#There was activity and talking to ppl after the ceremony

[bojanus]

Me watching the wedding ceremony: Tearing up, but holding strong with maybe a single stoic tear

Me in the car afterwards: *ugly sobbing*

[time-is-restored]

by the way this is not gonna do the subject NEARLY enough justice BUT i do really wish there was more keeley appreciation in the main tags... like not only is she an Extremely explicit parallel for ted, but she's also at the heart of SO much of the show's themes - and you'd never know it from reading most of the meta that goes around!

[content warnings for sexism, sexual harassment, Locker Room Talk™]

okay, so like, in no particular order, here some of the criminally underrated + under-explored things we know abt keeley jones:

she has an almost identical social strategy to ted: being earnestly, and oftentimes defiantly herself, regardless of what assumptions it pushes other people to make abt her (i.e.: her description in the pilot, 'used to having her book judged by its cover'). and then, in spite of the ppl around her belittling her/writing her off, she STILL approaches them w genuine intent to connect + get to know them.

i think it was an EXTREMELY deliberate choice in episode 3 for both keeley and ted to give rebecca 'a compliment she's never heard before'. they're not merely skating by on small talk or doing the bare minimum to show their appreciation for killing the photo (which rebecca would be prepared for), they're subverting her expectations by going for genuine (if bemusing) compliments.

then ofc w keeley's s3 arc, you can see how she's trying (and slowly succeeding, judging by that nervous worker guy's attempts to start joking around with her) to get her PR firm's culture to the same, easy-going, more-friends-than-coworkers vibe of richmond. she even specifically asks ted for advice (and, again, i think its relevant that the advice he gives refers to his most effective team building moment - the ghost banishing ceremony). it's very important to her that ppl feel comfortable in her presence, and we can see her getting genuinely distressed whenever she struggles with this.

she says EXPLICITLY in that one exchange w sassy + rebecca that she freaks out whenever she thinks she's being abandoned - she delivers it like a joke, but she's visibly off-kilter and nervous while she says it, apparently still coming down from the anxiety of thinking she'd been ditched. and again, after the gala when she goes to (presmably) get back together with jamie, she says outright that she really struggles to ever break up with people - even people she's no longer interested in, like jamie! - because she second guesses her own judgement so much. on an adjacent note, imo the melt down she has when roy was crowding her was only as abrupt + extreme as it was because she had been repressing her feelings about it for so long. which is SO interesting in the context of her being one of the most upfront and outspoken characters in the show!!!! like. she literally contains multitudes!

and, also, while i do think there's some genuine critical analysis to be done abt the normalisation of what is, essentially, sexual harassment at richmond (it's... extremely uncomfortable to go on such a long tangent about how attractive a stranger's boobs are, even if ur also a woman), i think keeley's active flirtation + general horny-on-main behaviour is ALSO extremely under-explored. bc, in the context of her being a WAG, and also a model, keeley recieves completely unprompted + unwarranted comments abt her body all day every day. when sassy told her that her ex-husband used to masturbate to her photos, she's hardly shell shocked. it's pretty clear that that's something she's used to being known for, and being told about in gratuitous detail. in this context, you can really see how the way she leans in to flirtation, and talking about sex and the hotness of various ppl around her (ie: her entrance in the pilot, making a show + joke out of how she must Obviously want to see all of the footballers naked), is her way of pushing back against the way others don't respect HER boundaries. ie: 'if my body's fair game for everyone to talk about + sexualise, so is theirs!'. it's an extremely interesting coping mechanism, especially in the context of it leading to her oftentimes perpetuating the cycle of harassment herself. and then there's also how the locker room culture OF richmond involves a significant amt of talking about sex, past partners, etc - since she spends so much time in that environment, you can pretty clearly see how that'd influence her decision to go with the current, rather than against.

AND OFC. HOW could i get this far w/o talking about the sheer narrative weight that's given to her relationship with rebecca!!! not only is she arguably the first character to befriend rebecca (beating ted out by several episodes, at least by my count), she is ALSO the reason that rebecca ever tells ted the truth ('it would change how i feel about you'!!!!!!! AGH!!!!), and honestly i think keeley's disappointment in her is what leads her to finally accept that. sabotaging richmond is a cruel thing to do and she doesn't want to do it anymore! like. keeley's unabashed admiration of + love for rebecca, and rebecca's eventual reciprocation is quite literally the driving force for both of their arcs ('thank you for teaching this panda how to be a lion'!!!!!) and i just!!! i care them!!!!!!!!!!!!

tldr; keeley jones is a blorbo of absolutely apocalyptic proportions PLEASE let her into ur heart the next time ur writing analysis + meta....

[draceempressa]

TW chapters before, have always been social and psychological, but chapter 5 in particular is a huge middle finger to stereotype-and common beliefs/views of stereotypes. 

Many assumes Vil’s backstory involved him being poor, but Kalim already proves just because you’re rich doesn’t mean your life have no problem. And before the chapter starts, many people antagonize Vil for he is harsh towards Epel, and he’s the prettily elegant one, “the mean girl”, in haters’ words, when Leona and Idia, who are objectively bigger jerks, who are understandably more disliked in-universe, get passed in the fandom for they are relatable/more masculine/boyish. Yes, ugly people have their own problem. That doesn’t mean pretty people don’t have their problem, ranging from being harassed, prejudiced as superficial or being bitch, etc.

Media and culture, for years, have been painting masculinity as strength and femininity as weakness, lawful is bad and chaotic is good, the beautiful/elegant people is wrong and the cute ones are innocent/on the right side. 

Riddle already have it bad for he is lawful, but Vil has it worse for he is not only lawful, but also being feminine and pretty. Not to say we have to be unreasonably lawful like Riddle or super strict like Vil, what’s I’m trying to say is, the mindset of law and femininity is purely bad and chaos and masculinity is purely good is wrong-though,  generally “pure” mindset is wrong. 

Related to this, TW actually run on gray morality, not black and white. You’re too black and you get hated (like Leona and Idia) , but if you’re too white you get laughed (like Deuce, Jack, Kalim) And it’s fine. Everyone can be both wrong and right in different times , and that’s how it is in real life too. Nobody is pure evil nor they are pure good . Purity  (in concept and principle)is never good actually.

Many people are rooting for Epel for the points above, for he is both chaotic and want to be masculine, and antagonize the pretty, lawful and feminine Vil, but overtime fandom are proven to be wrong. Pome chapter is huge callout for  the stereotyping mindset, as well, the previous points. What Epel wants isn’t “for people to look past his looks”, it’s “to be as masculine as possible in both looks and personality” . He is not fighting prejudice, he is simply giving in to the idea of toxic masculinity. He doesn’t want people to think he’s a badass despite his look, he want to be beefy so ppl can tell he’s a badass in first glance.  His idea of masculinity is to talk shit to people , be beefy as possible, to pick fights and only fight with fists. He is projecting the idea of masculinity to Jack, like how he says he wants to be beefy as Jack. It’s like when girls using a model, or basically someone else, to be her base of ideal beauty, which is equally unhealthy. It’s not fine even if it’s boys who do it, as it’s still not accepting who you actually are. 

Speaking about Jack, he too is a victim of prejudice. In his robe story, Ace is surprised he’s from Pyroxene and not the Savannah., implying the prejudice beastmen only come from the savannah (and gladly Riddle immediately calls Ace out for it),  in his voice lines, he is offended by  Ruggie’s disbelief reaction when he says he never got red mark in exams, and he is also offended when MC is shocked he says he want to go to the library, implying the prejudice “beefy men must be brainless muscle”. Jack, is still proud of his beastmen heritage and is sporty and active, but he is also fighting prejudice of beefy men are dumbasses by studying as hard as he does his physical exercises. 

We are also fed by culture and media that the word “ugly” and “beautiful” is limited to just visual things, when Pomefiore, Rook and Vil makes it clear “beauty” is everything that can be your advantage/power or your every good trait (like being unyielding, having bond and understanding others, and having special code of conduct). Which it means, the opposite also applies-that the word “ugly”  Vil mentioned to himself before his overblot is more referring to his other traits. That he finally cheats, that he is weak and gives in to his stress-if he thinks strength is beautiful then he must thought weakness is ugly. 

Not to say looks doesn’t matter, because it is, as we humans are visual creatures, and if visuals don’t matter, we don’t only wouldn’t have fashion or beauty care products, or visual arts, but even visual informations like newspapers, books, or even socmed pages, and fashion can be a form of self expression. The problem is when people don’t use their brain and see past through someone’s looks. Looks is part of one’s identity, but it’s not all there is to them.

Riddle paints himself as the judge and executioner, not only establishing law of the Queen of Hearts but also punishes people who crossed her rules on the place with his UM and decapitating them from their magic. Vil, meanwhile, paints himself as a tutor. He’s strict, but he’s not lawful for the sake of law. He seeks to help people grow, to taught people things, but being strict teacher he is, he refuses to teach in first go, letting you try your own method first (Deuce’s lab coat story),or that  when he agrees to help, he will teach you how to do it instead of doing it and gives you the final result (Jamil’s dorm uniform) . He is explicitly nicer to people who are willing to learn (his own Halloween card) Alternatively, he can be pestered to help (Halloween, Malleus pretty much pestering him with the whole western dragon vs eastern dragon difference for one hour ), or,despite all his complaints, he will help anyway (Ghost Marriage, Vil mentions Idia often asks for his help) . He also congratulates ppl who did grow well, even if they did beat him. (fairy gala ending, Epel when finally admitting cuteness is advantage too, Deuce right after he beats him) ,  he is fine with people hating him as long they actually develop themselves-that he thinks his responsibility is to help ppl grow, not to make ppl simply adore him (his own dorm uniform)And he also breaks the pattern of great seven incarnate harassing MC and gets gradually more hostile about it. He can also appreciate other’s kindness (his own robe story), as well strong point (PE voice line, he openly admits Epel’s strong point in flying), and can even show some sympathy (not empathy ) (Ortho’s ceremony gear)

Leona insults others to feed his superiority inferiority complex and knows where it hurt (like calling Riddle Red Midget or bastard octopus to Azul-note, that was the insult Azul used on himself on his self deprecating moment after his overblot) , Vil insults other as the ones he deems unworthy yet to call with name, but potatoes, French for potatoes is “earth’s apple”, also back in the day ppl are scared to eat potatoes bc they are still related to nightshade/belladonna and said to be devil’s plant , only after they get past the prejudice they eat potatoes. So yeah if he call you by name , it means he already acknowledge you to certain degree, and if he still uses vegetables he’s still deems you unworthy-no romantic hc blogs it’s not what he will call his s/o

Fandom complained, “save Epel, he doesn’t fit in Pomefiore, and he’s stuck” but is he? He did , in fact, have a choice, mentioned in Jade’s dorm uniform by Vil “You know how to change dorms, right Epel?” It’s by his  own admission he stays in Pomefiore bc his pride to prove Vil wrong that “cute isn’t a strength on its own”  Besides, Pome isn’t just about being yourself (despite being art neurodivergent and defying gender norms), it’s also not about picking your fight-instead, it’s about picking the method.

Again, we are fed to the idea femininity is weak by other media and culture. In TW,yes,  Vil is obectively the most feminine of TW cast, but weak? Definitely not.He can beat the beefy guys physically (PE uniform voice line), easily, and magically, he is strong enough to be able to make barrier than can protect people from MALLEUS (Cater halloween) , and when he’s overblot, he is the only one so far you failed to beat until Deuce used the counterattack using his own magic. Kalim isn’t joking or is in the clouds when he says Vil is one of the strongest mage of the school.

Yes, Yana says fuck patterns and stereotypes, but it’s not like she pulls plot twists randomly out of her ass.She always put foreshadowings first. Vil being bullying victim already mentioned as early as his robe story,, that the overblot cause is always something that is already problem to them even BEFORE NRC-Epel was able to curb people before NRC and get away with being a jerk, it wasn’t until Vil beat him in opening day that he started to be stressed about the whole manner thing.  that he doesn’t like things that doesn’t last from his school uniform, and the previous mentions of Vil’s tutor traits above that he’s not as malicious , not just the mean girl fandom make him to be. Chapter titles always refer to the local great seven incarnate, not specifically the prefect. “Desert’s Tactician” is clearly Jamil, not Kalim.Being a strategist is certainly not Kalim’s trait. Chapter title not referring to him, he wasn’t stressed before NRC, and the blot dripping scene happes without him, why the surprise it’s not Epel who overblot ? the build up is all there.

[unohanadaydreams]

Okay I’m mentally prepared to ramble about the Hell Arc. No panels, just words.

The first blurb is definitely Ukitake speaking and I’d like to think it’s hiding some bitterness and regret, since he’s in hell, but you know I’m not gonna hold on to hope that it’s anything deep.

Orihime being resigned to laundry as well as just NOT knowing where her son is??? I’m sorry the same Orihime that can sense Ichigo like it’s her fucking job? But y’know uwu it’s okay to be a housewife and this is definitely Kubo showing off his depth of feminist theory and not shoving Orihime in the background bc wife clean and cook and nothing else ooga booga.

Kon as a babysitter is horrifying. The implication that they’ve kept him as a teddy bear for all these years is even more so. Like damn you can’t ask Urahara for ONE gigai after you saved the world, Ichigo? Hope youre paying him a living wage for helping you navigate the terrible twos. Tbh I think it would’ve been better to have a new sidekick and for Kon to be working for Urahara now.

Okay I do think the kid sending souls to Hell on accident is pretty funny. But also it’s definitely Kubo forgetting that Orihime is in the picture and Kazui is not Ichigo. He has more than Isshin; he has Orihime as his mom. He has someone who cares very much that he’s still in his bed and is someone he would talk to about uuuuh sending ppl through a portal. I know women are a different species and are incredibly hard to grasp because of that so it’s okay Kubo.

Ichika being taught by Ikkaku and to a lesser extent Yumichika is very good. Love that enough to gloss over my disappointment at Rukia not teaching her. I just know Byakuya is probably a lil bitter about it too. Rukongai rats 1 Noble clan 0

Booooo Kubo, get off the stage. Pointing out Orihime is at home doing laundry does not fix that she’s there. If she’s not gonna stop Kazui from doing whatever the fuck she might as well be eating bad ramen too.

MAYURI MY BELOVED. You’re so right, king, Urahara is a tasteless capitalist unlike you, who fully commits to the too-organic technological horrors the Seireitei deserves.

Did Kubo forget how to draw Rangiku? Why the fuck is her face so moe. Some of the women look pretty off in the face over all but with Rangiku it’s jarring. I know her face got more moe somewhere in tybw arc but jfc it’s worse here.

I find it hard to believe that Shunsui would stick to a tradition that demands all lieutenants be away and in the human world all at once but maybe he just doesn’t give a shit about anything nowadays. Depression is leading the Gotei 13 now.

It’s not a Bleach surprise attack unless a woman is grievously injured right off the bat.

That being said, I do enjoy the two new lieutenants. The hakama shorts are a Choice but they work somehow. Also a zanpakuto being on nails is fun.

Kira and Akon ❤️ I’m glad Kubo retconned the novels so Kira could make his entrance in a hoodie and black tabi. Hope he gets more depressing and bitter moments tho. Also Akon having so much panel space…..I’ll never recover.

Hell Szayel is so fucking horny which is astounding considering like everything he did was a sex joke in Hueco Mundo arc. His sex appeal has aged like fine wine. Also pure comedy that Ichigo can only ask who he is. If only Uryu were there 😔

So did they have ceremonies for Gin and Kaname because if not then???? Like I understand it’s impossible to make this gel 100% bc its not based on anything other than wanting characters to come back as cool demons and is actively working against previous canon but c’mon. They would’ve noticed before this when no ceremony for Gin and Kaname was held and their reishi haunted everyone via molasses rain drops.

That being said, I love love love the concept of characters coming up from Hell with not holes within them but outside them. They do not need to consume others to feel completion, they are consumed to the point of wanting to fill others. Don’t you recognize me? Don’t you see what you’ve done? Don’t you long to fill that hole inside of you, too? All it takes is dying to reach that nirvana of knowing who you are and what you feel in swirling completion. Even fallen, the fruit of knowledge is divine.

I want Ukitake to say he’s glad Shunsui lived to his face while looking so heartbroken that he didn’t get to live too. I want these two to cry across from one another with a flashback to their idyllic youth. I want it *grabby hands*

Sosuke Aizen has disappeared as in dead? Or are they counting ‘out of Seireitei’ as disappeared. Honestly 50/50 whether he’ll have a form of cameo. On one hand he’s incredibly popular, on the other hand Kubo was floundering with him during tybw so I can’t imagine he gives a shit to bring him back.

As far as new lore for hell butterflies goes, I guess we’ll see how interesting it gets but I highly doubt it’s going to get a lot of thought.

With the way Kazui is smiling, it makes me wonder if someone taught him about the shrine and sending souls to hell. Does he recognize the door? Is Kubo implying that Ukitake has had contact with Kazui? I mean, it would make a LOT of sense considering the fish he was riding, the ritual he knows. It would also make sense why the soul reaper badge was highlighted; Ukitake has been around in some capacity before officially being stomped to hell???

Definitely me thinking too much about it but also there’s no way Kazui just knows this shit without someone from Hell telling him about it even covertly.

This entire arc set up definitely seems like it’ll bring some worthwhile angst and maybe some moments for the more unexplored characters if characters like Akon getting screen time is any education.

Overall not hoping for anything other than good Hell designs and seeing characters do things.

If I don’t see Kenpachi with his beefy titties out I will be disappointed. That’s my bare minimum.

[akaashiclub]

girls chase boys ☇ t.k.

☇ pairing: tsukishima kei x fem!reader

☇ genre: fluff, oc is an absolute babie who has no shame, tsukishima goes from ‘she’s annoying’ to ‘she’s aight’ to ‘i may be lowkey in love w her it’s nbd tho’, oc will literally not give up, tsukishima is still a first year (word count: 4.1k)

☇ synopsis: usually when experiencing such a soul-crushing rejection, one would give up on their feelings, right? right?

☇ a/n: i binge-read some haikyuu fanmanga and i was ~inspired~ plus like... this trope?? persistant bubbly x uninterested cold is?? literally everything?? (playlist link: here)

“i like you!!!”

you kind of felt like the main character of a shoujo, with the wind making your hair dance in the air

standing face to face with your longtime crush

(and by longtime, you mean about two months)

that’s when it all started

no— it was earlier

the orientation ceremony

all the first years standing in neat, organized rows, listening to the principal give a welcoming speech

at least, that’s what you were supposed to be doing

in reality, your eyes were trained on the 188cm tall blonde in the row in front of you

you couldn’t see the stage— also, you didn’t care

bc ~he~ was in front of you

tsukishima kei

you learned his name later when you discovered you were in the same class

and he sat in the adjacent row, one seat forward

the absolutely perfect position to stare at his side profile the entire class

and that is exactly what you did for two months

that and gathering info on him

tsukishima kei, 188.3cm (now 190.1), born on september 27th, best friends with yamaguchi tadashi, #11 on the karasuno volleyball team

and then there you were, confessing your undying love to him

...or something like that

“no thanks. not interested.”

usually, that would soul-crushing enough to make them leave him alone

not you <3

the giggle that escapes your lips makes his eyebrow twitch on confusion for a second

“that’s okay~” you respond. 

(that’s okay ?)

(what the fuck kind of response is that being rejected ???)

(yours!!!!)

you’re exhaustingly persistent, as tsukishima comes to find out

or should i say—

“tsukki~!!” 

the hair on his neck rises when you flounce into homeroom with that sing-song tone

you plop down into the seat in front of him (key note: not yours) and rest your elbows on his desk with a little grin

“don’t call me that,” (he doesn’t look up from his book)

“what~! why not?”

“only my friends call me 'tsukki’”

you snort, scooting a little closer

“that’s mean. how many times have we walked home together, and we still aren’t friends?”

“you followed me home, i didn’t consent.”

“‘followed you’?” you pout. “we live on the same road, naturally we’d walk home together,”

he doesn’t respond, just flips to the next page in his book

“do you have volleyball club today~?”

ignored. 

lol

she stays strong!! she doesn’t give up in the face of adversity!!!

“you don’t have to answer, i already know you do.” you chirp. “it’s boring walking home without you... maybe i’ll come with you today~!”

it’s like talking to a wall

(a very cute, 190cm, blonde, glasses-wearing wall.)

(🥰)

instead of responding, he puts his headphones on and keeps reading 

a small exhale escapes your lips, and one of the girls in the next row over leans towards you

“y/n... i think it’s a lost cause...”

“he’ll come around eventually,” you shoot her a smile, and then turn back to tsukki

you lean forward, reaching towards his head and tugging the headphones down around his neck

and when he looks up (he does within an instant), you shoot him a sly smile

several students around you gasp

after all, who would dare bother tsukishima with his headphones on??? that’s some instant death shit

“move.”

“i like being this close to you though,” you tease

and he rolls his eyes, standing up and heading for the exit of the classroom

the shock in the classroom — that you’re still ALIVE — is clear

your friend from before gapes 

“y-y/n what are you playing at??”

“courtship,” you sigh dramatically, and hop to your feet to chase after the blonde monster

“tsukki~!! are you getting lunch?? wait for me~!!”

everyone on the first floor knows: it’s become the norm to see tsukishima, book in hand, headphones around neck, and followed by a chirpy pipsqueak 

even yamaguchi doesn’t stick as closely to him as ‘tsukishima’s lapdog’ (as you’ve started being called by the fellow first years) does

the nickname doesn’t really bother you

after all, it’s just a reminder of your determination and refusal to give up

which is a virtue, in your mind!!

some people feel bad for tsukishima, constantly being bothered by you for weeks on end

others admire your stubbornness

and one group of people you can always count on supporting you are the karasuno volleyball club <3

ever since you started showing up to their practices 

and all their practice matches and official games too

they all befriended you

but you grew tired of just sitting and watching tsukki on the sidelines, so you asked coach ukai if you could help out during practices!!!

there can’t rly be ... three managers... so you suggested retrieving balls or being tsukki’s personal assistant

he saw right through you <3 

but it’s ok bc he thought it would be entertaining and agreed

tsukki: angy

even when he’s annoyed he’s cute tho <33 and you make sure to tell him that <333

and so! you get tsukki’s water, towels, etc etc (ofc u help other ppl too when they need it but tht’s what the two managers r for... tsukki is ur #1)

the other players are like 0.0 she’s kinda scary... but cute at the same time doe... 

one day you’re in a particularly good mood (aka: a bad day for tsukki lol)

“tsukki~!”

“don’t call me that.”

“i want to tell you something,”

the whole gym is kinda just 👁️👄👁️ waiting to see what happens

“what? i need to change, hurry it up.”

ur inner monologue: kdNNN even when he’s mean he’s cute!!!!

but anyways:

“i like you,”

hinata, kageyama, tanaka, noya, literally everyone: 😳😨 mf what—

sugawara’s like “oh god he’s just reject her and crush her heart... right in front of EVERYONE—”

“not interested.” tsukki says, and his tone isn’t any less cold than usual

u kno that anime lightning effect when the character’s body is joLtED...

tht’s everyone else in the gym

tanaka and nishinoya are highkey ready to let you cry into their jerseys when—

you laugh

you right after being mercilessly rejected: 🥰

you can’t help it !!!!! it’s not discouraging you ok??? you alr knew what he’d say!!! but you had to tell him <3 can’t let him forget tht he’s the ✨love of your life✨

entire gym: s h o o k

“did she just  l a u g h??”

“is she okay?? no srsly”

“what... just happened”

tsukki walks off, water bottle in hand

you follow after him, bouncing on the soles of your feet 

“don’t forget your towel~! want me to wipe off your sweat~?”

“no thanks.”

cue fading banter between you two as he goes to change his clothes

he has to be like hOe GeT oUT for you to not go into the locker room lmfao damn... thirsty bitch... same tho

later tanaka and noya (feat. hinata who just wants to be included) jump tsukki

“shE LAUGHED WHEN U REJECTED HER??? IS SHE OK???”

“she confesses to me every week. she’ll do it again. it’s not that big of a deal.”

“not thAT BIG— can u imagine if kiyoko liked us that much.... ”

(cue tanaka sobbing)

tsukki was right tho

after the third time you randomly confessed to him in front of them they were just like

same shit different day, anyways rolling thunder

but they still highkey adopted you

so they go grr grr when tsukki rejects you all cold and shit

shockingly tho??? the more you confess the less it’s “not interested” and more just “*sigh*”

is this... PROGRESS???

but the zero braincell triad cornered him again in the locker room one day 

(it’s their trademark)

(nishinoya) “so why do you keep rejecting her??”

(hinata popping in) “yea she’s super dedicated and helpful!!!”

(tanaka lowkey shuddering) “she’d probably let herself get hit in the face w a volleyball if u asked”

(and tanaka would be: correct)

(but anyway)

“she was annoying,”

“she... ‘was’ annoying???”

“... she IS annoying”

“tsukki... do you possibly like her??? but you’ve gotten so used to rejecting her that it’s automatic now??”

tsukki’s like V.V

“you’re reading too much into it,”

sage!nishinoya is about to probe deeper but at that moment you pop your head around the corner of the locker room and shout

“tSUKKI~!!!”

and they all scatter to hide themselves while shrieking

except tsukki, who is already clothed and gives zero fucks lmao

but anyways!!! a couple weeks pass and takeda got y’all set up with a practice match !!

with who?? nekoma!!!

hinata is like 🤩🤩 kENMA!!

only players and members of the club are supposed to go rly....

but you’re like “??? i’m tsukki’s personal assistant are you trying to take away my rights??? i’ll sue you” and coach ukai gives in sdjfkf

“tsukki can i sit with you~?”

yamaguchi about to sit there: 👁️👄👁️ bruh

tsukki doesn’t say yes but he also doesn’t say no :D

 “what’re you reading?”

“english book,”

you’re like: wait— mf hold up... did he actually just answer ??

tsukki simp mode: ACTIVATED

“can i see??”

“you’re failing english, you won’t be able to read it.”

“ouch,” you pout, but there’s a small smile on your lips. “but how’d you know i was failing english?”

he doesn’t respond

“i guess it is unfair that i know everything about you and you don’t know anything about me...” you sigh

“you don’t know everything about me,” he retorts, still not looking up from his book

hehe~ gotcha

“oh? test me,” you grin, scooting closer to him

“don’t wanna.”

“you’re just scared i do know everything,” you say smugly, trying to bait him

“bet you don’t know everything about me!!!” hinata pops up from the seat in front of you

“you’re right, i don’t,” 

(he pouts and disappears again)

“tsukki~” you whine. “tsukkiiiii~ i’m bored.”

“so?”

“can i wear your headphones?”

“no thanks. i don’t wanna get headlice.”

you scowl. “mean,”

you bite your cheek, staring a hole in the side of his head but he doesn’t even blink

if tsukki could major in ignoring you people, he’d have straight A’s

fortunately, you have ways to counter this

“kei~~” you whisper a little too close to his ear, and he jolts up

you try not to let the amusement show on your face, but you can’t help it

glaring at you, he pulls his headphones off his head and puts them on yours

“now be quiet,”

“mm~” you chuckle

a couple hours later, you pull into the parking lot of nekoma

the friend groups pair off, and kuroo makes a beeline for tsukki, only to catch sight of you

“hey four-eyes— who’s this?”

tsukki glances down at you, to which you shoot him a sugary smile

“dunno,” he says, and walks off

you wave to kuroo with a sunny grin

“i’m y/n~! i’m tsukki’s personal assistant and future wife~”

his eyebrows rise, and with a quick bow, you bounce after the blonde

once the group is all in the gym, practice jerseys are handed out and you help yachi and shimizu prepare the water and towels

you’re about to make a beeline for tsukki, when someone calling your name stops you

“y/n! wanna get me some water?” kuroo calls

you only blink for a moment before hopping to it, darting across the gym

for the rest of the day, kuroo is constantly calling for you—

“y/n! can you wipe the sweat off my neck?”

“hey, y/n, get me some water~”

“y/n!”

“y/n, over here!”

and by the time the several hours is over, you haven’t gotten to speak to tsukki once 🥺 snnff :(

when you finally get a free moment, you look around for him, but he’s nowhere to be found

sad face :(

and then !!!! turns out nekoma paid for bbq for everyone 🤩🤩 cats are so generous

and somehow??? you find yourself surrounded by nekoma players???

“here y/n, want some of my bbq?”

“no, take mine!!!”

“do you want any fruit?? i have some!!”

“you were so helpful today!! how’d you stay so energetic the whole time??”

you flash a smile, ready to charm the shit out of them, when a voice interrupts:

"hey, personal assistant.”

your eyes light up, bc you’d recognize that salty ass voice anywhere!!!

the guys around you part to reveal—

“tsukki!!!” you squeal, maybe a little too excitedly

“aren’t you supposed to be assisting me?? get me some food.”

you shove your plate into the free hand of one of the nekoma players (his name was... liam? lief... lev?) and dart to get tsukki something to eat

when you hand it to him, you flash him your most dazzling smile

“eat up! you worked hard today~”

he eyes you silently before digging in, and you smile absentmindedly while watching him

“why are you staring at me like that?”

“because i like you,” you respond without hesitation

he averts his eyes, but doesn’t say anything mean 

your stomach flips a little 

i’m coming for you, tsukishima kei.

on the ride home, you’re once again sitting next to him, and he gives up his headphones without a fight this time

you’re so tired from running around helping kuroo all day that you find your eyelids getting heavy as tsukki’s music plays in your ears

you try to subtly lean on his shoulder but he pokes you away 

you glare at him, pouting, but settle for leaning against the headrest

and then, you’re drifting off

..

and you’re having a strange dream

a pleasant dream, with fuzzy corners and honey-colored light streaming across the scene, but still strange

in this dream, he’s kissing you

it’s not like you haven’t had dreams like this before, it’s just that this one feels so much more vivid

and yet blurry at the same time

even when the dream ends and you blink back into consciousness you can still distinctly feel his lips against yours

his glasses brushing against your cheek

his fingers interlacing with your hair

a warm smile curls up your lips as you grasp lingering wisps of the dream, when—

“you’re drooling.”

your eyes snap open and you jolt up, furiously wiping the side of your mouth

“am not!!”

tsukishima blinks uninterestedly from the empty bus aisle, arms crossed

“dreaming about something vulgar?”

you grin, resting your chin on your palm

“would you like to hear ab—?”

he’s just “nope,” and turns towards the exit

hopping out of the seat, you follow him

“it was such a nice dream,” you sigh

“must’ve been, if you were drooling that much.”

“i was not—”

and then you notice something

everyone else is already gone from the bus

“wait a minute... did you wait for me?”

you hear a scoff

bUt hE dOEsNt DeNy iT

“you WAITED for me!!!!” you exclaim, happiness radiating off you in waves

“if i’d left you on the bus, nishinoya and tanaka would’ve killed me if i didn’t,” he says curtly

but you are, after all, the human equivalent of ‘this sign can’t stop me because i can’t read’

or that tiktok trend 

tsukishima: i don’t like you, i only waited for you because i was literally forced at gunpoint 

y/n: 🎶i waited for you🎶

the next day, it’s practice as usual at the karasuno gym

but?? sniff sniff someone is here that shouldn’t be

this rando first year has been pacing around right outside the gym entrance

and all the vbc members are like 👁️ whomst?

and when you finally arrive (right along behind tsukki)

he yells out your name

and holds out a bouquet of flowers <3 how cute

“y/n, um— i, i know you don’t know me but i’ve liked you since the orientation ceremony!!! i think you’re really pretty and cute and smart—”

cue a quiet scoff from tsukki, “if she’s his definition of smart, then how dumb is he?”

cue sugawara jabbing his side (sugamama is protective of his child y/n)   

“—and i know you like tsukishima, but i hope you’ll give me a chance!! i can make you happier than him!!”

at this point, everyone in the gym is watching like 👁️ oh?? TEA?? 

and is that... is that an aura of raging irritation coming from tsukishima?? 

you open your mouth to politely reject the guy, when

literally out of nowhere tsukki just  a p p e a r s

“hey, idiot. aren’t you supposed to be my personal assistant?? go set out the volleyballs instead of flirting,”

you dip your head and smile apologetically at the guy before heading towards the store room

and after that, you notice tsukki is a bit harsher, a bit more off his game, a little more easily irritated than usual

during a free moment, you nudge tanaka

“doesn’t he seem like he’s in a bad mood??”

zero braincell tanaka is like “??? isn’t he always like that??”

“no... something is definitely off today...”

what . could it be . i wonder .

every time you try to do your usual “tsukki~!!” he just turns away and ignores you

doesn’t sound too out of the ordinary, but you can just tell something is wrong

you still have no idea why he’s acting like this by the time practice ends

and when you go to the locker room to find him (so y’all can walk home together), he’s already gone :(

so, a little more droopy than usual, you head out

only to be surprised by a voice when you step outside

“took you long enough,”

you whip around to see tsukki leaning against the wall with crossed arms

he clicks his tongue and then sets off

and when you don’t immediately follow him, he glances over his shoulder

“are you coming or not?”

sdjfksjsdkjfsdjf smmpdfhsdf !!!!!!!

it’s just one sentence, and it doesn’t really mean anything

but hearing the words makes something incredibly warm bloom in your chest

you grin

“of course i am,”

that feeling lasts well into the next morning, but is replaced by a nauseating knot in your stomach when you arrive at school

because everyone’s whispering about one thing:

“tsukishima got called to the principal’s office!!!”

“whaaat ! why??”

“i heard he was caught with the answers for the upcoming exam!!”

your stomach . clenches

and before anybody can say another word, you’re sweeping out the door and down the hall

and in less than 30 seconds, you’re slamming open the door to the principal’s office

the principal and tsukki both look up, equally shocked at your sudden appearance

“y/n, what—”

you ignore him for the first time in your life

“sir, i need to tell you something.”

the principal is just like “... ?? can it wait??”

“no, it can’t.” you take several steps forward “the test answers, they—”

“y/n, don’t—”

you ignore him for the second time in your life again

“they’re mine,”

the principal blinks 

“then why was tsukishima found holding them before class??”

“yesterday, they must’ve fallen out of my backpack. he probably picked them up without knowing what they were, so please don’t punish him,” you bow. “punish me instead,”

.. y/n dumb bitch

yea, you’re suspended for two weeks

and ofc there’ll be a mark on your record

plus you’re automatically given a fail for the upcoming exam so you’ll have to retake it later oof....

but as much as all that sucks, you don’t regret it bc you’d rather take the fall than let tsukki be wrongly accused and suffer for it

but honestly the break from school is kinda vibes 🥴

don’t even think about the homework you’ll have to make up

your phone is blowing up with texts from your friends

including your surrogate dads and moms from the karasuno vbc 🤧 they’re so worried about you

you’re sad you have to miss practice for such a long time but... you don’t regret your decision

“y/n!!” your little sister knocks on your door “one of your classmates is here for you,”

“‘kay!!” you call back, checking the time

shidt bitch time flies when you’re watching anime alone in your bedroom

you hop up and open your bedroom door to come face to face with the one. the only. tsukishima kei

your eyes are like O.O 

“tsukki??? what are you doing here??” you grin “are you here because you’re worr—”

“no,” he cuts you off “i’m here to deliver your homework,”

“you could’ve given it to my sister, y’know,” you tease. “why’d you come all the way to my bedroom?? you missed me, hm?”

he doesn’t answer, instead surveying the room before sitting down on the edge of your bed

you blink, surprised he didn’t comeback with a cold retort

“tsukki?” you ask quietly, sliding into your desk chair

after a moment of silence, he fixes you with a stoic gaze

“why’d you lie?”

“because... because i couldn’t let you take the blame for that. i don’t know what happened, but i know you weren’t cheating. i know it.”

“neither were you. what’s the difference?”

you press your lips together in a frustrated pout

“the difference is that it’s you!!! i’m mediocre. i’m not outstanding. i’ll go to an average college either way, and it’ll be fine. but you..! you’re so smart!! and talented!!! you could do anything you want!!! you could get into an elite college!! the last thing you need is for some stupid misunderstanding to sully your transcript—”

“y/n—” he tries to cut in, but you bulldoze right over him

“— and i know you probably think what i did was useless and unhelpful, but i don’t care!!! i don’t care about a mark on my transcript, or being suspended, or failing all my exams, or even being expelled—”

“y/n—”

“— but i absolutely refuse to let that happen to you!! you’re too special for—”

this time, it’s not him speaking that interrupts you

this time, it’s him kissing you

you nearly combust on the spot

tsukki— tsukishima kei is kissing you

he’s leaning over you, with one hand on the chair’s armrest and the other steadying your head with his fingertips

your stomach does several full somersaults 

and then, all too quickly, he pulls away and returns to his spot on your bed

you stare, eyes wide as saucers, mouth slightly agape

“w— what was— why did—”

“you wouldn’t stop talking,” he mutters, eyes focused a little too hard on the wall

for a moment, you’re too shocked to move

and then your 🥰tsukki🥰 mode activates

and you just fuckin LUNGE at him

“y/n??? what—!”

kisses!!! kisses on his cheeks!! his nose!!! his forehead!!!

and shockingly he doesn’t?? push you off??

me heart just skipped a beat wjdkfjs

he’s just like “y/n, you’re fogging up my glasses, please stop,”

“i refuse!!!! i’ve been waiting months to do this!!!!!”

once he manages to de-suction you from him, you fix him with doe eyes and a cheeky grin

“hey, tsukki??”

“.. what?”

“i like you,”

he blinks

adjusts his glasses

“make sure to finish that homework. i’m bringing tomorrow’s homework too,”

as he’s leaving, you hope he can feel your glowing smile on his back

the next day, you get a message from the school letting you know that your suspension and other punishments have been retracted

as the real culprit of the cheating was found

an unannounced locker-search discovered several exam cheatsheets almost exactly like the one tsukki found in the locker of a student, and the school realized their mistake <3 how nice of them

and that meant you were free to return to school, name cleared!!!

the volleyball club was eagerly awaiting your return

so when they saw tsukki arrive for practice, they expected you’d be following right along behind him

but instead???

you were koala-ing on his abdomen

“bro... did you carry her all the way here like that??”

“the real question is why he allowed it,”

you shoot a blinding grin at the guys 

“he can at least do this much for his girlfriend~!”

the entire gym is like WhA T !!!!! 

“hE SAID YES???”

“nope,”

“he... asked you out?? then??”

“also no...” 

“did he at least tell you he liked you...?”

“...”

“NISHINOYA STOP SHE’S TEARING UP,” sugamama to the rescue

you let go of tsukki and half the team goes IN on him

“dude wtf!!! she got suspended for you and you didn’t even at least tell her you like her???”

“not just suspended, almost expelled!!!”

“yeah that!!!”

“i say we kill tsukki,”

“tanaka no,”

“GUYS!!” angry!daichi makes an appearance “it’s time for practice!!!”

grumbling, the team disperses

you’re about to head to the store room to help get out the practice equipment, when—

“y/n.”

you turn “hm?”

he’s silent for a moment

“i wouldn’t have kissed you if i didn’t like you.”

your face flushes a deep red

but then he adds, “either time.”

either...? time...?

W A I T

your eyes POP OUT

“that— that wasn’t a DREAM???”

he doesn’t answer, just heads onto the court

but you think you see a slight smirk

and maybe... just maybe?? 

his ears are a little more red than usual.

[sagemoderocklee]

Hello! For the meta asks, would you do 1, 5, 8, and 17?

you did not come to play, lilac! thanks for all these questions! <3

1. Tell us about your current project(s)  –   what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

oh lord. that’s a... question. i have. so many current projects, i don’t even know where to start. this is gonna be long so please bear with me lol i’ll probably give more detail for some fics over others, and i’ll only go over fics I’ve got documents for because otherwise we’d be here forever.

The Art of Love: so this one is obvious because it’s been in progress for the last 2ish years? no i think it’s three now. I won’t go into detail with this because the fic is roughly halfway through, so there’s plenty of content for that up! I’d say the progress with that fic is actually going really well, though. Unlike Alliance, which took 8 years--five years of writing, three of editing--TAoL has been up for way less time, and is already about to hit the halfway mark! I really need to get back to it, tbh because it’s been way too long since my last update.

Honor Bound (sequel to Alliance): so this is.... kind of on pause. I’ve got the first three chapters written, but my focus has been more on TAoL when it comes to my more complicated, long running stories, so HB has taken a backseat. I think I won’t get back to working on the Allied Nations Saga until after TAoL is done, in all honesty.

Find Me: this is my HS AU, which has been on the back burner forever and I feel terrible because I think it may honestly be my most popular fic. Unfortunately, AUs/slice of life stuff is difficult for me because I’m more interested in politics, so I lost momentum on this fic. It is about halfway done. I have a good chunk of chapter six written, but not enough that I could say I’m close to finishing it.

It Eats Your Heart: obviously I just started this one, and it’s a horror fic. I’ve really gotta sit down and do some major plotting on it because I only have some very vague ideas currently.

Pearl-Filled Lungs: this is one of like three ningyo AUs I have--the other are pirate/ningyo AUs (and ones actually a selkie not a ningyo). I started it last year for the GaaLee fest, and it’s been sitting unfinished for far too long. I finally sat down recently and plotted the whole thing out, so I’m hoping to get back to working on it soon! It’s only 5 chapters in total, so I don’t think it’ll take me super long to get through once I sit down and do it.

Who Dares to Love Forever: This is a working title, and I may change it. This is a fic idea I’ve had for a couple years, inspired by the song Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. This particular fic is a vehicle for my sage mode!rock lee headcanon, and explores just how effective Chiyo giving Gaara her life would have been given she was an old biddy. So the idea for this fic is that Gaara’s running out of time because Chiyo only had so much to offer.

Absolution: this is another fic that I’ve had on the back burner for years. it was initially inspired by art by @brianadoesotherjunk but quickly spiraled into something much bigger because of course it did. This particular fic is one I’m extremely excited about. I need to go back over the first part, because I feel like it’s not quite right, but I do technically have the first part done. This fic follows Gaara struggling with bouts of narcolepsy that trigger nightmares induced by trauma and guilt from his childhood. These nightmares are incredibly dangerous for obvious reasons, but even more so because Temari’s baby is on the way. Temari and Shikamaru are married, living in the Kazekage estate, and with their baby coming and both needing/wanting to get back to work, they also need a nanny. Unbeknownst to Gaara, the year prior to the events of the fic, Maito Gai died, succumbing to the 8th Gate finally, and Lee has since been spiraling. His depression has become so self-destructive that he’s been taken off active duty. Shikamaru, along with the rest of the Konoha 12 (minus Neji and Sasuke), get together and discuss what to do. Tenten believes that Lee being a nanny would be the perfect thing. And so Rock Lee is sent to Suna, hired by Shikamaru and Temari as their live-in nanny...

We Need Not Be Yellow Tulips in a Garden of Gardenia’s, Yet We Go the Way of the Red Camellia: true to form, I decided that a hanahaki fic was something I had to do, and I was not going to pass up the chance at being as Extra As Possible with the flowery language, ergo the ridiculous title. I’ve gotten part way through the first chapter of this fic, but the whole thing is roughly plotted out and each chapter title is just as extra as the whole fic’s title.

Thirteen Strokes: so this is a fic I have--once again--had on my mind for ages, and--once again, because I am nothing if not a caricature of myself--inspired by a Florence+the Machine song, All This and Heaven Too. I started writing this the other night, as I wanna use it for GaaLee bingo. It’ll be 13 chapters, as per the 13 strokes that it takes to make the character for love, ai, in Japanese. The fic is from Gaara’s PoV, and follows his journey with and his relationship to love, with lots of worldbuilding and politics because it wouldn’t be an Eeri Original without those things.

Scarification: this is another idea for bingo based around the prompt shinshoubyou, which is a fictional disease where your emotions cause physical marks on you

Fill in the [  ]: another bingo idea, based around the prompt bouaishoukoigun, the fictional disease where you forget the person you love if it’s unrequited.

The Eagle’s Augury: an idea that allows me to play around with more worldbuilding and focus on Karura. In this fic, the curse (mentioned briefly on the Naruto wikia) that has led to every single Kazekage being assassinated, is coming for Gaara, and Karura is trying to warn him from beyond the grave. At the same time, Temari and Shikamaru’s marriage is approaching, and their ceremony is being held in Suna, with all the fan fair a marriage for someone from the Kazekage line should see. Again, another fic inspired by Miss Florence+the Machine, the song is Mother

Pomegranate Sun: this is a fic that I am... so excited about. Another fic that was originally inspired by a Queen song, Under Pressure, and has of course taken on a life of its own. This fic, I am actually going to be writing with @ghoste-catte! It’s an arranged marriage trope, and I’m super pumped for it! We’ve only got a little bit started, and it has obviously not taken priority for either of us since we both have a lot of fics on our plates.

The Ballad of the Dragon and the Phoenix: this is a fic I’m really excited but is going to take a LOT of research to get off the ground. I had this idea sometime last year, I wanna say? This fic is another self-indulgent headcanon about Lee’s origins, his family, etc. This fic starts when Gaara shows up on Lee’s doorstep, asking him to accompany him to another country for reasons Lee cannot understand. Gaara has been in talks with Phoenix Kingdom, hoping to forge a new relationship only to find that the Emperor wants to use shinobi for militaristic purposes. Lee doesn’t understand what help he could possibly offer the Kazekage, but he can’t very well turn him down.

okay, i’m gonna stop there. these are the ones I have titles and documents for, and honestly that’s probably way more than you wanted to know about lol

5. What character that you’re writing do you most identify with? 

Despite the fact that most of my fics end up from Gaara’s PoV, I actually identify with Lee the most!

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

Yes! Which is hard to find, tbh, because I am a sucker for political dramas with slow burn romances, but I don’t see a lot of that in the GaaLee fandom. I’m not as into like slice of life or short stories where the characters get together quick, I’m really not into established relationship fics unless it’s a sequel, so I tend to avoid those. I like AUs but it really depends on the AU, because I ultimately prefer the canon and I love seeing the way people write the shinobi world and all its rules and cultures and things. I’m just a big fan of worldbuilding, politics, and slow slow burns. Not this 25k SLOW BURN! crap because that is NOT a slow burn. I wanna see a fic that’s 200k words in and they still haven’t even figured out they’re in love! I like stories I can really sink my teeth into, ya know?

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

Oh gosh. I generally don’t think too much about it except like hoping people don’t think I’m like a stuck up asshole because of how I talk about my writing, writing in general, my hcs, etc. I mean, obviously I don’t expect everyone in this fandom to like me--and there are ppl I’ve gone out of my way to be vocally against because they do nasty shit--but largely I feel like I come across as too intense, so even the general population of GaaLee fans that I do want to interact with I’m always a lil nervous that people secretly don’t like me and basically are like “oh god this bitch again” when they see me in the tags. But I just get really excited and invested in my ideas, and honestly for the longest time this fandom was SO small and there weren’t a lot of people putting out content regularly so it was like a handful of us so I think it made me more emphatic about GaaLee lol I think I always like assume people aren’t as excited about my writing as I am or that people are like “too much politic, i need more romance”.

I’m always surprised when people really love my AUs, like Kado or Find Me have had such fantastic reception, and it’s like people just eat that shit up so much. And then I look at like Alliance or Art of Love and get kind of confused because I think by comparison those are more interesting and more developed than my AUs. I put a shit ton of work into everything I write, especially anything that requires research, so it’s not to say that I do less work per say, just that I feel like TAoL and things like it are more interesting and more developed, and the relationship feels.... somehow more to me there than in an AU.

a lot of my motivation really just comes from the lack of content this fandom had for so many years, and the fact that Naruto could have been a much more interesting series and I love worldbuilding so much. I think my motivation for each fic is different though. Like Alliance was started because I wanted to write something different from what was mainly in the fandom at the time because mind you I started that in 2010. But my motivation for TAoL is more wanting to tell a beautiful story with a complex narrative that looks at the failings of the shinobi world. Whereas like any slice of life fic is really just meant to be a fun break. And sometimes I write something literally just because I wanted to fulfill that trope for the GaaLee fandom--again, a lot of my ideas have been sitting for years and years and years (TAoL was an idea I had literally right after starting Alliance, but I didn’t get to it until 2017), so a lot of ideas that are old are because at the time that trope hadn’t been fulfilled yet in the fandom though that’s changing a lot with the recent GaaLee Renaissance of the last couple years.

[kendrixtermina]

Not sure if you're still doing the ship thing, but if you are, how about dorothea/petra (i forgot their ship name)

Most ppl seem to be referring to it as “doropetra”

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs - Defs one of the nicer options for both of them.Their support chain has them both bonding on how they’re inconvenient for the social order, do fun stuff with their hair, and offer each other a shoulder to cry on, actually has a good balance between plot, feelings and fun. Heck their paired ending is even explicitly romantic so they’re even canon insofar as anything is in a video game with multiple options. Though really Dorothea has such nice dynamics with all the Eagles both for friendship and romance purposes. 

How long will they last? - It would be the sort of relationship that really has a strong foundation because it’s built on friendship and respect, so I can easily see em being married for decades and chilling on an island as old ladies. 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - It was definitely a friends-to-lovers slowburn

How was their first kiss? - Dorothea was having a bad day during the war. Petra hugged her to cheer her up. Since there were heightened emotions going on, things kind of escalated

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Dorothea

Who is the best man/men? - Linhardt

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Bernadetta and Manuela. 

Who did the most planning? - I think they’d both do it together and have great fun doing it. they’d also probably have a bridgid-style ceremony. 

Who stressed the most? - Dorothea

How fancy was the ceremony? -Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.  

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - No stuck-up fodlanese nobles (aside from the other Eagles)

Sex:

Who is on top? -  Petra

Who is the one to instigate things? - Dorothea

How healthy is their sex life? -Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now  (both of them definitely fuck)

How kinky are they? -Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head  -  

How long do they normally last? - I think they might be at it a good while

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - yes

How rough are they in bed? -Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. - 

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? -No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.  - All the hugs!

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - Probably none, assuming Petra has some cousins etc. who could succeed her. Otherwise they might get one of their guy friends to volunteer as a gene donor. 

How many children will they adopt? - Petra winds up with a lot of kids in many of her endings that explicitly mention them, so I’m thinking 3-4. If we’re on SS then Dorothea would already have some war orphans adopted and would simply bring them with her, Petra becomes a great step-mama and can relate since she lost her own parents in a war. 

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Dorothea

Who is the stricter parent? - Petra (But on the rare occasions that Dorothea is mad they all listen to her)

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Dorothea

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Dorothea (I can just see her ending up doing a lot of the domestic stuff/ being a fulltime parent while the kids are smol)

Who is the more loved parent? -  Dorothea

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Dorothea

Who cried the most at graduation? - Dorothea

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Dorothea

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Dorothea

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Petra wouldn’t exactly be picky - but you know that thing where ppl who come from warmer countries just can’t be satisfied with the mushy imported mangoes or other fruit? My mom used to live in the Carribean and only a few years ago did she find anything she would term decent Mango juice for sale here in Europe, and similarly, a lot of my friends from India say that a lot of the eggplants are crap and overpriced. So she might want to go pick out the fruits and vegetables herself to make sure they’re up to standards. 

Who does the grocery shopping? - Petra. See above. (Though perhaps this might reverse once they move to Bridgid. Assuming that Fodlan is roughly like Europe, Dorothea might want to eyeball all the bread wine cheese and sausage before buying)

How often do they bake desserts? - average

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Petra enjoys hunting and definitely makes a point of utilizing everything she catches, so nothing goes to waste. The kids, if applicable,  get plenty of adorable little leather clothes. 

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Dorothea. 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Depends on wether that means partying (Dorothea) or just going outside in nature (Petra), but both seem like the sort to have an active social life going 

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? -  Dorothea (Neither  would be super likely but Petra probably got used to handling open fires since she was very young.)

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Both. 

Who is really against chores? - Neither

Who cleans up after the pets? - Petra

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Dorothea

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Neither, but if its politically important guests Petra would not so much stress but think/plan it all through so it projects the right message. When it’s just their friends they’d both be chill tho. Especially since most of their friends are probably more chaotic than they are

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Petra

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Dorothea

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - They’d take turns

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Often (Dorothea might not be a believer but I think she’d enjoy the social aspect od holidays)

What are their goals for the relationship? - To find their happiness and support each other through life

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Petra (I think she says somewhere that she likes to sleep in when she can afford to?)

Who plays the most pranks? - Both but like in a sweet teasing way 

[madamslayyy]

Prisoner of Love (Erik “N’Jadaka” Killmonger x Black! Reader)

Pairing: Erik Killmonger x Black! Reader

A/N: IM 👏🏾 HORRIBLE 👏🏾WITH 👏🏾DEADLINES 👏🏾BUT 👏🏾I 👏🏾MADE 👏🏾IT 👏🏾✊🏿‼️ So this is my submission for @hoopshoney and @purple-apricots Valentines Day Fic Fest, With Love, From Wakanda . This is actually shorter than I intended but I ran out of time so one day a part two might pop up (but it won’t be anytime soon, I’m so sorry y’all). Anyways this is it, I didn’t know who to tag so I just tagged random ppl I thought might be interested.

Warning: Kidnapping??? Imprisonment. Loss of Will. Nothing triggering honestly but conceptually I could see this being a problem.

Prompt: 27. “Nothing was planned but it certainly worked out for me.”

~*~

“You could smile, y’know. I walked all the way down here to see your pretty ass and this the reception I get?” His dimples flaired more than usual when he was angry. And he was always angry.

He’d gotten into a sort of routine. He’d come see you every three days and if you behaved he’d give you a present. You never behaved the way he wanted, never disrespectful/ disruptive but not the lovestruck admirer he craved either. You might not have much entertainment in this glass cage he’d condemned you to but you had come to find a smidgen of pleasure in watching him burn the trinkets in front of you after he didn’t get what he wanted. There was something about seeing his effort go to waste that made you feel victorious, even if only for a millisecond.

“Some way to treat ya king. Gonna make sure we break you-out of that real soon.” He sank into the throne like chair he’d had installed in the room (on the other side of the glass) and so began the ritual. He’d sit in the other side of the glass for hours, telling you about his day, his Kingly duties, how he was going to ‘fix’ Wakanda and then the world. He would talk to you about any and everything and of course you’d sit there and listen silently, like a good prisoner does.

On days when he’d run out of things to say, he’d simply gaze at you as if you were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. You hated every second of it.

The first day you’d been in-prisoned by N’Jadaka was the second day he’d been King. You worked for the crown as a bookkeeper, a boring paperwork filled job swarming with numbers, algorithms, expenses, and budgets. The newly instated King has stormed the Wakandan Department of Finance to let everyone know they were fired and could go home, he wasn’t about to let anyone ‘budget’ his revolution.

You’d been on your way out he door when he violently grabbed your arm, nearly breaking it. You turned your big doe-like eyes to him, fear instantly taking residence within you. It was public knowledge that this man had savagely murdered the former King T’Challa and Spiritual Leader Zuri in cold blood. If he could put an end to them so frivolously, then it would be nothing for him to kill a nobody such as yourself.

“What’s your name,” He asked in a voice barely above a whisper. Your face must have gave way to your confusion because his grip on your arm loosened, but only marginally.

“Your name, ma. I won’t ask again,” he commanded. Even with you blood running cold in your veins, you could recognize he was easily the most handsome man you’d ever come encounter with.

“Y-Y/N.... your highness,” you squeaked. You felt like you were about to pass out.

“The voice matches the face... and the body.” he murmured to himself. He continued staring at you for what felt like an eternity before he finally nodded to his second-in-comamnd. You knew immediately who he was. W’Kabi, leader of the border tribe, traitor to Wakanda and the crown.

“Take her into custody,” he barked and immediately you found yourself being dragged away by two of W’Kabi’s men. That was the last day of your freedom.

“Look at me y/n,” he said in a stern voice, breaking you from your train of thought.

“I am,” you said softly. Even if your mind was a million miles away, you always kept your eyes on him. It would take less than a second for him to press the button on his Kimoyo beads to make the glass between the two of you vanish. Though you were already completely at his mercy, it often felt as if the glass barrier that kept you locked in your cell was the only form of protection you had from him.

“No you’re not. Your eyes are on me but you’re not seeing me.” You knew he couldn’t bare when all of your attention wasn’t completely focused on him. In the abundance of free time being King N’Jadaka’s prisoner had granted you, you’d often taken to psychoanalyzing your captor. You wondered if he often felt as if no one saw him, perhaps he was often ignored in childhood, spurring such an insecurity in his later life.

The silence between you two lingered on, him gazing at you as if he were studying you. You were the same each and every day but he always watched you as if he were discovering something new.

Finally he stood from his chair, approaching the glass. He took off one of his kimoyo beads and entered it in the key pad to your right. The glass between you two vanished and your body instantly went rigid. He handed you a small box which you accepted with shaking fingers. He backed out of the cell before reigniting the glass.

“Open it,” he urged, his eyes more intense than ever. You opened the small velvet box to reveal a ring made of pure gold with a diamond bigger than any rock you’d ever seen nestled in the middle.

“Do you know what tomorrow is?” He asked softly, arms folded across his enormous chest.

“February 14th,” in the months since you’d been his prisoner, you actively kept up with the date. It helped keep you sane.

“Little something called Valentines Day where I’m from. A celebration of love,” you’d never heard of such a holiday so you remained silent.

“It only seemed fitting on such a day that I make you my wife.” Your eyes suddenly flew open in shock causing the King to grin wickedly.

“N-no. Your highness please I d-“

“Take a long look around Y/N. Tonight is your last night in this cell.” His voice boomed as he began to walk away.

“Was this all apart of your plan? Take over Wakanda, kidnap and marry the first girl you see?” You asked quietly. You almost thought he hadn’t heard you when he paused.

“None of this was planned but it certainly worked out for me.” And with that, he was gone.

You looked down at the ring. It was gorgeous. But you knew what it really stood for. It was more or less shackles that would bind you to him for all of eternity. You had to bring yourself to question was this a fate worst than death?

~*~

The next morning came and you were greeted by two Dora Milaje who came to retrieve you from your cell.

It felt like only hours since the king had left you with the velvet box in your hand. Maybe it had only been hours, there was no telling how long N’Jadaka was with you yesterday. The cell he kept you in was deep underground with no windows or clocks for you to tell time. Your eating schedule where a designated maid brought you breakfast, lunch, and dinner was your only way of keeping track of the days.

“It’s time,” one said in an unbelievably deep voice. She was beautiful of course but so were most of the Milaje.

You put up no fuss, allowing them to escort you out, the same way you allowed them to scrub your hair and skin until your brown skin glowed a slight red tinge, the same way you allowed them to dressed you in the most extravagant white American styled wedding dress you’d ever seen. One last look in the mirror before the wedding was supposed to begin and you hardly recognized yourself. The hair, the makeup, the jewelry; you looked beautiful but it wasn’t you. Or maybe it was. Maybe it was who you were about to become. After all, you were about to be a Queen.

The ceremony was surprisingly short, shorter than normal Wakandan royal weddings, thanks to N’Jadaka of course.

Except for the first day he’d seen you when he’d grabbed your arm, you hadn’t touched N’Jadaka since. So when he held your freshly manicured hands in his own enormous ones, you felt the heat rise in your cheeks. He held them gently, rubbing small circles in the back of your hand with his thumb.

“Through the power of Bast, I declare you bonded for life, King and Queen of Wakanda.” The new Spiritual Leader, Ghube, rang out. N’Jadaka allowed a small smile to grace his lips before he captured your lips in his own. They were softer than you expected, the hairs of his beard tickling your face. He grabbed you by the waist, deepening the kiss. The witnesses cheered loudly and you felt your cheeks heat up even more.

“I’ve been waiting for this for so long,” he said breathily as he pressed his forehead against your own. He was so close to you. And so large. His body easily engulfed your own and you were suddenly filled with a feeling of dread. With his new role as your husband, he would expect you to perform certain wifely duties. Duties you weren’t sure you could handle. Your experience was limited to say the least and you’d never been with anyone who could hold a candle to the King’s flame. His incredible beauty aside, he was confident, strong, psychotic, always got what he wanted apparently and didn’t take no for an answer. How on earth did they expect you to bed a man like that? Or worst, give him an heir.

You were stoic the remainder of the ceremony, the impeding dread of your wedding night consuming you.

“Aye, you good?” N’Jadaka asked quietly in your ear. It was nothing for him to lean over because you two had been impossibly close since the moment the two of you were wed. He hadn’t been able to keep his hands off you, only further perpetuating your unease.

“I’m not feeling well. It’s just a lot going on, I’m a little dizzy,” you said, trying to excuse your behavior.

“Aight,” N’Jadaka squeezed the side of your thigh his hand had previously been resting on as a form of comfort you supposed before standing up.

“Alright, weddings over! If you not staff or cleanup crew, get ya asses out!” N’Jadaka yelled abruptly, causing the room to still. Nobody seemed to really know what to do so they all stared at him awkwardly.

“Did I fucking stutter?!” That kicked them into high gear and everyone made a quick B-line for the door.

“C’mon, lets get you to the royal doctors,” N’Jadaka said going to help you up.

“No, really I’m fine. That won’t be necessa- AH” he picked you up bridal style as if you weighed nothing. You clung to his neck for dear life. Nobody had ever picked you up before and here he’d done it with such ease.

“I’m gonna have them take a look just in case.”

“I’m serious, my king. I’m fine, I just need to rest.” You said and he tensed.

“What did you just call me?” His eyes looked almost feral and you thought he might throw you down to the ground on purpose.

“M-my King? I’m sorry I di-” You squeaked when he cut you off by crashing your lips to his. He moaned into the kiss, a deep guttural sound that made your heart flutter for a moment. To think he’d get so worked up over someone like you?

“I could get used to that,” he chuckled, breaking the kiss. You bit your already slightly sore lips, N’Jadaka’s affections leaving them swollen. You couldn’t believe he was that enamored with the title, as if everyone didn’t call him that. As if you hadn’t called T’Challa that a hundred times during his short reign.

As he carried you off to what would be your shared bedroom, you couldn’t help thinking how peculiar this man was. You’d watched him through the glass of your cell for months as he’d come and pour himself out to you and yet you’d never seen this side of him until today. He was an enigma, for sure.

He opened the door and carried you inside what easily had to be the most extravagant room you’d ever seen in your life. Dripping with gold and vibranium, this single room was bigger than any place you’d ever lived in your entire life. The bed was unnecessarily huge with feather pillows larger than your whole body and sheets made of pure silk. Had this been where he slept every night? It seemed like an awfully big bed to sleep in alone. If he was alone, that is. No wonder he was in such a hurry to find a wife.

“Home sweet home,” he said, laying you down on the bed. He took your shoes off one by one and began to massage your delicate feet in his large hands. If a year ago, someone had told you you’d be here in the most beautiful room you’d ever seen, on the softest bed you’d ever felt, receiving a foot massage from the most gorgeous man you’d ever laid eyes of, all while wearing the title of Queen, well you’d have thought it was a delusional dream come true. And yet here you were.

“I know what you think about me... what they say...” N’Jadaka said bleakly, “but I’m letting you know now, that shit doesn’t matter. I’m gonna be a good husband to you. If you let me.”

Was he serious? He wanted to be a good husband? When he’d locked you in a glass cage like some doll for months?

“Okay,” you said, not really sure what response he was looking for. Apparently that did it for him because his hands started trailing up you leg under dress, stopping at your thigh.

“You’re still afraid of me,” he sighed, removing his hand.

“I-I um..”

“I can hear your heart palpitating, and you’re trembling Y/N.” He interjected. “I took the heart shaped herb, I’m the new Black Panther remember.” Shit, how could you have forgotten something as important as that.

“It’s... it’s not you I’m afraid of.... I’m just not any... good at that,” N’Jadaka nodded, licking his lips.

“I can help with that,” he cooed, unbuttoning his shirt.

Taglist: @queennanayaa @chaneajoyyy @erikkillmongerstan @macfizzle @chasingsunlight @softnani @thehomierobbstark @supersizemeplz @wakandas-vibranium @wawakanda-btch @loosewindmill @muse-of-mbaku @chefjessypooh @iamrheaspeaks @theunsweetenedtruth @cancerianprincess @laketaj24 @sugardaddytonystark @itsmarshalltime98 @blackpanthersmut @blackgirloneshots @lavitabella87 @wakanda-inspired @blackpinup22 @ayellepea

[gem-quest]

[QUEST o2. - E N T H R O N E D]

(written by @bebemoon)

mentions: @ayzrules @elissastillstands & @armadasneon​

. . . Quest 2 .

A few days passed without word from Inferna, and Neddy was beginning to think she'd been forgotten.

A pair of players were marrying in the gardens the week following the meadow fair. And Neddy made an appearance out of sheer curiosity-

The ceremony was within a tumble of pale pink blossoms beneath a flowering tree, and the fae—and even all who were stuck on the level—were in attendance, surrounding the couple of Moonstone players. Neddy recognised the groom as the gleaming Moonstone jouster from the fair. The bride was a tiny Healer with hair matching the blossoms overhead and a veil of glimmering chain mail set with white crystals. They seemed blissful- so much so that Neddy wondered about them.    

Besides, was this a binding union in the real world? Probably not since Finvarra was the one to marry them, and Neddy rather doubted the Prince was ordained for such an affair. He wasn't even real.

Maybe it didn't matter to them- at any moment, any of them could be skewered with a sword and die at once in two worlds. Might as well live happily and love when possible.  

Neddy shook her head. What an outlandish situation they all found themselves in . . .

-

There was a celebration afterwards, but in Yue City. Understandably, the happy couple wanted to be able to eat together as well as remain free of the fae.

Neddy stayed behind to put her feet up on the feast table alongside some of Finvarra's tittering wives to watch the dancing for a while. The feeling of isolation began to creep up on her once again.

Suddenly, there was a familiar trilling from her rucksack at her feet, barely audible over the fairy music. It was the sound the Plexus' messaging function made when a new message was received.

Excitedly, Neddy dug into the rucksack and drew the Plexus out. She swiped the screen, and the new message appeared. It was from Inferna- "Jack's Girlfriend" [fire emoji] in the Plexus.

The message read: WYD ???

Neddy replied with a long message detailing the wedding she'd just witnessed, overseen by the Prince himself.

To which the redhead pithily replied, "Bruh xD".

Neddy grinned at her screen.

Inferna went on to ask Neddy if she was ready to take on Aydina, and when Neddy indicated that she was "ready as she would ever be", the other girl sent back:

“Btw I invited 2 other ppl to join us for dodgeball- Morningstar and Balestra if u wanted to look them up! Hope that’s okay 💖💖💖 say hi to jack 4 me!!!!”

Attached to this was a selfie of the candy-redhead eating the apricot tartlets Neddy had paid her with.

Morningstar wasn't a name that Neddy recognised- but Balestra, she knew immediately. She was another Moonstone player- a celestial knight- with a griffin mount. If Neddy wasn't very much mistaken, the griffin ate some of the garden's fae NPCs. And Finvarra still recounted the incident like some sort of disastrous Biblical tale.

Maybe it would be good to have someone like that on her side? If Balestra's griffin ate Aydina, would that be an automatic win?

Neddy replied simply to Inferna with a thumbs-up emoji, but she couldn't help feeling a twinge of doubt.

-

I C T U I U M . to . M E R M A I D . C O V E .

Inferna and her two companions were already waiting in the level 30 foyer—a wide glass room looking into the beachy landscape beyond with huge, flat screens showing players already in action on the level—when Neddy blinked in.

Seeing the sparkling sea spread out to her left, Neddy's first inclination was to start singing “La mer”.

Inferna's disappointment that Neddy had shown up sans Jack was instantly perceptible. The redhead pushed her lip out and raised one hand to her hip.

“Where’s Jack?” she said, pouting dramatically. “I even brought him a huge thing of sugar cubes! And a fresh batch of sauce.”

Neddy pulled an apologetic face. "Sorry, he's been M.I.A. for a couple of days," she told her. "He does that, I'm finding."

A slip of a girl with a crown of curls and a longsword on her hip was leaned up against one of the glass walls. She nodded at Neddy by way of a greeting.

Inferna jerked her chin at her. "That's Balestra," she said, grinning. "Moonstone rider like yourself. Maybe you know her?"

Neddy didn't want to bring up the gardens fiasco in case it was a sore spot with Balestra, and so she lied. "Oh, er, no- I-I don't believe we've met, actually," she stammered. "I'm Neddy. I swear I'm a real rider- my mount is just . . . I don't think he'd be much good at dodgeball anyway."

Three pairs of eyes regarded Neddy. She didn't know why she was so nervous, but she knew everyone could tell that she was.

At least Inferna seemed to be enjoying herself, as usual. She snorted in the silence. "And that's Morningstar over there," she said, thumbing the other player in the foyer.  

The third pair of eyes were almost too haunting to properly look into. They belonged to a ribbon of white slashed with violent red- a crown of berries, Neddy realised. Intimidatingly, a crystal scythe lay across her shoulders and her arms were draped over either side of the polearm. She looked a bit crucified.

The phantom made no move to acknowledge Neddy. However, her strange golden eyes stayed pinned to her.

Neddy merely raised her hand in a meek wave. "Hello."

Morningstar said nothing.

Inferna clapped her hands to break the bizarre tension between the four of them. "Well, let's go kick some ass!" she declared and punched the air. “I just confirmed with the other seven people who agreed to join our party. Three Ammolite, two Obsidian, two Moonstone.”

Neddy was impressed. Inferna was certainly on top of things. Perhaps more apricot tartlets were in order.

Inferna flashed them a cheeky grin. “Let’s go down to the beach?”

-

Neddy considered herself fortunate to have gotten some intimidating figures on her side for this dodgeball match- especially considering the others Inferna had rounded up. Not an inspiring bunch. But Inferna had only been looking to fill out the team.

Mermaid Cove was beautiful. The beach was blush and the sky was bright. The harbour was bustling at one end of the shore and magnificent pirate ships bobbed in the offing. Up the beach, giant pink conch shells were set upright in the sand and hollowed out into stalls that sold necessities like medi-elixirs, pep potions, and replacement gear. An old one-eyed woman with a blue parrot on her shoulder was selling fried octopus tentacles in shell-shaped baskets. A length of fishing net was draped over the market area and all manner of scavenged sea treasures and seashells were strung up, dangling over the customers as they browsed.

Neddy wanted to roam the market area for a while, but Inferna was all business. 

Inferna led them through the intro ordeal, having one of the other players activate the in-game event with the NPC shopkeeper, since Inferna herself had already completed the level and therefore could not activate it again. 

Inferna tapped her foot impatiently as the NPC ran through her whole sob story about how the mermaids had created Angel’s Breath to revive drowned humans, how the pirate queen Aydina and her eleven crew members had killed off all the mermaids to keep Angel’s Breath for herself-

Finally, the NPC said, “If you get the pirates to leave the town, I’ll show you where the last Angel’s Breath is hidden.”

“Great, let’s go,” said Inferna, then she directed the rest of the group to the shoreline.

As they stood on the beach, she threw her finger in the direction of the sea where a massive dome was rising slowly out of the water.

"Look, look!" Inferna shouted. "There it is!"

The others crowded around to watch in awe as the dome continued to surface, throwing off water and a terrible mechanical noise that scraped the ears.

"We're going into that thing?" Neddy asked, her stomach flipping.

Meanwhile, a pirate ship-complete with a skull and crossbone flag-sailed into view. Inferna rolled her eyes. “Yeah, in a sec,” she replied. “Aydina has some dialogue that we have to sit through. God fucking damn, but the NPC shit in this game gets so tedious.”

It wasn’t much longer before Aydina, the pirate queen, sauntered up over to them, her crew right behind her. With an unruly mane of fiery red curls, fierce eyes, and dressed in sheer black chiffon that billowed dramatically in the breeze, with lacy black gloves that went up to her elbows and a pair of badass black boots to match. 

Inferna cut to the chase. Apparently, sometimes you could skip the intro dialogue if you talked faster than the NPCs. “Yo, Aydina! Get the fuck out of here.”

The NPC gave Inferna a disparaging look. “How are you going to make me?”

“I challenge you to a dodgeball game,” she replied tightly, and Aydina nodded her agreement.

“Time to go!” Inferna crowed, evidently pleased that she’d successfully gotten Aydina to skip through most of the annoying dialogue. 

A narrow walkway of roped-together driftwood began to rise out of the sea. It did not look the least bit steady, and Neddy was ready to forego the whole thing just at the sight of it.

The sea is beautiful, yes. But it is also crushing and fathomless. And Neddy had always had a fear of it. The prospect of going beneath the ocean's surface was almost debilitatingly frightening. 

She hated herself for wishing Callum was there to hold her hand.

But no sooner had the thought of him crossed her mind that Inferna was taking her hand and pulling her towards the rickety walkway. 

“Come on, move your ass,” Inferna said, shooting her a playful look as she tugged her along. “Be careful during the actual game, though. Aydina can randomly let water into the court and drain it out whenever she wants. It’s the biggest pain ever.”

Neddy wanted to sink inside herself at that, but- it felt almost as if Inferna was passing some of her chaotic strength through her fingers into Neddy’s. And her feet moved to follow after the redhead. 

-

They marched into the dome, and the door sealed off behind them, metal clanging as the dome sank back under the sea to rest on the sea floor. The dome itself was made out of some kind of transparent material, allowing them to see the various sea creatures and coral formations surrounding the place. 

Inferna paused, causing Neddy to pause too. The redhead seemed to have noticed a throng of excited players making their way back to the foyer, where they’d be able to watch the game on the screens. 

“What?” Neddy wondered, dividing a look between the Inferna’s face and the other players. 

“If we win-” Inferna cut herself off and then winked at Neddy. “When we win, those players will be swarming all over us the second we get back to land- for the Angel’s Breath. Best to have a few ictuium potions on hand.” 

Inferna said as much to Balestra and Morningstar as well. Then, Aydina was explaining the rules of the game to them.

“If the ball-” and here she summoned the “dodgeball” out of thin air, which was an enchanted turtle shell- “hits you, and then hits the ground, you’re out. If you catch the ball, you’re safe. If the ball bounces off of you and one of your teammates catches it, you’re both safe. But, if the ball bounces off of you and someone on the other team catches it, you’re out.”

Inferna cast Neddy a sideways glance. “Don’t get hit,” she advised. “That thing packs a punch on its own, but depending on her mood, Aydina can make it stab you with barnacles, shock you, or spray disgusting gross poisonous stuff that’ll kill you before the time is up.”

Aydina rolled the ball over to where Inferna was standing. “I’ll let you guys have the first go,” she said, smirking confidently at them, looking directly at Inferna. “Since I feel sorry for you. How many brain cells do you have, to be wearing such an atrocious hat?”

“Fuck you!” Inferna shot back as she picked up the ball. “You’re such a fucking cunt.”

The pissed-off redhead gave the other eleven people a questioning look. “Well, should I go for it? Or do one of you guys want to do the honors?”

-

[ You can pick up here or back up a bit or do as you like if you end up taking this quest up ! No instructions for Neddy (but keep in mind she’s not a strong player), just do as you like and make sure they win ! ^^ And, if you need any help at all, just ask either Ayz or me~ ] 

[thequantumqueer]

hi sorry 2 bother u but would u mind explaining a bit more about how ppl in the military are victims? ofc no pressure only if u wanna I'm just curious to learn wht u mean

yeah definitely!

so it starts with predatory recruitment. military recruiters visit high schools and sometimes even middle schools to normalize the idea that joining the military is no different from going to college. almost none of those kids can actually join, but they try to sell them on it anyway with talk of how cool it’ll be and what a badass it’ll turn you into, and stuff like that. the army even has even put out three T-rated video games about army life since 2007, the most recent in 2015.

it gets even more intense in high school, when they start contacting kids directly. when you take the SAT and ACT, your information automatically gets sent to recruiters and they start sending you recruitment literature that blends in really well with the letters you’re getting from colleges suggesting you apply.

then, once people are old enough to actually join up, the recruitment pitch shifts to more tangible offers with little to no intention of ever following through. one of the biggest selling points is the G.I. Bill, but it comes with a whole host of terms and conditions that no one ever mentions, which often results in the benefits being mostly (or even completely) unusable for a lot of people, with just under half of servicemembers ending up using any of it at all.

they also recruit heavily based on the idea that your time in the military will translate into work experience and make it easier to find a job when you get out, but most military equivalents to civilian jobs deal with highly specialized equipment that makes the experience irrelevant, and you don’t get any certifications or equivalencies.

another big draw is Tricare, which is, quite simply, the best insurance in the world. What they don’t tell you is that your dependents get a shitty knockoff, and you also get kicked over to that shitty knockoff as soon as they determine that whatever’s wrong means you won’t be returning to active duty. they want to protect their investment as long as it can fight for them, but beyond that, you can go fuck yourself. and that’s to say nothing of the nightmare that is the VA, which is infamous for multiple-month wait times for even basic care, which is very often poor quality when you eventually do get it.

once you’ve actually joined, a few things happen that the recruiter never mentioned. first and foremost, you’ve entered into a contract with the united states government, which means that any breach of that contract is a federal felony. in other words, everything in this post from here on out is 100% completely and totally unavoidable without utterly fucking up your life.

the second is that you are now subject to two entire sets of laws that, most likely, you had no idea existed until just now. lots of those laws are standard federal law that only applies to military personnel (title 10, mostly), but the rest are called the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). a lot of the ucmj is pretty straightforward stuff that you’d expect, like “it’s a crime to disobey orders” (Article 92) and the like, but there’s a ton of general conduct laws as well. for example Article 88 - Contempt Toward Officials, which says:

Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

in other words, if you’re an officer it is literally a crime to criticize the government, even in private and even if you’re not in uniform. more generally, though, all military personnel have their political activity severely restricted by a combination of articles 10, 2, and 18 of us code, DOD directives, and military regulations. from this article, here’s a list of some things that you’re not allowed to do if you’re in the military:

Participate in partisan political fundraising activities, rallies, conventions (including making speeches in the course thereof), management of campaigns, or debates, either on one’s own behalf or on that of another, without respect to uniform or inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement. Participation includes more than mere attendance as a spectator.

Use official authority or influence to interfere with an election, affect the course or outcome of an election, solicit votes for a particular candidate or issue, or require or solicit political contributions from others.

Allow or cause to be published partisan political articles, letters, or endorsements signed or written by the member that solicits votes for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause. However, letters to the editor are allowed.

Serve in any official capacity with or be listed as a sponsor of a partisan political club.

Speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.

Participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.

Conduct a political opinion survey under the auspices of a partisan political club or group or distribute partisan political literature.

Perform clerical or other duties for a partisan political committee or candidate during a campaign, on an election day, or after an election day during the process of closing out a campaign.

Solicit or otherwise engage in fundraising activities in Federal offices or facilities, including military reservations, for any political cause or candidate.

March or ride in a partisan political parade.

Display a large political sign, banner, or poster (as distinguished from a bumper sticker) on a private vehicle.

Display a partisan political sign, poster, banner, or similar device visible to the public at one’s residence on a military installation, even if that residence is part of a privatized housing development.

Participate in any organized effort to provide voters with transportation to the polls if the effort is organized by or associated with a partisan political party, cause, or candidate.

Sell tickets for or otherwise actively promote partisan political dinners and similar fundraising events.

Attend partisan political events as an official representative of the Armed Forces, except as a member of a joint Armed Forces color guard at the opening ceremonies of the national conventions of the Republican, Democratic, or other political parties recognized by the Federal Elections Committee or as otherwise authorized by the Secretary concerned.

Make a campaign contribution to, or receive or solicit (on one’s own behalf) a campaign contribution from, any other member of the Armed Forces on active duty.

Any activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security (in the case of the Coast Guard) or any component of these Departments with a partisan political activity or is otherwise contrary to the spirit and intention of this Directive shall be avoided.

most of that list comes from DoD Directive 1344.10 (full text here) and while there’s plenty of stuff you can do, politically, but almost all of it requires you to be either anonymous or passive about it. so now it’s illegal for you to do anything substantial toward changing policy in any way, and possibly also to even so much as complain about the president or call congress incompetent.

so now that you’ve been properly restricted (and remember, the only way out of this without a felony is with a DD214 (discharge paperwork)) you’re put to work. on the surface, it seems like any other job, but there’s subtle differences. for one thing, literally every person who’s gotten more raises than you is your boss and you have to do whatever they tell you unless it conflicts with what someone who’s gotten even more raises than them already told you to do.

your orders can also be literally anything that’s not illegal. if your boss at starbucks tells you to always stand on one foot while you work the register, you might do it for like an hour or two, but then you’d stop bothering and if your boss got upset about it then that would be unreasonable. if your CO tells you to always say the pledge of allegiance in Farsi, then it’s your responsibility to learn how to say it in Farsi and always do so until that CO or someone above them give you permission to say it in english again, and if you don’t, that’s a crime.

what that means is that if you get assigned to recruitment duty, you can and will be ordered to look and sound excited about being in the military as you tell 13 year olds they should join up after high school, and you will legally have to do it.

and all of this is without even mentioning the missions. combat, and the act of killing another human being, are traumatizing even in the most ideal of situations. if someone breaks into your home to attack you and you push them back and something heavy falls on them and kills them, that’s still a traumatic experience for you. even legitimate wars for good reasons against enemies that really do need to be stopped are horrifying experiences for everyone involved.

but when the war is bullshit and most of the casualties are civilians and you know all this and aren’t even allowed to say anything about it, let alone do anything about it? that combines with combat to royally fuck a person up.

this is the part where everyone who’s read this far gets ready to jump down my throat about how the people being bombed are the real victims and not the people dropping the bombs, so let me remind you that this anon was in response to a post i made that started with the words “The US Military is […] evil” and that im not in any way trying to say that the troops get the worst of it, just that they are being used and abused by the system.

because remember, those troops have been groomed to be recruited since they were five years old and asked their parents why they got veterans day off from kindergarten, and have been pursued more and more actively all the way up through high school. the military lured them in, is chewing them up, and will spit them out when it’s done with them without giving one single fuck about them.

and no matter how you cut it, that describes a victim.

[isabellcs]

welcome 2 her twisted mind....tw murder & general . crazy on main activities... 

BACKSTORY 

so she was born in valencia, spain which is a pretty costal town hehe...and she was raised in an orphanage ! by nuns ! like she was dropped off at their doorstep as a baby and all the nuns would say about her mom was that she was a coke head and a whore so JDHDGDF they didn’t know anything about her dad though and isabella was honestly cool with that she didn’t care ... like as a little girl she would just dream up wild fantasies abt her mom being this crazy evil lady like the nuns pictured her and it actually ... comforted her ?? she was a weird kid . she was super interested in religion just bc she loved the idea of cosmic punishments and all these big dramatic things that happened in the Bible and she asked a lot of questions but only abt like the violent stuff so the nuns started to worry abt her also isabella creeped all the other kids out like she’d try to play with them but her version of playing games was like .. oh i found some rat bones in the attic let’s make a necklace (: or like she’d make up little chants in what she thought was nonsense and then weird things would happen afterwards so the kids started calling her a bruja which means witch and isabella was just like damn . tough crowd fuck u guys too !!

anyway eventually all the kids she grew up with started to get adopted or put into foster homes and the orphanage was like super strict so if u weren’t getting put into a home u couldn’t even really explore spain like they were just cooped up there and when she was around 15 she just .. snapped like she wasn’t getting any offers for adoption bc she creeped everyone out and she had a bad reputation at the orphanage and the nuns didn’t really treat her nicely and she just wanted to escape ! so she waited and then one day there was this insane thunderstorm and it knocked out the power and isabella just . poofed out the window and never looked back .. and so a new chapter in her life began ..so growing up as a kid she was like ... not really a bad person so to speak but she didn’t have the same understanding of morals that everyone around her did like in her mind things were morally okay if she didn’t feel bad about it but ... she didn’t really feel bad about anything so she was like well cool i guess it’s all ok then ! so she was 13 literally no money just on the streets of valencia trying to scam her way to barcelona and she did some ... questionable things in the process.. may or may not have robbed some spanish aristocrats.. among other things .. but by the time she was 14 she made it to barcelona so what does it matter ! anyway that’s where she got her snake literally on the first night in barcelona this drunk dude coming home from a bar tried to attack her and this snake came out of nowhere and just . bit him and he died and then the snake just curled around her legs and started following her around so she was like guess this is my life now . sick BSHZHDFshe does her own thing for a while with her new snake just being a genuinely weird teen in spain no family just making up lies about where she came from to scare people also robbing ppl to be able to find places to sleep obviously mingling with like .. no good ppl bc who else is gonna talk to a creepy girl with a pet snake JSHSGDD 

then on her 16th bday she meets this man and he knows her name and she’s like fuck . did the nuns send u and he’s like im gonna tell u everything abt ur past if u come with me NOW and she’s like ok (: so they stay at this little inn and while he’s sleeping her snake wraps itself around his throat and he wakes up and she’s like ur gonna tell me everything rn or ur gonna die so he was like well shit . u come from a coven of witches that used to live in vermont and were hunted down one by one and killed as punishment for an incident that killed a whole town of innocent ppl so ur mom ran away to spain and gave u up for adoption to save ur life but they found her and she died and now it gonna die if u stay in spain and she was like huh . and didn’t kill him /: and the next day they started there two year journey...traveling all around europe before finally coming to Vermont to meet with the last surviving witches from her covenwhatever so they meet and isabella is like huh so tell me abt what you guys did that killed all those ppl that sounds cool and they were like ... uh no that’s not important rn ? what’s important is that u get ur powers it’s almost ur 18th bday so for like a week she’s with them getting to know them... and the man that brought her there disappeared like she starts to realize he didn’t even stay to see the other witches and when she mentions the guy that brought her they were like WHAT and she was like yeah thought u guys knew him...and they were like oh my god we have to leave rn after ur bday tonight and she was just like fine whatever where are we going and they were like as if we’d tell u and . that made her angry /: so they do the ceremony signing her name into the book and she gets her powers blah blah she can’t find her snake so she’s like .. looking for him and she wanders away and when she comes back .. all the witches that were from her coven that did her ceremony are all dead and the man that brought her there is back and he’s like hey isabella and he’s holding her snake and she’s like so ur the one that killed everyone right ur the one that was hunting the coven down and he’s like yeah sorry  and he gives her back the snake and he’s like don’t worry im not gonna kill u (: i have big plans for u !so once again she’s like i guess this is my fucking life now... 

and she’s honestly not even that sad about her coven like they kinda annoyed her and she’s curious about this witch hunter dude bc it reminds her of all the stories she used to love from the Bible abt divine justice so he brings her to ... new york baby ! she’s 18 she’s got her fresh new powers and this guy starts training her which was ... not always a smooth ride there were lots of accidents and lots of “accidents” but he’s teaching her obviously shaping her in a way she knows is only gonna benefit him but she needs the training so she just goes along with it .. also at the same time she’s going fucking CRAZY in New York shes just causing so much trouble this guy is honestly sick of her so after three years of him trying to tell her what to do and he doing the exact opposite he’s like u know what . im not ur father i LITERALLY killed ur whole family maybe i should have killed u too and she’s just loving it she’s like yeah u probably should have ! and he’s like what the fuck she’s crazy she’s enjoying this...so he just gives up again and he’s like cool so here’s what you’ve been training for . there’s a coven of witches here and we’re gonna kill them and she’s like im sorry what and he’s like did I stutter . so she kinda has ... no choice but to follow him and help him out but the gag is . she was pretty annoyed with him .. nothing too serious but he was a MAJOR buzzkill you know so when they’re about to kill these witches she’s like hmm you know what ... how abt i just kill you instead ! and he was like are u kidding and she’s like nope /: and BOOP . she kills him ! BSGSGDGSF and the witches that he was gonna murder are so grateful she saved them they’re like hey you don’t have a coven ur alone why don’t u...go to witch school...and she’s like what’s that so they tell her abt . blackwater academy  and that’s how she ends up there...at the age of 21....hehe

PERSONALITY

if u have seen killing eve . i 100% based her personality on villanelle......if u havent seen killing eve WATCH IT .. ALSO took inspo from elektra from daredevil, katherine from tvd & faye from the secret circle xxx  basically isabella is like...she understands ppl have emotions but ... her brain just doesnt work the same her empathy is fucked so 99% of the time shes doing stuff genuinely not caring abt who it affects except for herself...also ... SHE LOVES FUN ! literally the worst thing u can do is bore her . she plays games folks ... shes dramatic ... doesnt take anyone seriously except herself ! shes just .. shes something ! oh also . shes a top so if u wanna raw her ur gonna be a bottom and u will enjoy it thank u gn ! x

[kewltie]

im soooooooooo glad that two scenes when up next to each other in time bc I JUST LOVE PARALLELS HELLO!!!!

marriage ceremony, highlight: 

cd!donghae is always extra (look that boy may not want attention but man he does everything that cause the opposite to happen) but essein??? EQUALLY EXTRA. i mean who even thought consort candidates should even fight each other to get the hand of their ruler?? tho that tradition has died out (bc peace & consort no longer holds it original power) but past!!essein were so badass tbh. AND WHY WOULD YOU EVEN BUILD A FUCKING TEMPLE ON AN ACTIVE VOLCANO AND MAKE IT TRADITION FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY TO GET THERE WTF. 

which lead to our next point: the essein are super super (!!!!!) devout ppl so much so that they build a temple on an active volcano believing wholehearted that their god will protect him... and well it rumbles and scared donghae to shit but it hasn’t kill anyone yet in thousand of years so i guess proven right??? :D

donghae 10000% does not give a shit about essein’s gods but he understand their important to these ppl so although he does walk the walk he really reaaaaally isnt that sincere. that will change with time!!

gods ARE HUGE thing in this world but that was in the past now the world can of split b/t those that still believe and revere them to those that think they are decoration bc while esse entire infrastructure rely on magic and will of the gods so ofc they still hold the gods in high regard but in other part of the world where technology has triumph over magic (which is selective, rare, and hard to train/use) everybody catch on that advancement so why pray to the gods for rain when you can build an aquaduct and bring it to your drought written lands?? so more advance the nation (which is mainly the bigger/powerful/rich ones) the less the gods have any influence. but since essein are ‘isolationist’ they disregard any advancement and still practice the old ways, so that’s why the gods are sooo super important to them and IT HASN’T FAIL THEM SO WHY FIX IT???? 

donghae’s nation, nave, actually straddle that magic/tech divide so while they have advance tech from the bigger countries trickling in but bc donghae’s father is devout, religion and the worship of ion is important to donghae and his family.... but as you can see that no longer matter to donghae bc he had long turned away from them bc they are useless in his eyes ///o\\\\. 

i thought about how a big country like essein manage to keep communication with its vast territories since they don’t have the advancement from the outside world (which use something similar to the telegram/phone). AND I REALIZE oooh essein are heavy reliance on their beasts/monsters and tamed to do manual labor and assist in ordinary living so communciation and transimission??? aiayas--giant eyeball bats with hive mind and ability to transmit info/image easily so yes i hope to explore more creatures in the world of esse :)))) IT’S SO MUCH FUN. 

the mountain that donghae climbed is shallowly inspired by china’s mount tai which has 7k-ish stone step to climb to the top!!!! IT’S REALLY BEAUTIFUL AND A MARVEL 

no gods, highlight: 

it’s not explicitly stated in the text (i think, i haven’t decide yet) but during his years of captivity donghae suffered from sever depression and suicide ideation :((((.  i soooo hope it’s clear that it's heavily hinted throughout the series 

when he was captive of his brother he wasn’t  physically torture or punished but he still suffer from severe abuse just not a physical one but mainly emotional/mental abuse (which is not a form that we see a lot in writing sadly) and it’s just as bad if his bro beat him. the thing is donghae’s father lost the war against his own son and therefore many ppl in his family are executed and DONGHAE HAD TO WATCHED IT HAPPENED and the sole reason he’s alive is bc his bro god a an unreasonable grudge on donghae and kept him alive just to fuck with him. he’ll come to donghae’s room and tell him father’s death?? UR FAULT. older brother dying?? ALSO YOUR FAULT. everybody that die??? YOUR FAULT. the reason our country was in a civil war?? IT’S BC YOU EXIST IF YOU DIDN’T EXIST I WOULD NEVER CHALLENGE FATHER AND NOBODY HAD TO SUFFER. imagine day in and ay out someone tell you this your fucking self worth and sense start to warped and you start to believe it IS YOUR FAULT even though it ISN’T AT ALL. and not only he kept you captive and feed you all these lies he isolated you from everyone and the few you get in contact with (i.e. the servants) the moment you make talk/friends with them they get kill just TO FUCK WITH YOU BC YOU CAN’T HAVE FRIENDS AND NOT EVEN A DROP OF JOY FROM CONVERSING WITH ANOTHER HUMAN. and if you try to escape??? BIG MISTAKE you do anything wrong in his eyes he pick the ppl you knows/care about (your wetnurse, ur old servants, etc) that are kept in his prison and take them out and make an example of them INSTEAD OF YOU bc your actions LEAD TO THEIR DEATH... so yea he doesn’t outright physically hurt donghae but hurt his heart and self worth instead and it’s sooo incredibly that donghae  even thought he’s out of nave now... he still fucked up in many ways :((((((((((((((( and it’s long road to recovery before he can see that he’s amazing and a survivor!!!!!  

donghae’s awkwardness/social inept with ppl through much of the first three arcs (??) is attributed to after years of isolation from other ppl so while he was bright and social in the past... now he’s just a pale imitiation of his self but every now and then we SEE THAT TRUE SPARK OF HIS THAT BEEN HIDING ALL ALONG LIKE CHALLENGING HIS RIGHT TO MARRY HYUKJAE AND LIKE FUCKING WINNING IT EVEN THOUGH HE’S SCARED TO DEATH BUT HE’S MORE SCARED OF BEING ALONE AGAIN NOW THAT HE FOUND PPL HE CAN RELY ON \\\O//. 

‘my god died a long time ago’ is honestly one of my fav lines bc it actually talk about two things 1) is that donghae denoucing the gods didn’t begin when his father died but his mother’s death actually. that was when he prayed and prayed for her to recover from her illness but that never happen and since then he realized gods are whimsical beings they only deem to visit you when they want to and not BY UR TERMS. 2) donghae loves his father V V V V MUCH, he admire him for being such a noble and righteous person and was very close to him so while donghae turned away from the gods he put his father on a pedestal and in a way he’s donghae’s god now and when his father died.... so did his god. 

 kyu’s and the crew celebrating ion is actually pretty common thing for them not only to honor donghae and his family’s god but since they are so devout in their beliefs and believe all gods are important they are respectful of even to foreign gods. esse, throughout history, had acquired a lot of territories (mainly smaller islands surrounding their mainland) and each ones of them have their set of beliefs and religion and though they are adsorbed into esse, they are still allow to worship their original gods alongside essein’s 12 holy deities that are super suppppppper important to them. 

[bananaipindia]

Upcoming IP Event: When Do You Really Need a Music License? (24th January, 2020)

New Post has been published on https://www.bananaip.com/ip-news-center/upcoming-ip-event-when-do-you-really-need-a-music-license-24th-january-2020/

Upcoming IP Event: When Do You Really Need a Music License? (24th January, 2020)

BananaIP Counsels, through Intellepedia, is happy to announce a seminar titled “When Do You Really Need a Music License?”, an event for live performers, musicians, event organisers, and venue managers, on 24th January, 2020 at its office.

You may register online for the event here:

Register Online

Event Information

You do not always need a copyright license or permission for using  recorded music, lyrics or musical compositions. While some uses require you to pay and get a license, many uses do not require the permission of the copyright owner. Most social events, student activities, ceremonies, private uses, etc., do not require copyright licenses from record labels or organisations like Novex, IPRS, PPL and so on.

Experienced entertainment attorneys from BananaIP, a top IP firm, will provide answers to the following questions in a two hour session:

When do you need to take copyright permission to use or perform music?

What uses are considered as fair dealing or fair use for which you do not need any permission?

How much is reasonable payment for using music?

Who should you approach to use copyrighted music?

How should you handle legal notices from organisations like IPRS, Novex, etc.?

Who owns what elements of music, and who all should you pay?

What is the difference between  performing recorded music and  performing music live?

Should singers, musicians, bands,  dancers and others acquire permission to use music?

What is a music license, and  what are its basic elements?

Do you need permission to  share, stream and distribute music online?

What is free and creative commons music?

Time

24th January, 2020

2pm – 4pm

Venue

BananaIP Counsels

Jayachamarajendra Industrial Estate, Kumaraswamy Layout, 3rd Floor Seminar Hall, Bengaluru, India.

Faculty

Dr. Kalyan C. Kankanala

Dr. Kalyan, holds advanced IP degrees from the world’s leading law institutions, National Law School of India University, Bangalore and Franklin Pierce Law Center USA.

•    Recognized among the top IP minds of India •    Has advised more than 1000 clients on IP matters •    Internationally cited IP attorney and strategist Sanjeeth Hegde

Sanjeeth has a Juris Doctorate (JD) and a Master’s degree in IP Law, commerce and technology from Franklin Pierce Law Center USA.

•    Nationally recognized entertainment law, IP licensing, and trademark attorney •    Has significant US in-house experience in tech licensing with Fortune 500 companies •    Advises leading organizations on branding, IP protection, and valuation

Ashwini Arun

Ms. Ashwini Arun works as a Senior Associate in the IP Strategy and Consulting Division of BananaIP Counsels. Her responsibilities include advising clients, providing opinions, drafting and reviewing agreements, and enforcing IP through legal notices, litigation management and dispute resolution. Some of her clients include Dailyhunt, Samsung, Blue Timbre, Fields of View, and Anand Audio. She has earlier worked with National Law School of India University as a Research Assistant, where she was responsible for editing academic publications, preparing course materials, and training professionals.

Ashwini holds a Masters in Law in Business and Intellectual Property Law from University of California, Berkeley and an LLB from National Law University Jodhpur.

About BananaIP Counsels

After 15-years of IP services and excellence, BananaIP is recognized as a pioneer in the evolution of IP in India through high quality services, law, and policy contributions, highly cited publications, and proactive technology integration.

With a team of more than 60 legal and technical professionals, BananaIP is one of the largest IP firms in India today.  We serve more than 600 clients and have managed more than 20,000 files or projects.  We’ve counselled more than200 start-ups and numerous individual entrepreneurs.  We also have published ten IP books and more than 5,000 articles on leading online forums, journals, magazines, and publishers.  Our home IP publication, Intellepedia, is recognized as one of the world’s top 10 IP blogs and is a primary reference source for in house counsels, legal professionals, and academics.

From the nascent days of IP in the country, BananaIP has collaborated with premier organisations including: National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on corporate and SME education and policy setting to develop and drive IP awareness for businesses across the country.  Being one of the rare firms to have been entrusted with such responsibilities, BananaIP continues to be a sought-after advisor by leading businesses, academic, and R&D institutions, as well as business incubators.  The senior partners have contributed to research projects undertaken by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as well as the Indian Patent Office (IPO).

Well recognized for their work and accomplishments, BananaIP’s senior partners are frequently invited to speak at company, government and industry organizations, and academic institutions.  Our partners have delivered talks at Samsung, Mahindra & Mahindra, Crompton, GE, Bosch, Emerson, the Council of Scientific, and Industrial Research (CSIR), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), National Law School of India University (NLSIU), National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), National Institute of Technology, Surathkal (NITS), Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), and others.  BananaIP’s senior partners are also advisory and steering committee members on several centres of excellence that play an important role in law and policy making in India such as the Centre for Excellence in IP and Standards, Centre of Sports and Entertainment Law, and Centre of IP Research and Advocacy. Because of their subject matter expertise, our senior partners are frequently cited on IP topics in publications including: The Hindu, Indian Express, DNA, Telegraph, Economic Times, and Forbes.  They are also routinely invited by leading journals and magazines such as IEEE, JIPR, JSEL, and Pharma World to contribute IP articles from the practicing attorney’s perspective.

  Register Online

[iloveyeri-remade]

my first day at uni!!!

for all of those who care fdjhbdfbjdhf

so we got there at 12pm!! i got my map and orientation packet and then had to wait in line for like 30 mins to get my student ID but i spoke to 2 ppl in line they were really nice! a girl named sonya and a boy but i forget his name bc it was french :/ then after that i went to go move into my res! i walked out of the car and there was like...20 student volunteers who did a cheer for me lmfao it was cute but weird and so we got my stuff upstairs and then me my mom and my dad unpacked my stuff in like an hour

,....then....THEN!! when i went to go walk them out...i lost my wallet so i was running around the res building looking for it but i was missing my 1st floor meeting while i was doing that!! :( i bumped into someone and they told me they were actually looking for me and they made me go to the meeting but like..my wallet was still gone...with my health card and social security card and debut card and money,,...i was freaking out!!! then i was in the meeting and i look at the girl beside me nd....she was holding my wallet hjdbhbv i was like omg...um is that yours..and shes like no! i found it on the floor! i was going to bring it up to the Don to let her announce it and i was like girl....thats my wallet!! thats why i was late!! and she was like omg here...so i got my wallet back :D 

i hate that i was late to the meeting though!!! like i showed up sweaty and late like what a horrible first impression :( anyway....we did like a bunch of ice breaker stuff and i feel like i dont really fit in with anyone yet but i didnt really talk a lot to all of them i was only w/ them for like 4 hours lmfao i still have lots to learn! but like...theres 20ish ppl on our floor and i think like 13ish are business student like wrow.....not relatable hjdfbdhjbf but my uni is known for the business program so idk what i expected!

anyway we went to a cheer/pep rally/opening ceremony for orientation week and we had to walk in the rain to get there and there was thunder and lightening bye....plus out res building is off campus rip us...but yeah the ceremony was good it was cute and fun it got me excited! 

we had to skip our o-week team activity and dinner bc of the weather so i skipped din din...i ate pretzels instead o boy...and then i invited my friend from school whos on the 1st floor of my building over and we hung out for like 2 hours it was fun!!! we talked about a lot of stuff it was nice to have her here it made me feel nice and comfortable! 

anyway there was a party in the 4th floor that moved to the basement at like 8....but apparently Dons kicked ppl out lmfao fhddfbjh but like im so dead rn my legs hurt from all the walking i did w/ my moving stuff so we just stayed in my room and hung out...plus im not much of a party person lmfao like if i dont know the ppl..then im not comfortable w/ it :/ but anyway she left after awhile and then i took a shower and cleaned up and now im in bed! im gonna go zZZ at 11:30 wrow..so early 4 me

if u made it all the way to the end....then ur a trooper wow fdhjdhjbv ily

[100percentdirtball]

the delightful @possumpossumpossum asked me th’other day about my time at camp, and i just started writing to her, and in the end i’d written a fuckin’ novel, and i know some other folks have been curious, so... here’s this thing.

content mentions: csa, drug abuse, suicide, a whole lot of love

the camp is called camp grounded and there are eight rules: no digital technology of any kind; no telling time equipment or using time; no talking about work, including what it is that you do; no age talk, age doesn't matter; no drugs or alcohol, cigarettes are ok but only in like one little zone; no glow sticks or blinky lights; explicit consent is needed for any kind of physical contact; leave your name behind, use a new name of your choice until the closing ceremony. there were like 350ish ppl there, at this camp in the middle of fuckin nowhere in the redwoods.

it's been a really really huge part of my mom's life, and she billed it like it was going to be this whole big transformative thing for literally anyone, and i thought it sounded a little goofy, my attitude basically was like-- it'll be dope to not have to answer phone calls and see some trees for a couple days. right away tho like right away, it's just... well, once ppl start showing up, you get together with your village. everyone is in a particular village of 20-30 ppl, a little subgroup, if it's a tent village everyone pitches their tents in the same zone, cabin villages are all in the same cabins. i was in jackrabbit which was a tent village and so camp starts with a getting together with your new village and doing some like, silly icebreaker games but also like... pair off randomly by a silly method and make eye contact with your new partner and just like, get intimate for a minute. we talked about how we picked our camp names, what we wanted to get out of the weekend, and... idk, already i just was feeling really good about these ppl

on the bus ride up i was sitting with splash and sunshine who were from philly and we bonded a little bc i'd been there ever, and princess proton and lulu who knew each other from previous camps and this guy pickles was sitting next to me who was kind of a weird dude from colorado and it was his first camp also and after we talked a little it turned out he had gone to a rehab thing in this part of the country so we bonded over bein sober buds

the first jackrabbity ppeople i met were bee bee sting who gave me this AMAZING nametag thing to replace my very bad nametag and the counselor ladybug who like is basically a perfect human??? one of the things we did in the group thing was go over the rules, and talk about why those rules are the rules, and about setting a like intention, a what we hope ot get out of the weekend, and by this time i had been with camp folx for like six hours so i was starting to Feel It&tm and i said my intention was that like

what i do in my life is say no. and saying yes to everything is a ridiculous goal, but my intention was to say no deliberately instead of reflexively, to see if maybe there was a yes hidden in the no.

THIS WILL BE RELEVANT LATER

like, that's the thruline, like i am going to tell you more about camp, but... there were only like two or three times the whole weekend where someone offered connection or activity or whatever and i said no, and it wasn't actually even because of my resolution most of the time?? i said yes bc i felt safe and loved and accepted the whole time, the whole whole time.

like, i don't know that i can describe what it's like to be in a place where at any time, with any person, even a stranger you're passing on one of the trails, you make eye contact and you smile and you say hi and it's a real actual connection, even if it's just for a moment, it's a real being acknowledged as another human spirit, nothing rote or formality about it

it was so easy!@!!! i don't talk to people, like i don't do that, but i was standing in line to get breakfast and the guy in front of me was looking a little like he didn't have anyone to talk to and i didn't so i was just like, hey what's up? it was the last day of camp and i just asked him like, what's one thing you're going to take home with you? and we had like 20m of conversation, and we got into some real deep stuff. and it felt as easy as breathing. his name was sparkle.

i feel like i'm skipping from one place to the other, like there isn't a cohesive narrative here, and that's something i'm always wanted about, but i just don't know how to describe it, i don't know how to show you what it felt like so i just keep pulling little trinkets out of my bag and putting them next to the growing pile and hope if i pull out enough the shape will make sense

there was a talent show, and i think it speaks volumes about how open and inviting the community is that out of like 350 ppl 55 people signed up for the talent show, including a lot of ppl who had literally never been on a stage before. there were people who were, speaking from a critical standpoint, not super good at the thing they were doing, and also legit professional performers, and the crowd!!! responded in exactly the same way for each extreme!!!! and it didnt' feel forced at all

i found out after camp was being broken down that the talent show started at 9 pm, and went 'til almost 3am. it moved from one stage to a smaller stage, and i was like third from last, and still there were thirty or so people in the audience. i closed the stage out, i wanted to be there to the end. at first i was upset about going on so late but it was so perfect, the audience was in just the right place to receive me and i was in just the right place to tell a bummer fuckin story about my shitty granddad. two spots before me a woman named fulfilled got on stage and worked her way slowly and faltering through the story of forgiving her brother for molesting her and her family for covering it up, then a guy named happy feet who did a dance and stream of consciousness about, i don't know, maybe taking too much ecstasy and just wanting to stay high forever, and then me, and then an opera singer, and sprinkle lifestyle talking about his ex-best friend blaming him for her husband’s death, and then a man named rabbi doing a guided meditation about finding your perfect self and becoming it

i cried so much, i already cry a lot but i cried so much, and i cried in front of other people, and i didn't wipe my tears i just let them fall and let myself be red and smeary and blurry and people joined me

at the 90's themed dance they played a song one of my old friends who committed suicide used to play, and bee bee walked me away from camp and just held me and then took me to the typewriter village and i wrote him a letter and then i went back into the place and danced to nirvana

there was a tea spot, a yurt where there were tea tastings and people ended up falling over each other, and i met a woman named scoby and she said "can i put my head on your shoulder" and we watched scarecrow, real name john craigie, and then the set ended and we started walking and she curled her arm around mine and we took the long way and i said, "our eyes will adjust, thank god for the moon" and we sang rent and talked about how we ended up in kind of the same place but by different routes, how she was poly and working on not falling in love so easily, and how i was just starting to allow myself to want intimacy again, and we slept together in her tent all tangled up, we talked about how we really definitely wanted to fuck, but also really didn't want to do that and i looked for her in the morning but she had already left

i was saving the last picture on my disposable camera for a picture of her but she had gone so i took a picture of myself instead, i hadn't taken any of myself

i read tarot, i read for myself and i read for a bunch of other people, and there was a tarot workshop, and i did that and we sat together in a circle and passed decks around and i cried and cried and cried when i pulled the queen of cups. i've seen the queen of cups a lot of times in reading for myself and it's always been someone else, some external force, but in that moment it was me. i had brought my deck, and it was the first time anyone other than me had touched it, and i could feel the hum of the camp in the cardstock when i read for superman later in the day, and justice jumped out of the deck, and i sat with him and his wife danger and we puzzled over the cards and then i laughed and laughed and laughed because he chose to call himself superman and we couldn't figure out what justice was supposed to mean

in the hotel last night i cried for an hour, by myself, walking from the bathroom to collapse on the bed to shuffle back towards the taps, ,how can i leave all that behind? how can i be in the real world again? how can i go back to being closed off, go back to being jack instead of dizzy?

when rabbi walked us through a field holding fallen stars, each one of them a crystal-encased version of ourselves, a past or present or future that could be, and he asked us to find our perfect self, what i saw was how i looked in that moment, i saw the me at camp, the me who everyone says couldn't stop smiling, the me who speaks soft and true, who reads cards and holds hands and says yes instead of no and has a shoulder that looks like a good place for your cheek

[putsch]

ok now with #s, BLAST RIOT 12, 23, 29, 39, 40

LMFAO okok

12. Is there a wedding? What was the proposal like? Any kind of honeymoon?

ok everyone would joke about them being totally married, even they’d joke about it sometimes? but then one day after being blast riot for a year and finally getting their own office instead of just running their office out of their apartment, i think it’d be kirishima who pops the question - he’d get on one knee and everything, saying he knows bakugou’s not super into this stuff but he want it to be official and make it real! so they get married. they get their goddamn red wedding band tattoos because OFC THEY WOULD WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS EGG!! and  iiiiiiiiiiiiii don’t think they’d do a ceremony tbh? like the bakusquad from their school days shows up as witnesses to a small thing at the courthouse and it’s short and sweet but very gay - which is fine until their parents find out they got married on the sly and fLIP THE FUCK OUT BC YOU KNOW BAKUGOU’S PARENTS WOULD BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THEIR SON FOR THIS!! THEY WANT TO CRY AT THEIR ONLY SON’S WEDDING!!!!!!

after that fiasco they do their honeymoon as a get away to a quiet mountain cabin and its great (bakugou wants to go back to work but kirishima is like babe. sweetheart. my literal actual husband. come on. we need this break away from everything where we only have to deal with each other and no one else. and baku’s like …………yeah fuck ok)

23. How do they hug? Kiss? Tease? Flirt? Comfort?

plus ultra, go big or go home. Even if it’s not the most heated kiss or the tightest hug or the most clever teasing you know they’re just pouring themselves into it because they want to always communicate how important the other is to them even when they can’t say it with words. Especially with comforting? I can see them dropping everything to be there for the other if he needed it 11 times out of 10. They’re very gross about it and it only gets worse as they get older.

29. How do the handle disasters or emergencies? Minor injuries? Sickness? 

Disasters and emergencies are super easy for them bc they’re heroes, same with small injuries? They don’t like it when they’re separated for up to days at a time bc of some big incident and then find the other cut up to hell and back but it’s part of the job. They both get it.

SICKNESS ON THE OTHER HAND LOLLLLLLLL both of them are the WORST sick ppl because they are actively like “NO IM FINE [HACKS UP BOTH LUNGS AND A KIDNEY] REALLY!!” while the other is screaming at them to get back in bed and have some damn soup. they get into the most fights when one is sick bc neither of them will fucking rest.

39. Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first?  When did they realize they were in love?

oh man…. i think it could go either way?  generally tho i favor the idea that it’s kirishima being the one who starts it bc he decides IT’S NOT MANLY TO HOLD ONTO YOUR EMOTIONS AND NOT SAY THEM TO THE PPL YOU CARE ABOUT!! especially if they’re gonna get fuCKING KIDNAPPED!!!!!!!! so he tells bakugou and while initially bakugou is like “um excuse me nani the fuck” he comes around pretty quick. but i can also see bakugou getting fed up with his damn emotions and kiri being oblivious and screams them into kiri’s face until kiri kisses him to shut up LDMSMFKO

i think they start to realize they’re in love after the whole chp90 thing. like they always knew they were a good team and close but after that it escalates, how much they wanna be around each other and realizing oh - you mean the most to me. i dont wanna see you hurt/scared or lose you, and it all hitting them hey it could happen! and how viscerally they don’t want it to bc they want each other’s company, it would all add up pretty fast to be like “oh shit i love you”

40. Any special memories? Do they have a special place they like to go to? 

allllll of their firsts as Blast Riot. Every single one. They keep the newspaper clippings and record the news stories. They’re super fucking lame about it. And i like to think meeting family is important to both of them? like i imagine Kirishima is from the south, so he takes Bakugou to the beach to meet his family and it’s always something that makes him warm and fuzzy to think about, while Bakugou is actually so fucking relieved that his parents love Kirishima ever since he first finally caves to bring him for dinner. i dunno about special places though, except up in fuck nowhere mountain for quiet retreats or the beach with family. maybe their old office locations, and UA too if they’re feeling extra nostalgic.