#happy one year anniversary!! here’s saga smiling :)

[velvetjune]

Saga Anderson | Alan Wake 2

[mint-ty]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals and followers (ू•‧̫•ू⑅)♡

gosh I love these love spams so much 😭💚

I'm still chilling in Bojere tag so I'll list 5 my personal happiest Bojere moments :D (might get long 🫡)

My Happiest Bojere moments:

The Laundry Saga. Did it make me happy? Was my scream happy? I dunno but I sure hyperfixated on it SO HARD 😬 because just.. why?.. how?? And I still have so many questions like did Jere really return all the underwear? Did Bojan leave anything other behind when he collected it? Did Jere wear anything? 😳 And when Bojan went out on stage with the slutshirt and Damon's broken heart belt.. 👁👄👁 look how he's feeling the returned shirt 🥹 (Vita's photo)

2. This recent smiling Bojan's face on the setlist because how cute is that! 😭 and everyone already told everything about how the bojere brainrot is not leaving neither us nor them 🥹

3. this photo 💔💔💔 just how they FIT 🧩together is pure art. Soulmates. Soulmates in every AU 😭 this is perfect in every pixel💔

4. this moment (that we just celebrated an anniversary :D) How touchy they both are 😬 I'm having cuteness aggression every time I look at them here 😬😬😬 Both of them trying to get inside of each other's pants pockets... ARGH! BITING THEIR CHEEKS!

5. and this one is very small moment from one of last year's JO gig after the esc ended, but I watched that few sec clip for comfort so many times 🥹 Bojan and fans were singing a bit of cha cha cha, LOOK AT HIS SMILE 😭 the man is smitten to his fucking core😭 He couldn't smile more even if he wanted 😭 he's still so high on jeretonin 🥹💚🩷

[sangorous]

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐔𝐋

word count: 1.4k

genre/warnings: angst/none really?

kuchiki byakuya x black!fem!reader

Heartbreak invokes different emotions in someone. It can cause suffering, depression, emptiness, happiness, a sense of relief, and the list could go on. For some, a breakup is their escape from something they're not happy with. For some, it's a never-ending saga of sadness.

For Byakuya, he wasn't sure what he felt. He was relieved that [your name] could finally be happy but felt empty. It's been a year since the couple split, and he hasn't found out how he felt. This was supposed to be their fourth anniversary. Now that he's beginning to think of it, there was a time when he was happy. It was when he was with her.

Four years ago, Byakuya was in a happy relationship. His first relationship and he didn't want it to end. Their first encounter was when she entered his plant shop and looked for [favorite plant]. Instead, she became captivated by his cherry blossom tree in the back.

"I've never seen one in person," she gushed in awe.

"Beautiful isn't it?" he stood beside her as she nodded.

"Here, I can let you through the back to get a better view," he grabbed the keys from his pocket and unlocked the back door.

He led her through the back, and her eyes lit up. It was beautiful in person. She looked so happy there, so he didn't want to interrupt her. He searched for the [favorite plant] as she stood there.

It wouldn't take him long to find it, considering that he's the one who created and designed the shop, "there you are..." he muttered to himself. No wonder why she couldn't find it. The other plants in its area covered it.

The last thing he wanted was to disturb her peace, so the plant was placed to the side. Whenever she was ready, she could take the plant.

"Thank ya' so much!" she smiled at the long-haired male.

"You're welcome," he smiled back. This was a genuine smile; it wasn't fake.

Since that day, he's been intrigued by the girl. Every day he'd hope to see her, maybe show up out of the blue. That week he'd purposely act like he was doing something productive by the door. Unfortunately, she never came. Or so he thought.

Hearing the little bells make noise, and he quickly and calmly walked over to where the plants were and pretended to work. It was her again. What should he do?

"Good afternoon," he cleared his throat, trying not to peak over her.

"Good afternoon; how's your afternoon so far?" she hummed, looking around at the plants.

"Been pretty slow, might close up early today," he sighed, glancing over at her.

"Yours?"

"Ugh! I Don't know where to start; let's say my afternoon isn't great. Now I'm here trying to find another plant child to ease my nerves," she huffed, looking at various plants around her.

"Do you own a spider plant?" she shook her head no and gestured for her to follow him.

"This is beautiful," she gushed, looking at the plant.

"Spider plants purify the indoor air by eliminating the harmful chemicals that float around you, and I think that it'll help you calm down at times," he took it from the hanging planter.

"I knew if I came back here, you'd be able to help me again," she followed him to the register.

"I'm glad to hear that," he tried his best to hide his red cheeks, but he couldn't.

"How much?"

"Only $20..." he trailed off, waiting for the receipt to print.

"And maybe a cup of coffee tomorrow if you're not busy?" he added while she nodded with a small smile.

"Of course, here!" she grabbed a sticky note and wrote her number for him.

"See you tomorrow," she waved goodbye as she left the store.

Once that door shut, he let a deep breath out. He couldn't believe he had done that; he had asked her on a date. What was shocking was that she said yes.

The following day came rather quickly, and he was a bit nervous. What if she changed her mind last minute?

He was becoming anxious, but he didn't understand why. He was here five minutes early, while she might be on time.

Byakuya sat down at a booth near the door, hoping to grab [your name] just in case she walked in the door. Tapping his fingers on the table, he heard the coffee shop's bell ding. There she was; she looked beautiful.

"Hey!" and his eyes lit up a bit.

"Hello," there was a slight smile as he exited the booth.

They walked over to the counter, where he paid for their drinks and sat at the booth. When they got to know each other, he learned that [your name] was completing her master's degree in [major], and she was in her last year. She realized that he had started his business two years ago and grew his plants in the backyard of his house. He also had a younger sister.

In both of their eyes, they felt like they had hit it off. Especially Byakuya. "we should see each other again... How about dinner Saturday night?" She slowly nodded, trying not to smile.

Agreeing to that date at the time was probably the best thing [your name] could do. Byakuya had this mysterious aura about him that she was intrigued by.

They'd have dates every Friday, but more than each Friday was needed for him. His eyes lit up whenever she stopped by the shop, and eventually, he'd ask her to be his girlfriend.

Despite him not being fully open about himself, [your name] was okay with that. They found a way to make it work, but it wouldn't be able to last forever. A sweet relationship filled with laughter and good times turned sour real quick. Neither of them saw it coming; it was a surprise. A surprise that grabbed them by the neck.

"I do not understand what you're saying..." he trailed off, staring at her.

Of course, he knew what she was saying. He did not want to accept what she was saying. He was not ready for this yet.

"What is hard for you to understand right now? Let's go our separate ways... We're not happy anymore. We try so hard to try and salvage this relationship, and it just leads to more arguing. I'm unsure why you're so scared to open up to me, but I can't keep losing my mind. I ask the bare minimum, but I can't keep fighting you over that," Byakuya couldn't speak. Everything she said was right.

And he knew that once she was right and made her mind up, she was not changing. So she would be leaving for good this time. There were no breaks from each other for two weeks or maybe a month.

"I'm sorry, Kuya... I can't this time," he felt tears falling down his face or thought he did.

Maybe they were in his head. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. Why couldn't he? He didn't understand why his body was suddenly paralyzed. His eyelids wouldn't shut. What was going on?

Hearing the door slam told him that everything was already over. He's lost everything. The only person who'd keep him sane. The only person who made him happy. The only person who helped him try new things in life. He couldn't lie; it felt like he got the wind knocked out of him.

There was a "thud," and those knees were dropping on the floor. The silence in the apartment consumed him while he stared off into space. Now his tears began to stream down his face. He lost the only thing that mattered to him.

He opened the heart in his necklace and looked at the picture of the two of them, "you were beautiful," he whispered to himself.

The slight smile on his face was bittersweet. He wished she could still be here to spend time with him again. He was hoping that they'd be getting ready to do something that they'd love, like going to the beach and staring at the stars until she'd let a yawn out, or going on a picnic at an empty area around the park, or even a lovely dinner where'd they'd be in the farthest booth away from everyone.

Byakuya couldn't lie. Sometimes he'd wait for her to come through the doors. He hoped they could restore what they once had, but he already knew it was done. They were over.

He'd do everything right if he just had the chance to be with her again. He'd listen to every feedback she'd given him and incorporate it into their relationship. He'd be more open with her instead of holding everything in or everything back. He'd also let her know how much he loved her and how beautiful she was.

[the-enzyme]

So, these are figures that released last year, all throughout 2023. I was just waiting to be able to justify shipping 20-30USD figures, by DHL... That kept going, until it was already too big of a shipment, and too expensive to justify at all! lol!

Long story longer, I was waiting for HLJ to have a lower shipping option, during the holiday season, but I kind of ended up paying more, than if I had shipped way earlier! I also missed out on getting Cloud Bring Arts, because they never seem to send me in-stock notifications. *sigh* That was frustrating as all heck, and now I am left empty handed, and I'll probably have to get him from SE's USA shop, which charges an eye off the face for s/h. T___T;;;

From far left, to bottom front row: BanDai BLEACH SOLID AND SOULS Byakuya Kuchiki Prize Figure; BanDai Entry Grade Uchiha Sasuke (Naruto Shippuden) Model Kit x2; BanDai Naruto Memorable Saga Sasuke Uchiha Prize Figure; below BanDai NARUTO VIBRATION STARS UCHIHA SASUKE II Prize Figure; BanDai NARUTO Shippuden EFFECTREME UCHIHA ITACHI Prize Figure x2; Naruto Shippuden Uchiha Sasuke Figure (TV Anime 20th Anniversary Costume) Prize Figure x2; BanDai NARUTO Shippuden PANEL SPECTACLE Sasuke Uchiha Prize Figure x2; BanDai Naruto Shippuden Vibration Stars Sasuke Uchiha Version A Prize Figure; below BanDai Naruto Shippuden Vibration Stars Sasuke Uchiha III Prize Figure. Front Row: Square Enix NieR:Automata Ver1.1a: Clear File B; World Box AT203 1:6 Action Figure Female Body (Pale); FuRyu A Certain Magical Index III: Special Figure -Accelerator- Prize Figure; Medicom UDF Sanrio Characters Series 1 Kiki Non-Scale Figure; Square Enix FINAL FANTASY X Plush TIDUS Mini Plush; SO-TA Attack on Titan 3D Maneuver Gear ver.1.5: 1Box (4pcs); BanDai Bikkura Tamago Naruto Shippuden Koronto Up Mascot (Random 1P) x6 ;Good Smile Company Huggy Good Smile Kagamine Len Ver. Non-Scale Figure; MIC Puripura Fairy Pico Vol.1 & Vol.3; Imomodoll PVC Doll Head DaDa; BanDai Bikkura Tamago Sanrio Characters Kamatkyun x4 (1 pictured). BanDai Bikkura Tamago Sanrio Characters Funyumaru x2, not in top picture.

Most of these are Sasuke prize figures, the ones I don't have doubles on here, I already received in previous shipments. Or, I have still to ship. DX I am super happy with all these, and very excited to build the Sasuke model kit, despite it being entry grade. It looks very nice! I also got a few bath-bombs, because one has a Sasuke, and the others are so adorable, Sanrio characters I couldn't pass by! I did get a full set of the Naruto bath-bomb charters, but I had to get six, and got two of Sakura and Naruto! I wish I had gotten two Sasuke instead. I am also happy that World Box's body is a decent match for my Very Cool Miss Spetsnaz head sculpt. I hope the photos of that, don't send this to the dark side... like it matters. lol!

[honeyquinns]

would you do joseph x actress!fem!reader

you were ready to go premiere, you gonna support your secret boyfriend, your dress is definitely lovely. Later, Joseph get in premiere, he continue as he look at camera, he turn as you come, you definitely smile at him, he did notice you that you came. You were deeply proud of him

(hope you will write it, thanks so much and have a good day)

wait this is so cute i have ideas !!

LOVELY SECRETS

joseph quinn x actress!fem!reader

warnings // just fluff. nothing bad.

—————————————————————

you and Joseph have been dating since you first met through Jamie. you and Jamie already knew each other since around the ‘Twilight Saga’ era. he gave you the idea of auditioning for Stranger Things. he knew you’d been a fan of the show and his agent let him know there was another role open to be part of the california gang. when you got the part, everyone had met up for a table read and you sat next to Jamie. you were both new to the cast and as you looked around you noticed more new faces. first was Eduardo who you actually knew for years and then your eyes landed on Joseph. Jamie saw the way you both would steal glances from each other and decided to introduce you two. when covid hit, Joseph has just went back to the UK but you two would facetime constantly every day and practice your lines with each other and when things settled down and he was able to come back to the states and film, you two really hit it off and began dating.

it’s been about a year since you’ve wrapped filming for season 4 and 2 years since you and Joe have been together. you’ve gotten pretty serious but still nobody knows. you both decided it was best to keep it a secret for privacy reasons. you just knew with the way the media acts and how much attention Joe has gotten from new fans, all absolute hell would break loose. the only ones who knew of your relationship were your two closest friends. your best friend Melanie and of course, Jamie. tonight was the premiere of season 4 and you were quite nervous since no one knew of your relationship so you both thought it was best to drive separately and go as friends. “hey my love, you ‘bout ready?” you hear him say, turning around you eyed him up and down. he looked absolutely stunning in his dark brown suit, his rings on both hands and his curls pushed back. not to mention how the facial hair just made him look even sexier. “yes i’m ready” you walked toward him and he began to look at you the same way but even more lustful. you were wearing a long black dress that hugged your curves, your hair straight and simple, and the necklace Joe gifted you on your one year anniversary.

“you look incredibly stunning” he looks at you, lost for words with how shocked at how gorgeous you look. “you clean up pretty good, Quinn” you say smiling at him and blushing. even with a simple compliment, you were almost weak to your knees when it came to him. it was like love at first sight. he grabs your hand and twirls you around, pulling you clothes to him. “i love you, you know that” you look into each others eyes. who would’ve thought the person you’d imagine a whole life with could be this amazing? almost perfect? “i love you even more” you gives you the most passionate kiss that just makes your foot pop. you know, the one in princess diaries that Mia got to experience? that’s the one. you two were inseparable. “let’s get out of here, yeah?” you nod and head to your cars, driving to the event separately.

once you got to the premier you were greeted by your security, plenty of paparazzi and lots of fans. you waved to the fans, taking a few photos, and signing some autographs. your security and one of the workers of the event guided you to the red carpet for pictures. you posed so the paps could get all your good angles, letting a few guide you on some and waving. you continued to walk down and you turn seeing Joseph now on the carpet. he looked so beautiful and so happy, you couldn’t help but smile at him. he looked up smiling back at you, waving and you waved back. “hey Joe! get closer to y/n!” a pap had yelled. Joe walks over to you, putting a hand around you and setting it on your hip. you both posed for a few photos and parted ways for interviews. you were in the middle of an interview when you stole a couple of looks at Joseph. you were happy that he’s getting a lot more known. he had confessed to you that this is all he’s ever wanted, to be an actor and to not just have fun but to make an impact on people and to others who wanted to be actors. although you didn’t meet until the table read, you just felt like you’ve known him for many years and were genuinely and truly proud of him. “so y/n! how’s everything been for you since filming? you were huge around the time you filmed for ‘Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ and have laid low for a while doing films here and there but how does it feel to be back on the scene for a huge show like Stranger Things?” you were pulled out of your admiration from the interviewer, “you know it’s been really.. amazing to say the least. i was pretty young when i played Bree so of course, i want to finish school. coming back into the game i was really nervous because it had been so long but it’s been incredible to work with many talents like Millie and Caleb and of course the queen herself, Winona. i’m just honored to be apart of an amazing cast” you express kindly with a smile. you continued a couple more interviews and walk to where the rest of the event will be held with all of the cast and crew.

you sat down at a table with Jamie, Eduardo, Maya and Joseph. Joe’s hand was directly on top of your thigh. his thumb rubbing soothly on your skin, as he leaned to whisper in your ear, “you having a good time tonight, darling?” he asks sweetly. “yes it’s been amazing. how’s your night been, lovey?” his lips still near your ear, “it’s been quite good. although i miss you being close to me.” you pout your lip out at him. it would’ve been nice to show off for the cameras and everyone stating that you two were a couple in theory but you didn’t want to have to deal with any of the drama that the media and fans liked to come up with. they would ship Joe with Grace and make the most crazy accusations with anything regarding Joe with another woman and you just simply didn’t have the time to deal with it. Joe understood that and he was more than comfortable to keep your relationship private. it’s a lot more peace of mind for him knowing that he could keep some things in his life private but also keep you safe from any hate that could come. “you know, you two would make a really good couple” you both turned to Maya who was giving you both a suspicious look. “yeah i’ve noticed that these two are always super close-“ Eduardo chimes in “maybe you guys should you know..” he trails off. Jamie giggles at both of them “trust me loves, i’ve been playing cupid since the table read. sooner or later, these birds are going to get married.” you always loved how Jamie would go along with the secret but hint that you were together. you both laugh “i mean i keep wanting to take her out of a date” Joseph says turning to you, “maybe we should go on a date, huh y/n?” you caress his cheek playfully “you know what? i will go on a date with you Joseph.” you say factually. “hmmm i’m feeling some sarcastic, yet love energy in this room and i think you two are dating” Maya gives you both a squinty look and turns away to pay attention to the Duff bros who are now speaking about the series. you, Joe, & Jamie all look at each other and giggle about what Maya had said.

after the night was over, you head back to his place. you throw off your shoes and clothes, jumping into his guest bathroom shower while he’s in his and meet back up in his room. you go through his closet and pulling out one of his baggy t-shirt’s to put on and hop in the bed with him. “i really had fun tonight. even though we weren’t together, it felt good just to be in the same room as you” Joe says kissing your head as you’re laying on top of his chest to feel his heart beat. “me too, Joe” you slightly pull your head up to look at him “you think one day we’ll be able to just be open about our relationship?” he thinks for a second “yeah of course. eventually the fans will have to understand that i’m a grown man and i will have someone and get married and all that jazz.. plus i think the paps would absolutely love getting all the exclusive pictures of our day.” he smile into your forehead, giving it a light kiss. “hm.. i love you, you know that?” you look at him with the most loving eyes. no one has ever made you feel the way Joseph has. “and i love you y/n. i adore everything about you.” you give him another kiss and turn over to get comfortable in bed. he leans over to turn out the light, putting the volume down on the tv and wraps his arms around you. “goodnight my love” he says. “goodnight lovey” and you both fall asleep peacefully.

a/n: hi!! so i took a romantic, simpy route but i thought it was so cute with the simplicity aspect of a relationship 🥹 and now it’s almost 3am so i have to sleep haha! don’t forget to reblog 🫶🏽

[star-duck]

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard - Book 7 Mini Summary

This won't be as extensive as my book 6 chapter 4 summary since Book 7 is the start of a multi-novel saga, so a lot of things that happens here could mean completely different things by the end of the saga. At this point I wouldn't know, but I want to note down details that can potentially be big later on. As usual, let me know if I get anything wrong!

Seigi begins his internship in Sri Lanka after failing the second part of the entrance test to be a civil servant. His parents gave him their blessing since they're already familiar with Richard, the guy who offered him the position. Richard supposedly is currently working in Ginza as usual. Shaul visits Seigi from time to time.

One day Seigi receives an email titled "Help Richard" in english, containing a ticket to a 6-day cruise ship trip that starts in Florida. The event is held by Gargantua group, a high-end jewellery company. The sender's name is "Jeffrey", but Seigi has doubts if this is the real Jeffrey. He tries to contact (the real) Jeffrey, but receives no reply. He also contacts Shaul who basically just tells him to do whatever he wants, so Seigi decides to go on the trip.

When he first gets on the cruise, he meets a guy who glares at him really badly. It leaves an impression, and Seigi wonders why this guy even recognizes Seigi, but he shrugs it off. Seigi then receives a call by Richard, he freaks out because he's both happy but also unable to tell Richard that he's also on board the same ship as Richard. Seigi doesn't want to disappoint Richard, so during his internship he's never called Richard... at all. During the call, Seigi walks around the ship, finds Richard on the deck, and surprises him from behind. Richard is extremely shocked and then his expression goes dark. He won't tell Seigi why though.

The two chat together, Richard absolutely refuses to tell Seigi about anything that's happening. The main event for them is a jewellery show event, where the group showcases all their new releases and more in this 100 year anniversary cruise. Richard initially asks Seigi to just not come at all and stay locked in in his room, but eventually gives in and lets Seigi go to the show under one condition: if anything happens to Richard, don't save him.

The next day, the jewellery show happens, and after viewing all the high-end showcases, Seigi goes to the buffet area. While eating, he's greeted by the director of Gargantua group, Amen Carlsbrook (アメン・カールスブルック). He asks Seigi to "share a bit of what's on Seigi's plate, because he wants to know Seigi's taste". Seigi confusedly gives him some of his sandwich, Amen happily takes a bite, laughs and walks away.

After a while, Seigi sees Amen.... holding Richard by his waist and touches him inappropriately. Seigi gets extremely angry, notices that everyone else in the room pretends to not see what happens, and gets angrier. He knows he can't create a mess here and risks Richard getting hurt, so he slowly walks closer until his eyes meet Richard's. They communicate through eye contact for awhile until Seigi yells "there's a dolphin!" that creates a minor ruckus among people in the room trying to look through the window. Seigi then dashes out with Richard who manages to get free from Amen's hands, and they run to an outdoor area.

(This whole scene is actually pretty amazing, with all the little eye contact exchanges and stuff, i hope someone can translate it later) 

Richard explains that Amen is a very very very distant relative of his, and he's always had an eye on "pretty things" including Richard. Amen initially sent the cruise invitation to both Richard and Seigi, two people in a room. Richard can't reject the invitation, but he also don't think he should bring Seigi, so he decided to go alone. Jeffrey calls Richard, explains that the email Seigi received wasn't from him, and tells Richard of how Amen and his second-in-command Malnuit Patel (マルヌイ・パテール) are on bad terms. Oh by the way, Richard arranged so that both boys have separate rooms (unlike what the invitation stated), he says he prefers to have his own room. lol.

Suddenly some guards appear, starts body searching Seigi, and finds out that he has a miniature of a jewellery show item in his pocket. They accuse him of stealing and brings him to the security room. There, a security staff basically talks him down and expects him to confess. He resists and Richard defends him, and then Amen walks into the room.

Amen says that errors like that happen, and he's willing to forgive it and accepts that it's his company's fault so long as he gets to spend the night drinking champagne with Richard. Seigi figures that he's being framed just to give Amen the opportunity to do this to Richard, and instead demands the security staff to check the security camera and prove his innocence properly. The group decide to just do that, so Amen, security staffs, and Richard stay to check the cameras, while Seigi is asked to leave the room.

Another security guard is assigned to Seigi. A chinese guy with brown two-block hairstyle, looks youthful like a k-pop idol (or so Seigi said), slightly shorter than Seigi, and speaks Japanese. His name is Vincent Rai, but he asks to be called Vince-san. Vince lets Seigi wander around so long as he doesn't try to contact people from outside the ship, so Seigi decides to check around the show again.

Vincent is cooperative with Seigi, even supplying Seigi with new information. What Seigi gathers so far is that Gargantua group is in the middle of M&A deal. Initially the plan was to work with a Chinese company, but suddenly Amen changed his mind and picked an American company. This angered his second-in-command, Patel, and there are rumors that Patel is trying to steal Gargantua group's designs by 3D scanning items displayed in the show. To nobody's surprise, Amen is known as a moody, sexual harasser, power harasser, etc etc.

It gets late and the two goes back to the security room. Seigi sees Amen trying to offer Richard cakes, a lot of items and untouched sweets scattered around in the room (I assume it's Amen trying to woo Richard), and a chessboard. Richard is simultaneously playing chess with Amen, rejecting his advances, and checking the security cameras. Amen is stuck in his turn in chess so Richard tells him to think about his move overnight. Seigi thinks what he does is like a modern day Scheherazade.

The security camera checking isn't done, but they put it on hold for the day and will continue tomorrow. Everyone goes back to their rooms except Seigi, who's staying there overnight.

The next day, Richard, security staffs, and Amen come back. Amen brings in the chessboard and flowers. ew. Anyway Seigi decides he wants to catch Patel 3D scanning the jewelleries in action, so he visits the showing area again. He really catches him, but Patel runs away to the ship's casino area. (Excuse me I have no knowledge of casino so if I get anything wrong pls do tell) He sits in a poker table where he can just never get up until he runs out of chips. Seigi decides to join the same table.

Slowly Seigi thinks he screws up, but suddenly Richard appears and asks the dealer to join Seigi as a team of two. Dealer says yes, and Richard leans close to Seigi's right, right hand on the table and left hand gripping the stool Seigi sits on. Seigi can't bring himself to look at Richard in that really close distance so he talks to Richard while still looking forward.

Every other player gives up until there's only Patel and Seigi-Richard left. Our boys win, and Patel reveals that the rumor about him stealing jewellery designs is started by Amen. He says that he's tired of Amen's actions so he decides to do just that. Amen appears and let his guards apprehend Patel, and they walk away. 

Later that day, Amen tells Seigi that the item he was accused of stealing is a fake, the real item just fell into some corner during the show, and that Seigi's completely innocent. Seigi knows that's an absolute bullshit and he really really want to punch the guy but decides to just smile and thank Amen.

Richard and Seigi eats in the restaurant buffet, then Vincent comes to greet them. It's revealed that Vincent is Richard's ex-assistant back in Hong Kong. Apparently they don't have a very good relationship, though Richard thinks highly of Vincent. Vincent brings Seigi to an outdoor area, leaving Richard behind, and starts to tell Seigi... a lot of interesting things.

First of all, Vincent tells Seigi that he should stop liking Richard, because that's probably better for Seigi's sake. He also warns him to stop the internship and go back to Japan since he suspects that Shaul uses him as a "dog collar" to Richard's "dog", meaning that Shaul really only wants something to prevent Richard from quitting his company since his family feud is over and he can safely go home. Not to mention, as the son of a noble, he doesn't need to work a day in his life if he wants to.

Vincent also says some very vague things about how Richard's sheer genius and kindness isn't something everyone can ever achieve, and it's pointless to hope to be like that, so it's not worth trying. Seigi replies that while half the reason he's in Sri Lanka is because he admires Richard, the other half is because he wants to get away from Tokyo for a bit after the deadbeat dad stalking incident. He thinks that's why his parents are so supportive of him. Seigi also doesn't intend to drop his dream of being a civil servant.

Vincent gives Seigi a contact number, under the condition that he shouldn't let Richard know. As Seigi is confused, Vincent walks away, passes by Richard who's walking towards Seigi. Richard then tells Seigi how much he values Vincent back in Hong Kong.

Finally it's the end of the cruise trip, and as our two boys are leaving, Amen greets Richard and tries to hug him. Seigi forcefully pushes himself in between the two, so Amen awkwardly ends up hugging Seigi.

Back in Sri Lanka, Seigi hears news about Amen being accused of sexual harassment, and the victims are bringing a lawyer from England. Because of this, M&A deal is temporarily stopped. He wishes the victims well.

While cooking wattalapan, Seigi receives a call from Richard. After small talks, Seigi tells Richard in english how much he wants Richard to be here with him and eat his home cooked food. Richard only replies with silence, and the chat continues. Suddenly, surprise, Richard... really is here, in Sri Lanka. Seigi is extremely happy and they both sit and eat wattalapan and royal milk tea.

Richard then informs that the reason why Seigi's personal information, email, and passport are leaked is because of Jeffrey's ex-secretary. Richard thinks Jeffrey messed up real bad. Richard also shows Seigi a video mail containing a little white girl talking in Japanese. Her name is Octavia, and she was a student of Richard and his ex-fiancee, Deborah Sahin. She says that Richard has made people (she treasures) suffer, so him and his two brother-cousins are going to pay for that. Then she pulls out a video call screen with Vincent in it.

Vincent starts with the same advice to Seigi, telling him it's better to go back to Japan. He then confesses that he was the one who put the stolen item into Seigi's pocket during the show, because his superior (one of the security staff) made him do it. Richard should've known this while checking the cameras, but Vincent says that he's not gonna ask why he protected him then, saying that Richard "never changes, such a good, lonely man".

Jeffrey apparently gets a similar mail, but in his version, the mail said thanks to his ex-secretary (presumably for leaking Seigi's information). Richard and Seigi goes back to small talks, and as Seigi refills the tea, he's thinking about how the kitchen in this house has enough cutleries and stuff for a house party. He dreams that one day he can hold a party with Richard's family, his own family and friends in Japan, and probably new people he meets in Sri Lanka.

Random trivia:

-Richard says that years ago, women in some high end parties were smitten by his looks enough that they held champagne drinking competition over it.

-Richard refers to Jeffrey as "Good-for-nothing talking wallet" again when he talks to Seigi.

-It's absolutely disgusting but Amen calls Richard with his childhood nickname, Ricky. To hear it from anyone but his close cousins and co send chills to my spine.

-Vincent got married while still in college. He's currently 26 years old, studying in America. He practices jeet kune do. Seigi suspects he likes anime and manga and that's why he can speak Japanese, but Vincent doesn't answer this question.

-Seigi goes to a net cafe during his "arrest" to look for more info regarding the group. During that, Vincent plays real time battle games until his eyes turn red....

-Half of Seigi aka Iggy's blog is about cooking. He blogs his wattalapan cooking trial too.

[bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue]

Pass the happy! 💖 When you get this, reply with 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in your notifications!

All righty, I will! Thank you for the ask, @wheredotheducksgo! I’ve actually gotten and answered a similar ask before—which you can read here—so this time, I’ll try to choose 5 different happy things. (Also, warning—this got L-O-N-G, for which I apologize!)

1.) Avatar: The Last Airbender!!! As best as I can figure, right now it’s nearly the one-year anniversary of the day I started watching it (May 28, 2020). I started it on a total and complete whim after it was added to Netflix, with no idea that my brain would decide to fixate on it (the way it fixated on The Great Gatsby before that, and Star Trek before that…) and it would become my obsession for the next year. I had no idea it had such a rich, complex world with such multilayered, three-dimensional characters that would capture my imagination so much, or that it served almost like a masterclass in TV writing. I had no idea it would almost singlehandedly get me through the long, lonely days spent in my house, doing virtual school and not being able to see my friends because of COVID—or that, because of this isolation, my participation in the fandom would be almost entirely online and I’d almost never speak a word of it, much less infodump about it, to any of my friends in person out loud, but that when I did, it would feel so good. I had no idea that, a year on, watching almost any of the episodes would make me smile so hard my face would practically crack in two, or that just seeing a really good picture of one of the characters would induce a squealing-trilling sound of epic proportions, just because I loved them so much. (Fun fact: a Google Image search for “zuko” was one of the few tabs that permanently occupied my browser for the entirety of this past school year. When I felt sad I’d just switch over to that tab, look at the pictures for a while, and instantly feel better.) And I had no idea about the amazing fanart, fic, and meta this fandom could produce—or that I would, on occasion, contribute to it myself! I’m sorry, that got long, but…I just can’t make a happiness list in May 2021 without mentioning ATLA.

2.) Any song/piece of music with 4 or more flats in its key signature. I have perfect pitch, so in most cases I can tell what key a song is in just by listening to it, and for some reason I find the songs in A-flat, D-flat, and F-sharp/G-flat major and F, B-flat, and E-flat minor ridiculously satisfying. I’m not sure why they tickle my happy brain spots so much. They just do.

3.) Apparently, the people who run the penguin exhibit at the National Aquarium of New Zealand have picked a “good penguin” and a “naughty penguin” of the month every month since June 2017. And if you read some of the entries—especially those of the naughty penguins—I guarantee you, your mood will be elevated instantly. I was reading some of them last night and I was laughing so hard. These penguins have drama—stealing one another’s girlfriends, being deadbeat penguin parents who lay their eggs in another penguin’s nest, pushing another penguin off a pier after it took him a whole hour to walk there, stealing others’ fish on several separate occasions (note: that’s all THE SAME PENGUIN, and he doesn’t even steal the fish to eat, just to drop in the sand! That is just pure pettiness!), learning bad habits from aforementioned fish-stealing penguin, being “overly dramatic,” standing up against bullies (feat. more fish stealing), or just being “outright obnoxious”. What makes it even better is that these aren’t the tallish, black-and-white penguins you’re probably picturing—they’re little blue penguins, the smallest species of penguin, which are less than a foot tall and barely weigh more than 2 1/2 pounds. These are teeny tiny penguins, all of them disabled and being rehabilitated at the aquarium, committing penguin crimes with so much spite in their hearts! I highly recommend that you all read the full soap opera-esque saga of these naughty penguins, if you can find them on the aquarium’s Facebook or Instagram page or just reposted to sites like Buzzfeed and Bored Panda. Reading about their tiny penguin crimes makes me so happy.

4.) Chocolate, in all its forms. Okay, I’ll admit that I don’t like chocolate caramel all that much, but everything else? Perfection. Pure heaven. I love chocolate chip cookies. I love Pocky sticks. I sometimes much on these mint dark chocolate bars while studying, and they are seriously the Platonic ideal of a food. Wait, no, that title goes to the ridiculously rich chocolate cake—with chocolate chips inside and whipped cream on the side—that my parents and I got for dessert at their anniversary dinner the other day. When it comes to chocolate, I seriously turn into that guy from SpongeBob. I just love it so much.

5.) Getting a happy, positive ask like this from one of you incredible followers!!! Okay, maybe that’s a cop-out and too similar to what I said for #5 the last time I answered an ask like this, but you know what? I don’t care. I love you all and I’m not afraid to say it! 💕

[cantgetoutofmyheda]

46. What if i told you... clexa

If someone had told a younger version of Lexa that she would one day find herself in a conference room with the head of marketing for 20th Century Fox Films, she would have laughed in their face—but here she was, sitting face-to-face with Indra.

The woman pursed her lips, making a calculated decision in her head before finally speaking, “Listen, Lexa. It’s the company’s 85th anniversary. We need to go big, that’s why we’re here talking to you,” she paused, waiting for Lexa to acknowledge the compliment, “I’ll be honest, we received a lot of good proposals from your competitors, but there’s something about Vice that has just been speaking out to me.”

Lexa nodded and tugged her lips into a grin, “Is it the exceptional branded content we make for our partners? Our network of publications we have ties to? The culturally relevant events we plan on a weekly basis?” She lifted her brow before she continued, “Indra, I promise you that if you go with my team, the whole world will know that your company will be throwing the party of the year. Forget the Met Gala, everyone’s going to want an invite to this.”

Indra couldn’t help but laugh at the younger woman’s enthusiasm, “They don’t call you ‘The Commander’ for nothing, huh?”

“So I’ve been told,” Lexa smirked.

“Okay,” Indra sighed, “Put your best team on it. I want a huge campaign—media running at least a month before the event. Co-branded billboards. Hell, I want every damn bus, cab, and train wrapped in our posters.”

“You got it,” Lexa nodded as she jotted down notes.

“And,” Indra lifted her index finger, “I want your creative department to vet all the artists through me. I give final approval on the commissioned pieces, and I am counting on your creatives to make sure that our vision isn’t being taken away.”

Lexa nodded again, “Of course,” she couldn’t help the grin on her face as she stuck out her hand, “So do we have a deal?”

Indra let out a chuckle, reaching for the brunette’s hand, “It seems as so.”

---

“It’s going to be fucking sick, Lexa,” Anya smiled, flipping through a Keynote presentation, “Indra approved every single artist I chose and their initial concepts.”

“Knew you’d come through,” Lexa shrugged.

“Oh,” Anya turned to face her, “As if I’ve never come through with mind blowing plans?”

“You do,” she shrugged again, “that’s why you’re our creative director.”

Anya placed her hand on Lexa’s shoulder, “Exactly. Now are you ready for me to run through production timelines? They’re kind of tight, but I know we can make them work.”

Lexa sat on the lounge chair across Anya’s desk and kicked her feet onto the small coffee table, “Hit me.”

“Alright,” Anya flipped to another slide, “We give the artists approval today to start their pieces and check in next Tuesday for revisions—that’s over a week from now, which should be enough time. By the following Tuesday, we do one more round—hopefully working with the final product. Once Indra gives the ‘okay,’ she chooses eight of the thirty pieces to highlight in the advertising leading up to the event, and the rest will be unveiled there.”

Lexa nodded, the tip of her ballpoint pen was sitting at the corner of her mouth, “We’ll need to digitize all the paintings as soon as they’re finished in order to get the right specs for the billboards and transit wraps, then your team will have to work pretty quick to get some editorial pieces, digital videos of the story behind the eight pieces, and all the online banners.”

“All built into the timeline,” Anya shook her head, “Have you no faith in me?”

“I know,” Lexa nodded, “I know. It’s just the biggest partner we’ve ever had and biggest campaign and event we’ve ever done, it needs to be perfectly executed.”

Anya looked at her friend dead in the eyes, “And it will be.”

---

To say that the campaign leading into the event was successful would be the understatement of the year. The ads using the re-imaged artwork for the film house’s famous movie posters was the talk of the town—talk of the country. Every publication was writing about them, streaming for the eight movies chosen had nearly tripled on Netflix, Hulu, and Prime, compared to this time period last year. Lexa was beyond happy—exhausted, but beyond happy.

“Stop stressing,” Anya rubbed her friend’s arm, “everything’s going to be perfect.”

“I know, it’s just,” Lexa rubbed her temple before smoothing her pressed white button up which was neatly tucked into her slim-fitting suit pants, “this is it. It’s the climax of the whole activation—all eyes are on it.”

“Go mingle and check out all the posters, Lex,” Anya gave her a gentle nudge forward, “Hell, grab a glass of wine, too. I know you haven’t seen all the final art yet, go take a look and enjoy yourself for a bit—it’s well deserved.”

Lexa nodded, “Okay, yeah. Just call or text me if you need anything.”

Anya rolled her eyes, “Just go.”

---

Lexa found herself sipping her wine and staring at a painting that depicted one of her favorite movies. She knew that someone was commissioned to do this piece, it was actually one of the ones she didn’t want to see the concepts and mocks for—wanting to be surprised during the unveiling of the showcase. She stood, sipped, and stared, hoping to find answers to her questions within each brush stroke.

“You’ve been standing here for a while,” a voice next to her observed.

Lexa turned to face the stranger and was taken aback by how piercing her blue eyes were, “I have. And I presume you have too, if you’ve taken notice to me.”

The woman smiled, “I saw you from across the room a few minutes ago. I’ve been making my way through the exhibit. I was pretty surprised to see still handing here as I made my way around.”

Lexa returned the smile, “I see. So, are you in the film industry or are you a fan of art?”

“The latter,” the woman smiled, “Do you have a favorite piece from tonight?”

Lexa turned back to the painting in front of her, “I think I’m still trying to decide. What about you?”

“Easy,” she answered, “over in the Modernism section—Mannequin, the 80’s movie with Kim Cattrall.”

Lexa furrowed her brow, “I actually don’t think I know it. What’s it about?”

The woman laughed, “80’s rom-com. Kim Cattrall plays a department store mannequin that comes to life. It’s so bad that it’s good. One of my all time guilty pleasures.”

“Sounds interesting,” Lexa smirked, “Might have to check that one out.”

“So,” the blue-eyed beauty stepped closer to Lexa, “tell me what’s so interesting about this piece for you. I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but I’d assume there’s something piquing your interest since you’ve been standing here for so long.”

“I–,” Lexa started, “Well, this is one of my favorite movies of all time.”

The woman nodded for her to continue.

Lexa smiled, “I knew this was being commissioned, but I wasn’t expecting this particular poster to be used. I know there were a few different ones floating around when the movie was in theaters, but this one was one of the more uncommon ones. I’m not bummed about it, just trying to understand why the artist chose this one to represent the film.”

She brought her attention back to the piece—it’s true, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was one of her favorite movies of all time, and arguably the best Star Wars movie in the entire saga. Mostly everyone knew the iconic poster: Darth Vader in the shadows of the background, with Han Solo and Princess Leia in an almost-kiss in the foreground, and Luke and the droids at their side. This piece, however—this piece didn’t depict that poster. This one had Darth Vader most prominent with Stormtroopers rushing to the foreground. The film’s protagonists all had a certain fear cast in their eyes—it showcased the power of the Dark Side, not the optimistic resistance of the Light Side that people were used to.

“I see,” the woman interrupted her train of thought, “it’s nice to see something so out of the ordinary for such an iconic movie, though. Don’t you think?”

Lexa nodded, “Absolutely, I think the thing that’s on my mind is just wanting to know why the artist chose to do their depiction on this poster.”

“So,” the woman took another step closer, now entering Lexa’s personal space, “are you industry or a fan of art?”

“Both, I suppose,” Lexa said, scanning the woman in front of her up and down, “I work for Vice, my team put the campaign and event together—though I am a big fan of art, even outside of this project,” she tugged the corner of her mouth into a smirk and reached her hand forward, “Lexa Woods.”

The woman took Lexa’s hand in hers, giving it a light shake, “What if I told you I was the artist behind this commission?”

Lexa raised a brow, but before she could respond, the woman spoke up again, “Clarke Griffin. It’s a pleasure.”

“Clarke,” Lexa repeated, surprised at the way the woman’s named rolled so seamlessly off her tongue, “Pleasure is all mine. Maybe I could pick your brain about your piece, then?”

Clarke raised a brow, “How about over a drink?”

“Well,” Lexa raised her glass of wine, “I already have one, so maybe we should get one for you?”

Clarke bit her bottom lip, “I was thinking something outside of a work setting—because that’s technically what this is for you, right? Me as well, I suppose.”

Lexa smiled, “I see. Are you asking me out for a drink?”

“I guess I am,” Clarke grinned, “But only for the sake of Star Wars and artistic expression.”

“Only?” Lexa raised a brow.

Clarke corrected herself, “Mostly.”

“I see,” Lexa smirked, “tomorrow at 7? Wine bar down the street?”

“Sure,” Clarke nodded with a grin plastered on her face.

“Well then,” Lexa cocked her head to the side, “I suppose it’s a date.”

[thorlegodkar-blog]

LOCKDOWN DAYS

These are the lockdown day's going on, sitting home ideal, no work to do. It's my 47th day today where I am home, sitting on the balcony, just watching the deserted market road which used to be fully crowded once. Every shop is shut, few people can be scene, assuming they must be going for their groceries or for the duties of essential services. Something louder these days can be hear is azan from neighbouring masjid and then Maulana urging people to stay home and complete their namaz from the home itself. During these fearing days such namaz and bell sounds from mandir are the only hope which was giving spirit to everyone that sooner everything is going to be alright. However staying at home is also not that bad, our busy life has never allowed us to spend time with our loved ones. To speak about me, I got married to Krashmi and after 2 days I was on my site for the work. People would hardly believe I was on leave of 4 days for my marriage. On the 5th day of my marriage I was on site, I still remember her face that day morning she was okay with me for going to my work but somewhere inside she was hoping me to stay back home at least for a day. But I'm kind of workaholic, my site schedule was critical, we were at foundation level. Although I’m having only 2 hobbies which I had developed after my college days, first is work and second is hard work. After almost 2 year of my marriage I am getting time to be with Krashmi, seeing her face with my full satisfaction, seeing and laughing with her on her notorious things is the best. Even on Sundays, when we both used to be at our homes, our maximum time used to go with doing some household works or groceries shopping. Like every married couple, we never got time for each other to spend together except for going on holidays like Kerala, Goa and Udaipur. But still to think about holidays, our most of the time went in wandering on places rather than spending time with each other. Unlike those days now I am holding her hand, grabbing her from the waist, kissing her on cheeks, seeing her being smiling is priceless. I love when she makes the cutest face and she makes it when I don't listen to her. I don't know why, she every time wants me to keep my face clean, keep scrubbing it, keep doing massage? And every time I say her, “being a man I should not be doing it" and at that time she shows her cutest face, I am like going flat for her. She has something which is dragging me every time towards her.

Although not every time she makes the cute face. Sometimes she is also makes her face red, when she is angry, I never understood, why do she expects rice can be serve with only the serving spoon but not with the small eating spoon, what matters is she just to get the rice anyhow, how much we want. I think this problem is with every wife. Why is it necessary to tuck the bedsheet very tightly in the mattress, government should intervene here and address on public announcements that only sleeping is important, one who is faithful to his/her sleep can sleep at any conditions. As I am home these days, like a good husband I am helping her with most of the activities like using washing machine, drying clothes. Why is it necessary to hang clothes in the manner like thick clothes on the exterior part, thin on the inner. We are staying in Mumbai, here all the 12 months the only season is hot and humid. Even if we leave the clothes as it is on the window, it is going to be dry anyhow.

 Hahaha.... Anyways she never stops poking me and I will never stops poking her and this is how the marriage goes if I am not wrong. Our mom and dad must be knowing the true mantra but what I learnt in these 2 years is, if you can't give your wife time, give her the moments, keep poking her, let her scold you for the wrong tucked bedsheet and for wearing unmatched clothes because after that when you hug your wife she smiles beautifully, well I don't know about other wives but my wife smiles beautiful. And this is how moments are created. We can talk in future with our kids we use to do alot of fun. Or we can also share what we used to do in our lockdown days. In the completely silent road when we can see an idiot roaming around without any reason, we used to shout from balcony to go home like crazy. And people used to look up and that used to be very weird.

Infact to mention one incident, we live on 6th floor and there is a building in front of our window of 3 storeys, once in a night there was an incident when on terrace someone's AC's compressor catches a minor fire and people around the building started shouting and raising alarms we can see the fire from our window and we were also shouting for using blanket to cool it down. But I don't know how a fire rumour got spread in our building, almost half of the building crowd were gathered on our building terrace and we were clueless what was happening. As we were busy watching that not so thrilling and not so adventurous but entertaining acts of people using fire extinguisher. After staying for so many days in lockdown we are finding so many humans together and fire must be common but watching crowd these days is not so common, that reminded me of my train and platform days. Suddenly our doorbell started ringing like hell we rushed towards the door for new entertainment. On opening the door, we saw our neighbour uncle red faced, we can sense he was angry.

We were innocently and with no clue listening him, "we can hear u were shouting for the blankets but can't see what is happening in our building first, people gathered on terrace against the fire scare and you guys are enjoying the scene for your window. Bhai, how irresponsible you can’t even sense what is happening in our neighbourhood. Atleast you could have come out and tell the fire is not in our building. Aaj kal k generation…." and the saga went on without hearing us…

but we were really sorry for that, it was foolish to enjoy that incident.

Another incident still gives me laughter-

Currently the situation everywhere is not hidden, people are rarely getting anything due to the lockdown, every family was scared to step out due to coronavirus, once after almost about 2 weeks of home stay we stepped out for our basic needs, like groceries, vegetables and all... My wife saw an ayurvedic medical shops.

She- bhaiya do u have saunth powder (ginger powder)

Shopkeeper- No bhabhi

She- then do u have dried sounth cubes (only she knows what was that but- ginger, may be) 

Shopkeeper- No bhabhi

She reacted on the shopkeeper- No worries I had dried ginger and made the cubes at my home, I can make the sounth powder now. I don't need from you.

Shopkeeper was stunned. I am still confused why she went there, if she was having it.

Sometimes even she doesn’t know what she is uttering, but she just utters. That was peculiar and hilariously she has got lots of useless talent of talking unnecessary.

However, everyone is scared, everyone is hoping to be good soon and everyone wants to go and start working again even me wants my site back. But if I would flip to see the other side of the coin I would see from crazy incidents to Ludo games from public announcements to pillow fights unwanted Lockdown is creating moments, Today, it’s our 2nd anniversary and anniversary to anniversary years will be passing, we will be busy in our work, but still when we will be together after the hectic day I’m sure we will be keep making the moments.

I love you…

Happy Anniversary Honey!!!

Always be there for you…

[mokkoriness]

Motto2 vol. 20 Saga Long Interview

Photo credit: Fantasy Alice9

Looking back on A9's activities in 2016, they showed us a cool world view through their 2nd EP "LIGHT AND DARKNESS", which was released this Spring, and also showed us a fiery live performance comprised of only songs from the band's 1st year at their 12th anniversary show on August 28th. Here and there, you can hear some people worrying about them, asking "Are A9 lost?". As they progress with activities, there is surely no mistaking that their approach and their feelings towards music have changed. Here, we will going along the timeline of events in 2016, and explore Saga's emotions at the time. As we do so, perhaps we can naturally start to see the future that A9 is heading towards.

It was a little unexpected. Since you and Ryosuke are pretty much from the same generation of bands, I thought that perhaps you have had a proper conversation with him before.

Saga: It was unexpected... Despite the fact that we had known of each other quite a lot from 12 years ago. It feels like we were finally able to interact at this point in time. I think that perhaps we were able to talk like this because we have both been in the business for 10 years, have our own thoughts, and have both experienced many things. It made me want to do even more fun things with him. I really thought that it would be nice if we could do something big together.

And on top of that, both of you have this common theme of "returning to your roots". Oddly enough, both bands are in the same mode.

Saga: That's right.

Since Lolita23q are resuming band activities, you can understand why that would be the case for them. But why is A9 in that mode now? I would like to find the answer to that while reviewing this exciting year.

Saga: Sure.

First of all, I think that this was a year where A9 participated in many event lives, something that was not seen until now.

Saga: That's right. To go in chronological order, we first did a 2-man show with Plastic Tree. We had played with Plastic Tree before on an NHK TV show, but it was our first time playing a 2-man show with them, so it was profound. Plastic Tree have had a long career, and when we had started our band, there were many other bands that had been influenced by Plastic Tree's sound. Even members from the band I was in before A9 were influenced by Akira Nakayama's guitar playing. Of course, I also listened to their songs. So I played on stage while thinking about how deeply emotional it is to play a 2-man show with such seniors. Also, actually having met them, they were really friendly people, and will tell you anything if you ask them.

That's right.

Saga: And after the live that day, we also went celebrating afterwards, which is a rare thing, and even talked about our personal lives (laughs). I thought that they were really great older brothers. Of course, I really learned a lot from the way they presented their live show. I was really stimulated, like on how to make an impression at live events or how to use curve balls. And above all, I thought it was amazing that they have always been consistent with their unique world view for a long time now.

That's right. Not only did you play with senior figures in the industry, you also played at events of younger bands.

Saga: The event we played at for another magazine, Cure, at Shinkiba Studio COAST, was during the A9 Tour 2016 "TRUTH IN LIGHT AND DARKNESS". Around that time, we had a killer schedule (laughs).

You also played at "Nico Viju LIVE" at Makuhari Messe on the same day, right?

Saga: Right. We played at two events on the same day (laughs). On top of that, the day before, A9 had a solo live show in Kooriyama. So we arrived at Makuhari in the middle of the night to do a sound check, then went back to the hotel to shower, had a nap, and played live at Makuhari Messe during the day. Then we went to Shinkiba to play at the event. Right after that, we headed for Kanazawa because we were playing a solo show the day after.

That is a chaotic schedule (laughs).

Saga: It was chaotic. But even though we were pushing ourselves, I am glad that we did it. Although a majority of the bands playing at "Cure" are our juniors, there were many cool bands. The feeling that we were out of place there was amazing (laughs).

Out of place?

Saga: How should I put it... All of the bands were hitting hard (laughs). They're all young, they were wearing enamel costumes, they had feathers attached to their costumes, and they were wearing really heavy make-up. Naturally, the kind of audience there was completely different. And then there was me, who went out to play on stage wearing a simple t-shirt... It was like "Sorry for being out of place" (laughs).

(laughs).

Saga: That was the kind of feeling (laughs). But at the same time, I was really curious about how we appeared in the eyes of fans from the younger generation.

Were you worried that even if you played at an event with young bands, A9 wouldn't be accepted?

Saga: To be honest, I was. But once we started playing, they actually grooved along. How should I put it... the mood at the venue was that they would groove along simply if the live was good, or rather, they had a good feel for what good sounds were. It did made me think that if the live show is a good one, you will get a reaction right away, and that there was a good response. When you have been watching lives for a long time, you have the tendency to watch bands that you are seeing for the first time calmly. You think "That groove is something new". It actually made me feel that I wanted to win over the fans of the young bands.

What was the song that got the biggest response and feedback that day?

Saga: "Yami ni Chiru Sakura", a song from the band's early days. From the line-up of performers playing at the event, we guessed what the mood of the venue would be. When we played it as our first song, people really got into it. I had a lot of fun once I saw the reaction from the crowd (smiles).

Like "We guessed it right!"

Saga: Like "This is going exactly as planned" (laughs).

So then in July, you had a 2-man show with Takuto Nakajima. Speaking of him--

Saga: It goes without saying that he is good at singing and his live performance was cool. What left the biggest impression on me from that event was his advice.

What did he say to you?

Saga: What made me go, "Oh, you're right!", was when he said to us "Not flattering the fans is also important". He said "Sometimes, it's also important to just leave the fans behind, express yourselves, and make it a point to not align with them". I thought "Oh, I see".

Did you ever have such thoughts?

Saga: No. Because lately, we have been conscious of doing things like going together with the fans, or taking the fans somewhere, or doing a live show looking at the faces of the audience members. But I only realized that I didn't have that kind of feeling only until Takuto had given us that advice. Also, he was very persuasive, because it was Takuto, who has had a career of continually bringing good songs to fans.

That's right.

Saga: Although at this point in time, it is quite difficult for A9 to directly adopt his advice... Somehow, his advice has always stuck with me. I've been thinking about where to make use of that advice going forward. That approach is alo important.

That's true. Then in Summer of this year, you also participated in V-NATION at Yoyogi National Gymnasium Second Gymnasium. Wasn't the line-up this year a little different from that of last year?

Saga: Right. This year, there were more of our senior bands.

Were there interactions between the bands backstage?

Saga: Yes, because Hiroto is a puppy. He just goes wherever he wants (laughs). Hiroto himself is actually Mogu (name of Hiroto's pet dog) (laughs).

Puahaha. He is certainly like a pet dog...

Saga: If I had to say, he has no concept of national borders (laughs), and he just goes wherever he wants. If I had to say, it's like every band we play with is his owner, and he just goes wherever while wagging his tail (laughs).

You better put a leash on him (laughs)!

Saga: No, we purposely let him run wild (laughs). It's like if leave Hiroto like that, A9's diplomatic relations will be fine (laughs). I'm the exact opposite of him, so I'm just like "Go and do what you're best at!" (laughs).

You'll make full use of his adorable younger brother (puppy) character (laughs).

Saga: On top of that, Hiroto himself knows what his special characteristics are (laughs). Like "I'm a dog. No matter where I go, people will fawn over me" (laughs). Unlike Mogu, he acts like this fully aware of the fact. How scary~ (laughs).

(laughs).

Saga: Because of Hiroto's character, whenever we play at events, we get more acquaintances. It was the same this time too.

Also, at a men's beauty event in Kobe, you played with your former brothers, D=OUT.

Saga: The last time we met D=OUT was when we were still in the same management company, so it had been a while since we last saw them, but they seemed happy. They had just gone independent too, and said they were working hard. We talked about many things in the dressing room. Real talk (laughs).

(laughs). Then in Autumn, you participating in "PARTY ZOO~Ken Entwines Naughty Stars~".

Saga: This really was an event tour full with the feeling that we were a family.

Even during the live performance, you played together on stage.

Saga: We were family on stage, family in the dressing room, and even until the post-show celebrations were over, we were family (laughs).

Did you celebrate after every show?

Saga: It was a must.

Didn't your generation also have post-live celebrations?

Saga: We did, but barely. Our generation is where there are traces of that. So our generation ended that custom (laughs). So we were brought back into those times (laughs).

(laughs). But it was fun, right?

Saga: Yes, the post-live celebrations for PARTY ZOO was. The day after the event in Kobe was the day of PARTY ZOO in Osaka. The second we arrived in Osaka, we got a message asking "Are you in Osaka?". When we responded "We're here", the next message we got was "Let's drink" (laughs).

The day before PARTY ZOO?

Saga: Yeah. When we said "But tomorrow is the day of the live...", they responded "So then let's drink!" (laughs).

That doesn't make sense (laughs).

Saga: So I ended up drinking until 4 in the morning and got a hangover (laughs). The craziest person there was SID's Aki (laughs). At the celebrations, he would always say "We're drinking until morning!" (laughs). Well, I like drinking, so I did drink with him until morning (laughs). And as one would expect, I got a hangover (laughs). But the event itself was very good.

You guys were wasted on stage. You got the order wrong (laughs).

Saga: (laughs). Even rehearsals for PARTY ZOO was fun. Even during dress rehearsals, Ken was there, and he gave us plenty of advice on our sounds and our playing. However... during dress rehearsals, I really didn't like how we was holding himself back while playing at a really low volume from behind my amp (laughs). I was like "Can that Ken (from L'Arc~en~Ciel) not act like a roadie? It makes me even more self-conscious" (laughs).

(laughs).

Saga: But Ken was really nice. Or rather, he was like an older brother. He gave us plenty of advice, like his impression of A9, or his thoughts on our live performance, and how to present our band. I was deeply moved, like "He is giving us all this advice while looking at all these things. Amazing!".

He is a very detailed person.

Saga: He is. To us, Ken is someone you see on TV, he is someone above the clouds. So we are extremely grateful that he gave us very detailed advice. To the point I want to make a book out of his advice (laughs).

Let's do that (laughs).

Saga: Also, I was allowed to play in a session band with Ken, and Ken also played with A9, and this was a wonderful experience. I was really moved at the fact that Ken joined us on stage to play "Hana" on the first day a Toyosu PIT. Also, the crowd there watched every band, and the event itself really went off. BAROQUE also said that since PARTY ZOO, more people have been coming to their shows.

That's what I heard.

Saga: I think that that's perhaps because the bands playing there were motivated by that light that is Ken, and we had a new kind of charm brought out. In that kind of venue, I think we were also able to show even more of the strength that we have.

Were you also a little bit interested in the band Made in Asia, who was a little bit different from the other bands playing?

Saga: That band was awesome, right?

They were.

Saga: On top of that, we played right after them. I wanted them to change the playing order (laughs). Also, Made in Asia's playing time changed depending on the day (laughs). Since each time it's a session performance. I was told this in advance. Like "Depending on the day, the length of our songs changes with our mood. Sorry" (laughs). When they told us that, I was like "Oh, that's something new!" (laughs).

And when the live show was over--

Saga: Having post-live celebrations was a must (laughs).

Were there lots of dirty jokes being told (laughs)?

Saga: We were actually having quite heated and serious talks about music. That was actually quite refreshing. We were drunk off our faces and joking around, but what we were talking about was music (laughs).

Can you joke around when talking about music?

Saga: That was the weird thing (laughs). They were like "My bass is shining. Yay!" (laughs). That was actually funny.

That was surely Ken's way of setting the mood...

Saga: That's right. Even when drinking, Ken had completely set the mood. When I got drunk, I even came clean with MUCC's Miya and said "I don't want to play with MUCC. Never. Because they're so cool" (laughs). It really was fun being able to communicate beyond the boundaries of junior and senior, and it was only possible because of Ken.

Many session bands played at the event, and you participated in many session bands too, didn't you?

Saga: Yes. Together with MUCC'S Tatsuro, we played The Blue Hearts' "TRAIN-TRAIN", and at the PARTY ZOO After Party, I played X's "Kurenai" with Miya. Even though at first, I heard we would only play "Kurenai", right before the show, he said to me "We're also playing "X"". I was like "Huh?" (laughs). I was like "I know the song, but still... We're on soon, crap...", and so we played it without having rehearsed it. And this was a 4 in the morning (laughs).

(laughs).

Saga: We played it without having rehearsed it, and while drunk (laughs). Well, that included, it was fun (laughs).

Was it as if you were kind of playing at a school festival?

Saga: That's right. It kind of took me back to the days when I was a student. But since Ken was there, I wasn't able to completely go back to being a student. It was as strange feeling (laughs).

Seeing it was a crazy tour both on and off stage... it's only natural that we would hear people here and there saying they were missing PARTY ZOO when it was over.

Saga: As expected, we felt a little sad after it was over...... Having done the tour, I severely feel that it was a good event. And that I wanted to play more.

There never was such a fun event tour before.

Saga: It was fun, but to a certain extent, it was tough. But every day on tour, I was hungover (laughs). The dressing room was also always in an uproar, and it really was like a zoo. In terms of whether it was tough or not, it was tough (laughs).

(laughs) And then in Autumn this year, you also played at the "Visual Festival 2016" in Osaka.

Saga: This was our first time playing here, but I heard it was an event that has been running every year for quite a long time. I like "Oh really?". Since playing at the event in Spring with the young bands, there was this feeling in the band that we wanted to play at more events that that young generation of bands played in too. Our outfits on this day were the ones we wore at our 12th anniversary live on August 28th, and not just a t-shirt (laughs).

And you also played at "VISUAL JAPAN SUMMIT 2016", what could be called the biggest Visual-kei event of this year.

Saga: Originally, Hiroto had been a live support member for X-JAPAN's Toshi, and I also heard that he was on good terms with SUGIZO from the guitarist meeting. Although it was our first time meeting them as a whole band, we were allowed to play at the event.

Quite a lot of big names were playing at the event. Were you scared?

Saga: Of course I was, but on the day, there was a message from YOSHIKI, saying "A member from KISS is also here, so we can't show him a lame live. Please do your best". That was where we got the first blow (laughs).

(laughs) You performed quite early in the day, didn't you?

Saga: We were the first act to perform on the main stage.

Like, "We're going to warm up the crowd for our seniors".

Saga: That's exactly what it was like (laughs). It was in the afternoon and still quite bright outside, and it was a really long event, so when the timetable was announced, we had imagined that there still probably wouldn't be that many people there yet when it was our turn to play. But when we actually went on stage, there were already over 10,000 people there. I thought "Whoa, what is this? It feels like we're playing a stadium. And it's only midday too". There wasn't any rehearsals and we couldn't do a sound check either. There were so many causes for concern, but it was like "We have no choice but to do this!".

So how was it?

Saga: It was really fun. If I remember correctly, GLAY and X JAPAN were going to play after us on the main stage, and many of their fans were there, I think. But people who clearly were not our fans watched our performance, and they even jumped along with us when we asked them to. I was really glad.

It must have been incredible to see such a large venue full of people responding to you.

Saga: That goes without saying. I think it might have even be the first time for A9 to give a live performance in front of that many people, in terms of the size of the crowd. At Budokan, it is 360 degrees, and you get the feeling that you are surrounded, but at Makuhari Messe, it's like a sea of people spread out in front of you. It's a feeling we've never experienced before in the live performances we had done up until then.

Did it feel good playing at a large venue?

Saga: As one would expect, it did. Because there was a song that really shone for the first time in such a large venue as that.

And that song is?

Saga: Actually, we have many songs that were written with the image of it being played in a wide, open space. So when we decided to bring out "the beautiful name", which is a song that we haven't been able to play recently, I was moved, like "Yes, it has this kind of feeling". I was kind of moved, being able to play a song that was written imagining a wide, open area in a wide, open venue.

Even though it was an event, did experiencing such a large venue make you want to play at Nippon Budokan again?

Saga: That's right, I do want to play there again... Because we are in the mode where the band, in its 12th year, has reset it music activities too, and with the feelings we had when we first formed the band, are running towards a new goal. I talked about it briefly in the talk session earlier, but since the show on August 28th, where we celebrated our 12th year anniversary, it feels like we have started a new term. We want to do our activities aiming for a new goal... Personally, I think it doesn't matter what the goal is, but I think that a goal that is easy to understand, like Nippon Budokan, would be better.

But you have already played a solo show at Budokan, right?

Saga: Yes, once. But the show had this strong feeling that our previous company was allowing us to play there. Rather than it being like "Yay! We played live at Nippon Budokan!", the feeling that we were allowed to play there is stronger. That's why next time, we want to play there with our own strength. So now, we are running forward again towards that goal.

And that is another kind of returning to your roots, which came up in the talk session.

Saga: That's right. Returning to our roots is A9's theme since the live show on August 28th. To provide additional information on what I talked about in the talk session, when the band name had changed to A9, we thought about changing our image a little and to do the kind of music we've never done before, and that resulted in us releasing our 2nd EP "LIGHT AND DARKNESS" in Spring of this year. So as a result of various discussions, we tried making an EP that had black music and R&B elements in it, and adopting non-distorted guitar cutting.

It is a really refined release.

Saga: As you rightly say, as a result, it ended up being a really stylish release. For the band, it was an album that was made with a new musical approach, and I am glad that we were able to make such a release.

And the shows on the tour for this release was comprised of two parts, with the first part of the show was focused around the new release, and you performed facing each other, as if it were a jam session. In the second part of the live, it was more like the regular way A9 presented themselves. I watched the show thinking that it had very strong experimental elements.

Saga: Yes... For the band, it was a very experimental live tour. To make the decision to actually do that kind of live show required courage, as one would expect. But we don't have that feeling whatsoever right now.

Even though you took the time to create that kind of world?

Saga: Everything was reset at the 12th anniversary live. How should I put it... We have this path that we have continued to walk down for 12 years. It's a path we walked along always doing trial and error and experimenting.

Yes.

Saga: So in light of that, when we thought about what we should do next, the only musical approach that we could come up with was like that of you see in "LIGHT AND DARKNESS" of this Spring. Rather than saying that we chose this direction from a variety of musical directions, it was more like we had no choice but to go in that direction. But as expected... by doing an experimental live show on the Spring tour, where the show was comprised of two parts, all the feedback that we got from different points of views were all over the place, such as with what kind of thoughts the audience was watching us with, or what it was they wanted from us, or some of our seniors saying to us "Isn't A9 this kind of band?".

There was a mixed reception.

Saga: For better or for worse, there was a variety of opinions. Also, we had played at many events this year, so we had many opportunities to consider once again what kind of band A9 is. Of course, there are things that we want to do and ways we want to present ourselves, but there is also the A9 that the fans want to see, as well as the A9 that our seniors advise us to be like... To be honest, that became a very difficult thing for us (awkward smile). As we listened to the varying opinions, we were confused about what exactly A9 should do.

Just going back to the Spring tour, after playing the first show, did you have this feeling like "Huh? This is kind of weird?".

Saga: We did. I was like "Huh?".

Certainly, during the post-live celebrations, you all had these blank faces.

Saga: Yeah... At the time, we didn't know if A9 could pull off what we wanted to do. How should I put it... For example, we had this kind of concern that perhaps the feeling was similar to that of someone who liked metal to force themselves to play fusion music. We racked our brains over this. To be honest, we played each show on the tour while still being lost.

Personally, I was watching the show quite closely, thinking it was an important thing for a band of this stature to play this kind of music and sounds.

Saga: Oh, is that so? But this led us to "completely starting from scratch".

"Completely starting from scratch"?

Saga: Up until now, we always did our activities while thinking "We did this last time, so let's do this next time". In other words, we considered our next approach in light of our past. In terms of both visuals and sounds. That is how we arrived at this point. But we decided to reset all of those restrictions and restraints at the live on August 28th at Shinkiba Studio Coast.

It was announced at final of the Spring tour that the anniversary live on August 28th would have the concept of 2004 - 2005. Were you able to hear the loud cheers from the dressing room?

Saga: We did. The way it was announced, from a fan's point of view, they would be like "Are they going back to that time?".

Was the decision to return to your roots perhaps related to the feedback you got from the Spring tour...?

Saga: No, it wasn't because of the Spring tour, but it was decided since before then. I was the one who said that we should do this kind of thing for our 12th anniversary live. That is why we decided to do everything we wanted to do on the Spring tour. We thought to clear away our past and return to the time when we first formed the band. We thought that it would probably make the fans happy, and the people watching would surely find it interesting. Since every anniversary live, we kind of play our greatest hits, we thought that we shouldn't just have a repeat of that. So we tried putting on a live show comprised only of the songs that we had written in our first year. And when we did it, it was really amazing, both the reaction of the audience, and for me too.

For yourselves too.

Saga: I discovered many things. Actually, we pretty much don't play those songs at live shows these days. Even if we did, it would only be about the same five songs. So when we played all of those songs for the first time in a while, of course they were different from our more recent songs, but the songs didn't feel old.

I see.

Saga: Thinking about it, it's not like those songs were composed with the thought "Since we have already done this kind of song in the past, this time, let's make it this kind of song". I think that is a big difference from the way we have been writing songs recently. We had put what we were thinking as is into the song. But along with carving out the band's history, we kept on writing songs where we had adjusted the band's course while comparing it to the past, like "It was like this in the past, so we should do it like this now", or "Let's do this, because this is how people view our band", or "This song was too aggressive, so let's do this".

So you wouldn't write similar songs or you were moving towards improvement.

Saga: Right. But now, where it feels like we've come full circle writing songs in that way, I want that feeling that we had at that time.

To compare the song-writing method you had used over the last 12 years to a box of 12 coloured pencils, when you had used your favourite colours while trying not to use the same colour twice, all that was left over was the grey pencil, which is the hardest to use. And what you drew with that grey pencil was "LIGHT AND DARKNESS".

Saga: It really is like that. Like "This is the only colour we have left".

So now that you have used all 12 colours, are you putting the coloured pencils away and going to draw with the drawing tools that you want to use?

Saga: That is the point we have reached. Doing the Spring tour and then doing the 12th anniversary live with only songs from the band's early days. To me, it's all connected. To put it another way, it actually feels like we have come full circle. Putting aside the variety of views that people have about us, we'll start again from scratch to write songs without thinking about the past and not being self-conscious. We'll put our thoughts into the songs as they are. I noticed that if we were to write songs in that way without any restrictions, when we give form to the things we want to do, perhaps we will see the real A9.

Oh, I see.

Saga: Having starting over from scratch and going back to the same feeling we had in our early days, we're currently writing new songs. And it's almost strange that we are writing good songs one after the other. So now, I really do think it was a good thing that we did that live. Now, before even knowing it, we have welcomed our 12th year anniversary, and it really feels like we have truly gone independent. At the same time, I was also in the state of mind where musically too, we went back to the start.

And that from here on, you're going to build up a new history.

Saga: That's right.

So now that you have come full circle to start from scratch, which direction will A9 go in now?

Saga: Hmm... I can't say anything just yet, but I am proud of the song that we are writing now and will release next. There are no experimental elements whatsoever, and it captures everything that A9 is right now. We already know what we want to do next, and we are writing songs to our heart's content. There are no out-of-bounds areas this time. Nothing like "This aggressive beat is not allowed".

So if the members all write their own songs, is it possible that songs with varied tastes will be chosen?

Saga: That is possible. But thinking about it, that's what it was like in our early years. Originally, we all roughly wrote the same number of songs. When we were writing an album, Hiroto, Tora, and myself would write three songs each, and then Show would write one song. Over the last few years, I ended up writing more songs. So I want everyone to write a lot of songs to get the balance that we had back then. Up until now, all we used to think about was if we could express ourselves with a different approach, or if we could draw out a different kind of charm.

Perhaps by doing so, you were able to find some originality?

Saga: Maybe. But I believe that going through to the very end with the things that suit you and the things that only you can do become your individuality, and they become something that can't be so easily imitated by others.

That's true.

Saga: I think that by going through to the very end of it, it becomes something that sets you apart, and that it naturally turns into your individuality. So I think that doing what suits you and seeing it through to the very end is perhaps very important. This is what I strongly feel, as I work on A9's new songs.

Be it clothing or anything else, there are things that suit you and things that don't. There are clothes that fit Saga's slender figure, and if a band from another genre with a nice body were to put on A9's clothes, it might not suit them.

Saga: I think it goes both ways. Doing the things that suit you ultimately leads to it being your individuality.

All that being said, I think at the core of A9 is something beautiful. I don't think there is a need to go out of your way to destroy that. Because that's your individuality. I think that all you need to do is just stand their naturally.

Saga: In terms of the band, that is exactly the kind of thing we talked about. Now that we are in our third year since becoming A9, we should wear the clothes that we feel are just right, and to make the sounds that we want to make the most. That's the mode we are in now.

I am looking forward to the next release. So you are right in the middle of song-writing for that release. Personally, for the song-writing, do you refer to any of the experimentation you did with "THE ALTERNATIVE", the project you do with Nao?

Saga: I do.

I watched one of the shows, and I was surprised. You're good at singing (laughs).

Saga: (laughs) Well, as expected, singing is difficult. I also talked about it in the talk session earlier, but originally, I had liked composing songs, and I aspired to be a singer-songwriter. It was a normal thing for me to listen to Masashi Sada or Miyuki Nakajima CDs, which was what my mum had listened to. What made me want to play the guitar and compose songs and sing them was that it was how I was introduced to music itself. To put in modern terms, I looked up to the singer-songwriters that are like Motohiro Hata. But when I was in middle school, I was poisoned by that thrilling thing called bands. So I dyed my hair, and even my soul was dyed with rock music (laughs).

(laughs).

Saga: So I had made this huge misstep in my life (laughs), but originally, that was what had introduced me to music. I had played the guitar, sang, and wrote songs at home. Actually, I only write songs that I can sing.

There are many occasions where guitarists write songs starting with a cool riff, right?

Saga: That's exactly right. The way I write songs is different from that. Our guitarists write songs with riffs as the main thing. But for me, I won't hand the song over to Show if it's a song that I myself cannot sing. I think that it's because I write songs like that while singing along to them at home, I've naturally come to be able to use my voice. Probably (laughs).

No, no, it's not about being able to make sounds or not. It's about your nuances and that it feels like you've mastered singing. You're not like most bassists (laughs).

Saga: (laughs) As a person who has written the song, when I am communicating to Show the nuances, I also sing it to him, like "Do it like this".

Now, it seems that rather than being a bassist, you're more like an multi-instrumentalist. Why are you so greedy when it comes to music?

Saga: The first instrument I played was the guitar, and at the time, I wanted to form a band as a guitarist. But people told me that they didn't need a guitarist. Thinking that I'll never be able to be in a band at this rate, I had no choice but to become a bassist (laughs).

What?

Saga: But because of that, I was able to form a band, and now I am able to do activities as A9. So it's not as though I wanted to become a bassist, and I'm not so fussy when it comes to the bass. Regarding the keyboard, I learned it because it felt like it was necessary, so now, I can play it a little. I think that coming into contact with instruments and being able to play them to a certain extent is actually extremely important in writing or arranging songs. What I mean is that you can write songs looking at the band as a whole.

I see.

Saga: For example, if all you can do is play the guitar, you can only use the guitar to write a song with all your playing habits, and for the parts other than the guitar, you have to imagine it and write the song that way. But if you were to come into contact with all instruments, you'll be able to write a song with more dimension. Even with the drums, I actually try playing it myself, and I write the song with the image of me playing it. The same goes for singing too. I think that in that respect, it's a good thing to do. However, I also do think that writing a song without knowing about any other instruments apart from your own is good in its own way.

What do you mean?

Saga: For example, when there is a kind of bass phrase that I myself would not have thought up of in the songs written by the other members, there are times when I think "Oh" This is new", and get motivated that way.

Are there times where you go "I can't play this"?

Saga: There are such times too. But I think that is still good in its own way. So it's more than okay for different people to have different approaches to writing songs. It's just that I'm the type of person who wants to know about every instrument. With regards to sounds, I've come to be fussy about the cleanliness of it, or rather, I am getting more particular about it... I want to create a demo that is perfect, in my own way. From there, while listening to the member's opinions, I start tearing it down.

So adding Hiroto and Tora's guitar and Nao's drumming to the completed demo that you made, you get A9's sound.

Saga: That's right.

Hiroto seems like a guitar artisan.

Saga: He is a kind of person who lives based on feeling. He is a true guitarist. His heart is also a guitarist (laughs).

I feel like there is some scorn behind those words (laughs).

Saga: It is really difficult, because Hiroto is a free spirit (laughs). How should I put it... If I were to put it in terms of arithmetic, in the 1 + 1 = 2 calculation, he first thinks about the answer only. He is like "A 2 is good here!! But I don't know how we get to the 2". Here, I would teach and explain the process, like "We should add 1 and 1 together here. But making it 2 costs too much, and is a bit too difficult". In the end, the idea gets rejected (laughs).

(laughs).

Saga: Then Nao makes his appearance here. He is very serious when it comes to the drums, but he has always been a very smart and scientific person. Since going independent, he has been enjoying hitting the abacus, in particular. To the point he breaks calculators (laughs).

There you go exaggerating again (laughs).

Saga: I'm serious. He often says "I broke the calculator~" while smiling brightly (laughs). It surely must be because he is hitting it as hard as he hits the drums (laughs).

Then you should talk to him about hitting it with dynamics (laughs). That reminds me, Tora has been working on videos since you went independent.

Saga: He was probably always interested in it. He had originally made the storyboard for the "Shunkashuuto" music video. Actually, the original demo for the song "Shunkashuuto" was something that Tora brought because he wanted to do a song based off the music video. So he has always liked making footage and drawing. So he has been making videos on his computer... But the thing with Tora is if you ask him to do something, he'll do his best to do it, but if you don't tell him anything, he won't do anything (laughs). So it should be fine as long as you keep asking him. Like "Please do this, Tora!!" (laughs).

(laughs) So while leveraging your various characteristics, A9 has returned to their roots, and you are heading towards a new goal.

Saga: That's right. We are writing songs now. It's like as though we are getting ready for an album.

So regarding recent news, you will hold "WHITE Christmas Live with A9 CHANNEL" at Differ Ariake on December 24.

Saga: Just as the title states, in addition to the live, we'll also do a live broadcast for Nico Nico.

That legendary Nico Nico live broadcast will be back (happy)! There are many fans who love it since it was funny.

Saga: Rather than being funny, it was an awful show (laughs). Well, personally, because of that show, I got a lot more fans, and I'm also grateful for the show. Until we did the show, apparently, many fans had the impression of me that I was a cold person who didn't talk much, but on that show, my parent’s house was exposed, and my mum and dad even appeared on the show (laughs).

Your mum was eating quite a lot of pizza (laughs).

Saga: She was (laughs). Tora went to someone else's house without any sort of appointment, and he even took a bath there (laughs). Well, as revenge, I went to his parent’s place (laughs). His mother had even shown us the mandarin gown that Tora used to use as a stage costume (laughs). While saying "Oh, what should I do~♪", she showed us his childhood photos. From Tora's point of view, she must be a terrifying mother (laughs).

I watched that show thinking that he was raised in a good household, like a young master.

Saga: Tora was raised well. Despite being raised so well, he went off the rails hard (laughs).

(laughs).

Saga: Oh, this is just additional information, but on the day of the live, we ask the fans to wear white clothes, if possible, since it's a "WHITE CHRISTMAS". During the tour at the start of the year, "BLACK PERIOD", it will be all black (laughs). We will play for two days at each venue, with one day being a solo show, and the other day being a 2-man live. The solo show will be pitch black (laughs), and I think we will try and mix in some new songs there. For the 2-man show, we asked some young bands that we had met during the the events and festivals we played at this year, so we will be playing with them. While receiving power from the young bands, we will do activities next year remembering that fresh feeling we are starting to forget (laughs).

You're still fine. You aren't losing to the young kids (laughs).

Saga: No, but really, the young bands these days are really good and put on quite good performances. They are quite formidable. We were really trembling, like "They are so much better than our generation...".

All you can do is not worry about the senior-junior relationship and go all out.

Saga: That's right. So we have the tour that we announced, and there are still some things we haven't been able to announce yet... So I am really looking forward to next year. Or rather, I am really confident in the A9 of next year. I don't think we will stray from our core activities.  We were a little flustered this year, though, taking on many challenges, doing trial and error, getting lost, and appearing at many events, which was a first for us. But as we received many opinions and advice, while referencing that, the answer that we came up with on our own is to "return to our roots".

That's right.

Saga: Although it's not manifested yet, we ourselves have a clear understanding of what A9 wants to do, both in terms of activities and sound. So we're not lost anymore, and we're going to move forward.

Fans should be able to relax and go along with you.

Saga: Right. Continuing on from participating in many events this year, we would like to interact with many bands next year too. Since I've been given the opportunity to talk with Ryosuke today, it would surely be fun if we could do something together... I can't wait, even though it will happen next year.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #389

Top Ten Things I Want from The Batman

So last week I celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of Tim Burton’s Batman by listing the things I thought he got “right” about the character (“right” being, I acknowledge, arbitrary). This time around, sticking with a similar theme, I’m going to flip the switch and look to the future. Matt Reeves’ long-gestating Bat-pic The Batman is finally gearing up, having recently cast its Dark Knight in the shape of erstwhile vampire Robert Pattinson. The saga of The Batman, its Affleck-ness and its connectedness with the DCEU as-was, is almost worth a movie on its own (I really hope there’s a book written about it at some point, or at least a long-form essay; the ins and outs of what became of the DCEU and the de-Snyder-fication of their film slate is potentially fascinating). At any rate, we’re going to get another Batman film and that’s quite exciting. Especially as it is – potentially – a chance to course-correct issues that I had over the previous incarnation of the Caped Crusader. Ben Affleck was very good, but he looked a bit sad and hefty in the suit (the silly cowl essentially removed his neck), and he killed a lot of people. Like, tons. What’s up with that?

So with all that in mind, and given everything that’s come before, here’s a list of places where I hope Reeves and Pattinson go with their Bat-epic. Or even don’t go! You’ll see what I mean, as we get into a list of things I want from the new Batman, The Batman.

No Guns, No Killing: this is a big one for me. The Batman I love in the comics – most of the incarnations, anyway – is very strict about this. For him, murder is the worst crime, and his whole deal is being Anti-Crime. Therefore he would never, ever kill. Also he views guns as, literally, the “weapon of the enemy”. Even Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy – which is probably the closest to the comics in terms of his “one rule” – had him bedecking his equipment with guns and “not saving” people. Here, I’d like a very strict code.

White Eyes: okay, I’m not asking for an MCU Spider-Man here; I know comics characters have whited-out eyes in costume and that doesn’t usually translate to live-action. But Batman would/could/should wear some kind of eye-piece. Even if it’s goggles that he removes/retract into his cowl. What I want to avoid is the blacked-out “panda eyes” look of seeing his real eyes within his cowl. I just find it a bit daft for Batman.

A Working Batsuit: whilst I’m on the subject of Batman’s Bat-duds, one thing that I loved about the Nolan-verse was that his outfit was sensible. Obviously not too sensible, as he’s, y’know, dressed as a bat, but it looked like a suit designed to fight crime in. The Burton/Schumacher suits looked like sculpted pieces of rubber, no good for movement; the Snyder suit looked like fancy dress with “cosmetic damage” and rubbery wrinkles. The MCU, on the other hand, is great at making superhero suits that look iconic and super-y but also workable; Captain America wears some kind of oversuit with, presumably, armour on the inside, and also a cowl of sorts, but one which allows him to move his head and which looks functional despite also having a dirty great “A” on it.

Sweet Wheels: similarly, I’d like a Batmobile that’s more “car” than “tank”. The Burton/Schumacher films, as was their want, gave Bats a car that was more form than function; going the other way, Nolan and Snyder had heavily-armoured war machines that owed a big debt to The Dark Knight Returns. I’d rather lean towards the former, but really, can’t he just have some souped-up Knight Rider thing that’s fast and stealthy? He’s more Black Widow than War Machine don’t forget.

Heh: Batman has, by his own admission, “a sense of humour that nobody gets”. I don’t want a relentlessly dour grimdark Batman. Give me a Batman who can crack a wry smile or a sardonic one-liner, even if he’s being bitterly ironic. To be fair most screen incarnations of Batman have had some sense of humour, but Batman v Superman in particular was almost relentless in its miserableness so I’m hoping The Batman has a funny bone, pitch black as it may be.

A Real Gotham: although I praised to the heavens last week the Anton Furst-ified Gotham of Batman and Batman Returns, I’d like it if the new film hewed closer to Nolan’s vision of the city as a “real” place. Sure, give it stylised embellishments; make it “New York at night” or some twisted version of New Jersey or Chicago or whatever. But I don’t think we need the ridiculous mile-high statues of the Schumacher films, and the less said about the frankly terrible CGI cityscape from the opening minutes of Justice League the better. Shoot on location, or use really good CGI. Make it 10% weirder than normal and I think we’re onto a winner.

Make Batman John Wick: I love how John Wick fights. He’s all business. Boom, boom, the guy’s down, blam, blam, he’s dead. It’s all about minimalising risk, fighting as efficiently as possible. He gets the guys down because, well, the longer they’re up the more chance that they’ll kill him. Batman should fight like that. As few moves as possible, but target them precisely; nothing flashy or extravagant, just get the guys down. Obviously he doesn’t kill or use a gun (see point number 1) but I want a Batman who looks cool when fighting, looks like he trained with monks and ninjas and assassins and wizards. Basically, let’s have some genuinely impressive-looking fight scenes for once.

Make Batman Sherlock: I have high hopes for this one, as the word round the internet campfire is The Batman will be much more detective-focused than previous films (to this date, the two Batmen who are the most sleuth-y are Adam West and Kevin Conroy). But Batman is supposed to be the World’s Greatest Detective so, y’know, let’s see him detect. Greatly. Er, around the world. Make it a proper crime film, a whodunnit. That’d be good.

Make Batman Weird: not necessarily “Tim Burton weird”, but just give us a sense that this is a Batman who has a sci-fi closet. A Batman who, maybe, has fought Monster Men, Killer Crocs, sentient mud and murderous flora. Nolan’s Batman was super-serious and Snyder’s Batman was super-miserable so whilst I applaud a more street-level focus and a noir-ish tone, I hope the possibility exists for a world full of Man-Bats, immortal warlords, dollotrons, and more.

A Wider World: I really hope this one is viable. The plan was for the Justice League-centred movies to form a spine, telling a story arc over multiple films, with the stand-alone tales functioning as spin-offs. As it turned out, the “spin-offs” were the successful ones, and with Batman being rebooted from Batfleck to Battinson, it looks like the “Extended” part of “DC Extended Universe” is up in the air (so is the “Universe” part too, I guess). I don’t know if Justice League or the preceding films are still in continuity even, or if continuity is still a thing, but all the same what I want from a DC Comics adaptation is a shared universe. I’m not a big fan of Zack Snyder’s incarnation of that universe (too dark, miserable, and po-faced), but I still want to see Bruce hanging out with Clark, teaming up with Diana, arguing with Arthur… I want that feeling you get from the MCU (and the comics, for that matter), that Wakanda going public or SHIELD being disbanded or Tony Stark dying is going to have repercussions in other films. I think The Batman is going to be pretty much self-contained in the same way as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam, but all the same, I hope the potential is still there. In much the same way as I’m very happy for the film to be a street-level noir with the potential to one day have a sequel featuring Batman and Robin fighting off Mister Freeze in a Bat-UFO, I hope it focuses on Bruce and Gotham with the potential to segue into a Justice League movie or have a sequel set in Themyscira or something. Don’t close off the universe, is what I’m saying.

So there we are. I’m aware that this is, essentially, a fanboy wishlist of My Ideal Batman, coming from a straight white bloke in his thirties who graduated from Year One through Knightfall then “New Gotham” and found his Batman apogee in the works of Grant Morrison. Matt Reeves has his vision and it’s good that he sticks to that (for better or worse, I still would have liked to have seen how Snyder’s proposed Justice League arc had played out – although I am emphatically not a “Snyder Cut” devotee). But I feel there’s a sweet spot between stylised and realistic, between comics-accurate and designed-for-film, that hasn’t quite been reached with Batman yet (The Animated Series came closest). Nolan’s films are obviously the best, but I do think that the more realistic you make Batman’s world, the less realistic he himself becomes, and you make the central conceit (trust fund orphan did a lot of push-ups then dressed as a Dracula to Fight Crime) all the more silly. I’m still a bit sad that we lost Affleck, but I’m very excited by where we’re going to go. I just hope it doesn’t preclude a World’s Finest, Justice League Unlimited, or – heck – even a Robin movie somewhere down the line.

[vbtsjimin-blog]

Chapter 14: You Just Let It Fall Apart.

You took the last step that bridged the gap between you and the door to the cafe. With a deep breath in and a small smile from Jihun, you placed your palm on the handle and gave it a gentle tug forward you, a chime shrieking through the air as you pulled. You cursed under your breath, wanting just a few more seconds to yourself before you met with the boys. Your eyes grazed over the seven dark heads of hair on the other side of the cafe, and the power of their gaze almost made you want to turn around and run.

Namjoon was the first to stand to head towards you. You felt like every step he took was a lifetime, and you started to panic because the anxiety you felt pulsing through you was hindering your breath.

“Hi, yn” he said softly. His eyes flickered to Jihun, “oh, and uhm, Jihun.” Namjoon gave the man standing next to you a small nod, not sure what to say.

“Hey man” Jihun responded brightly. “I promise I’m not here to interfere. Actually,” he took a step away from you, “I’m just going to sit over here.” Jihun’s head nodded to the right of him where a small table was sitting empty in a corner.

“Jihun...” you began to protest but his sharp look stopped you from finishing.

“It’ll be fine, yn. Don’t worry. I’ll be right over there if you need me, and I promise I won’t take my eyes off of you. Okay?” You reluctantly nodded as you followed Namjoon to where the other six boys were anxiously waiting.

“We went ahead and ordered your usual for you” Taehyung smiled up at you with such a look of innocence it made your heart swell.

“Thank you” you whispered back, awarding Tae with the best smile you could muster.

Before you took a seat, you looked at each boy, taking in their facial features you have missed so much. It had only been a few weeks since you had a chance to really look at them, but you swore they all looked different. Maybe their perfect illusion you held of them had diminished, or maybe it was just all in your head. Either way, you didn’t feel like they were your boys anymore.

“So....” you trailed, “how’s life?”

A chorus of blank, generic responses swarmed the air around you. They must be feeling as nervous and awkward as you were.

“How have you been?” Hoseok asked.

“I’ve been better.” A silence followed which started to infuriate you. They were the ones who wanted to meet, yet none of them had really anything to say. “Look guys, I only have an hour” you finally spoke up. “So please, whatever you need to say, let’s say it and get it out on the table.”

“She has a point. So, who wants to start?” Namjoon looked at each of his brothers.

“I will” Yoongi stated. To say that you were taken aback was an understatement. Your relationship with him was never the strongest out of the group, and the past few weeks were proof of that. He was always the first one to doubt you or call you out on your behaviour.

“So, yn...” he paused. “I just want to say I’m sorry for being an ass. I’ve accused you of a lot lately and that wasn’t right of me... or any of us.”

There was another silence as the boys looked at you, their eyes eager as they waited for your reply.

“I, uh, I just don’t know what to say. You guys really hurt me. I understand my mother’s death isn’t your responsibility to remember, but you had taken it upon yourselves the past couple years so I just kind of assumed you had the date memorized or something.”

“Can we ask you why you never mentioned it to us?” Jin asked, his eyes were low like he was scared to meet yours.

“It just was never the right time for me to bring it up” you shrugged. “There was always something else that had your attention and I didn’t want to ruin it with my melodrama dead mom saga.”

“You wouldn’t have ruined anything” Jimin said in between bites of his food. “Our friendship should have been strong enough for you to feel comfortable bringing anything up at anytime.”

“And it was, but-”

“Was...” Jungkook scoffed and your heart shattered even more. You took a deep breath in and continued what you were saying.

“It was, but Lucy was around, and I know you guys really like her, and I’m happy you have a found a friend in her, but you have to realize that I don’t know her like you do. She was your friend, not mine, and I wasn’t comfortable bringing my mom up in front of her. Every time I was around you all to mention something, she would be there.”

“There were other ways you could have talked to us” Namjoon stated. “We’re constantly talking in our group chat.”

“You’re right, but my mom is the most important person to me and I didn’t feel right bringing her up in a text message.”

A silence fell over the table as the boys let your words sink in. It seemed like maybe you finally had broken through to them and you were helping them understand your frustration.

“We have been a little selfish the past couple weeks, haven’t we?” Hoseok asked to nobody in particular, but the boys nodded their heads in agreement.

“Can I be honest” Jungkook said abruptly, his hands tight in clenched fists.

“I think that would be best” you replied apprehensively.

“I’m pissed. At you. At myself. At us. At this whole fucking situation. I knew something was wrong with you. I fucking knew it. And I asked you so many times. I asked you in a text, I asked you in person, and not once did you ever say anything. The night of your mom’s anniversary, when you stormed out at us, I spent hours looking for you. I tried fighting for our friendship, yn, and you just let it fall apart. So what the hell am I supposed to think? Am I just supposed to accept your apology, and you mine, and we pretend this never happened? You were my best fucking friend, yn, and you just left. You just disappeared.”

You felt the tears build up in your eyes, letting each hurtful word hit you.

“I’m sorry, J. I really am sorry you feel this way, but please know that I can’t agree with that. I can’t agree that I let our friendship fall apart. For me, that night I closed the door and ran out of your apartment, my friendship I had with each of you was already broken.” You looked down at your hands, afraid to look at him.

“So, what can we do to fix all this then?” Namjoon asked.

“Or can we fix it?” Taehyung added. “You can’t just throw five years of us being best friends away, yn.”

“I don’t want to throw it away, but I don’t know how to fix it either.”

“So then what now?” Yoongi asked.

“I don’t know. I really don’t think you guys fully understand.”

“Then help us understand, damnit!” Jin wailed. We were starting to grab the attention of the other people in the cafe, and you turned to find Jihun. He gave you a look, questioning if you needed him, but you nodded him off and turned back around to the boys.

“Do you guys remember why I buried my mother here instead of back home?”

They all shook their heads no.

“I don’t know if you ever told us” Jimin responded.

“I buried her here because growing up, it was only us. My dad had left us when I was just a baby, and my mom spent all of her time either working or with me, so she had lost the few friends she had...”

“...and you knew if you buried her there, nobody would visit her and you didn’t want her to live in the afterlife as lonely as she was in her real life” Jungkook finished your sentence for you. You confirmed what he said with a nod. “I remember you telling me now one of the first nights we went on a walk.”

“Anyways,” you continued with your story, “when I first moved here, I didn’t know anybody. And then when I ran into Jin, it was like something clicked. You guys had shown me what I was missing my whole fucking life. I was missing friendship, love, comfort, safety, trust. I never had any of the consistency of a normal household growing up since my mom was always in and out of odd jobs and I spent a lot of my time alone. Maybe this is my fault. Maybe I put too much faith in you all, but you guys saved my life when my mom died. You showed me who I really was... you helped me find, me.”

You took a deep breath, your hands uncontrollably shaking underneath the table.

“So, every year on February 28, you all proved time and time again that I wasn’t alone. Even though, technically I was, I am, an orphan. But you guys gave me a family.” You felt the ball that had formed in your throat and you tried so desperately to swallow it. You hated crying in front of people, but especially theb oys.

“And this year, we weren’t there for you...” Jimin whispered.

“We made you feel abandoned again, didn’t we, yn?” Yoongi asked.

You couldn’t speak, the sob threatening to escape if you opened your mouth. All you could do was give a weak nod.

“Fuck” Hoseok said, his hand grabbing at his hair.

“Yn, if we would have realized...” Namjoon started, but I held up my hand, cutting him off.

“And that’s the thing that hurt me the most. I thought you guys did realize. I thought that’s why you always wanted to protect me and be there for me. So please don’t say it would have been different.”

“But it would have!” Namjoon cried.

“Just tell us you can forgive us and we can move on from this. Please. We won’t leave you again” Jin whimpered.

“I want to forgive you guys, and maybe one day I will be able to, but today isn’t that day. The wounds are still too fresh. But I want to thank you for asking me to meet you. I think it was a good first step in that direction of me healing.”

With that, you stood up, placing the napkin over your untouched food. You took out your wallet from your purse and laid a twenty dollar bill beside the plate.

“Wait, yn” Jungkook stood up with you, following you to the door. “Please let me try to fix us” he whispered.

“There’s no us anymore, Jungkook. I’m sorry. One day, I promise. Anyways,” you shook your head, resetting your emotions, “everything will be different soon. Just give it another few days or so. It will be like none of this ever happened in the first place.”

Jungkook gave you a quizzical look, hurt radiating from his eyes. You turned around, motioning at Jihun to follow you. Once you two were outside you took a deep breath in, letting the cold air fill your lungs, soaking in the sharp sting.

“Are you okay?” Jihun asked.

“I will be.” You looked up at him with a meek smile, grabbing his hand and giving it a small squeeze.

***

<-- previous, next -->

[thevezinamonologues-blog]

Valentinesversary

Prompt: Nate MacKinnon, sex in his louboutins bc he’s a bougie bitch For: @coltparayko Warnings & Tags: plus-size reader (briefly touches on body issues), nsfw, bougie bitch sex, literally nate mackinnon has a luxury kink, unprotected sex Word Count: 3368

Other Notes: Outfit inspo for this fic here <3 thanks a million to @theainur for beta reading for me!

On the whole, Nate was pretty careful about money. It was endearing to you, really, how he insisted on price-checking the furniture for your shared apartment while the two of you shopped at IKEA, or how he still clipped coupons when he went grocery shopping. You were used to being careful with your money, but Nate was a professional athlete. He didn’t really need to, but yet, he cared about saving his money...

Except when it came to his game-day clothing.

It wasn’t a surprise that hockey players dropped money on bespoke suits for game days, and Nate was no different. From the first time you went to the tailor with him, you could see how much he enjoyed being involved in the process, from picking fabrics to asking about the measurements to accessorizing. You liked seeing the ways his eyes lit up with interest. The guest room closet in your apartment was wholly dedicated to his gameday suits, shirts, ties, and shoes.

Oh, the shoes.

The first time you saw his Louboutins, it was early in the season, at a home game against Minnesota. He’d finished dressing and headed into the kitchen for his pre-game glass of water and a kiss from you, but something was different. You noticed immediately. He was holding himself differently, with more… assertiveness, confidence. You’d seen the suit before, so that hadn’t changed. You inspected the suit, the shirt, the tie, and you couldn’t figure out what had changed until he went on his toes to reach for a glass and you saw the distinctive red bottom of his shoes. You mouth went dry and you mentally calculated if he could leave just a little bit later. It appeared he wasn’t the only one affected by the shoes, then. You kissed him a little deeper before he had to leave, and you were sure you felt him cop a feel before he departed with a cocksure little smirk.

Ever since then you made sure to notice his attitude change when he wore them and you reveled in it. A few months later, his pre-game kiss had even become pre-game trapping you against the doorframe and leaving you breathing heavy with a desperate need for some quality time with one of the toys in your nightstand before you dressed to head to the game yourself. It was that day that your idea was born.

You started saving up your money on the side, being sneaky, careful. The two of you had a shared bank account so you’d get out cash for lunch or shopping or something and put aside the bulk of it in your underwear drawer. By February, your plan was in full-swing. Your anniversary was on the 16th, which was close enough to Valentine’s Day that the two of you usually celebrated both days together (a ‘Valentinesversary’ Nate had called it your first year together and it had stuck). Nate had a home game on the 15th and you suggested the two of you could go out for a late dinner together after the game. He could get back into his game day suit and you’d dress up for the game, so you could leave right from the arena.

At his request, you set out your favourite suit for him on the guest bed: a perfectly cut single-breasted narrow shawl lapel charcoal jacket with matching modern-cut trousers that made his ass look fantastic. You paired it with an off-white linen shirt, and a silk dark green skinny tie with small cream-coloured polka dots and a matching pocket square. You left his Louboutins out next to the suit in a sort of silent declaration of what you’d both been skirting around for months: that the shoes were… well, sexy. They inspired something in the two of you and well… if there was any particular night to celebrate that, it was your anniversary.

When Nate changed and headed into the kitchen, you were still in your robe. He drank his glass of water, then crowded you against the sink for his goodbye kiss. He was definitely on the same page as you, completely forgoing the light brush of the lips in lieu of crowding you against the counter and taking you apart with his lips as his fingers deftly untied your robe. His palm ran across your soft stomach before curling around your hip and holding you against him as he broke the kiss to drag his mouth across your jaw, down to your neck. His lips slid over your skin and you whimpered his name just as he stepped back away from you.

“Tease,” you mumbled sullenly, though your expression softened at his impish grin.

He reached out to squeeze your hand as he grabbed his keys off the counter next to you. “See you after the game, Y/N,” he said, giving you one last, light kiss on the cheek. “Happy Valentinesversary.”

As soon as he left, you went into full-get-ready-mode. You already had everything hidden in the back of your half of the walk-in master closet. You had treated yourself to a spa day the day before to get exfoliated and waxed in all the necessary places, and Gabe’s fiancée, Mel, was due to arrive any moment to help you with your hair and makeup. You slid off your robe and changed into your favourite (and most supportive) lingerie set before sliding on the sleeveless navy dress you’d gotten a few months ago. It settled nicely over your curves, something you might have been too hesitant to wear it before, but Nate had been really good for you. He loved your curves, and the way he genuinely reacted when you showed them off rather than hid them had done a lot for your self-confidence since the two of you started dating. The dress hit you just above the knees, teasing just the right amount of your thick thighs that you knew drove Nate wild. You got out your slouchy white cardigan to keep the dress a little casual for the game and keep you warm when you were outside. While you waited for Mel to arrive, you got out the special ‘gift’ you’d been saving for for months. The brown box with white writing was on the center of your bed, ready for the evening you’d planned.

Mel arrived, expertly helping with your hair and makeup so it could be done a lot faster than if it had just been you. She was a wonderful, supportive friend. You were hesitant at first, when you started seeing Nate. You didn’t look like the other partners of the guys on the team, but the group was so warm, so supportive, and you didn’t ever once feel out of place with them. You were grateful for their friendship, and it was nice having a support system of people who knew what it was like to date someone who was away so often.

Mel finished the last of the curls at the back of your head before you realized the two of you should head out soon.

“Can I see them?” Mel said, nodding to the box. She was the only one privy to your plan and the “Louboutin Saga” as she called it.

You got the shoes off, handing her one to appreciate while you got the other one on your foot. They were white patent leather strappy stiletto heels, higher than you normally wore, but you’d tried them on a few times to get your feet used to them. Walking was a challenge, but not impossible and luckily, it hadn’t snowed lately so you wouldn’t have to worry about slipping and falling.

“They’re gorgeous, Y/N,” Mel said, handing you the other shoe so you could put it on. “He’s gonna love it.”

“I hope so. I’ll keep you updated after the game,” you laughed as the two of you headed out.

Mel laughed as the two of you got into her car. “Not if everything goes according to plan. I won’t hear a peep out of you until at least tomorrow while you’re recovering.”

--

The game went well, the Avs winning a decisive 5-2 victory. Nate had the game winning goal, as well as an assist on Barrie’s empty-net goal. You were sure he’d have some media to handle in the locker room, and luckily you’d come prepared with your spare key to his car so you could sit in the warmth of his heated seats while you waited for him. You’d lost some time catching up on instagram when the driver’s side door opened and Nate slid in, back in his suit, his hair still wet from his post-game shower, and his smile wide and lighting up his whole face.

“Enjoy the game?” he asked before leaning across the center console to give you a gentle kiss.

You nodded, smiling against his lips. “You looked great out there,” you hummed. “I’m proud of you.”

Three years with Nate and his cheeks still flushed pink when you told him you were proud of him. It was sweet.

When you arrived at the restaurant, a nice Italian place you’d been going to on special occasions since you met, Nate stepped out and handed his keys to the valet before coming around to your side to help you out of the car. You purposely flashed him the red from the bottom of your new Louboutin shoes and smiled to yourself as he froze, looking as though he was choking on air.

“Happy Valentinesversary,” you quipped, smirking at him as he finally took in the rest of your outfit, looking like he wanted to devour you there and then.

“I-” he started, opening and closing his mouth a few times before seemingly realizing that words weren’t going to come to him easily anytime soon. He quietly offered his arm to you, then helped you out of your cardigan when you got inside. He ran his palms up and down your bare arms as the maître d’ looked up your reservation. “You look…. Wow…” he murmured in your ear, nuzzling against you for a moment before the two of you followed the host to your table.

Dinner was as incredible as always. You were always a fan of anything they did, so you never minded trying whatever the chef’s special was. This time it was a duck confit and ricotta gnocchi with grilled beef tenderloin over roasted asparagus in a honey truffle glaze. You never wavered on your dessert preferences, though. Their crème brûlée was, quite frankly, dessert porn. And the way Nate blushed all the way down to his neck when you moaned at the first bite was certainly an added perk.

Nate’s hand was resting low on your back, just above the curve of your ass as you waited for the valet. His gaze was still heated and you were starting to shift with anticipation for the through dicking down you knew you were going to get when you got home. It was always so easy for you to read Nate’s face, and for him to read yours. It was, you thought, one of the things that made your relationship so strong. You could always communicate with each other, but sometimes you didn’t need words. The two of you knew each other so well.

As he drove home, you took your time looking at him, the way his thighs barely fit the trousers, the way his hand curled around the gear shift, and at one particularly well-lit stoplight, you found yourself wondering the safety ramifications of sucking him off as he drove.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we’re not going to make it home,” Nate’s amused voice broke you from your thoughts as they grew more and more indecent.

Your eyes found his just before the light turned green and you grinned. “Better get home fast then,” you replied. “I’m feeling very impatient.”

“Me too,” Nate replied, lifting his hand from the gear shift to your thigh, sliding up and squeezing before he had to change gears again.

You shifted in your seat until he finally turned into the parking at your apartment building. You got out before he’d even turned the car off, impatiently digging your key out of your purse so you could get in the door as fast as possible. Nate wasn’t far behind and as soon as your apartment door was shut behind you, Nate backed you against it and kissed you breathless, his hands finally exploring your body the way you’d both wanted him to do all damn night. You pushed your cardigan off while he’d worked your dress up around your waist. You started to toe off your heels but his hand tightened around your hip.

“No,” he said, his voice hitching. “Leave ‘em on.”

You grinned as you helped him pull your dress over her head. He mutely stared at your lingerie while you answered him. “Only if you leave yours on, too.”

He nodded dumbly, sliding his coat off and folding it over a chair before unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling them up his arms. You stared, mouth watering. He knew how much you were enjoying this. You didn’t have time to talk yourself into pushing away from the door, because it was just a few more seconds and he had his hand on one of your thighs, guiding your leg around his waist, and his other hand was pushing your panties to the side to plunge two fingers into you. You started to whimper his name but he swallowed it with another kiss as he felt just how soaked you were for him. You rolled your hips up against his hand, wanting more friction, more movement, more something.

“God, Y/N,” Nate murmured, watching his fingers slide in and out of you. “The minute you got out of my car I wanted to fuck you right there on the hood. Those shoes. Fuck. I wanna buy you twenty more pairs, those red bottoms look so fucking good on you.”

You tugged him close again by his tie, digging your stiletto heel into his backside. “Got ‘em for you, babe,” you murmured before capturing his lips again, whimpering as his thumb found your clit, circling lightly.

He took his time, fucking you with his hand, but you were quick to get impatient and eventually you grabbed his wrist, curling it around the metal of his watch and tugging up till the two fingers he��d had inside you were rubbing in fast circles around your clit, bringing you off fast. He knew what made you tick and a quick orgasm before he fucked you sounded perfect. You came in a fast, sudden wave, your head falling back against the door.

“Fuck me, Nate. Now,” you whined, fisting your hand in his hair and bringing him into another kiss.

“Here?” he asked between kisses, and you nodded.

His wide hands explored your lace-covered breasts while you worked open his pants, freeing his dick and stroking it a few times before pouting up at him until he hooked an arm under your thigh and guided himself into you, stretching you and filling you and it felt like you were calling out his name in breathy little moans each time his hips snapped against yours, fucking you into the door.

“You feel so fucking good, baby,” Nate said, reaching down to get your other leg off the floor. He didn’t do this often, you always worried about your weight, but he’d made it clear that he didn’t care and loved fucking you while holding you up against the wall. The angle he was fucking you at changed as you curled your other leg around him, digging your heels into him as he held you up with two strong hands under your ass.

You steadied yourself with one arm over his shoulders but the other hand was free to slide from where it had been playing with his silk tie up to curl your fingers into his hair, tugging hard as he sped up. His pants finally shifted and fell the rest of the way down his legs, over his shoes.

The linen of his shirt was getting damp with his sweat as he fucked you harder, to the point where you couldn’t even form his name, let alone any other words. So, when he asked you if he could come inside of you, all you could do was nod and dig your shoes into his ass with encouragement. His hips stuttered and his head fell back as he spilled inside you, filling you with his cum and just holding you there against the door while the both of you caught your breath. His softening cock shifted inside of you as he toed off his shoes and stepped out of his pants and boxer-briefs. You tried to bring your feet to the floor, but he tightened his hands to keep your legs wrapped around him as he walked you, still filling you with his cock, to your bedroom.

After depositing you on the bed, he finally peeled your panties down your legs, still leaving your shoes on. He knelt on the bed, bringing your heeled foot to him and pressing a kiss to the inside of your ankle, then slowly working his way up your leg with a series of kisses, bites, and nibbles up to your thigh, where he sucked a hard bruise before you felt the hot air of his breath against your pussy. His thumb worked slow circles over your clit while he licked his cum out of you, moaning into your cunt the way you moaned around your dessert that night. He ate you out with a sort of enthusiasm that you knew his face would be covered in your juices.

“Fuck, Nate,” you cried as he moved back to take a deep breath, letting his stubble scrape obscenely over your thigh and your legs actually spasmed around his head. “Jesus…”

He chuckled before diving back into you, pressing his face so hard against you that you’d felt his tongue spear deeper into you deeper than he ever had before and when his nose bumped your clit, your orgasm took you completely by surprise. So much so that you cried out loud, unable to control your volume. You were pretty sure you blacked out or your soul left your body or something, because when you came to, you were breathing heavy, and Nate was kneeling over you, his knees on either side of your stomach. His face was soaked and he was already hard again. He grinned wide as he opened a wide, flat, distinctively blue box.

“Happy Valentinesversary,” he said, taking out a long, double stranded necklace. The silver chain was dotted with diamonds, pearls, and turquoise. It was beautiful. He reached down to gently lift your head and slide the necklace on you, looking appreciatively as it settled between your lace-clad breasts. You reached out to stroke him and he took your hand and kissed it. “I got it, babe.”

You tiredly hummed your agreement and ran your nails lightly up and down his thighs as he jerked off over you. As he got close, he aimed his cock at your chest, ribbons of white falling over your lingerie and your new gift.

“Did you really buy me a Tiffany necklace just to cum on it?” you teased, running your hand through Nate’s hair as he caught his breath.

He shrugged, giving you a sex-dopey smile and your breath caught in your throat. You loved him so much.

“In my defense, it looks really, really good on you,” he chuckled, near-collapsing on top of you and nuzzling against the side of your neck. He was making a huge mess and you didn’t much care. “So do the shoes.”

“You cum on these shoes and I swear to god you’re sleeping on the couch,” you laughed in response.

“I’ll buy you more.”

[koroart]

Now for some Aiolos / Saga headcanons before I also go crazy from these :

○ Not counting Dohko and Shion ( because 200 years is just not fair) Aiolos and Saga have the longest standing relationship in Sanctuary. They started dating when they were 16-17 ish and have been together for at least 10 years and still counting ( everyone made a betting pool on when either of them are gonna propose , Shion and even Athena are in on it too)

○ Both of them tend to switch when it comes to sleeping in the others respective house. But a majority of the time , Aiolos would be found sleeping over at the Palace of Gemini because it's closer to the bottom of the mountain and the trek up to Sagittarius is too tiring especially after a long day of training.

○ While Aiolos would love to spoon with Saga , the ridiculous mass of curls that is his hair gets in the way almost every time and almost smothers the poor man when they try to sleep in that position. So they either sleep facing each other, or with Saga laying against Aiolos's chest and vice versa, or Aiolos being the little spoon.

○ Contrary to popular belief. They're both nudist. Of course , they do it outside of the public eye. When they're in the comfort and safety of either of their palaces , they both just lay together in the nude , whether just cuddling, chatting, bathing , or just being lazy and relaxing among other things , they just feel very comfortable like that when they're together. Though they would prefer that the others give them a heads up when they walk in because more than once were they found naked by the others ( A majority of it was by Aiolia and by now he just wants to fucking bleach his eyes already )

○ Aiolos LOOOOVES kissing Saga's neck. Because one : it's the easiest place to reach aside from Saga's face. Two : it's one of Saga's most sensitive areas and he loves the reactions he gets sometimes from him. His other favorite places to kiss Saga are : his inner thighs, abdomen, back , face & legs.

○ Saga on the other hand , loves kissing Aiolos on the chest and face. His face because Aiolos has the softest cheeks and cutest nose not to mention those dimples are to die for! His chest because it's supple, strong and also one of Aiolos's sensitive areas, he loves kissing him just above his heart. His other favorite places to kiss Aiolos are : neck , abdomen , hips & back.

○ Of course they have their fair share of fights. It's normal for any relationship. But instead of letting it escalate , the two of them spend some time apart. Aiolos distracts himself and vents by shooting his bow in the forest or talking with Aiolia. Saga trains alone then mediates to calm down ( using techniques he learned from Shaka ). Once they feel their heads are clearer and they're not as angry at the other, they seek the other out and calmly resolve their issue, talking and listening to one another. They kiss and make up and all that because honestly Aiolos hates being angry at Saga and Saga is the same.

○ When they first started dating , they were very secretive about it. Mostly because they were afraid of the repercussions should Shion or anyone else in Sanctuary find out about their relationship. Shion eventually did find out but to their surprise he was supportive , mostly because they reminded him so much of when he and Dohko faced those same fears all those years ago.

○ Aiolos was the one who confessed his feelings first and Saga...well , he ran away because he was unsure on what to do. Aiolos took it as rejection and was utterly heartbroken for about a week ( Saga was THIS close to catching Aiolia's tiny hands tbh ). It wasn't until Saga gained his courage and apologized and told Aiolos of his own feelings, laughter ensued and all was forgiven with Aiolos softly stating that they'll grow together and learn to love one another. ( and he would be right )

○ Aiolos always tells Saga how beautiful he is. Never fails to bring a light flush to his cheeks. In return , Saga reminds Aiolos how beautiful he is too, it always earns him that brilliant smile from Aiolos.

○ Saga actually likes sitting on Aiolos's lap, even when they're hanging out with the other Goldies and even if there is plenty of room to sit. He just plops himself down on Aio's lap. Aiolos has no protest against this and always wraps his arms around him, cuddling Saga close even as he casually chats away with the others. Everyone is used to this by now so it's no big deal.

○ Saga was actually the first one to say " I love you " first. Aiolos thought his heart was going to burst from his chest from how happy he was. So happy he almost forgot to say it back.

○ Aiolos uses cheesy pick up lines, let's be real here. Saga always just fondly rolls his eyes at him but he loves it honestly. Saga is also guilty of using cheesy pick up lines but he does so sporadically and when they happen , it makes Aiolos giddy and filled with laughter.

○ Saga knows Aiolos can't always be happy and full of energy. Aiolos gets worn down too despite trying to wave it off or saying he's fine. Saga calls bullshit every time, for he knows he has his bad days or off days too. He always makes sure Aiolos is taking care of himself and resting and Aiolos can't be anymore grateful to have someone like Saga looking out for him.

○ They used to be shy when it came to PDA, especially in front of the other Goldies but as the years went by and their relationship began to flourish , they became more confident in their affection and now aren't so shy anymore. The others like to pretend they're grossed out by their cute displays of affections but honestly it's just so sweet to see how happy they are together.

○ Sometimes Aiolos likes to just scoop up Saga bridal style and shower him in kisses. he especially does this when he returns from a long mission and is just so happy to see his love. This never fails to make Saga happy ( even if he does pretend to make Aiolos stop, he won't , he loves it )

○ Before either one goes away for a mission, they always make sure to kiss the other for good luck.

○ They spar together often and have a healthy rivalry between them. Sometimes the trees in the forest get knocked down or the training grounds get a few new craters because things get a little intense but that's ok. ( and sometimes...or almost always, their sparring sessions end with them heavily making out but hey it happens. )

○ When one of them comes back injured , the other takes care of them diligently until they are recovered. This also applies when one of them gets sick.

○ On their 5th year anniversary , Aiolos got them necklaces with their zodiac sign on it. Aiolos wears the Gemini one and Saga wears the Sagittarius one and each necklace also has their birthstone on it. On their 10th anniversary, Saga got them rings to go on the necklaces. The rings are a simple sterling silver band with beautiful carved designs and with the phrase 'he who holds my heart ' engraved inside.

○ Aiolos likes to rest his head against Saga's lap , especially after a long day of training , either together or with the trainees. Saga always runs his fingers through his hair and they talk softly to each other as they rest. Sometimes Aiolos falls asleep and Saga doesn't dare move to wake him or sometimes he just falls asleep too.

○ When Saga has had a bad day , Aiolos first gives him the space he needs to sort of calm down and collect himself, makes him something to eat and goes to occupy himself while Saga took his time. Later on , Saga seeks him out and just flops on top of him , just buries himself against Aiolos and just tells him about his shitty day while Aiolos holds him close and listens , stroking his hair as he does so, planting the occasional kiss against those navy locks and offers soft words now and again, just being so calm and supportive. Saga always feels better afterwards.

[luxmaeastra]

@an-endless-saga continued from here.

He shrugged.

"Beron and Zefera deserve someone to know their true story. It's not told outside of Autumn for a lot more reasons than I can get into. But I'm sure Caelia knows more than I do having lived among them for so long."

He sipped at his drink and gave a nostalgic smile.

"So this is maybe 50 years into their marriage? They were friends for 40 of them, and courting for 10. Zefera came to me with a request. To replicate the Mating Bond for her and Beron. She wanted it to be done in secret. She said she wished to tell him her present on their Anniversary. I'm an artificer, I worked for centuries on how to move magic how I wished for it. You learn to make spells, replicate things. When she told Beron he didn't believe her. He came to me and begged to know if it was true. I said yes because he was worthy of it."

He shrugged and gave a rare sheepish smile.

"Beron was the third youngest of 12, the youngest male of 10. He didn't think he'd get anything and then he got Autumn and Zefera. Sometimes I think he still fears it will suddenly be taken from him. It's my favorite memory of them to bring up when they're arguing. It's hilarious how quickly they change their demeanor."

He hummed.

"Helion doesn't call the Blood Duel because he can feel she's happy. And I'm sure she's threatened someone drastic if he tried to do it anyway."

Sometimes people deserved to have their true story told, instead of the rumored ones that was passed around. She had learnt first hand how easy it was to twist and turn things into your desired narrative, how easy it was to portray something one way and it really being the other. She had been the victim of such stories, but she also acknowledged she had woven her own in revenge for what happened to her family – she’d never admit to any guilt in that latter.

“Despite how you portray yourself, you are a very good man to do such a thing for your friends. It takes a certain person to put aside things and think about giving such a gift.” And a gift it was, she felt her own bond every day and the feeling of knowing he was there was something that brought her comfort. She could only imagine how it felt for Zefera and Beron, how it must have felt when they first had it.

Feyre smiled. “It is also nice to see that people can still be civil with each other, even if things do not go the way things were planned.” She didn’t know what things would have been like if they had been any other way, from what she was hearing she was sure Zefera would have put Helion in his place if he had done anything.

[koisurufortunecephalopod]

Team 8 4th Anniversary Book Profile Translations

Saga Prefecture Representative-

川原美咲 Kawahara Misaki

Born on 4/3/2002

Blood Type A

153.8cm

Catchphrase: Saga? (Is the best--!!) I’m from Saga, which is famous for ____. I’m high school first year, 16 year old Kawahara Misaki, known as Missaa!

She debuted on “Eight no Hi”, someday she wants to enter senbatsu, but first she wants you to know her name!

Survey:

Nickname: Missaa (みっさー)

Kennin Team: Team B

Hobbies: Dance, taking pictures of the other members, singing, listening to music!

Specialty: Penmanship

Strength: Always positive! (lol)

Weakness: Indecisive

Charm point: Eyes when I’m smiling

Favorite word or phrase: Thank you

Favorite food: French fries and hamburger steak, strawberries, apples, pineapples

Disliked food: Nothing in particular

Person you admire: Yokoyama Yui-chan (Team 8), Oguri Yui-chan, Kuranoo Narumi-chan, Nakano Ikumi-chan

Member you get along well with: Okumoto Hinano-chan, Yamada Kyoka-chan, Harumoto Yuki-chan

How would you describe yourself in a phrase?: Quiet at first glance, but bright once I start talking!

What do you want the most right now?: A small SLR camera

What do you do to reduce stress?: Do things I like.

What event this year left the biggest impression on you?: Joining in the Team 8 national tour for the first time, I got to do my best alongside my senpais in the Nara concert.

What event this year made you the happiest?: Becoming the Saga Prefecture representative. How do you think you grew this year?: I think my facial expressions have gotten better since my debut.

Your goal for this year: Hurry up and catch up to my senpais.

Dream for the future: Be chosen for senbatsu

What you’re looking forward to with your kennin team: First of all I’ll do my best to be able to be asked to participate in the theater performances!

Casual Clothes Point Check!

I like bright colors, but I wasn’t too happy about how the floral patterned skirt looked, so I layered a transparent lace one on top. If I take the lace skirt off, the outfit is too bright. I like it, but I thought this would look better. (lol)

My Memorable Hashtags:

(Instagram)

#2018

#FirstRequestHour

#47noSutekiNaMachiE2nd!

I want everyone to eat this <3

Most recommended! Hometown gourmet

Squid ikezukuri

I always loved HKT48-san, so I thought that maybe I’d like to try shining in the entertaining business as well, and applied. By joining Eight, I thought that I wanted to change myself. I wanted to become more bright, so I searched for something to trigger that. With that timing, I saw a commercial for recruiting members.

I was announced as a member at last year’s “Eight no hi” concert. During the day concert I sang “FIRST LOVE” and during the night section I performed “Mini skirt no Yosei” with Misakki and Hattsu. I was able to finish singing with peace of mind.

Before joining Eight, I practiced hip-hop dance for five years. I think that because I have that experience, I’m able to learn dances quickly. Because of that, I was able to appear in the Nara concert in November. I thought I would only be selected as support, but I was allowed to appear in as a main member. Ota Nao-chan and Rinrin were there with other adult members and they taught me really nicely.

From here on, my goal is to enter AKB48’s senbatsu. I’ll put my full power into dancing and do my best at MCs and maybe someday I’ll be able to achieve it. For that, I need more people to know about me, so on SHOWROOM I’ve been singing “47 no Suteki na Machi e” while folding paper cranes. I’m carrying on in the tradition of the previous Saga prefecture representative, Fukuchi Rena-chan.