#but i'm still trying to do backgrounds okay

[hannieehaee]

Idk if you're taking requests but I would give it a short and it would mean so much if you actually wrote smthg bout it.

An angsty fic/drabble where woozi and reader are in a long term established relationship and the reader gets their absolute dream job opportunity but it's far from Korea and she tells it to woozi but they get conflicted since woozi cannot transfer between his work and seventeen and reader does not want to give up this once in a life time opportunity. At the same time they are sceptical about a long distance relationship since reader had already been fed up of how less they get to see and stay with woozi with him travelling and working constantly.

You don't have to write it if it's too complex but I'd love to see cuz I really like the way you write!

content: idol!woozi x nonidol!reader, established relationship, light angst, fluff, long distance relationship, etc.

wc: 716

a/n: thank u so much!! im so sorry for how long i took to get this out!!

masterlist

it'd been a week since you told jihoon about your new work opportunity. a week since the air in your apartment became just a little bit colder and the future slightly more grim.

jihoon had been supportive immediately, congratulating you and insisting on you accepting the position. he'd been as supportive a boyfriend as he'd been in the past two years of your relationship. it filled you with warmth and hope for the future of your relationship.

it wasn't until you'd let him know of the location of said job that things became more sad than hopeful.

although he still maintained his supportiveness, there was now a clear air of worry in his voice any time it'd get brought up.

you'd tried to ignore it, pushing it aside until you found the courage in you to actually accept the position. it was your dream job. a once in a lifetime opportunity. except it was an entire country away from the love of your life. and you only had three more days to accept the offer letter they'd sent to you.

the thought of doing long distance would have been fine had you been anyone else. but you barely got to see your boyfriend as it was. living with him was really the only way for you to spend time together. his busy idol schedule had him going all over the world, and when he was at home he was usually ever at the company or in your shared apartment.

if you left, you'd give up on ever getting to see him.

"babe."

the voice took you away from your train of thought. the same train of thought distracting you for the past week.

you looked away from the tv that had been playing in front of you. you hadn't even been watching it, but the background noise helped.

jihoon was at the entrance of the living room, two mugs in hand as he walked over to you and took his usual seat, silently handing you your mug with a tight smile.

not even a single sip from your drink was taken before the subject filled the room once more.

"you need to take this job."

"jihoon ..."

"no, listen," he turned his body to face you, "you and i, we're a forever thing, okay? i don't care if we have to be away for a while. i'm already living my dream, it's unfair that you don't get to do the same," he argued with conviction in his eyes.

"but, jihoon ... it won't be like when you're touring. we'll never be in the same country at the same time, i-"

his hands went to take your mug, placing it on the coffee table before taking your hands into his own.

"i don't care!", his voice raised without meaning to, "so we'll have a year or two in which we can't be as close as we've always been, so what? it won't matter in the grand scheme of things. we'll be together for forty- no fifty years. a few years of uncertainty won't matter a few years from now. babe, please."

his voice pleaded at you.

he was afraid you'd end it all instead of at least trying.

what made it worse that he refused to consider a possibility in which you didn't go and follow your dream. it was a done deal to him. he loved you that much.

that was all you needed to make a decision.

"i'll take the job," you said decisively.

jihoon released a sigh of relief right away, hand squeezing your own in encouragement.

"i-i'll rent a place big enough for the two of us over there. i'll ask for a week off every six months. i'll have it written into my contract so i can go visit you. and- and we'll keep this place here for any time you have time off. we'll call every night, no matter what. even if it's just for two minutes, we'll- we'll make it work."

all you could do was smile at him.

how could you ever worry about change when he was willing to work so hard to move along with it all?

you kissed him then, shutting him up with no words.

and he understood, kissing you back with just as much unspoken love.

[atlasscrumpit]

BUCKY X READER

You were on a mission with the Avengers newest member, Bucky.

You weren't exactly thrilled to be working with the ex hydra agent. Stopping in a shitty motel for the night you groaned and threw your duffle bag on one of the single beds.

Lately you had been feeling...odd.

Things weren't adding up, maybe your paranoia was returning.

You sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing a spot on the back of your neck.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Bucky asked as you looked up.

"What?"

"You go quiet and rub your neck." He noted as you quickly stopped.

"Nothing, doesn't matter." You replied.

"I'm going to take a shower."

You sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at your hands.

Bucky eventually finished showering, coming out without a shirt and his hair a mess.

"Seriously, what the hell is going on with you?" He asked as you looked up.

"I don't know... Maybe I'm going crazy. I just have this feeling." You muttered standing up and starting to pace.

"Y/N, you're acting insane." He said as you stopped and looked at him.

"What happened when you first joined the team?" You asked as he looked at you in confusion.

"Well, Steve introduced me to the team. I got a room and...that's about it." He said as you bit the inside of your lip in thought.

"What about when you first joined? When they took you from Shield and to the tower. There's time missing, isn't there?" You said as he thought for a while.

"I guess... It was just a busy time, I probably forgot some things." He said as you began rubbing the back of your neck again.

"I need a knife." You muttered, opening your duffle and grabbing out your blade.

"I need you to make an incision in my neck." You said handing the blade to him.

He quickly took it and put it down.

"Alright, let's put the knife down and sit down. There we go." He said pushing you back to sit on the bed.

"You're acting a little...hostile, Y/N. Talk to me." He said kneeling in front of you as you rubbed at your neck again.

He gently reached up and pulled your hand away.

"Talk to me." He said softly.

"What if they planted a chip in me?" You whispered, Bucky looked at you in confusion.

"Who?" He asked, holding onto your hand.

"The team! We both come from bad backgrounds, what it they chipped us!" You shouted as he looked at you in concern.

"Y/N, you're having a breakdown. The team wouldn't do that to us." He said as you shook your head.

"You need to cut into my skin, okay? Just trust me!" You shouted as you got up and grabbed the knife again, Bucky quickly grabbed you, restraining your arms.

"Enough! Y/N, there isn't a chip in your neck, okay? You had one in your neck from Hydra but it was taken out, remember?" He asked as you stopped fighting and panted softly.

"What's happening to me?" You whispered as Bucky sighed but still held you.

"Steve warned me you get delusions and paranoia... Have you got medication?" He asked, slowly letting you go.

You turned around and looked at him.

"I have some with me... But, what if they just want me to take them to make me forget?" You whispered as Bucky looked at you, feeling sorry for you.

"I know it seems scary at the moment, nothing really makes sense. You just need to take some medication. There's no reason the team would need to implant a chip into you. You're a valuable member of the team, not a prisoner." He replied, trying to reason with you.

You bit your lip and looked around, thinking.

"If we were their prisoners would they send us both alone on a mission together?" He asked as you sighed and rubbed your eyes.

"Where's your medication?" He asked softly.

You pointed to your backpack and Bucky searched through it to find the bottle of pills.

He thoroughly read the bottle before getting one out and a glass of water.

"Here." He said handing it to you and practically stared at you without blinking until you took it.

After taking it you laid on the bed and sighed softly.

"Some hero, huh?" You grumbled as Bucky sat beside you.

"Y/N, we all have issues on the team. I think it's a prerequisite at this point." He joked making you chuckle softly.

You rolled over and started to run your finger over his metal hand.

He glanced down at you in shock, he wasn't used to someone finding comfort in his metal arm.

"I love being a hero... I love being on the team, but it just gets difficult. I feel so alone." You muttered, mindlessly tracing patterns onto his hand.

"I understand, but you don't have to do this alone. We can do this together, you can come to me whenever you're having...delusions, and I come to you when I have a bad dream or something. Good exchange?" He asked as you chuckled softly.

"Sounds like a good deal, Barnes." You muttered looking up at him.

"It's a deal then."

[sillyzlaurr]

What is your process for rendering? All of your pieces are PHENOMENAL, I seriously cannot get enough of your work. As someone looking to practice and improve on that aspect of art specifically, anything will help.

Thank you!!!!🥹🥹

I'll try to explain how i render on piece with Flowey but if u interested, i uploaded csp timelapse with Tails. Actually wanted to put it here but how do people even upload vids on Tumblr lmao

Some more info you can find in this post

So, we have this doodle with evil Flowey

It's depends on background what colours i will use or what mood of a character i want to create. This time it's just the dark depths of the underground and the light falling from the surface. I'm roughly layering the colors as if they were just chunks of paint. I'm painting directly on the sketch layer, so I'm getting messy shadows. Not tryna to make any details yet

Then, im adding colors in shades. So far it's just gray-blue shadows on his face and petals what im blending into those messy black shadows

Then the light. It's just brighter colors for his adorable face and petals. I also changed color for shades on his petals

And then the details. I used only one brush when coloring Flowey himself, similar to a paint brush, but now I took a basic flat csp marker to circle his eyes, enhance the light on his face, teeth and add other details. I also removed the sketch off his petals to make them look cleaner with sharp eraser brush, added some light yellow reflections on his cheeks and jaw

I'm adding highlights and filling in the gaps in his teeth (bc Flowey has the money to go to the dentist obviously) and.... We're almost done

Colors look pretty okay but something's seems off to me. They're not warm enough so i filling Flowey with warm yellow and change layer mode to color burn and reduce the transparency to 25%

Still, i wanna add more lighting. I cover his top and part of the stem with a light yellow tint and then i change layer mode to glow dodge, 50% transparency. Adding dust particles and.... Finally, Flowey is cooked and Toriel can shoot him with fireball!

I hope this helps, good luck!!!🫶🫶🫶

[rootspiral]

Agatha all along deep dive: episode 1 part 2

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2])

Okay, let's keep going through Agatha All Along epsode 1, in which detective Agnes sees Nicky's lock of hair inside her brooch and is stunned into silence for a long ten seconds

she's feeling agonizing heartbreak and cannot even tell why

you know what, she technically is home. she's in her living room as we speak. but every line has multiple readings, so go home... where? to her old self? to her witchy roots? to her coven? to Rio? to Nicky, in the afterlife?

I wonder is all the water puddles are deliberate. do they symbolize mirrors, is she gone through the looking glass? or is water = rio?

the way she has to steel herself before getting into Nicky's room

THE MOON PHASES OVER THE BED. as if she wishes there was a coven looking over him, protecting him

I saw some reactors laughing their asses off at this scene, still hung up on the parody of it all, going "did they make the rabbit into a dead kid backstory? that's HILARIOUS." Sure. So funny.

(they keep associating Nicky with rabbits tho, in the previous scene with Rio there's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment when a plant in the background suddenly turns into Nicky's picture. was señor scratchy named after him?)

why can't they properly light their scenes goddamnit I shouldn't have to use 6 layers to see her face

oh look it's Aubrey Plaza and pizza, two of the sexiest concepts humanity has ever come up with

first of all: open vest and white shirt? that's hot. second of all, the way she's sitting so confidently with her whole chest out, so open, taking deep breaths. she just wants to drink her all up, all of her, her beauty, her sorrow, her goofiness. she's SO damn in love.

what a goober. what a delight. plaid shirt and no makeup, drinking beer and snorting when she laughs, a bit awkward and bashful. what a stud. I would die for her. I would wife her so quickly. I'm gonna say this whit my whole chest, the more femme presenting Agatha is, the more she's wearing a shield and playing a part. this is Agatha raw and defenseless and true, and I want to protect her like she's a precious kitten. (me and Rio both, tbh)

case in point: Agatha is manspreading like some idiot lumberjack, and Rio looks like she has never seen anyone hotter

Agatha: "I have a lead in the case". Rio, with goddamn bedroom eyes: "that's not why I came over."

But then when Agatha looks overwhelmed she immediately course-corrects and encourages her to talk about the case. Love me a boundary-respecting king. Real talk, she's been respecting those boundaries for a long time. And even if she's quite angry at Agatha, she won't unleash all that on her when she's so defenseless.

She pushes a little, and the moment it's too much for Agatha she steps back and regroups. She's being SO gentle.

That's fascinating that her subconscious knows what happened to Billy. Exactly how connected they are?

Whoops, we're leaning in again.

She says yes so openly. When the real Agatha has been running away from Rio and this confrontation for centuries! The real Agatha is SCREAMING in terror, but he body won't listen because it's fallen back into that feeling of domesticity and trust. This is the same body that will always yearn to kiss Rio. The mind that categorically forbids it is shut away for the time being.

Why is Rio trying to wake Agatha up? She could let her stay like this. She could easily make Agnes O'Connor fall in love. The two main reasons why she doesn't are: because she's so fucking angry with her, and she wants them to finally have a mature conversation about Nicky and she needs Agatha to understand that she's hurting too. The second reason is - because she loves her too much. It's honestly just that. She cannot let Agatha live like this, tortured, imprisoned, without agency. She want to have a mature conversation with the real Agatha, she wants to get angry with the real Agatha, most of all she wants Agatha to be okay. Do you see the difference? She's not just in love with her, because being in love is a selfish act, but to love someone is fundamentally selfless. And she will keep loving Agatha no matter if they are together or not. She loves her enough to bend the rules of the universe for her. She just... she loves her.

and this, letting Agatha exist in this form, is a punishment too cruel for Rio to allow

The half smile, the bitterness behind it. An Agatha who doesn't hate her is just a beautiful fantasy, but Rio knows better.

it's Billy! and another mirror! yep, that's a theme.

Ha, the real Sharon was calling him a hooligan. RIP sharon, gone too soon

so intense!!?! even when she's not doing it on purpose, her characters are cheesy and cliched. and it takes a lot of talent to write a bad show too, so kudos to jac schaeffer & co

~see you all in part three

[divineerdrick]

Homestuck: Beyond Canon Upd8 for November 11, 2024

*flops*

Don't mind me.

Just gonna lie here while I do the Homestuck liveblog thing.

I am going to give a heads up. If my next migraine treatment brings me a bit more back in line, I'll be doing VLogs again. I have a bigger video project planned, but it's not Homestuck related. I'll be posting the updates here though, so you'll still know when I blog an upd8. Then you'll all get to see my haggard and aged face.

We begin with the monthly news upd8 from James. Except no! It is in fact an upd8 from Miles! James fades into the background, and apparently Miles will be our flattering correspondent from now on.

It looks like Miles is putting potential spoilers in the news post, so I might have to be careful in the future. Of course these might be jokes. We'll have to see.

Work continues on the planned [S] page and more Beyond Canon merch. We won't be getting an upd8 for December, but they will be running the Patreon. The next upd8 looks like it might be as late as February.

That's all unfortunate. But I fully support if the team wants to take a well earned holiday.

Upd8

Tavvy has decided to join Yiffy on an adventure. This can't possibly end well. His attempts at being her lackey have so far landed him mostly in trouble. And there's a heap of trouble brewing on the soon to be battlefield.

Yeah that's not happening.

Heh! Harry brought the trail mix.

Oh wow. And oh no!

OH NO!!!

That can't possibly count as Heroic though. Getting sniped while performing a purely tactical role is not a hero's end. Still, Rose is probably glad the kids aren't seeing that.

And button.

Interesting view to cut to.

Again, I don't think this will count as Heroic for anyone. But a lot of people are about to die. And let's not forget, none of the trolls currently outside for the Plot Point are God Tiers. This is bad. This is really bad. This is the kind of moment that calls for an extreme, deus ex machina, like the Plot Point has the potential for.

But we're not getting to see it yet.

Edit: @vriedi reminded me that Meenah is a God Tier. Though this does make me wonder, what happens when a dead God Tier dies?

Orange curtains.

Okay! Legitimately fantastic Psyche Out. They actually got me pretty good there.

Okay, we have a new troll it I think.

gavageCunctation is messaging Vrissy. Though that doesn't necessarily tell us much, except that a new player may have entered the drama.

And they're "negging" Vrissy. So this troll clearly sees themselves as a "player" too.

We've got a "game" that's about to be played. A game being run by a TC. Now Gamzee is dead, but that doesn't mean he didn't setup something before Vriska killed him. Still, it's likely these are two completely new troll kids.

We've got a new AA too. So we might be seeing more troll descendants. After all, they used cloning to kick things off. This troll is typing in purple, but blood typing may not be universal anymore. I do find it interesting that we're continuing the nucleotide pairs though. They could have gone for a different motif. Maybe they're trying to symbolize that these are potential paradox clones for a new session?

AA is apparently our chronic auspistice for this group. And potentially our Seer, though we've had fake-outs on that before.

And our actual cliffhanger ending is this new GC's computer exploding.

So yeah. Something has to happen for a lot of our beloved characters to not bite it. I'm also curious how Rose's vision of future events can come true if Jane has unleashed her weapon. But I mentioned last time that Rose is playing a dangerous game here. I don't think any of our God Tiers are in trouble, and I'm pretty sure the Plot Point is fine.

I'm wondering if this is how Calliope ends up sacrificing themself, if Rose was even correct there. Either way, this a dark ending for the year on a community that's already seen some dark endings.

*Returns to flop*

[b1xi]

───𝘊𝘜𝘗𝘐𝘋───ハイキュー!!

Haikyuu(ハイキュー!!)x fem!reader

Word count: 5761

𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

As you adjusted the strap of your bag on your shoulder and brushed a loose strand of hair away from your face, you glanced at your school uniform, sighing in resignation. You had forgotten the team uniform at home, which made you the only one in the group wearing the school uniform. Everyone lined up, bowed in respect to the coach, and started boarding the bus.

You took a seat by the window, placing your bag to the side, while Tanaka's laughter echoed from the back of the bus. He was trying to cheer up Hinata, who clearly looked nervous. You rested your head on the seat, feeling your eyelids starting to close. "I could get a little sleep, right?" you thought, considering the trip would take some time. You closed your eyes, trying to ignore the background noise and relax.

However, the calm atmosphere was abruptly broken by a scream of panic. Opening your eyes, you found yourself facing an unexpected scene: Hinata, pale and looking regretful, had accidentally thrown up on Tanaka's lap. Chaos ensued; Tanaka was shouting, desperately asking the driver to pull over, while the rest of the team looked on in bewilderment, unsure of how to react.

Finally, the bus stopped in front of the rival team's school. Daichi turned to you with a mix of panic and plea. “Hey, Y/N… do something,” he said, visibly uncomfortable.

“M-me? What do you expect me to do?” you asked, unable to hide your surprise at his request.

Tsukishima, in his usual ironic tone, chimed in. “Aren't you the assistant coach? You’re supposed to be here for our well-being. Go on, do something,” he said, frowning.

You cursed internally, but you knew that, even if you didn't like it, he had a point. With a sigh, you got up and approached Hinata, who was still apologizing to Tanaka in nervous mumbles.

“Hinata, are you okay?” you asked, keeping a safe distance as you extended a hand to pat his back. “Would you like some water?”

“Yes… yeah, I think I'm okay,” he muttered, though his tone betrayed otherwise. “Tanaka, I’m really sorry,” he added, looking at him with guilt.

Tanaka tried to downplay the incident, smiling in an attempt to ease his teammate's discomfort. “Hey, it’s no big deal! How are you feeling now?” he asked, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Come on, we need you for today’s match. Just like in that three-on-three game, okay? Let me spike freely.”

But instead of motivating him, the added pressure made Hinata even more nervous. He barely managed to stammer out a “I-I’ll do my be…” before abruptly stopping. “I’m going to the bathroom!” he suddenly blurted, darting off toward the school building.

You shook your head, looking at Tanaka with disapproval. “You shouldn’t pressure him so much. He needs a moment to calm down.”

Then, you followed the team to the gym. The place, identified as gym three, was impressive: several players were training with precision and skill, showing a level of expertise worthy of a high-performance team. During the first set, you kept a low profile, shadowing Takeda-sensei from one side to the other without much involvement. You watched the game attentively, although the start was a bit shaky. Hinata’s nerves seemed to affect the team, slowing down their pace and causing a few missed plays.

Your eyes wandered around the gym, looking for something to capture your attention, until something happened: in the middle of a messy play, Hinata hit the ball so clumsily that it ended up striking Kageyama directly in the head. You covered your mouth to stifle a laugh, but Tsukishima’s sarcastic remarks and Tanaka’s laughter finally made you burst out laughing.

Taking advantage of a break in the game, you decided to climb up to the upper bleachers, looking for a quieter spot. Among the students from Aoba Johsai, your gaze landed on a familiar face. As you approached, you recognized her instantly: your sister.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, surprised, as you leaned slightly on the metal railing, feeling its coldness against your fingers before stopping beside her.

She, with a casual attitude, also leaned against the railing, smiling lightly. “Isn’t it obvious? I study here,” she replied matter-of-factly.

You rolled your eyes, feeling a slight irritation. “I already know that. I mean... why aren’t you at home?”

Your sister gave a slight shrug. “I heard the Karasuno team was having a practice match today and thought it’d be interesting to see how they perform.” Her gaze shifted between the court and you. “Plus, I remembered that you’re part of the team now.”

You raised an eyebrow, somewhat skeptical. “Really? You came just to see me?” you asked, unable to hide the surprise in your tone.

“Of course not,” she replied, pursing her lips and looking at you with slight disdain. “I heard the Karasuno team was good and got curious about how they are now.” Both of you turned your attention back to the court just in time to see the ball hitting Hinata in the face again.

“Well, the team still has a few rough edges to smooth out,” you admitted, watching the play as you tried to find something positive in the situation.

Fortunately, the game continued, and little by little, the Karasuno team began to improve. Hinata, with his characteristic boundless energy, returned to the court and managed to pull off a series of impressive spikes that left everyone stunned. You couldn’t help but feel your heart race with joy as you cheered for the guys from where you stood, even though you knew they couldn’t hear you. Karasuno won the second set, filling you with hope for the next one.

Suddenly, you gave a small jump at the sound of some girls’ excited cheers for a brown-haired boy who had just entered the court. You elbowed your sister and, pointing at the new player, gestured with your head. “Who’s that?” you asked, squinting to try and see him better from your spot.

“That’s Toru Oikawa, the team captain,” she explained calmly, her gaze clearly bored as she watched the tall boy on the court. “He’s pretty good at playing—” Another wave of screams and female praise interrupted her explanation, and with a hint of disdain, she concluded, “And quite popular.”

All the air you’d held in your lungs escaped as you saw Oikawa’s clean and precise serve. You frowned; he was very good. Damn, let’s be real—he was more than good.

Oikawa quickly picked up on the weaknesses in the opposing team’s reception. He noticed that Tsukishima and Hinata weren’t as strong in that area and focused his attacks on them, especially the blond. Yamaguchi, visibly worried, almost had a heart attack just watching the brunette go all-out against his friend.

“Come on, Tsukishima!” you encouraged him from your position, giving him a thumbs-up and drawing the entire team’s attention toward you. Your sister also raised her thumb in support, though with less enthusiasm.

To your surprise, Tsukishima responded with the same gesture, and the rest of the team followed suit without hesitation. Then, they all quickly returned to their positions. Daichi, observing the situation, adjusted Tsukishima and Hinata’s positions; the captain stayed in the center, expanding the team’s defense.

But Oikawa, as sharp as ever, wasted no time. He sent another serve toward Tsukishima, a precise and fast serve that made you hold your breath. Fortunately, the blond managed to save the ball with an incredible reaction. The ball rose in the air, moving from one team to another as everyone watched, tense and nervous. Finally, Hinata, with his characteristic drive, made a decisive spike. The ball passed just by Oikawa, bouncing out of his reach.

The gym fell completely silent, all eyes fixed on the court, stunned by the play. “Well, that was impressive,” your sister commented beside you, straightening her posture and staring at Hinata.

“Takeda-sensei congratulated us, but if we’d faced Seijoh with Oikawa at his best, we wouldn’t have made it,” Daichi reflected as everyone left the gym. The warm light of the sunset cast golden tones over the scene, creating a peaceful atmosphere that eased the moment’s tension.

“Well said, captain,” came a voice from the entrance. It was Seijoh’s captain, leaning dramatically against one of the walls by the exit.

“The great king makes his appearance,” Hinata said, his exaggerated tone causing a slight look of confusion on your face. Tanaka, as always, stepped forward confidently.

“What’s your problem?” Tanaka challenged him, walking boldly toward him. Hinata followed close behind, almost hiding behind him, repeating every word his senpai said. “You wanna fight?”

“Don’t be so hostile,” Oikawa replied with a relaxed gesture, crossing his arms and looking at the two with an amused smile. “But hey, that touch and spike was incredible,” he complimented Hinata, who, visibly embarrassed, rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say in response.

“Next time, we’ll go all out from the start,” Oikawa declared, his tone filled with determination. “Did you notice our positioning? We’ll also be improving our serves.” You saw how Tsukishima tensed upon hearing those words. Without missing a beat, Oikawa continued, “Your attack is impressive, I won’t deny it, but your receptions leave a lot to be desired, and you’re about to hit your limit.”

Oikawa took a step closer, with the confidence of someone who knew his skills well. “I’m not the only one with powerful serves. The Inter-High preliminaries are right around the corner, so don’t get knocked out too easily,” he said, before stopping in front of Kageyama and pointing at him firmly. “I want to face my dear ex-teammate in an official match.”

As you listened to the exchange, you let out a sigh of boredom. The challenging attitudes and rivalries between them seemed endless, and you were already thinking about heading home; hunger was starting to take over.

Finally, after more talk to which you barely paid attention, the team said goodbye and set off on the trip back. Hinata decided to sit with you on the bus, and you, taking advantage of his closeness, settled in and rested your head on his shoulder. Though the situation was a bit uncomfortable due to his constant fidgeting — he seemed unable to stop talking and gesturing in excitement — you smiled at his enthusiasm as he explained his training plans and his excitement to meet the “Guardian Deity of Karasuno” in great detail.

You watched intently as Kageyama prepared to serve the ball. His goal was clear: to hit the empty water bottle you had placed on the other side of the net. The young setter took his time, calculating every angle before hitting the ball with characteristic power.

Both of you held your breath as the ball flew through the air, following a near-perfect trajectory toward its target… until Hinata rushed in, determined to intercept it.

“Don’t get in the way, Hinata, idiot!” Kageyama shouted, visibly frustrated. You let out a soft sigh of frustration and walked over to the court to retrieve the ball… but you quickly realized it had disappeared from view.

Immediately, Hinata ran toward you and positioned himself behind you, as if your presence was a shield against Kageyama’s anger. You smiled, resigned, just as the black-haired setter grabbed another ball, throwing it again with renewed precision, expecting that this time he would hit his target.

Suddenly, something shot past you at full speed, making your eyes widen in surprise. A boy, notably fast with a blonde tuft of hair, lunged toward the ball and made an impeccable reception, neutralizing Kageyama’s serve with surprising agility.

Hinata and you stared at him, impressed.

You and Hinata exchanged a glance before he, as impulsive as ever, approached the newcomer. “Oh, you’re shorter than me!” he exclaimed in astonishment, leaving the other boy clearly offended.

“What did you say?” the boy replied immediately, his tone hurt and his brow furrowed. Before he could say anything else, Hinata quickly stepped back, positioning himself behind you as if you were a human shield.

“I’m sorry!” he apologized hastily, barely peeking out from behind your shoulder. Then, with innocent curiosity, and without moving from his position, he asked, “Uh… how tall are you?”

The boy furrowed his brow even more, crossing his arms in a defiant gesture before responding with unexpected firmness for his size. "I’m 1.59 meters," he said, leaving Hinata visibly surprised.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone shorter than me since I entered high school,” Hinata commented, his voice full of awe as he covered his face with his forearm as if crying tears of joy.

Immediately, you noticed the change in the boy’s expression, clearly not taking the joke well. You could see his face turning red.

“Shoyo, don’t say that,” you whispered softly, noticing how the other boy began to take steps back, clearly irritated by Hinata’s comment.

“Noya-san!” Tanaka greeted, his usual tone as he approached with a wide smile.

"Hello, Ryu," the boy replied with a nod, maintaining his composure. Daichi and Sugawara also exchanged greetings with him, calling him by his name, Nishinoya.

“I’ll introduce you to Nishinoya,” Daichi said, noticing the confused looks from Hinata, Kageyama, and you. “He’s a second-year.”

"Hello," you said, raising a hand in greeting. Hinata, with his usual energy, repeated the word in unison.

Nishinoya looked at both of you with a playful smile before casting a calculating glance at Kageyama, who still seemed a bit upset about what had happened earlier.

“You guys are first-years, huh?” Nishinoya commented, evaluating the newcomers, then pointed directly at Kageyama with a mischievous grin. “You! The guy with the ugly look... What middle school did you come from?”

“Kitagawa Daiichi,” Kageyama replied with his usual serious attitude.

“Really! That’s a good school, no wonder you play like that,” Nishinoya praised him, his tone full of energy. “We played against you and lost 2 to 1, your serves were great too.” Nishinoya’s enthusiasm was palpable, and his genuine laugh seemed to break the tension that had been building in the air.

You watched, amused, as the guy was the louder, faster version of Hinata, but with an energy that seemed endless, something that, somehow, made his presence even more unstoppable.

“Nishinoya, what middle school did you come from?” you asked, genuinely interested in learning more about him.

“Chidoriyama,” he replied proudly, his chest puffing out as he mentioned the name of his old school.

“That’s a really good one,” Kageyama commented, visibly surprised by the answer. “Why did you come to Karasuno? Was it because Coach Ukai was coming back?”

Nishinoya paused dramatically, everyone looking at him expectantly, waiting for his response.

“Because…” He paused, stretching out the mystery, and when everyone thought he was going to say something serious, his expression changed, and his voice became completely cheerful. “I like the girls' uniforms! A lot!” he said as if that were the most serious reason in the world.

“What…?” you blurted, confused, frowning. “Just because of the uniform?” You looked at Nishinoya in disbelief. “You can’t be serious!”

“Just because of the uniform!” Nishinoya replied, not losing any of his enthusiasm. “And all the girls are just like I expected.” He continued, waving his arms around as he spoke. “And especially because the boys' uniform is black. At my school, we wore blazers! I always thought Karasuno’s uniforms were awesome. They’re not brown or gray, they’re black,” he explained, pointing to his own uniform with a completely satisfied expression. “And the girls' uniform is cute. Plus, it’s close to home. It was obvious!”

He paused for a moment to look at Kiyoko, who had just entered the gym still wearing her school uniform. Nishinoya, as if he had just seen his beloved after a long time, ran toward her with the same overflowing energy that characterized him.

Before he could get too close, Kiyoko, quick as always, slapped him, the sound echoing in the air. Nishinoya didn’t seem offended in the slightest. With an even bigger smile, he returned to you as if nothing had happened.

“And where’s Asahi-san? Has he come back yet?” Nishinoya asked, searching for the next member of the team. The air seemed thick with anticipation to see the rest of the members.

“No,” Daichi replied with a note of disappointment in his voice. The news seemed to bother Nishinoya even more, as he frowned and clenched his fists, visibly irritated.

"That crybaby!" Nishinoya growled, raising his voice in frustration about Asahi.

"Hey, Noya, don’t talk about your teammate like that," Tanaka scolded, but Nishinoya didn’t seem to regret his words. He finally declared he wouldn’t come back until Asahi did, and with that, he left the gym, leaving a tense atmosphere behind.

"Y/N," Kiyoko’s soft, calm voice called you, pulling you from your thoughts. You walked over to her as she held her clipboard in her arms, looking slightly concerned. "I need your help."

"Of course, what’s going on?" you asked, eager to help with whatever she needed.

"Well," Kiyoko began, speaking in a low tone as if sharing a secret, "I was planning on ordering uniforms for the new players, but I don’t have their exact sizes."

"Do you want me to ask them?" you inquired, not fully understanding why she was whispering. She gently shook her head.

"No, no, Daichi wants it to be a surprise," she explained, as if that clarified everything. "I’m asking you because I know you spend more time with them. Can you do it?"

You thought for a moment. It would be a bit tricky, but not impossible. After a brief silence, you smiled confidently. "Yes, count on me!"

Kiyoko smiled gratefully at you, and for a moment, you felt completely charmed by her kindness. Honestly, Kiyoko had such a warm and charming presence that it was hard not to feel captivated by her.

"Thank you, Y/N," she said, her voice soft and appreciative. "I know you’ll do it."

The afternoon passed quietly, with the boys immersed in their practice. Hinata, as energetic as always, managed to convince Nishinoya to at least join the sessions, although, as expected, Nishinoya couldn’t sit still for too long. In the meantime, you took the opportunity to follow up on what Kiyoko had asked.

When most of the boys finished cleaning up and getting ready to head home, you approached Hinata. He, with his usual boundless energy, was trying to learn Nishinoya’s reception technique, but seemed to be struggling. You walked cautiously behind him, focusing on the details, and quickly, with a swift gesture, grabbed the neck of his shirt, pulling it toward you to look for a size tag.

"Y/N! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Hinata, surprised, tried to wriggle free from your grip, but you couldn’t help but smile at his reaction. He moved awkwardly, like a caught tadpole, trying to escape your hold.

"Don’t move," you ordered firmly, not letting go. The others, seeing the scene, started to look at you with confusion, surprised by the unusual situation unfolding before them. Your feet tangled, causing both of you to fall to the ground with a thud. You didn’t waste time, and without thinking, you pinned Hinata down, pressing your knee to his back to make sure he couldn’t get up.

Finally, after a few seconds, your effort paid off: you saw the "M" tag on his shirt. Now you just needed to get the size of his pants.

"Let me go!" Hinata yelled, his voice full of frustration. "How are you stronger than me? What’s wrong with you?!"

You ignored his protests, as well as the incredulous stares from the other boys, though you noticed no one dared to intervene. Tanaka, from a corner, couldn’t contain his laughter, clearly enjoying the scene.

"They’re so weird," Tsukishima commented, in his usual tone, frowning as he watched the situation. He seemed more puzzled than upset, but you already had something in mind. "Don’t worry, Tsukki, soon it’ll be your turn," you thought, inwardly smiling at the possibility of a future revenge.

After memorizing Hinata’s shirt and pants sizes, you stood up with an ease that contrasted with the situation. You dusted off your knees and stood up as if nothing had happened, as calm as always.

"What was that?" Hinata looked at you, still annoyed on the floor, unable to understand what had just happened.

"What do you mean?" You played innocent, trying to sound clueless as you walked toward your bag.

One down, three to go, you thought, evaluating your next move. The easiest to handle was Hinata, of course, since you shared a close relationship. However, now you had to decide who to go after next. Yamaguchi? No... You thought quickly, recalling that he was always near Tsukishima, which would make him a more complicated target. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would be saved for last. That left Kageyama as the next target. How hard could it be? The black-haired boy got nervous with the slightest interaction, so that could work in your favor.

However, a small doubt crept into your mind: What if he gets upset? Dealing with an upset Kageyama didn’t seem like the best option.

Calm down, Y/N, calm down... you told yourself, taking a deep breath as you walked alongside the others on your way home. The cool evening air helped clear your thoughts.

Hinata was still huffing behind you, clearly offended by your earlier behavior, but you chose to ignore it for now. He, used to your teasing and playful nature, would eventually get over it. You knew it was all part of the game, but sometimes it was fun to see how others reacted.

You slipped through the hallways, now filled with students chatting and strolling with friends during break. You discreetly peeked into each classroom, looking for the black-haired, serious-faced boy. It wasn’t easy to find him until, finally, you spotted him standing in front of one of the vending machines in the hallway.

"Kageyama-kun," you called in the sweetest, most sugary tone you could muster. He turned, visibly surprised to see you approaching.

“Oh, Y/N… hi. Do you need something?” he asked, his gaze shifting behind you, probably expecting to see Hinata or another teammate. Not seeing anyone else, he looked back at you, clearly confused by the sudden interaction.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing," you said, shrugging casually, trying not to show your true intentions. You crossed your arms behind you and added with a carefree smile, “So, what are you up to?”

Kageyama frowned slightly, still puzzled by your behavior, but he answered simply, “Buying a drink. Do you want one?” He offered, and you quickly nodded, unable to hide the opportunity this presented.

As Kageyama took a bill from his pocket and inserted it into the vending machine, you carefully moved closer, reaching a hand toward his back in hopes of finding a size tag. Just then, he turned to look at you.

"Which one do you want?" he asked, and you quickly stepped back.

“Ah, chocolate!” you replied enthusiastically, and Kageyama, suspecting nothing, turned his attention back to the machine. He knelt down to retrieve the drink from the dispenser.

Not wasting the chance, you leaned in again and whispered urgently, “Kageyama, don’t move.”

He froze immediately, a flicker of worry appearing in his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked, trying to turn towards you.

“Wait… there was… a spider on your shirt,” you lied, keeping your tone low but convincingly serious. Without hesitation, he remained perfectly still, his shoulders tensed. You took the moment to move closer and check the tag on the back of his shirt collar. M, perfect. Now you had the size.

"Did you get it?" he asked, his voice revealing a hint of discomfort.

You mimed a quick flick, as if removing a tiny imaginary spider, and then straightened up, smiling to reassure him. “All set, nothing to worry about. It was tiny,” you said calmly, trying to keep a straight face.

Kageyama sighed, relaxing a bit, and murmured a “thanks” as he handed you the chocolate drink.

You smiled and took the bottle. “Thank you, Kageyama-kun,” you said with a playful glint in your eyes that he didn’t seem to notice. You’d completed another step in your secret mission, and everything was going according to plan.

The next target was Yamaguchi. You took advantage of a break in practice to sneak into the club room with Kiyoko while the other boys were in the gym practicing. As soon as you stepped in, the scent of sweat and the confined space made you wrinkle your nose; the room was a reflection of the chaotic nature of the team players.

“The boys are so messy,” Kiyoko murmured with a tone of mild exasperation, being careful not to step on the shirts and shoes scattered across the floor.

You scanned the metal shelves in search of Yamaguchi’s bag, and after a few moments, you found it. “Kiyoko, I’ve got it,” you told her, carefully opening the bag. To your surprise, the inside was meticulously organized, in contrast to the rest of the room. You pulled out one of his shirts and checked the tag, while Kiyoko quickly noted the size on her clipboard.

“This guy knows how to keep his things in order,” you murmured, impressed. You folded the shirt back with the same care and placed it exactly as it was to avoid leaving any evidence that someone had been there.

“Do you see Tsukishima’s around here?” you asked Kiyoko, glancing at the other bags on the shelves.

She checked the area again and shook her head. “No, it looks like he took it with him.”

His words made you sigh. You knew Tsukishima would be a particular challenge; catching him alone was complicated, as he seemed to move everywhere with Yamaguchi as his shadow. You thought about possible moments when he might be alone, situations where you wouldn’t have to intrude and create more of a scene than necessary.

An idea crossed your mind briefly: you could surprise him in the club room when he was changing. You immediately shook your head, discarding that option; you didn’t want to cross the line and come across as an intruder or, worse yet, a pervert. There were limits to your mission, after all.

Maybe you could approach him in one of those moments when he seemed lost in his thoughts, immersed in one of his books or on his phone. Of course, doing it unexpectedly had its risks: with his sarcastic personality and defiant gaze, any misstep would be an invitation to teasing that would haunt you for weeks. But you had already come this far, and you were determined to complete the task without compromising your dignity more than necessary.

The sun was already beginning to set as you walked alongside the boys after an exhausting practice. Next to you, Hinata and Nishinoya kept up an animated conversation, in which you only “participated” with nods and small smiles, barely able to keep up with their excited voices.

"Let's stop here, I'm hungry," Tanaka complained for the umpteenth time since they'd left the gym. The group stopped in front of the small convenience store where the same man always worked, a clerk with a permanently grouchy expression. "Come on, Nishinoya, buy something for your friend!" Tanaka said, dragging his teammate by the bag and pulling him into the store. One by one, everyone else followed, drawn by the promise of a snack to recharge.

"Aren't you coming, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi asked, looking at his friend, who had sat down on the curb, apparently uninterested in the store.

"No, you go and bring me something," Tsukishima replied, adjusting his glasses and turning his gaze toward the horizon without a second thought.

Hinata also turned to you. "You're not coming in either, Y/N?" he asked, motioning to the store behind him.

"No, I'll stay here and watch your bike," you answered with a smile. The redhead nodded and joined the others, leaving you alone with Tsukishima on the sidewalk, both of you in a comfortable silence, yet filled with subtle undertones.

With a quick glance at Tsukishima, you realized this might be your best chance. However, as you carefully tried to approach him, your steps took you right over a crack in the pavement, causing you to trip and, without being able to stop yourself, fall onto the boy’s back. Your arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders to keep your balance.

"What are you doing?" Tsukishima asked, a mix of irritation and surprise in his voice as he removed his headphones and turned his head slightly to look at you. Being so close, you caught a faint scent of his cologne, something you hadn't noticed before.

"I... I fell," you stammered, aware of how unusual the situation was. Although it was technically true, you couldn’t deny that you'd taken advantage of the moment. His hair brushed against your cheek, causing a slight tickling sensation and a nervousness you hadn’t expected.

"You fell?" Tsukishima repeated, clearly skeptical, as he slowly stood up. To your surprise, when he was fully standing, your feet still didn’t touch the ground, and you realized just how tall he really was. With no other choice, you tightened your grip on his shoulders, trying not to fall.

"Do you plan on getting off at some point?" Tsukishima muttered, throwing you an awkward glance out of the corner of his eye. However, when he felt you slipping a bit, he shifted slightly to help you steady yourself. Despite the little voice inside warning you of how ridiculous you were about to look, you held on even tighter, wrapping your legs around his waist. You knew you probably looked like a sloth clinging to a tree, but the thought of falling was worse.

"Just give me a moment," you said, trying to sound confident as your fingers unintentionally brushed the back of his neck, causing a slight shiver on his skin—something you didn't fail to notice.

Tsukishima took a deep breath, visibly irritated, but he didn't move to push you away. Instead, he held his stance, staring straight ahead with a mix of resignation and annoyance. "This is... unnecessary, you know?" he muttered in a low tone, not looking directly at you.

"Relax, I don't bite," you joked, attempting to ease the tension a little. Tsukishima scoffed, but without much enthusiasm, and slid his hands under your knees to hold you more securely. Before you could say anything else, he suddenly leaned forward, making you grip his shoulders even tighter in surprise.

A soft laugh escaped him, low and barely audible, just enough for you to realize he was enjoying this, even if just a bit. Tsukishima rarely showed open amusement, so that subtle reaction was a small victory.

However, the blond didn’t stop. He continued rocking back and forth, now with a faint smile on his lips, clearly entertained by your complaints and the way you struggled to keep your balance.

"What are you guys doing?" a voice spoke up behind you, filled with curiosity and suspicion.

Both of you turned quickly, and he let go of you so abruptly that you fell onto the ground with a soft "ouch" as you sat up, wishing the ground would swallow you up at that moment. You were met with the inquisitive gazes of Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Tanaka, who looked at you both with expressions ranging from confusion to amusement.

"Nothing," you and Tsukishima replied in unison, both looking away to avoid the curious stares of the others.

Hinata blinked, incredulous, while Nishinoya barely managed to stifle a poorly-disguised laugh. "Nothing?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Well... it sure looked like something."

Visibly uncomfortable, Tsukishima rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "It's not important," he muttered with the cold, sarcastic tone he used to avoid awkward questions, which only made his friends look at him more suspiciously.

As you got up and dusted yourself off, you noticed Yamaguchi had a small, knowing smile, as if he understood more than anyone was willing to admit. Still, no one pressed further, and the group resumed their walk.

As you walked, you felt a slight nudge in your side—it was Hinata, who leaned in with a mischievous expression and whispered just loud enough for only you to hear. "I didn't know you liked Tsukishima..."

You turned to him, looking as if he'd just said the most absurd and inappropriate thing in the world. To you, it was exactly that. Your eyes widened in a mix of shock and disgust, and Hinata took a step back, a bit startled by the intensity of your reaction.

"I don't know where you got that idea, but you're way off," you replied in a low voice, shaking your head emphatically. You pointed first at Tsukishima, who was walking a bit ahead, and then at yourself with an expression of utter disbelief. "No, Hinata... no. Never."

Hinata, a bit confused but still amused, scratched the back of his neck. "Alright, alright... it just seemed like, you know..." His voice trailed off, and he avoided your gaze, somewhat regretful for implying something so unexpected.

Seeing that Hinata seemed embarrassed by his comment, you sighed, trying to smooth things over. "It’s just that... Tsukishima and I were simply messing around, okay?" you explained, trying to sound calmer. "I can't even imagine it."

Hinata nodded, this time with a shy smile. "Got it," he replied, shrugging. "Although, well... sometimes opposites attract, right?"

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the comment, but let the conversation fade there, relieved that Hinata stopped speculating.

[cheesomancer]

P for Pech ⛏

Full pick: twitter, bsky

[amanitacurses]

[torgawl]

this is absolutely killing me *bombastic side eye, criminal offensive side eye playing in the background*

[disposal-blueeee]

no bg ver because i once AGAIN added too many details and thet got lost with everything else

[trees-can-draw]

Hm.

[icewindandboringhorror]

It always seems a bit unbalanced on The Great Food Truck Race when there will be multiple teams who are cooking a wide variety of complex dishes with 10 different components and a bunch of prep work, and then there's that one team who like... exclusively serves plain crepes with some premade nutella on them, or plain waffles with just some whipped cream and cut up strawberries lol...

[coquelicoq]

Re: follower count

The majority of accounts anytime I check who's following me are actually bots, which I know are a constant issue all over the site, so I would assume a good chunk of the accounts that "disappear" every month are just bots that got nuked. That's probably why the following count is so unreliable. If people are confirming that the ones that disappear anytime they post are actual humans, I have no idea.

true! at the time of my little follower count observational study (probably like 2019-2021), i was also pretty aggressively weeding out the bots following me myself, and there were always more lost followers in a month than accounts i blocked for being bots. so i think certainly bot accounts (either getting blocked manually by me or removed by sitewide bot purges, though i doubt i was very affected by the latter because i was removing all the bots myself) is part of it, but not all of it. some of it might be people getting deactivated or deleting their accounts. maybe some of it is people accidentally unfollowing and then refollowing. but generally i think it's healthy to assume that on a regular basis people do just unfollow me on purpose as is their right and their wont. they didn't sign a contract with me. we didn't get married. they can just be here as long as they want and peace out when it's no longer doing anything for them and it doesn't have to mean anything, it's just how it goes <3

[bat-connoisseur]

Something that irrationally (and sometimes not irrationally) really annoys me are people who are like 'I can't draw [thing], I've never drawn [thing] before, I only draw [other thing]!' because... I get a bit of hesitation to try new things and I get that it might be kind of difficult but the way to change that is to do it, you know? Grab a bunch of references and give it a shot. You might do a bad job, but a bad attempt at drawing something new is better than not drawing it at all.

And sometimes its mostly harmless like... Some kid who refuses to draw humans because they only draw cats. Like sure, whatever, you're not harming anyone and the refusal to try and grow is just kind of annoying, but then you'll have adults who refuse to draw poc because they've never done it and don't know how. Well, the first step to figuring it out is doing it so write that down. Also, it's often not as deep as people convince themselves or let other people convince them that it is. Trust me. It's better to make an earnest attempt at something and fail than refuse to do it at all because you're scared of failing.

Gather some references, and give the thing you've never drawn a shot. Do studies if you want, try stylizing it, and have a bit of fun with it. If it turns out bad, you don't even need to show anyone, but I guarantee the experience will be beneficial, and next time it'll turn out better. I couldn't draw bats but then i kept trying over and over until I found a way to draw them that i liked and that made sense to me. The early ones looked shitty, but I learnt and it's better than never drawing one at all.

[dbphantom]

LUFFY CHARM'S CHAIN SNAPPED 😭😭😭

[ailinu]

preserve us from edgelords. good lord.