad leaders, writing fond letters to Nile and Marie, and sharing wistful tender moments with Levi in the rain. Erwin may be a little vain but he is never selfish, arrogant, or egotistical and he is never ever wilfully cruel. (The other thing Erwin is most definitely not is a sociopath. I have seen some people describe him as a sociopath in the past, and I honestly don’t know where to even begin with that.)

I think one of my favourite quotes that really encapsulates the depth and complexity of Erwin’s character comes from Ono Daisuke who said:

“Erwin has so much emotion that it’s difficult for people to see it. The amplitude of his emotions is so great that to those around him it looks as if the needle isn’t moving at all.”

Levi is a much more straightforward character, but even then he’s still a mess of contradictions. On the one hand he’s coarse, violent, aloof and intimidating, but on the other, he’s brave, compassionate, loyal, and capable of inspiring others. It’s these contradictions that make him such a compelling and popular character. There’s a lovely exchange in the Smartpass Erwin & Levi Up Close Interview where Erwin waxes lyrical about Levi’s character to the interviewer.

Erwin: …Alright. Starting with Levi…I think he is excellent at shouldering important duties. With the title “Humanity’s Strongest” as part of the SC, our reputations have also been elevated. On the battlefield, he has also faithfully completed the tasks I have assigned to him. Despite his warmhearted nature, I’ve asked him to carry out some cruel missions…

Journalist: Is Captain Levi very…”warmhearted?”

Erwin: You’ve already interviewed his subordinates, right? Then you must have heard just how much they trust their captain.

Journalist: Indeed. I even heard the same thing from new recruits who are not from his squad.

Erwin: He just has a rude attitude…but he cherishes his comrades’ life more than anyone else. His reputation cannot be established based on strength alone, Humans can subconsciously detect how much concern others have for them… and when they notice this kindness, it inspires power…That is something that I can’t do.

I know there is sometimes a tendency to characterise Levi as a bit of a naive ingenue before he meets Erwin, but I think that’s doing him a disservice. Before joining the Survey Corps, Levi was a successful gang leader in the Underground, taught to survive by one of the underworld’s most notorious killers. He’s tough, resilient and street smart. He may not have Erwin’s strategic intelligence, but he has a talent for reading and understanding people. And he also has a really dumb shitty sense of humour

Levi is also one of the most consistent characters in the series. He basically doesn’t change from beginning to end; he remains devoted to Erwin, to his cause and to his comrades. I know some readers were frustrated by what they saw as Levi’s lack of character growth in the manga, but one of the things I’ve always loved about Levi is his constancy. He enters the manga as a grown ass adult and that’s who he remains. His character development happens primarily before the main arc of the manga, in ACWNR.

When it comes to understanding Erwin and Levi’s relationship with each other, I’ve written reams and reams which you can find in my eruri relationship tag. Here are a few highlights that I think really capture what I love most about their relationship.

The thing I adore most about Erwin and Levi’s relationship is that it’s not a romance. It’s a mature adult relationship between two war weary veterans who have spent their entire lives fighting. Who, against the odds, have grown to trust, respect and love on each other. Erwin gives Levi a purpose, a cause to fight for, and Levi gives Erwin his strength and support. Of course some of the trappings of romance are there too in the supplementary materials; the private dinners, the quiet moments watching the rain fall, the contraband tea, the gifts of fancy clothes, but it’s not the romance that matters, it’s the Deep Bond of Mutual Trust. It’s the fact that Erwin depends on Levi and trusts him enough to reveal his deepest regrets and desires. At the same time, Levi cares so deeply for Erwin that he willingly shoulders his burden and damns humanity to let him rest in peace.

What the hell do they think a relationship looks like when you’re an exhausted 30 + year old war veteran who has spent their entire life fighting for survival? It looks like this; finding someone who you can trust with your life. If you were to ask me what characterizes a successful adult relationship I would say it’s exactly this; mutual trust, respect and understanding, and when push comes to shove, the willingness to do everything in your power to help the person you hold most dear, even if that means letting them go.

Erwin gave Levi a cause to fight for, a position of authority and respect, he treats him with kindness and consideration, he trusts him above and beyond all others, and it’s Levi he turns to when he needs support. In return, Levi devotes his strength to Erwin’s cause, he becomes his right hand man, a shoulder to lean on, the one person Erwin can open up to and who will lift his burden when it grows too heavy.

I hope this helps you to gain some insight into these amazing characters Anon. If you’re looking for more information, I’ve got a sort of Eruri starter pack here that you might find useful to check out. Good luck with your writing!

[persephonesfill]

shades of cool

Based off of this post from @docdracula

Steve travels back to the past to change things but finds that some things are inevitable. Like the undeniable attraction between him and Tony Stark.

TW for infidelity and age gap between silver fox!steve and twink!tony

When Tony dies, Steve feels something inside of himself sever, like the fissuring of glass and stone. He watches Tony's eyes go dreadfully blank, the arc reactor flickering before fading out completely, and feels as if he's going to vomit.

The screaming and cursing will come later when he's all alone in the Brooklyn apartment he's called home for the past five years. But for now, surrounded by his teammates and the ashes of their enemies, all he can do is sink to his knees like the rest of them.

He makes up his mind then and there. It's not that this timeline has nothing for him anymore; he has Sam and Bucky and the other Avengers to think about. But a dark, buried part of him can't help but whisper, "Don't I deserve it? A moment of peace?"

Guilt eats at him, corrodes his insides until he feels like he's the one turning into ash.

He hides it as well as he can before anyone can talk sense into him, and for a moment, he thinks he'll get away with it scot-free.

But then there's Bucky. Bucky with that cool, assessing gaze, the ghost of the Soldier at the edges of it.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Bucky asks him one night over a couple of beers. The drinks are merely a practicality. What else is there for two worn-out men to do?

Steve takes a long draw from his Budweiser, wishing that it still had an effect on him. Maybe it would have made things easier.

"No," Steve says, keeping his voice light. "Making plans hasn't worked out for me recently, so I figured winging it was worth a shot, right?"

It's the only confession Bucky's going to get out of him.

Bucky sighs, but it's not just any sigh. It's the "You're an idiot, but I'm not going to stop you" sigh, a relic from their childhoods a lifetime ago.

"For your sake, I hope you're right," Bucky says and downs the last of his beer.

"Can't screw up any worse than I already have," Steve says.

They fall into silence, although the buzzed droning of the other bar patrons more than makes up for it.

Bucky claps a hand, his flesh hand onto Steve's shoulder, and Steve's eighteen again and all alone. "I guess this is the end of the line, pal."

Steve damns him, damns him for his earnestness and his understanding and the tears currently pricking the corners of his eyes. Bucky blinks, and the telltale shimmer of tears is gone.

Steve swallows pasts the knot in his throat. "I'm gonna miss you, but I can't do it, Buck. I can't be here."

"That's okay," Bucky says firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "We'll be okay."

And just to be a shit, Steve throws Bucky's words back in his face. "For your sake, I hope you're right."

It has its intended effect, Bucky snorting before punching Steve in the shoulder. "Punk."

"Jerk," Steve replies, not missing a beat.

"Yeah," Bucky says, smiling now, and Steve allows himself to breathe. "I'm gonna miss you too."

That doesn't stop Steve from leaving 2023 behind for 1947 with a heavy heart.

After much yelling and a few bullets sent his way, Peggy cries when she finally realizes it's him. She's still breathtakingly beautiful with her soft curls and graceful, full lips, painted a striking shade of red he has not seen in years. He hates himself for making her cry. Not once has he seen her falter in all the time he's known her until now.

Something about her eyes makes him tense. Maybe it's their darkness or the length of her lashes, but something about them is off. It isn't until much later that he realizes he was looking for another set of eyes long gone.

Howard welcomes him with open arms, engulfing Steve in a bone-crushing hug. As Steve returns his embrace, Peggy watching them with unbridled joy, Steve vows that things are going to be different this time.

He's going to free Bucky before HYDRA even deploys him on his first mission as the Soldier, and Howard will die old and gray surrounded by his family, not at the hands of someone he once called friend.

And Tony. Tony. Tony is a problem for later. Much later.

Years pass, and Steve spends every waking moment fighting to make things right. Except when it comes to Tony. With Bucky and Howard, he's confident; neither of them deserved the hands they were dealt, but Tony? Tony, who had loved being Iron Man more than life itself? What right does Steve have to take that away from him?

In 1969, Howard introduces Steve to Obadiah Stane, and it takes all of his willpower not to punch him in his grimy fucking face. Howard's no idiot, he knows Steve isn't fond of Stane, but if he has an issue with Steve's indifference, he keeps it to himself.

In this second lifetime, Steve has perfected the skills that SHIELD had instilled in him; it would be so easy to have Stane quietly disappear. But with no Stane, there was no Iron Man. And with no Iron Man...Steve doesn't like to think about a future where he's not fighting by Tony's side.

But Steve is getting older, granted, he may not look it. He only just started getting silver in his hair in the eighties. It's not like he would be doing much fighting by the time Tony becomes the hero he was meant to be. In a way, it's like losing him all over again.

So Steve keeps his distance. The universe needs Iron Man alone more than they need Captain America and Iron Man together, so he figures that if Tony's formative years remain unchanged, everything should go as planned. And if it's too painful to look Tony in his face, so young, not yet worn by betrayal after betrayal, that's between Steve and his conscience.

But Tony is stubborn. Steve should be used to it, but it's been years since he's dealt with Tony Stark's particular brand of bullheadedness. Tony's twenty-one when he corners Steve at a barbecue Howard's hosting in honor of Steve's birthday.

The younger man ambushes him in the kitchen, the rest of their little family none the wiser, just outside lounging around the patio. He's never let himself be alone with Tony in this timeline, so his sheer presence has Steve hot under the collar. Tony's all fire and brashness, and it's so damn familiar Steve can almost pretend they're on the quinjet post-mission, adrenaline and lust fueling their words.

It's no surprise that Tony kisses him. Steve's noticed the not-so-subtle looks sent his way, the ever-present innuendo peppered throughout Tony's words. Tony wants him. And fuck it all, because Steve wants Tony. Steve will always want Tony, even when his wife is waiting for him to return so he can blow out the candles on a cake at a birthday party he didn't even want.

Tony gets on his knees, hands already tugging at the leather belt around Steve's waist. Steve's used to Tony, his Tony taking his time, teasing Steve until he's practically begging for it. This Tony is still so young and inexperienced, so Steve's the one who eventually takes the lead.

Any guilt he feels for doing this to Howard, doing this to Peggy, flees the scene the second Tony takes Steve into his mouth. They make a wretched sight, he's sure of it, with his pants around his ankles and Tony's face buried in his groin.

Tony's lips are so soft, softer than Steve remembers. Stretched around the girth of Steve's cock, they're obscenely pink. He aches for charcoal and his sketchbook to commit this moment to memory, add it to the collection of memories from another lifetime.

Steve buries his hand into Tony's dark waves, longer than Steve's ever seen on him, tugging at the roots the way he knows Tony likes. This time though, Steve's the one with gray at his temples, and a little detail like that shouldn't bring tears to his eyes, but it does. This Tony is gorgeous, but it's still not him.

Tony moans around his cock, just like Steve knew he would, and Steve comes with hot pulses down his throat like he's an actor playing out a scene he's rehearsed hundreds of times.

"Why did you do that?" Steve asks tiredly after they get themselves looking somewhat presentable. The guilt hasn't set in yet. Maybe it will when they leave the sanctity of the kitchen.

Tony just looks at him with those big brown eyes that know far too much and says, "I wanted to make you feel better."

[hiraya-rawr]

Hi, Hira! I just wanted to let you know that I love your blog, and your writing is just amazing.

I’ve recently started a new blog for writing, since it’s something I love doing. If it’s okay to ask, how do you encourage yourself to write when you feel like you can’t? I desperately want to write and share my ideas, but whenever I open a document I just draw a blank.

I hope this isn’t too bold of me, you’re just a writer that I admire and I wanted to ask for a little advice if you have time <3

I'm a little shy to hear that but aaaah thank you!! I'm glad you've liked my works so far, and omg setting up a new blog sounds great!

as for encouraging myself to write. . . in all honesty, this blog is just a hobby of mine, I don't really push myself to write when I don't feel like it. putting that aside, there are many ways to motivate yourself when you want to write/keep your blog running! here are a few things that worked for me—

find motivation in the same genre. if you're writing angst and you're feeling a little stuck, go scroll through angsty tiktoks or read other angst works! it gets you in the mood that fits your writing scenes way faster.

i've said this before but much of my writing is done with outlines! I try to outline an entire story in short summaries (e.g. "insert fight scene here", "he confesses here but someone interrupts", "introduce new character")

^^ I can just pick whatever outline I feel like I'm in the mood for. The scenes usually only last a few paragraphs so it's great when you're not feeling motivated to write the whole thing!

If you can't write a full fic, write a drabble. If you can't write a drabble, write a brainrot. If you can't write a brainrot, just type and post your concept idea. Don't push yourself!

Similarly, if you can't write formally, it's okay to just chat it casually to your audience, ramble and rant about it!

Overall, it's just really cliché "a little is better than nothing" advice :)) pace yourself!

wishing you the best of luck in your blog!

[daisyachain]

hi!! i've been reading through your ao no flag liveblogs lately and they're really interesting! i enjoy seeing someone so passionate about this manga and it makes me want to reread it .... i'm really interested in hearing what you have to say about masumi's ending though!! part of me thinks it makes sense but i'm mostly conflicted on it and would love to see it from your perspective ^^

haha well thank you! ah yes, the arc that created as much controversy as you can get in an active readership of like 10 people...

Blue Flag is an imperfect story, but it also gets a lot of flack for things that a) didn't...actually...happen, b) didn't happen in the way people think they did.

Part 1: Is it actually straightwashing?

The most common criticism I see of Masumi's ending is that she was written as a lesbian character and straightwashed at the end. Marrying off a female character as a way to 'fix' her issues is a common and harmful trope, and saying that lesbian women just need to get a man is a widespread homophobic trope and talking point. So, it's not a good look. To have a character angst over interest in a woman and end up happily married to a guy reads like a '50s pulp novel that just uses f/f attraction for marketing.

But, if the intention of the ending was to show that Masumi should give up on women and force herself to date men, then it doesn't. Mitsuyuki's description of her is 'look at my bisexual wife who has dated both women and men and could also have married a woman', which is an odd choice if the intention was straightwashing. It feels more like a clumsy way to make sure that, in a series full of ambiguity, there could be no argument that Masumi was queer. That isn't to say that cisstraight people don't view bisexuality as less/better than/straighter than her being lesbian and that making a previously gay character bisexual isn't still straightwashing (increasing the appearance of straightness).

Part 2: Was it actually a retcon?

So: Masumi's ending reaffirms that she's a WLW. One question is, was she always meant to be bisexual, or was she originally written as lesbian?

Blue Flag doesn't have a lot of straight (no pun intended) answers. Taichi never expresses any explicit attraction to guys, but there is enough subtext to suggest he's attracted to Touma well before the finale. Futaba believes she is attracted to Touma at first and is shown to be attracted to him using the visual shorthand of manga (blushing, etc.), but she later says that it was just misinterpreted admiration. Mami doesn't want to date Touma or any man, but she implies that she is attracted to Touma when she says around him she was 'glad to be a woman.' Within the main romance, Futaba says that it was specifically because Taichi was a friend to her that she grew to like-like him. The lines between friendship and romance are blurred in Blue Flag, and sometimes romance can only grow out of friendship.

Masumi has a tense conversation with Taichi in the first half after she breaks up with her boyfriend that most people (me included) read as her saying that she tried guys and she just isn't and can't be attracted to them. However, it's Blue Flag, so the conversation is unfocused and doesn't paint a complete picture.

"Even if I get a boyfriend, I can never make it work"/"I don't know why [I don't like him anymore]" seem to imply that Masumi realized that she was feeling compulsory heterosexuality and that she will never like men. "[I don't know] why he like someone like me"/"You can be friends with potential sexual partners? With both guys and girls?"/"I just wanted to hear how you men feel about [a girl liking other girls]" seem to imply that Masumi is bisexual and is afraid to date because someone might find out. Maybe she's written as questioning--she knows she likes Futaba, but she's feeling out other possibilities. It's Blue Flag, so it's unclear.

Part 3: How does it work with Masumi's arc?

Diving further into Masumi's story, she acts as a foil to Touma (and Futaba, see later). Touma feels free to show his affection for Taichi as a friend as well as a love interest and almost confesses to him of his own free will, well before he's forced to. Touma tells her that he intends to try and set Taichi up with Futaba (because they would be good for each other), and also that he intends to pursue Taichi in some way. He tells her he's "not like [her]."

For Masumi's part, she tells Touma that she wants to express more affection for Futaba--not necessarily in a romantic way, just to participate more fully in that relationship--but she's afraid to, she doesn't feel confident enough to try, and that she's "the worst" because of it. We see this theme repeated, that Masumi is pessimistic, is afraid to trust people and hates herself for being afraid. Her conversations with Aki and Mami explore this; Aki tells her that it's not bad to be insecure or unready and that it's fine to keep a secret/stay closeted until she's ready, Mami tells her that she does have people she can trust, who care about her and who will do their best to understand her and help out. Why am I typing all this out? Because Masumi is a bitter, insecure wlw and that is an Established Trope, but her twist on it is that her negativity or bitterness isn't over her attraction to women/to Futaba or even over the reaction she might get from others (as Touma's is), it's over her own insecurity. Like Futaba, she's hesitant to act on her feelings, and like Futaba, she gets frustrated and hates herself for her own inaction.

All that is to say--Masumi is never shown to have a problem with her attraction to women. Her angst isn't gayngst, she's not ashamed of her feelings for Futaba bur rather her inability to express them. Her problems are with social attitudes and more with her own personal feelings--she and Touma face similar problems, but Touma is simply aware of the consequences (being roughed up and ostracised by a certain group of people) while Masumi feels a more generalized and ambiguous fear.

If Masumi were shown to have mixed feelings about her queerness/were shown to be in denial/were shown to be trying to move on from Futaba, then her ending would read more as straightwashing. As it is, there's nothing in her character and arc to say that she'd ever want to erase that part of herself or get rid of it, rather, she wishes she could embrace it but she just doesn't feel confident in doing it. Her ending shows her as an openly bisexual woman who is out to her friends and husband at the very least, which is a completion of her arc in the manga (of learning to trust other people and express her feelings honestly).

Part 4: What context clues does the rest of the series give us?

This is branching off a little from the strict text of Parts 1-3. As I've said, as we know, Blue Flag is 50% subtext and interpretation. Characters speak, but they don't say what they mean, characters think, but they're not always honest with themselves or in tune with reality. Mami is an ominous and antagonistic figure in the first half, but then it just turns out that Taichi was jumping to conclusions. Taichi is the main character and narrator, but we get radio silence from him for like 7 chapters after the climax. Taichi is bisexual, but the reader has to guess that from the way the art style shifts between PoVs, the similar panelling between Futaba and Touma's confessions, the things he does and does not think about Touma and how he feels about them. It's safe to say that there is room for speculation.

First, there is no explicit evidence that Taichi could be bisexual before ch 54. It's easy to tell that he is, but again, there's nothing specific. Some people reading Blue Flag have said that him marrying Touma was out of character, unforeshadowed, bizarre, inexplicable, etc. because their experienced is coloured by their own heterosexuality. Masumi is shown to have dated a guy and in saying she didn't like him "anymore," implied that she did like him. Her conflicted feelings over her bf could well have been foreshadowing her liking men as well, and my reading that as comphet could have just been my own experience colouring the text. Who knows! Taichi's bisexuality was intentional from the start but could be read as a last-minute twist, so why not Masumi's?

Second, Mitsuyuki is Futaba 2.0. Same colouring, same personality. This could feel like a way of saying "Masumi just needs to like guys instead," but to me it reads deeper with some of the trans subtext around Futaba. One of my issues with Blue Flag is that it doesn't go further into Futaba's admiration/envy for masculinity and her uncomfortable relationship with femininity. As a cis woman who wants to be buff and mildly masculine, I can understand why she's a cis girl throughout and I don't necessarily think that she was supposed to be a trans guy. However, her relationship with masculinity draws a parallel to Mitsuyuki. Reading Mitsuyuki as a cis man, he is the combination of Futaba's personality and looks with her 'ideal form.' So, Masumi marrying Mitsuyuki can read as Masumi marring Ascended FutabaTM.

Third, Futaba having a faceless prop husband is interesting in the context of Mitsuyuki getting a name and personality. Mitsuyuki = Futaba and Mr. Kuze is a blank space, so the reader is prompted to reduce the scenario and slot Masumi into that blank space. Given Masumi and Touma's history as foils, I'm inclined to think that Mitsuyuki exists to show the road not taken. Back at the fireworks, Touma tells Masumi that he hasn't given up on Taichi, and Masumi says she doesn't intend to pursue Futaba even though the pining is making her miserable. Given that Futaba reacts a lot better to the idea of Masumi liking her than Taichi reacts to the idea of Touma liking him, given that we see Masumi has successfully wooed male!Futaba, I think that Masumi's ending shows that she could have ended up with Futaba if she chose to pursue her. She didn't and she still got a happy ending where she is confident in her sexuality and unafraid to trust, but she could have also had a happy ending where she married Futaba. Mitsuyuki is a man because desire-for-masculinity is a key aspect of Futaba's character, and Mitsuyuki is a named character with a personality because KAITO wanted the reader to know that Masumi could have ended up with Futaba (as Touma ended up with Taichi).

Fourth, KAITO's notes on volume give us a few hints. He comments that there was remarkably little interference with his story and that he was able to tell it as he wanted, and that the ending was meant to be a "question" to the reader. The way I see it, Masumi's ending wasn't meant to say "maybe you'll be fixed if you get a man" but rather was meant to complement Taichi's ending and say "things happen in ways you might not expect, but that doesn't mean they're bad."

Fifth, Touma/Taichi ending up together shows us that the series is willing and able to show queerness as a good thing and a happy ending, so it's unlikely that Masumi was meant to come off as "actually she just needed a man" and more as "life can be unpredictable but you can always find happiness"

Summary

It's unclear whether Masumi was written as a bisexual woman or a lesbian woman or a questioning wlw

I personally read her as a lesbian and I wish that part of her character had gotten more exploration

Masumi's ending wraps up her arc (struggling to trust other people with her feelings in general and her queerness in particular) in a satisfying and logical way

Masumi being bisexual does not in any way negate or lessen her identity and experienes as a wlw, bisexual people still face external and internalized homophobia and all the associated issues

Masumi's bisexuality may well have been foreshadowed, but the execution makes it easier to read her as a lesbian, which makes her ending seem like a homophobic cop-out in the style of the Hays Code

Masumi's ending doesn't straightwash her and goes to unusual lengths to affirm her attraction to women

Masumi's ending seems to be written to contrast Touma's ending, showing that getting or not getting the love interest depends entirely on whether you choose to pursue them

It's unlikely that authorial intent was to straightwash Masumi