#Yuki Dark Ink

[obsesiveblue]

Oh it’s this meme ( tf it is called again dn probably forgot)

[potatogratins]

— love letter

꒰ summary ꒱ in high school, many students do their hardest to achieve their dreams. aimie, an aspiring writer, ghostwrites love letters for other people to earn just a little for her aspirations. when her friend and aspiring volleyball player, yuki, finds out just what kind of work she's commissioning, he's not too pleased.

꒰ genre ꒱ hurt/comfort, slight fluff, high school au ꒰ pairing ꒱ | ishikawa yuki/female oc ꒰ w.c. ꒱ 6,075 ꒰ published ꒱ september 4, 2024

꒰ a/n ꒱ i just have so many ideas for yuki fics that I honestly can't stop! i initially wrote this with the characters as adults, but i decided to make them high school students cause the situation seemed immature enough for teenagers to do. anyways, I can't wait to see yuki play once again this season! will be sleeping late for sure, but it'll be worth it, i know it.

Emilie,

Last night, I made up a string of lies just to ask my mom what she thought of you. I wouldn’t dare to write every word she uttered in this paper because it would be too much for the nib to handle. Allow me to summarize it for you to protect your heart: she did not approve of us. It hurt me to see that the woman I have looked up to for so long would go so far to insult you, even if the both of you have never formally met.

People may never approve of us, but none of it matters.

We have professed our love in the presence of God. If they say our love is false, then so is the God we all bow down to. Still if they prove that God is real and our love falser than false, then reality isn’t real and this world is a dream, and what a beautiful dream we’ve concocted for each other.

Tonight I will dream of you as every other night, and there we will meet again.

Your Eternity,

Rostom

As I wrote the last letter, I took the paper that held these contents and rested it on the table beside me. I wiped the black ink off my fingers with a worn-out towel, as I looked out into the horizon.

There were things in this world that I begged to know, like why we could barely see so much of the world when we looked towards the distance. But as I looked into the pink sky, raging into orange and then black, I realized the magic of distance: I can believe that there’s a whole other world behind the distance my eyes are capable of seeing, even if it was most likely filled with nothingness. 

“Are you done with my letter?” Jun, my schoolmate, asked, who crept up behind me as I was looking out the window.

“The ink is drying. I’ll put it in the envelope in a few minutes,” I explained to him.

 “Can’t you just use the Parker Ink? I swore you used that a few letters ago.” he insisted.

“The Parker inks aren’t dark enough for me.”

“With writing like that, I’m sure the receiver wouldn’t think about what ink you’re using. Elaine–Emaine–I mean Emilie–loves the letters that I send her!”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s a me problem. But I just think the presentation is just as important as the content, you know? Why do you think we judge people’s handwriting so much? Ink is also a factor in how we judge the writer,” I explained.

“We can talk about ink if we were in the 20th century, but we’re not. Aimie–letters have been out of fashion for so long that people won’t even tell what’s good parchment and what isn’t.”

“Yet you come to me asking to write old-fashioned letters with flowery words for a woman,” I said as I raised my eyebrows.

He scratched his head, tilting it while explaining, “She’s an intellectual. I needed to find a way to impress her.”

I shook my head. This dude was a pain in the ass.

“Alright, the letter’s dried. Now take this envelope and get out,” I ordered him, folding the letter into the envelope before I gave it to him. He placed a couple of coins on the table and left the classroom.

I tightly sealed the bottle of ink before wrapping it in a plastic bag. I stuffed it in the bottom of my bag before putting the extra pieces of paper inside my portfolio bag. For a brief moment, I continued to look out the window. Then, there was a knock on the door.

“Aimie,” Yuki greeted me softly before walking towards me.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” I told him. I felt spots of heat enter my cheeks. I looked away, allowing my cheeks to cool down, before turning to him.

“Why?”

“Don’t you have a bunch of girls waiting outside your classroom every day?”

He rolled his eyes.

“Or was there no one camping out for you today? Maybe they finally got to find out that you’d be a nightmare of a boyfriend,” I joked.

“I think I’d be a capable boyfriend. I would be a very good boyfriend… I think…” he boasted…ish.

“I know you always make your folks late to work because you take up so much time showering,” I sneered at him. I heard him huff, and he crossed his arms.

“Hey, at least I’m unlike you, lazing around, looking into the window all day. I know you always finish your homework while your teacher is asking the class to pass the papers to the front.”

“Shut up–”

“And you’re always obsessed with men… kissing each other…”

“It’s the 21st century! I am at the very least politically correct–”

“With a bed filled with nothing but stuffed toys because no one wants to hug her at night!”

“That’s mean! And to think I was supposed to take you out for dinner. Hmph! Leave me alone!”

He took a chair and dragged it beside me. He quietly put his bags on the floor and nudged my arm.

“I’m sorry,” he attempted to console me, “It was a joke. I won’t do it again…”

A smile began to creep up on me.

“…I’ll pay for dinner instead–” he slowly said.

“Exactly what I’m talking about!” I celebrated as I bolted right up. He scoffed as he watched me quickly gather my belongings. There wasn’t much left to put in my bag, but I wanted to be sure that I had everything together, lest I end up leaving behind something and be forced to think about what I left behind all night till the next school day.

“Are you actually going to pay for my food?” I asked him.

“Obviously not,” he retorted as a matter-of-factly. I whined and stomped the floor, crossing my arms. He smirked and quickly turned away, leaving me. I shouted and followed right after him.

We arrived at the restaurant not thirty minutes after I packed up. There was hardly anyone save for a few salarymen, tourists, and a woman speaking to herself. Loud rock music was playing in the background. We chose a table in the corner just by a window, where we would practically see none of them. The music was surprisingly quieter in this area. We sat across from each other.

“I would have said, ‘Finally, some peace and quiet!’ but you’re here,” Yuki hissed at me.

“Hey, you’re making me pay for your food and fooled me into thinking that I won’t be paying and now you’re making me pay again!” I complained. A “hmph!” came out of my mouth. Yuki slid himself closer to me and tapped my hand.

“I’m just messing with you,” he whispered, “I’ll pay for your food.”

“Really?” I pouted. He looked down as he smiled, and I could only get a glimpse of his sheepishness.

“Yes, now go and order what you want,” he directed me.

We both looked down at the menu. For a good three minutes, there was a circle of silence around us. I looked up to take a peek at him. He was so concentrated on someone who just needed to choose a meal for himself. Then he looked up at me, and I looked away for a moment.

I nodded, turned the menu towards him, and pointed at the two meals. Yuki shook his head, “Can’t you just get one?”

“Why? I’ve had a long day. Can’t I have two?”

Yuki rolled his eyes, showed me the side of the menu he was browsing at, and pointed at two meals.

“You’re not the only one who wants two meals,” he clarified, “The doctor told me to eat more so I could add some more weight.”

I sighed, “Fine. I’ll just get the curry.”

He didn’t reply but gave me a face. He pressed the button to call for the waitress and gave out our order. He pointed to the menu and asked for adjustments, to which I rolled my eyes and mocked him, then looked away.

When he had finished ordering, he called for my attention.

“Aimie, what were you up to in the classroom?” he asked me, the tone which almost felt like an interrogation.

I turned my eyes to him, but still kept my head towards the window, “I was just… writing some letters.”

“Letters?” He raised his eyebrow.

“Yes, letters. People ask me to write letters or translate them so they could send it to other people.”

He fussed, “Who is sending letters out these days? Can’t you just send them through mail?”

“I mean… that’s what it is…” I spoke slowly. He stared at me, then rolled his eyes.

“I meant mail as in online mail. You’re taking me literally.”

“Yes, I know what you meant. It was a joke.”

“It was not.”

“Is.”

“Not. And you’re changing the subject. Why are you writing letters for people?”

I crossed my arms and frowned at him. He tilted his stupid head, waiting for me to answer, but as time passed, he was disappointed to find out that I was not planning to respond at all.

“Aimie. I know you’re the best in our class when it comes to writing, but I think you should not be doing this.”

“Why not? It’s becoming a trend! Everyone likes to get letters 'cause they’re genuine.”

“Genuine? How can you call that genuine when you’re the one writing letters instead of them?”

As I was about to respond, the waitress arrived with our orders. We both looked at each other uncomfortably and began to eat in silence as if to forget the argument that was just about to transpire. He looked out the window as he ate while I slouched like a child, eating my curry as quietly as I could.

Later on, the waitress returned with another meal set on her tray and placed it between Yuki and I.

“A third one?” I quickly turned to him, “Is your doctor really making you eat that much?”

He shook his head and slid one of the plates towards me.

“It’s yours,” he told me softly, “Of course I’m not going to make you pay for my food after I just told you that I was going to pay for it.”

I nodded while looking down. My cheeks began to turn red, and from the edge of my eye, I could see Yuki slide the plate towards me even more. He continued to eat, looking out the window again.

I often wondered if we ever thought of the same things when we would look out the window. Does he judge others who pass by or think of them with kindness? Does he imagine the daily lives of the people that pass by? Does he see a woman and think she’s pretty? Does he think of me while he looks at a woman, as I’m before him? 

He then continued our previous conversation, “I just don’t like the idea of you posing as someone else–”

“I’m not pretending to be someone else–” I emphasized. A heavy feeling was growing in my stomach, and I knew that tonight was going to open fresh wounds.

“It could cause you a lot of pain. And confusion. I–It’s admirable that you–I mean, you’re writing what other people can’t seem to express, but a letter–it’s personal. The people asking to write letters for them should express what they feel even if they can only express it in very few letters. It would be a dishonor to those who receive it. They would be disappointed when they begin to know the real them and find that they’re not as honest as their eloquence,” he tried to persuade me.

“Come on, Yuki. Who are we to judge them? I’m just trying to help. I’m not harming them at all.”

Yuki placed his hands behind his head, squeezing his eyes and opening his mouth in frustration.

“You know, I don’t know what to do with you. I know you want to help, but–”

He looked around, bewildered, and then shook his head. He dug his hand inside his bag and took a notebook out, and rolled it took his notebook from his bag, rolled it, and slightly stood up.

“Kindness–”

He began lightly hitting my head.

“Starts–”

He hit my head again.

“With honesty. If you help people become dishonest, then you’re not really helping at all.”

I pouted and looked up at him. He blushed and sat back down.

“Finish up your food. I have work to do,” he breathed out.

I saluted in reply and took big bites of my food.

After we finished eating, we walked our way to the train station. I sat on the seat nearest to the door, while Yuki sat across me. I looked at him as he stared down at the floor. I tightened the grip of my school bag, eventually hugging it instead. When he turned his eyes towards me, I averted mine, and I tried to focus on the view behind him.

“Don’t you want to sit beside me?” I asked as I patted the seat beside me. He hummed and did so.

To the ordinary person, a stranger asking their friend to sit beside them was a normal occurrence. But when it came to Yuki, sitting beside him on the train meant something else. I had the privilege of looking out the window to stare at him through the reflection. It seemed desperate, and it was. When the boy you like was admired and ambushed by girls every day, spending your every minute with him had to be well-spent. I would do anything to sit and look at him, even if his reflection could only hold an ounce of what was genuinely worth admiring about him.

I turned my head to the real him as I allowed my hand to wander inside my school bag. I pulled out a ball of those expensive Lindt chocolates, and showed it to him. His head was pointed towards the chocolate, then to me. He looked down and shook his head.

“No, I can’t have any. I need to control my intake,” he rejected me and apologized profusely. I cleared my throat and looked into the window. I wanted to phase out. Even if I was in public. Even if he was right beside me. I could handle a rejection of chocolates from anyone but him.

“You alright?” he asked me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I felt my hand shake a little as my fingers began to sweat. When I turned towards him, his brown eyes were looking right at me. I could drown myself in that sea of chocolate. I could count the times he blinked. One… two… three…

Then the train doors opened, and Yuki stood up, motioning me to get off the train with him. With a myriad of people, we tried to stay as close to each other as possible. I held onto the strap of his bag, so I wouldn’t lose him. Then, all of a sudden, he turned around and took hold of my hand that was attached to his bag strap. He held that hand and looked at me in the eye as if to tell me to hold on tight so we wouldn’t lose each other.

There was a part of me that wanted to swoon. But for the most part, I wanted to hide in embarrassment because that’s the thing with Yuki. When you thought you finally knew him, he does something completely out of the ordinary. But no matter how shocking the action was, it doesn’t actually mean anything.

Still, he warmed my heart every time.

“I’m fine on my own,” I insisted.

“No, Aimie. In my six years of knowing you, you always have the tendency to get lost,” he nagged me and held my hand even tighter.

My hands began to sweat, and I managed to pull away from his grip..

“I don’t… feel comfortable,” I admitted.

His eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”

“It’s not you, it’s me,” I stood firmly, “But I think we should get walking.”

For the next few minutes, we walked around in silence. A few cars would pass by, but the atmosphere between us was static. He would sometimes slow down to let me catch up. To my surprise, he would usually scold me for being so slow. This was not the case.

As we turned to our street, there was a man and woman arguing. The woman, high-pitched, kept on slapping the man as he kept on pushing her. Yuki and I stayed close to each other to the point that our arms began to touch. But as we were about to pass by them, the woman suddenly grabbed the collar of my blouse and pulled me in front of you.

“Are you Aimie?” she asked me.

I gulped and nodded.

Yuki walked beside me, “What do you want with her?”

“Get out of it, you brat,” she spat at him and pushed him by the shoulder. She then focused at me.

“Are you the one writing letters to Jun?”

I shook my head. I looked at Yuki, his lips pursed, and his fists began to turn white. She then began to shout at me, the words incoherent. I froze like a doll, allowing her to hurt me, till Yuki got in the way.

“No, I don’t think you understand,” he insisted.

“Yes, I do! She’s the mistress! She–She writes to Jun!”

“She’s not interested in him at all. And who might you be?” Yuki raised his eyebrow.

“His… his girlfriend!” she shouted unsurely before looking away. 

“You look too old to be his girlfriend,” he remarked. Can’t he be a little more careful?

“HUH!? And who are you to tell that, with that tiny voice of yours?” she shouted again.

“I’m her friend. And you’re misunderstanding,” he placed his hand out as if to calm her down. The man with her looked at the both of them the same way I was looking at them. We were clearly the most useless out of the four.

“Her friend… Clearly, you’re dating. And I can’t believe you’re… tolerating her. That hag is cheating on you!”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said calmly, “And she’s not the mistress. She’s just writing letters for other people.”

The woman was taken aback. She walked back slowly, though never turning back, and tilted her head towards the man behind her.

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” she whispered to him. The man raised his eyebrow.

“I don’t think Jun dates high school girls in the first place–”

“He could, if he would,” Yuki interjected, “He’s a high school student after all.”

Quickly, the man walked away from the woman. He began to laugh at her.

“Did you just get tricked by a high school student?” he cackled and pointed at her.

“No, no,” the woman objected, “I’m just a year older than him. And… I thought we were in the same university…” She tried to convince him that there was nothing wrong when something obviously was, and it had barely anything to do with the letters at all.

“Well, he does look old,” the man said, to which everyone either looked at him in horror or shame.

“I’m sorry for my sister,” the man apologized and bowed in front of us, “She caught Jun’s letter on the table while he was at work. It seems like he puts your name and house as the return address.”

Yuki laughed lightly, and I stared at the floor.

“Do you actually write the letters?” the woman asked me, her voice softer.

“Yes, I do. But I put it in the envelope and well… I don’t write the addresses for them. I didn’t know he’s been putting my name and address the entire time. I apologize,” I explained.

She sighed, “Kid, try to get out of people’s other matters. Even if it’s just writing a letter.”

In embarrassment, I kept my head down. Yuki spoke for me, “Sorry for making you worry. I’ll bring her home.”

“Sorry for the misunderstanding. Have a good night,” the woman said and the siblings bowed.

Yuki and I walked back to my home, but before I could say anything, he stole the opportunity to break the silence.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to write letters even after all that,” he looked at me in a distasteful manner. I shook my head as fast as I could.

“It’s just a misunderstanding. It’s going to happen from time to time, but I can–“

“You’re still going to do it!?” he blasted. I took a step back.

“Yes, but–“

“I don’t–I don’t understand the thought process here. If it wasn’t for me, you would have found yourself beat up the next morning. I mean–they’re not capable of maybe beating you to death, but you would have definitely still been in danger… Aimie, can’t you think straight for once?” he scolded me.

I began to warm my hands with my palms as my heartbeat grew faster. I felt a spot in my throat beginning to hurt. In hurried breaths, I could visually feel myself turning into a pot, ready to whistle for tea.

“No! I can’t!” I shouted, “I don’t have the luxury of doing that! Don’t you know that other people ghostwrite?”

“I know people ghostwrite. But do you agree? Is this unethical doing of yours okay with you?”

“It’s just a bunch of letters!” I screamed and stomped my feet. Yuki crossed his arms.

“It’s not! A letter is supposed to… to… tell people what they feel. To help the receiver understand the writer… in their perspective. You’re missing the point of this!”

“Well, you’re making a big deal out of this. I write letters for other people, love letters. For high school students. I’m not–I’m not going to fool… the Prime Minister into doing what the customer would have wanted him to do. I’m not blackmailing people.”

“No matter how young they are, you’re still fooling with other people’s feelings!”

“I’m not the one fooling them. It’s the person asking me to write for them.”

“So you agree? That someone is at the very least, lying?”

“Okay, fine. Yes. There’s dishonesty.. The person asking me to write the letter is lying. I’m lying, too. But I didn’t ask to be in this kind of position. I didn’t want to be writing letters, I wanted to be writing novels. But I can’t afford to be one. I’m not like you, living in a fantasy world where offers come right at me left and right, where people come flocking at me from all corners.”

Just miles away from us, we heard some lightning strike. Though we could have ran away, we stood there, arguing like children.

“You’ve worked hard, that’s for sure. But other people have, and they don’t get as much returns as you do, to the point that you’re privileged enough to continue to work hard with extra help along the way,” I added.

He wanted to interrupt me, but allowed me to continue talking:

“You have no right to talk to me about honesty, genuinity. How do you know if everything that you have is real? Let’s start with that first.”

Then, it began to drizzle.

I took a deep breath before telling him, “Those love letters those girls would give you? The ones that you would throw away? Most of them were written by me anyway. And if you–and if you ever bothered to read them, you’d realize that I’ve written what they’ve wanted, true, but every word was mine. Every love letter I’ve written, no matter who wanted me to write them, always had you in mind. You’re real to me.”

“Aimie–“

“You live a good life, and I know it’ll just get better. But that doesn’t mean you can bug me and tell me what’s good and what’s bad. I know… friends.. are supposed to tell you what’s good and what’s wrong. But these commissions–they’re the only thing I can do. We both know that.”

“I could help you–“

“I don’t need your help! I never did. I’ve been doing fine without you anyway. But you’re right. It’s dishonest. It got in the way. So I’ll stop,” I finished.

I dug down my school bag and got a foldable umbrella out. I shoved it in his big hands as he looked at me, puzzled. The rain poured even harder, puddles forming at the side of the road.

“Go home,” I demanded him.

Without looking at his reaction, I turned away and ran to my house. I felt his footsteps follow right behind me. I heard him calling for me. As I reached the front door, I turned around to find him gone. With a sigh of relief, I entered my home, where nothing could ever be capable of hurting me.

Two weeks had passed since the incident. I spent most of my days, running away from everyone, even Yuki. My feelings towards the conversation began to mellow, and I clearly saw what Yuki was trying to talk about. When I began to realize the grand scheme of things, my pride and selfishness immensely lowered. Since then, I stopped taking in requests for love letters, and spending my time in the library or the empty classroom.

But there were times when I had to walk out of my safe spaces and Yuki would happen to be there, and every single time, he would have his eyes on me. Every time he would stand up or even take a step toward me, I would run past him as fast as possible or even turn the other way around.

Eventually, my luck had run out because one day, after trying to run away from him, he attempted to chase after me.

“Aimie! Wait!” he called for me.

For some reason, I could have run as fast as I could. He was more athletic than I was, but desperation caused as much adrenaline. Yet I somehow froze, and he eventually caught up to me. I must have used up all my energy because I couldn’t seem to move.

“Can’t we just talk about it?” he asked me, slowly reaching for my arm. I quickly moved it away.

No. We couldn’t just talk about it. Because I didn’t let you talk the last time. And my mouth always took action before my mind does.

“Aimie, please? I’m sorry,” he nudged me. I scratched my arm and looked down, my lips sealed shut. I turned around to face him.

Fair to say, his eyes were red, and they widened when I turned around. I could see the sweat glistening on his palms. He was out of breath. 

“No. I should be sorry. I was too prideful,” I admitted.

“No, I should be.”

“You’re too soft towards this. You defended me, and when we were finally alone, I lashed out on you. Insulted you, even. Don’t apologize to a dishonest person.”

“You’re not dishonest,” he stated.

“Do you even know how many letters I’ve written in the past month before I stopped?” I questioned him. I could hear him whisper, “No, no.”

“You’re young. And you’re human. And wel… you’re different. You always have good intentions, but you never really… do them properly,” he acknowledged these as he took a deep breath, “You’re naive, Aimie. You always have been.”

“But I’m a bad person. A bad human.”

“It’s not a crime, is it?”

I didn’t know what else to say. So, I started crying. Wailing, even.

“I–I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I felt so stupid without you!” I cried out to him, then he began to hug me, “I thought to myself, ‘I’ve lost Yuki! The human equivalent to my brain! My senses have left me! I’m stupid, I’m stupid.’”

He laughed, patting my back. We broke our hug as I took my handkerchief out of my pocket, to which he snatched from my hand and dabbed the tears out for me.

“You think you’re the only one going through a crisis? How am I going to live without my heart?”

“My heart?”

“Yes, you’re my heart.”

I stood still and shook my head, “No, no. You’re my brain and heart. You’re my organs, I’m just a host.”

He cackled at me, “Aimie, think of yourself highly from time to time–”

“Yuki! We’re going in circles! That’s literally why we didn’t talk to each other for two weeks! Because I was thinking of myself highly–”

“Okay, okay. Let’s not talk about it. You’ve put out too many tears,” he interrupted.

When I stopped crying in such an ugly matter, he handed out a piece of paper to me.

“Can you do me a favor?” he asked me.

“It depends, what is it?”

“I want you to write a letter.”

“Oh no, no no. You just told me that you didn’t want to–”

“It’s worth it, I promise. It’s the last letter you’ll ever ghostwrite. It’s just a love letter I want you to fix a little while translating.”

“Translate?”

“To English.”

I glared at him.

However, I began to think of his previous actions and how they were never really as I predicted. Maybe he had something in mind. A terrible joke, even. So, I decided to play along with it, “Fine, fine. Look how biased you are…”

We walked back to my classroom and I sat by my usual seat near the window. He sat at the chair right in front of me as he crossed his arms and let them rest on the back of the chair. He placed his chin on his arms, and I could feel his eyes follow my every movement. I took out my pen and a fresh leaf of paper, and looked at the outline of his letter slowly.

I began to ask him a few questions, to which he responded with no hesitation.

“To whom is this letter addressed to?”

He smirked, “Keep it empty for me. I’ll write her name on the envelope.”

Her? My heart dropped. The worst thing he could do, after all this, was to make me write a letter to a girl. She must be a wonder for him to even ask me to write a letter in the first place.

“It’s a love letter?”

“Well, what else could it be?” he retorted, “Is there anything wrong with that?”

“No, no. Not at all,” I lied.

I took a deep breath and looked through the outline of the letter he wanted me to write. I looked at him, and he was still looking at me. I couldn’t tell what was on his mind–there was nothing written on his face. I gulped and began to write the letter:

A few days ago, my friend told me about this flower that is native to South America. It takes half a decade for it to grow, before it is able to bloom. Then it blooms again once a year, and it always happens in the middle of the night, before it closes in for the rest of the year the morning after. 

As he was explaining this lovely flower, I began to realize that the flower and my feelings were no different.

Like this flower, this love was nurtured and cared for. And it took me one night for my heart to burst and realize just how much I’ve admired you.

Flowers come alive at the sound of good words, and I would be just as alive at the sound of your voice and the sight of your words, our nonsense conversations, your laughs at my terrible jokes, and our bickering–which was very much like an old couple.

If it took me six years by your side and a night to realize just how much I like you, then I would say it would have been worth it. There is no greater source to make the flower of my heart grow than you.

If you’d return these feelings back to me, then feel free to write back a letter. Say these good words and everything in me shall be healed, and the flower in me will bloom for as long as both our feelings will live.

Yours,

Yuki

I capped my pen and I let the letter sit there for the ink to dry.

“Is she a foreigner?”

He put his shoulders up, as if to say, “I don’t know.” I slammed my hands on my lap and sighed.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to write her name?” I questioned him again, just to be sure.

He thought for a while. He pretended to scratch his chin like an old man, and hummed to himself.

“I changed my mind.”

“Alright. So what’s her name?”

“Aimie. Address it to Aimie. A-I-M-I-E.”

Aimie.

I froze and stared at him, my eyebrows knitted together. He looked at me, and a smile seemingly began to grow on his face.

“Do… do you want me to… to put it in an envelope and write the address for you?”

“You do that now?” he cackled.

“It’s a special offer, for the last love letter I’ll ever ghostwrite.”

“Sure. Do you have a piece of paper? I’ll write it out for you.”

I took out my notebook, ripped out a page, and handed it to him. He turned away from me and I could hear the pen scratching the page. There was a metaphor that began to form out of that moment, where every stroke of a letter began to scratch my heart. When he had finished, he turned around and showed the paper to me, pointing to the block of text.

“Address it to her, please,” he requested.

I moved closely to the paper, observing what he had just wrote.

It had my surname and last name, as well as the exact house number, street, prefecture, and postal code. I could feel my eyes beginning to itch, slowly being filled by water.

“What a lovely name,” I told him.

“Yes, and what a lovely person,” he smiled, “I’m always in awe every time I see her.”

“I’m sure she’ll love the letter.”

“I’m sure she would. But I’m hoping she’d return the feelings too,” he sighed, scratching the back of his neck and avoiding my eyes.

“I’m sure she will,” I laughed.

He looked up at me, his mouth forming an “O.” Silly as it both was, I still wrote my name and address in the English style. I could sense that his smile was permanently stuck to his face, and when I finished writing, he patted my head. I handed the envelope to him, to which he licked to seal it shut. We stared at each other for a good while before the bell rang.

“Can I walk you home later?” he offered me.

“You don’t have any practice later this afternoon?”

“No, I don’t… So, can I?”

I nodded. Overjoyed, he walked up to me and hugged me. When we looked each other, I was positive that we were equally red. He then began to leave the classroom and turned to me by the door.

“I can’t wait to see you later,” he said.

One by one, my classmates entered the classroom, oblivious to what had just happened. One, they didn’t know that the boy I’d liked for so long had confessed to me. Second, they didn’t know that he’d walk me home later after school. Third and most importantly…

They didn’t know that in a few days time, I’d be able to write my very first love letter. One that wasn’t ghostwritten. One that was written to someone I have always wanted to write to. One that had my name signed at the end of the letter. One that allowed me to express my feelings toward something that was real without any shame or embarrassment. One that would reply to the confession of a friend I’ve admired for so long, to no longer be a pair of friends but something more.

[bluenerdtastemaker]

The Dare Might Be Not Bad ²²¹⁰

Tattoo Artist! Yuki Tsunoda + F1 Driver Pierre Gasly | 1.5K

"Maybe tourists weren’t so bad after all."

Yuki Tsunoda didn’t like tourists.

Sure, they were one of the reasons tattoo artists like him could make a decent living income. Besides his loyal clients who kept coming back for his creativity and unique designs, tourists filled in the gaps, requesting quick tattoos to commemorate their trips. But tourists never gave him much creative freedom—always asking for tiny symbols, names, or meaningless quotes. The worst were the ones getting tattoos on a dare; oh, those were nightmares waiting to happen. They’d show up weeks later, regret written all over their faces, demanding refunds or crying about a decision made in a drunken haze.

Today’s clients seemed no different, yet there was something unusual about them that made Yuki hesitate. He stared at the two men standing at the counter. Both had an unmistakably European look, with one of them sporting a face Yuki had seen splashed across sports headlines: Charles Leclerc. Beside him was another strikingly handsome man, Pierre Gasly, who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Yuki sighed inwardly, mentally preparing himself for whatever nonsense was about to unfold.

“Hello, welcome to Matsui Studio,”

---

Matsui Studio was a hidden gem tucked away in one of Tokyo’s lesser-known streets, a place where people came for more than just ink. The shop was a visual spectacle—a far cry from the typical sterile, white-walled tattoo studios most tourists expected. Instead, the studio was bathed in a moody atmosphere dominated by dark turquoise neon lights, casting a dim but inviting glow that gave the space an otherworldly aura.

The walls were a rich matte black, adorned with eclectic artwork framed in shadow boxes, showcasing intricate tattoo designs and traditional Japanese motifs. In one corner, a softly humming water feature added a calming background noise, blending seamlessly with the low thrum of lo-fi beats playing from hidden speakers. The air smelled faintly of sandalwood incense mixed with the sterile tang of antiseptic—a scent Yuki found oddly comforting.

Long, sleek shelves lined with tattoo inks, neatly arranged in gradient order, sparkled under the neon glow, while the leather chairs were deep black, their surfaces gleaming. Dark green plants in geometric pots were scattered strategically, bringing a touch of life to the otherwise shadowy interior.

—

“Hello, welcome to Matsui Studio, what can I help you?” The asian man greeted them in accented-fluent English, his customer-service mask firmly in place to the two white clients in front of him with a distinct English accent knowing these people are not well versed in his mother tongue, glad that he does well in linguistic related studies, cause at least he has no problem communicating with foreigners.

Charles, who the asian quickly recognised, flashing his characteristic charming smile, clapped Pierre, who also quickly recognised, on the shoulder. “We’d like him to get a tattoo,” he announced, practically beaming with mischief. Pierre winced, clearly regretting whatever bet had landed him here. “This guy doesn’t have any ink yet, so we thought, why not fix that tonight? It's something small. It’s a dare, after all.”

‘Of fucking course it’s a dare,’ The asian tattooist thought, barely managing to hide his annoyance. He kept his face impassive as he glanced at Pierre, who was glaring daggers at his friend.

Pierre finally stepped forward, meeting Yuki’s gaze. There was a flicker of something there—something that made Yuki pause. Pierre’s eyes were deep, a stormy blue, filled not with the bravado he was used to seeing from people dragged in for a dare, but with genuine discomfort. Yuki had to admit it was refreshing to see someone taking this seriously, even if they were here under pressure.

“Alright,” Yuki said with a sigh, pulling his sleeves up, uncovering his tattooed forearm, leaning on the counter with crossed arms, his tattoo-covered forearms on display.

“So, what do you want? The classic ‘dare’ stuff? Hearts, initials, or something equally meaningless? If you’re serious about this, I don’t do bullshit. You’re getting something that looks good, or you’re walking out of here with nothing. Your choice.”

Charles raised his hands in mock surrender, still grinning, letting his best friend on the front line, who nodded slowly, stepping up to the challenge. “No letters or initials,” Pierre said, voice steady but soft. “I want something small, but... meaningful. Something I won’t regret.”

Yuki’s eyebrow arched in surprise. That wasn’t the answer he was expecting. Most people in Pierre’s position would have caved and gone with whatever easy option got them out of the chair fastest. But Pierre... Well, he seemed to actually care about what ended up on his skin.

“Alright,” Yuki said, a small smirk playing on his lips. “Come on back. Let’s see if we can figure something out.”

‐--

The tattooing room was a continuation of the main studio’s vibe but with an even deeper, more intimate ambiance. Dark turquoise neon tubes bordered the ceiling, reflecting off black lacquered walls. A long window provided a peek into the bustling Tokyo streets outside, where city lights blurred like a kaleidoscope of colors in the late-night drizzle. The room’s centerpiece was Yuki’s tattoo chair, made of sleek black leather with turquoise stitching that matched the shop’s color scheme.

Pierre gingerly took a seat, trying to calm his nerves. Charles leaned against the doorframe, scrolling through his phone while occasionally glancing over with an amused smirk. The lighting cast soft shadows across Pierre’s sharp features, making him look even more ethereal. Yuki noticed how the neon light caught in Pierre’s eyes, giving them an almost electric blue hue.

“So,” Yuki began, snapping on a pair of black gloves, “you mentioned wanting something meaningful. Any specific ideas, or are you leaving it up to me?”

Pierre hesitated, shooting a quick glance at Charles, who was now busy taking pictures against the neon-lit walls. Yuki rolled his eyes—celebrities. But something about Pierre made him linger a little longer. There was a softness to his expression, an earnestness Yuki wasn’t used to seeing in his usual clientele.

“I was thinking... maybe something related to my career,” Pierre finally said. “Or... something to do with traveling. I spend so much of my life on the road.”

Yuki’s eyes flicked up to meet Pierre’s, and he nodded thoughtfully. “How about a compass?” Yuki suggested, quickly sketching out a design in his notebook. “Simple, elegant, and it can symbolize your journey. Racing is all about navigating through life’s challenges, right?”

Pierre’s eyes widened, looking at the tattoo artist; ‘Oh, so he knew.’ The French man thought as he slowly looked at the sketch. The lines were clean, the design understated but powerful. “Yeah,” he said softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself. “That’s perfect.”

Yuki’s lips twitched into a rare, genuine smile. “Alright. Let’s get started.”

---

Pierre’s hands were clenched into fists as Yuki prepared the tattoo gun, cleaning the area on his inner wrist where they’d decided to place the design. Yuki could feel the nervous energy radiating off Pierre, and for some reason, he found himself wanting to ease the guy’s nerves. Usually, he didn’t care if clients were uncomfortable. They were the ones who chose to be here, after all.

But Pierre... something about him was different.

“You alright?” Yuki asked, his tone softer than before. “You look like you’re about to bolt.”

Pierre let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “Yeah, just... not a fan of needles,” he admitted, cheeks flushing slightly.

Yuki’s smirk widened. “I’ve had grown men cry in this chair,” he teased lightly, “and they weren’t even as pretty as you.” The words slipped out before Yuki could think better of it, but he didn’t regret them when he saw the way Pierre’s eyes widened, then softened, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Pretty, huh? That’s a new one,” Pierre replied, a hint of playfulness in his tone despite his nerves.

Yuki chuckled, leaning in closer to finish the tattoo. “Stay still, pretty boy. Let’s see if you can handle this.”

—

The hum of the tattoo machine filled the room, blending with the soft music and the occasional rumble of traffic outside. The first buzz of the needle made Pierre flinch, but he gritted his teeth, determined to see this through. Yuki worked with a deft hand, the design slowly coming to life on Pierre’s wrist. The concentration in Yuki’s eyes, the way his brows furrowed in focus, it was mesmerizing. Pierre found himself watching Yuki more than worrying about the pain, actually the pain is not bad at all now the French man thinks about it.

Feeling like it was forever, when Yuki was done, he leaned back to admire his work. The compass tattoo was clean and precise, perfectly aligned on Pierre’s wrist, the delicate lines catching the soft neon glow.

Pierre stared at it, awe in his eyes. “It’s... incredible,” he whispered, his voice filled with genuine appreciation.

“Glad you like it,” Yuki said, peeling off his gloves. "Before you go, I need to protect this to heal." Proceeding to explain the healing process and how he should take care of it, briefly mention this is important to maintain the hard earned tattoo and to avoid infection.

“Now go show your friend before he whines about how long it took.”

Pierre stood, but he hesitated, slipping Yuki a generous tip. As their eyes met again, there was a moment of silence, a spark that neither could deny.

“Maybe... I’ll come back for another one,” Pierre said, a hint of mischief in his smile.

Yuki shrugged, though his heart skipped a beat. “You know where to find me.”

As Pierre left the studio, Charles teasing him mercilessly, Yuki found himself smiling.

Maybe tourists weren’t so bad after all.

[sonicasura]

Character I See Kafka Hibino Raising

Basically a list of characters that I see Kaiju No.8's Kafka would raise/adopt and not have gone over.

Giorno Giovanna (JJBA)

Josuke Higashikata (JJBA)

Jolyne Kujo (JJBA)

Edward and Alphonse Elric (FMA)

Spyro the Dragon (Spyro/Skylanders)

Yuji Itadori (JJK)

Ren Amamiya (Persona 5)

Link (Except BotW/ToTK due to being written)

Jak and Daxter (J&D)

Nero Sparda (Devil May Cry)

Knack

Megaman (OG)

Hat Kid (A Hat In Time)

Desco (Disgaea 4)

Usalia (Disgaea 5)

Peacock (Skullgirls)

Jaden Yuki (Yu-Gi-Oh GX)

Inkling/Octoling (Splatoon)

Olivia and Olly (Paper Mario)

Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic)

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic)

Ichigo Kurosaki (Bleach)

Pit and Dark Pit (Kid Icarus)

Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine)

Klonoa

Leonardo/Donatello/Raphael/Michelangelo (TMNT)

Rex Salazar (Generator Rex)

Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Nezha (2019 iteration)

That's all I have at the moment.

[ink-insanity]

Aster: You hear someone say to a boy with brown hair not too far from you "Nice to meet you Jaden my name is Aster." Aster said. You walk over and he sees you. "Hi there my name is Aster." Aster said. "Hello my name is y/n." You said.

Jack: Your really good friends with Yusei. One day while you were helping Yusei with his Duel Runner he says: "Hey y/n I want you to meet my best friend Jack." Yusei said. "Sure Yusei." You said. 5 minutes later... "Jack this is one of my really good friends his name is y/n." Yusei said. "Nice to meet ya y/n." Jack said. "Nice to meet you too Jack." You said.

Jesse: You see Jaden talking to a boy with blue hair and a southern accent. "Hey y/n, this is my friend Jesse!" Jaden exclaimed. "Pleasure to meet ya y/n." Jesse said.

Seto: "Hey dweeb, come here." someone said. I walk over to him. "The names Seto Kaiba don't forget it." Seto said.

Jaden: You were running late to class. You're not watching where you're going and you bump into someone with a red uniform on. "Oops sorry. Nice to meet ya the names Jaden Yuki. Whats yours?" Jaden asked. "My name is y/n." You said.

Yusei: You're driving your Duel Runner untill... "Oh my god I'm so sorry are you okay? By the way the names Yusei." Yusei said. "My name is y/n." You said.

Yami Yugi: "You see a guy who looks almost identical to your best friend Yugi. Just a little taller. "Hey Yugi- Oh hi. Whos this?" said the taller version of Yugi. "Yami his name is y/n hes my best friend." Yugi said. "Cool. Nice to meet you y/n." Yami Yugi said.

Yugi: I'm walking to my first class when- "Oops sorry I didn't mean to bump into you." A boy with tri colored hair said. It's alright. My name is y/n. Whats yours?" You asked. "My name is Yugi." Yugi said.

Chazz: You're a Slifer red. You're walking down the hall and you hear someone say: "Hey Slifer slacker." I turn around and notice he has spiky black hair. "You're new here. Just telling you I'm the Chazz!" Chazz exclaimed.     

Zane: Todays your first day at Duel Academy you have short hair and are about average height. You walk around on the island looking for anyone that could show you the way to the Obliesk blue dorm. Finally you see a tall guy with dark blue hair and you walk over to him and look up. "Excuse me sir... do you know where the Obelisk blue dorm is?" You ask. The dark blue haired male nods "Yes I do I can show you the way if you want. I'm Zane Truesdale." Zane said. "Oh it's nice to meet you Zane I'm Y/n L/n." You said Zane had a frown on his face.  "Its nice to meet you too Y/n I'll lead you to the Obliesk blue dorm since we are in the same dorm" Zane said pretending to be unfazed by you.You nod happily as Zane leads you to the Obliesk blue dorm a thought goes through Zanes head. Y/n seems like an interesting guy. 

Authors Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my Yugioh Male x Reader I'll post one chapter maybe two chapters a day.

🖤Love🖤

🔥Ink Insanity❄️

[ask-sibverse]

Do You Think We Can Have A List Of All The Characters Of Sibverse? Could Just Name Them Without Saying Who They Are If Its Spoilery.

Ehhhhhhhh nicknames aren't spoilers. At least not enough for me to care. Warning: this is gonna be LONG. (Side note: a chunk of these are not present in the harem AU and said timeline has additional characters unique to that timeline) (Other note: this is the characters who appear by name more than twice, or ship kids. There are a handful beyond this that I haven't listed because they do not appear often enough)

Main: Nox (Nightmare), Reve (Dream), Splat (Ink), Error, Blue, Killer, Dust, Axe, Cross, Mari (butterfly!Frisk), Reaper, Fresh

Celestialverse: Nova (Nightmare), Star (Dream), Glass (Ink), BH/Black Hole (Error), Tomb (Reaper), Sin/Singularity (Fresh), Cosmo (Blue), Orion (Killer), Pyxis (Dust), Vega (Axe), Cyrus (Cross), Xara/Neo (X!Cross), Moon (SPOILERS but is a Papyrus), Angel (SPOILERS), Scifi (Fell!Sci)

Ukiyoverse: Kage (Nightmare), Yume (Dream), Aoi (Blue, although he's dead but is mentioned often), Iro (Ink), Erā (Error), Yami (Reaper), Shinsen (Fresh), Kira (Killer), Hokori (Dust), Hōra (Axe), Kōsa (Cross), Kyara (X!Chara), Jūi (swap!Chara and bitty doctor), Yuki (Elementale!Sans), Kumo (Elementale!Paps)

Floralverse: Belladonna/Bella (Nightmare), Daisy (Dream), Camellia/Cam (Ink), Stargazer (Error), Gladiolus/Gladi (Reaper), Daffodil (Life), Bluebell/Blue (Blue), Tiger Lily/Tiger (Red), Amaryllis/Amy (Killer), Dark Eyes/Dark (Dust), Cornflower/Corn (Axe), Black Knight/Knight (Cross), Catmint/Cat (X!Frisk), Devil (X!Gaster), Flannel (therapist!Sans)

Softverse: Anxy/Angry (Nightmare), Comfy (Dream), Acrylic (Ink), Buff (Blue)

Fellverse: Dagger (Nightmare), Knuckles (Dream), Lighter (Ink), Claymore (Error, he's fucking HUGE), Bastard (Cross), Filler (Killer), Ashes (Dust), Famine (Axe)

Mythverse: Lunar (Nightmare), Solar (Dream), Cura (Ink), Odin (Error), Hades (Reaper)

Witchverse: Morpheus/Morph (Nightmare), Pyrite (Dream), Limestone/Lime (Ink), Necro (Error), Veles (Reaper), Teacher, Arachne, Charcoal, Aphrodia (Lust!Sans)

Timeverse: Dusk (Shattered!Dream), Dawn (Nightmare), Emo (colorblind!Ink), Cocoa (Error), Azure (Blue), Judge (Red)

Swapdream: Swad, Swan (I swear, if I need to tell you who these are...)

Merverse: Silver (Nightmare), Gold (Dream), Abalone (Ink), Arsenic (Error), Anemone (Reaper), Geno, Copper (Killer), Mercury (Dust), Iron (Axe), Cobalt (Cross)

Lostverse: Yami/Crescent (Nightmare, ik we have multiple Yami's they don't interact), Hikari (Dream), Sumi (Ink), Error (does not leave his verse), Grandpa (Reaper), Palette, Paperjam/PJ, Goth, Killer, Dust, Horror, Psych (child therapist!Sans)

Doodlesphere (it is a floating Doodlesphere in the Antivoid, no longer connected to any specific multiverse): Lee, Obsi, Shard/Core (ANOTHER shattered!Dream), Coder (Shard's Ink), Melody

Sanctuary: Pendulum/Penny

Ship Kids: StarXGlass (Nebby/Nebula, Andromeda), MariXNox (Moth, Morpho), SPOILER (Hope), CamXScifi (Ayame, Kiku, Sakura), ShardXLee (Ume, Sissy/Rubi), Comfy/Acrylic/Buff (Graphite, Compass), YumeXYuki (Joy), KumoXBSP (Suta), CoderXGold (Shimmer, Rain, Lotus), CoderXKage (Kairo), BellaXAnxy (Lavender), OdinXSilver (Loki), DaisyXKnuckles (Gerbera, Anemone), ShardXLee (Walnut), ShardXArsenic (Neodymium, Amberina)

[forested-fairytale]

artemisias’ research notes- froslass

[the following text appears to be an excerpt out of a notebook, artem writes with a dark green ink, in a slightly scrawled cursive]

froslass is an interesting pokemon that has several folktales and legends surrounding it. the most notable is it’s similarities to the legends of the yuki-onna of the sinnoh region.

the yuki-onna is commonly depicted as an pale feminine figure often residing in snowy, mountainous regions. they often lure travellers (mostly men) off the path with their beauty. It is theorised that the myth of the yuki-onna started due to travellers mistaking froslass for a human in the snow.

they’re really pretty. i wonder if i can get one the next time we do field work? i think they’re in kalos. theo would probably like them too. he likes the icy dresses.

[princesshillaryellaworld25]

8 Villians you should be caution of

Fanzo Miller: Murdered 100 people using a knife and used illegical chemicals and injected people with them. (Deaseased: Burned to death)

Layla Miller: Crazy Psychopath, Drugfriend's past crazy ex-girlfriend and Penelope's abusive ex-girlfriend.Murdered 3 people: Penelope's Mom(Mrs.Rigamarole), Sick Daisy and Jewels(The little girl Sick Boyfriend visits). Arrested for Kidnapping, Murder, Attempted-Murder and etc.

Lila Sky Bridges: Drugfriend's crazy ex-girlfriend: Cheated on him with Sick Senpai, Whore, Used a Manifest form to kill people and sends her minions.

Succubus Sky: Bullied Purity Girlfriend(Pauline), Ex-girlfriend of Purity Senpai, Wanted for Kidnapping during the Birthday Arc.

Sick Sky: Drugfriend's crazy fangirl. Tried to Kill Sick Boyfriend.

Sick Daila: Friend of Sick Sky, Almost Killed Sick Boyfriend using a iron bullwhip.

Mailina: Dark queen. She hated Nan Pengyou for stealing Yuki(YBS BF) Away from her. wanted to marry Yuki.

Purity Senpai: A total jerk and an attempted Killer.( Almost killed Sick Chris by dropping a speaker in the lake while drowning Sick Chris).

Tiffany Rose: Pico's ex-girlfriend, Tried to Kill Boyfriend(Cam) and Girlfriend(Ashley) and breaking into their house.

Victor Lockwood: Major nerd, Crazy sociopath. Kidnapped half of Sickpants Citizens, made a illegal weapon using Sickpants power and Killed B-side Sick BF.( Scrapped Arc: Ink Arc)

Princess Viviana: Evil princess, tried to kill Princess Hillaryella twice( In the past and during the Viviana Arc), Wants to destroy everyone and rule the world. (Dead; Trapped in a mirror and got erased inside and send to the dark void @woody-dave)

Purity Clara: She was the culprit who poisoned Purity Sick Boyfriend during the party because she made a deal with Viviana to get the star crystals.

These are the villians that everyone should be causious of in my au.

[exurgedomine]

Yuki no kuni, aside from it being frigid with blustering winds, had its own special charm. Take the quaint snow lanterns that glittered within the hillsides and snow drifts, for instance. Yet, he couldn't be bothered with them. Not at the moment, at least... No, his mind was preoccupied with his now partner. Their illustrious organization's Leader... At first, it was seemingly a one-off arrangement. The need for his skills in subterfuge, but then it kept happening. He'd often wondered if Pein was keeping him close for the sake of watching him, much like a Warden to their prisoner. The Sannin had long since given up his desire to defect, anyway. The inner workings of Akatsuki had captivated his curiosity. For the time being, that is. Now though? He wondered if it was because they worked so well together. Strange as it was... Regardless, he huffed out a quiet chuckle and picked up his pace to match that of his partner, regarding him from his periphery. "Would you care to elaborate as to why we are here, of all places?" He raised a palm toward the gray sky and watched as snow fell upon it. Just as white and almost as cold. "You were even more tight-lipped on the details than you normally are..." ((No clue why, but uh... Here we are! Hope this is okay! Plus a song.)) || @valtiels-darkness

Nagato's meticulous planning was thorough and elaborate, but exceedingly pragmatic.

It was an informal arrangement for Pein to present himself an option for workplace partnership. The ever elusive leadership that sat atop a yawning shrine of a god long forgotten walking along the same ground as all the men beneath him.

Yet now, God was a man, who bore cold flesh and a non-beating heart, walking though the troves of wet snow littering their path in this barren territory. Near him stood a like-minded man. Like-minded. Better so, similarly constructed— a mortal seeking the riddle of immortality of which no answer remains. His long hair like bleeding ink pouring over the milk-white paleness of his collar bones and vanishing into the crimson of their shared outfit.

" You were more inquisitive than you normally are, " Pein replied, deflecting further prying.

Though, he did owe an explanation, after all, he did drag this man away from the assuredness of his scientific routine and warm laboratory.

" It's been brought to my attention of a tailed beast that exists in this territory. However, they are notably ' suspended in animation '. I deemed your expertise to be of value here. "

The obvious leered between the thin space of intention and actual reason. It would have been easier to pull the rumored bijuu from the depths of which it was sunk into and bring it forward for inspection, but Nagato wanted Orochimaru for far more than that.

He was testing him. Pein himself the proctor.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

bored and don’t feel like writing so here’s a list of which bllk boys i think characters from my various fics would end up with and why 👍 (inspired by one of my mutuals mentioning a crossover between bllk and one of my aot fics hehe). this is such a silly unserious post pls don’t take it to heart HAHA

pomegranate ink:

y/n would probably go for yukimiya!! considering her relationship with yuta, she prefers a guy who is talented and can hold his own, but is also gentle and soft for the most part. out of everyone in bllk i think yuki fits the bill best so i would say him.

tullia would end up with isagi!! she mentions that her type is someone kind, patient, and calm, with a sense of humor and skill at their chosen profession. if we ignore isagi’s on-field shenanigans he mostly hits every point!! i was between him and nagi for her but idk how kind and patient nagi is exactly JDSKDJJZ i think pomegranate ink tullia would stress him out so we’re going to go w isagi here

elakshi pulls up in the fic for a chapter or two, leaves, gets with a clan heir, and then flees the country with said clan heir during the final battle. truly there is no one more suitable for her than loki!! they can make random guest appearances together #couplegoals

hurricanes / hummingbirds:

it’s super hard to imagine past y/n with anyone besides kashimo, but i think if there’s any bllk boy who can match her and kashimo’s 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴, it’s kaiser!! he’s got a traumatic backstory (like kashimo), thinks hurting other people is the same as loving them (like kashimo), is one of the most talented in his generation (like kashimo), doesn’t understand emotions well (like kashimo), and is a surprisingly poetic asshole (like kashimo). so i guess kaiser it is!!

present y/n doesn’t explicitly like anyone, but out of all of the guys she interacts with (besides kashimo), nanami is the closest to being her love interest (he would’ve been if she didn’t have the hummingbird’s blessing), so if we’re looking at a bllk man for her, the only choice is everyone’s favorite emotionally repressed blond king, noel noa!! not my type personally, but to each their own. he would teach her how to do her eyeliner better than even naoya zenin, which fixes something deep within her that has been broken since she realized the worst man she knows has cunty makeup. how sweet!!

a song for the drowned/in chase of a mourning dove:

principessa y/n is a bit basic i am afraid…one thing abt her she WILL go for the dark haired blue eyed sassy emo combo every time!! rin itoshi is the obvious option (as long as he guards her well and is willing to risk his life to be with her, ofc). he’d be a little more irreverent than megumi, but considering principessa y/n loved megumi’s rude ass moments she probably would enjoy that.

lady tullia would like isagi at first (much like how she liked yuta) but she would eventually end up with hiori (how she would’ve ended up with inumaki). hiori has that sweetness but also a bit of a sharp tongue, and he seems like he’d be politically savvy, so i can see this working out well

asftd/icoamd elakshi is lesbian so she’s not getting w any of these losers 🔥 ig anri is the only choice by process of elimination 😭

ship in the harbor:

well. okay so this y/n is a very special girl 💖 iykyk…i think she would probably go for karasu (NOT biased)!! he has a vibe of competency and stability that she would really appreciate, and he’s the perfect blend of friedrich and hadrian in that he’s an asshole and would have no qualms abt calling her out when needed/responding to her sarcasm with his own, but he’s also very mature and good at reading people, so he wouldn’t push her too far or anything. i think he, a supportive man without any traces of ptsd or codependency, would be a breath of fresh air for her and exactly what she needs after everything she’s been through

not romantically, but i can see friedrich and colt liking chigiri!! and honestly they (esp friedrich) would find bachira funny so he’d be part of the crew too. definitely a lethal combo overall!!

endure:

endure y/n is childhood-best-friend-sexual so being realistic she’d just marry whichever one she knew since she was a kid HAHAH. jokes aside she did have a crush on reiner so i think in a non life or death situation she would like kunigami!! he would make her feel very safe and protected, and he’d probably enjoy taking care of her, so they’d have a good relationship

tullia ral only ever dated/liked jean, so if she were to be paired w a bllk boy, it would be reo — a good leader who’s more talented than believes, has self confidence issues that he hides w cockiness, and is handsome/a people person. much like jean!! except reo would’ve been able to buy that candy for her from trost and he wouldn’t even have had to dress up like a clown to do it so this is actually an upgrade on her part

[soulfulempathy]

The King's Nightmare

cw: body horror, blood

Water rushed beneath the bridge that Isen stood on. The night was oppressively dark, as though the starless sky was crushing him. The river roared, drawn to its height by the ominous yellow moon above. Not a single house in the distance was lit up. Not a single car appeared to break the miserable silence. Despite himself, the hair on the back of his neck stood up as anxiety slithered through him. 

He recognized this place.

Instinct told him to turn around, and he felt a strange sense of reluctance as he did so. There stood a man, taller than he remembered, with brown eyes and messy hair. His skin was pale in the moonlight, features sharp, making him look inhuman. More than that, though, his mouth seemed to be gone.

“Yuki,” Isen’s tone was normal, even, despite the sinking feeling in his gut. “Have you finally come to exact your revenge?”

Yuki stared. That anxiety was still present, to Isen’s annoyance. Despite the way Yuki looked, given past experience with him, Isen was sure he had nothing to be scared of. 

But…they didn’t seem to be in Isen’s world right now.

Yuki didn’t pull any weapons. He didn’t move toward Isen. He stood there, and Isen noticed his eyes seemed to be devoid of life. Strange, for an empath. Especially strange for Yuki, who couldn’t hide the emotions he felt even if it would save his life. This felt…wrong.

Isen checked for the gun, the knives he kept on himself at all times. They weren’t there. Though he wasn’t completely vulnerable, he felt wrongfooted, unsure of what this Yuki was capable of. But his face betrayed nothing, just that indifference as Yuki continued to watch him.

“You know you’re no threat to me.”

Yuki moved, tilting his head. But still he stared. Isen felt a prick of irritation. Why was Yuki here, if not to attack? He was well aware of Yuki’s little vendetta. Though he had the urge to end this, to send Yuki to the same place as his family, this bad feeling inside of Isen warned him against it. So he tried to walk away.

But Yuki was in front of him again, closer. Taller. The brown of his eyes was gone, replaced by the same inky black as the sky. That darkness seeped into the whites of Yuki’s eyes and then overflowed. It spilled down his face, dripping off his jaw. Yuki was perfectly still, letting it happen. 

As the ink slid over the skin that used to be his mouth, it began to split open, until it revealed a black and bloody maw beneath. Yuki finally spoke.

“Do you think you’re safe from me?” the monster asked, in a voice so rough and distorted that it sent goosebumps across Isen's flesh. “Sit upon your throne while I turn your empire to dust, and watch as I make you helpless, begging at my feet. Your days are numbered, Isen.”

“You do not scare me, Yuki.” As though reminding the monster of the weak man he resembled. Isen couldn’t step back as it approached him, its movements unnatural and quick.

“Then choke on your blood, King.” Was all he heard before he felt sharp, jagged teeth tear the flesh from his throat. Blood gushed from the gaping wound, cascading down his body, and Isen tried to cry out–but only a garbled noise escaped him. This couldn’t be how he met his death. This couldn’t be real.

Isen bolted upright in his bed, his chest heavy as it rose and fell. When he touched his neck, he was relieved to find no evidence of that…thing. He flicked on the light, only relaxing when he saw the empty room. Images of the monster were seared behind his eyelids. He heard that wretched voice ringing in his ears.

It’s only a matter of time.

[mokkemusic]

Since I can’t share these magazines anywhere else I may as well share them here. These are super cool and extremely old Bessatsu Friend Magazines that have Yuki Suetsugu older works way before Chihayafuru. Including her very old short mangas, Only You, Eden no Hana etc. I’ve gotten a few I bought so I’ll share them by magazine. This will be the first one I post:

Bessatsu Friend January 2001 (Eden no Hana chapters 8 & 9 2 pg color spread plus single color page.)

I didn’t know what chapters were in these till I actually got them but this Bessatsu Friend might be the best one cause it has one of my favorite scenes in all of Eden no Hana!

“Why…? If you look down on me as well… I’LL BE ALL ALONE!”

“I don’t look down on you…

I DON’T LOOK DOWN ON YOU!”

- I’m gonna break this up right here. THIS, I think this is when I knew I loved Tokio as a character. It’s the words of “I don’t look down on you.” (Well yea that’s obvious Dana) No, you don’t understand those words are personal to me. I want someone to say that to me, genuinely. And actually mean it like Tokio does here. Verbalize it and mean it.

“I just feel terribly hurt.

I didn’t have the confidence to keep smiling by your side, as if I didn’t know anything.

I’m so sorry… You didn’t want to run away from the pain, but I was the one who wanted to escape.”

I don’t know what kinda magic Sensei has I really don’t know but the way she writes the genuine honesty of her characters, especially her male characters- It’s so hard to explain without being misconstrued. IT’S A GOOD THING. She shows the clearest way of saying “we all feel pain” Tokio is so honest with Midori in this moment. I’m suffering cause your suffering. Me reading this like “you can feel that way? You can?” But I believe it! The way Sensei depicts this scene I BELIEVE IT! I believe how raw it is. And I know that PLENTY of other Shoujo and Josei manga have similar moments where it’s just like this. But there’s something about the word choices the expressions there’s just something! That I am not literate enough to put into words for you I’m sorry. But this scene GOT TO ME! :')

Same thing with Chihayafuru. It’s something she does! And no one can take this magic and put in a bottle. I wish but it can’t be done. It’s special.

Something else I also REALLY love about this magazine is even though it's kinda distracting the way the ink bleeds to the other side. I am sure it's the paper choice and I am also sure it's probably because it's older quality. But you know what? I find this really frekin cool! Don't laugh at me if other older shoujo magazines do this too this is my first experience owning one. lol

Also the color changes of the pages is neat. I don't know how they decide that or if it's just they ran out of a color ink and had to move onto the next one idk but this is cool!

(Ahh that panel right after in the second image ahhh! god I just love owning the original magazines there's something so special!)

It also contained this 2 pg color spread! I've seen this before but now I have the one from the original magazine of Tokio, Midori and Hashiba! I know, I know this is Sensei's older style but still ugh Tokio's hair here I am not a fan I'll be honest lol. He just doesn't look like Tokio! (Then again how many arts has Sensei done of Taichi where he looks nothing like Taichi and how many hair color changes too. It's a stylized choice I'll let this one slide lol.) Midori and Hashiba look great here though. (See Chalres, I am giving Hashiba compliments and insulting Tokio. Frame it if you see this cause it won't happen again. :P)

There's also another single color pg but I cannot show that one here. It's a combination actually of ch. 8 pg 14 and pg 17. But done a different way and in color. So there I gave you that and you can look for yourself if you're curious.

I think this is also the perfect time to get into my disclaimer of even though I really love the work of Eden no Hana the story is very dark and there's a lot of sensitive themes. This is my personal merch but I am by no means telling you guys to go read this. And if you do get curious from my post (for the 2 people that might see this post) please be mature and proceed with caution cause I did say sensitive subjects and trauma. You can use your imagination.

[cinderella-ish]

Truly no one asked, but I'm too excited not to blabber on about the reasons behind the design choices! 😅

Along a Pitch-Black Path

So, this is my attempt at writing an Akito-centric darkfic/tragedy. The premise is an AU where her initial slice to Tohru's arm was accidentally fatal. The ink is obviously symbolic of Akito's inner darkness, and I found an ink splatter with a strong diagonal "slash" in it to place directly over her body.

The One Who Stays

This was by far the hardest banner to make. Neither the title nor the premise really have any clear imagery, the premise being "What if Yuki didn't run after Kyo and instead stayed to comfort Tohru?" Additionally, the tone of the story is angst & whump with a hopeful ending (apparently my thing lol), which isn't easy to communicate in a banner. That said, I'm really happy with how it turned out! It went through a few iterations before landing here. The background is obviously representative of the bond (and those who are reading along know why), and it's a Yuki-centric story, so he's naturally present. The title quite literally refers to Yuki staying, but it comes from a quote from Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveller's Wife, which is "It's hard being left behind. I wait for Henry, not knowing where he is, wondering if he's okay. It's hard to be the one who stays behind." I think, in its full context, it connects to Akito struggling to let go of the bond, and Tohru's ability to relate to her due to her own fear of being left behind by her mother and now Kyo, which is why I included the anime screenshot of Tohru coming to sit beside Akito.

Bloom Within Us

Full disclosure: part of me is a little worried that this banner is a little too dark for those who're reading the fic. But it's also the most cheerful-looking and bright banner of the bunch somehow? The premise of this work is "What if Tohru didn't survive her fall from the cliff?" The fic focuses mostly on Kyo, and he and Saki are the two characters who struggle the most with Tohru's death but ultimately connect over their love of Tohru and shared grief. It's sad with a bittersweet ending/hopeful overall tone, so I didn't want a banner that was especially dark or gloomy. Anyway, it depicts Tohru in chapter 11 at the end of her funeral, just before her body is cremated, when the mourners have filled her coffin with yellow and pink chrysanthemums. Even though it's such a sad scene in the story, I think it's a really beautiful image, and it's really the root of the whole story - how does Tohru's death change the way everyone else's lives play out? In addition to depicting that scene, the banner obviously connects literally to the title (which is also kind of the theme of the work, that, to quote Murakami, "People leave strange little memories of themselves behind when they die." Tohru's dead, but she changed everyone's lives forever, and there are ways she still touches every part of them. Her special qualities take root inside of them and bloom within them.). She's memorialized in the story with a flower garden, and flowers come up between the characters a lot, too, as ways of showing care or optimism.

like the flowers and the bees

So... this is a smutty oneshot collection, so what I could represent in the banner is pretty limited lol. But obviously, the title is literally depicted. It also is a companion piece to Bloom Within Us, so lots of flower imagery makes sense. Also, I like the idea of a oneshot collection being represented by a flower garden - each is unique, but they all go together in a way.

Of Lost Cats and Half-Shadows

For this one, I just updated the version I made back when I first posted the fic. My biggest intention was to let people know it was a Furuba/JJK crossover, so I included the two couples the fic focuses on (and their stories parallel each other!!!). Because JJK is about exorcising physical manifestations of curses, I wanted to show the Zodiac curse manifested, so I used a screengrab from the anime of when Yuki's curse breaks, represented again by a rope. Additionally, the enso is an important symbol and practice in Japanese Buddhism. (Side note: both JJK and Furuba explore Buddhist philosophy!) The enso has many layered meanings, but the ones that most connect to the themes of this fic are those of enlightenment - something which Gojo has already achieved in JJK and which is symbolically represented in Furuba by the end of the cycle of rebirth with the breaking of the curse - and the beauty of impermanence. The title comes from a Murakami quote in Kafka on the Shore, "What I think is this: You should give up looking for lost cats and start searching for the other half of your shadow." Obviously, it's a reference to Megumi (shadow boy) and Kyo (cat boy) who are the two protagonists.

ichigo ichie

Impermanence is also a major theme in this fic. Tohru's trying to end the cycle of the Zodiac curse and Haruhi's trying to end the time loop that has her and the host club trapped. (Side note: I'm actually super excited about the ways this fic will let me explore some of the magic in the Furuba universe with the addition of the body swap magic from your name.) Instead of an enso, I used cherry blossoms to represent impermanence. The main relationships in this story are Tohru/Kyo and Tohru&Haruhi&Akito. And, like most of my stories, grief is a major theme in this one. New to me, though, is the Japanese folklore that'll be at the center of the conflict. (Like I said, I'm really really excited for the ways I'll get to work with magic & the supernatural in this fic!) Ichigo ichie is a Japanese saying roughly equivalent to "once in a lifetime meeting." The literal translation is more like "one lifetime, one meeting." This will play out in a more literal sense at the climax of the story, but "ichigo" is also the Japanese word for strawberry, and both Tohru and Haruhi are known to like strawberries.

lovers alone wear sunlight

This one is pretty straightforward. In this series, there's sort of a strong divide between before the curse breaks and after. Tonally, this banner is more in line with the after. But since the arc of the series is hopeful, and the title is optimistic, I'm going with it. I used a screengrab from the anime of Tohru and Kyo as adults, kissing, and added a sunflowery border to one side.

That Day in the Rain

Again, pretty straightforward. This is a small section of a (free stock image) watercolor painting of someone walking down a path in the rain toward a house. I liked how the tree branches could feasibly be those at Shigure's house, which is the location where most of the canon-divergent events in this series take place. Since the series will span from light angst with a dash of fluff all the way to heavy tragedy, I wanted something relatively neutral, tonally, that wouldn't be out of place at either end. Also, I just thought this was a really nice painting.

Instead of writing, I spent some time making banners for my fics and series. Nothing yet for my JJK oneshot - if I write more, I'll make a series banner.

All banners were designed in Canva (free version), and all component images came from Canva or Pixabay except:

character designs and anime screenshots are from series wikis

one background image is from an iStock photo free trial (the rope background from "The One Who Stays" - typically $15)

Feedback welcome! I'll be adding these to my social media posts for each work later today and will be using these on fic posts going forward!

[ilocanotattooartist]

FLOWER TATTOO | FEMENINE |TATOO EDITION 2021| | Girl Tattoo #IcenSotelo #katusok #cnctattoo #STIGMA

[yexxive]

Three of my favorite characters together

[ask-sibverse]

OH WOW THAT STARTING CHAPTER IS GREAT SO FAR! PLEASE WRITE MORE! CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE HAREM WORLD MORE?

Sure I can dump some world building!

So the Apple Kingdom (main kingdom) is a large kingdom that is powerful more due to trade than military. The capital sits at the best port in the continent for access to other then known world powers overseas (majority of the coastline is rocky and horrible for ships other than a few other spots.) For nobility (and the royal family), marriage is for political gain and producing an heir, taking additional lovers as concubine is to ensure emotional needs are met. The two Emperors, Nox and Reve, both have harems. Nox's consists of Mari, Swad, Yuki, and Killer. Dream's consists of Axe, Dust, Ink, Blue, and he technically also has Killer as well and Cross as a technically unofficial member as he wants to maintain his position in the royal guard (and date Shard- Dark Cream anyone?). The royal guard is headed by Fellverse apple twins Knuckles (Dream) and Dagger (Nightmare), although they do not appear often.

Some major events that are referenced regularly are: a major war the Apple Kingdom was involved in that caused their general and head mage to step down due to LV issues (that also had unknown effects on Nox and Reve's father, the previous Emperor of the kingdom), a horrific famine in the "Horror Kingdom"- previously known as the "Bounty Kingdom"- that ended five years ago and effected the entire continent to some extent, and Darius's conquest of the Ukiyo kingdom that started well over a decade ago and finally ended in the last year.

Another important thing is the view of human-monster children, and unique magics. In sibverse and other timelines, hybrid children appear one of three ways- appearing completely human, appearing completely monster, and appearing as a mix of both. Regardless of appearance they will have either incredibly strong or fairly harmless magic, with very little in between. Those with strong magic are very easily considered "dangerous demons" or "cursed" and tormented (such as King Darius prior to his rise to power and his general.)

There's also some fun myths and whatnot but this is already kinda rambly

If you've got any other questions feel free to shoot me an ask!