#I also think mello would have a hard time accepting that he needs love and stability

[empressofthewind]

I find it so interesting to imagine if Mello and Near dated, how exactly they would fit into each other’s lives. They’re designed to be opposites in so many ways, which also means they have conflicting lifestyles; Near’s is more sedentary, Mello’s is more active and unpredictable. I like the idea of them finding a dynamic that allows both of those lifestyles to coexist. Mello introduces a level of excitement and spontaneity into Near’s life that he would never otherwise have - showing up at his HQ unannounced, taking him out on surprise dates without telling him where they’re going. Meanwhile, Near brings a sense of calmness and stability that Mello wouldn’t be able to achieve on his own. No matter what he does or where he goes, he will always know where Near is when he needs a place to return to for rest and comfort. It’s nice to have one constant in his life, someone who understands him and will always be available when Mello needs him. Near makes Mello feel loved, and Mello makes Near feel alive.

[mailjeevasfan]

dating dn characters would include… ❦

(hopefully going to write more fics soon but i <3 unleashing my headcanons)

-gn!reader

-kind of angsty but also cuteness <3

-misa amane, light yagami, L, matt, mello, near, matsuda

༺♡༻

misa amane

- would always be very romantic and would want you to be the same.

-always there for you and wanting to do things for you

-she’d be worried that if she wasn’t constantly doing things to benefit you and you’d ofc reassure her that you didn’t need that. you’re with her because you love her for who she is and that’s all that needs to be said

-she’d always want to dress you up in all sorts of different styles. she has a varied fashion sense and an extremely expansive wardrobe that she wants to put to use. she may even help you find your own style

-crazy about pda but not in a weird way. she wants to show u off and hug u and be near u all the time

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light yagami

-honestly i can’t help but see him as a romantic guy. the only thing that turns me away from this hc is how busy he’d be, whether he’s assisting in the investigation or anything similar

-but i can easily imagine him buying u flowers often and all the cliche romantic stuff like that. it could definitely be construed as him trying to maintain his image as a normal guy but i’m sure we’d like to think it’s because he wants you to know how much he cares and thinks about you.

-pre timeskip, he would 100% help u with ur homework. study sessions would be the norm with you two, and no matter how hard you tried to affectionately get him to yourself, he’d be determined to finish helping you

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l lawliet

-after establishing your relationship, he did everything he could to try and understand the social norms a little better. he can use basic communication with other people and would be capable of making friends, but he’d never been in a situation like this.

-he’d do the typical cheesy romantic stuff at first but you could tell he was unsure. you explained to him that there’s so specific way to do these things and that he should do whatever he feels comfortable with.

-he’d probably continue to be cheesy and romantic at times in a more teasing way when you were alone, but his main love language is acts of service. he’d do things for you to lift some weight off of your shoulders and be more affectionate in private.

-in time he’d become a lot more comfortable with the relationship, especially considering you’re someone he trusts which isn’t a common thing for him.

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mello

-again, it’d probably take him a while to warm up to romantic gestures and stuff like that. the difference is that mello may never fully become super affectionate.

-he may be an emotional person, but it’s very hard for him to communicate his feelings to others. he’d have to trust you a lot to be in such an intimate relationship with you and he knows he can confide in you, but you’d need to help him out a LOT.

-you accept him for who he is and he knows that too.

-after a long day you’re always there to supply him with endless chocolate and random activities to chill him out. you’d watch movies and just cuddle together until you fall asleep.

-you also understand that he needs to be alone sometimes too. in general, you’re his break from a very chaotic life in the best way possible

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matt

-you guys would just be the most chill and friendly couple ever. i feel like dating matt would just be the most comfortable thing ever you’d just be best friends but much more affectionate in the best way

-playing video games together and having lazy days all the time would be the focal point of this relationship. it would be an interesting contrast to matt’s occupation and hobbies. one minute you’re just eating junk food and playing games on the couch and suddenly matt is monitoring 56 surveillance screens and hacking into a database for mello. at this point it’s the norm and he even trusts you to help

-i hc that matt has adhd and can get depressed sometimes, and you help him out of these periods. you recognise when he needs to get out and do something. however, you’d never make a big deal about it unless you had to be a bit more blunt. in the end, he knows that you want the best for him and he trusts you enough to let you help him.

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near

-like L, he wouldn’t be used to the norm of relationships. tbh i feel like he’d be anxious, even if that is uncharacteristic.

-he’d probably remain his usual stoic self even after things had become more comfortable, but all in all he’d be a sweet partner.

-i also think that even though his main love language would be acts of service and stuff like that, he’d love to have you close to him all the time.

-on that same note, i think he would be very protective. he’d be worried to get you mixed up in some of the dangerous things he’s involved in

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matsuda

-SWEETEST BOYFRIEND YOULL EVER KNOW (it goes without saying tbh)

-he would be such a hopeless romantic, super cliche in the best way possible. always getting you flowers or other cute gifts like that and acting very chivalrous but in a relaxed way.

-he would also need reassurance quite a lot. he’s incredibly overlooked at work and isn’t taken seriously most of the time, so you’d need to make sure you told him often how great he is. his self esteem can be low at times but you’d help him through it and it’s what makes him love you so much.

༺♡༻

[silkythewriter]

Hi! I just stumbled upon your blog because of Death Note and that you were accepting requests for it! Can we get a gender neutral reader trying to convince L to put cat ears on? For science? Pretty please? :3 (They might need to bribe him with something sweet for him to do it)

✧Reader putting Cat ears on L!✧

Warnings!: Non!

Fandom!: Death Note!

Author note!: RAHHH TYSM FOR THIS REQUEST IT WAS SO FUN AND SILLY TO WRITE GENUINELY, PLEASE REQUEST WITH MORE IDEAS LIKE THIS!!💞💞💞＼(⁀▽⁀ )／

Summary!: Reader putting cat ears on L! ( ˘ω˘ )

ღ✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬ღ

“Go kitty, go kitty

Go kitty, go, and just

Ride kitty, ride kitty

Ride kitty, roll!”

ღ✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬✬ღ

At first questioned you motives behind it, were you trying to use this as black mail after?, Maybe embarrass him?

It’s just the natural detective in him coming out, but if he finds out it’s purely for fun he’d mello out! (See what I did there? ( =ω= ) )

Bribing him with sweet treats is a must!, brownies, pudding, or cake would do the trick! I feel like his personal favorite is strawberry short cake though so do with that as you will!

Honestly…at first he’d be against it, but just to please you and get back to his work he’ll plop them on and stare at you with his beady eyes for a second

He actually doesn’t mind it, the minute your smile starts beaming at him like sun rays he genuinely forgets about it even being on him, as he just takes in your features and naturally as he does, study it aswell very single small detail.

Sometimes puts it on himself to surprise you just to see your smile, only when alone and in private though which lets be honest with ourselves is most of the time.

As stand off-ish as he is, I feel like depending on how long you two have been together, he would enjoy physically affection, but a bit watered down. As he himself hasn’t had much love in his life let alone romantic affection so at some points in time it’s a bit overwhelming for him.

But trust me when I say this man LOVES when you softly rub your fingers through his scalp like an actual cat. A bit embarrassing on his end? Yea, but I mean… anything for you affection he supposed

He likes running his fingers along the fake cat ear material. The soft fur is very nice quality!, and maybe if they added a bell to the end of the ears he’ll probably fiddle with them while thinking.

He of course takes them off after awhile, much to your dismay, but he does keep them! As a Memory sake and also just to play around with it.

He does get flustered! Hard to tell sometimes but you can always see the small tint of pink on his cheek and the subtle way his body tenses up before becoming jelly in your grasp.

He definitely gets you a matching pair!, he’ll get yours either the color of your hair or alternatively your favorite color!, maybe some accessories to go with it too!

Maybe to go with the ears some oversized hoodies that color match it. Or some sweat pants lord knows this man is obsessed with sweat pants.

He does admittedly like seeing you in matching ears, he can’t put his finger on it but something About just makes his heart thump.

He naps like a cat (on the rare occasions he actually sleeps…if you can even call it that (¬_¬)) he does that thing if you two are sleeping in the same bed, where he just kinda puts his full weight on you and decides to just die for a few hours on you 😭

Put your hands on both sides of his face and pepper his faces with kisses, he might as-well be your own cat cause he’ll protest then question when you go to king without giving him any.

Likes your smell, you can feel the faint sniffing he does when he gently lays his head on your collar bone and has his joes against your neck.

Misa and light once walked in on it and immediately turned around, at least light, Misa tried speaking but light dragged her out. It was awkward for a while after…(ﾒ﹏ﾒ)

He does that thing cat do when you try touching them, like batting your hand away, yea, he does that but when you try taking the ears back 😭

Overall, he loves them… his static face makes it hard to tell but when you match and see the faint smile on his face you know his true feelings!, he loves you and your unique way of showing it (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃

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IM SO SO SO SORRY FOR DYING (again…) I’m working on a way to post regularly without being burnt out so fast (╥_╥)… if you have any tips please do share!, anyway, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED! PLEASE REQUEST AGAIN! :3

[magicaii]

Hello, if you don't mind, can I ask, who are your top favorite romantic relationship's couples in any media, like anime/manga, tv series, books, etc (can be canon or non-canon)? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them....Thanks if you want to answer....

Thanks for the ask! I have some ships that I’ve liked for years, as well as ones I’m currently really interested in, so I can talk about both I guess?

So in terms of ones that have secured a place in my heart, I would instantly think of meronia (mello and near from death note). It took me a rewatch of death note to warm up to them, and it's honestly hard to describe why I like it so much (look through my meronia tag I guess, I've been trying for years lol) but I'm a big fan of both slow burn and rivals to lovers and couldn't get the headcanon of Near having a one-sided love for Mello that persists years after his death out of my head. I like the way they work so well together on an intellectual level and the way they would both challenge and protect each other, and the grief and emptiness Near likely felt in the wake of his death not only resonates with me a lot but is also an interesting thing to dissect. They hardly had a real relationship with each other, and yet, Near must feel his vacancy all the same. I think I mourn the dynamic they could've had with each other had Mello come to accept Near as he is, and wonder what would've happened if they made up (the potential is unimaginable). I also think it's a fun challenge to imagine how Mello might ever reciprocate his feelings, since it's not very believable to me most of the time.

I've really liked oldrivalshipping (green and blue from pokemon special manga) for years but it's a ship I find hard to justify. They don't have a lot of interactions and a lot of fans consider them like a joke pairing? My appreciation of them is mainly based on the potential dynamic between them, taking into account them as individuals. Amongst their peers, Green and Blue are the more jaded, hyperindividualistic, "mature" characters, but while Green (guy) is upfront about it, Blue (girl) hides it very well. I think it's interesting to imagine what could happen if they got closer and how Green would handle Blue's capricious temperament, since I imagine Blue would have a hard time faking it in front of Green (he has a zero bullshit tolerance). In canon, Green has also shown signs that he genuinely cares about and values Blue as a comrade and person, so I don't think it's a stretch to imagine them at least becoming better friends and eventually coming to a deeper understanding with each other. I just think they'd have good chemistry.

I used to be like, really obsessed with dabihawks (dabi and hawks from bnha). As in, my real life friends were hearing about this shit. I don't think I'm quite as enamoured with them compared to before, and they haven't interacted in what, four years? So it's died down a lot, but I can still understand why I was so insane over them. They have really intersting parallels in terms of story, themes, character arcs, and aesthetics. The biggest sell on dabihawks for me is the ideological struggle between the two characters. It's not even so much about the romance, but: what would you do if someone important to you had the polar opposite view on morality to you? What if they fundamentally disagreed with how to handle the biggest issues in your life? They are so completely different in every way, it's definitely no wonder they're enemies, but what if they were not made enemies by the plot, what if they weren't the designated hero and villain? Would they still grow to hate each other because of their inability to see eye to eye? In essence, their conflict goes much deeper than a villain vs hero story, and that's very interesting to me. As for newer pairings:

This is so embarrassing, but, haikaveh (alhaitham and kaveh from genshin impact). This is a super popular pairing so I'm sure I don't need to explain why I like it, but again, it's the combination of slow burn and rivals to lovers. More specifically, I'm obsessed with the idea of someone caring about another person so much that they pay attention to and work around their flaws just to silently help them out as much as possible. Unlike a lot of the fandom, however, I don't headcanon them as currently dating. They have a ton of issues to work out and if they started dating in current canon it would not go well for them. Kaveh is unable to even entertain the idea that Alhaitham genuinely cares for and looks out for him, since he has firmly decided that Alhaitham is a heartless, self-centered egoist. For all his intelligence he has absolutely no clue that Alhaitham likes him beyond an 'intellectual equal' or 'house maid'. Alhaitham, on the other hand, has considerable communication issues and his inability to be kind is part of why Kaveh so stubbornly holds onto this view of him. I think their philosophical struggle is also a worthwhile point of contention since they are both obviously flawed (Kaveh is destroying himself, and Alhaitham is sabotaging the most important relationship in his life).

Gladnis (gladio and ignis from final fantasy 15) really took me by surprise. They seem to have a very deep and mature understanding between each other, and both take their lifelong duty very seriously, albeit in different ways. They've always been on the same side, but don't always seem to agree on the best course of action to take (think about the way they both treat Noctis). This is probably the best time to mention that I really enjoy relationships that hapharzardly border between platonic and romantic in nature. When you're a lot more than friends with someone, but you don't know exactly how to describe your feelings for them. Maybe you don't have time for love, maybe there's something more important at stake. Maybe you just can't bear the idea of having something so painful to lose. Whatever it is, those feelings remain undissected. That's pretty much how I see gladnis. I think the potential for something more is there if you squint, but it's a subtle romance. They already mean a lot to each other and are comfortable with their friendship, and I think their journey has brought them so much grief that they would ultimately seek reprieve elsewhere, just for some sense of normalcy. It's very tragic to me. I'm perfectly fine with a platonic reading of them too!

Lastly, I DO want to mention bkdk (bakugo and midoriya from bnha)... I was the biggest skeptic of them in seasons 1-3. But especially with all the ways Bakugo has developed in the last manga arc and the way he has come to truly understand Midoriya's importance in his life is very satisfying and feels well earned. I personally view bkdk as being most likely one-sided on Bakugo's part (that could potentially develop into mutual feelings when they're a bit older), and while theyre truly learning how to get along, I think they both have personal issues to work on, so if anything, it would be best for these feelings to be explored more when they're adults? I'm also a fan of the platonic interpretation of bkdk though, and I'm not really ride or die with them.

I'm sorry this ended up being so long!! I'm a yapper at heart, so I kept it to six ships hahaha. There are other pairings I like a lot such as sasunaru (naruto), kakaobi (naruto), nejilee (naruto), braime (asoiaf/game of thrones), kirimina (bnha), spinneraki (bnha). I enjoy answering these asks so ppl don't be afraid if you're curious <3

[not-orphaned-account]

Heyooo! I had so much fun answering your asks and want to return the favor. So If you wanna, could you do 6, 27, and 48 for the ask game, please! (no need to do all of them tho!)

This got a little rambly, but I love love love writing headcanons like this!! Thank you for sending some asks mwah mwah /p (also how dare you make me write even vaguely hinted angst /j)

6. How do they make up/apologize after an argument?

 ‘I’m sorry’ comes even more difficult to Mello than the L word, but he has a tendency to internalize all of his actions and work himself into a spiral of guilt. So when they have a genuine argument, Mello storms off to cool down, but when he does he starts overthinking everything he said, until he’s convinced that Matt hates him and is going to leave and the damage is irreparable. At the beginning, this would make him withdraw and not even try to apologize or make things up to him, because he just thought that it wouldn’t matter. But as time went on and he grew to trust both Matt and himself more, he started being able to express his remorse more. Little things, like giving him chocolate or something like that as a sort of peace offering, that gradually grew to physical closeness, like sitting next to Matt on the sofa and laying his head on his shoulder. It’s still hard for him to actually say it out loud, but Matt understands and accepts the way Mello expresses his apologies. 

As for Matt: he recognizes that after an argument, Mello usually needs some space to himself. Matt spends that time thinking back through what happened, trying to follow what it was that made them both so upset. Since Mello is usually the one more prone to explode, it can be hard for Matt to understand his thought process when he gets passionately angry, but he’s trying.

He used to completely push it aside, trying not to think about it, but has grown to learn that not acknowledging their fights just makes it all worse. Now he’s the one more likely to verbally apologize, often wrapping his arms around Mello’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder, murmuring it quietly into his shirt, or brushing his hair out of his face and resting their foreheads together, whispering it into the space between them, keeping his eyes closed to still give Mello even a little bit of privacy in the intimate moment. 

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27. How do they say “I love you” non-verbally? 

Mello’s ‘I love yous’ are almost always nonverbal. They come in the form of acts of service: doing things he normally wouldn’t just to see Matt smile. He’ll listen to him infodump for ages, even though usually doesn’t care or entirely understand what he’s saying. He’ll let Matt drag him away from his work at times to do things he likes, like go out drinking or to see a band. He’ll tag along on the rare occasions Matt participates in a street race, and even though he moans and groans and rolls his eyes, he’s always the one cheering the loudest when Matt wins by a landslide. He doesn’t acknowledge it, and Matt knows better than to call him out on it, but it’s important to both of them.

Matt is a very physical person when it comes to Mello. When he wants to bother him, he’ll poke him until he pays attention, or play with his hair until Mello snaps at him, or kick his foot when they’re sitting near each other just to get a reaction out of him. His way of showing affection is the same: holding his hand, stroking his hair, resting his head in the crook of his neck and just staying there. When they’re laying in bed together, he’ll rest his hand or his head over Mello’s heart and trace his fingers along the edges of his burn; not only is it how he let Mello knows he loves him, it also serves as a way for him to ground himself.

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48. Do they talk about their future together? Why or why not? 

They used to. When they were kids, they’d talk about leaving the orphanage, becoming the greatest detectives, solving mysteries and living out in the world. But as Mello started getting more competitive with Near, his we’s started becoming I’s, and after a while, they stopped talking about their plans.

By the time they reunited, both of them knew there was no point in talking about a future. Matt thinks about it sometimes; about a calm life with Mello, waking up next to him every morning, watching him laugh freely with a pretty ring on his finger. But he doesn’t dare say these thoughts out loud, both because there’s no use, and because he doesn’t want to risk losing Mello again.

And in kind, Mello would never admit that in the darkness of night, with Matt breathing steadily beside him and his nightmares creeping up at the corners of his fraying consciousness, he thinks about the same things.

[whereiselsewhere]

I am back! Sorry to bother you again 😂

Death Note boys with a reader who is like Gojo Satoru? Not powerful or strong but personality wise, likes to annoy people, push people's buttons and generally a menace to society XD Is also actually smart in a way but acts childish. So, like, reader likes to call them nicknames and insults them and argue with them a lot so they think reader hates them but actually it's how they show affection? Someone insults the boys or threaten them and reader just go full on confident, sadistic, scary mode?

I'm so sorry if this was long. Thank you for accepting these, I hope you'll have a lovely day/night! 💗

“A Fun Hell Awaits”- Death Note boys

Headcanons: The boys with an s/o with a similar personality to that of Gojo.

Characters Mentioned: Mihael Keehl, L Lawliet, Mail Jeevas, Touta Matsuda

Category: Crack / Fluff

Author’s Note: HI SYL!! You’re never a bother, don’t worry 💪 Some parts of this request are a little bit like me and you requested my four boys, so this was lowkey self-indulgent to write. I’m here for it! >:) As always, I hope this is to your liking!

Mello:

•Mello has his defences up high when you first meet. If you make a wrong first impression, it may take a while to salvage things, but it’s definitely possible. Although he doesn’t match your act initially, his mindset and manner is the same, if that makes sense? So once he allows it to happen, you totally click, and neither party ever takes an insult to heart unless one of you really crossed a line. If you ever did say something out of order, he’s quick to call it out due to his hot headed nature, so you’ll know about it.

•He’s a little less outwardly childish than you, however, aside from how petty he can get in arguments with people. So naturally, he’s a little surprised when you turn out to be kind of smart.

•A romantic relationship is not unlikely to come from this, but there might be some communication work to be done as things get more serious.

•Considering you’re a total agent of chaos, he might ask for some help in a few plans here and there, but he’ll never ask anything of you that might put you in harm’s way. He knows better than that. Sometimes he even scolds himself later for the little things he does let you do, despite the fact nothing bad happened from it.

•If you’re the type to steal things and run with them, he’ll fully just chase you and tackle you to the floor or sofa, ending up with both of you just struggling to get up in a fit of laughter.

•He’ll try to shrug off any stupid nicknames you give him, insisting he’s not into that sappy stuff. He’s lying; if you stopped he’d soon be questioning what happened to his s/o.

•Mello adores the fact that you have a sharp enough tongue to defend yourself when you feel like it, whether you’re actually mad or just hitting back with something witty for the sake of it. As much as he likes to feel all strong for stepping in now and again, he doesn’t think he could cope with someone who needs him to do that 24-7. He would if he had to, but it would just get on his nerves fast.

•Mello is massively insecure over his scar. It only brings back bad memories, and he thinks it makes him look super unattractive. You’re the first to reassure him he looks hot as hell, though he never really buys it deep down. It’s hard to just undo something like that, after all.

•When he’s insulted over it by a stranger when you’re out together one evening, your mouth opens before you even have chance to think, cussing the guy out, and Mello swears he can feel his heart melting then and there.

•And you’re going IN on this guy, like more than he’s ever seen you do before. He’s like…honoured that you care so much for him, really. He doesn’t see himself as worthy to be cherished that way. Maybe you should do it more often.

L:

•To be honest, you’re gonna have to give him some time. L is a very reserved person who spends most of his time in his own company. Although energetic people aren’t a foreign concept to him, as we’ve seen him warm to Misa to some capacity, he can’t exactly match up to you. You’ll have to be persistent with him and show genuine care at times. Take an interest in what he’s doing, yet not so much that you’re in danger or it’s all you talk about. L needs a break from working more often than he’d like to admit, after all. It’s more just about making him feel seen, if you will.

•That being said, your bright personality becomes like a bit of a breath of fresh air once you’ve been around long enough, and he might just find himself subconsciously falling for you. You’re not around and something feels off, empty in a way, and he just can’t put his finger on it. It’s actually probably Watari or one of the task force who has to call L out on his feelings, which brings on a bit of a lightbulb moment.

•He panics initially. Despite your fierce nature, there’s almost like an urge to protect you from any and all harm. A relationship with L is not only high risk, but the things he’s seen have taken a mental toll on him over the years. The last thing he wants is for you, especially positive and confident as you are, to see and experience the same things he has. He’ll most likely initially push you away due to this fear, then realise he can’t take it and blurt out a confession as if it’s no big deal, just to get it done and over with.

•Staring contests. Don’t ask me why, it just happens. You’re always talking big about how you’re going to beat him next time, and you never ever do.

•Your unpredictable nature keeps him awake, and that’s something he grows to love over time. The sugar may start failing to work, but you come in clutch bestie. 💪

•I don’t think anyone would get the opportunity or have the guts to straight up insult L, but he’s already thought of the scenario anyway. He seriously advises against you going off on anyone, and so there would probably be an argument if that scenario did happen, because he directly told you not to. I’m sure you can win him over with some cake after, though.

Matt:

•He’s definitely a little put off and confused at first. Matt’s generally a very chilled person, and he’s somewhat disoriented by your lack of a filter when you barely know him. He won’t exactly say anything, but he’s often questioning to himself if you’re actually making fun of him or not.

•He does eventually grow to be used to and enjoy your sense of humour, however, and will start doing things back to you.

•Matt would probably love to set up pranks either with or for you. Nothing massively high effort, but really simple ones like the cling film in the doorways. If it’s not for you, it’s probably for Mello, and he’s going to film his reaction every single time.

•If you give him stupid nicknames, he’ll give you them right back. Two can play at that game, my friend.

•He still thinks you’re genuinely trying to argue with him sometimes, so you’ll have to clarify so he doesn’t get pissed.

•Matt isn’t really the type to want to make a huge scene out of small things, so when you stick up for him he’s mostly trying to quietly drag you away. Matt’s good at being able to just roll his eyes and ignore things without them getting to him the majority of the time. So, as much as he appreciates it, he doesn’t need you to defend him. He won’t get mad, exactly, just embarrassed (of himself, not you) when people start looking. Do they think he can’t defend himself? Do people think the situation is worse than it actually is right now?

•He’ll still thank you, because it’s reassuring to know you care so much about him. Matt doesn’t have a deep connection with anyone besides you and Mello, so reaffirming that you’re not going anywhere, whatever form that may come in, is something he is grateful for.

Matsuda:

•Oh he’s really not gonna get it at first. He thinks you totally despise him and starts avoiding you at all costs for a good while. The last thing he wants is to be in your way, after all.

•If you’re on the task force he’s going to have an especially hard time telling apart your loving insults with their serious ones until you outright tell him.

•I think he takes to the nicknames thing specifically, though. He finds it really funny and you’re always trying to see who can up with something more witty or weird than the other.

•I thought specifically a few days ago of calling him tote bag instead of Touta, and now I can’t stop doing that in my own head 💀

•Matsuda can be a really sensitive person, so don’t go too overboard with what you say to him. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a complete no-go, he can take a joke. It’s just that if it’s too often or too personal he might start to distance himself again.

•People tend to come down harshly on him at work, and don’t always like to hear what he has to say. Make sure you don’t completely override all conversations and give him that space to talk. It makes him feel appreciated, despite it being a bare minimum type of thing.

•If you defended him, he’d be yours forever. Like this man would be SO in LOVE. You’ve got more guts than him, and he thinks the absolute world of you for it. He wishes he could stand up for himself though, still.

•He’ll brag about you all the time, including for your charisma. You’re all “cool and smooth” to him. He’s practically starstruck by you no matter how long you’ve been together.

[deathnotescenarios]

Wammy boys, Light, Misa, and Mikami : toxic of healthy relationship?

OOO i love this concept! I do feel like each relationship would be a little toxic in their own way, so I'll add some explanations under each one! I'll put L in here too just bc some people are now yelling at me about how L should be added in all Wammy boys hcs

L Lawliet

I feel like this would be healthy if you are accepting of the fact that L can be secluded and oftentimes would want to be on his own. He would want to protect you and he would deeply care for you, he just needs his alone time to think and solve crimes, yk? And with L you'd definitely know what you're getting into before he ever asks you to be his s/o.

Nate River

Healthy as well, honestly for the same reasons as L. I think Near would often ask you to play with toys with him though, as long as you don't get in his way.

Mihael Keehl

Definitely toxic. Mello does care about you but shows it the wrong way. He'd also put you in danger a lot without ever thinking about it; he's impulsive. Arguments with Mello are always bad and I'm sorry but I know for a fact he would hit you if he felt like it. He's easily irritable and doesn't hold back.

Mail Jeevas

Both toxic and healthy??? It honestly just depends. Matt is lazy and probably won't want to do much. He also smokes and won't stop if you ask him to, and that topic will often start arguments. He's also a procrastinator and will put almost everything off until the last minute, or past it. But he's also extremely loyal and I know if he chose to get in a relationship with someone, he would show them the loyalty he shows Mello. Matt would be a hard person to even start dating in the first place.

Misa Amane

Definitely toxic. "She's clingy and tends to become obsessive" -@kirasgettingreckless

Which is true. She also wouldn't respect boundaries, and would probably embarrass you without knowing or really caring.

Light Yagami

Toxic. If i have to explain myself I'm going to cry.

Teru Mikami

"It depends on your viewpoints on Kira and justice"-Ace

I don't know enough about him to determine that- H

[animeyanderelover]

ok ok so deathnote characters (melli near l and light) with a modern s/o but like the thing is is that they kinda fell through the sky whne l and light were at the park or something so they just look at the s/o like 👁👄👁 while the s/o comes running over explaining how much they love l ( and compleatly ignoring light)

I only did it with L and Light because I don’t seem the dynamic with all four of them working. I can see honestly everything else. Near obsessing over L’s darling or Light’s and the same for Mello and everything else. But I can’t think of this right now. I hope it’s still alright😕. I think I’ll make a separate post for Mello and Near later on.

Modern reader getting transported in Death Note

✍️🍰Light knew already that there were more mysterious things that existed in this universe, the Shinigami following him and the note he had hidden in his room being proof enough of this. He would have lied if he had said he had never asked Ryuk if there were other things as well. But that damn Shinigami just shrugged with his shoulders. L was someone who had always relied more on logical things, but during the Kira case his view on the world changed a bit, accepting the fact that there were things beyond his knowledge.

✍️🍰But no one from the two had expected to witness what had happened on this day. They had just been sitting in the park and doing some small talk, both trying secretly to figure ways out how to win against the other. That was until they had suddenly saw something. For the shortest of seconds...the sky suddenly seemed to split in half, opening a hole before quickly going back to normal. What had that just been? Both of them just stared surprised at the sky. And then they had heard it. Screaming, at first only faint, but it had gotten louder and louder until they had seen a view that nearly caused them to drop their jaws. There you were, falling from who knows which height down. You were yelling something from not wanting to die like this, closing your eyes tightly and praying to whoever you believed in. But shortly before you could end like a pancake you suddenly slowed down, floating softly down and gently landing on the earth.

✍️🍰Both of them just stood there in shock, glancing with blinking eyes back and forth between the sky and you. There was no doubt in their minds that you had been falling through that hole from a few minutes before. But that didn’t help them what that had just been and who you were. You on the other hand had slowly opened your eyes, noticing that you weren’t dead yet and looking like a lost puppy confused around. That was until you were met with the clueless faces from L and Light, your gaze freezing on theirs.

✍️🍰For a few seconds they just looked at you and you just looked at them. That was until a sparkle started appearing and you instantly jumped to your feet and hurried to them, looking amazed at L, circling around him and observing him interested. And that’s when you asked with a hint of excitement if he was L? And that made both men tense up. From where did you know that. You took that as a yes and started instantly explaining that you were a huge fan of his, something from “him being your favorite from the Anime” and excitedly starting to ramble about how much you loved him and that he was incredibly cool. Light just stood there, feeling like he was somewhat in the wrong place. Why were you ignoring him?

✍️🍰L on the other hand was flustered, not only because you knew who he was, but also because of your enthusiasm towards him. By all means, he wasn’t used to suddenly be showered in compliments and praises like this. Not only that, but he was scared that someone would hear you because you had gotten louder and louder during your speech. So he just hushed you and asked you who you were. And you told him proudly your name. Light had gotten a bit awkward, not being okay with the fact of being ignored like this. That’s why he decided to finally step in, asking you what had just happened and why you had fallen from the sky. You turned your head in his direction, the smile you had given L slowly transforming into an frustrated and somewhat angry look, scoffing at him that he should just stay out of it.

✍️🍰L thought it would be the smartest to question you somewhere more private, bringing you into the basement where they were currently working on the Kira case. During the whole ride back there you kept talking to L, even going as far as interrupting Light whenever he tried to join. And Light slowly started to get pissed off by your disrespectful behavior. What was your problem?

✍️🍰The way you were being questioned was much more pleasant than what he had done with Misa and Light, looking more like a friendly chat under old friends. You were served some coffee and cake from Watari, L thinking that you would talk willingly. And you did indeed. By the end of your explanation you looked a bit embarrassed, L staring at you with a neutral expression on his face and Light quirking an eyebrow at you. He really wanted to think that you were nuts, but the fact that you had literally fallen from the sky kept him from labeling you as a lunatic. He did know that supernatural things existed, but this was a bit hard. You noticed that both of them were a bit unsure, offering to give them some proof before pulling your cellphone out and showing them some pictures you had saved about L. A lot of pictures. This seemed to fascinate L, taking your phone and scrolling through the pictures before asking you if you had some more proof. You did, but told him whilst glancing suspiciously at Light that you didn’t want to say this loudly. So you just whispered it in L’s ear, his eyes widening in surprise before giving you a intense look. You just laughed and told him that you wouldn’t tell anyone.

✍️🍰What did you tell him? You told him about the Wammy House and his two successors inside of there. And that managed to convince L, explaining later on that you would live somewhere near here and that this should be kept as a secret between him, Watari, you and Light. Light on the other hand still had his doubts, not fully believing yet that all of this was true. Later on in his room he talked to Ryuk, asking the Shinigami what he was thinking about this. Ryuk just laughed, looking clearly amused by something. When Light asked him annoyed what was so funny Ryuk gave him an answer that made him jump up in surprise. He hadn’t been able to see your name nor your life span above your head, emphasizing that he normally was able to see the name and life span of every human from this world.

✍️🍰That managed to convince Light because even though Ryuk was lazy, he wasn’t a liar. But that meant trouble. You had explained that in your world their world was an Anime, a show which people watched. And that meant that you knew about him. He had of course luck because you had explained that before being thrown into this world you had somewhat heard someone saying that you weren’t allowed to tell them anything too directly. But you were allowed to change the future. That meant if you would somewhat hint L that he was Kira it would be over for him. So what other choice did he have besides killing you. He only hoped that the name you had told him was the right one whilst busily writing down your name in his Death Note. But as soon as he had written it down something strange happened. Your name just disappeared. And no matter how much Light wrote it down, it kept getting erased.

✍️🍰What was that supposed to mean? Did that mean that he couldn’t kill you? Shinigami, tell him what that meant! Ryuk himself seemed surprised by this, chuckling and saying that this was so fun. But then he suggested that this Death Note, and other Death Notes as well, maybe didn’t have the power to kill someone from another universe. And that was just great for Light. The Death Note had always been his best weapon, but now it was useless. It was of course also a choice to kill you with his bare hands. But not only were you already very warily around him, he would also make himself the clear culprit since he was the only one besides Watari and L who knew about your true identity. Not to mention that you had been placed under great security system. What was he supposed to do now?!

✍️🍰You often spent time with the four who knew about your secret, talking with you about the case and L also showing a huge interest in your world and the Anime about his world. He was almost a bit disappointed when finding out that your world, minus Kira of course, was pretty much the same as his. And Light could clearly feel how you always glared silently at him, wishing that he could somehow get rid of you because due to your more hostile behavior towards him L had also started to get more suspicious. He needed to do something about you.

✍️🍰But he never got the chance too. Not because he couldn’t, there were moments where he could have easily gotten rid of you. But more because he slowly started to change his impression he had from you. At first he had thought that you were just an annoying fangirls from L, like all the others he had himself. But you weren’t. You were more than that. You were surprisingly witty and fun to be with. Not only that, but you were also hardworking and had a good heart. You were the kind of human he wanted to have in this rotten world. You were purehearted. Even to him you became a bit more friendly over time despite knowing who he was. He couldn’t help, but sometimes suddenly think that you must have been sent here for a reason. To be sent here from some force that wanted to show Light the embodiment of perfection. So he started to change his plans. Instead of killing you he decided to make you his goddess/god and not only ruling over his world, but over yours as well.

✍️🍰L had been obsessed with you the moment you had arrived here, only pouring fuel into his fire of obsession after proving to him from where you really were. He obsessed over the fact that there was so much more in this universe he didn’t know. What other secrets were out there? Due to this he probably didn’t even realize when his obsession started becoming more romantic towards you, needing a long time until he understood that he had fallen in an unhealthy love with you. And suddenly his questions started revolving only around you, wanting to know very private things about you which even caused you to become uncomfortable.

✍️🍰L had a huge advantage in here because he was your favorite from everyone in Death Note. And that was unacceptable for Light. Why would you, his future queen/king want to spend any time with him? An sugar addicted insomniac? You should realize that Light was your future king, your god, your protector, your everything. But you just ignored him, choosing always L over him. And Light just knew that that bastard enjoyed it.

✍️🍰Both of them knew of their feelings for you and none of them was ecstatic about this. But L had the better cards in this games, being able to convince you into spending the majority of your time with him. And Light couldn’t do much about it, having to bite his tongue whenever he saw the both of you together and almost storming over and rip that guy away from you when he was touching you. The Death Note was maybe his preferred way of getting rid of every obstacle in his way, but by now he was ready to jump on L and strangle him because he didn’t even know that guy’s real name.

✍️🍰Another huge obstacle for Light was Misa, who was for him by now besides L the second biggest pain in his ass. Because you had told him one time before that he should feel glad to have someone as lovely as Misa as his girlfriend, always pushing him away with the words to better spend time with his girlfriend. Misa didn’t know about you for which Light was thankful, but whenever Misa touched him he couldn’t help, but cringe at this. What he wouldn’t have given to have you instead of Misa kissing him.

✍️🍰Now to the separate endings. If Light wins he will get rid of L, which will most likely sadden you very much even though you knew that this would happen. Light would at first try to keep you a secret from Misa, but he won’t be able to hide you forever from her and it will end with Light manipulating her into keeping an eye on you when he is busy with work. Light with his god complex would want to find a way back to your world to get rid of criminals and bad people in there as well. He won’t be just god of his world, but of yours as well. If L wins then you were able to push him with your subtle gestures and words into the right direction and helping him with convicting Light and Misa. L has a undeniable fascination with your world and would use the chance to explore it if he should ever get the chance too. He might find some sweets he hasn’t in his world. But I also believe that he would prefer to stay with you in his world since he is in his world able to keep you with him protect you.

[hetalia-has-a-secretary]

Omg I loved the first date/first kiss prompt can you do one for the axis+ Romano+Prussia please?

It would be my pleasure~ *bows*

First Kiss and Date with the Axis! (Romano, Prussia included!)

Germany:

You think he wouldn't have a special place to take you, huh?

Guess what

You're right

Your first date is actually at his place, so expect to see some cute shaninigans between him and Italy before he finally gets you two alone.

He really wants to get to know you as much as possible, and this being the first date he's really REALLY nervous! And if he's in his home territory he won't be as distracted!

What was meant to be a normal conversation almost felt like an interrogation. What was your last relationship like? Favorite color(s)? Allergies? Do you like potatoes???

He's trying really hard not to scare you off, so you had to gently remind him to calm down and just, talk to you.

From there on out everything went smoothly!

And by the time came he had cooked dinner for you two, and it was DELICIOUS! Then he finished off the date with a cheesecake drizzled with German chocolate.

And if you had any tolerances or allergies, he was more than happy to bake another with you by his side.

The first kiss was obviously as nerve wracking as the first date. He had spotted you on his own work break. You happened to walk down the sidewalk to the building he rented for the world meeting. He took that as an opportunity to talk to you, if you weren't busy Of course.

There was just something about the spontaneous situation that made you glow to him.

You seemed relaxed and in your element, and he zoned out.

Soon enough his lips were on yours, both of you had closed eyes.

Pulling back he seemed speechless, until his phone reminded him it was time to go back into the meeting

Leaving you both flustered but satisfied

Italy:

A first date with a pretty person!?

He's going to want to show you off in someway or another.

So either an expensive restaurant, or an art museum is a must!

But if that's not something you want, or if you want something a gazillion times more relaxed, a cute picnic at a park also works.

Will get distracted by every dog that comes within eye sight.

But we all know, if you decided to date him it was for his adorable antics.

And cooking skills.

Let's be honest, he is really good with the ladies, but for some reason he's extremely mello when around you?

And he is having an actual conversation with you, and only you! You actually get to a point you get into a lot deeper conversation that you expected.

And you find yourself almost sharing your most personal memories. Even if you do, it felt like Italy has taken every word with ad much seriousness as he could.

The first date made you feel like you knew him your whole life, and there was nothing more natural feeling than that.

The first kiss was, oh boy! It was pretty intense, not gonna lie.

You're gonna have to muster the strength to push him off, gently, if you don't want an immediate french kiss.

You two were out shopping, and there was something he wanted that reminded him of his Grandpa Rome, but he couldn't afford it.

You on the other hand could, so you did.

He was so happy when you gave it to him he immediately kissed you out of excitement. He also quickly melted into the kiss when you didn't pull away.

Japan:

Ah yes, a first date at the classic Sakura Festival... In Washington DC.

At least everyone speaks English... Hopefully that's a good thing for you two

Even if you have allergies, Japan does everything in his power to make sure you have a good time.

And all the food stalls and selfies made for some of the best memories. He even bought you a really cute Sakura Pin that you stuck to your bag/shirt!

Not going to lie, it took a while for your first kiss, but it was 100% worth it.

It was the end of one of your dates, you had both decided to stay at his place for once.

It kind of hit him a little bit that you two didn't kiss yet as you made your way to the door.

And like the polite Japan we all know, he made sure to ask you first. Surprisingly enough, he was very confident when he asked.

The kiss was softer than you expected, and kiss lips were sweet and slightly sticky from his tea and ice cream mochi.

It was heaven.

Prussia:

I hope you like loud concerts, because he got tickets to your favorite band.

Don't ask how he got something that was already sold out, he has a lot of time in his retirement.

Either way you did have probably one of the best nights of your life, and even though it seemed like it was just a concert, he also took you out anywhere you wanted to eat. The two of you remembering your favorite parts of the show, and him action like a guitarist with the stolen broom stick he took from the eatery.

No need to be embarrassed, everyone around him was laughing along and cracking jokes with him.

It also hit you how relaxed he was. How natural and in his element he seemed to be. Which couldn't have been any further than the truth.

which didn't come out until that night.

He had shared his concern with you about the concert not being a classic first date, and voiced his concern over not being able to see you again. Somewhere in his mind you didn't like the date.

But he had one last thing he wanted to give you to change your mind and stay by his side.

A very passionate, yet pleading, kiss.

Chapped lips grazing against yours, and the blush on his face afterwards certainly made the decision to stay a lot easier.

Romano:

The king of classic dates is here.

He had been telling you about this one restaurant for a week now, trying to give you the hint he wanted to take you out on a date.

But when you never took the bait, he straight out screamed at you to go out with him. Much to his brother's concern over his angry outburst.

Outbursts aside, he behaved like a complete gentleman. Well, almost. He tried acting like a mob boss because he wanted to seem cool.

But when that seemingly failed to impress you he went back to the basics.

Opening doors, pulling out your chair for you, all the works. And with every accepted invite he seemed to smile more, and calmed down.

The meal was nice and even though he spent most of his time complaining you could still pick up so many things about him. His likes and dislikes, his opinion of turtles, it was a lot of info.

By the end of the date he became unusually quiet.

When you asked him why, he blunty said he was thinking about kissing you.

When you said you didn't mind, he actually refused too. Saying he realized how much better the date could have gone, after all, he did most of the talking.

Fear not though, the second date was a do over, but he let you chose the time and place. This time, he gave you a soft kiss on the lips before saying goodbye. It felt so light, like a whisper of the wind.

Feel free to pull him in again, he'd love that.

[a-for-alternative]

Hello, A! So I was wondering do you have any headcannons about how you and B were like at Wammy's together? PS. I thought dead men tell no tales lol (sorry about the joke if you didn't like it)

// Oh do I ever... Alternative has such potential to highlight things about B’s character that develops him into the killer of Mello’s novel. The lore surrounding the first generation (and the notion of Mello writing about a dead successor that previously filled his position - his predecessor) is more poignant than I think it was intended to come across but here are some headcanons~

Wammys House:

A & B are the first to receive their secondary alias after which it becomes a kind of right of passage for other successors, choosing their own (though often not official) - to A & B, only theirs will ever be legitimate.

A is introduced to B after only 1-2 years of being at the house

A, before becoming a letter, was taken into Wammy’s due to his intellect but only later is selected as the first attempted L-backup, probably pulled from a satellite home 

Alternative & Backup (A’s perspective):

His introduction to B is a pivotal moment for him. After so much loss, he sees this as an opportunity for redemption and a return to a clear path forward, and now it is under threat. B represents for A the physical manifestation apathetic fate, he is foreign in every sense, they cannot even communicate when they are initially introduced. His presence signifies A’s disposability - B is the backup plan for when A fails, like a vulture circling over head, it looms over him like a prophesy he is trying to outrun..  though, B can also overtake him at anytime, relegating him to a future that, from A’s perspective, is neither known nor the success story that he has put so much hope in. The world for Alternative at this point in his life is an unreasonable and precarious place. All he knows, up to this point as a seven year old, is that everything is fragile and must be hard won - and there is no guarantee that one can keep what they have fought or sacrificed to obtain. --- after all, he is in line to replace L and L is about as far from vulnerable as he believes a person can get --- Maybe, B also represents a challenge that requires a level of maturity that he does not yet possess - the inevitable dilemma, that this position is of such consequence to the world, that it needs the best person for it, — and that may not be him...

There is nothing genuine in the sweet smile.

The way he extends an open hand, how his soft, his boyish voice offering “ Hello, Alternative ” …  

A feels an unpleasant sensation snake up his spine like a fever’s chill, empathetic aptitude ringing in his ears with all the incongruence rolling off this boy.

His gentleness feels scripted, words trilling out of his mouth- practiced and angular; absolutely, wholly contrived. A has never meet anyone with such an emptiness in their words and actions…

A returns the greeting with a stony, silent stare - I know what you are. 

They slide up from the open palm to meet the foreign boy’s gaze - Blue eyes resting soft, knowing and stormy, heaven’s skies empty of angels. Alternative is standing his ground, refusing to pretend they are not here for a reason, telling himself, “I’m not afraid…”

 But,  he has never seen anyone with such deep eyes.

 They are the windows into an empty soul, a black abyss,                                                                                             absolutely apocalyptic…

Alternative is capricious in his treatment of B, vacillating between animosity and empathy- at times he’s even conspiratorial , allying himself with B and undermining their superiors- beginning to identify with B (even in spite of the language barriers). Backup is clever and naïve and careless, and unreserved in a way that A wishes he felt safe to be. B is the only one that can truly grasp what he is going through but he is also very strange... -- Alternative struggles with trials & setbacks that roll off Backup’s back with ease. B is several years into his understanding of his eyes and it shapes how he moves through the world, what he feels is worth his pain, what ultimately just doesn’t matter. A is, in some ways, what B might have become if he were a little more ignorant, spared the ever present reminder that this is all so temporary.

Alternative has many faces that none are as acutely aware of as B- it is why he doesn’t take the quips and backhanded apologies personally. Alternative’s identity has been tailored to his circumstances — so much of it he had to leave behind to become this -- to his superiors, he is mature, disciplined and motivated -- exemplary if not a bit too austere. To those that benefit him, he is considerate and trustworthy- and honest. To those that he fears will take advantage of him, he is an arrogant and harsh - conniving and spoiled. When he is caught without a persona on hand, he is awkward, reclusive, and reserved. Despite this, his cardinal traits are eloquence and persistence, he thinks deeply about his place in the world and who he should be but not enough on who he is — Only B is audience to moments when he is short sighted and immature, when he is undone or humiliated - when he is elated or truly.. afraid of what lay ahead of them. When he is sick or less than who he wants to present himself as, B has been there whether he wanted him to be or not.

Alternative is attracted to B though it is initially a disquieting realization, one even he doesn’t entirely understand. It isn’t that B is unusually good looking or charming — though perhaps A has peculiar tastes that B unintentionally satisfies (I can’t imagine him actually trying)... The level of intimacy involved in knowing someone this long, on such a personal and inescapable level has made B a source of unwavering acceptance, — because he had to be. The alternative would have been sleeping next to someone he would gradually come to despise any who really wants to live that way? Yet, B comes to represent stability and unconditional regard that feels a lot like love. There is a fraternal element to it in that B anchors who he is. B is someone that has a history with him that hasn’t been erased or eroded -- that contradicts A’s perception of the world as fragile or finite - it is comforting to have something seemingly permanent ... and terrifying that he cannot start anew, if he doesn’t like who he is and cannot be hidden in the obscurity that L enjoys.

When B begins to insinuate an interest in something more, A is not initially receptive and becomes genuinely distressed. This doesn’t translate with any logical sense to B, who believes it’s born out of A’s latent fears of realizing his own sexuality...  But, by the time they are entering late adolescence, A is more concerned with the prospect of romance and that becoming L is destined to be a lonely path. He sees their childhood in it’s twilight as a tragic loss that cannot be reclaimed or rewritten, and B’s subtle advances as destructive to the purity of their friendship -- but he can’t stay a child forever even if he feels a sense of unfinished business surrounding it and he can’t keep B there either... It takes B’s attention shifting elsewhere for A to begin softening to the idea that B isn't ruining what's between them but expanding on it.

Alternative has experienced depression -- at some point he was prescribed SSRIs, as a part of basic care for successors. While it does alleviate the depth of his lows, he begins to worry that it is dulling the sharpness of his mind, which he has come to see as central to his self-worth. It may have no foundation in reality but A develops an inconsistent relationship with any medication prescribed to him out of those fears. In the end, - there are some things medicine cannot fix...

A few other small things:

- A loves the smell of lavender and grass, it reminds him of his home though as he gets older this memory is more elusive and he begins to wonder if they memories from funeral flowers or even if they are impressions left over from a dreams.. did he even attend his parents funeral?

- A knows they aren’t allowed to take pictures of each other in Wammy’s for good reason but when Y sneaks a camera into the house one summer evening, he is can’t deny there is something precious about having pictures of B perched on the railing of the back steps - his hair sweep by the wind just as he turns his eyes to look, soft unfocused, — like the tender look he gives him just as he wakes up in the morning before he remembers who they are. A traces the lines of his face while lying beneath his bed, where he tucks it between the boards. It’s only a few years later that he will see how much his friend has matured. -- B hates photographs and will place them face down when they go into Roger’s office. Roger has never understood why.

- A drinks his coffee and tea black as tar. B thinks it is terribly bitter but will bring it to him anyway, unaltered. There is something uniquely enjoyable in knowing that B doesn’t need to be told what he likes~

- A is borderline masochistic though perhaps only B has any inkling of it. He would probably never acknowledge it openly... it is degrading to get a charge out of being hurt.

- A loses his faith around age 10 but still believes that he might as well act as though there is a purpose in being good and not just adept and ruthless. The only alternative, from A’s perspective, is to believe that everything he has been through meant nothing and he will ultimately change nothing. And, that may be too painful a philosophy for him to embrace. 

- A’s worst injury occurred when he was deliberately shoved off the roof by an irate B ( thatvhe provoked). While it was a watershed event for A coming so close to death and experiencing the consequences of pushing B beyond that point of caring about consequences... For Backup, this a was also critically informative event, an exercise proving the numbers were infallible -- he was genuinely surprised that A survived the fall and, to a greater degree, surprised that he felt regret in having done it ... left alone in their room to wonder for days, searching for the contraband pictures from that summer A had hidden that could prove if A was even still alive....

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #13: Erika Amaral.

Film sociologist Erika Amaral on the blossoming of Brazil’s women filmmakers, the joys of queuing for the movies, the on-fire Brazilian Letterboxd community, and the sentimental attachment of her entire nation to A Dog’s Will.

“It is hard to produce art without institutional support and it is very complicated to produce art during this tragic pandemic.” —Erika Amaral

In the wide world outside of English-language Letterboxd, Brazil occupies a particularly fervent corner. Sāo Paulo-based feminist film theorist Erika Amaral has connected with many other local film lovers through her Letterboxd profile, and for anyone with an interest in Cinema Brasileiro, her lists are an excelente place to start.

From her personal introduction to Brazilian film history, to her own attempts to fill gaps in her Latin American cinematic knowledge, Erika’s well-curated selections are a handy primer on the cinema of the fifth-largest country in the world, and its neighbors. These lists sit alongside her finely judged academic deep-dives into filmmakers such as Luis Buñuel, Glauber Rocha and Sarah Bernhardt.

Endlessly fascinated by how “the history of cinema is all intertwined”, Erika has also written on Jia Zhangke for Rosebud Club, is an Ana Carolina stan, enjoys collecting films directed by women featuring mirrors and women, and, like all of us, watched many remarkable movies during quarantine.

Suzana Amaral (left, rear) with cast and crew on the set of her film ‘A Hora da Estrela’ (Hour of the Star, 1985).

Olá, Erika. Please give our readers a brief introduction to your brilliant Introduction to Brazilian Film History list. I’m so happy to see this list getting popular! I’m a sociologist interested in film and gender studies. It’s been four years since I started studying Brazilian film history but my passion for film is much older. I tried to combine those two aspects in this list; films that are meaningful to me, historically relevant films, and historically relevant films erased from film-history books, for instance, those directed by women. The main purpose of my list is to highlight Brazilian women filmmakers’ fundamental contributions to Brazilian cinema.

I listed some absolute classics such as Hour of the Star by the late director Suzana Amaral, and other obscure gems such as The Interview, by Helena Solberg, which is a short feature released in 1966 alongside the development of Cinema Novo. Solberg’s work was hidden for decades. No-one knew about it. In Brazil, especially in the field of film studies and feminist theories, we are experiencing the blossoming of public debates, books being released, and film festivals that look specifically into films such as Solbergs’s and [those of] many other women directors, including Adélia Sampaio, the first Black female director to release a feature film in Brazil in 1984, Amor Maldito. We need these debates on Letterboxd as well, so I wrote this list in English.

As a representative of the passionate Brazilian community on Letterboxd, can you provide some insight into the site’s popularity where you live, especially for those of us who have not learned Brazilian Portuguese? I feel at home using Letterboxd. Everywhere I see Brazilian members posting reviews in both Portuguese and English. It’s a passionate community. It’s directly related to Twitter where Brazilian cinephiles are so active and productive, always sharing film memes (and even Letterboxd memes). Many content creators are using both Letterboxd and Twitter to showcase their podcasts, classes and film clubs. I once started a talk at a university for film students mentioning that my Masters research project came into life when I watched Amélia, showing my mind-blown Letterboxd review in the presentation. I follow many of those students now and it is so good to be connected. Brazilian Film Twitter and [the] Brazilian Letterboxd community are on fire!

Alexandre Rodrigues as Buscapé in ‘City of God’ (2002), directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund.

When uninitiated cinephiles think about Brazilian cinema, City of God is most likely top of the list. It’s the only Brazilian film to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards (despite co-director Kátia Lund being shut out!) and it’s the only Brazilian film in IMDb’s Top 250. After nearly 20 years, is it fair for City of God to represent Brazil? Of course, it is fair for City of God to represent Brazil! The only problem is if we think all Brazilian cinema is exclusively City of God. The film is entertaining, well-directed, has a great cast, but it has some flaws—for example, the aestheticization of violence and misery in Brazil, which scholar Ivana Bentes calls the “cosmetics of hunger”. Even so, it is a great film and it captivated Brazilian and international audiences. We shouldn’t limit any country to only one or two films.

If you enjoy City of God, check my list for Brazilian films directed by women in this period, which we call “Cinema da Retomada”—the renaissance of Brazilian cinema after the economic problems [that] hampered the film industry in the 1990s.

Selton Mello and Matheus Nachtergaele in beloved Brazilian comedy ‘O Auto da Compadecida’ (A Dog’s Will, 2000).

Several Brazilian films have stunningly high ratings on Letterboxd, giving them a place on many of our official lists. This includes A Dog’s Will, which is in the top ten of our all-time Top 250. On Letterboxd, A Dog’s Will reviews are cleanly divided into two camps: Brazilians (who absolutely love it) and everyone else (who fail to understand its popularity). What drives this home-team spirit? People truly love A Dog’s Will! It’s funny, has a fantastic rhythm, and it references many aspects of Brazilian culture, especially regarding north-eastern Brazilian culture. It was shown both as a film and as a miniseries infinite times on the largest and most popular television channel in Brazil. I can’t help mentioning that A Dog’s Will portrays Jesus Christ as a black man and Fernanda Montenegro as Brazil’s patron saint, Nossa Senhora Aparecida. It’s a brilliant moment for Matheus Nachtergaele, one of the greatest Brazilian actors ever.

Can you offer us a ‘Gringo’s Guide to A Dog’s Will’? I love the idea of a ‘Gringo’s Guide to A Dog’s Will’! You need to have good subtitles. The beauty of A Dog’s Will is that it is regional but it was made to be understandable to all of Brazil. You are going to need subtitles that [cover] the expressions, slang and proverbs—not mere translations. I would recommend watching some other films from north-eastern Brazil; Land of São Saruê, Love for Sale and Ó Paí Ó: Look at This. This can help you understand other social and cultural dimensions of Brazil beyond, for instance, City of God. A Dog’s Will is a movie that we would watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon with the family, so we have a strong sentimental attachment to it.

Leonardo Villar bears the weight of a cross in ‘The Given Word’ (1964).

Religion plays an important role in Brazilian cinema—for example, one of the few Brazilian films to win the Palme d’Or is the masterful The Given Word. Is this connection a part of what makes Brazilian cinema so potent for the local community? Religious symbolism and religious beliefs are extremely significant in Brazilian cinema. Its presence in cinema seems to address our daily challenges, rituals, history, but not always apologetically—as you can see in the despair of Zé do Burro in The Given Word. Religion does not seem to help him. There’s nowhere to run. The spiritual belief, as well as the cross itself, is a weight on his shoulders.

So you see, religion in Brazilian cinema is so potent because we can think beyond it, we can understand how people relate to their beliefs and how sometimes religion can fail a person. That’s what happens when a priest falls in love with a local girl (The Priest and the Girl), when a curse falls upon a man who turns against his people (The Turning Wind), when we teach fear and sin to young girls (Heart and Guts), when religion becomes a determining way of life that does not pay back efforts (Divine Love), when we accept the possibility of going against religious institutions (José Mojica Marin’s, AKA Coffin Joe, films).

We have all these movies fascinated by religion and how it creates meaning in our society. This is just from Christianity, because if we think of African and Indigenous heritage, we have another whole dimension of films to reflect upon, such as Noirblue and the documentary Ex-Pajé.

We have some Brazilian films in our Official Top 100 by Women Directors list, including The Second Mother, which sits in the top five with City of God. Who are some overlooked female Brazilian filmmakers that you want to celebrate and put on our map? Undoubtedly Juliana Rojas and Gabriela Amaral Almeida. They’re both on the horror scene and their work is astonishing. I strongly recommend Hard Labor and Rojas’ latest film Good Manners (if you are into werewolves). I can’t even pick one for Almeida—The Father’s Shadow and Friendly Beast are awesome. Beatriz Seigner’s The Silences—filmed in the frontier between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru—is really impactful. Glenda Nicácio’s films, co-directed with Ary Rosa, are among my favorite recent Brazilian films. Watch To the End immediately!

Eduardo Coutinho’s ‘Twenty Years Later’ (1984).

Brazilian documentarian Eduardo Coutinho has not one, not two, but three of his films in the Official Top 100 Documentaries list, including the all-time number one Twenty Years Later. Can you describe Coutinho’s significance in Brazil? Coutinho is a monument! Coutinho is an institution! Coutinho is everything. His works are of strong political importance, as you can see in Twenty Years Later. A movie he was making in 1964 was interrupted by the dictatorship installed in Brazil, and the main actor and activist, João Pedro Teixeira, was murdered, then his wife Elizabeth Teixeira had to flee and change her identity.

The documentary follows Coutinho and his crew looking for the actors from his movie from twenty years before. Later, his works developed many different tones and formats as you can see in Playing, an experimental portrayal of real women and their personal experiences side-by-side with actresses representing their real-life events as if in a play. Playing was one of the mandatory films to be analyzed for [my] Film School entrance exam, so I had to watch it a million times in 2017. His works are profound studies on Brazilian people and culture—piercing, but also delicate.

Contemporary documentaries are also doing well; Petra Costa’s latest, The Edge of Democracy, was nominated for an Oscar, and Emicida: AmarElo – It’s All for Yesterday was briefly Letterboxd’s highest-rated film late last year. How are these docs tapping into the zeitgeist? Those are both very different films. Emicida is part of a strong and structured movement against racism, against the marginalization of Black people, against limiting the access to art and culture to certain social groups, which is a common practice in the history of this country. Petra Costa’s documentary is another form of reflection on contemporary politics but in a melancholic tone since, recently in Brazil, we have been facing political storms such as the impeachment of ex-president Dilma Roussef, the imprisonment of ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (who has recently been declared not guilty), and rising far-right politicians. Not to mention another of our losses, the still-unsolved killing of Marielle Franco, a Black and lesbian political representative. These films have helped us face these difficulties and try to gather some hope for the future.

Bárbara Colen (center) and villagers in ‘Bacurau’ (2019).

How has Brazil’s cinema industry been affected by the one-two punch of the pandemic on top of ongoing social and political issues? And, can you talk a bit about how the acclaimed Cannes-winner Bacurau shocked the nation two years ago, and in what ways the film confronted these problems? This question is challenging because there’s so much happening. At this moment, we have 428,000 deaths [from] Covid and we are still mourning the Jacarézinho favela massacre in Rio de Janeiro. We have very troubled political representatives that are not fighting Covid in an adequate way to say the least, and we have had major cut downs in the cultural sector since, in Brazil, a lot of artistic and cultural projects are developed with governmental incentives. It is hard to produce art without institutional support and it is very complicated to produce art during this tragic pandemic.

Right before this chaos, we had Bacurau. Actually, I have a pleasant anecdote about my experience with Bacurau. Everybody was talking about how it was going to premiere at a special event with the presence of its directors. We had some expectations regarding the premiere because it was going to be free of charge and it would take place at the heart of São Paulo, the Avenida Paulista, in an immense theater.

We arrived at 1pm to form a line and people were there already. I discovered through Twitter that the first boy in line was hungry so I gave him a banana. I had brought a lot of snacks. The line was part of the event, and it got so long you couldn’t believe it. It was great to see so many friends and people gathered to see a movie—and such an important movie! There weren’t enough seats for everyone but they exhibited the film in two different rooms so more people could enjoy it.

I love everything about that day and I think it helps me to have some perspective on cinema, culture, politics and what we can accomplish by working collectively—people uniting to fight dirty politicians, people joining forces to fight social menaces, generosity, empathy, fight for justice and the power of the masses.

The life of 17th-century nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is explored in María Luisa Bemberg’s ‘Yo, la Peor de Todas’ (I, the Worst of All, 1990).

Would you like to highlight some films from your neighboring countries? I have been watching some fascinating films from South America. Bolivian filmmaker Jorge Sanjinés has an extensive filmography and his films were the first to portray characters speaking Aymara. I really like his Ukamau. I also love Argentine director María Luisa Bemberg’s films, such as I, the Worst of All. I’m currently studying Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona, from Guatemala. I have no words to say how incendiary this film is. You’ll have to watch it for yourself!

Who are three Brazilian members that you recommend we all follow? Firstly, I recommend you follow my beautiful partner in crime and cinema, Pedro Britto. Secondly, a fantastic painter and avid researcher of Maya Deren and Agnès Varda, my adored friend Tainah Negreiros. Finally, I recommend you follow Gustavo Menezes, who is the author of many excellent lists [about] Brazilian cinema. He’s also the co-founder of a streaming platform called Cinelimite, which everyone should take a look at.

Related content

Silvia’s Cinema Novo list

Gabriela’s Cinema Brasileiro master list

Serge’s list of films that have won the Grande Otelo (Grande Prêmio de Cinema Brasileiro for Best Film)

Follow Erika on Letterboxd, Tumblr and in print

Follow Jack on Letterboxd

[that-was-anticlimactic]

Ninjago (Marching) Band AU Headcanons

(they’re all like the same age in this because the plot demands it, so we’ll just say they’re all juniors right now)

Lloyd would play the Baritone in band class and in marching band

Zane would play the Flute in band class and marching band

Kai would play the Trumpet in band class and marching band

Jay would play Alto Saxophone in band class and marching band

Cole would be in Percussion, and would play the Tenor drums in marching band, so he’d be in drumline

Nya would play Trumpet in band class and Sousaphone / Contra in marching band

Pixal would play French Horn in band class and Mellophone in marching band

no but Nya is definitely strong enough to march contra and she would definitely do it

Cole would be co-section leader, as center snare is usually section leader but Cole is a really good leader so they co-lead

Nya is assistant section leader for the contra section

oh and Nya also definitely is like ripped and wears sports bras or ties her shirt up in the back for rehearsals. Like that is her usual marching band outfit

Zane is like the one guy in the flute section but like he loves it and the girls platonically love him so much. He’s also one of the more quiet leaders in the section, like he isn’t as out there I guess as some of the others in the section but he helps out and contributes so much

Oh like this boy, Zane, he freaking. He always has pads and tampons on him for the girls in his section. He also always has advil. Always. Sometimes he’ll bring chocolate for them like he takes care of them

also he definitely mutters angsty things under his breath when the directors say something stupid (because let’s be honest, they can sometimes)

Lloyd wouldn’t be leader, this boy just wants a break and he doesn’t want to be leader. He just wants to enjoy the activity with his friends and his section!

Playing baritone also helped Lloyd’s arm strength and now this boy has like… super strong arms now

Kai isn’t a leader as well, he’s kind of like Lloyd in where he does it for fun too, playing the trumpet really helps de-stress him and like, hardcore calms him down, he loves the sound of the trumpet and just blasting it

But like if you’re talking too much on the field or messing around or being a trashy person, Kai will put you in your place. Like he will shush you even though he’s not leader.

Kai can also hit the high range on trumpet really well

oh and Kai fits in so well with the trumpets. Like the trumpets love him and he loves them. (I sit in front of trumpets in band class… Kai definitely has a trumpet personality, but he’s more respectful than the ones in class lol)

Cole takes marching band super seriously because he loves music so much, and he loves playing the tenor drums so much. He likes that they are like the heaviest thing to march with, only rivaled by bari sax and contras.

Cole can carry the tenors with ease, but it makes him sore and it kills his back a lot but like, Jay gives him massages and it helps

But also he like doesn’t talk on the field and he gives every run his best and you best bet he duts as he plays

Jay loves saxophone! He loves its weird shape and he loves playing and he loves being with his section

He has some trouble standing still at set, but he tries and sometimes he just says screw it and moves because he wants to

Also Jay breaks reeds when he’s frustrated:/

Lemme specify, he breaks his old reeds when he’s frustrated. He keeps old, brokenish reeds in his drill charts and if he feels frustrated he takes them out and breaks them:)

He hates the neck strap as well

They give him terrible tan lines

Oh speaking of tan lines, Kai and Nya, holy trash do those two tan. Like they’re tan lines are crazy

they all sit together on the band bus for competitions and have a blast

Kai and Jay and Lloyd once made everyone bring their ds and there was a huge tournament

Ed and Edna make the best section bags for the saxophones like… they bake the best things and find the cutest little fun things to entertain them for bus rides

The saxophones actually love the Walkers so much

The Walkers throw the best section parties

Sensei Wu is head band director also

Sensei Garmadon is the visual director, like he is the best at marching and teaching marching

side note, Zane and Nya are the best marchers and Lloyd is probably the worst marcher. Like he’s not bad, he just struggles a bit more than everyone else.

He definitely improves though! Like he works so hard at becoming a better marcher and he’s just as good as Cole, Jay, and Kai!… Zane and Nya are just… they’re really really good

Cole and Kai are the best musicians

Jay is the best at keeping everyone in a good mood and pumped during the hard days

also Jay is the best performer out of the group. He is always in character and it’s amazing

Cole practices the most out of all of them if we’re being real

Oh and Lou wasn’t the biggest fan of Cole joining percussion at first, especially marching band. He wanted Cole to stick to more classical and play in orchestra or play flute or oboe or something but he’s learned to appreciate Cole’s talent in percussion

After Lou accepts that Cole is in percussion and realizes his son’s talent (at the end of Cole’s freshmen year marching season when he played base five), he becomes essentially a uniform mom. He joins them and helps take care of the uniforms hardcore. He’s helped out with color guard once or twice too, as he was a famous dancer when he was younger.

But yeah, Cole played base five as a freshman and then moved up to tenors his sophomore year.

Also Cole and the other two people who march tenor have this tenor break where they’re in the center of the field and it’s like just the three of them or everyone else is super quiet and like… it sounds incredible! Cole’s in the middle and the three flip sticks and dut and make facial expressions like oof it’s good

Zane also definitely has a flute solo like… this boy is really good at his flute

Kai probably has a trumpet solo too. Like, since he’s the best at hitting those high notes, he has this one note solo thing where he plays really high and really loud

Zane can also play the oboe. He can play clarinet too… and Pixal is teaching him French horn… and he can play the piano… he’s talented

Jay can also play tenor saxophone, but he prefers alto

Nya literally chose to march Contra out of spite.

Nya, when trying to choose what instrument to sign up for: you know, I think marching Contra would be kind of fun. I’ve always wanted to learn a second instrument

Some idiot: pfft, you’re a girl. You can’t march Contra, that thing’ll crush you

Nya: *furiously* okay it’s decided I’m playing Contra next year yes hello I’d like a Contra I will begin conditioning and will play cOnTrA

Needless to say, both Nya and Cole have conditioning to go to every year. They don’t mind it, though. They think it’s a fun workout.

If we’re being real, the main reason Jay wants their band to make it to state is because he wants state milk:/ (when bands in my state make it to state, we go to Lucas Oil Stadium and they provide us with milk because they sponsee it or something idk)

Oh and did I mention Dareth is the pit director?? No?? Well he definitely is the pit director

And he loves the people in pit. Like Dareth loves them all like they’re his children and sometimes he’s weird and says weird things or makes weird analogies, but like the kids love him. He cares so much

Ronin works with percussion too, but like, with drum line! He’s a great snare player!

Mystake is like… the past band director. You know, the scary older one that retired but comes back to help? That’s her.

Neuro would be one of the music directors, he works more with woodwinds than brass! Everyone loves him also! Like he can always tell when they all need water breaks or a mush break but he will also call you on your crap if he has too. Oh he works primarily with the flutes, which Zane thinks is cool because he’s the only male flute

The Police Commissioner is also more of a visual tech, and he works primarily with the baritones. He can be kind of intense sometimes, but he has a kind heart and a soft spot for the baritone kids.

Cyrus Borg is actually the bands drill writer! So he writes all of their formations and stuff!

Speaking of, Misako writes the music for the band! Or, is the arranger at least!

Oh and Dr. Julien is a great band dad! He helps build props and stuff!

Sensei Yang is one of the techs. He’s really really harsh, but he does it with love! He never crosses the line into insulting, but he scares a lot of the kids because he points out like every mistake. He has a soft spot for Cole, though. He likes his passion. He works primarily with trumpets.

The Mailman is that one director that’s there like… every few weeks for one day and just silently wanders around, observing. Sometimes he’ll say something to you but sometimes he’ll just watch and smile and nod or frown and shake his head. Then he won’t come back for a week or two. The clarinets like him, though, he spends most of his time with them when he’s there and like… actually talks to them and works with them sometimes in sectionals, just not so much on full field. He’s kind of funny, he makes them laugh

You can best bet Jay loses or forgets his drill the most

Lloyd is a close second

The flute section, contras, and trumpets all have drill boxes that the leader (or Zane) holds onto

Kai’s that person who brags about never losing their drill but then loses it one day and silently fumes and pouts all rehearsal

I haven’t said much about Pixal, have I? Well this queen loves French horn. She likes it more than mellophone, but like, she’ll play mellophone in marching band.

Like Lloyd, marching mello has made her arms stronger.

And also like Kai, she’s not leader but she will sass you if you talk on the field or treat others like trash or something

The whole band kind of has this like… unspoken respect for the two of them??

She will also destroy you if you touch her mellophone without gloves on I kid you not

Kai: oh Pix, I’ll carry you’re mello for you! My trumpet is small I ca-

Pixal: kAI I SWEAR TO THE FSM IF YOU TOUCH IT GLOVELESS I WILL SCREAM

Oh and Pixal is the BEST with the freshmen and newbies! She loves working with them and forming friendships with them!

You best bet the team jams together all the time. They’ll go back to The Bounty or their dojo or meet in someone’s basement and they’ll play their instruments.

They particularly like playing songs like The Weekend Whip or After the Blackout;)

Jay’s that person who screams “COVER YOUR KEYS” when it starts to rain

Oh and Zane, Cole, Pixal, and Jay all do pit orchestra for musicals! Cole plays piano for it, though!

Cole, Kai, and Jay are in jazz as well! Cole plays drum set for jazz, though! The three are in an advanced jazz class!

There’s also a really high chance Lloyd might be drum major their senior year… he wa offered it his junior year but he turned it down because he wanted to march another year and because he didn’t want people to think he was being favored because he dad and uncle are directors:/ also because he joined marching band for fun and didn’t want a leadership position but he also kind of really wants to be drummajor and he is confused:/

But he talked to his friends about it and they assured him that no one would think that because Lloyd would be a really good drummajor and that may take some fun out of the band experience but he works hard for the band and he deserves it so… he’ll probably say yes next year!

Skylor plays baritone, and she and Lloyd get along so well

Morro plays trumpet and he and Kai butt heads from time to time because Morro isn’t always the nicest to Lloyd.

Morro wanted to be drum major but they offered it to Lloyd instead of him and then chose someone else when Lloyd said no and heard Lloyd was probably going to take it next year and is being angsty about it

Karloff would play Contra if we’re being real here

Karloff actually wants to go into a career where he either fixes instruments or he makes them! He has definitely taken some instruments apart before like… screws and all

Harumi would play clarinet. She has a clarinet personality. She also has some issues with the group, she’s not the biggest fan of them and she’s more of one of the ones who thinks Lloyd is spoiled and gets special treatment but she’s trying not to feel that way sometimes:/

Griffin Turner plays alto saxophone, he and Jay get along super well! Turner is actually thinking of playing tenor saxophone next year!

Shade would play base drum in drum line, if we’re being real. I was thinking a lot on what he should play and like… he seems like someone who would play Base Four. He’s just bitter enough, you know?

And he acts like he doesn’t care and he acts like he’s rather play snare, but he secretly loves playing base drum. It suits him.

Faith would be in pit, she’d play marimba. She just recently moved to Ninjago and has some trouble fitting in and communicating with others, but music is like a universal language and she expresses herself through her marimba and the other people in pit love her and help her and treat her as an equal:)

Oh and Faith is going to be in drum line with Cole and Shade next year! She kind of wants to play tenors with Cole since one is graduating, and Faith is freaking strong, but she’ll be fine with base drum or snare drum!

Brad Tudabone would play French horn / mellophone as well. He’s one of the underclass men that Pixal has essentially adopted as her son

Gene would play trumpet sorry I don’t make the rules. He was kind of cocky at first because he was first chair in his middle school band but he got set straight with the help of Kai. Kai actually has taken him under his wing since he reminds Kai of himself from when he was a freshman.

Tox, surprisingly, plays the flute. She almost, almost went with trumpet or Contra, but she found the sound of the flute calms her. She’s not always the most patient person but like, playing the flute helps and hey, sometimes the flutes need someone super freaking tough and ready to fight in their section

Chamille plays clarinet. She was thinking of playing baritone or trumpet, but she wanted to be with Harumi (get it because in Hunted she goes evil… yeah… I know that’s cringey) but no like Chamille can play basically everything. Like, out of everyone in the band she probably can play the most instruments so choosing what to play was really hard but Harumi was good at convincing her the clarinets needed her. She would be willing to switch, though, if the clarinets had too many people and another section needed more

Seliel plays trumpet along with Kai, Morro, and Gene. She fits the trumpet section very well.

Mr. Paleman would play Mellophone and French horn. He gets along with Pixal kind of well since he’s sassy but ya know it’s a good time. He likes it!

Bolobo would play Contra. That’s… that’s it… he’s strong and he loves it

Ash and Jacob play in pit. They’re more quiet and reserved and they feel like they fit in with the pit, even though they can be a bit outgoing sometimes! Jacob plays the synth and Ash plays vibraphone!

People who fight when people diss marching band: Kai, Jay, Nya, Faith, Karloff, Morro, Tox, Seliel, Chamille, Jacob

People who just roll their eyes but don’t say anything: Zane, Skylor, Lloyd, Brad, Gene, Harumi, Griffin Turner, Paleman, Bolobo

People who give you the death glare but stay silent and make you wish you said nothing: Cole and Shade and Ash.

Jay goes the most all out for spirit week the last week of band camp

He’s also the one who complains about the sun destroying him the most during band camp

Jay will always be ginger to me, so this boy burns like trash. He always gets one terrible sun burn every year. He had to put a towel in between his neck and neck strap one time it was that band. He also burned his fingers once (I say this all from experience… I’m ginger… I have been burned so badly in marching band that I needed a towel and had to bring aloe to band with me and yes two season ago even my fingers got burnt)

He’s that person who curses the sun and says that the sun is his greatest enemy

Although, since he grew up in the desert, Jay’s sunburns turn into tans. So he’s usually beautifully tanned by the end of the season (that does not happen to me, though)

The first few weeks of band camp, all the freshmen are kind of scared of Cole because he’s so strong and serious looking and passionate about music but after awhile they realized he’s just a passionate sweetie who sometimes has trouble talking to people and better expresses himself through music!

Cole also wears a lot of black, it’s just who he is and what’s in is closet because even though he loves orange the most, he just likes being broody and the color black but like… wearing black to band camp is a bad idea. He does it every year and every year he swears not to do it again but every year he does it… he also does it multiple times a year and ignores when everyone tells him that he’ll regret it

Cole’s hair is also always in a man-bun during rehearsal

Kai does that too. He’ll wear stupid clothes to band camp. One time he wore jeans for the sole reason because someone said he couldn’t survive a day of band camp in jeans. He did survive but he almost passed out.

It’s already been made clear that Ed and Edna are the best section parents ever, but they go all out for band camp. They bring the saxophone section lunch like twice a week and they bring them snacks after rehearsal, like popsicles and stuff they adore it!

Cole loves band camp for the constant music, but also because he loves being outside so much and he loves the trees and he loves just being in the outdoors for hours straight!

Kai is all about band camp. Like the first week he loves it and he’s so ready and then he slowly gets more and more tired and has some regrets. He still loves it, he just loses like half of his energy haha

Nya and Cole do stupid things sometimes like…

Nya: hey wanna see me march with TWO contras?! One on each shoulder, baby!

Zane: nYA NO

Oh yeah, Zane is basically their impulse control because Kai, Jay, and Lloyd just laugh or stand in awe depending on how it goes

Cole: hey no it’s fine, I’ll carry all three of the tenor drums. I’m strong enough I’ve got this! Just stack them on top of each other… yeah… just like that… don’t worry, I’ve got them it’ll be fine!

Zane: you’re stupid. Don’t do that. Why are you all letting this happen someone taKE THE TENORS OFF OF HIM

You best bet Lloyd once wore a fedora to rehearsal

One time. Lloyd forgot to bring water to rehearsal and he was like it’s not too hot, I’ll be fine. But then it got hot and luckily he didn’t pass out but. he had so many. regrets.

The team are those people who run around the band and yell “BAND IS NOT A DATE” when they see people holding hands or like… being romantic

Misako has come to a few rehearsals to watch her son and husband and to listen to how the band is playing her arrangement and give advice and this happened

Misako and Garmadon: *are holding hands*

Jay: BAND IS NOT A DATE

Misako and Garmadon: it’s marriage!

Have I mentioned Cole, Zane, Chamille, and Skylor all can toss flags in color guard??

Because they can.

Cole almost joined color guard. He thought it was kind of cool, and he thought his dad may like that, but his love for percussion and music was so strong and powerful he decided he’d rather do drum line and he does not regret his decision

Mm Zane, Cole, Jacob, and surprisingly Lloyd all have perfect pitch

It kind of runs in Lloyd’s family, as his uncle and parents are all involved in music

Jay has a terrible sense of pitch

Also Jay hates concert F, or the alto saxophone’s D. He hates it because altos can’t tune to it but they play it for tuning so much. He is very verbal about it.

Wu: *warming the band up* okay, concert F everyone!:)

Jay: *intended to be under his breath but actually isn’t* ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh FSM no!

Zane loves chords so much. He finds them all so pretty and fascinating and memorized all of them for fun!

Pixal bought the gang (Kai, Lloyd, Zane, Cole, Nya, Jay, and Skylor) fanny packs to use during the season while they’re on the field! They’re all their favorite color (yes Cole’s is orange)

You best bet there are some friendly section wars / rivalries

Aka Kai, Jay, and Nya go hardcore, especially during the water balloon fight at the end of band camp

Sometimes the gang switches instruments when the band (is forced to) plays at football games

Like Cole will take Kai’s trumpet and play the trumpet and tenors at the same time

Lloyd and Jay will switch instruments too… Jay isn’t the best brass player haha

Pixal will switch with Zane so he can practice mellophone

They do that every single time for fun until Wu or Garmadon finds out and makes them stop

Speaking of football games, Lloyd, Jay, and Zane all cheer for the other team. Zane cheers for both because he’s a sweetie and Lloyd and Jay cheer for only the opposing team because they want to

Kai hates when they do that but they’ll never stop

One time, Wu was telling the band they need to tell the story more, like how the color guard does. More facial expressions, more elegant movements. As he was trying to explain that, he told them to “sell their bodies” and then immediately was like “wait no not actually poor choice of words” and the band flipped

Now they all jokingly tell each other to sell their bodies

Each time the directors change parts of music or drill or movements, everyone face palms because it basically goes down like this

Wu: band. There is something I haven’t told you. We are changing more stuff again

One time Jay was really bored during rehearsal so he was practicing some horn moves and came up with something to say while he did it. It was “interior crocodile alligator. I drive a Chevrolet movie the-ater. Four door mini van. I love CostCO”

And now that’s a thing everyone does and says when they do the moves. It has spread!!! Except drum line. They have their own stuff. Also they dut.

Jay and Kai are the guys that constantly play the music from the other years before. Like all the time. All. The Time.

----

That’s it... for now?? I really like this AU, and I’m in marching band, or I was haha this was my last year because I’m graduating! Some of the specific stuff has happened haha! Uh, I play alto sax, but I played tenor this past marching band season! Also I am ginger as well! I have also started drawing some of this ahhh

I hope you guys enjoyed! Does anyone agree or disagree with any of these? What instrument do you play?

[trespeak]

What's your favorite house album?

Wow, that’s a toughie. Might just have to give you a list instead.

This ended up being pretty long so I’ve put all the big descriptions I wrote for each of ‘em under the cut, but here’s the gist:

Daft Punk, Discovery (2001)

Kaskade, Fire and Ice (2011)

deadmau5, For Lack of a Better Name (2009) and 4x4=12 (2010)

Phantoms, Phantoms (2017)

Justice, † (2007) 

Lazy Rich’s singles

Porter Robinson/Virtual Self – Spitfire (2011) and Virtual Self (2017)

I like a lot of deep house and electro house, so most of my picks here are within either or both of those subgenres (as well as progressive house, in deadmau5′s case).

For more of my thoughts (and there are many!), see below.

Daft Punk, Discovery (2001)

Accept no substitutes. For Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter, making quality tunes seems to just be second nature. Their second album replaces the underground, city-street feel of Homework with a shiny, discotheque-ready sound that stands on the shoulders of giants but does so as a means of updating and widening the reach of their own influences (with “Harder Better Faster Stronger”’s use of “Cola Bottle Baby” as a perfect example thereof). My favorite track on the record, “Digital Love,” perhaps only barely qualifies as house, but between the earnestness of the vocoded lyrics and the heart-stopper of a guitar solo, I don’t even mind – who cares about genre conventions when you’re a smitten robot? It’s utterly brilliant and its era exists as the gold standard for many DP fans, myself included among them.

Kaskade, Fire and Ice (2011)

Ryan Raddon’s seventh album and the one I hold the most nostalgia for. An ambitious effort on Kaskade’s part, Fire and Ice is a double album, with original tracks on one side and remixed, chilled-out versions of the same songs on the other (geddit?). The ICE mixes are something of a mixed bag, with some having more reason to exist than others, but the Fire side of the album earns it a place here on its own, with Skrillex and Raddon giving us their own brilliant take on a classic track from Guy Manuel de Homem Christo on “Lick It,” as well as the smooth vibes of Ryan’s collaboration with his band Late Night Alumni and Inpetto on “How Long.” Another standout track: “ICE,” a big, bumping jam Ryan made with Dan Black and Dada Life.

deadmau5, For Lack of a Better Name (2009) and 4x4=12 (2010)

Oh, Joel. These days he’s earned a controversial status as full-time internet troll alongside his career as a musician, but he’s still had a palpable impact on the industry at large (pop juggernaut Marshmello more or less owes his entire career to the allure of the man in the cute mask, and while Daft Punk did it first, Mello’s own interpretation is particularly and explicitly influenced by the way deadmau5 did it). These two albums dropped when I was twelve/thirteen and still opening my eyes to the wide world of electronica, and I think they’re particularly significant as the point where I went from being a casual fan of it to a devotee, sparking an investment in the Scene® that I still have to this day. The degree of control Joel flexes over his work at its peak was unprecedented for the time and still holds up now – “Strobe,” the album closer on For Lack Of, is particularly notable in how it makes ten minutes feel like no time at all in how it builds and shifts with just a few simple, powerful elements in play at a time. “Ghosts ‘n Stuff” earned Joel and vocalist Rob Swire a crossover hit, and “Raise Your Weapon” stands as an early illustration of what the North American take on dubstep would sound like in the years to come. 

Phantoms, Phantoms (2017)

Kyle Kaplan and Vinnie Pergola’s debut record is a clever mission statement for their work. Their deep house tunes are infused with pop sensibilities, placing them in company with contemporaries like Jamie xx and Disclosure as house DJs making an effort to bridge the gap between the radio airwaves and the dance floor. My favorites include “Just a Feeling” with Verite, a modody track called “Downtown,” and the utterly brilliant “Need You Closer,” a collab with Hayley Kiyoko that easily converted me into the Church of Lesbian Jesus. (Their recent work is also worth a nod as well – they’ve been building up singles to drum up interest in a new EP, including one of their best tracks to date, a driving progressive house tune called “Designs for You.”)

Justice, † (2007)

Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay’s debut record remains their best. There’s so many iconic tracks on this one: The slick vibes of “Genesis” and “Newjack,” the ever crowd-pleasing “D.A.N.C.E.,” the pumping “Phantom” and its sequel, the nu-disco sleaze of “DVNO”, and the ear-splitting delight of “Waters of Nazareth.” The record earned them a positive, if daunting, comparison to fellow French house pioneers Daft Punk, and while their work on it shares an obsession with taking diverse samples and reconfiguring them into their own image, Justice’s fascination with the macabre aesthetic of 70′s horror films and the rock ‘n roll ethos of T. Rex earned them a distinct spot in the pantheon of electronic acts with this record (as well as its followup, the different-but-still-great Audio, Video, Disco).

Feed Me - Feed Me’s Big Adventure (2011) and Calamari Tuesday (2013)

Jon Gooch was one of the earliest musicians to emerge under deadmau5′s mau5trap label, and still shines as one of its leading acts today (High Street Creeps, released earlier this year, has jams for days). While he started his career making drum ‘n bass tracks as Spor, the bulk of his work since 2009 has been under the Feed Me alias, where he’s dabbled in all manner of electronic but mostly hews close to the realm of electro house. Gooch’s experience in making complex tunes meant that Feed Me came out swinging, with tracks like “Grand Theft Ecstasy” and “Muscle Rollers” exhibiting a confidence and technical skill from the outset that most producers would kill for on their first record. By the time his first proper full length released two years later, he’d developed a consistent feel that made collaborations with indie bands (”Love Is All I Got,” with Crystal Fighters) and soulful singers (”Last Requests,” with Jenna G) feel as natural as hard-hitting bangers (”No Grip” and “Death by Robot”). Mix in a little bit of both and you get “Ophelia,” a anthemic ballad made with YADi – my favorite song from the record, and a earworm that still sticks with me six years on. Love, don’t let me drown…

and some honorable mentions!

Lazy Rich’s singles! Richard Billis is a Canadian DJ who retired from producing tunes in 2017, but for the decade or so he was releasing music, the electro house singles he released were nothing short of iconic. Songs like “Blast Off” (with Hirshee and Lizzie Curious) and “Flash” (with Hot Mouth) are energetic, breezy and danceable. There’s nothing quite like a good Lazy Rich drop; his beats hit the dance floor with the weight of a truck, and have a sonic diversity among them that would predict the electronic scene’s shift toward the dynamism of future bass. It makes me sad that we won’t get any more of them, but Billis left behind such an evergreen catalog of singles that it’s hard to be down for very long. (I used to use his remix of Zedd’s “Stars Come Out” as a theme song of sorts on an old website where you could be a DJ with your friends. The fond memories are strong with this one.)

Porter Robinson/Virtual Self – Spitfire (2011) and Virtual Self (2017) – Leave it to Porter Robinson to carve out a completely separate musical persona just to hearken back to his halcyon days as a young producer. My initial introduction to him was just after he’d emerged from the hands-up scene, while he had his eyes set on stardom through what he called “complextro,” and it was surprising to find that his work not only lived up to its genre classification but actively carved out a market for its sound, even before Porter had dropped an album. If the dubstep and house feel of Spitfire was a revelation, the DDR vibes of the Virtual Self EP are a revitalization; similar in ethos, but with an owned, Serial Experiments Lain-styled technological aesthetic. Porter does a lot of work to keep the two projects separate (even going as far as to delineate live shows between the aliases), but rather than fragmenting his work the distinction only ends up strengthening his catalog, in much the same way Jon Gooch’s work as Feed Me complements his earlier collection as Spor.

JOYRYDE’s singles and upcoming album - John Ford Jr. is an English DJ who knows what he likes: fast cars, bumping house beats, mean-muggin’ rap jams, and making tunes that blend all of the above in one way or another. His JOYRYDE project is only a few years old, emerging in 2016, but it’s very much the culmination of years of diggin’ in the crates and building a sound that blends the hip-hop influences of trap with the boogie-bounce sensibility of house. No sooner is this evident than the “parental discretion is advised” warning (and subsequent punchy opening bars) that welcomes you into “HOT DRUM,” though his other tracks (including “MAXIMUM KING” and the Rick Ross-assisted “WINDOWS”) share that kinetic energy. He’s one to watch!

Also worth your time:

Oliver’s Mechanical EP and their album Full Circle

Mord Fustang’s All Eyes On… compilations

Botnek’s singles from 2016 onward

Chris Lake’s releases with his label Black Book Records

Self Help by Walker and Royce

pretty much everything by Ellie Herring and Chrissy (Murderbot)

Fantasmas by Zavala

anything Wolfgang Gartner has made (particularly his early 2010s singles)

That’s all I got for now. If you made it this far, you’re an angel. Thanks for indulging me :)

[13eyond13]

how do you think the wammy's would react to a good friend of them being a drug addict/alcoholic? but like, a super HIGH functioning one

LIGHT: 

I think he’d see it as a weakness and/or a personality flaw. He probably wouldn’t get the appeal of regularly drinking or doing drugs at all, as he loves being entirely in control of himself and his surroundings, and he is far too focused on his own ambitions to bother getting involved in other people’s stuff unless they’re interfering directly with his plans. Misa seemed to be slipping into a depressing sort of alcoholism by the time they were living together for example, and I don’t think he cared one bit, because it wasn’t getting in the way of his goals. Light’s idea of being a supportive friend through something like this would probably be urging them to get help and lecturing them about how they’re harming themselves, then offering to check them into rehab or something like that. He’d come off as condescending even if he meant well, because he just wouldn’t be able to relate.

L: 

I think he might be a bit less judgmental about it than Light because he’s way less concerned with sticking to behaviours that society deems healthy and socially acceptable. He seems to get by mostly on coffee and junk food rather than drinking or drugs, but he’d possibly still relate to the notion of using unhealthy vices to fuel your life and/or cope with stress. I don’t think he’d be that concerned if they were high-functioning addicts, though. He’d likely be blunt and stubborn about it if he ever did choose to intervene, and his idea of helping out someone in this situation might be to throwing a bunch of money at them to pay for therapy or locking them up for a while if they needed help quitting a hard substance cold turkey, haha. I’m sure he would be very good at that.

MELLO: 

Mello’s mafia life seemed extremely casual about drugs and such, going by the “you been smoking too much crack, Jack?” line, lol. It was probably so common for him to be surrounded by addicts that he would barely even notice, unless it was an extreme situation. I could see him being understanding if his friend came to him specifically saying they thought they had a problem and wanted to change, but if they weren’t struggling obviously in any way then I doubt he would worry about it too much.

NEAR: 

I could easily see Near being sympathetic about it and I could also see Near being scornful about it, it’s a bit of a tricky call. I very much doubt it’s something he’s dealt with himself, but he’s also pretty understanding and nonjudgmental of the people he cares about, too. It seems like the sort of thing Near would notice but choose not to bring up unless his friend started openly struggling with it more and chose to mention it themselves. Then he’d give them a very frank opinion about it, express his concern for their well-being, and offer his support however he could.

MATT: 

I feel like Matt is very likely this guy himself, and/or associates mostly with friends like this. I’m sure he would care about a buddy if they ended up really struggling because of it, but if they were still high-functioning then I think he’d just see it as totally normal and understandable and carry on with life.

BEYOND:

I think B is far too wrapped up in his own grudges and ambitions to be much help to anyone by the time he’s an adult, but I do headcanon him as having experimented with substances a lot in his teens because he was trying to be a rebel /a very curious and experimental person / lonely and confused and stressed about his life. So at the very least maybe B would understand where his friend was coming from, and perhaps he would be able to sympathize with them if they ever needed to talk.

[neioo]

Fanfic Rec! ( • ω • ) 

Rules I’m constraining myself to: I’ve either had to read the fic more than three times and/or have thought about it years in the future. (This means I’ll have to leave out some other fics I really enjoyed reading and thought were well written) 

A bunch of different fandoms will be under the cut! (as I expose what I ship across the board too lol)

We’ll Meet Again by George deValier (usuk) (complete)

This is the first fic of george’s that I read, and I’ve read it multiple times, and it’s been integral in my shaping of characterizations within my own hetalia fics. I could include all of his works, but this one stands out the most. I also listen to the vera verse songs and get extremely nostalgic, so there’s that

WW2 AU. London pub owner Arthur Kirkland is driven to distraction by loud, brash American fighter pilot Alfred Jones. Unable to stop it, Arthur finds himself falling for Alfred’s charms… just as the pilot is preparing to leave for war.

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue… by anonymous (pruaus) (unfinished)

This fic is odd in the sense that I found it while suddenly getting on a pruaus kick, during which I followed a bunch of pruaus people on tumblr. Eventually, I would find out years later that I was going to the same college as one of these people and become friends with them. So not only does this fic have a nostalgic tie to it, I find the story brilliantly written with wonderful characterization, though it is in a weird format.

Inspired by the film 500 Days of Summer, I’d really like to see a couple meet and fall in love, but eventually one (or both) ends the relationship because they realise it’s not working/they can’t imagine spending their whole life with this person/what have you. I’d really love to see how the relationship develops, with the happy times and the eventual bad times as it falls apart, and then the hope of finding love elsewhere.

Redeemer by CocoaCoveredGods (L x Light, Mello x Matt, Mello x Light) (complete)

I can’t tell you how happy I am that I found this fic after 6 or so years. I can’t tell you how nostalgic is makes me for my death note phase, remember when I would read this in my mom’s office, minimizing the fic on a laptop I hope she never checked. The writing is phenomenal. The format on this site is wonky, but doable to read. (I’m even reformatting it myself right now). It’s mostly everything I could have wanted in a death note fic; it even inspired my own very complex death note AU back in the day. In some alternate reality, I wrote that instead of AWH. I plan to maybe make a personal paper copy for myself of this fic I love it so much. It is on the level of George’s stuff on how much it means to me.

The story takes place *after* Death Note ends, although the main characters have not died. Here the Yellowbox Warehouse is essentially the pinnacle of L's 6-year long offensive against Kira, who believes L to be dead, when he really isn't. L faked his death, and proceeded with the case behind the cover of his three top heirs, Mello, Matt and Near. Kira himself doesn't succumb to his defeat, but is instead rescued at the last moment by his nemesis lover who decides that a more apropos end to the God of the New World is not death--but redemption, in the form of a new case and a 5th so-called Kira, that L and Light must bring down together... or risk losing everything. Yes, there is actually a plot LOL Buuuut, this puppy has yaoi and pairing's aplenty. LxLight and MelloxMatt are technically the mains, but when you cut straight down to it, this is a story about Light and Mello and how they go from hate to need, from enemies to lovers, and maybe even something more...

and indeed there will be time --orginally by lawlietismyfavorite, but they have since deleted their account :’( (the fic is still on AO3, though!) (L x Light) (unfinished)

I love death note, okay? After the beautiful live action series came out (the recent japanese one not that fucking netflix shit), I felt the need to read some fanfic of the series again, and I found this. HOLY SHIT. It’s a soulmate AU that goes through the plot line of the manga/show and fuck. Light is Ace?? The writing is so good?? 

L is the greatest detective of not only this century, but of six centuries. And then there’s Light.

Between the Lines by Klitch (Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki) (complete)

I’ve read this fic about 5 times and have accepted it as canon for this stupid show

The first time Yata saw him the kid was sitting in the corner of the cafeteria all alone with his bought lunch spread out before him, painstakingly picking out the vegetables and stacking them according to color and size.

Picking up the Pieces by SilverThunder (Fushimi Saruhiko/Yata Misaki) (complete)

I really like K. It’s a weird show, and it has copious faults. Maybe I just really like that the characters have so much potential, and this fic (as well as the one above) truly expands on that potential. This fic is an excellent exploration of these two character’s relationships, there’s just the right amount of angst. I’ve read it multiple times.

A whole year, gone from his head just like that - and how many memories could you fit in that time, anyway? It wasn’t a question Yata thought he’d ever have to ask, but with so many things changed between Saruhiko and himself, he wasn’t about to leave it alone.

It just sucked that the new world they’d built was still so easy to break.

to be first, to be best by kittebasu (chanyeol) (iwaoi) (complete)

haikyuu!! is odd for me because I don’t care about it anymore, but I really like this fic, and I’ve read it about 5 times. The characterization is on point, and the story is extremely well written.

Hajime is apparently something of a masochist, and as he stares down at the tie-dyed AREA51 T-shirt in his hands, he thinks“I’m totally in love with this asshole, aren’t I?”

Cat's Cradle by evocates (Fujioka Haruhi/Ootori Kyouya/Suoh Tamaki) (complete)

every new years eve, since 2011, my brother and I have watched Ouran High School Host Club. for the past 4 years, I have read and re-read this fic without fail in the days after

Kyouya had been able to see the red threads between people’s fingers since the day he was born. A song of fate, and the breaking of. Tamaki was a man who could never be predictable. Vague spoilers up to Chapter 63.

"Relationship Stuff" by arokitty, Ponderess (shinara) (complete)

This fic helped me realize I was asexual. It’s beautifully written.

"Relationship stuff" — that's what Yasutomo kept calling it on the occasions we discussed how things were going between us. He never failed to say it dismissively, as if it was an annoying plague he was forced to put up with. But even when I told him that he could opt out of it at any time, he did not pull back.

[lithromantic asexual Shinkai, aromantic asexual Arakita, quasiplatonic Shinara]

You Really Ought To Know by isengard (midotaka) (complete)

I really like this ship, and out of all the fics I’ve read of it, this is the one I adore the most (obviously enough to read it three times)

The Fates have an important message for Takao Kazunari.

A Gradual Fall by grassandcitrus (originshipping) (complete)

This maybe isn’t the best written fic, but it has a lot of heart, and for a ship that there is little content for, this fic served me well. It’s hard to write a realistic pokemon AU, but this feels grounded. For whatever reason, this ship still means a lot to me, so when I get in the mood for it, I’ll re-read this fic.

Meeting Wallace turned out to be a life changing event for Steven. He realizes that pretty early on. Other things, however, come with time.

The Punchline and the Resulting Silence by youremyqueen (thiefshipping) (complete)

from the author: “so i went ahead and wrote ygotas fic because, hell, if LK can record videos in which he vocally flirts with himself while playing video games, and then write gay porn about it, I sure as hell can write gay porn about it too.” yeah. 

In which Marik destroys many household appliances, Bakura naps doggedly, and they sometimes pretend - with very little success - not to be in love. (YGOTAS, thiefshipping. ridiculousness meets poeticism meets more ridiculousness.)

Six Days As Boyfriends by sitabethel (thiefshipping) (complete)

I just really like this ship and I have since I was a 14 don’t @me

In order to avoid talks of arranged marriage, Marik convinces Bakura to trick Ishizu into thinking that they're in love.

The Longest Job & The Smallest Favor by emanthony (hisoillu) (complete)

everyone in like march-ish of 2018: omg in the new update of hxh illumi says that he and hisoka are engaged!

me having watched 10 episodes of hxh 4 years ago and having a faint idea of the series: who?

me: *looks up fanfics of them*

me: *finds these two*

me: *proceeds to read them 15 times and gets obsessed with the ship*

Illumi is forced out of the Zoldyck estate and seeks a living arrangement with an associate. He's not altogether pleased with it.

Hisoka is a floor master at Heaven's Arena and has the unexpected pleasure of spending time with one of his oldest acquaintances. He doesn't share Illumi's frustrations.

///

A sequel to the Longest Job, another HisoIllu fanfiction.

Hisoka and Illumi have been living together for six months now without much trouble. But when Illumi's youngest brother goes missing, Hisoka manages to make the situation just a bit too complicated and much more fun.

Lessons in Etiquette by KnockKnockBadminton (promtis) (complete)

I knew nothing about this video game but for whatever reason decided to look up fanfic for it after seeing some fanart, and then because this one was so well written, I, again knowing absolutely knowing about this video game or the series it’s a part of, binged the entire 164k fic in like two days. I’ve also re-read it and convinced my brother to buy the video game as a result. He refers to them as the “leather boy band” and sends me updates about his play through lmao

Begins in high school. From Prompto's desire to befriend the sullen, bullied prince blooms a relationship even the Astrals themselves could not have foreseen. Basically fills in the gaps from Brotherhood to the fall of Insomnia. Some liberties taken.

say it like you mean it by spaceburgers (takuleo) (complete)

Ever since playing the video game, I loved the dynamic between these two characters, and this fic is a wonderfully crafted and fun to read AU staring both of them.

Wherein Leo is a transfer student, Takumi is overly competitive, and they're doing Romeo and Juliet (but not as the titular roles).

[secretshinigami]

Sacred Image

Author: complicatedmerary For: izaori Pairings/Characters: Light Yagami, Teru Mikami, Kiyomi Takada, Ryuk Rating/Warnings: Just to be safe, Teen and Up; some alcohol mentions and Halloween spookiness!  Prompt: 1. Light having a crisis over people wanting to be Kira for Halloween, because ‘Kira’ doesn’t have a look and honestly? How rude, 2. Ryuk really wanting to go trick or treating but Light is like um no? Who do you think I am? And 3. Takada and Mikami having a conversation about Kira and/or Light, impressed and devoted to how much work he’s done for the world. All prompts used for one single fanfic gift at the same time. Author’s notes: Hello, my Kira! After rough drafting all the prompts provided and feeling unsatisfied with my attempts, I decided to merge all the prompts in one for the ultimate fanfic experience. This fanfic is super AUy in a way, because the kidnapping never happened and the Light/Mikami/Takada trio are all alive. I hope you enjoy my gift to you, I had a lot of fun!

It had been seven years since Light Yagami defeated Near and Mello, becoming a greater God than he was before. With no enemies on sight, Kira-supporting laws flourished in Japan and several countries around the world have accepted his doctrine. One of the most notorious legislatures concerned children’s education on Kira’s ideology, where mandatory Kira-based civics classes were enforced fully once the legislatures passed. Not too soon after the laws were implemented, broadcasting programs like NHN and Sakura TV began discussing further indoctrination with family-friendly children shows that taught the basic teachings of Kira and encouragement of a crime-free household. With crime rates sinking lower by the year, the appearance of a developed utopia had become a reality and Kira supporters could not be happier for their God cleaning up the world.

Kiyomi Takada opened up the champagne bottle carefully, no excessive leakage spilling on the carpet in sight. She poured her glass along with Teru Mikami’s and she sat beside him, legs delicately crossed.

“To Kira,” She raised and clanged her glass against his, sipping some champagne after the toast.

“To Kira,” Mikami echoed the sentiment back, except he did not take one drop, only playing along for her sake. Takada knew he rarely drank and that was not going to change any time soon. However, Mikami was aware since the beginning of their friendship that Takada’s desires should not be denied. If Takada wanted something, she was going to get it, no matter what. This was not an exception; if Takada wanted to toast together, there was no harm in doing so.

“Let’s hope Kira fulfills several crime-free years in the future, the world has never felt safer.” The twinkle in her eyes reflected an unadulterated happiness so contagious, even Mikami could not help a barely there closed half smile from forming on his face. It was incredible that the same woman who furiously yelled at him after he revealed that he was “T” all along was now exchanging smiles with him as if the big fight between never happened. He was not forced to apologize (not like he felt sorry either way), she simply got over it and resumed business.

“I couldn’t agree more; we serve God and receive a clean society in return.” His attention was not on Takada anymore, but instead on the news broadcast announcing the recent deaths of two petty thieves who attempted to rob a store.

Takada may or may not have sneaked those names before the toast after watching the live broadcast on her phone, she really did not show any expression that pointed any fingers at her.

A couple minutes later, Takada and Mikami’s phones rang at the exact same time, which meant one thing only: Kira wanted to see them.

“Hello?” They spoke simultaneously, taking in the words of God as if they were holy words. “Wait, what do you mean a blasphemy has occurred?” Takada was the first to lose her cool. “Alright, we’ll be there soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Light Yagami paced around the hotel room, fuming with each passing minute. If only he knew who was behind this monstrosity; there were a lot things he could not forgive and this became one of them.

What a mockery, Light scoffed in his head. If I didn’t know any better, Kira detractors are still on the rise despite their unpopular stance. I’ll show them you can’t disrespect the God of the New World without suffering the consequences.

A knock on the door assured him that his most devoted followers have come and he welcomed them inside, albeit letting them know it was not the time to get too comfortable.

“Light, you sounded terrible over the phone, what kind of blasphemy are we talking about here?” Takada asked him straight to the point, no wasting any time.

Light was not exactly amused by her assertive tone, but he made no comment on that. “I received some questionable newsletters over email and when I found out, I was sickened to my stomach.” He opened his laptop and revealed a slideshow of a man wearing a ghoulish mask and a black cloth surrounding him. A few slides also presented him as a soulless demon by adding unnecessary flashy colors in the form of moving pictures. Underneath, it said, “True Form Godly Kira Costume.”

The shocked tension overwhelmed the room, both Mikami and Takada stunned at the sight.

“That’s not it,” Light broke the silence. “I also saw unflattering political portrayals of legislatives with the same caption. Not only is it blasphemy, they are asking for outright anarchy.” This was not the time to lose his composure, but it was hard not to. These detractors wanted to taint Kira’s image with vile inaccuracies to provoke him into action, which was undeniable. However, the unfortunate outcome about this was actual Kira supporters praising their creativity and announcing on social media that they were purchasing the costumes for Halloween to prove how much they worship Kira. He knew some Kira supporters were not smart, but not like this, common sense was nonexistent to them. First of all, Kira was an entity with no concrete look because Kira should be consider a sacred figure for all inhabitants in this planet. And lastly, why would they dress up as Kira for Halloween, cheapening his efforts for the sake of a trend? Not only was it disrespectful to Kira’s image, it was disgustingly offensive.

He was thankful that Misa Amane never did anything like this to prove her love for him during their long relationship. If she wasn’t six feet under at the moment, he would have asked her if she thought any of this was flattering or not, but dwelling too much on her was not appropriate when his current girlfriend was expressing concern.

“Light, please don’t turn around too fast, but there is an enormous carved pumpkin floating above your head.”

Flabbergasted by her statement, Light turned to look behind him slowly, and sure enough, there was a pumpkin above his head, floating like a threat. His face was getting pale, not knowing what to expect.

Suddenly, Ryuk became visible with an emphasis of his glowing eyes and Light took a step backwards out of shock, almost tripping on the glass coffee table.

“Ryuk, what the hell is your problem? Can’t you see I’m having a conversation?” He was furious.

“Don’t be such a pain, I’ve been stuck in the kitchen for too long, it is not my fault you are boring me right now.” Ryuk released his signature Shinigami laugh.

Those words were dangerous and it was best to alleviate the situation. “What do you want, Ryuk?” Light questioned him.

“I want to go trick-or-treating!” Ryuk said excitedly. “The kids have bags of treats and apples dipped in caramel or candy. They look good and I want my hands on them! You really should take me outside and let me get them.”

“Ryuk, why would I do that?” Light pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “I’m thirty years old, I have better things to do than trick-or-treating with bratty children.”

“Aw, that’s too bad,” Ryuk pouted. “But, just remember, I’m losing my patience.” And with that, he returned to the kitchen, entertaining himself with the appliances.

Light rolled his eyes. “Anyway, we should find out who is spreading these inflammatory images against me and get rid of him.”

“Do the pictures have a copyright logo?” Takada looked over the laptop.

“I suppose they do,” Light raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“If I can find the copyright, I can find the owners, and from there, I can find the photographer.” Takada sat down and zoomed in on the pictures. She was quiet for a few moments. “Oh, my God, I know who they are. Mikami, you should come over here.”

Unsure on what Takada found, he looked over the picture and searched for her concern. “What exactly am I supposed to look for?”

“Do you know any intellectual property lawyers?”

Mikami was taken aback. “I do. Why?”

“They can be sued for not getting permission from Kira to produce an image of him. They should not own the intellectual rights to his image and they should not get any money from it. I’m not an expert on this, that’s why I need the lawyers to confirm. Can you contact them and say that Kira’s spokeswoman needs legal advice?”

He nodded. “First thing in the morning. I just hope you know what you are doing.”

I hope so, too.

While Mikami and Takada continued to discuss about further clues that could uncover the identity of the person behind the creation of the costume, Light looked at them thoughtfully and realized he was in good hands.

He walked towards the kitchen to find a Ryuk spinning around. He cleared his throat and announced something he thought he might never say in his entire life. “Come on, Ryuk, let’s go trick-or-treating.”