#asuka pack

[poemsforay]

✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧✮ LIKE/REBLOG

[layoutdump]

random layouts for twitter !!

[wrestlesource]

May I have Asuka icons, pls? 🥹

hii angel !! how about nine? i hope these are okay!! sorry for the wait <3

[meimeidesu]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1994)

[yanfactorials]

[futuremrscameron]

weird girl!kook

weird girl!kook is a social outcast amongst her fellow kooks; they didn’t her strange and offputting for her macabre paintings

she loves people watching; it helps her gain inspiration for new paintings, and it’s fun. it gives her an insight on the lives of kildare’s “elite”

her parents are both artists, so she loves to joke that she never stood a chance. one of her mothers works with charcoal and the other is a sculptor so she was surrounded by the limitless potential of expression through art since before she could talk

has two ferrets named ‘asuka’ and ‘shinji’ and they’re her babies. if they’re not rolling around on her bed they’re fighting and she’s constantly having to break them up

she does not have many non artist friends and even her non artist friends are a little artsy in their own way (ie; kiara)

knew of jj before officially meeting at midsummers. she was intrigued by the party animal front he puts up in front of everyone that barely masks his cruelty

wanted to drop out of kildare private academy and focus on her art but her parents convinced her to stay and graduate so she could at least her her high school diploma and when that didn’t work, access to their art supplies

smokes like a fucking chimney. not weed mind you, though she does get her stash from the mainland, cigarettes. she says it helps her think and that it’s good for stress but really she just likes the smell

weird girl!kook finds herself inexplicably drawn to jj after their midsummers meeting. she wants to get to know him but doesn’t want to seem desperate or like a school girl with a crush but her asking around about him isn’t helping

when he corners her asks her about it, she says it’s purely artistic curiosity, he has a good face and she would like to paint him. this inflates his ego to the gods so of course she has to humble him every so often

their painting sessions are something they both end up looking forward to though admittedly they had a rocky start

“why are you naked?”

he smirks at her blatant disgust, “aren’t you gonna draw me like one of your french girls?”

she rolls her eyes and begins packing up her materials. he frowns. “woah what are you doing?”

“if you’re not gonna take this seriously you can go. i can find someone else.”

he picks up his shirt from the floor and covers his lower half. he’s in front of her in mere seconds when she turns back from pack.

he grabs her arm, “hey hey hey okay wait there’s no need for that. i’m sorry.” she looks at him, trying to gage if he’s genuine. she looks down at his hand on her arm, he lets go.

“sorry.” he scratches his head awkwardly, she takes note of this too.

“you said that already.”

his cheeks flush at her bluntness, “yeah um sorry. sorry.” his face somehow grows pinker.

“you’re good.” she unpacks her paints and looks back at him, “well get dressed we’ve got work to do.”

he grins, “yes ma’am.”

she looks down at the arm he grabbed. goosebumps

often home alone because he mothers go to the mainland to sell their art as a kid she hated it but now she’s thankful she doesn’t have to explain why the infamous jackson genrette is sneaking out her room at 8 am

surprisingly not a lightweight, jj finds out the hard way when he tries to challenge her to a drinking game. she knew he was trying to get her drunk to fuck her so of course she hustled him, pretending not to know the rules and struggle in the first round only to kick his ass in the second, third, and fourth round. she ends up carrying him back to hers

her colorful outfits and makeup makes her stand out more than anything but she refuses to change it despite the drawbacks (being perceived) it’s how she expresses herself outside of her art

she hates being the center of attention but loves receiving praise for her art, this double edged sword always strikes when she offers to paint sets and props for school plays. she ends up the talk of the school for a month before she happily goes back to being the outcast

weird!girl!kook doesn’t realize she likes jj until he pulls up to her house in his motorcycle on one of their non-meeting days. he tells her to get dressed cause he just wanted to see her. he convinces her to take him up to the roof so they can look at the stars. he points out every constellation he can find and tells her about his mom teaching him all about them. it’s the softest and most genuine she’s ever seen him

thinks rafe is weird and sketchy but understands why him and jj are friends. rafe thinks she’s weird and sketchy but knows she’s exactly jj’s type. they get along for his sake

has jj saved as ‘my muse’ in her phone. jj has her saved as ‘sexy da vinci’ before he gets serious about her and ‘eye of the beholder’ after they start dating

no one understands how or why they’re together because they’re so different and they don’t seem to like each other, at least that’s what it looks like to outsiders. they still haven’t gotten over that time she called him a dirty dog after he asked her to put her cigarette out on him while he was drunk (she did)

weird!girl!kook who hopes to leave outer banks share her art with the rest of the world and secretly hopes jj will come along

—————————————————————————

this took me a minute cause it was not planned but as always tell me what you thought, positive or negative just keep it classy. <3

(i wonder if anyone will catch the iwtv inspo)

[edgessunflower]

Hi!! I don’t know if you’re taking requests rn but I wanted to send mine anyway! Can you do Rhea Ripley x f! Reader where reader gets injured in a match and Rhea is like super overprotective and helps reader patch up? SORRY I JUST LOVE THE INJURED X READER.

BUT ITS UP TO YOU! HAVE A GOOD DAY 💕💕💕

Softie underneath

Pairing: Rhea Ripley x Fem reader

Description: You get hurt in your match with Asuka and Rhea loses it before patching you up

The match between you and Asuka had started off having a split 50/50 turn out but now halfway through it only grew with how the two of you countered, fought, and bounced off each other even countering her infamous mist. You get the upper hand after ducking down making her mist Charlotte who was standing on the apron taking advantage by getting a pin that only reached two leading things to go down hill when charlotte jumps in as you deal with an angry asuka making the match a two on one disadvantage fighting back as hard as you could until they put your head in between a chair suplexing you out of the ring onto the floor only hearing the chair land as seeing the announcement table before everything went dim and started ringing not hearing the loud music blare through the arena as your rage filled girlfriend ran down and jumped in the ring releasing hell on the two women in the ring chasing them out of the ring feeling her heart drop finding you unresponsive. She carefully removes the chair afraid to carry you before slowly lifting you in her arms where she takes you to the trainers and paramedics who determined that other than bruising on your back all you had was a concussion, a bleeding nose, and whiplash after she begs and yells at them to figure out what was wrong with you after what happened, you wake up with ice packs on your back and sides looking to see rhea lightly rubbing your cracked knuckles with cotton balls wincing at the sting of the rubbing alcohol making her look at you with relief "I was so worried about you" she smiles kissing your temple before cleaning and wrapping your knuckles in bandages helping you lean up holding your head "Go slow you're okay" she puts her hoodie on you and grabs you water being right by your side. After Raw finally finishes she carries you to the car driving back to your shared hotel room where she helps you change and lays you in bed giving you Ibuprofen before holding you in her arms watching movies smiling sweetly with your head on her chest "You're a softie underneath the badass attitude" she raises a brow as you giggle as you tangle your hands in her hair "I'm not soft I just love you with all my heart" she presses a warm kiss to your lips running your hand over her side "You're still a softie for me" she shakes her head with a chuckle wrapping you in her arms again knowing after how she acted earlier after telling you everything that you were right she indeed was a softie and it was only for you.

[tricitymonsters]

I love this game so much!! :D

Whenever you have time of day, pls Kazu fluff I need it pls!!! 💙

Thank you so much ;w; !!

Here's some Soft Kazu ideas that are currently rattling around in my noggin:

The judicious overreaction when someone is a dick to you in public. Catcalled? Cut in line? Had your machine stolen at the gym? Kazu will materialize out of nowhere and throw that person like a shot put.

His arm goes on your shoulders while you walk. You go on the inside of the sidewalk, he stays on the outside. He opens the doors for you. No he is not taking any criticism about this.

When you go somewhere on his motorcycle, he makes you sit in front of him and leans his upper half over you the whole time.

Has accepted that you are going to steal his clothes.

Makes you lunch and gets real Nagging Mom about it if he discovers you suck at cooking or caring for yourself. You'll end up with packed lunches or him dropping off food at the beginning of the week for you to subsist on.

When you go to Korean Barbeque or Yakiniku, he is the one who grills and distributes the food, you just sit there and are given food.

He'll also gravitate towards ordering for you at restaurants he likes if you let him. Mostly he knows what's really good here but lacks the social skills to make a suggestion out of it.

If you ride in one of his cars, he does that thing where he puts his arm out across your chest if he has to brake hard.

He glares and glowers when you try to patch up any minor injuries he sustains but he lets you get into his space just the same.

After much begging and pleading on your part he does martial arts moves he calls Showoff Hollywood Shit where he does aerial kicks or breaks blocks/boards or vertically split axe kicks just to prove that he can but you can also tell he is eating up the chance to show off his skills.

He starts infodumping about weird stuff when he really likes you. What idols he likes, how he can't stand Asuka vs Rei discourse, Love Live, Did You Know Power Rangers was just Super Sentai Footage Dubbed Over with New Super American Footage Replacing the Rest??

He about dies of embarrassment when you catch him pinstriping/detailing his own autowork. The more you gush over his skills the redder he gets until you could cook an egg on his face.

BAKERS' DOZEN: Getting him to open up about his past, experience in prison, his scars. He'd much rather hear you talk about your life but after a certain point, you'll be able to coax him into relaxing a little.

[hamartia-mmff]

the pack | dog breed edition

Fand es witzig die einzelnen Crewmitglieder einer Hunderasse zuzuordnen, nachdem Vi als Käpt'n ein dog theme hat :') Sagt mir gerne, ob ihr der Meinung seid, dass ich die Hunderasse eures OCs getroffen habe oder ob ihr vielleicht eine bessere Idee habt :D

Vi | mixed-breed dog

Vi sehe ich als einen Mischlingshund mit spitzen Ohren und schwarzem Fell. Bild zeigt (glaube ich) einen Kreuzung zwischen Husky und einem Groenendael und aber so in etwa stelle ich mir auch immer Vi's Hunde vor :3 Liebe einfach wie perfekt die Heterochromie zu Vi's Auge passt.

Rhys | golden retriever

Rhys gibt mir einfach peak golden retriever boyfriend energy :') Für mich persönlich ist diese Hunderasse auch immer so freundlich, happy und etwas aufgedreht, was zu Rhys passt :D

Zelos | doberman

Der Dobermann ist für mich so ein "eleganter" Hund und mit dem Wissen über Zelos Hintergrund passt der Vibe für mich einfach :') Die Hunderasse hat so etwas fancy, athletisches, gepaart mit etwas Arroganz.

Bastet | American Cocker Spaniel

Wenn ich an Bastets Haare denke und wie sie beschrieben sind, dann kommt mir sofort Susi von Susi und Strolch in den Sinn :') *little nostalgia vibe* und Susi ist eben ein American Cocker Spaniel, not much brain went into this :')

Liri | Vizsla

Der Vizsla oder der Kurzhaarige Ungarische Vorstehhund (was so viel uncooler klingt xD) ist eine Rasse die u.a. vielseitig als Jagdhund eingesetzt wird. Die Hunderasse oder Vorgänger davon sollen von den Hunnen nach Ungarn mitgebracht worden sein und wenn ich mir Liris kulturellen Hintergrund so ansehe, der an die Hunnen und Mongolen angelehnt ist, fand ich diese Hunderasse sehr passend.

Der Prophet | Xoloitzcuintle 

Ich schwöre, ich war hier so kurz davor, dass ich einfach einen Hund mit Kapuze hinsetzte, weil keiner der Leser weiß wie der Prophet unter seiner Kutte aussieht :'D Aber dann bin ich über den Xoloitzcuintle oder Xolo gestolpert und fand diese Rasse ganz cool. Sie stammt aus Mexiko und geht auf Azteken zurück. Sein Name bedeutet so viel wie "Hund des Gottes Xolotl ", welcher wiederum die Gottheit des Blitzes, des Todes und des Unglücks ist. Der Xolo soll die Seelen der Verstorbenen ins Jenseits begleitet haben und der Hund gibt mir etwas ein uncanny feeling, je länger ich ihn anschaue, deswegen hat er einen guten Propheten-Vibe :'D

Fly | Pomeranian

Pomeranian ist einfach super cute okay? :') Nein aber ehrlich, Fly ist natürlich eine kleine süße Hunderasse, aber meiner Erfahrung nach können die kleinen Wauwaus auch ganz schön laut rumbellen und knurren oder auch aggro werden, also auch wie die kleine Fly, sollte man sie nicht unterschätzten und nur als süß abstempeln.

Askuka | Afghanischer Windhund

Für Asuka wollte ich einen hübschen, eher "feminin" wirkenden Hund haben und ich bin der Meinung, dass der Afghanische Windhund einfach gorgeous aussieht (: Der gibt mir so richtige Modelallüren xD

Jay | Portugiesischer Wasserhund

Für Jay musste ein wasserliebender Hund her, da kam diese hier gerade recht. Der Wasserhund war früher in Portugal in der Fischerei essenziell. Er bewachte Boote und half sogar beim Fischfang indem er Fischschwärme erschnüffelte, in Wasser sprang und Fische ins Netz trieb etc. Außerdem liebe ich es, dass Jays leicht wellige etwas das Fell/die Ohren des Wasserhundes widerspiegeln :'D

Sune | Katze, die denkt sie wäre ein Hund

Bitte auf die Katze achten, nicht auf den Hund xD Ich glaube Annie hatte diese Referenz bereits schon mal auf ask gebracht, aber ich finde die es passt einfach so verdammt gut zu Sune und seinem Verhalten, dass er sich für einen Hund hält und versucht das Rudel/die anderen Hunde nachzuahmen, obwohl er eine Katze ist. I just love it :D

[alectoperdita]

jou makes kaiba a character bento of blue eyes. kaiba believes this is a murder attempt via starvation because how can he eat blue eyes

Anon, I'm not sure if this was what you were hoping for, but here we go.

---

"Fubuki, if you don't put on your jacket this minute, I'm punting you out the door like a football!"

A child's screeching echoed through the high-ceiling foyer, followed by two sets of footsteps pounding across the marble.

Seto listened, barely straining to make out the sound of his husband giving chase to their four-year-old son. There was Fubuki's obstinate "no!", the clatter of some piece of furniture, and Katsuya's bitten-off swearing. After a beat, he considered getting up and checking on them.

But then, bright amber eyes, framed by golden blond bangs, peered up from his lap. Asuka, swinging her legs gently, reached out with one chubby hand to offer him a mini-sausage off her plate.

"They'll sort it out," he muttered, both to himself and her.

Her response was to wave the sausage more insistently. The beginning of a pout formed on her stained lips.

Quickly, he bent over and took a small bite. This was their bargain: she finished her breakfast as long as he ate with her. The taste was a bit on the bland side. But she was three, so they didn't want to flavor her food too heavily.

Beaming with pride, his daughter stuffed the rest into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out, reminiscent of a chipmunk.

Seto couldn't help but grin at the picture he made. His hand was halfway into his pocket for his phone before he caught himself. God, he was becoming one of those parents.

Thankfully, his husband's reappearance in the kitchen door restored his dignity. Katsuya's hair was tousled and sticking out in every which way, reminding Seto of their youth. He leaned heavily against the door jamb, using the frame to support himself and the bundle hefted under one arm. Fubuki kicked his feet wildly as they dangled in the air, but it wasn't in a tantrum. He enjoyed being carried like a sack of potatoes for some reason.

"Got 'em," Katsuya grunted, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. It was a dreadfully handsome look on him. "Is Asuka ready to go?"

Seto plucked the napkin off the dining table and wiped her face clean. As soon as he finished, he invited her to wordlessly hop down from his lap. Without further prompting, she lifted both arms so he could help her into her jacket.

"Now she is," he announced and stood.

Asuka laughed and twirled, before running to join Katsuya and Fubuki.

As much as Seto could spend the rest of the day staring at his impossible family, the kids were due at kindergarten and he had an early meeting. While Katsuya tidied the children's appearance, zipping up Fubuki's jacket resoundingly so he couldn't throw it off, Seto brought over the bentos from the kitchen counter.

He arched a questioning eyebrow at his husband as he handed them off. "Don't you think you've overdone it?"

In addition to each child's usual bento box, there was a two-tiered one. Then again, Katsuya always slipped comfortably into the role of house husband when it was the off-season for the pro-circuit.

Warmth spread through Seto's body when their hands brushed. Katsuya's fingers purposefully lingered on his wrists. Nor did he let go after he closed his palms over the back of Seto's hands, drawing him in for a short kiss.

Katsuya smiled. "Nah, the big one's for you."

"You didn't have to."

"Someone says you've been skipping lunch lately. So now you don't have an excuse."

Seto sighed. "Isono."

"I'm not giving up the identity of my mole that easily." Katsuya gave a wink.

Another kiss, a muttered goodbye; and then they were gone. The mansion always felt eerily quiet without them.

*****

Meetings were the bane of his existence. On days like today, when they were packed back-to-back, Seto longed for a megalomaniac or two. At least they had the decency to settle matters, even if it was of life and death, through Duel Monsters.

He collapsed into his office chair for the first time since he arrived hours ago. At the moment, he couldn't bear to check his inbox and see how many messages awaited his attention.

Likely too many.

For now, he wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet of his private office.

Eventually, his gaze roamed across his desk's surface: paperwork, pens, photos of his family, a black two-tier bento box.

He straightened.

He'd completely forgotten about the lunch Katsuya made for him until now.

Well, it was lunch time. He didn't have an excuse now as Katsuya said earlier. And he so hated to disappoint his husband. Plus, he liked Katsuya's cooking.

The top level contained an assortment of side dishes: a small salad, stewed beef and vegetables, and a couple of the same hot dog octopuses Katsuya always made for the children's bentos. But the tier below that? Seto gawked at what he uncovered.

Katsuya had been making character bento for Fubuki and Asuka since the start of autumn. The kids loved showing off their colorful arrangements to their classmates. Over time, Seto too had watched his husband get increasingly more creative and elaborate with their lunches.

It appeared he was no exception.

A rather faithful depiction of his ace monster stared back at him. Shaped out of suspiciously blue-tinted rice, his Blue-Eyes roared triumphantly at a background of black rice. It was mostly the head, neck, and upper shoulders with a hint of the wings, but Katsuya had captured its essence, using carefully cut pieces of dried seaweed to fill in the finer details and contour.

Seto wondered how long it took him to make this.

He snapped a photo for posterity. Then he tested his husband.

I think your plan may have backfired.

Katsuya responded instantly.

Why's that?

There's no way I can wreck her majesty.

I love you, even if you are a huge dork.

[thevioletcaptain]

Day two of the @spnficrecfest is all about kink!

Given that Dean has several established kinks in canon, I've decided to list one fic for each! Which kinks in particular? I'm talking cowboys, tentacles, satiny panties, doctors, and being dominated by his partners -- whether that means being slapped around, or just being given some sexy rules to follow.

Some of these fics are set in the canon universe and some are AU, but all of them feature or explore some aspect of one of Dean's canonically established kinks. Enjoy!

boy leave your boots by the bed by an_ardent_rain Explicit | 9.8k | 🤠

I've had this fic on my to-read list since it was published last September, and I'm so mad at myself for leaving it so long. It's post-canon, set in the open-world Heaven 2.0 that Jack and Cas made, and Dean's cowboy kink not only features heavily throughout, it also serves a catalyst for change in Dean and Cas' relationship. It's hot and sweet in equal measure, and just a really beautifully written fic.

Dean and Castiel's Lagoon of Love by almaasi Explicit | 12.5k | 🐙

This one is described by the author as "Tentacle Porn For People Who Don't Usually Enjoy Tentacle Porn." While I can't speak to how true that might be, this enjoyer of tentacles had a great time. Set in an alternate canon where Cas remained human, the fic opens with Team Free Will arriving back at the bunker after a witch turned Cas into an octopus from the waist down. Dean's desire to have him act out the story of "Sweet Princess Asuka Meets the Tentacles of Pleasure" cannot be repressed, and Cas is more than willing to play along. Just normal boy bestie things!

Satin and Sawdust by Ltleflrt Explicit | 159k | 🩲

If you haven't already read Satin and Sawdust, let this be the day you check it out -- and if you have already read it, here's a sign that it's time to read it again. For the uninitiated, this AU is a rare treat in which Cas is the one having a sexuality crisis, all thanks to his neighbor (and handyman) Dean, whose low-riding waistband and extensive collection of lacy underwear is rapidly driving him out of his mind. It's been a while since I read this fic, but I was just thinking of it earlier this week, so it's definitely time to dive back in. (Side note, the fact that I can't change the color of the underwear emoji is an attack on my freedom of expression or whatever.)

Gimme the News by robotsnchicks Explicit | 1.9k | 🥼

This AU oneshot leans into Dean's medical kink, as he goes to see Doctor!Cas about a potentially "lost" sex toy, and requests a thorough examination. It's tightly written, packing plenty into 1,960 words, and also has some really great characterization -- from Dean's blend of humor and horniness to Cas' exasperation... and horniness. If you're worried about potential dubcon, check the author's end notes for some spoilers left out of the main fic tags :)

dying to let you know by bisexualsage Explicit | 4.7k | 🙇‍♂️

One of my absolute favorite things is when authors use kink as a vehicle for character exploration, and this established relationship post-canon ficlet delivers -- digging into why both Dean and Cas enjoy the dynamics they've found themselves playing out in the bedroom. This fic does have a dash of daddy kink, so beware of that if it's a squick!

Check under the cut for links to all of the rec lists I make for this fest! I'll update with new links as I post them :)

Day One - Purgatory Era Day Two - Dean's Canon Kinks Day Three - Long Fics Day Four - Alternate Universes Day Five - Rare Pairs Day Six - Case Fics Day Seven - Tropes Day Eight - Gen Fics Day Nine - Vintage Fics Day Ten - Coda Fics Day Eleven - Mystery List

[wrestlesource]

Hiii, could I get some Asuka gif banners, I'm planning on making a rp account for her.

hiii angel !! i hope these are okay. you didn't specifically ask for a certain era so i did semi-recent! if you need more just let me know!

[msbigredmachine]

MY WRESTLEMANIA 40 PREDICTIONS

Wrestlemania 40 starts tonight. Wish I was in the States right now 😭 I had to put in my 2 cents on how the show is going to go down.

This is my opinion and nothing more.

-----------

NIGHT ONE

Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch for the Women's World Title - I think someone else is dethroning Rhea. She’s way too popular right now too.

Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE Intercontinental Title - same as above. Someone more formidable is dethroning Gunther.

The Judgment Day (Finn Balor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) in a Six-Pack Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE tag Team Titles - apparently the titles are getting split, so there’s that.

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso - Jimmy has essentially been booked as a joke. He needs this win more than Jey does. Jey will be fine, but for some melodramatic reason I see Jey sacrificing himself for his big brother’s sake.

Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane) - no brainer. WWE are not letting Jade lose her very first match.

Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio - Dragon Lee has been replaced by Andrade. The result won’t change because Carlito will turn on Rey for looking him over again.

Roman Reigns and The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth "Freakin'" Rollins - Why have another standard main event match when Bloodline Rules stipulation has been thrown out there? Also, Rock pins Cody. The storyline has focused much more on them and this heaps more adversity on Cody to win.

NIGHT TWO

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Title - Seth’s done all he can do with his reign. Drew has earned a title win in front of fans. The Bloodline may cost Seth. No comment on that guest hypocrite commentator.

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley for the WWE Women's Title - No brainer. Bayley gets her redemption story. Iyo has been good but her title reign has run its course.

Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Title - I honestly couldn’t choose, so I picked KO because I like him the best. The match will be fire though.

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles - I’m not very invested in this match. May the better white man win.

Bobby Lashley, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam, and Rezar) in a Philadelphia Street Fight - I’m DEFINITELY not invested in this match. Get Bobby, Montez and Angelo out of this garbage feud, pronto!

Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title - My Tribal Chief has had one of the greatest title reigns and orchestrated one of the most compelling storylines in pro wrestling history. He’s beaten the entire roster. It’s time to move the responsibility of ‘Face of the WWE’ to someone else. I like Cody. Wrestling with a torn pec for 30 mins earned my respect. I think he will do a great job of carrying the company and the matchups will be fresh. It will be Bloodline Rules to make way for all the overbooking that’s going to take place in this match. The Rock will turn on Roman to cost him the title and kick-start their feud for WM41.

-----------

Thoughts? Am I thinking too much into all of this, lol. Mania is going to be awesome!

[karizard-ao3]

I think you said it more as a joke but what would the roller derby Asuka one shot consist of?

Probably Shinji unexpectedly showing up at a bout. Rei is the team manager and probably not aware that Shinji and Asuka a) know each other, and b) are tortured by the sheer volume of sexual tension between them. She just likes getting to see her nephew. So, she invites him to come see a game and lo and behold! There's Asuka!

I feel like she'd want to be the jammer but she's stuck as a blocker usually, except today the jammer is sick and they're letting her have a chance. So she's zipping around the track, spots Shinji, and wipes out. She gets a bloody nose maybe? She's so embarrassed. She has to sit by the side until her nose stops bleeding and Shinji hurried over to check on her and she yells at him and he apologizes and then Rei is like, "I didn't know you knew each other!"

Pretty soon Asuka is back on the track and afterward Shinji comes to tell her she looked really cool and to admire her. She shrugs it off but is secretly pleased.

Then, he shows up to the next match as well and this time he's got a first aid kit and some ice packs and sits in the front row and cheers for her.

When they decorate their team T-shirts, she makes one for him, but she can't give it to him in a nice way, so she throws it at him and says she messed that one up so he can have it, but it's a men's shirt and it's way too big for her, so he knows she's full of shit. He wears it to her next bout.

[brightblurr]

Most improved Gundam SEED FREEDOM Character...

Hands down has to be Shinn Asuka. His character improved in every single aspect. Even though I love what they did with Athrun (having him grow into being confident in what he is doing, without being influenced by someone else, settling with Cagalli, being the legendary pilot he has been from the beginning, being absolutely CLUTCH), I know Shinn stole the entire movie because the theatre I was in erupted when he was on scene in the Destiny.

I think the movie did an amazing job of showing that Shinn was actively trying to change, and for the better. In GSD Final Plus, we know Kira invites Shinn to work with him. This is enough to make Shinn join COMPASS to work with Kira. He keeps saying he wants to help Kira shoulder the burden he has. Kira constantly eclipses Shinn's potential as a pilot.

The movie does a fantastic job of showing Shinn in the Immortal Justice, a Gundam that runs on a battery that is acceptable in a non-nuclear world, that is built with Athrun Zala's piloting style in the Infinite Justice in mind. This machine, while symbolically the partner to the Rising Freedom, is not meant for Shinn. It symbolizes that while Shinn wants to work with Kira, his machine isn't meant for him. Shinn not only doesn't like the armaments on the Immortal Justice (his mobile suits, especially the Destiny, seem to have mid-range options, while the Immortal Justice is very much close range), it also runs battery operated. Shinn is one of the only Cosmic Era pilots to drain batteries quickly. In the Impulse, he drained them and needed replacements fast. He isn't like Kira, who can work under constraints.

The moment Shinn receives the Destiny, he gets access to his preferred armaments, to a nuclear powered pack (something that he benefits from immensely), AND to the symbolic power he gave up. The Destiny was his final, all powerful suit, and it was misused in GSD. He was panicky, angry, emotional and unfocused because of what he was doing. He didn't have the backing he did now. The thing I enjoyed the most is that we have not one, but two uses of Shinn's music in GSF. There is the use of Kakusei Shinn Asuka from Gundam SEED DESTINY in parts of the theme while Shinn is in the Destiny Spec II. There is the use of Impulse! Shutsukegi while he is taking off in the Destiny. There is no shortage of callbacks to the Shinn in the beginning of Destiny who was the hero. The music is symbolic that Shinn has gone back to being right. He knows the course he's on.

We have the ultimate tell-all when Meteor by T.M. Revolution, a theme meant for Kira when he is heroically charging into battle, ends with Shinn's Destiny destroying three Black Knight units. Meteor is still the theme of the hero flawlessly saving his allies. But it isn't Kira's, because Kira doesn't flawlessly save his allies. It becomes Shinn's because he is. Shinn is positioned again to be the hero that he didn't get to be in Destiny.

On the far left, we have Kira and Athrun, who win against their enemies with cinematic backdrops. Their choices in music highlight that their battled were difficult. Athrun had meticulous planning and Cagalli's support. Kira needed the Mighty Strike Freedom to fight Orphee, and Lacus's psychic powers. The only person who didn't need anything, who essentially did what Kira did when he received his new Freedom units during SEED and DESTINY, is Shinn.

I was amazed, absolutely amazed, at how Fukuda somehow redeemed a character who we left off with as a childish, angry villain. Shinn had no personality traits that made him likeable at the end of DESTINY. Having him show up with the one thing he could find - wanting to work to a better world with Kira - and highlight how his change in mindset essentially made him better, was genius.

It gets even more intense when you read the novel. You have Aura Maha Khyber constantly going on and on about Durandal, how she was influenced by him. The Black Knight squad constantly goes on about how much Durandal was like a father to them too. But they degrade Shinn, who was Durandal's ace pilot. They look down on him, berate his skills, assume he's no good. When reading all of the above in that context, the added layer that Shinn destroys them in the Destiny Spec II, a machine that Durandal originally made for Shinn, is the best storywriting possible. It shows that they underestimated Durandal's own discovery. Durandal, who might have been wrong about everything, was not wrong about discovering Shinn. Shinn did turn out to be a gem of a pilot. He needed the right armaments (something Kira needs too, fyi), the right motivation, and the right people supporting him.

I really like that Shinn found his support group in Kira and Lunamaria. I like that he grew from where he ended off in Destiny into a dependable ally to Kira. Where Athrun always had the confidence as a pilot, Shinn needed to show that he was always good. That he was the "Freedom Killer" for a reason. He was Durandal's ace pilot for a reason.

Never in a million years would I have thought that a movie titled Gundam SEED FREEDOM would make me love Shinn Asuka and the Destiny more.

Another important thing I think needs to be said is that Durandal also had something correct about Athrun. Athrun is able to pilot anything. He pilots Goufs, GINNs... He pilots the Z'Gok. He pilots the Aegis (basically a mobile armour). He was meant to pilot the Legend. Ironic name aside (Athrun is basically a legend in GSF, with every single villain going on about how good he was), the DRAGOON system in the Legend should have been hard for him to use. In Gundam SEED FREEDOM, Athrun uses the Strike Freedom, with its much more difficult DRAGOON system, and he does it so well that Shura doesn't even realize it isn't Kira.

Durandal knew his pilots and their capabilities so well. How insane that he knew Athrun could handle a DRAGOON system.

[nowoyas]

koi no yokan 33: getting over heartbreak with yuu (nishinoya yuu/reader)

First - Prev - Next - M.list 1-30 - M.list 30-60 - Ao3

A/N: here's to moving forward 🥂

Summary: Pick up. Dust off. Move forward.

Warnings and Tags: nothing in particular!

Word Count: ~4600

0: Decide to get over it

Yuu is having a really bad month.

It's reached the point that he's just sort of shuffling through his days. He throws himself into volleyball, ends up with more bruises than is strictly needed. He wants to get mad, but every time he feels it kick up, he sees Mei's scared face and her flinch, and nausea lurches to the surface in its place. In class, he's distracted—he'd really been doing better at paying attention—and with his friends, he's distant.

He comes home from practice, as promised, without running over too late. Mei and Kaede already know, courtesy of Satsuki. He assumes as much, anyway, seeing as the first thing Mei says to him when he drops his bag in the genkan is an awkward, how are you holding up? instead of a welcome back.

Bad. He's holding up bad.

All he really wants is to put a hole in the wall. You'd left at the start of individual practice. In order to avoid you, Yuu had taken his time with cooldown stretches, taken another fifteen minutes in the club room just trying to breathe. He wonders if you'd walked home with Asuka, if he'd rested a hand on your waist and talked to you the whole way, if he'd taken you to your doorstep or split after Sakanoshita. He imagines you smiling at something he said, that same fond, sweet smile you grace Yuu with when you don't think he's paying attention. He imagines you not hiding it. Imagines you happy with him. Are you comfortable with him? Do you let that Asuka see the parts of you that Yuu thought were his? Does he know about your mom, your dad, your ex girlfriend?

He stands there, in the doorway, far too long.

"That bad, huh?" Kaede cringes. "Go wash the wax out of your hair and change into your rattiest t-shirt so I can work on you."

He obeys in tired silence. Comes downstairs  with reddened eyes to find that the girls have pulled out the PlayStation. It lingers on a file load screen, no one at the controller. He assumes that's Satsuki's doing—she's disappeared into the kitchen, followed by the scents of popcorn and chocolate chip cookies and bleach. Probably already had her hair done, judging by the cut hair already scattered on the Hair Night Floor Tarp™ and the bleach smell.

Hair night transforms their living room this way—Soba nowhere in sight, locked in one room or another to avoid any unfortunate bleach or hair accidents. Usually, she spends the night meowing herself hoarse, but tonight, she's quiet, like she knows. Last night, she'd clawed the shit out of the leg of the dining room table, and Yuu's litterbox pass had showed a bigger mess than usual. Mei says she's reacting to her environment, that she can tell everyone's been upset and she's stressed. That certain members of the family haven't been around.

For the sake of the floor and ease of cleaning up, Kaede lays a tarp out in the living room, moves around the couches and the coffee table. Brings in a chair from the kitchen to sit in, while her victim sits on the floor in front of her. Later, they'll put it all back as a family—Kaede will pack up her box of ambiguous Hair Stuff, Mei will scrub out the bathroom sink and shower to make sure no chemicals stain anything. Satsuki and Yuu will handle the hair clippings, the tarp. Move the furniture back in place together while Kaede and Mei tell them no, I think it was further left before, and it'll never quite go back the same, and next time, they still won't take a picture before they move everything.

Yuu flops over the armchair. He doesn't remember the last time his shoulders felt so heavy, the last time it felt so hard to talk. At least the inability to focus on anything important is familiar. He watches Mei and Kaede with muted interest—Mei showing Kaede something on her phone, likely a reference photo. Kaede reacting with surprise, then a wicked grin. Probably something drastic, like taking two whole inches off where it sits at her waist.

"Yuu, are you making any big changes this time around, or more of the same?"

He shrugs. "Don't really care."

"Hair therapy's a real thing," Satsuki says, already shoving popcorn in her mouth as she re-emerges. She looks stupid, the foils in her bangs flopping a little as she walks. "I dunno why boys don't bother, but seeing as you're going through some heartbreak shit, you should do something new with it."

"You've never changed your hair in my entire life," he grumbles back.

She shrugs, snatches up the controller. "I've never had my heart broken. Usually, I'm the one who breaks them. Also usually, because people don't fucking listen to me when I tell them I'm not in it for commitment. "

"Satsuki, you know the rules," Kaede interrupts. "No couch until after we wash your hair out."

"Ugh, you're such a bummer. Fine." Satsuki slides off the couch, landing on the tarp-covered floor (a precaution Mom had insisted on) with a thump. "As I was saying, I accept no responsibility for some girl getting her heart broken because she formed expectations that were completely contrary to what I told her I was in it for."

Nausea lurches in his stomach. You tried telling him, didn't you? Was he stupid not to believe you? "Lucky you."

For a moment, Satsuki almost looks competent at the JRPG she's playing. Almost. She comes up on a boss and dies pretty damn quickly, though.⁴⁶

"Are we gonna talk about that?" Mei asks. "Do we hate her now?"

"Yes," Satsuki says.

"No," Yuu corrects.

Satsuki rolls her eyes. "Dude, she spent a month—"

"I know," he snaps. "My problem and my heart, alright? And I say we don't hate her."

"I'm just sayin', you could stand to be a little mad at her."

"You're the one who just said you don't accept responsibility for girls who got their hopes up after you told them otherwise, or whatever. She warned me and I didn't listen. My fault."

"Okay, but you're my brother. I'm on your side by default."

"I'm not asking you to pick sides! I'm actually telling you guys not to do that!"

"Yuu," Kaede interrupts softly. "You're getting worked up. Deep breaths and clench and unclench your fists, like you've been practicing. Satsuki, stop antagonizing him. Yuu says we don't hate her, so we don't, alright?"

A tense moment. Yuu tries his best to breathe, to clench his fists so hard they ache, to release the pent-up energy as he releases his grip. Satsuki's character lets out a dying cry onscreen.

"…fine. Sorry. Can we get the story now, by the way? Nee-san says I should be nicer about the situation, so I'm trying."

He lets out a shaky breath. "She's dating Baseball Asshole."

"Right. Can we get facts I can't get from Hitomi-chan? Or maybe ones that you didn't get from me? They just started dating last night, but you haven't been talking to her, like, all week. Fight predates the relationship."

"Baseball Asshole tried to crash our lunch date. I tried to tell him to fuck off, and he did, but then she got mad at me and told me not to overstep with her friends."

"And then she stopped talking to you?" Mei asks. Kaede is taking off… a lot of her hair.

He groans. "It's more that I stopped talking to her. I didn't want to apologize."

Kaede's eyes burn straight through to his soul. Now that he's said it out loud, he just feels like an asshole. "Yuu. You're better than that."

"I know! I just—she—I didn't want to apologize for trying to tell her about a complete shithead who had his sights on her, and maybe usually I'd just suck it up and do it or we'd have one real fight and I'd get loud and then we'd make up and it'd be done, but I just keep thinking about the asshole, and I don't want to be him, and every time I start getting angry I just get scared, and I—I couldn't calm down long enough to talk to her."

Kaede lets out an annoyed grunt. "See, I was going to give you this whole big sisterly talk about how it's okay if this whole incident is a dealbreaker for you and obviously the two of you being exclusive was sort of implied, but now I'm just trying to hold back on lecturing you when you're already heartbroken."

"You don't gotta tell me. I get it. Besides, we were actually talking about that before I fucked up. Baseball Asshole interrupted me before I could tell her that actually, I wasn't going to be dating or chasing anyone else while trying to get her to marry me and she should just go out with me to make it easier."

Mei sighs. "She told Satsuki and I once that she'd marry you if you hit a thousand no matter what. Even if it meant breaking up with a guy to uphold her end of the bet."

He flinches. "She was saying something like that to me, too."

Satsuki lets out a sigh of her own. "She told me today that she didn't know why she was dating him. Something about how anyone short of an actual therapist wouldn't be able to figure out what the fuck—"

"—language, Satsuki—"

"—what the fuck!—her problem was. Nee-san, don't ride my ass about language when you're letting Yuu say whatever he wants."

Kaede huffs, but doesn't press it. Satsuki snatches a cookie off the plate, holds it up just short of Yuu's face. He doesn't really feel like cookies right now, but she rarely takes no for an answer, so…

"Oh, and she asked me to look after you and said that it was, quote, safer like this. She's determined not to leave Asuka, but she also said it'd destroy her if the two of you dated and it didn't work out."

He chokes on the cookie, thumps his chest firmly. His heart is racing in his throat. "She what?"

Satsuki just shrugs. "I don't know what her deal is, but it sounds like she's determined to protect the both of you by making you both miserable."

The timer interrupts his thought. Satsuki hops up, leaving the popcorn bowl aside. "Gotta go shower this shit out. Don't do anything crazy, 'kay, Yuu? Maybe you'll have better luck than I am with beating this blond asshole up."

In her absence, Kaede and Mei fill the space. Yuu gets up to take the controller and suffer a few more deaths to this boss for Satsuki.

"What am I even supposed to do with that?" he asks as the tears spring up. "She doesn't want to hear from me. She won't even look at me at practice anymore, and I don't blame her. Every time I try to talk to her, I freeze up because I just think about Baseball Asshole and all the dirt Satsuki has on him, and he's gonna hurt her, and then I get more pissed off, and—"

He dies quite unceremoniously. He casts the controller aside and presses the heels of his palms into his eyes, hard enough to hurt a little.

"You're scared."

"And now she's dating the guy, and if I start hitting her with all this stuff about how his last two girlfriends were at the same time, she's just gonna get angrier at me. I keep thinking that—that she's gonna turn around and say she's sorry, this was just one of her tests and she never wanted to hurt me, and she's gonna knock like fifty proposals off what I still need for the trouble so I can tell her I'll accept her apology if she goes on a date with me or something."

"Alright, Mei, you're all set. How do you feel?"

Mei sucks in a breath as she looks into the mirror Kaede's provided. She's gone to a bob, for some reason, an actual pile of hair surrounding her. It kinda suits her. "Panicky."

"Threat level?"

"Two. It looks great, I just also can't believe I actually did that."

"You look good! Yuu, you're up. Come sit."

He sits on the floor in front of Kaede, amid the growing pile of hair on the floor, like Kaede hasn't just completely brushed off his spiral. Mei takes her place on the couch to stare at herself in the hand mirror and suppress a minor panic attack.

"Final chance. Are we doing anything different from usual?"

He shakes his head.

"So are you gonna back down?"

"Huh?"

"From [name]-chan. You want her to break up with him and come running back to you. That's not gonna happen if you keep sitting here feeling sorry for yourself."

"What am I supposed to do? Beat the shit out of her boyfriend?"

Kaede laughs. "No, but you can be there for her, and apologize for overstepping and cutting her off for a week, and keep being her friend. She's gonna need one if Satsuki's intel holds any weight. You can pick yourself up and try to be happy and try to move on. You can tell her to get her ass over here for dinner this week before Okaa-san breaks down her door to check on her. If and when the guy hurts her, with her permission, then you can beat the shit out of him."

"Need to—to breathe and recover first, I think."

"Why?"

"So I don't say all the wrong shit and basically make sure she never comes back to me."

"So we'll do a little research. Get you through the heartbreak without forgetting her, if that's what you want to do."

"Maybe I'll text the guys," Yuu sighs. "We don't have practice tomorrow. Feel like I need their help in figuring this out."

"You do that, and stop tilting your head back—"

Satsuki returns, takes over the PlayStation. Yuu spends the time that Kaede's working on his hair watching Satsuki finally defeat that fucking boss. When the time comes to rinse and wash, he spends too long in the shower—washing out the bleach, scrubbing his skin too hard, hoping to wash away all of it and everything, to come out someone new, someone who isn't aching at the thought of you.

~

1: Start a journal

The way Yuu sees it, once he's decided to pick himself up and source from the internet and his family, there's a few ways to get over heartbreak. Many of them, he has to throw out—his goal isn't to get over you, only the hurt. He still believes he doesn't have to do both.

There's a few, at least, that are decent even for getting through the million emotions he's dealing with, which is how he finds himself in Mei's room after dinner, watching her rifle through stacks of notebooks.

"You don't have to journal every day," Mei tells him. "Whenever you feel like it is fine, though I find that making an effort to do it every day really helps me sort through my feelings—ah! Here it is!" She produces a fine enough journal—sleek, black, that fake leather for the cover that feels nice enough to the touch.⁴⁷ It looks like something he would have picked for himself if he'd ever thought about journaling on his own time. "Here. It's yours. Even if you just use it to get all your thoughts out tonight, I think it's probably still good to do, and you can keep it forever if you want."

The paper is nice. Too nice, really. He sits at his seldom-used desk in his bedroom and wastes at least a minute of time just feeling it, running his finger up and down the page. The paper is smooth, cold. He has the urge to get up, to pace.

He stays in the chair and begins to write.

Yuu starts with the basics—his list of techniques for getting over the hurt, filling up the first page with notes from how-to articles and what he can remember of his conversation over dinner. The page is filled easily, between his messy handwriting and the options he has, and so he turns the page and begins journaling for real.

He writes about the asshole, about how he's coming to re-understand his favorite sister all over again. Pages and pages of it—his hand is cramping, and yet he keeps writing. About Mei, growing up quiet, about how he never knew why she was like that. Wondering about what she might have been like, if the Nishinoyas would have been a pack of animals otherwise. Instead, this is what they have—Kaede too responsible, Mei too scared. Satsuki too angry or too noncommittal, unwilling to think about anything except what's the most fun in the moment.

He isn't much better—never looking back, always looking towards improving, towards having fun in the best way he knows. Speaking before thinking, if he thinks at all. He thinks maybe he and Satsuki will spend the rest of their lives without really thinking. They'll split the work in Mom's shop, never grow beyond this little town, never grow up enough to break from this sleepy little neighborhood where he lives three doors down from you and never learns how to cook. Someday, you'll move on to something better, some city where you do things. Probably go to college, have a career.

His hand stills. He's written four pages of this, gripping the pencil too tight, wondering if he should have used pen instead. Is that what's wrong with him? Is that why you're with someone else? The only thing in his future plan is to marry you, and now he's not even sure he'll get to do that.

He throws down the pencil, reaches for his phone even though he hasn't finished writing his last sentence. He needs a second opinion.

~

2: Ask a trusted friend for help

Texting Ryuu sees him back in the volleyball gym the next day, even though Coach had given them the day off of practice—both he and Takeda caught the same cold—and even though he had a text about come home early tonight if you can in the family group chat. He's sure it had something to do with the panic in the morning, which Yuu—having slept in—hadn't bothered tuning into.

Ryuu had rallied the troops, which amounts to about half the club, excluding the managers. What for, exactly, Yuu isn't certain, just that it's supposed to help him move forward through the pain and better himself.

"Thank you all for coming to this secret bonus meeting of the Karasuno High School Volleyball Club," Ryuu greets. The guys are posted up in a weird sort of half-circle around the whiteboard. Yuu stands opposite him, ready for whatever this entails. "Today is a really important strategy meeting we've organized, so your participation is encouraged and appreciated!"

"A strategy meeting?" Shouyo echoes, tilting his head. "Oh, for the Spring Tournament? Cool!"

Ryuu laughs darkly, shakes his head. Turns to the whiteboard to write the real topic on the board. When he's finished, he turns and slaps a hand against the surface to punctuate it. "Our topic today is this!" On the board, he's written: Why isn't Noya-san popular, despite being so cool?⁴⁸

Silence. Absolute silence. Yuu feels cold, but refuses to show it.

3: Focus on improving yourself.

Slowly, Tsukishima's hand raises.

"Yes, Tsukishima!"

"Can I go home?"

"I'm glad you asked! No you cannot!"

A long-suffering sigh. "Is this because of [surname]-san's new boyfriend?"

Ryuu clears his throat, uncapped marker in hand. "Everyone here knows Noya-san is cool as hell. He's the coolest guy here. He's manly. His looks aren't awful. And he's not popular with girls."

"Eh?" Shouyo says, tilting his head. "R-really?"

Yuu nods firmly. "Not even a little!"

"But… Why not?"

"That's what we're here to figure out!" Ryuu slaps a hand against the board. "Noya-san, are you prepared to accept whatever opinions may come?"

"Of course." His eyes are firm. "I can take every criticism you have of me!"

"I… don't get it," Kageyama mumbles.

Shouyo shakes his head. "Me neither."

"It's definitely because [name]-chan started dating that guy in the baseball club."

"So!" Ryuu shouts. "Your opinions, please!"

The volleyball club looks on in silence, a few thoughtful noises coming from those few taking it seriously. Shouyo's the first to raise his hand, the first to start the suggestions. Ryuu writes them down as they come in a flurry.

Before long, the remaining white space on the board is filled with ideas, ranging from "too cool" (Shouyo) to "annoying loud" (Tsukishima). The cold has melted away a little—Yuu lets himself go with the flow, lets himself shout when he should, joke around, act like Noya-san. He covers up actual offense with blustering replies.

He kind of feels like going back to that stupid, rambly journal.

And then, when they're on a proper roll, when maybe they're getting somewhere and his friends are figuring out what, exactly, makes him so easy to pass over, the door opens, and the guys fall silent.

Kiyoko leads the charge, but right behind her, mid-rant, is you, carrying a laundry basket as you walk.

"I think I'm just, like, fundamentally broken," you're saying, fully not paying attention. "I mean—oh."

You stop, a deer in headlights, as you notice the guys—Ryuu in a panic, trying to erase the board before you can read anything. The words don't disappear under his hand, nor beneath his sleeve, and with horror, he looks at the marker in his hand.

Yuu has a sinking feeling that it wasn't a dry erase marker.

"Dude, erase it," he hisses.

"Do you have any idea how to get permanent marker off a whiteboard?" Ryuu replies.

"Tanaka, do not tell me you just ruined a whiteboard with—"

"I didn't mean to! Why was there even a permanent marker on the whiteboard tray—"

"Coach Ukai is going to kill you—"

"'Why isn't Noya-san popular with girls, despite being so cool'…?" you read aloud, setting down the basket to approach the group. Yuu can't bring himself to look at your face as you read, but that doesn't stop him from hearing the sad way you sigh. "Noya. This is just cruel."

"Cruel?" he echoes. "I'm just trying to—"

"Ignore basically all of this. It doesn't reflect anything real, and it's mostly just… deprecating. Also, Tanaka-senpai, that isn't how you write despite."

Whatever nervous excuse Ryuu gives is lost on you. You pluck a marker off the tray, inspect it with sad eyes. Make a show of rolling up a single sleeve, of crossing out the word short emphatically. Before anyone can react, you scribble over it furiously, following the lines carefully.

"Can one of you bring me some water and a towel so I can save the whiteboard?" you ask in a dull voice. "In the first place, there's not really great logic involved in asking a bunch of guys how to be popular with girls, Noya-senpai."

"What's your opinion then, [surname]-san?" Shouyo asks. "You're a girl."

Holy fuck. He actually asked you.

You hum thoughtfully as you finish covering short in black marker. "In the first place, anything you can't actually control is a waste of time to think about. You can't decide how tall you are, y'know? And any girl who gets caught up on something like that or treats you like you're lesser for that stuff doesn't deserve you in the first place, and you deserve someone who doesn't treat basic facts about you as something to overlook."

You drag your bare arm over the blacked-out short. Like magic, it's disappeared under your marker—a few sighs are released at the realization. You move right on to childish.

"Okay, so what can I actually do to be better?" Yuu asks.

Your eyes snap to him. It's the first time you've really looked at him directly in a while. "That's… if you're trying to get, like, popular appeal and a fanclub, that's probably not going to happen. Not because there's anything wrong with you, but you've gotta be a certain annoying type of person to garner a fanclub, and there's luck involved. If you're trying to just get a girlfriend, well… pick one girl, and pick better."

"Better?" He raises an eyebrow. "Follow-up question. What do I have to do to get you to realize that you're not a punishment?"

A bitter laugh. The word childish disappears completely under your marker. "This isn't about me. But, just… if people don't see you for who you are, that's their loss. I know it can be frustrating, but I honestly don't think anyone who doesn't like you for… any of the reasons listed up here, really, is gonna be good enough for you. You deserve someone who's actually gonna like you, not the person you're pretending to be to get girls."

"But—"

"My head hurts." You say it too quickly, too firmly, too out-of-nowhere, to be anything but an impulsive lie. "Yacchan, Shimizu-senpai, are you two good if I…"

Kiyoko nods. "Go rest if you need to. We're just doing laundry, anyway."

Your lie is painfully, painfully obvious, but no one is willing to call you on it. The Karasuno High School Volleyball club watches you leave without another word.

When they're sure you're gone, Yuu watches Yachi turn to Kiyoko, begin to whisper. After a moment of feverish, quiet debate, they straighten and turn to him.

"We should probably talk."

46. She's playing Kingdom Hearts 2. She's stuck on the boss in Hollow Bastion. If you've played Kingdom Hearts 2, you know the bastard. (I choose to believe everyone struggled with the pretty bastard and it wasn't just me.) Demyx KH2 do not FUCKING interact. Thank you for your time.

47. It's a Maruman Mnemosyne Journal. As I understand it, pretty popular in Japan, brand-wise, but not exactly the level of, like… Hobonichi or Kokuyo, one of which is currently one of THE foremost planner brands in the game and the other which makes those Campus notebooks you see every anime character using in school. I have a Mnemosyne N195 and the paper is fucking GORGEOUS. Great for fountain pens, really good handfeel, 80gsm. Unfortunately, its quality is totally lost on Noya. Mei must really care for him to let him use a Mnemosyne from her collection. I don't think I could bring myself to—the journals like the one he has are a mite expensive compared to their spiral-bound notebooks.

48. Welcome one, welcome all, to ✨drama CD content ✨, featuring my favorite drama CD for no reasons anyone would be able to guess based on everything about me. I had to make it less goofy shenanigans, but I made it hurt. You're welcome.

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory @kazunish