#This seems to me like a slam dunk and I can’t imagine why it isn’t standard medical procedure all over the United States

[allieinarden]

“Numbers 5:11–31 has instructions for how to perform an abortion!” Okay, perfect, we’ll compromise. You can perform abortions but you have to use that exact procedure.

[nagipops]

hii I love your blogs sooo much you're really talented (I just needed to say it sorry) so straight to the point, I already made 2 requests to you and I really enjoyed your writing so I would like to make another again. As I'm clueless about what to request I'll just ask for random hcs for konoha 11, idk if it's too much but if so then you can do with Neji (I love him so much), Kakashi and Naruto. Thank you in advance and sorry anything ^^

RANDOM KONOHA 11 HEADCANONS!

FEATURING: naruto, sakura, shikamaru, ino, choji, neji, rock lee, tenten, kiba, hinata, and shino

WARNINGS: mentions alcohol, drugs, food, bugs, and the tiniest nsfw mention if you get the joke. hehe

A/N: AHHHH ANONN this seriously made my day, im so so glad you enjoy my work!! 💖

NARUTO

you know how we all have “the chair”, where we throw all of our dirty clothes onto?

yeah, imagine that, but from the seat to the fricking ceiling

its just a GINORMOUS MOUND of clothes, you wonder how he even goes through that many clothes so quickly???

definitely shoves it under his bed whenever guests come over (somehow)

holds chopsticks really weirdly. but it works.

asked tenten to put his hair into space buns to mimic his sexy jutsu and went around flirting with the village

jiraiya was so proud of him T-T

comes up with the WORST pickup lines

they’re so bad, its almost charming. almost

has gone AWOL multiple times, disappearing from everywhere, just everywhere

it scared you a little, so you searched the entire village for him

you finally found him sitting on the ledge of a cliff, gazing out at the vast sea

concerned and panicked, you cried out to ask him what was wrong

he turned to you with a crestfallen, devastated look on his face and said,

“i bought shrimp ramen instead of chicken ramen.”

you’ve never searched for him after his disappearance ever again.

SAKURA

100% makes origami shurikens and chucks them at you

they are deathly precise and deathly sharp. seriously, how are these not illegal weapons yet???

writes threatening motivational notes to herself on the mirror

“u got this!” “make sure to smack naruto today!” “ino sucks!”

her backpack would always be way too high up on her back. idk why but. it would

does her hair all nice and pretty before she goes out but once she arrives to her destination SHE KEEP. TAKING. IT OUT. and redoing it over and over and over again

like it’s impossible to make eye contact with her because she’s holding a bobby pin between her teeth while braiding her hair

her guilty pleasure would be hostess treats

ding dongs are her favorite. don’t ask me how i know, i just know.

eats the yellow starbursts just to spite naruto and all her haters

loves small lap dogs, she think’s they’re so cute and cuddly

but she especially loves chihuahuas

they’re so feisty and naruto HATES them, so of course she had to go and get one for herself

dresses the poor dog up in little bonnets and jackets and ties its tiny fuzzy hairs into pigtails

she and the chihuahua are not that much unlike <3

SHIKAMARU

this man is a god at shogi but he absolutely SUCKSSSS at cup pong.

is this an ick? idk. but he is absolute trash at this game.

it gets even worse when he’s got a couple drinks in him

tries to calculate the velocity and acceleration and angle and shit but his shot is always a good two feet off BYE 😭

just mutters an “aw, shit” before awaiting his turn again

hates checkers, loves chess

“checkers is for WUSSIES” - shikamaru nara

i said this in another post, but he is Very Good at whistling

like that’s his hidden talent

can copy any tune with the perfect pitch and rhythm

speaking of, he can do really cool tricks with his tongue

like making a four leaf clover, touching the bridge of his nose with it, flipping it upside down, you name it

he has slanted, scrawled handwriting, to the point where it’s almost illegible

wbk he cheats in school SO OFTEN. but he never gets caught. he’s not stupid, he just couldn’t care less about his classes.

thinks weed and e-cigs are stupid, cigarettes are where it’s at

you just can’t replicate the feeling of taking a drag from a cig after a long, tiring day

plus he looks hella cool while doing it B)

INO

teaches the boyz™️ how to braid their hair

like they all gather in a circle around this feisty fashionista and fail attempt to braid their hair

sakura was just fuming in the sidelines

“OI, INO-PIG, THAT’S A DUTCH BRAID, NOT A FRENCH BRAID!!”

yeah, ino 🙄

the only one that can actually do it is neji because a) this man is talented af and b) he’s got the long hairrr

ino probably envies his thick, sleek hair because hE’S a bOy

also asks everyone for their blood type and zodiac signs and tells them if they’re compatible with her or not

and definitely judges you for your sign 😣

“oh, you’re a gemini? hmm, what a shame...”

makes bouquets for her favorite people and kin assigns everyone a flower

only assigns the pretty nice ones to the people she likes (sorry sakura, you’re out of luck)

one of her favorite hobbies is crafting! she’s really good with details and small things so she loves making those miniature dollhouses and stuff

also really good at watercoloring. especially painting flowers and landscapes

also i feel like she would be really good at playing any instrument because of her skilled hands

can play a badass flute solo. period.

CHOJI

would honestly rather die than get anywhere NEAR an asparagus

he just thinks they’re so gross and bitter and NOT SALTY

he always eats his yakiniku a little bit undercooked because he’s way too impatient to wait for it to cook fully. who do you think he is??

whenever he cloud gazes with shikamaru, when asked what he thinks a cloud looks like, he just says some sort of food

“oi, choji, what does that one look like to you?”

“a... yakiniku grill... with... pineapple rings on it! ooh, and a wagyu steak right there!”

he thinks pringles are an abomination to society. where’s the crisp? where’s the grease? where’s the saltiness?!!!

asks ino to teach him how to do his hair all fancy and the two of them devote an entire day learning different hairstyles

it’s his new favorite thing to do now :D

he really likes crayons!!!!

like he’ll write with them, draw with them, color with them, do everything with them

he’s even tried to eat them. he said they tasted good.

definitely had the 128 crayon pack WITH THE BUILT-IN SHARPENER, and everyone thought he was the coolest kid in town

he ate it UP, he even scored some bbq dates with the ladies

i also feel like he loves basketball, and he has a MEAN slam dunk

like his vertical isn’t that high, but the man can REACH

he loves when people laugh at him when he challenges them to a 1v1 and then proceeds to absolutely destroy them <3

NEJI

he seems like a cucumber kind of guy.

just cucumber

like i feel like he puts it in everything; soba, salads, sandwiches, his face, yeah

it’s mellow and cool, just like him!

speaking of, i feel like he lives for spa days and facials

it just lets him be alone in his little cucumber scented world for an hour or two and he gets damn clear skin from it as well

seriously he has PERFECT skin. flawless. not a single blemish. his cheeks feel like baby butts they’re so smooth.

i feel like he’d be a god at solving rubik’s cubes, don’t ask me why

like if anyone scrambled theirs on accident they would just take it to neji and he’d solve it in the blink of an eye

CAT PERSON!!! loves the little meow meows

who are we kidding, neji basically is a cat; agile, aloof, does silly things without trying to, very cute

he just feels akin to the little fuzzballs and he thinks petting cats are extremely therapeutic. good for the soul

he is a golf man. he would take his juniors golfing and everyone thinks he’s uncool. cmon neji let them go to the skate park at least T-T

also very good at karaoke, definitely surprised everyone once he got a few drinks in him since he started serenading you

LIGHTWEIGHT!!! do not get more than one shot of alcohol in him. he will go berserk.

i also feel like he’d really love photography; not taking pictures of people, but of nature

he loves taking a quiet stroll through a pretty forest and snapping pictures of all the unique flora and fauna

it’s so serene ︶ ‿ ︶

ROCK LEE

100% milly rocks everywhere

gai got in on it too once he asked what lee was doing

“is that what all the youthful cool kids do these days!”

they also dab together. a lot

DO NOT BE SEEN WITH THESE TWO!!! you are not associated with them.

definitely is the one breakdancing in the middle of the dance circle at a high school party

he’s mad skilled at it too

headspins and windmills galore

challenged naruto to a dance-off and completely OBLITERATED him

lee then asked if naruto wanted a rematch, this time with one hand tied behind lee’s back

naruto obliged, and he STILL lost

RIP naruto and his fangirls, they all scrambled to lee afterwards T-T

i feel like his favorite subject is science

not the boring physics equations and laws and theories but the fun EXPERIMENTS

definitely has singed all of his hair off one time and he went to gai blubbering to help him grow back his precious hair

but he loves experimenting with different combinations and chemicals to get different reactions each time

created a potent love potion and carried it around with him all day one day

and it was actually working

girls were flocking to him left and right, staring at his lips and his face

he was so abashed at the sudden attention

heck, it even worked on sakura

“oi, lee-san!”

“hehe, yes, sakura-san?”

her eyes shifted downwards to his lips and his heart thumped harder

“hey... lee-san?”

“what is it?”

“you have something on your lip. we’ve been trying to tell you all day but you just winked and blew kisses at us.”

legend has it lee has still not recovered to this day.

TENTEN

has THE prettiest handwriting. and she can write SUPER fast

it’s like a superpower

like she transcribed five pages of a report in less than two minutes with perfect handwriting

naruto is so jealous.

she is also super good at origami! those diligent, accurate hands aren’t just for throwing things

taught sakura how to make shurikens but does NOT endorse any violent uses of them

she can replicate all of her weapons with paper and they can actually function, it’s so cool

made paper kunai knives one day and the wholeee village wanted to get their hands on them

i feel like she’d listen to mitski. idk i just get those vibes

LOVES BIG DOGS!! especially fluffy wuffy samoyeds

like man’s best friend?? no, GIRL’S BEST FRIEND!!

hugs and cuddles and squishes all the big dogs

she thinks small dogs are spawns of satan

sakura and her have definitely quarreled over this

but at the end of the day, all dogs are adorable fur babies, so she lets it slide :,)

KIBA

kiba always looks SO GOOD in photos you take of him, candid or not

like you could just whip out a camera and snap a photo of him at any given moment and he would look perfect

you framed a picture of him yelling at akamaru for peeing inside the house

it’s pure artwork

i feel like he tries to swagger around with his hands shoved in his pockets but it fails MISERABLY and the girls are wondering if he broke his leg or something 😭

kiba just walk normally. for the love of god please just walk normally.

he tries to slump back in his chair really low but one time he slouched way too low so he slipped off of his chair and onto the ground LMFAOOOO

he just wallowed there... in shame...

also.. he LOVES when the girls put makeup on him!!

he tries to act like he hates it. but it secretly gives him so much confidence

not to mention the girls hyping him up are a huge ego boost

okay the inside of his jacket hood is the warmest. thing. EVER!!!

seriously, no wonder this dude is so happy-go-lucky all the time, he’s living in literal heaven 24/7

it’s like you’re sleeping on a cloud inside a warm, cozy bed during a cold winter morning

10/10 would recommend letting him give you his sweatshirt when you’re chillin with a hair tie ❤️

HINATA

always smells like lavender soap. always

also has the cutest pencil pouches with little puppy faces and kawaii things

oH and she has those mini yoobi highlighters, she thinks they’re so cute (and functional!)

everyone flocks to her to try them out and marvel at the cute tiny highlighters

and they try to steal them from her but she doesn’t even stop them because she’s too timid to 😭

naruto goes BALLISTIC over them

she lets him have all of them <3

tennis girl!!! tennis girl.

all of her opponents always underestimate her because she’s so timid and shy and quiet

but she has a KILLER serve

and then she takes her opponents to the slaughterhouse with a complete shutout ;)

she’s really athletic believe it or not, she can beat most of the boys in a mile run and she has incredible endurance

i feel like she really loves velvet scrunchies

she just thinks they’re so pretty and they keep her hair soft so they’re cute and functional

also takes the PRETTIEST notes!!

color codes, dividers, headers, you name it, it’s all super readable too its insane

everyone asks her for her notes, not to study but just to appreciate the pure artwork that it is ^w^

SHINO

shino is SO easy to prank

“how do you catch an eyemaster?” *cue naruto and kiba snickering*

“eyemaster bait. that is because—”

even when everyone’s laughing their asses off, he still continues to explain his answer since he does NOT GET THE JOKE

tried his hand at writing haikus

here’s his best one so far:

“Bugs are amazing. That is because they are bugs. Bugs are very nice.” - Shino Aburame

VERY proud of it, since it took him weeks to perfect

praise it, pls

had one of those ant farms and bug-catching kits as a kid

and he would fill the kit TO THE BRIM. LIKE IT WAS HEAVY BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY BUGS.

he loves the little chitters of the different bugs

he had jars of different bugs all lined up on a wall shelf in his room

collects silkworms off of trees and sticks them into his pockets (no i definitely did not do this as a kid...)

HELP I FEEL LIKE he would record a timelapse of his ant farm growing and upload it to youtube with a movie maker title screen that says

“my ants”

if you enjoyed this post, likes and reblogs are much appreciated :) feel free to request here, and make sure to read the rules first! have a lovely day everyone <3

[evolutionsvoid]

The struggle of trying to keep people from opening the doorway is an endless one, as no one seems to learn from each incident. These are things we cannot control, a fact that many are trying to cover up or ignore. With all our knowledge and technology, we like to think we are masters of everything. With our power, influence and budget, there is nothing we cannot solve or conquer! So you can imagine none of the higher ups want to acknowledge that what we are doing is just desperately jamming a cork into a leaky dam. We can't do anything else but seal up these breaches and pray they don't break, or at least hope some idiot doesn't pull them open for a peek. So many folk are absolutely entranced by what we have seen, believing these things are the key to innovation and evolution. To harness even a fraction of what we witnessed would catapult us decades, maybe centuries, forward in terms of technology and progress. So when we say that no one is allowed to touch it or even look at it, people get angry and indignant. "We just need one sample!" they say "We will have it open for only a second, I swear!" they claim. But that isn't how this thing works, you can't just pull the plug from the dam for a quick drink then simply pop it back in. They open it up and one of those things comes bursting out, as if it was a water bucket sitting atop the door just waiting to dunk the idiot who fell for it. Every time, we are forced to crudely seal the door shut, clean up the leakage and deal with this new monstrosity that is now screaming across the landscape. The damages and cost of repairs alone is a tragedy, but when one of those abominations gallops into the nearest town, then it becomes something a whole lot more messy. Understanding these things that have emerged has been quite a battle. They don't talk, at least not in a tongue we can comprehend, and they show no desire to communicate. They just pop in and start smashing things to pieces, hardly wasting a second. We can only beat and blast them until they stop moving, then haul them to a one-way door and chuck them back in. We can't kill them, let alone contain them. Every fool with the hopes of advancing human progress has been clamoring for us to capture one of these things, but we've abandoned the idea after the first disaster. The only solution is to send them home as soon as possible, and slam the door hard right after. It certainly isn't foolproof, but it is the only one we got. It's not like we can talk to them or tame them, they are beasts only in appearance. What they really are is unknown, and the theories are too awful to accept. We would much rather answer any other question than acknowledge what those things could have been. One of the things people have wondered about is why they are so violent. What drives these beings to cause destruction and havoc the second they walk through the door. The obvious idea is that they are weapons of war, meant to destroy humanity and what not. If that was the case, they are doing a terrible job of it. Sure, they can atomize the containment area and skewer the military personnel running it, but what they do after is not so tactical. We took down one of these abominations while it was tearing apart a community garden, while another was known for really hating tires. No drive to run towards the nearest nuclear silo and set off doomsday, not when there are windows to smash and a picket fence to vaporize. Perhaps these things are just animals after all, confused by this new world and lashing out at everything around it. Another theory is that they are deathless beings who have no understanding of loss or consequences. Perhaps they are just playing with us like toys and they enjoy trashing their playroom. Maybe this is all fun and games to them, and we are just spoiling it for them. If that is the case, then they really hate being sent home. The sounds they make, the fight they put up when we try to shove them through one of those "dump chute" doors. Either they hate losing their playtime, or they are terrified of going back home. Are they invading or escaping?     -------------------------------------------------------- “Onyx Manticore” A continuation of me throwing weird parts onto a thing, same like the Ebon Boar and Umbran Unicorn. This series will pop up from time to time, as long as I can think of strange patterns to doodle and as long as the thesaurus keeps providing.

[radramblog]

A handful of hot cardboard takes

So due to having assignment work to do and a relatively busy day tomorrow, I’m going to be writing both today and tomorrow’s blog articles tonight. Unnnnfortunately, it’s approaching 11PM, and I haven’t even figured out what I’m writing this one about- it has to be relatively short, since I don’t have that much time, and I want the tomorrow one to be an album, and that always takes time, and ehhhh…

I guess it’s been a hot second (read: a week exactly) since I talked about Magic, so that’ll do. But what specifically?

I mean, I guess there’s these new spoilers to go on about. I guess I’m hotting some takes.

First of all, we have the D&D set, Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. I feel like this set’s creation was inevitable. WoTC has had D&D and Magic for decades now, and the only crossover we got was the Un-Card Sword of Dungeons and Dragons? And yet fucking Walking Dead got a whole-ass secret lair? Yeah no way this wasn’t happening. So far we only have 5 cards, so one by one I suppose.

Tiamat was obviously going to be a thing, but she feels exceptionally underwhelming. Admittedly, cramming her massive list of abilities and flavour into one 2.5 by 3.5 inch card was going to be difficult, but this is just meh. She finds five dragons, whoop de fucking do. This is never going to see any play outside of Commander, and I can’t imagine picking her to lead your 5-colour Dragons deck above The Ur-Dragon, it’s Scion, or even Morophon. And, I’m all for underrated jank commanders, but I also don’t like tutors, and if you’ve ever resolved Conflux (which this kinda feels like) you know it can be a huge pain. A solid Meh/10. I do like that they didn’t give her an epithet, though.

The Vorpal Sword is actually pretty sick. Not only is it a cheap coloured equipment that slots great into Black/X Voltron Commander lists, not only is it an alternative wincon that isn’t complete shit but also requires going all in and is very interactable, but I actually think this has a slot in cubes interested in Black Aggro, Black Artifacts, or both. The arts for this card look sick aas hell, and I’m extremely interested in seeing in snicker-snack someone to death.

I was wondering whether or not Halfling was going to be a creature type, and that question got answered fairly quick. Citizen on the typeline is interesting considering it’s only been seen on 4 token producers so far (and also Mobilized District becomes one), and the recent Edgewall Innkeeper being a peasant. I guess this guy is too prosperous for the peasantry.

Oh, the card itself? Well, I was never a fan of Wily Goblin, but I don’t really think that’s why we’re here. This charming fellow is a second Green Soul Sister, supporting the Witherbloom lifegain archetype from Strixhaven, and it’s nice to see colours other than White (and occasionally, Black) get to do life things. It’s always been secondary (tertiary? They don’t get lifelink) in green, or only on shite cards, so it getting pushed is an interesting twist.

It is an utter tragedy that you can put a Bag of Holding in a Portable Hole in Magic now, and it doesn’t even do anything. I get the feeling this is going to be either everywhere or nowhere, though I’m leaning towards the latter. Any permanent type is really nice, but 2 or less is restrictive enough that this misses way more often than you’d like. But, if it ends up being good, you’re going to see a lot of Portable Holes exiling Portable Holes, and that’s just kinda funny.

Isn’t there supposed to be a colon in there? This is just a more splashable, flavour-twisted variant of Victim of Night- though that card ends up being one of the best Terrors Mono-Black gets to run, out of a long long list. This, unfortunately, is a bit worse than that is in competitive formats, and considerably worse in EDH where giant Angels, Demons, and Dragons are often the targets you want to tell to die. I’m just going to stick with Doom Blade. And Go for the Throat. And Snuff Out and Hero’s Downfall and Victim of Night and Heartless Act and

So, I actually really like these basics, but specifically for this set. Box text is an essential part of D&D, and putting it on the basics is just a lovely bit of flavour. I don’t know if they’ve said whether every basic variant is going to have this, but I kinda hope they do. The art for these is top fucking notch, too. I’m not convinced this should be a permanent thing though.

 But of course, that’s not the only set we have spoilers for, because Magic Spoiler Season is a sine wave of hype now and it will never end. Modern Horizons 2: because the first one didn’t fuck enough formats up. That’s not very fair, that set was cool as fuck, but in my eyes that’s for the kookier designs rather than the bonkers powerful shit. More Throes of Chaos, less Hogaak. Anyway, we’ve got 3 new cards and some reprints, so let’s get into them.

I’m really not sure how to feel about this art, but hey, that’s just my opinion. Brainstone is a solid role-player in all sorts of artifacty, eggsy decks, probably the best Egg we’ve seen in a while. It’s going right in my Radha deck, I’ll tell you that much. Considering how expensive the worst card ever made, Sensei’s Divining Top, is getting, having a colourless topdeck manipulation option that’s likely not too spenno is nice, even if it’s a oneshot. I like it.

Oh, haha, it’s Lion’s Eye Diamond but they drew the rest of the fucking Lion. While this looks absolutely gorgeous, it doesn’t go into Cat tribal, and I’m not that much of a degenerate, so meh. For real though, this doesn’t actually look broken to me- LED is powerful because it’s a lotus, whereas this takes that and makes it a slow, multi-turn Pyretic Ritual. I also don’t think having an LED effect in Modern does much for the format, so. Eh?

Ok, here’s the one everyone’s talking about. Urza’s Saga is such a slam-dunk on a meta level. It’s a card named after a set, a fun reversal of Time Spiral block all being named after cards, and considering Modern Horizons was basically Time Spiral 2 I wouldn’t be surprised if MH2 was TSP3. It’s also an Enchantment Land but doesn’t look like it, referencing the fact that Urza’s block was actually Enchantment Matters but no-one remembers that because basically none of those cards were the good ones. This card is blatantly powerful, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see it pop up in a loooot of decks in various formats. In commander, this is a land for 3 turns that then turns into a Sol Ring, while also maybe making you a token or two and maybe even finding a weird hate piece or combo machine (…or Top) instead. In Modern or Legacy, it tutors for all sorts of nonsense, while making potential threats for artifact decks in the land slots. This card, while slow, has potential to be patently absurd, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it was banned in at least one format by the end of the year. We’ll see which ones.

Counterspell in modern is something a very specific group of people were counting for. Personally, it’s not the vintage spell I would have been hyped for, I was wanting Swords, but here we are. I almost feel, however, that Counterspell’s potential in Modern has been wasted at this point. Like, how many decks are even running Mana Leak these days? And how many of those decks want to be holding up UU on turn 2? Because in a fast format like this, Mana Leak might as well be Counterspell most of the time. The new art is baller, ill give it that.

I…don’t know enough about how this card is in Legacy Death and Taxes to know how well it would be in Modern Death and Taxes. It seems pretty good? I like that they’re doing old-border reprints again, though, that was like the only good thing behind Time Spiral Remastered.

Fucking Finally. With that said, I’m not convinced that finally reprinting these fetches is going to keep the price down much, and for long- the Horizon lands from MH1 see a fair bit less play, and they are creeping up to $20 a pop for some of them at this point. I guess if you need them, buy them now, because they aren’t going to stay low. It’s going to take more than a single reprint in a premium product before I’m satisfied in the reprint quality.

 Anyway, that’s the lot of them. My takes on these cards was probably a bit chiller than what you’d see from someone who’s actually in the know of competitive formats these days, but if you came here for serious analysis, then I’m not sure what to tell you. More well-thought-out Magic talk, uhh, next time I talk about Magic.

[fallingin-like]

november 18

apartment 314 by @nikothespoonklepto

see which other fics i’m reviewing this month! / my review request post!

this is a really interesting kevneil fic that has them as detectives! it’s funny, but gets intense, with great interactions between kevin, neil, and andrew.

ahh detective fics are really fun, i love how you integrated the characters into this au, you did a great job of having the characters personalities shine through. this was engaging and i couldn’t stop reading to get to the end of it.

parts that stood out to me:

THEY HAVE AN ORANGE AND WHITE BATHROOM LOL

”which is how neil ended up being thrown against a dumpster, his left forearm getting gashed open by a broken bottle when he hit the ground. pretty mild of an injury for neil given how reckless he is, but still” i can see this so clearly in my mind, the dude just picking neil up no big deal and slam dunking him into a dumpster LOL then kevin comes running in, detains him and looks around like ‘neil where did you go’ and neil’s like ‘in the dumpSTer please help me get out’ because he would be too short to jump out himself

kevin cleaning neil up is so cute! love the dialogue

this scene:

k: i might not be able to do this in the future (aka pls keep yourself safe)

neil i’m-fine josten: i’ll do it myself then

k: *probably dies inside*

neil with a cartilage piercing!! does he have any other ones?

”investigations usually go faster if the client gives us something to go on” NEIL you’re actually killing me here. although he’s not wrong. 

”there is the bite of impatience in kevin’s voice, and neil begins timing how much longer he can hold onto his polite facade” LOL

everytime i see drake spear i immediately know that things are going to go badly. as much as i dislike riko, nathan, lola, etc. drake is without a doubt my least favourite character in this series. i hate hearing that in this fic, he’s gotten so far in life and is working with KIDS it makes me SO MAD

”fear of heights? a joke about his stature comes to mind” LOL it’s amazing that neil is able to show a little bit of restraint but i would have loved to see what joke he makes

oh dang lawyer andrew is so good. i can imagine him just destroying people at the court

”so he told them he was coming with and wondered why they didn’t argue. now sitting here, bored out of his mind, he understands” i can’t quite describe why, but i loved these two sentences

ahhh i have a soft spot when fics (for police fics, detectives, spies, etc.) need to act to blend in and do their jobs. also neil with eyeliner is two thumbs up from me

”that’s why you came to us? are you going to kill him after we-” ohmygoodness i can actually picture neil being down to kill drake without a second thought

i feel like kevin and neil would be perfect at a career fair to prevent kids from becoming a PI, just complaining about their work or talking about all the trouble they’ve gotten into. neil would just start insulting people and kevin would go off on rants if people ask stupid questions that are based on stereotypes. one of them has to hold the other back after calling them fake police officers

”’they’re sensitive, they’re not like us.’ neil gives him a bored look, eyebrow raised. ‘kev you are definitely sensitive.’” you could tell me this is a back and forth that happened in canon and i would 100% believe you

NEIL REGULARLY SWAPS THEIR PHONES? that is so cute and also so chaotic

neil signing off all of his texts is a big mood

”’he’s gotta make a mistake sometime.’ ‘then make one for him’” NOOOO. i know exactly what this means and i know that neil will do whatever it takes to catch drake, even sacrificing himself ;-;

ahhh neil is so clever and stupid at the same time. he knows exactly how to lure drake in and DECIDES TO USE HIMSELF AS BAIT. this whole chapter is so intense and even though i knew that neil would probably be fine at the end of it, i couldn’t help but feel nervous as drake drove neil around, at least nathaniel was able to step in and protect himself

love this look into andrew and kevin interacting, we haven’t seen much of that yet but it’s actually kind of,,, cute to see them both worried about neil together

”even if we have monsters inside us, it’s not what defines us” oo i like this

honestly, high neil is really really entertaining. even though the reason he’s like this is the worst thing ever, it’s fun and it provides good contrast and lightens the atmosphere after the really intense and overwhelming scene right before

LOL i love that seth got a hit in as well, it’s refreshing to see him written as a decent guy

”’researched you too,’ neil yawns. ‘cool that you protected your cousin.’” i really like this! neil yawning is really cute and kind of makes it seem like andrew beating up those guys seem like no big deal. and, i guess to neil it actually isn’t.

you did a great job wrapping everything up in the last chapter. we get to see kevin, neil, and andrew interacting and how comfortable and compatible they are together. they’re so supportive of each other and i think that’s part of why they work so well together in this fic. i like the way that you showed the dynamic between the three of them and all the banter that you included

your transitions between neil and nathaniel are fascinating and smooth, i’d be interested in exploring more about nathaniel and what else has caused him to take control. i love that kevin, matt, and seth know neil well enough to understand how to treat him when he’s like this and how to help him recuperate/recover following these episodes

this was a really fun fic! i’d love to see more of these boys solving cases together (that are less personal so we can really see them joking around/be reckless with less consequences) thank you so much for writing this!

[apparentlynotreallyfinnish]

for the kisses ask, if you’re still doing it of course, N 1 pretty please

Number 1 was “breaking the kiss to say something, staying so close that you’re murmuring into each other’s mouths”. 

This is an AU with no wives, the boys are in their twenties and working as engineers dreaming of a career in entertainment. This is written from Link’s perspective. I wanted to try something a bit different. It gets quite smutty at the end. Enjoy! ^^

---

“Liiink,” Rhett says smirking at me from the other side of the couch. The credits are still rolling, neither of us paying attention anymore. Rhett has just commented on the appearance of the lead actor. I huffed and said he looked like a troll. “You’re just jealous,” Rhett continues looking at me like he knows. I try not to blush.

“The fuck I am. I just don’t think he’s attractive,” I mutter. He is right, though. Not that I’d ever admit that.

“He was like in the top ten of the-sexiest-men-on-earth list or whatever it is!” he exclaims, laughing now. I frown at him.

“So, what? That’s just a list made by studio heads and marketing departments. It’s supposed to sell movie tickets, not tell people who they should find attractive.” The explanation just rolls off my tongue. It sounds reasonable. I’m proud of myself. Good save, Link.

“Oh, don’t even try. I know you drool over that guy who got first this year,” Rhett says smirking.

“Oh, fuck you,” I say, kicking his foot. That’s the only part of him I can reach.

“You wish,” he says and kicks me back but not as hard, like he’s afraid of hurting me. I stick out my tongue and hope my blush doesn’t show in the low light of the tv. Rhett moves to grab the remote and shuts down the entertainment system.

“It’s getting late,” he says.

I look at the time. It’s 1:30 a.m. It's Thursday night, or Friday morning, whatever. We both have work tomorrow. We really shouldn’t have watched the movie after our usual Thursday night song session. But when do I ever say no to him?

“Dang. I actually have an early morning. Can I stay in the guest bedroom again?”

“Be my guest,” he answers with a smile. He looks so pleased with himself.

“Wow. You’re so witty. Have you ever thought about a career in comedy?” I deadpan cocking an eyebrow at him. Rhett throws his head back and lets out his signature booming laugh. It warms my insides and turns the corners of my lips up.

“Maybe once or twice. You know where to find everything?”

“Yep. Good night.”

“Night.”

I brush my teeth with a new brush I take from the cabinet and take a shirt from the pile of old t-shirt Rhett keeps in the drawer for me. The pile is always there and sometimes I notice he’s changed the shirts. I like to imagine he likes to see me in certain things. I know it’s not true – why would he care what I wear – but the thought still makes me soft. I’m wrapped up in the smell of him and his home, tucked under fresh linens and I should feel safe and happy and sleepy, but sleep is nowhere to be found.

I roll in the bed for a good hour, before getting up to get something to drink. I should’ve just gone home. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep here. So close to him. I pat down into the kitchen and open the fridge. I know there is some bubbly water there and I feel like tap water isn’t good enough now. After some rummaging around I find what I’m looking for and close the door. The kitchen falls back into the darkness and for a second, I’m practically blind. When my eyes start to adjust, I see a figure that has been standing behind the fridge door. I yelp and the bottle in my hand drops on the floor and blows open. All the fizzy water sprays on me like a geyser.

“Oh God! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Rhett voice pierces the darkness and I feel like an idiot that I certainly am. He sounds like he is actually sorry but he’s still giggling. The light switch clicks and the kitchen is filled with warm light. Rhett turns to look at me. He immediately starts to laugh in earnest. I shiver as the cold water slowly drips off of me.

“Look at you! How the hell did you get so wet?!” He’s doubling over and holding on to his stomach as he laughs teary eyed. I grimace at him and pick up the bottle that fucked me up. I take a swig, since there is still some water left and, shit, this is why I came in here anyway. Might as well quench the only thirst I can. As I bring the bottle down to the kitchen island, Rhett steps up to me. I freeze. He’s so close. Our toes are almost touching. Why is he so close? I try to control my breathing but I feel like panting. My gaze lifts up to his almost involuntarily. His eyes are too green in this light, like a forest so dense I could get lost in it. And I do. I just stare at him. His gaze flits around my face: eyes, chin, lips, hair. I feel a tugging. Like his body is calling for me. Like he wants me to make the first move. But I know it’s just my brain, projecting my own feelings onto him.

Then his hand rises. I gasp. I can’t help it. The sound just escapes and I’m instantly embarrassed. His smile falters. Suddenly, his eyes are not green anymore. They’re dark – so dark that I’m afraid what might happen. I’m shaking and I hope he thinks it’s because of the cold water. His hand finally comes up to my face. He gently brushes the dripping wet hair out of my eyes. His fingertips stay on my skin and slowly trail down my temple and my jawline down to the tip of my chin. They stay still there, slightly lifting my chin up. Suddenly, I feel feverish and the warmth flushes over me, dragging me to the deep end. I’m certain that the heat in me boils the water straight off my skin and it almost feels like we’re enveloped in a cloud of water vapor. I’m blinded by it. I have to move. I can’t be here. I’m about to do something stupid.

“You look good like this,” Rhett whispers and I almost faint. It’s too much. I can’t deal. I step back, look away. I mumble, “I’m gonna go change. Can you…?”

“Yeah. I’ll mop up. Sorry again,” Rhett says. He sounds like he’s waking from a dream.

“It’s fine. Whatever,” I say and rush out of the kitchen.

I head towards the guest bedroom to get a dry shirt. I feel like I’ve been dunked in a pool. How much water can one bottle hold? I grab a shirt and slink into the bathroom. I hang my wet t-shirt to dry and slip out of my boxers. They’re drenched too and even after vigorous twisting I can’t bring myself to wear them again. I could ask for a pair from Rhett but the idea of asking him for underwear right now is insurmountable. I can just go commando, I guess. Rhett’s shirt is long enough to cover me anyway. I hang my boxers to dry too, so I can wear them in the morning. I towel dry my hair and step out. Rhett is leaning against the wall next to the guest bedroom.

“Hey,” he says, and I can’t help but chuckle nervously. He sounds weird. Small somehow.

“I’m…It’s okay, Rhett. Can we just go back to sleep?” I say tugging at the t-shirt feeling very acutely my nakedness under it.

“I feel really bad. I heard you get up and thought maybe you were having one of your anxiety attacks and…” Rhett explains, ignoring my plea. My annoyance melts a bit. Why does he have to be so sweet?

“Thanks, that’s really nice of you. I was just thirsty. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Rhett asks looking at me intently. I blush again.

“Yes. Good night, Rhett,” I use my determined voice and step into the doorway. Rhett’s hand grabs my arm. I look at the hand holding me and then lift my eyes to his. He looks at me and swallows. We look at each other for what feels like an eternity. But then Rhett suddenly lets go and hurries away leaving me reeling at the door. After an embarrassingly long time, I step in and bury myself under the covers. I slam my head into the pillow and groan into it. Really I just want to scream. I feel like I need to do something to release this tension inside of me. But I can’t, we’re only a few rooms away, he could hear me.

Rhett’s words keet playing in my head over and over again. You look good like this. He could have been joking. He must have been joking! But the way he said it… I’m making myself crazy and sleep seems more elusive than ever before. Finally, in my sleepless delirium, I get up and walk to his bedroom door. I just need to talk with him. I need for him to tell me that he said it as a joke or that I was insane and had imagined the whole thing. I need some kind of explanation, to get my mind off of it.

I lift my hand to knock on his door, but my hand stops, knuckles centimeters away from the door, when I hear it. An almost inaudible moan. I strain my hearing, hand shaking in the air, but it’s silent again. I must have imagined it. Then another one, this time clearly audible and long. I know I should go. I know this so clearly, but my feet are glued to the floor. I stand behind Rhett’s door and listen to him pleasure himself. I’ve never felt dirtier. Or more turned on.

“Ohhh, God. Yes. Just like that. You feel so good. Hnnnnnggg.”

I can hear him and my cheeks flush. I need to move. I need to go. This is so wrong.  Move your goddamn feet and go back to your bed! But then a word echoes in the room, slips under the door and slams into me.

“Link.”

My knees go weak and heat coils in my stomach. It’s my name. He’s moaning out my name. And before I can think about it, I realize I’ve knocked on the door. A sharp silence falls to the room. Then a tentative voice says:

“Um…yeah?”

“Can I come in?”

“Okay.”

I open the door gingerly. Rhett is laying down on his bed. The room is not completely dark and I can see that he looks disheveled: hair messy, sweaty and flushed. He’s topless, I can see his shoulders and his upper chest. Everything lower than that are hidden under a sheet. His other knee is bent up, conveniently hiding his crotch. I must be dreaming, because I would never ever do this in real life, but here I am, walking to him and sitting down on the edge of the bed. Our eyes are locked on each other.

“Were you…how long…?” Rhett tries to ask.

“Are you asking me what I heard?” I help him, unable to stop a smirk forming on my face.

“Yeah,” he says and I’m pretty sure I can see a blush rising on his cheeks.

“Well. Let’s put it this way. I never would have imagined I could get you going like that,” I say and wiggle my eyebrows. Oh my God, what am I doing?! A part of me is panicking. That part is clearly not at the wheel right now. Rhett groans and hides his face under his palms. His head hits the pillow and the leg drops on the mattress revealing an inviting tent on the sheet. Rhett is talking. His hands are muffling the words, but I can make out most of it.

“Oh God… I’m so sorry. That was...inappropriate. Please, don’t…”

His acute embarrassment is making me strangely bold. I climb on the bed and sit on top of him. I press myself down slowly and lean forward a bit. There is only a thin sheet between us and I’m almost shaking from the need to rip it away. Rhett whips his hands away from his face and stares at me eyes wide.

“Wha…what are you doing?” he asks, voice trembling. I take his hand on my own.

“I thought I’d show you what you do to me. Just to even things out,” I say with a low, velvety voice I didn’t even know I possessed. Rhett gasps as I move his hand under the hem of my – well, his – shirt and between my legs. His gaze flits frantically between my face and the place his hand is disappearing. When I press his palm against my hardness, his eyes roll back in his head and his mouth opens to a silent moan. I let go of his hand. He stills there. I nudge my hips willing him to move, but he won’t. A strangled sound of need rises from my throat. Rhett’s eyes spring open. He looks at me, eyes hooded, breathing erratic.

“Are you sure?” he asks, voice hoarse. I nod and roll my hips again. He doesn’t hesitate anymore. He shifts his position and his fingers wrap around my cock. My back arches and I throw my head back. I brace my palms on his knees for balance. A throaty moan breaks out of me as he starts to slowly stroke me. I can hear a low chuckle. I’m panting and I can hear his breathing matching mine. Suddenly his hand disappears and my head whips back up. My stomach drops. He must have realized what we’re doing. He wants to stop. But I’m wrong. I watch him pop open a tube of lube. His hand returns to me warm and silky wet. I let out a relieved sigh as he starts to pump me again.

“You’re so big,” he whispers, sounding awed. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

“Not as long as I have,” I say, voice strained. He must know. He must know that I’ve loved him forever. He must know this is all I fantasize nowadays. Rhett must know.

“Really?” he asks. He sounds surprised. I can’t believe he didn’t know. I tell him that. I gasp the words out as he pushes himself up. His free arm slips around my waist, brings our bodies closer together and he breathes against my mouth. A small sound of longing slips from his lips. I don’t need more prompting. He’s holding my cock in his hand; surely I can kiss him now. Our lips meet. He is soft and scratchy all at the same time. It’s an intoxicating mix of sensations and I sink into him like a capsized ship sinks into the ocean. He breaks the kiss sooner than I’d like, but his lips stay there, against mine as he murmurs: “You taste like heaven. Wanna make you cum so bad.”

My hands are in his hair and I tug him back into kissing me as his hand starts moving again between us. The pleasure is intense. I forget how to speak, how to think, even how to kiss eventually. My head falls onto his shoulder. He’s whispering dirty little things to my ear as his fist brings me closer and closer to unraveling. I’m so dizzy and I grind desperately against him. He’s egging me on. Telling me how beautiful I look like this. Telling me how he’s fantasized about this. Telling me how good I sound. Pleading me to cum all over him. Finally, I oblige. As I reach the apex, I sink my teeth into the flesh of his shoulder making him hiss with pleasure. Warm spurts of cum smear his hand and chest and my thighs.

He falls back on the bed pulling me with him. My body presses against his hardness and he moans, low and needy. He is under me, moaning and I’m still firmly planted in the afterglow. God, I can’t believe this is really happening. I feel his cock twitching between us. I’m hit with the most intense desire to make him delirious with pleasure, to make him writhe and plead, and to hear him moan my name again.

I grab his hand as I slip off of him and lay next to him. He looks at me, all confused and eyes hazy with lust. I bring his hand up to my mouth and place his index and middle finger against my lips. His breathing quickens. The effect I have on him is obvious and it makes me want him that much more. I open my mouth, just a little, and sink his fingers in. I taste myself. I lick it off, hum contently and all the while I do this, I maintain eye contact with him.

“Fuuuuck,” he drawls and looks like he’s about to drool all over himself. I swirl my tongue one last time and then pull his fingers out with a wet pop. His whole body twitches. The sheet is straining against his erection. I wrap my hand around it and squeeze gently. He growls and his eyes close. He bucks against my hand. A low whine releases from him as I move my hand just a little. The sheet is silky smooth and slips around him easily. I lick my lips and let go of him.

“No,” he gasps. “Please.” His eyes fly open and he’s searching for me, ready to plead for my touch but I’ve already moved. I’m between his legs and the sheet is off. He’s fucking gorgeous. All thick and red and throbbing with veins popping off the sides. I want to lick all of them one at a time and I do, because why the hell not? The tip of my tongue traces each vein from root to tip leaving wet little streams around his cock. He’s breathing hard, ragged and hoarse. He’s murmuring but I can’t make sense of it. I don’t need to. He’s saying yes. He’s saying more. It radiates off of him. His hands are bunching up the sheets next to him. He cries out when I finally take him into my mouth. It’s slippery and sloppy. I drool all over him and feel the wetness transfer to my chin and my cheeks. I don’t care, I just want him to moan for me. And he does. God, it’s so good. It’s heaven. I don’t care about the pressure in my throat. I don’t care about the need to gag. I overcome it because him crying out my name again and again sounds like a goddamn symphony. I move on him, I move him in me, out of me. My tongue slips around his shaft and I hollow my cheeks to get small yelps and yips out of him. He’s writhing. He’s a mess. I’m so fucking in love with him, it hurts. He cums inside of me. I devour it all and I stay there, between his legs, with him in my mouth, feeling him shiver as he comes down from his high.

I’ve never felt more satiated in my life.

[sunriseinorbit]

KazeTsuyo’s One... Questionable Soundtrack Decision: Lazy or Brilliant?

SPOILERS UP TO EPISODE 19

The fact that KazeTsuyo has a good soundtrack should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, since Yuki Hayashi has been making straight bops for like 10 years now, but it’s really good. I’ve listened to We Must Go at least 15 times in the past two days alone, and the rest of the soundtrack is just as good. (It’s on Spotify, go listen to it)

But when I was actually watching the show, I noticed one sound direction decision that was really fucking weird. And I’m not trying to nitpick, nor do I think that this decision was necessarily bad, but it’s something I’ve never seen (or heard, I guess) before in anime and it’s baffled me to no end since I found out about it. 

So let’s unpack:

At the beginning of episode 14, Haiji shows the team a documentary about the Hakone Ekiden. An old, wise narrator talks about the determination of the athletes and other sentimental bullshit over an inspirational backing track complete with Yuki Hayashi French Horns. But there’s something about said inspirational backing track that doesn’t sit quite right with me for some reason.

And at the beginning of episode 19, right before Prince starts the first leg of the marathon, the same thing happens. For some reason, there’s something really weird about the music.

(sorry about the play symbols, i used the screen recorder on my computer to grab these)

During the scene in episode 14, I had a hunch about what could be going on, and I paused the episode and went to Spotify to find the track and listen to it to see what’s so weird about it. But after I listened through the whole soundtrack, song by song, I found something even weirder: The song that plays during this scene isn’t on the soundtrack at all. 

At that point, my hunch seemed more correct, but I was still very confused because I kept telling myself “No, they can’t do that, they would never do that”, so I went to Reddit. I looked up the episode discussion page for episode 14 and scrolled through, and I realized that the soundtrack discrepancy wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. Other people were talking about it, too, and even more strangely, I was right. 

So what’s up with the music during these two scenes? Where does it come from? Why aren’t these on the soundtrack? 

Here’s the track that plays during episode 14, and here’s the track that plays during episode 19. Weird, huh? 

Now, onto my main point. Was this decision lazy and unimaginative, or was it inventive and thematically resonant? Well, that’s up to you to decide, but my answer, as it often is, is that it’s a lot deeper than you’d expect.

At first, I definitely thought it was lazy. After all, you have a beautiful original soundtrack created just for this series, why would you give that up just to use music that’s 3-5 years old? 

Well, first off, you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find similarities between Haikyuu!! and Run with the Wind. Besides having a plot structure and character tropes typical to their genre, both series are produced by Production I.G., have similar art styles, and have soundtracks by Yuki Hayashi (yes, I know Asami Tachibana did half the Haikyuu!! score, who do you think I am?) with similar moods, textures, and orchestration. Not to mention the Kakeru-Kageyama jokes. I’d definitely call the two sister series, and I think a lot of people would agree with me.

But that still doesn’t answer the question: Why would you use music from an entirely different anime?

When I first watched episode 14, my answer to that was that it represented that the Hakone Ekiden was something out of reach. The track itself is called “Longing”, and having it play in a documentary within the show makes it seem distinct and separate from the plot and characters outside of it. The Hakone Ekiden is meant for the best of the best, and at this point, the Kansei team isn’t there yet. There are so many good teams out there, there’s no way they could even qualify.

But at the same time, they’re so close. There’s still the qualifier to worry about, of course, but the vast majority of their members have official records. The Hakone Ekiden is definitely within reach. So there’s a bit of a discrepancy with this reading. 

Except... there isn’t. Because let’s step back. This scene happens at the beginning of episode 14. What happens at the end?

At the beginning of the episode, Prince is the only member of the Kansei team who doesn’t have an official record. At the end of the episode, he achieves one, and the whole team is eligible for the qualifier as a result. This episode is Prince pushing himself and catching up to the others, going from seeing the Hakone Ekiden as something impossible to being just one step away from participating in it himself. 

And what happens at the beginning of episode 19? Prince is preparing to run the first leg. 

The thing that connects these two scenes is Prince. And somehow, it makes perfect sense. Why? Because Prince is a huge fucking nerd. 

Prince loves manga. He reads it all the time including before and after races, his room is filled with stacks upon stacks of volumes, at one point Kakeru tells him to just think “After this, I’ll be able to go home and read more manga” when he’s running to get him to run faster, and while he doesn’t actually say the line, he’s the one who points out the MOTHER FUCKING JOJO REFERENCE. And in episode 19, it’s clear that he reads a fair amount of sports manga, too. 

Because the episode is filled to the brim with references and homages:

This shot is the most obvious example, but he also quotes Slam Dunk, Hajime no Ippo, and Yowamushi Pedal, and the fact that Production I.G. was able to directly reference all these series is astounding. But I think the overload of references is necessary, just to show how much Prince values the genre. These characters are his heroes, and their stories are ones he looks up to and is inspired by. Now that he’s living one of those stories himself, sampling music from another series just makes sense, because that’s the mindset he’s in and the background he’s coming from. That’s probably the music playing in his head right now.

I think the reason they chose to use Haikyuu!! specifically was just the similarity between the two scores, since a complete switch in musical style would have been jarring and ruined our sense of immersion in the series. But even with the similarity, if you’re listening hard enough and know the Haikyuu!! score well enough, you’ll recognize it.

But that sense of recognition and familiarity goes a lot deeper than the music, and Prince’s love of sports anime and manga in itself ties into it, too. Because what I’ve found over the past twenty episodes is that KazeTsuyo is a sports anime for sports anime fans, but specifically sports anime fans who have grown up. The character tropes and simple plot structure are still there, but gone are the absurd, over-the-top superpowers of series of old, now replaced by a nuanced take on the genre itself. Not only are the characters in college and thus dealing with issues and goals specific to an adult audience, but the themes are more mature as well.

Over the course of the series, one of the most important lessons to be learned is that winning isn’t everything, and that running is what you make of it. Whether you’re running because you love it or because it’ll make you healthier or stronger or because you want to push yourself to do something you’ve never done before, it’s going to enrich your life somehow, even if you don’t win the race in the end. And other sports anime have played with that theme, too, but KazeTsuyo makes it a main point. Every sports anime can be inspirational, but the message KazeTsuyo sends - that everyone has a different reason for wanting to run, and every one of those reasons is right - really pushes it above the rest in that regard, at least for me.  

Remember when Haikyuu!! got big on tumblr in 2015-2016? I was 15-16 then, and now I’m a few months shy of being 19. A large chunk of the fandom has done a fair bit of growing up since then, whether that’s going from middle school to high school like my sister, high school to college like me, or college to beyond like some of my friends. But for me, Haikyuu!! was the first anime I really loved, and it holds a very special place in my heart to this day. So when I hear its score in KazeTsuyo, there’s something distinctly nostalgic about it. 

But was that decision lazy or brilliant? I don’t know, but it feels like coming home, and that feeling is really, really cool.

[believingbrook]

taakitz hanahaki, 3

The trick candles don’t fool Angus one bit. He blows them out once, twice, then fixes Taako with an unyielding stare. “This is a rude goof, sir,” he says. “Birthdays are supposed to be goof-free days.”

Taako shrugs easily. “Isn’t your birthday, bubbeleh. ‘s your graduation.”

“On my birthday you told me that my graduation party would be a goof-free day.”

“Ah, but your celebration was yesterday, kiddo.”

“You didn’t really see me yesterday!”

“Exactly.” Taako ruffles Angus’s hair, grinning at him. “No goofs at all from Taako.”

Cake is cut and served. Aside from a tension in his shoulders that won’t go away, Taako seems entirely unbothered by his discovery earlier that day. For a brief, wild moment, Kravitz wonders if he actually doesn’t know that Kravitz loves him, before dismissing the thought impatiently. Taako is equal parts intelligent and impatient; if he didn’t know, he would ask.

Despite the nausea still roiling in his gut, Kravitz manages to relax during the celebration. As Taako predicted, Magnus does gift him with yet another duck. Not just him, either, but every single attendant of the party. Angus’s has a deerstalker, this year. Taako’s has a floppy wizard’s hat and Kravitz’s, a scythe. There’s a little skull on the non-bladed end. It’s cute.

They sing happy birthday three times, and happy graduation once, and Julia conducts all four of those songs. Kravitz excuses himself from joining them, because he can’t, anymore, but he watches with a small fond smile and ignores the strange look Taako gives him when he notices Kravitz doesn’t sing.

There are age-appropriate board games and Charades and three separate games of Clue, two of which Angus wins and one of which Merle wins, somehow, on the very first round. (He claims he wasn’t cheating. Magnus doesn’t believe him, and Barry doesn’t either, but neither of them can work out how he did it. Davenport only smiles.)

Eventually the party winds down, its attendants trickling out one by one. Angus stays with Magnus and Julia until the very end, and gives both Kravitz and Taako big hugs before departing, and if the hug Angus gives him is longer than usual, well, Kravitz doesn’t want to read too far into that.

He half-expects Taako will leave with Magnus, but he doesn’t. Instead, after closing the door behind them, he invites himself into their living room and puts on a Ghibli movie and sits himself on the couch. After a few moments, during which Kravitz should really be cleaning up from the party and not just staring, Taako looks up.

“Well?” he says impatiently.

He’ll do the cleaning in the morning, he decides, and needs no further invitation to join Taako on the couch. At first he sits a cushion apart, not really knowing what to do, even though normally they’ll curl up together or Taako would dunk his head in Kravitz’s lap and demand to have his hair played with but that feels different, now, and Kravitz doesn’t know where the line is.

Except then, Taako scoffs and hits play and pulls Kravitz close to him, shoulders bumped together. He doesn’t — he doesn’t tuck his head beneath Kravitz’s jaw, doesn’t sling a leg over Kravitz’s knees, like he used to, but he does press their sides together and that’s good enough for Kravitz.

Maybe — maybe they can fix this. Maybe Taako won’t leave him. He doesn’t pay much attention to the movie, to be honest, more preoccupied with the rise and fall of Taako’s chest, with every time Taako’s gaze flicks toward his, and for the first time he lets himself hope.

He’d thought it impossible that Taako would like him back. They’ve been friends for years, and Kravitz is just — Kravitz just falls in love too easily, and Taako isn’t like that, Taako keeps his secrets close to his chest. More than anything, Kravitz doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, and sitting here on this ratty couch watching a Ghibli movie, curled together, he hopes that at least that hasn’t died.

The room is warm, and at his side Taako is warmer, and before long Kravitz finds himself nodding off, until he finally gives in to his leaden eyelids and tucks his head against Taako’s shoulder and falls, blissfully, to sleep.

Kravitz wakes up to fire in his chest and thickness in his throat.

He topples off of whatever was keeping him upright, doubling over his lap. One hand flies to his throat as he gags. There’s not enough — he doesn’t have enough air to properly cough so he curls tighter in on himself, struggling for air and failing.

There’s a hand on his back and Kravitz remembers, suddenly, Taako.

“Go,” he rasps, chest heaving painfully. Already his eyes are stinging and he can feel moisture at the corners of his eyes. “Go — ”

No matter how quickly he tries to breathe, how desperate and shallow his pants, he can’t get enough air. His throat feels tight, thicker than he can ever remember, and he remembers the heads of roses framed by patchwork carpet and realizes, with sudden and crystal clarity, that he might die.

His head is spinning from lack of oxygen. He tries to tell Taako to leave — he doesn’t want Taako to see this — but chokes on his own words.

His other hand latches out, expecting cushions and finding flesh instead and Kravitz can’t think clearly enough to connect that to Taako. As relentless coughs wrack him he grips Taako’s knee, sliding off the couch and onto the floor, curled over himself. The arm and leg go with him and suddenly he’s tucked against someone else’s body, and there’s a voice calling his name — he knows that voice —

He convulses breathlessly, tears streaming down his face, something splintering in his chest. He’s on fire, gods he’s on fire, something is burning him up from the inside and leaving him without air. This is the worst it’s ever been, by far, something is wrong —

His shoulders twitch, slamming his head forward, and he almost hits the coffee table except another hand braces it, cradling his cheeks. From between blurred eyes Kravitz can see his own knees — he’s wearing black pants, he’s always wearing black pants — and full roses’s heads spilled around his knees, except they’re not just his there are others, too, tucked against his, his own hand white-knuckled and desperate around a different knee —

He sucks in a strangled breath, then another and another. The high whine of his own breath scraping through a thin tube grates against his ears and he shudders, he shudders and can’t stop shuddering, tipping sideways as dizziness claims him into something soft, something warm.

Finally, finally, something dislodges in his throat and he coughs it up, spits it out onto the carpet. He slumps sideways, shaking violently. Slowly his hearing returns, and his sensation of touch, though that doesn’t do him much good, because he couldn’t hold anything right now even if he wanted to.

“Kravitz,” that voice says again, and finally he has enough air to remember he’s not alone.

He lifts a hand to sign for water, and stops halfway through, remembering that this isn’t Raven and Taako doesn’t know their signs, but before he can clear his throat to croak a request Taako presses a bottle into his hands. After a moment, he reaches over and unscrews it, too.

Kravitz fumbles with the bottle, fighting to keep his hands steady enough to drink, and takes a long gulp of water. It slides down his throat and he sighs, letting strength slip back into his bones even as exhaustion hardens and drags him down.

“Thanks,” he rasps.

Taako takes the bottle from him wordlessly, sets it back on the table. Kravitz lets his eyes slip shut, head tipping back to rest on the couch cushions. His knees are crammed uncomfortably against the coffee table but he can’t bring himself to care.

Slowly, he realizes that the arm around his shoulders never left.

“Sorry,” Kravitz says, letting a faint smile slide across his lips. “Didn’t want you to see that.”

“You don’t have pneumonia, do you,” Taako asks, except it’s not really a question.

With all the effort of hefting a mountain aside Kravitz lifts his head, cracks open his eyes. “No.”

“You never did.”

Kravitz huffs a quiet laugh. “Never did.”

Something slides along his scalp and Kravitz leans into it, fighting to keep his eyes open. He’s still shaking like a leaf — or, heh, like a petal. The sensation coalesces into five points of contact and this is probably rude, but Kravitz can’t bring himself to pull away; Taako’s hand in his hair feels so nice....

“How long has this been going on?”

“Don’t,” Kravitz murmurs.

“How long?”

“Taako....”

The hand around his wrist clenches. “Tell me, Kravitz.”

He sighs, lets his eyes fall shut. “Three years.”

“Three — ” There’s a note of indignation high in Taako’s voice and Kravitz winces, head still spinning. “Three years.”

“Mhmm.”

“That’s....” Taako trails off, and Kravitz imagines rather than sees him shake his head disbelievingly. A small smile creeps over Kravitz’s face; he knows Taako so well.

Taako’s hand keeps caressing his hair and Kravitz drifts, there, still shaking with exhaustion and teetering above sleep. He slumps against the couch cushions, vaguely aware but not quite that his back is going to ache in the morning, that the high whine isn’t the old radiator Raven bought for them when she was twelve, but him.

“Why?”

The question is so quiet that Kravitz almost thinks he imagined it. “Why what?”

“Why do you — why do you keep them?”

Taako’s never sounded distraught like this before, and Kravitz knows Taako very well. He forces his eyes open and looks at Taako, head spinning. Taako watches him with that strange expression Kravitz doesn’t recognize, arm still curled around the back of his head. “Because I love you,” Kravitz murmurs. “Even if — if this doesn’t...I don’t want to forget that.”

“It’s hurting you, Kravitz.”

He smiles, pitching forward before he catches himself. “Y’sound like Raven,” he slurs.

Breath hisses between Taako’s teeth, and he lets out a quiet “Oh.” He’s realized — his clever love has realized why Raven doesn’t like him. Maybe they’ll get along better, once this is over. He likes the idea of Taako and Raven getting along.

“‘s not your fault,” Kravitz insists. “‘s not — ‘s not your fault.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Taako says. “Of course — ”

He breaks off. Kravitz should open his eyes because at some point he’d tipped forward and buried his face in Taako’s shoulders but he’s so warm, and Taako is not soft so much as he is sharp but Kravitz’s jaw fits perfectly along the line of his shoulder, his collarbone, and he nearly falls asleep there again before he remembers something important.

“The roses,” he breathes. “The jar — I started a new one, could you...” he waves as best he can toward the flowers scattered around his feet, though it comes out more as a flop of his wrist.

Kravitz can hear Taako swallow through his collarbone. It sounds easy, for him. Strong. Kravitz smiles.

“Yeah,” Taako whispers, sounding oddly choked, which makes Kravitz frown; Taako shouldn’t be the one choking. “Yeah, I — I got it, Krav.”

“Thanks,” he murmurs.

“What — are you going back to sleep?”

“Mhmm.”

It occurs to Kravitz, slowly, that the steady thump-thump he can hear in Taako’s chest is his heartbeat. He’s never heard it before, and he listens now, entranced; it’s so strong, so sure. Just like Taako. Just like his sister. His sister always had a strong heartbeat, too. She never cried for his parents, not like him; Kravitz cried until his head ached and he fell asleep on her lap.

“Not here,” Taako mutters, and the fingers carding through his hair leave and he bites back a whine at the lack of contact. Then they reappear, beneath the crook of his knee and his back. Surprised, Kravitz latches onto his neck.

“Taako?”

“You’re going to wake up with a backache,” Taako says.

“‘s fine — ‘m fine, Taako.”

“Hush.” Taako readjusts Kravitz in his arms and carries him into his bedroom, spreads him out over the blankets.

“Thanks,” Kravitz slurs. “Roses — ”

“Yeah,” Taako says, voice oddly tight. “Yeah, I won’t forget.”

A few minutes pass before Taako reenters the room, during which Kravitz fights for consciousness. He should be more embarrassed about this, but it doesn’t feel bad; it feels like when Raven took care of him when they were both little. He trusts Taako. He trusts Taako still.

There’s the sound of a jar lid popping, the soft rustle of petals that Kravitz is so familiar with, and a strange beat of silence before Taako closes the jar again.

“Hey,” he says from somewhere by the foot of the bed. “You’re — you aren’t under the covers, silly.”

“‘s fine.”

“It — ” Taako sighs and Kravitz feels bad. He’s being high-maintenance right now. “Scoot over, Krav.”

He does, and Taako rearranges the blankets around him, pulling them all the way up to his chin. “Hey, Kravitz.”

“Mm?”

“You’re — ” Taako hesitates. “How often do you get those, uh — how often do those attacks come? At night?”

Kravitz shrugs. His eyes are already shut and they’re so, so heavy. “Not often.”

“But sometimes.”

Kravitz hums noncommittally. “Sometimes.”

There’s another beat of silence and Kravitz wonders, vaguely, how many of Taako’s heartbeats would’ve fit into that one. He would’ve liked to find out. Then the bedsprings creak as someone else climbs into bed behind him, but no rustle of the covers. Kravitz rolls, comes face-to-face with Taako.

“Just go to sleep,” Taako says, seeing the confusion on his face. He fluffs his own pillow and makes himself comfortable. Taako sleeps on his side because he slept with Lup when they were kids, and he and Lup always slept back to back. Kravitz knows a lot about Taako.

Kravitz hums — not a musical hum, he hasn’t sang in a long time — but a gentle hum of agreement, and is asleep within moments.

When he wakes, the bed is made, and Taako is gone.

[eldritchsurveys]

o82.

[[ Random Survey Questions // By @x-hallie-x ]] 1. When was the last time you just wanted to be alone? What about the last time you really wanted to be around people? >> I don’t remember the last time I wanted either of these things consciously... like, they might be vague thoughts or feelings floating around in my headspace, but I don’t always focus on them. Also, I’m never alone, technically, so I guess there’s that.

2. Have you ever gone somewhere in your pajamas? What makes this acceptable or unacceptable to you? >> Yeah, sure, I used to walk to bodegas and shit in NYC in pajamas quite often. There’s really no point in changing if I’m just walking down the street to get a 40 or a sandwich, like... Also, the only dress requirement for leaving the house in a casual sense is to just be decent -- bits covered, you know. The idea that one must wear a certain kind of clothing in order to be seen outside of one’s domicile isn’t necessarily true. (Now, if I were going to a specific venue that did have a specific mode of dress -- a certain kind of event, say, or a government office, or something, then yes, I would wear the appropriate clothing. But like, no one in your local corner store cares how the fuck you’re dressed as long as you’re dressed.)

3. Other than the usual things like IDs, etc, what do you always carry with you when you go out? >> The only things that are always present with me when I leave the house, no matter where I’m going, are the standard PKW (phone, keys, wallet) and my lip balm. (If it’s daytime, then also sunglasses.)

4. If you were to go on a picnic, what type of setting would you prefer, what types of food would you bring, and would you bring anyone along with you? >> Honestly, anywhere somewhat nature-y is good as far as location is concerned, even if it’s just a municipal park or a place like Union Square (which isn’t a park so much as it’s a... like, town-square kind of construct). I guess the food I’d bring would just be anything portable and easy to eat without needing a table (sandwiches are always good, of course, but even something like a plate from the hot-food spread at Whole Foods is good, I’ve picnicked with that). A lot of my outdoor eating escapades have been alone, so like, it doesn’t matter who’s with me, I guess. Anyone who wants to come.

5. What is one song you feel as though you sing particularly well, if any? >> Guaranteed by Eddie Vedder. I think Eddie and I have a lot of vocal similarities. Which is good, because I love him and his voice. :p

6. Have you ever kept a mood chart or anything like that? Did it help you pick up any useful patterns in your moods? >> I’ve never tried to keep a chart of them, no, especially since I’m not sure what half of my feelings even are, when I do have them.

7. What was the last lengthy task you completed? >> The survey I took yesterday. :p

8. Do you look toward the future or focus more on the here and now? Are you good at being in the moment, or do you always feel drawn to worrying about other things? >> I do a lot better when I only have the present to focus on. It kinda glitches me to think about the future too much, not because of anxiety or anything, but just because it kind of doesn’t make sense to me. I can think about the future in entirely abstract terms, like for the sake of argument or flights of fancy, but not in any concrete sense. It is the greatest great unknown, and I’ve never had any success trying to manipulate it or understand myself through it. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing (or who I will be) in the next hour, and people want me to think about months and years into the future?! Wild. I also think that the way I’ve lived the past decade-plus before moving here made thinking about the future really difficult for me, because I was really living from day to day. When I’m concerned about where I’m going to sleep from night to night, planning for a future seems like a luxury rather than a fact of life. But also, I guess... I just like to focus on what I’m doing right now. I like to be present here. I have a pretty deep-set confidence that the future will take care of itself as long as I take care of the present, but if I focus too much on the future then I will have missed the plot entirely. I feel more secure when I focus on the present. It is the only point in time in which I truly exist.

9. What does it mean to you to have empathy? Do you think you’re an empathetic person? >> I’m not really sure what empathy means anymore, to be honest. I definitely don’t consider myself an empathetic person, by any of the definitions that I’ve heard. I think I can empathise with fictional characters, because I’m a storyteller and jumping into the heads of characters is kind of integral to telling honest stories... but actual people in front of me, not so much. (Characters are a lot less complex by design, anyway. Kind of like the difference between Sims and people -- Sims’ needs and motivations are pretty obvious and predictable, whereas people are... wild cards, a lot of the time.)

10. What was the last thing you did that was particularly selfish? What about selfLESS? >> I’m really not sure. 

11. What is something about your life that is currently beyond your control? >> The weather, lmao. I’m watching it get real cloudy real fast and I’m like “but... I want the sun... :(” The weather don’t care what I want. ... Annnnnd it just started raining. Pfft.

12. What is one small thing you could do to change about your life for the better? >> Eating healthier is always the top option. I mean, I don’t eat badly or anything, it’s just that there’s always improvement to be made in that area. But I also understand that obsessing over my consumption is actually just as counterproductive, so I try not to make a big deal out of it, and just enjoy what I’m eating. We all gotta die of something anyway, I guess. It might as well taste good, or else what is really even the point.

13. What type of photography do you enjoy looking at? Do you take any photos yourself, and if so, what types of things do you prefer to photograph? >> I like urban photography -- not necessarily shiny cityscapes, but more like... street-level urban, like of old abandoned buildings and back alleys and people sitting on stoops and just city life. I like various landscapes, especially deserts/tundras, and marshes and complex ecosystems. And I like photography that evokes certain Moods(tm), whether it be because of the content or because of the lighting or the framing or... whatever. It’s definitely that “I know it when I see it” kind of thing. I don’t really take photos of anything except myself and random things I want to show people, I guess.

14. Have you ever gone out for the black friday shopping rush? Did you enjoy it, or not so much? Or, what’s the busiest shopping day you’ve ever experienced? >> I have never been shopping on Black Friday, but I have been just out and about while it was happening. I don’t really care for that kind of thing -- I like the sales and stuff, but I don’t like the mad rush. It just makes me feel kinda... alienated, like, in a “this is what life is?” kind of way. Just a deeply personal feeling, nothing against the whole concept.

15. Do you enjoy reading diaries or stories you wrote from when you were younger, or does it embarrass you? If you’ve kept them, was there a particular reason for hanging on to them so long? >> I do enjoy reading those things, and I wish I had more of them, but the ones that were on paper have been lost for a long time and a lot of the internet sites I used in the beginning are no longer active and the content has been lost (or I can’t find it anymore). My old deviantART accounts are pretty much the oldest content of mine that still exists on the internet in a form that I can access, and although a lot of that stuff is definitely amusing, I can’t imagine finding it embarrassing. 

16. What would you say was your first true hobby? What about your most recently developed one? >> Drawing, maybe? I don’t know. My most recently developed one is probably MMO gaming.

17. Is there one thing that throws off your mood more than others, whether it be lack of sleep, lack of food, heat // cold, etc? & when was the last time you felt especially cranky? >> I’m not sure, since keeping track of my moods isn’t something I really do with any success or skill. Maybe sensory overload -- that’s always a reliable mood-tanker, and a lot of my inexplicable moodiness/mental exhaustion can probably be attributed to just being overloaded. The last time I felt cranky was last evening, and I’m not sure why, but it probably had something to do with being frustrated about Dragon Age Inquisition being broken and then like... some low-grade dissatisfaction with life or something. Nothing worth making a mountain out of.

18. What are some ways you deal with stress? Are these healthy or helpful to you? >> Distraction is usually my method. Playing video games, watching tv or youtube, slam-dunking myself into a pile of plushies, making origami stars and listening to music, that sort of thing. And yeah, I think distracting myself from stress is pretty healthy for me, since it lowers the cortisol and enables me to approach whatever is stressing me out later on without the heightened emotional response. (Although, also, a fair amount of my stress isn’t based on anything that’s solvable or like... worth even giving attention, so the distraction enables me to refocus my energies onto something actually worth doing, so then later I can just be like “lmao that wasn’t even a big deal” and go on with my life.)

19. What advice, if any, would you give someone else in your situation? >> I’m not sure what situation I’m in, lmao.

20. In general, are you the type to feel comfortable giving advice? Has anyone ever come to you for advice and you had no idea what to tell them? >> I feel comfortable giving it if it’s an area I feel experienced or skilled in. Otherwise I’ll just flat-out say that I don’t have any advice, or point them to someone that might.

21. What is one common area of life in which you feel you have little to no experience (college, children, marriage, etc)? >> Definitely college, I can’t even... like, fathom college. What is college even like??? All I have to go by is movies and shit, lmao. I’ve not been married yet, so that’ll be a new experience (although I strongly suspect it won’t be too much different from being unmarried, aside from getting accustomed to using a different set of words to describe my relationship). I have no experience in not being poor, since I’ve never not been poor. This is the most not-poor I’ve felt, but like, that’s not because of anything that’s changed in my personal finances. I just live in a cooperative household.

22. What kinds of things are you likely to complain about? >> I don’t know, really. I don’t do a whole lot of complaining unless it’s a quick vent and then I move on (or unless someone I’m talking to is bitching about something and I’m like “OMG SAME” and we have a little bitchfest lmao). I don’t really like to focus on stuff like that.

23. Besides money, what is something you would like to have more of in your life? >> Meatspace socialisation.

24. What types of blogs do you like to follow? If you have a tumblr, how has your blogging style changed over the years, if at all? >> I follow over 900 blogs, I don’t even know what my “type” is. I just follow whatever looks good at the time, and then unfollow if I get bored of the content or whatever. I think my blogging style has changed in the sense that I’m not as... talkative? I used to make a lot more text posts on my personal and then I kind of just... stopped. I’m trying to get back into it lately, varying up my content, appearing more like a person instead of just a reblog bot.

25. Do you like to put any extra effort into your food in terms of presentation, or do you prefer to just put it on a plate and eat it as it is, no frills? >> I don’t, because I... I don’t know, executive dysfunction, I guess. Also, like... I don’t have the stuff I want, like the kind of dishes I like, etc, and the kitchen is small and disorganised and usually I just want to get out of it as quickly as possible and yeah, I can’t be bothered with making my food look nice when I can barely be bothered with making food, period. I do like presentation and all of that, I think it’s great and definitely adds to the joy of eating. It’s just... not something I can do right now.

26. When was the last time you were mean or rude to someone else? How about the last time someone acted that way toward you? >> I don’t remember. I don’t think I’m especially rude in general, I’m just straightforward and I think people prefer sweeter tones or whatever. I’d rather put my social energy into saying what I mean rather than saying it in a way that makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy, or whatever, I don’t know. It’s just not a priority of mine to sound “nice”. It’s never been. I don’t remember the last time someone was rude to me, mostly because I forget shit like that really easily. It’s low on the importance scale.

27. What kinds of things are most likely to make you lose your temper? Have you ever done something regrettable or embarrassing while angry? >> It’s really hard to get me to lose my temper completely, which is good, because I already give an aggressive impression -- imagine what it’s like when I’m actually feeling aggressive. I’ve definitely done things that I would rather not have done when I’m angry, which is another reason why it’s good I don’t get angry often.

28. What has stood out about this day in particular? Has this day been an average day in terms of what you usually experience? >> Well, it’s still only 11a. That random two-minute rain was interesting (it’s now partly-cloudy again), but that’s it so far, really. This is a pretty average day.

29. How would you describe your current mood? Do you experience a lot of highs and lows or are your moods relatively stable? What is the most your mood has changed in a day? >> My mood is my normal baseline, which is... no mood. Like, I really don’t have a mood most of the day, unless something specific happens to change it. I kind of exist in a comfortable greyness most of the time, with little spikes here and there.

30. Do you remember what it was that got you into taking surveys in the first place, or why you initially decided to stick with them? Where did you originally start out taking surveys? Are there any blogs you recommend (lol, I’m always looking for more surveys!)? >> Man, I have noooo idea. It was over 10 years ago by now, so surveys really just feel like a permanent fixture in my life. I think I first took them on MySpace? That seems likely. And I’m in the same boat as you, I think, lmao -- I just take the ones in the tag or on LJ or whatever the “random” function on Bzoink gives me that isn’t terrible (there are so many bad surveys on that site lmfao).

[that-terrible-writer]

You Never Know

This part had gotten away from me so I apologize in advance for the lengthiness. The response I have gotten from this story is like no other. I never thought that I would continue this story or even have the energy or imagination for it.

Part 7

Part 1 2 3 4 5 6

| Steve Harrington x Reader |

Requested: ‘You Never Know makes my heart so happy I read almost everything twice when I am reading it!!’ 

‘I'm stumbled onto your blog and I'm obsessed with 'You Never Know'’ 

October 31st. It had to be one of the biggest nights for all of Hawkin's High and that was thanks to Tina. Her party was the most anticipated event throughout the school year. Girls would already start planning their costumes the moment the party was over. Sometimes, you thought it was even more popular than prom or the Snowball.

It was something pleasant to look forward to. A break from everything that had been going on: fearing and preparing for Eight and her goons coming to Hawkin's in search for Eleven, from the middle schoolers, having the same argument with Mike about who was in charge, figuring out if they should let Cheif Hooper in on everything going on. You had also taken a break from Steve. What hurt you was that you weren't the one that chose to take the break. When Steve dropped you off at Billy's, he decided that it was the best for him to distance himself from you.

You were on Nancy's bed as the two of you were finishing up your touches on your costumes for the party. You both decided to go with the same theme: The Breakfast Club. Nancy as Claire Standish and yourself as Allison Reynolds. You began to pick at your oversized sweater, still depressed that Steve had been completely dodging you. You knew it was your fault too, due to coming to school that following Monday with Billy's arm glued to your waist. The expression Steve gave you just stung you so hard that you were on the verge of tears just at the sight of him.

"Hey, Y/N," Nancy softy spoke, waving her hand in front of your face as she managed to get your attention. She had been there for you; helping you understand everything, with the whole upside down, Eleven and her powers, and of course Steve. "We don't have to go tonight. We can just stay in and watch Nightmare on Elms Street." You shook your head, forbidding yourself to be the Debby downer for her and Jonathan.

You let out the best smile you could give her, a rather small one, "It's fine." You swore to her. You stopped fiddling with your sweater, showing her that your hands were free of any material. "I also promised Billy that I would be there." You mentioned, taking in a deep breath, "He would be pissed if I stood him up." Your spine was sent a small chill as you picture Billy being mad at you. You couldn't jeopardize with that. At. All.

"Why are you still with him?" Jonathan let out a huff. He stood in the doorway, with his arms crossed, clearly irritated with the idea of Billy. He had joined your theme and dressed up as Brian Johnson to your Halloween group. "Are you two even official yet?"

"Well, no but he said that a label doesn't define our relationship." You described but your voice shook as you tried to believe the lie that Billy had told you.

"So he can sleep with any girl from school while you have to stay loyal to that asshole?" Jonathan spat.

"Jonathan!" Nancy turned, snapping back at her boyfriend. She grabbed your hand, bringing her attention to you once again. "He's probably isn't doing that."

"Most likely he is." Jonathan couldn't help but mumble, to put in his last two cents.

You closed your eyes, trying to shake off what Jonathan had said but part of you knew that's precisely what Billy was doing. "Is it because I'm friends with Steve?" You thought out loud. You looked at Nancy then at Jonathan, who were both curious at your revelation. "I mean, Billy is after Steve's spot as the stupid 'King of Hawkin's' title." You heard what was coming out of your mouth and you began to laugh at yourself, how stupid it was sounding: concerning Nancy and Jonathan. "Billy knows there's nothing going on between me and Steve!"

"You actually have a good point there, Y/N," Nancy expressed, squeezing your hand into hers. "You may not see it but you do mean something to Steve."

"He did tell you he loved you." Jonathan reminded you. He managed to sneak in one photo where you and Nancy shot him a glare. "Just saying, you may not see Steve's affection towards you but everyone else does and that means Billy does too," Jonathan mumbled.

"He didn't exactly say it," You whispered, looking away from the two. You had dreamed a better way for Steve to tell you how he felt but it was out of jealousy and anger. You always thought that when a guy told you he loved you: it would bring you butterflies into your stomach, make your heart feel as if it was running a marathon. Yet, all it gave you was confusion. You shook your head once more, waving your hands around, "Enough of this talk!" You yelled, startling the couple. You jumped to your feet, fixing your oversized sweater, giving off a confident nod, "Let's go to this party."

It was at full capacity. There had to be some fire codes against this but it had seemed that not only did the seniors come out for Tina's party but every grade level did. You could barely squeeze into the door, almost losing one of your shoes due to the chaos of drinking teenagers. You looked over your shoulder to see that both Jonathan and Nancy were nowhere near you. You were alone at this party: terrific. You roamed the living, looking for any familiar body but stopped in your steps.

You saw Steve on the other side of the room dressed as John Bender. Your cheeks instantly started to burn as he changed his famous hair for this costume. He had a bright smile on across his face, beaming with happiness, but it wasn't because of you. Your eyes shifted, slightly to the right, to see he was talking to Betty Gates: one of the cheerleaders. She came to the party in her uniform, already flirting with Steve. Touching his jacket, grabbing his arm from time to time and having her just lean into him trying to act shy while she giggled. You felt hurt, a different feeling came to your stomach as you quickly realized that you were becoming jealous.

You noticed that Steve's glace went towards you, locking eyes with you but quicker than you could blink, they returned to Betty.

You let out a small scream as an arm wrapped around you, showing you a red solo cup filled with red punch. You grabbed the drink from the mystery person, turning to thank them, to see it was from Billy. A smile appeared on your face, you placed your hand on your chest as you let out a small chuckle, "Oh, thank God you're here. I thought I got deserted!" You spoke, with a breath of relief escaping you.

Billy snaked his arm around your waist, pulling you close to him, "Well, I'm glad to be your shining knight." Billy gave you a smirk, quickly nuzzling his face into your neck; causing you to squeal. You pushed him lightly away, trying to look at his costume.

"You chose not to wear a costume?" You questioned. You saw that he was shirtless, in his usual jean vest with an unlit cigarette on his ear.

"Aren't we a little old to be wearing costumes, Y/N?" Billy retorted, taking a big chug of his drink. He crushed his cup, letting out a war cry before heading back out to the backyard.

You took a sip of the punch Billy had gotten you, it was strong of liquor but the more you looked over at Steve and Betty, you hoped it was strong enough to get you through the night.

The drink was more than enough help. You had over what had to be five glasses and you were past buzzed. You felt your cheeks staying warm due to being all liquored up, dancing in the middle of the floor with not a care in the world. You looked in your cup to see that you had emptied it. Shrugging your shoulders, you went over to the bowl to dunk your glass to make it lucky number six.

"I'm cutting you off." You heard a stern voice. You lazily turned your head to face Steve, who had grabbed your cup away from you. You tried to reach for it but Steve had lifted it above his head, away from your reach. You crossed your arms, giving him a pout, as you grew frustrated with him.

"You can't tell me," You paused, pointing your finger at Steve as you let out a small burp, "What I can do." You finished. You narrowed your eyes, the liquor had taken over and it mixed with your anger with Steve that you had let it all out, "Also, you chose not to talk to me for a week. You," You poked his chest, "You decided not to come with the three of us. Which I lost them INSTANTLY so there's that!"

Steve placed down your cup, trying to grab a hold onto your arm but every time he went to reach for you: you would shake him away. "Y/N, let's just go somewhere more private to talk," Steve whispered towards you, lowering himself so that he would be eye level with you. You shoved Steve away, pushing with everything you had, which wasn't much due to being intoxicated. Steve took in a deep breath, trying to collect himself as he reached once more to grab you.

"Harrington," It was a voice that Steve hated to the core. Steve never knew how much he could hate someone until Hargrove came along and proved him wrong. Billy wrapped his arm around you, handing you another cup of punch. You eagerly greeted it, drawing it to your lips. "If the lady wants more punch, let her have it." Steve yanked the cup away, slamming it on the counter causing the liquid to go everywhere.

Steve's anger with Billy always came the moment Billy's had his hands on you. "She has had enough," Steve growled. You could barely stand as Billy had to be the one to support you. You placed your hand on Billy's chest, burying your face into him. Steve bit his lip, balling his fists; anything to stop him from knocking out Billy. "She can barely stand. She needs to go home." Steve directed.

"That's not your choice to make, Harrington," Billy snarled. Billy's grip had gotten tighter on your hip, his nails digging into you. It caused you to yelp. You tried to peel his hand away but it was locked. "I think she already made her choice." Billy couldn't stop smirking towards Steve. He knew he was pushing all the right buttons when it came to you.

"Hargrove, just let her go," Steve said, his hand out motioning Billy to stop. "You're being rough on her."

Billy let out a chuckle, his hand moving south to give your ass a hard squeeze, "Not the only way I'm rough with her," The smirk grew, he licked his lips just from the thought of it, "If you know what I mean." He had shot Steve a wink, knowing that it would just irritate him even more. Billy pushed you to the side, to get in Steve's face, causing you to trip over your own feet: falling to the floor. You tried to collect yourself, tucking your hair back into place and trying to make the room stop spinning. Steve moved to your side quickly, clutching your hand to bring you off the floor.

"Hey," Steve whispered at you, placing a hand on your cheek. Your face turned to lock onto his eyes as he worried about your wellbeing. "Are you ok?" He asked. Your heart started to pound, you were about to cry; you were embarrassed that you were in this state in front of the entire school. You shook your head, giving Steve an answer. He transferred his hand from your cheek to your hand. Having your fingers intertwined, leading you out of Tina's house. He propped you up against his car, going down to brush the dirt and dust off your knees.

You cupped his face in your hands, causing him to stare at you in shock. You rubbed your thumbs along his skin, a smile appearing on your face, "You're a knight." You laughed. Your heart skipped a beat as Steve rose, only to look down on you; your hands never leaving his face, "You're my knight." Steve raised his hand to rest on yours. He knew it was the alcohol that made you talk this way but it still made him happy to hear you say those words to him. "I'm sorry," You cried. You were trying your best to hold back the tears but the change of your voice made it obvious that something was wrong with you.

Steve stumbled a bit with the quick change of tone, he mimicked your movements and rested his hands on your cheeks, bringing your face up to look at him, "Hey, it's not your fault." He swore to you, shushing you to calm down. "Billy's an asshole, you know that." You shook your head, refusing his words.

"I was jealous that you were talking with Betty. So, I drank," You told him, "And I drank. I didn't want to see you with her so I thought―I thought if I drank more I wouldn't have to see it." You sniffed. You lifted up your sleeve to wipe your nose. You darted your eyes away from Steve to look around at the party that was going. Teens on the front lawn, drinking and having a good time.

It took Steve a while to figure out what you were saying. He blinked more than needed as the only word he heard was: jealous. "Y―You were jealous?" Steve's cheeks turn red in a matter of seconds. He could feel his fingers and hands shake as he got nervous. He couldn't help but feel happy, ecstatic really, that you felt what he had felt everytime Billy was near you.

Steve was announcing something but you weren't really focusing on him anymore. You saw someone, rather five people wander the yard as if they were looking for someone. You tugged on Steve's sleeve, trying to get him to stop talking. "Steve," You let out, one more tug, "Steve!" You looked up at him. He gazed at you, his eyes becoming soft. You two stood there for a minute in silence just staring at each other. You could feel your palms getting sweaty, your breath getting shakey, matching how fast your heart was pacing. You readjust your fingers on his sleeve, still clutching onto the clothing.

Before you could tell Steve what you wanted to say, a pair of soft lips found their way to yours. You closed your eyes, the electricity that each kiss was giving you was just a defibrillator bringing you back to life. Your hands combed through his hair, giving it a light tug. Steve moved his arm to your lower back, pushing you to be pressed along his chest. His other hand was on the other side of your face, on the car, to help prop himself up to not fully press his entire body weight on you. Everything you felt for Steve was right, your stomach was on a roller coaster ride as you didn't want to stop: not anytime soon.

You pulled away, shaking your head. Steve looked confused, doubting himself if he had read the situation correctly. You had remembered what you wanted to tell Steve, before he locked his lips on yours, "Eight." You let out, grabbing Steve's shirt. Your eyes widened, shaking at the thought of her, pointing towards the party, "Eight is here."

Tagged: @quoirez @sociallyimpairedme @yoursmilemakesmeloveyou @innocent-moon-bean @with-a-hint-of-pesto-aiolii @thinemineours @oldwanderingsoul @bellamy-fuck @sarcasticvodka @airforcecollins @writerunhuman @hxrrxngtxn @bisexualscullys @steve-harington @lethargicalyssa @qxeen-of-hearts @kararanae23 @sillycrazygirl @queeeenofscots @zerodays02 @erinmehbrooks @sippindacres @ashley-esme @pandaseatingcupcakes @rvrdxle @hogwartsnexttopmodel @astrangerblog11 @allkindfangirl @shineefivebyyourside @expectopatronumr @greendaycliffoconda @ssweet-empowerment @ginger-swag-rapunzel @hufflepuffcommonroomrules @hanasamara @leilei-draws @sarcasticalphaofthelooserspack @hollandspcter @phantomjs @wefracturedmotivation @cauldronfalls @flieformybrain @thors-hair-extensions @fandom-queen-of-hearts @klainefra @spookierichie @loverboy-holland @soooogrunge @kmneesocks @itskatiemahoney @wonderxluster

[studionafay]

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[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

Fresh Start - chapter 4

Haha hopefully I’ll get this thing finished before the end of @mlrarepairmarch ... Anyway another chapter of Marinette being a useless disaster and super in love with Kim, because I ship it

AO3 | 1 | 2 | 3

Marinette and Kim returned to her house after school that day to finish off their project. It probably wouldn’t take too much longer, thankfully. Marinette was not sure how much more of Kim’s presence she could take – maybe if she could just get away from him a while, things would go back to normal? Until then, she would just have to deal with his ridiculous flirty attitude and keep reminding herself that they were friends, and none of it meant anything…

It really, really didn’t help when he took off his hoodie again, this time without prompting, and dunked it right on her head. “I thought you might like this, don’t think I didn’t notice you blushing last time, Cupcake…”

Oh, curse this stupid heatwave, and curse that stupid nickname and stupid hoodie! Marinette lifted the hoodie up slightly to see him lounging on the chair with his arms behind his head, smirking at her. She quickly threw the hoodie back at him.

“I wasn’t blushing!” she insisted. “My cheeks were red because I was hot, obviously.”

He winked at her. “Sure.”

Ugh, there was no point trying to fool him. They had known each other for so long, it was easy to tell what was blushing and what wasn’t. The thought made her blush again – yikes, that was not good. She quickly turned aside and slammed her homework books on the table. “Enough messing around, let’s just get on with this.”

Kim, however, had ceased to pay attention and was looking at something on his phone. “Hey look, Alya’s just sent all the photos from today to the class chat! These are great, I look amazing in all of them…”

Marinette rolled her eyes – of course he would be admiring himself, wouldn’t he? She checked her own phone to see that Alya had indeed sent them all plenty of photos from today’s celebration, most of them just of the classmates themselves, since Miss Bustier had been trying to keep their lesson on track the whole time and didn’t seem to care that it was her own birthday.

Wait… what was this?

“Kim,” Marinette began, willing herself not to burst into laughter, “is it me or are you doing that bunny-ears thing to me in every single photo here?”

“Yep!” Kim leaned across and poked her on the nose. “I’ll never stop.”

“It’s been like 10 years since you started doing that!”

“Well yeah, it’s kinda like a friendship meme for us, isn’t it?”

Friendship meme…

Marinette ignored the odd pang deep in her chest at hearing the word “friendship”. Of course they were close friends. It didn’t need to be anything else, obviously. That would be ridiculous…

“Come on then, let’s do our work,” she said firmly. At least when absorbed in the project, her mind wouldn’t be tempted to wander, would it?

They were soon finished with the work. Hopefully they would get a good mark on it – both of them had actually tried hard. Marinette was adamant to make up for all the homework she missed and bad grades she got thanks to her duties as Ladybug, and luckily Kim had been putting in the same effort.

And now he would leave, and she would have some peace of mind again…

“So Cupcake,” he said, getting up from the chair, “when are you next inviting me over? I mean, I need some excuse to take off my hoodie in front of a pretty girl, right?”

…pretty girl?

Marinette dropped her open pencil case. Red in the face, she crouched down to scoop up all the fallen stationery, very stubbornly refusing to look at Kim. She wanted to say something back to him, something to wipe that stupid grin off his face, but her mind just had to be blank! And it was all his fault!

Finally she just grabbed his hoodie and thrust it back at him, intending to say, “JUST PUT YOUR DAMN HOODIE BACK ON, KIM,” but ending up spluttering too much to be intelligible. At least he got the message. She still refused to look directly at him as he wore the hoodie, tried hard not to listen as he said something else that was probably stupid and self-centred as always, and ignored the heat in her face as he kissed her cheek and left.

Phew…

Rational thought was beginning to return to her brain, at long last, slowly trickling in like a welcome drop of water to a parched desert. Yes… yes, maybe she was being a flustered idiot. But she had to remind herself that Kim probably just treated all girls like this, the annoying player that he was. For starters, he had a crush on Chloé, he’d literally been akumatized over it.

And if he thought Marinette was pretty…

Well yeah, he was absolutely right! It was true, and he had good taste (except for Chloé), fair enough. Plus, beauty didn’t matter as much as Marinette being a superhero and saving the city constantly, something that Kim would never know. He was just being an idiot, as always, an idiot who always thought he was the best at everything, and thought he was all charismatic, and hot, and thought he could get everyone to like him even though he was so reckless and stupid and… charming…

“Tikki, spots on,” she whispered, her patience with herself at an end.

Leaping over the rooftops as Ladybug did nothing to calm her brain down. She tried so hard to focus on the wind in her face, the sounds of Parisians going about their lives, anything! But all she could think about was some stupid boy, and it was killing her.

She almost tripped off the rooftop when she spotted said boy ambling down to the bus stop below her, kicking loose pebbles out of the way absent-mindedly. And before she could even think for a second, she had thrown out her yoyo and dropped down in front of him Spider-man style – oh why had she done that…

“Hi Kim, what’s up?” she said. At least being in this superhero suit seemed to give her brain the false confidence that it needed to speak without going into the old oh-shoot-it’s-Adrien mode.

Kim looked startled for a second, but then smiled at her. “Hi Ladybug!”

Well, he certainly didn’t treat Ladybug the same way he treated Marinette. The guy was acting like a total fanboy now – that goofy awestruck grin, bouncing on his toes in excitement of seeing his hero right in front of him.

“I hope you’re not challenging any more panthers, are you?” She wanted to smack herself in the head as soon as she’d said it. Was bringing up the panther incident really a good idea around this kid? Luckily Kim didn’t mind.

“Haha, no, I was just hanging out with a close friend and doing homework and stuff,” he said. “I haven’t even been back to the zoo since that one time.”

Before she could stop it, her imagination was throwing all sorts of potential zoo date scenarios at her – okay wow, that was not what she needed to be thinking about right now. It occurred to her that she had no real reason for speaking to Kim as Ladybug, especially since there were no akumas around right now, and he wasn’t causing any trouble, and Chat Noir was the one who went around having casual conversations with civilians, not her!

But the thought of stopping was constricting her throat so oddly. Clearly she really, really wanted to talk to her friend. Spend time with him. All that stuff. Friendly things.

“So how’s life?” she asked quickly. “Any more stupid challenges in general?”

Oh come on, why would Ladybug be interested in asking him something like that…

“Nah, I’ve been trying to be less idiotic lately,” Kim said, seeming somewhat more down-to-earth than usual. “I know it gets me in a lot of danger and trouble and a bunch of akumas have already killed me before, so I don’t want more of that.”

“Yeah, that’s definitely a bad thing!”

“I think I might actually be doing okay these days, though. Thinking before acting and stuff. Or at least… better? Well, sometimes anyway. I keep, uh…” He was looking at the ground, blushing slightly. “…I still keep saying stupid things around this one friend I have and I can’t stop, I hope she’s not annoyed…”

Wait, really? Not only was Kim being humble for once, but he was getting flustered around someone?!

She smiled encouragingly at him, ignoring the voice in her head screaming IT’S ME!!! HE’S TALKING ABOUT ME!!!

“I’m sure you’re doing great!” she said. “And she probably doesn’t find it annoying, I mean, maybe she does, but maybe she finds it cute – well I don’t know, but–”

For god’s sake, why couldn’t she just shut up? She was really digging herself into a hole there.

“I doubt it,” he said, shrugging. “I’ve known her way too long, she knows I’m an idiot, she’d never find it cute, haha…”

Known her too long?? Known her too long???

“Um I’ve GOTTA GO, SEE YOU LATER!” She gave a quick wave and then zoomed right back up to the roof, leaving Kim standing there bewildered.

He couldn’t have been talking about her. No way. Definitely not.

Oh, but he had said it was a girl he was friends with…

Nope. It couldn’t be Marinette. Kim had loads of friends! He was close with Alya, right? Maybe he meant her. Or maybe he counted Chloé as a friend, despite how she treated him, and actually was talking about her. After all, he had already tried asking her out before. Or did “friendly rivalry” count as friends? Because then that could even apply to Alix!

But he had said he’d known the friend for a long time…

That already ruled out almost everyone else in the class. But surely it couldn’t be Marinette! It just couldn’t!

Anyway, even if it was her, it didn’t matter. He was just a friend.

And no matter how many more times she had to keep stubbornly, aggressively telling herself that, she would do it.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Tikki popped out of her pocket. “You were quiet at dinner…”

“I’m fine,” Marinette replied. “I’m going to bed.”

“Already? It’s so early!”

“Goodnight, Tikki.”

The poor kwami must have been confused, but Marinette did not feel like explaining right now. Or perhaps Tikki was not confused at all, and her multi-generational knowledge gave her a level of insight that Marinette could never hope to achieve. Whatever.

She curled up on her bed, trying to think about kittens and rainbows and nice things, anything to keep her mind distracted as she fell asleep. And maybe tomorrow her brain would actually start working again, and things would be back to the way they used to be…

No such luck. Marinette was no stranger to lucid dreams. She knew perfectly well she was dreaming, and made no move to wake herself up.

Not even when her dream self, sick of flying like she always did, had landed on the ground right in front of someone annoyingly familiar.

Not even when that familiar, gorgeous guy leaned forward with an alluring smile, gently slipped her jacket off her shoulders, slid an arm around her waist, pulled her in closer, ever so slowly.

And she didn’t wake herself up when she looked into those enticing grey eyes of his, or when he leaned in so close that she was sure he was going to kiss her, and she allowed herself to hope that he would, and closed her eyes and waited, only to feel his breath tickling her cheek and then hear his voice in her ear…

“So are you in love with me, Cupcake?”

Cupcake?!

Marinette catapulted awake.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

She was NOT just dreaming about kissing Kim. No way. No way!

It was just a dream, it didn’t mean anything–

But it was a lucid dream! A lucid dream! She knew she was dreaming, she could have done anything at any second, and she didn’t, she didn’t do a thing! And oh god, was she sweating?! Well obviously that was because it was summer, and she was warm, and – and –

Oh, for fuck’s sake!

She turned around and just screamed into her pillow.

That… that GUY, honestly… how dare he always just be so smooth and so flirty all the time? And even if he was, she shouldn’t fall for it! Marinette knew how much of an idiot he was! She had always known! There was no way he was charming enough to get her all hot and flustered, there was no way she could find his arrogance and cockiness attractive, when it should be annoying, and this was just so stupid and stereotypical!!

She lay down and tried to go back to sleep, kicking off the covers, far too warm to need them. But was sleep even a good idea? She just kept hearing that stupid voice of his on repeat in her head, and that dream just kept playing over and over, and as much as she tried to fight it off, it wouldn’t leave.

And part of her didn’t even want it to leave…

Oh come on! She had just managed to get over Adrien! Did she really have to go and start pining over some other guy, some guy way more annoying in every possible way? Did she have to be all lovesick and stupid like this? She could fight this! She could definitely, absolutely fight this!

Right?

But every time she remembered the way he called her “Cupcake”, or the way he held her so close in that stupid dream, and how good it felt, and how much she wished she hadn’t woken up and let it all fade away…

Oh, forget it.

Marinette curled up around her pillow and just let herself daydream to hell and back. About grabbing Kim’s stupid face and kissing him senseless, ripping off that stupid hoodie, running a hand over every one of those stupid muscles that hadn’t been there before, ruffling up that stupid hair, listening to him whisper that stupid nickname…

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, where the daydreams stopped and the hopelessly lucid dreams began. It wasn’t like it made much difference anymore. Who even knew how long the night lasted? It was morning before she knew it, a hot sunny Saturday, and she simply lay there in her bed refusing to move.

Fine… there was no point denying it any longer, was there? She had to admit it.

Marinette had a huge crush on Kim.

And it felt so damn good.

“Marinette?” Tikki was tugging on her hair. “It’s almost noon!”

That late already? Time really flew by when she was hypothetically making out with that hot loser, didn’t it?

“I don’t know what to do,” she mumbled. Somehow, intuitively, Tikki already knew what she was talking about. Or at least seemed to.

“Maybe talk to Alya?”

“Oh, but I don’t wanna tell anyone…”

Even before finishing her sentence she recalled how accepting Alya had always been of everything Marinette had told her. If anyone was going to know, it had to be her.

“Alright, fine,” Marinette said, pushing herself up and out of bed. “But just Alya.” She grabbed her phone and sent a quick message telling Alya to come over urgently, then lay back down and waited, feeling too useless to do anything else.

“Marinette! Everything okay?” Alya burst up through the trapdoor and ran over. “What’s the problem? Do I need to fight anyone?”

“No,” Marinette sighed. “Just me.”

“Aw, babe, what did you do this time?”

She planted her face in Alya’s shoulder. “I accidentally have a crush on someone.”

“What? Oh, that’s so awesome! Who is it? Do you need my help?”

“No, no, nothing like that! Please Alya, just… don’t start scheming or anything, not this time. I just wanna get this off my chest, that’s all. I don’t want any help.”

“Alright then, you disaster…” Alya patted her on the head. “So who’s the lucky guy? Or girl?”

Marinette took a deep breath. “Um… it’s Kim…”

Alya, the blessed friend that she was, did not engage in any “told you so!” type taunting. Instead she gave Marinette a hug and said, “Nice! And I promise this time I’ll let you handle things yourself. I know sometimes I can be a bit… intense.”

“Thanks, Alya.”

“No problem. I hope things work out.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I mean, are you gonna make a move?”

Crap – that was something Marinette hadn’t even thought about yet. She could barely even wrap her head around liking the guy, let alone actually doing anything about it.

Well, should she make a move? On the one hand, of course she wanted to! But on the other hand there was no way she could let that arrogant smug fool know that she liked him, or his ego would increase ten-fold and he’d be completely intolerable…

Alya seemed to notice the silence. “Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to decide yet. You’re barely even over Adrien.”

Adrien felt like a million years ago at this point. It was impossible to remember what she ever saw in him that she didn’t see in anyone else.

“Alya, please distract me,” she said finally. “I need to get my mind away from… from…”

From how much she wanted Kim, how much she couldn’t wait to hear him call her “Cupcake” again, and give her one of those silly winks…

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.” Alya stood up and pulled Marinette up with her. “Let’s go do something fun. Like getting footage for the Ladyblog!”

Marinette couldn’t help grinning. They wouldn’t exactly have a high chance of seeing Ladybug around if Marinette was too busy being with Alya to transform! But hey, maybe they would bump into Chat Noir, or find some other interesting things going on in this giant city, and maybe then Marinette would have regained enough of her common sense to decide what to do.

[inazuma-eleven-translations]

Animage September 2013 - Interview with Suzuki Tatsuhisa (Ibuki Munemasa)

Full scans can be found here: http://inazuma.pmsinfirm.org/?p=322

Translator’s Notes: This is for @shindouyerin. Since I haven’t seen Galaxy yet, I’m really sorry if I made any mistakes! But I kinda like Ibuki, because he reminds me of Hakuryuu. He seems soooo stubborn, haha.

He painfully lost 3 goals to Resistance Japan! What should Ibuki study from here on in order to become a guardian deity for Raimon?

Ibuki Munemasa/ Inazuma Japan GK/ Shirt Number 1

Joined the team under the condition that he would get to study basketball overseas. Incidentally, his way of speaking is informal*, so is this one of the characteristics of Gassan Kunimitsu’s soccer club?

*He doesn’t use polite Japanese.

Special Move - Wild Dunk

Just like a dunk shoot from a basketball player, he slams down on the ball with shockwaves from a big hand. “Speaking of keeper special moves, Endou’s God Hand has a strong impression, so I was glad he could also unleash a big hand with bang. With Ibuki’s special move he swings down from the top, and meeting the ball face to face like Endou is very Ibuki-like. I feel like he’s not relying on any tricks or anything. But I think he can learn even cooler special moves from here on, so I’m looking forward to seeing them.” (Suzuki)

Captions

Gassan Kunimitsu Soccer Uniform - At the meeting for choosing the representatives, he appeared in Gassan Kunimitsu’s soccer club uniform. He wore the same red goalkeeper uniform as Hyodou, and his shirt number was 20.

Gassan Kunimitsu Basketball Uniform - He has the strong, sturdy arms of a basketball player. Since it’s the same color as Minamisawa and the others’ uniforms, is this the school color of Gassan Kunimitsu?

The Lone Wolf Sportsman, Ibuki

First we’d like to hear about how you felt when it was decided that you would play Ibuki.

First I received the script and Ibuki’s character design.

It wasn’t an audition, but you were asked to play him?

Yes, the role of Ibuki was offered to me. Since I hadn’t been part of the Inazuma Eleven series since the movie ‘The Invasion of the Strongest Army Ogre’ where I played the role of Escavan, I was looking forward to seeing what the story would be like this time. I feel this way no matter what the role is, but to me meeting the character I’ll play is the most important thing. I thought about things like ‘In Ibuki’s situation he’s a basketball player, so why is he going to play soccer?’ and ‘I wonder if he has a pretty combative personality?’ But my impression of his is changing as time goes on.

How is it changing?

I thought he was a lonewolf. He’s carrying a burning fire within him, but he doesn’t always show it. So to the people around him, he’s a difficult kid to decode at first glance.

When he was doing special training with Tsurugi, he didn’t say anything to the Captain, Tenma, about it. He just suddenly disappeared from the morning assembly.

That’s right (laughs). There’s no meaning to a keeper that can’t stop shoots, so he put everything aside to train. Ibuki also doesn’t really participate in the scenes revolving around the players’ daily lives. He’s a character we haven’t even once seen how he speaks to the other team members, so it’s hard to tell if he’s close to the others.  So I’m pretty worried too. Just what kind of kid is he, anyway?

We can conclude he’s not too close to them.

Probably not. He doesn’t seem to have much interest in what’s going on around him. I think he truly is a good kid, but isn’t his way of getting close to others in some respects not great? It’s because he’s a very straight-forward character that his pride is high that he shows a lot of stubbornness, and he’s the type who creates a lot of unnecessary friction between himself and the people around him. He’s cool, but he’s also faced a lot of difficulties and we can only imagine and look forward to his thoughts and the parts of him that haven’t been shown yet in the story. Ibuki is getting to know his true self.

The drama Ibuki has had so far is mainly clashing with Shindou.

Yes. Ibuki’s probably worrying about ‘Why is Shindou acting this cold to me?’. ‘Let me at least do this!’ and ‘Even though I’m trying my very best!’. I think this kind of story can happen in real life too. Whether you’re in school or in your work life, there are situations where your efforts just don’t feel appreciated or recognised.

When he said ‘I don’t care about soccer or Inazuma Japan!’ it left a deep impression.

‘I don’t care about anything else, so just recognise me already!’ was how he felt, wasn’t it. When you put people under pressure, you can divide them into two types. The type who retreats into their own shell, feeling extremely depressed or the type that even if everything around them crumbles they’ll keep showing you that they’ll do things their own way. I think Ibuki is the latter.

During the match where they can withdraw from the team (Note: Haven’t seen Galaxy don’t know the context) Ibuki declares immediately that he will stay behind. He says ‘If I leave now, I’ll be unsatisfied.’

Right. I think Shindou’s harsh but correct criticism provoked Ibuki’s pride as a sportsman.

Then even though if he leaves the team he can play basketball abroad, he refuses.

I think that before he’s a basketball player, he’s a sportsman. Even though he was suddenly told to play soccer, it doesn’t mean that he’ll hesitate in practicing from morning to night. So he’s not really thinking of it as turning down an offer to play basketball abroad. He knows the thing he needs to do right now is not play basketball, but train as a goalkeeper.

Thanks to that training, Ibuki’s become able to stop shoots. But Shindou still doesn’t recognise him.

Yeah, ‘why not?’! There’s the feeling that something’s still missing before he can truly be able to play soccer. I think Shindou’s true intentions will soon be revealed, but right now he’s the one person challenging Ibuki. But though be challenged Ibuki grows as a person which I think he’s grateful for. But if he’s to put it into words, he won’t say anything more than ‘That Shindou is a really annoying guy,’ (laughs). Everyone else recognises that Ibuki is doing his best, but for Shindou, who is aiming for the world, he’s still not satisfied.

The first time he successfully used Wild Dunk, everyone else gathered around in awe.

Shindou didn’t move. Shindou is a good soccer senpai for Ibuki. What Ibuki can receive from Shindou and Tsurugi, who have a lot of experience with soccer, is (Note: can’t figure out this sentence atm). It’s nothing to do with age or gender, I think Ibuki is the type to really enthusiastically get into people who recognise him.

It would be good if he became closer to the other members too.

It seems like he especially has no connection with the girls (laughs). Since he really only has interest in training, he’s not really aware of the other members. When he opens his heart to everyone sooner or later and one by one communicates with them, I wonder about just what kind of odd conversations he’ll have with them (laughs). When I think about that, I look forward to it. In episode one the other Raimon members appeared, and everyone looked like really close friends. The two goalkeepers Shisuke and Sangoku were particularly memorable.

Finally, Ibuki’s highlights from here on out. The match against Resistance Japan is a painful memory, but…

It’s because of this painful memory that makes Ibuki want to train even harder. Resistance Japan’s level was certainly a different level than what he’d faced so far. I think it was very beneficial for him to face them so soon after just starting to play soccer. Because Ibuki’s had good sports reflexes from the start, and he’s trained that ability during his time as a basketball player so from now on he can definitely find his feet and show his real ability. And his being a lone wolf will change in a good way. There’s a tendency to think ‘I can surpass everyone by myself’ but through Ibuki understanding ‘Everyone’s hearts being linked together is an important thing too,’ I think it would be good if this message can also be transmitted to viewers. Since Ibuki will learn some important things, I’d be happy if he could watch over everyone’s growth in Inazuma Japan.

[junker-town]

SB Nation Reviews: The Skyhook

Photo by Focus on Sport via Getty Images

PERFORMANCE: 9.7

STYLE: 8.9

OVERALL: 9.3

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook was unstoppable, even when you knew it was coming. Left leg sweeping across the lane, ready to root itself to the ground like a tree trunk. Right leg bending 90 degrees at the knee, suspended in mid-air. Right arm tucking behind the head before slowly unfurling straight in the air. Left arm raising to protect the inside of the ball ball, then sweeping down into your air space like a floating shield. The same thing, every damn time. And every time, the defense was hopeless.

PERFORMANCE: 9.7

We can’t pinpoint the exact percentage Abdul-Jabbar shot on his patented move, since his heyday predates the internet itself. Our best guess comes via one intrepid blogger named “LamarMatic” who tracked all of Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhooks from the 1983 playoffs. He played in 15 playoff games that season, including 10 against Hall of Fame centers Artis Gilmore and Moses Malone. The results: an even 50 percent on skyhooks while scoring 1.06 points per possession. (For comparison, only two teams scored at least a point per possession on post-up plays during the 2019-20 season). Those efficiency numbers seem like a conservative estimate for his entire body of work, given Abdul-Jabbar’s age (he was 35, the oldest player in the playoffs) and the quality of competition he faced.

Abdul-Jabbar claims nobody has ever blocked his skyhook head-on. “Maybe a few people got to it, coming to help where I couldn’t see them, but if I knew where someone was, that person was not going to block that shot, because I always got my body in between them and the ball before I released the ball, and it’s impossible to get to it,” Abdul-Jabbar told then-ESPN writer J.A. Adande. He’s wrong that nobody blocked the skyhook — here’s a clip of Wilt Chamberlain swatting the skyhook twice in one play, and here’s one of Ralph Sampson doing the deed — but he certainly captured the feeling any opponents had at the time. It felt unblockable, and there’s nothing more demoralizing than a move that has no defensive counter.

The most important reason the skyhook became unstoppable is also the most boring: Abdul-Jabbar is tall. He was listed at 7’2, but he played much bigger than that. When he fully extended his right arm and leaped into the air off his left foot, he could reach higher than any human ever could. He once told astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson that his release point on the skyhook was “about 10 feet to 11 feet in the air.” That seems about right.

Crucially, Abdul-Jabbar still had the arm strength to give the shot some arc while spinning it off his middle and index fingers. That separates the skyhook from a more traditional jump hook, which tends to be shot on the way up and lacks the soft backspin of the skyhook. It’s easier to think of the skyhook as a one-handed, one-legged, sideways jump shot released at 11 feet, where nobody could block it.

Getting to that point was the key. As Abdul-Jabbar told Adande: “When you shoot it, you force people to wait for you to go up. And if they wait until I started to shoot it then they’d have to judge the distance and time it, and it’s gone before they can catch up to it.”

That all happens because of two other key elements of the move. The first is that wide lefty step across the lane, which creates that barrier between Abdul-Jabbar’s body and the defender. The best way to disrupt the hook is to force him to take that step backward and at an angle, throwing him off-balance. If you made that leg look like this, you had a chance.

Photo by Rich Pilling/NBAE via Getty Images

But that rarely happened. Because Abdul-Jabbar made it a point to step through defenders instead of around them, his left leg stood straight up like an oak tree. They were stuck yielding him space, like so.

Or falling back when the full force of his weight ricocheted off their sides.

That leads us to the final hidden key of the skyhook’s effectiveness: that off arm. Say you do everything perfectly as a defender. You pushed Abdul-Jabbar out on the block. You didn’t let him easily use his left leg to power through you. You’re in his space as much as you possibly can be. Your arm is extended outward to alter the shot. Even if you do all that, you still have no chance to block the shot because Abdul-Jabbar’s other arm is sweeping downward to swipe you away.

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Abdul-Jabbar’s success in hiding that off-arm is the most underrated reason why the skyhook has faded into obscurity. Imagine Abdul-Jabbar replicating that very motion over and over in a world where any fan can slow down high-definition video and point out uncalled offensive fouls. Consider the uproar James Harden gets for his own foul hunting, especially on drives to the basket. That noise would be 10 times louder for Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook. The league would legislate that motion out of the game with a snap of the finger.

That’s at least a more plausible explanation for the shot’s demise than the OK Boomer-style ones Abdul-Jabbar himself offers. At first, he blamed kids emulating high-flyers like Michael Jordan and Julius Erving. From a 1988 New York Times profile:

‘’One main reason is the kids growing up today all want to be like Michael Jordan and Dr. J and Dominique,’’ he said, referring to Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins. ‘’They want to show great and obvious athletic ability and jump high and shoot jumpers and throw the ball down.’’

Nowadays, he redirects the same argument to different kinds of players.

“Everyone is so enamored with the three-point shot. So the kids, they don’t want two points. They don’t want to work with their back to the basket. That’s not cool. They want to go out there in the stratosphere and shoot three-pointers.”

Has Abdul-Jabbar ever considered that the reason people don’t shoot hook shots anymore isn’t because it’s not cool, but because it’s impossible for anyone else to put together all the elements necessary to make it a great shot? Speaking of ...

STYLE: 8.9

I’ve never understood the argument that the skyhook isn’t cool. Are these people out of their minds?

Interviews with a half-dozen coaches revealed many of the same answers. The game has changed. It’s a tough shot to learn. It’s not cool. “Teams just don’t walk it up and drop it in the post anymore,” said Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry. Added Thunder assistant coach Mark Bryant: “You aren’t going to get any commercials shooting the skyhook. Only [Kareem] got commercials shooting the skyhook.”

[...]

“The kids don’t like doing it,” Bryant said, laughing. “It kind of boils down to that.”

Lest you think it’s just a few grumpy coaches, even Shaquille O’Neal admitted his generation “likes to be a lot cooler.”

Which hook shot do you think looks cooler? This ...

Or this?

Which shot do you try more when shooting around? It sure as hell ain’t O’Neal’s.

Abdul-Jabbar’s even has an incredible name: skyhook. That’s the term Bucks broadcaster Eddie Doucette used to describe the iconic shot Abdul-Jabbar made to win Game 6 of the 1974 NBA Finals.

It’s a bit misleading to say that moment was the first usage of the term, as is legend. There’s audio of Doucette using it all the way back in 1970, and you can also hear Pat Summerall (yes, that Pat Summerall), saying “The sky hook is good!” on the TV call. Regardless, read Doucette’s explanation for how he coined the term and tell me this doesn’t sound dope as hell. (Emphasis mine):

“When he went to that baseline and went up for that shot, it was kind of almost eye level with me,” Doucette said. “It felt that way. Everything became slow-motion when he went up for that shot on the baseline. Took it in stride. Went up off his left leg. Perfect balance. Right hand fully extended. Ball on the fingertips. Launched that shot. And as he launched it, it just hit me. ‘That ball is coming out of the sky. That’s a skyhook.’ That’s how it happened. I never gave it any thought. But I had to be in a position where I was located that would inspire me to think that it would be coming out of the sky.”

The idea that the skyhook isn’t cool, then, never sat with me. The real issue is Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t considered cool, not the shot itself. The shot itself is a thing of beauty. As Oscar Robertson once said, ‘’It’s almost a ballet-type shot. There’s so much rhythm and balance in it. It’s almost like a pirouette.”

I’m more sympathetic to the idea that the skyhook isn’t as “macho,” to use Abdul-Jabbar’s words, as a slam dunk or a power move. The idea that one can perfect the skyhook if they just devoted enough attention to it cuts two ways. The shot may look beautiful, but a supremely athletic and strong dude might feel that he doesn’t need to resort to such tricks to do his thing.

This is the same phenomenon that explains why several all-time greats and peers were slow to accept Stephen Curry’s brilliance even as the masses quickly embraced him. His technique was impeccable, but his physical stature seemed ordinary. He didn’t look the part of a superhero. He was no giant.

Like Curry, Abdul-Jabbar’s signature move was to shoot over defenders, not shove them out of the way. But unlike Curry, Abdul-Jabbar did seem like a giant compared to everyone else. Perhaps it would have been more “macho” if he used that physical advantage to plow through his opponents rather than use finesse to succeed. Maybe that’s what O’Neal and others mean when they suggest the skyhook isn’t “cool.”

But if that’s how NBA players really define “cool,” consider me the opposite of Miles Davis. If NBA players could look this iconic shooting a hook shot, I think they’d all do it.

OVERALL: 9.3

Basketball is a technical sport, not a physical one. The best players look like artists and dancers, not boulders. Even Zion Williamson defies our imaginations because of his agility at his size, not because of his body type.

So let this be a call to give the skyhook more love. Instead of grumbling that nobody uses it anymore, let’s appreciate how lucky we were that Abdul-Jabbar made it look so flawless.

[askkav-archived]

Characters : The warlords. All of them. ( aka : Boa,Buggy,Blackbeard, Crocodile,Doflamingo, Jinbei, Kuma, Law, Mihawk, Moria, and that wannabe whitebeard son. Edward Weevil )

GIVE ME A CHARACTER | ( X )

*Sweats* Julie, Why… ;=;

It’s super long and so it’s under a read more also crosses off OTPS bc shit’s irrevelant to my constant shippy ass.

Blackbeard

How I feel about this character:

First thought when I saw him first: Look at this dumbass

My current thought: Look at this dumbass

My probably future thoughts; Ugh, I don’t want to look at this dumbass

I actually; for once, don’t like this character - you might think it’s based off of his looks, ew, never assume I dislike a character on appearances alone. I appear and seem shallow but I’m really not, it’s like a cover. Well disguised cover.

I hate his personality traits. 

He acts so high on power; like he’s untouchable and unbeatable but the moment he knows he’s on the losing side, he’ll cry, cower and ask for mercy like the sniveling little shit he is.

He reminds of people I pushed out of my life for a good reason. Weak, manipulative and conniving.

But you know what; the fact that he’s able to will this sort of reaction and feelings - shows that he’s a good character, good at what he’s doing. I can respect that.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Can’t ship what you don’t understand. ( X )

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Death; slow and painful death. And my foot. Up his ass.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Why does anyone like him? (Joking, it’s like how people ask how do I like Akainu and this character - dude chill.)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Shit himself.

Boa Hancock

How I feel about this character

You know; I can fit a whole lot of shit of words but goddamn I love them - GIVE ME MORE OF BOA, BOA IN LOVE, BOA WHO KICKS BITCHES LEFT AND RIGHT!! Just give me more of her, I know we know a lot about her as it is; but just…

My love~

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Luffy? Like the mushy kind, the lovey-dovey kind and Luffy is oblivious and doesn’t care-kind. I’ll stand by you Boa. (But plz marry me…)

I probably ship them with other girls; give me some and I’m like ‘fuck yeah’

(( ;///; And Kav, maybe, maybe a lot… ))

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Her sisters, the island and crew she rules over and that previous snake princess - they’re all her bros.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I often see she gets shit for being in love with Luffy - the only known character (ofc besides Zoro) that hasn’t shown the sort of attraction to Boa and cares not for who she is but she’s cool because she helps him out.

I find it cute honestly but if Boa kicked my ass, I would find that cute so… go figure. Though honestly a few authors need to write better female characters tbh so… whatever.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Come back to me and in canon! That’s all and also kick more people’s asses.

Buggy

How I feel about this character

Eh not much to say; I kind of don’t like clowns or characters who look like one. But he’s alright

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Himself and a mirror, maybe a bit of Mr.3/Galdino

My non-romantic relationships for this character

His crew. Galdino, Shanks, Luffy - he  can be pretty cool buds with a lot of people.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Uh… For a clown, he’s not very funny. Actually most clowns are terrifying...

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Like others, become relevant to the story line, maybe?

Crocodile

How I feel about this character

Great character, but like the majority in One Piece - overconfident and arrogant, like it’s kind of why y’all get your ass kicked by a boy. Age doesn’t mean maturity or all your decisions are made wisely.

I would like to know more about his backstory, we got everyone else’s because they’re going to be pushed aside but him - he needs his and I’m waiting.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

He’s not a really trusting man; much like Doflamingo - like a lot of these older pirates aren’t trusting either.

No romantic ships for this one either. (Most of my faves don’t have romantic options, fuck love, right?)

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Platonically, there’s very little - I often see Luffy and Crocodile getting along, as well as Daz. Daz can be a little more than platonic though.

J-just everyone wants to screw Croc and I have no understanding why but god, that arrogance and I think I’m better than you attitude is just. Nice!

He fucks everyone at some point, maybe.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Nothing in mind.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Perhaps come back; most likely go back to your villainous roots, maybe? I don’t know.

Doflamingo

How I feel about this character

Fuck boi, fight me, like right now.

No but seriously, I gravitated to this character more than any other in this series - his love for pink, his carefree nature and his controlling tendencies - Like a moth to a flame and I’m willing to burn in hell for them.

I spend the better part of being in this fandom hyperfixated on them, oops.

But yeah, I do that often actually - I base my life around characters to keep me somewhat sane and emotionally stable. Too bad for everyone though, me fixating on him made me more honest, mayde me more egotistical and so goddamn flamboyant.

He teaches you to be you and that’s cool. I love Doflamingo but I’mma slam dunk his ass down a trash chute.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

If you want a romantic ship with this character, well you know - it wouldn’t be very romantic because he’s not the type to let go easily; he holds onto you because you belong to him and well, if you aren’t strong or capable, expect death being your only way out.

(Toxic-ly ships both Kav and Doflamingo)

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Platonically, everyone in his family this includes Law and his Corazon.

Sexually, there’s more than a few actually besides Kav - because of course, I ship Kav and Doflamingo seeing as Kavandria’s story was made with Doflamingo in mind.

Katakuri though… A crackship Katakuri and Doflamingo, just don’t tell my sweet love.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Eh I got none at the moment.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

YOU COULD HAVE PREVENTED THAT SHITSHOW IN DRESSROSA, YOU ASSHOLE!!!! I am so pissed off with how your story just ends like that… I wanted more from you and I was so disappointed.

Jinbei

How I feel about this character

Mm I think I used to think he was cool; not as much. He’s okay.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

None.

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Luffy and crew; along with his own

My unpopular opinion about this character

Too hyped up

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Nothing really.

Kuma

How I feel about this character

Not much to go on about them really; though his objectives is mysterious and I wonder about them seeing as he helped out the strawhats in his own way.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

No one I can imagine.

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Ivankov? People back at the Revolutionary army? I don’t know. I wasn’t really invested in him.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Nothing.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Tell us more about him next time. I’m tired of vague things tbh…

Law

How I feel about this character

He alright though I kind of wish he kept that “I wanna destroy everything” sort of mindset, honestly - the terrible and horrible things he would have unleashed onto this world with his powers, ooh~

Yeah but he’s alright.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Nobody, really.

(Unless it’s Kav ;=; They’re both snarky and would hate each other, which makes it all the more better. There’s a trend with my ships, isn’t there?)

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Platonically, there’s his crew, there’s Luffy tho and Zoro. People here and there, whatever. I’m more interested in his powers and what he could do with them.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Eh, pretty boy - too emo, ugh. Much like Ace, you know...

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Wish he wasn’t a fuckass and was bent on revenge; a man saves your life and then you dedicate your life to kill another a man? For what? Nothing. He didn’t even die, you failed! Boo.

Mihawk

How I feel about this character

Beautiful human being and I think he’s great; only because of Julie (like I never would have thought of him - yeah he was one of the characters I liked because he’s a warlord etc)

But you got me hooked even more ;=;

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Huh, I can’t think of anyone - he doesn’t seem like a romantic character, but I say this about myself and everyone so I’m a terrible judge of character.

Ships them with Kav though.

My non-romantic relationships for this character

Perona and Zoro are like his kids, right? I guess, though I think it’s more like a guardian sort of thing - not parental, he just guides them.

Shanks is another, he complements that quiet guy honestly - it’s nice for those who are introverted or silent to have that one loud and happy-go-lucky friend.

I would love to see more warlord interactions honestly ;=;

My unpopular opinion about this character

Like many, I don’t have like set opinions about characters. It changes frequently.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Please, show up more.

Moriah

How I feel about this character

You know, I don’t say this often - much like Gin and a couple of side characters or antagonists, Moriah has made an impact on me. What affected me a lot is that expression when he spoke about his crew - I can relate, I don’t want to lose anyone important to me and when we do, it’s a huge loss on our psyche and our mentality from then on.

I love him honestly.

He’s lazy, he’s got an agenda and he acknowledges it. Honest, he’s just out right with what he thinks. He’s not physically appealing and his theme is halloweeny, what a weeny. The guy wears fishnet… Amazing!

All the people I ship romantically with this character

No one, really.

My non-romantic relationships for this character

His crew; whomever they were - Moriah deserves to have his friends and crew. A father/daughter relationship between him and Perona.

I don’t know what else beyond that. I don’t think he’s a sexual character; he might seem like it but people and characters can surprise you.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Eh, I never really make fun of people or even character’s appearances - I just can’t do it, because you know… I’m not that terrible of a person. And I know it’s suppose to be, you know, funny but my sort of my fun or humor is like at no one’s expense.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Please, come back? You didn’t die. Also fuck up Kaido, he’s bleh… Reminds me of someone I know and I think he deserves to keel over.

Weevil

How I feel about this character

Ew

All the people I ship romantically with this character

No one deserves to have this man child to care for

My non-romantic ships or otherwise relationships for this character

His Momma - she appreciates him I suppose but only for his power and his dumbness.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Mm nothing in mind

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Probably become relevant at some point, along with other characters too.

[housebeleren]

War of the Spark Limited - Bomb Rares

Alright, it’s that time! Time to check out the Rares and Mythics from War of the Spark, and get a sense of just what we’re looking for in our Prerelease pools. These are the cards you really want to see, because they’re going to give you that extra leg up whenever you play.

All ratings out of 5. Let’s begin.

White

I mean, could I start anywhere else? Let’s just look at the stats to begin with. He’s a three mana 4/4 with Indestructible that can’t be dealt any damage during your turn. I mean... I’m already sold. Sure, they can then just attack him back down, if you don’t have other creatures to block for him, but yeah. You’re going to cause some hurt when he comes down. If you have other creatures out, he’s a toolbox of abilities for them, and eventually, you can start cashing him in for removal. For a three-mana card, that’s a lot of action, and there’s no way you’re passing him if you open him up. 4.0

Finale of Glory just seems like a really, really good card. You only need to cast this for 4 to be on-curve, and anything above that is gravy. Most of the time, you’re only going to get X between 3-5, but those are all totally worth playing. The 10 or more isn’t happening in limited, I’m sorry to say, but if it does, they might as well just print “you win the game” on the card. 4.0

Honestly though, Oketra is the best White card in the set. She’s a motherfucking tank, and she literally just barfs out Eternals every time you cast any creature. Any creature! The fact that she comes back a few turns after you kill her is just mean. The God cycle is always pretty busted for limited, but they outdid themselves this time with Oketra. 5.0

Blue

I’ll be honest. I think this is a fairly optimistic take on this card. Jace doesn’t protect himself at all, but if you’re able to keep him safe, he’s advantage that will quite literally win you the game. You’ll bury your opponent in card advantage after only a few turns of this. Again, that’s all contingent on how well you’re able to keep him safe, but I’m willing to give it a try. 3.0

There’s obviously a tension here, which is that you probably won’t have tons of cards in your hand when you go to cast this, but if you can get X=4 out of it, which shouldn’t be too difficult, then this is a pretty solid play. The fact that it’s an Instant goes a long way in making this viable, since you can use the creature it creates (or buffs) to ambush an enemy attack, and then refill your hand for your next turn. I’m not saying it’s a slam dunk, but I can definitely see this doing some work. 3.5

Once again, though, it’s the god that’s the powerhouse for the color. Kefnet is huge for 4 mana, and will dominate anything else in the air. The ability is excellent, but pairs better with some colors than others, so I’d consider trying for Black or Red as my second color if I first picked this. In a perfect world, you want to be able to double up on your removal with this, which will be harder with White & Green. I can see Kefnet being no more than a big flier (which is still excellent!) in some builds, which is why I don’t think he’s quite the bomb Oketra is. 4.5

Black

Wooo baby. That is spicy for sure. She helps if you’re ahead, helps if you’re behind, and is fierce as hell while doing it. Seriously, there’s no way she’s not impacting the board in some way, and if she lasts more than one turn, I don’t see how you’re losing. She’ll be even more bonkers in constructed than limited, but that’s not saying much. 4.5

Bontu is huge, hard to kill, and hard to block effectively. That, plus a decent ETB, makes me really happy to see what she can do. I don’t think there will often be more than 1-2 cards drawn off this when she enters, so it’s not bonkers the way it will be in Commander and some other formats. 4.5

This one’s a little more tentative, but it churns out 1/1 of stats every turn, at the cost of 1 life. However, unlike Bitterblossom, this one helps you get out of the whole you dug by giving lifelink to your creature once it’s big enough. All told, it’s probably better for limited than Bitterblossom was, but worse for constructed. I’ll be optimistic and grade it accordingly. 4.0

Most of the time, you’ll cast this for X somewhere between 2-4, and that’s perfectly reasonable. You’ll clean up the board quickly with this, and assuming you have the targets, it’s a built-in 3 for 1. I’m sold. 4.0

Wow, Black really got a lot of powerful Rares this time around, didn’t it? I love Massacre girl. It’s not going to be unusual for there to be at least one X/1 on the battlefield, and if so, the likelihood that she just cleans up everything is pretty good. Even with no other creatures, she’s a 4/4 menace, which is a pretty high floor. I’d play that card without any ETB. But the fact that she’s a potential boardwipe that leaves you with a hefty body is great. 4.0

Red

You may be wondering why I didn’t pick Chandra for this spot, when she’s really very similar to Jace? Well, Blue honestly didn’t get many good limited Rares, but Red did, and Sarkhan is going to be a tough one to beat. First of all, he’s always going to come down and pump out a 4/4 dragon, which is worth 5 mana in and of itself. So right away, you have reached value. Then, the dragon protects him even better than usual, because anything that’s an X/1 just simply cannot attack you while either Sarkahn or the dragon are out. That’s huge, since one of the most common lines of play will be to try to swarm Planeswalkers with little guys, and you just can’t do that here. If Sarkhan lasts multiple turns, he’s going to continue churning out value, threatens 8 damage in the air every combat (more if you have additional Walkers), and if you ever get multiple dragons out at a time with him, I can’t imagine losing from that spot. He’s pretty much a bomb at regular Rare. 4.5

Ilharg continues the trend of the god cycle being good. Surprise surprise. 6/6 Trample for 5 is massive, and there will be pretty much nothing else on the board that can contest this. His ability is less useful in limited than in constructed, but if you have any other big monsters or creatures with good ETBs, he just gets better. Since the floor on him is so high, I’m giving him a high score. 4.5

The big risk with Krenko is that the opponent will blank him with a 3/3 the turn you land him, which would be unfortunate, because he’s really only good if you can get at least one swing in. However, if you can manage one attack uncontested, you’re in good shape. He keeps getting bigger, plus you can find ways to proliferate him, and leaves behind goblin tokens to keep your opponent occupied. If you happen to be in Red/Blue, he’s a really good target for Stealth Mission. Just saying. 4.0

Like many of the Rare creatures, I’m starting by evaluating Neheb on his base stats. 5/4 Trample for 4? I’m sold. Later in the game, he can help you replenish your hand by discarding excess lands, and that is a lot of utility for a 4 drop. Sold. 4.0

Green

When I look at Vivien’s textbox, my immediate thought is to be underwhelmed. But then I remember that she’s a 3 drop that comes in with effectively 5 loyalty, and that she’s more likely than several to get value. You’re not always going to hit with her -2 ability, which is unfortunate, but I do think she’ll typically produce enough advantage to be worth her very low casting cost. Also, granting flash to all your creatures is fantastic, so you can operate almost entirely at Instant speed to keep your opponent guessing. Altogether, I think she’ll generally play pretty well. 3.5

This is 9/9 of stats for 5 mana with Flash. Technically, it’s really basically a 6 drop, if you want to be able to ambush something with it, or swing with it right out of the gate. But even so, 6/6 Haste for 9 mana is ridiculous. My guess is the correct time to cast this will almost always be either on defense in combat or at end of your opponent’s turn, so you can always get one swing out of it. Yes, if they kill your creature at that point you’re down a land, but chances are you’re not going to try to curve too much higher than this. I’d always run this. 4.0

I know I just said that your curve probably ended at 6, but that was assuming you didn’t also have this card in your deck. The sheer flexibility of this is staggering, and well worth trying to ramp into. A lot of the time, you’re going to use this to get back a couple of permanents from your graveyard, then create a couple of Citizens to help defend while you wait to untap. But sometimes, you’ll have a board state with multiple Planeswalkers and creatures with counters and you just want to Proliferate 4 times. Either way, this is a card advantage swing I wouldn’t underestimate. 4.0

And yes, the final god. The ETB on this is quite strong, and will sometimes be enough to close out the game on its own. If not, it will force your opponent to make a bunch of trades with your early drops, and then you’re still left with your giant 5/5 Deathtouch to protect you . Either way, it’s going to have a massive impact on the board. 4.5

Multicolor & Colorless

Assuming you’re in a base-Black deck, I honestly don’t think it will be too hard to come up with the amount of color fixing needed to cast Bolas. And if you do, you’re in great shape. Most of the time, just continuing to pump him up will be more than enough to push your card advantage to the extreme, and his -3 is there to take out any particularly problematic threat. But just the fact that his uptick is a 2 card advantage swing every time is bonkers, and if he lasts more than a couple of turns, I think you have the game locked up. I’m going to go and flat out call this a bomb. 5.0

Ajani is good. Really good. Assuming you have a couple of early drops, he’s going to immediately come down and make your field massive. If not, he starts at 6 loyalty and keeps your life total healthy. In fact, people are going to be so distracted trying to take him down, he’s likely to buy you way more than just 3 life before he dies. And he semi protects himself by granting your creatures Vigilance, so you can continue your assault without staying open. I like. 4.0

Poooor Domri. He just got mixed up in the wrong crowd. Well, most of the time, you’re going to want to cast him when he has a creature to protect him right off the bat, since his +1 effect doesn’t do much immediately. But once you untap, he ramps you from 3 to 5 mana, and threatens a lot of damage with his static ability. He’s not as flashy as some, but I think he’s going to be a workhorse. 3.5

The last Planeswalker I’ll mention here is Sorin, who interestingly does not have any removal attached. Instead, he can reanimate things if you need blockers, or you can just start him off at 6 loyalty and pick away at other Planeswalkers while you’re at it. But if you can get multiple reanimations out of him, you’re doing great. Either way, I suspect he will just generally be good. 3.5

If you don’t have any Planeswalkers in your deck, this is going to be underwhelming. If you do have Planeswalkers in your deck, this can be bonkers. With one Walker out, he can easily enter with 3-5 extra counters on him, at which point he’s a ridiculous threat that will only keep getting bigger the longer your Walkers stay out. He’s not a windmill slam, but he’s definitely worth trying to build around if you can. 3.5

Feather, aside from being everyone’s favorite character they had never heard of before, seems pretty great. She makes it on stats alone, though her mana cost is pretty restrictive for turn 3. You won’t have tons of cards that specifically target your creatures, but if you do, that is a value train that I want to be on. I think the floor is high enough on her that you should basically always run her in your colors, but definitely prioritize some good Instants & Sorceries that target once you know she’ll be in your deck. 4.0

There’s an awful lot of text on here, but at its core it’s basically a merged together Flametongue Kavu & Lone Missionary. Funny how a Red creature and a White creature splice themselves together and get a Blue/Black card. But whatever, it works. So yeah, you’re going to get a 4/4 creature out, it’s going to take out a creature with 4 or less toughness, and you’ll gain a bit of life. All told, not bad at all. 3.5

Again, this is a tricky mana cost for turn 3, and I’m surprised that it’s so defensive for a Red/Green creature. Still, this is one of the best mana sinks in the format, quite literally, as it can chuck extra lands at your opponent or their creatures in the late game. I think people will underestimate it at first because they don’t like giving up lands, but unless your deck needs ridiculous access to mana, one of the best things you can do with your lands beyond 6 or 7 is chuck them at the face. 3.5

Roalesk seems absolutely nuts. Assuming you have another creature in play when you cast him, he’s 6/5 of stats right off the bat for 5 mana, and 2/2 of that stats have Haste while the other 4/5 have Flample. Then when he dies, he leaves you with a bonus +2/+2. As a minimum!

There’s no way this isn’t bonkers. 4.0

I love reanimation. It’s my very favorite thing to do in these colors, and Storrev gets to do it for free. All he asks is that you swing with him. Well, my 5/4 Trampler? That sounds fine to me. I will happily swing with this, and even if he trades, he leaves you with a buddy he brought back. My only gripe is he’s a little easy to kill before you get your value out of him, but there will be games he just runs away with. 3.5

Board wipes are good. Board wipes where you get to save your best creature are better. It’s not Duneblast, but it’s much more playable. So I’m happy. 3.5

Last, but not least, it’s Ugin himself. His static ability is mostly decorative, so he’ll have to make use between his two loyalty abilities. Fortunately, he pretty much does. I love his +1, which is basically a fun callback to the Manifest mechanic, except it’s even better. Pumping out 2/2s that turn into cards when they die is phenomenal, and when a problem comes out, he can take a turn off to just destroy it. You probably want 2 or more activations out of him before he feels worth the 6 mana, but given that he’s probably your curve topper, you’re fairly likely to have a board to protect him. I’m all in for Ugin. 4.0

And finally, here’s all the rest of the cards.

Ignite the Beacon - Tutors are generally best left to constructed. Especially expensive tutors like this. If you draft the all-planeswalker deck, I suppose you can run it, but you’d need at least 6 before I’d even consider it. 1.0

Parhelion II - The problem is not that Parhelion II is a bad card. It’s just that many decks will try to run it that really shouldn’t. Unless you have access to copious amounts of ramp, I wouldn’t run an 8 drop, no matter how powerful it can be. That said, the ceiling on this card is very high, so I’ll give it a potential pass. 2.0

Ravnica at War - The first of many, many boardwipes at Rare. This one is so conditional that I doubt you’ll find an occasion to use it. Leave it for constructed. 0.5

Single Combat - This one, on the other hand, I’m pretty fond of. If you have the best creature on the board, this really does work, since they can’t even build up again before you do on your next turn. I would definitely run this in most builds. 3.0 

EDIT - I misread the card and didn’t realize it said “Until END of your next turn.” Not getting the first chance to rebuild makes this significantly worse, so I’m downgrading to a 2.0

Tomik, Distinguished Advokist - He’s got an awful lot of text for a 2/3 flier. The mana cost is tricky to hit on turn 2 unless you have 9-10 White sources, and you really want to hit him on turn 2. Don’t be fooled by his rarity & all the text. He’s a Legacy plant, and only ok for limited. 2.0

Fblthp, the Lost - As much as I love this little guy, he’s an Elvish Visionary, and that’s about it. You’re not casting him out of your library in limited, so treat him as a cantrip, and not much else. 2.0

Finale of Revelation - X is never hitting 10 for this, so it’s really just a flexible draw spell. You really want to get to 3 before this is any better than Divination, however, so keep that in mind. 2.5

Narset’s Reversal - The prospects for this in constructed formats are more exciting than here, where a lot of the time, you may not have a good target come up all game. I’d leave this for the sideboard. 1.0

Silent Submersible  - The fact that this card doesn’t have any evasion is most frustrating. Like Tomik, you really want to land this on turn 2 so you can enable a turn 3 swing and hopefully draw a card, because it’s going to be outclassed very quickly after that. There’s potential here, but it’s not going to be an auto-include in every deck. 2.0

Spark Double - Clone effects are usually decent, and this one even comes in a little bigger & better than what you copied. I’d run this most of the time I have good targets for it. 2.5

Bolas’s Citadel - This is probably the hardest card to evaluate for limited, but my gut tells me it’s a trap. Yes, you’ll dump a bunch of spells on the battlefield really quickly, but your CMC is much higher in limited than in constructed, so the likelihood of getting more than one or two cards off this before you have to stop seems iffy. Maybe you have a super powerful White/Black lifegain engine, but I’m not counting on it. Again, my gut is telling me to leave this for constructed. It’s like the Thousand-Year Storm of this set. People will try to run it, and they’ll be wrong most of the time. 1.0

Command the Dreadhorde - I think this effect is probably playable, but I’d much rather run Bond of Revival in my limited decks. Again, your average CMC is going to be much higher than in constructed, so pulling back more than one or two things is going to be very painful. 1.5

Deliver Unto Evil - I don’t like that my opponent gets to choose how good this is. Because chances are, in limited, the worst stuff in your graveyard will be pretty bad. That said, it only costs 3 mana, and you can get any type of card back, so it might work out. 2.0

The Elderspell - Everyone is so hyped about this card, but it’s so damn narrow. Sideboard this in if you go against Superfriends. Leave it put away otherwise. 1.0

Chandra, Fire Artisan - Chandra plays a lot like Jace in this set. They cost the same, and both are basically just card draw engines in their respective colors. Chandra even punishes people who try to take her down, and I like that. 3.0

Dreadhorde Arcanist - Nope. Leave it for constructed. 1.5

Finale of Promise - NOPE. Leave it for constructed. 1.5

Mizzium Tank - I like this much better than the submarine, because it’s super easy to crew, and has Prowess, so in the right deck, it’ll be a potent threat. It’s not for every deck, but there will be places it has its time to shine. 2.5

Finale of Devastation - I’ve said it before, tutors are for constructed. Don’t do it. 1.0

Nissa, Who Shakes the World - Nissa is back and she’s animating lands left and right. It’s a pretty powerful effect, though it does leave your lands open to creature removal. She can’t protect herself until you have 6 lands out, so do be aware of that. 3.0

Vivien’s Arkbow - The floor is high enough on this one that I’d be willing to try it. It’s cheap to bring out, and it’s a decent thing to do with excess mana in the late game. You just don’t want to be activating this for X = 1 or 2 at any point, so be cautious. 2.0

Teferi, Time Raveler - Teferi is going to ruin peoples’ days in all kinds of constructed formats. In limited, he’s going to be decent, and cause a lot of minor headaches. His only issue is he’s a little flimsy, but fine for a three drop. 3.0

Soul Diviner - In the right deck, this will be an engine unto itself. In the wrong deck, it’s a mediocre creature. Let’s assume you’re putting it in the right deck. 3.0

Dreadhorde Butcher - You really want to cast this on turn two, and not a moment later, as his value just plummets the later in the game it goes. But if you can come out the gate swinging with this, it can run away with the game. 2.5

Widespread Brutality - My only fear with this is that your opponent will have any Army too. That said, a 2/2 that comes in and deals 2 damage to (almost) all other creatures is worth running, so I’ll try it. 3.0

Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves - I really should have highlighted Tolsimir up above, because he packs a lot of heat for 5 mana. Let’s just say if you can run him, you absolutely should, and he’s worth trying to splash White for. 3.5

Oath of Kaya - I’m not really sold. If you have 5 or more Planeswalkers in your deck, mayyyybe? 1.0

EDIT: Once again, I need to learn to RTFC. Given that this hits any target, and not just players, I’m suddenly way more interested. The second ability is still mostly flavor text, but I could see it happening occasionally and perking you up. But the base ability is enough to play it that it’s worth majorly bumping up in my evaluation. Given it’s still not cheap for its mana cost (compared with something like Ob Nixilis’s Cruelty), I’ll give it a revised 3.0

Ral, Storm Conduit - Pass. Go break him in constructed. Though if someone does manage to assemble the infinite combo with him & two copies of Narset’s Reversal in limited, they win at life. But mostly I’d pass on Ral outside of constructed combos. 1.0

Role Reversal - Switcheroo has always been playable to some extent, and I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be here. 2.5

Casualties of War - My initial thought is that this is too expensive for a lot of modes that won’t come up often, but we played Conisgn to the Pit in Ravnica Allegiance, so it’s really not outside the realm of possibility. Don’t try to splash for this, and don’t run it if you have better removal, since most of the time it’ll be killing one creature and one land. But if you’re in these colors, it can do some work in a pinch. 2.5

Solar Blaze - Sure, cus what we needed was another conditional board wipe? Leave this for the Commander players. 1.0

Tamiyo, Collector of Tales - I... I keep trying to find ways to make this work. But at the end of the day, I keep coming back to that she’s mostly a 4 mana Raise Dead with some flavor text attached. Maybe sideboard her in against Black decks? Maybe don’t? I like her for certain other formats, but I’m not seeing it come together here. 1.0

Niv-Mizzet Reborn - If you have access to all 5 colors, knock your socks off. Someone’s going to try to run this, and good luck to them. But this strikes me as a 2 color format with an occasional splash, not a reliable 5 color one. And he’s not going to reliably draw you lots of cards like he would in constructed. 2.0

Karn, the Great Creator - Oof, this has no business in limited. Don’t do it. 0.0

Blast Zone - Save it for constructed. 0.5

Karn’s Bastion - In the proliferate deck, I think this gets there. It’s a powerful effect to have on demand. 2.5

Mobilized District - I like creature lands, and this one is pretty reasonably priced. I’d generally run it unless my deck was super color heavy. 2.5

So there it is! All the cards from War of the Spark! I can say I’m super excited about this format, and I think it’s going to be a blast. I’ll return to these ratings down the line, and see what I was right about, and what cards I misjudged (because there will be some of them). Until then, happy prerelease!