#he used to be a keychain… mine is just the little guy with no chain

[dykeyuu]

every day when i wake up i say to myself “dykeyuu you are not purchasing any sanrio merchandise today” but then i find the deal of the century……..

[likeastarstar]

Invisible String Pt.2

Part One

(A/N: read part one before this part if you haven't already so it'll make sense!)

masterlist.

Jungkook interested you, so you kissed him.

"I don't normally do this," You promised, feeling breathless as Jungkook kissed his way down your jaw to your neck.

"Same," Jungkook nodded urgently, barely processing what you said in favor for tugging you by the waist so that you were straddling him in the back of the cab he had called for the two of you. He said he just didn't want to leave you stranded at the club, that he'd see you home. But one thing led to another and you were currently praying the cab driver didn't yell at you.

Jungkook's hands were everywhere, rubbing at exposed skin, grazing through your hair, flattening against the small of your back. He rocked your hips back and forth against his lap, frowning again in concentration. Shit- he was really hot.

You wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed, wondering what he looked like under his leather jacket. He felt so solid under your touch, like he belongs there. You dragged your other hand through his hair, pushing it back and off his forehead. He keened under your touch, smiling slightly while his eyes fluttered closed as your nails dug into his scalp lightly. You reached the nape of his neck and tugged on Jungkook's hair so that he was looking up at you in his lap, eyes snapping open in sharp attention.

Jungkook's lips parted slightly, as if he was about to say something before-

"First stop." The cab driver interrupted, making you jump slightly as the car came to a screeching halt in front of your apartment complex.

You would've asked him to come inside- except that Jungkook practically pushed you out of the car with a fleeting reminder about the money you still owed him. Ouch. You had clearly completely misread the situation, but that didn't stop you from thinking about Jungkook from that moment on.

You looked for him everywhere, scanning crowds on your daily commute, lingering at the same crosswalk you had met him at. Your eyes stayed glued to the floor when you boarded the bus on your way home most days, trying to catch a glimpse of those black boots.

The next time you did see him was three weeks later, at a gaming cafe, of all places.

"No, no, no- NO!" You whispered, scoffing in disbelief as you lost for the third time that night.

This was not normal for you- loosing, that is. You blamed it on the other abnormality of your current situation: being in a gaming cafe. Normally, you'd be playing LoL in the comfort of your own home sans-pants. But one overly excited moment and a mug of tea placed too closely to your set up and boom- no computer for you. At least while it's in repair.

"You're very dramatic," A voice said next to you, snapping you out of your spiral.

You frowned and looked over to whoever was next to you, locking eyes on Jungkook, who was currently slurping down noodles like someone was going to take them from him. You shrieked in surprise, the two of you jumping in your chairs at the same moment. "Are you stalking me?" You whisper-yelled, leaning away from him.

"No," He snapped, talking with his mouth full. "I got here two hours before you, I just didn't feel like saying hi until now. I could ask you the same question."

You watched him eat in awe, trying not to fixate on the way his tongue looked snaking out to lick his lips every now and then. There had been too many coincidental run-ins between the two of you for this not to be fate. You shook your head, throwing the incredibly stupid thought out of your head.

"Anyway, good thing I ran into you," You shrugged, choosing to ignore the fact that the last time you had seen him, you were rubbing your pussy all over his lap. "I have something for you."

He looked at you with his eyebrows raised, waiting expectantly as you dug around in your bag for a moment. You found what you were looking for, a small keychain of a skeletal hand in the same positioning as the tattoo on his forearm. "I saw it and thought of you, so I got it for you. Here, rock on." You explained, handing it to him.

He laughed slightly, taking it from you gingerly and inspecting it closely. "My tattoo means I love you, not rock on." He pointed out, pulling out his keys and putting the token on the loop.

There was a warm feeling in your chest knowing he was actually going to use it, one that only grew when you noticed the slight blush on his cheeks, "Yeah, well, the keychain means rock on." You quipped, "Do you like it or not?"

"I do," He said quickly, holding up his keys with a bright smile. You sent one back to him, beaming so hard your cheeks hurt. "Thank you."

At this point, neither Jungkook or you ever made plans to see each other. You knew it would just happen on its own. Which is exactly what happened a month later, on what could only be called the worst day of your life.

Things hadn't been going your way for a very, very long time. You usually had pretty good luck, but suddenly it was like the universe had forsaken you altogether. After a particularly terrible blind date, you had had enough- no more dating. This guy was all kinds of awful, he didn't laugh at any of your jokes, he had a terrible taste in music- he even wore the wrong clothes. He had loafers on- loafers. God, Jungkook would never wear those.

Instead of wallowing in a ruined night, you did what any struggling girl boss would do- you got yourself dessert.

You walked to the nearest 24 hour diner, pushing the doors open quickly. There was barely anyone here, thankfully. It was the perfect place to be alone.

Except that two seconds after you sat down in a quiet booth next to a window, Jungkook came marching up to your table. He was wearing a color other than black- this time it was a patterned buttoned down shirt and loose fitting trousers. You couldn't see his shoes, but that wasn't really what you were focused on at the moment. No, instead you could only stare at his latest haircut, cropped short on the sides and parted neatly. Who was this guy and what did he do to your fluffy headed soulmate?

"Are you sure you're not stalking me?" You asked calmly, at this point you were completely unsurprised to see him popping up at the most random times.

"I saw you from the window on my way home and figured I'd say hi," He shrugged, sliding into the booth beside you, immediately tossing his phone haphazardly onto the table. "Although I'm beginning to think you're a figment of my imagination. It's bizarre how you just keep...appearing."

"You're telling me," You snorted, resting your chin on your hand propped up on the table. "But I'm not sure if you'd be able to kiss a figment of your imagination."

Jungkook blushed deeply and you laughed for the first time that day. He was just so easy to mess with. Jungkook pouted childishly and stole your menu, burying his face in it.

"We did a little more than a kiss in that cab," He said in a whiny voice, "It's pretty late, why are you at a diner at one in the morning?"

"Nothing, bad day." You mumbled, "I needed pie."

"Valid reasoning," He said pensively, "You look nice, by the way. I like your earrings, they match mine."

You looked at the chain looping through his double piercings, realizing he was right- you had a similar version in your own ears. Weird. You didn't get a chance to return the compliment before the waitress came over and Jungkook ordered literally every kind of pie on their very extensive menu and two coffees.

"If pie will make you happy we might as well go all out." He reasoned, only noticing your outraged face when the waitress left. "Anyway, I got you something."

He dug around the backpack he has dumped in the booth beside him when he got here, pulling out a flash drive with a a tiny keychain of a butterfly connected to it.

"I don't know if I've never mentioned this before, but I'm a musician." He explained, holding it out to you. "This has my latest stuff on it. Nothing fancy, just wanted you to listen before I send it off to my label. Plus, the keychain reminded me of you."

You took it from him slowly, holding it as if it were worth a million dollars- which to you, it was.

"Sometimes I think I dreamt you up," You mumbled, still staring at the flash drive. You couldn't wait to listen to it, to hear his velvet tone and silvery vocals whenever you wanted. This was the first, tangible thing that connected him to you, a reminder that even if the universe hated you right now- at least Jungkook was in it.

"Touch me and see," He offered, leaning back in his seat with a small smirk on his face.

Your eyes flicked back to him, a dare written across his features and a thread pulling at your heart. You leaned forward, a smirk of your own on your face until his phone buzzed, interrupting the heated moment.

You weren't trying to be nosey, but the bright light of the screen caught your eye and you glanced at it quickly. It was a text from someone, their contact saved under a series of hearts and one word: wifey.

Wait- his what?

TO BE CONTINUED...PART THREE

(A/N: MUAHAHAA! If you've made it to the end, thank you, I love you, I'm sorry. Next part is the last part, as always feedback is so so appreciated! Send me an ask goddamnit!)

[rainbowsans]

Sobbing what is the context to the collage!au comic

Alright alright I’ll spill the beans!

Originally the idea came to me in a dream that started the college au, due to me watching……high school musical……….

but anyways me and @whiteartblood came up with a little plot line where punk (her fellswap napstaton) and they’re siblings recently attended the university and such. In a class, my sona, a couple of other peeps sonas, sir, and N all take the same class along with Punk. Punk sits next to Sir and dumbass forgot to bring a pencil so they ask sir for one and he happily gives them one. Punk notices that “hey….this guy is kinda cute” and stops paying attention to the class all together as they stare at sir lovingly.

MEANWHILE, right behind them; sat me and N (whom has a crush on sir for a really long time); so you can imagine the inner rage they were feeling when they saw this happening in front of them (meanwhile my sona was like “yo you ‘ight?”)

during the class punk wants to get to know sir a little and writes him little notes since they can’t talk in a lecture class and tbh? punk doesn’t wanna pay attention and sir ultimately forgets to pay attention due to them exchanging notes. woops.

some time passes and Punk and Sir start dating and it was great!!! The two were pretty happy and cute together with some shenanigans involved! There is one part where Punk gave Sir a really expensive gift, which baffled the skeleton since he didn’t expect it so much, it was a golden chained necklace with the initials “P” for Punks name. Sir loved it but felt like his gift would be a little disappointing since it’s not expensive. Sir gives Punk a little plush keychain of a tiny penguin! Punk loved it, they wore it it proudly in their bag 24/7.

Things were going well, until……..well one night. Me and wabby haven’t discussed on how it lead up to it BUT!! This part was also in a dream of mine that we inserted in the story….DUE TO ME WATCHING HIGHSCHOOL MUSICAL 2, it was a damn funny scenario on the “gotta go my own way” scene but with punk and sir; funny right? Well my brain decided to take that concept and turn it into a more serious tone scene.

Sir asked Punk if they loved him, since punk always seems to dodge and avoid progressing their relationship any time anyone asks. Sir felt as if…….maybe…….he was feeling used due to the negative thoughts second guessing that punk actually likes him, he did his best to shake it off but the doubt was still there…..so he asked them. And once again, punk doesn’t answer and avoids eye contact. When sir worriedly asks them again, Punk bursts out “can’t be just go back to the way it was before?? Cant that be enough?”

And that’s when sirs soul, breaks. Those doubts he had just became true and the ache in their soul hurt like hell. Here’s a more detailed description on how he felt and broke up with punk.

So yeah!! Sir breaks up with Punk, gives them back the necklace they gave them and apologized, he also wished punk all the happiness in the world and that he hoped they find someone in the future who shares mutual feelings with….and runs off. Leaving Punk standing there in regret and heartache: then a fight breaks out with N and Punk.

The reason why Punk kept dodging was because they are afraid of commitment since their first and longtime lover cheated on them RIGHT WHEN PUNK WAS ABOUT TO PROPOSE TO THEM. Ever since then….punk denied true love.

But yeah. *jazz hands*

[shhh-no-ones-home]

tower of terror nikki sixx x reader

+++++++++

he tol, he terror twin, he tower of terror

this is my first time writing for any of the motley crue guys so if its ooc sorry lol, hopefully itll get better if i write more for them. but for now, here ya go, something cute.

(*) - starts out a little sexual but its not i promise.

song: take me away by christina vidal

tag list: @cynic-spirit

+++++++++

"that was great baby!"

i called as i watched crue come off stage, finding my way into nikkis side as he handed his guitar off to one of the roadies.

"you really think so?"

he asked a little cocky, stopping in his tracks and looked down at me with a wicked smile. i nodded quickly at him.

"one of the bests ive ever seen."

i said, reaching up and ruffling his hair.

"hey!"

he called, ducking away from me, his hand still at my back.

"youre gonna mess it up."

he whined and i laughed at him.

"whats the difference if i mess it up now or later?"

i said winking at him and he sent me a knowing smirk.

"i hadnt thought about that."

he stepped closer to me, looking down at me with a dark gaze.

"i did, bathroom?"

i asked, taking his hand away from my back and putting it in my own, interlocking our fingers. he laughed a little bit, nodding as i walked in the right direction.

"so, did you guys get the okay on the hotel for tonight or are we gonna be spending my last night on tour with the rest of the guys?"

i asked amused, looking back and seeing realization strike him. i pushed the bathroom door open, looking around before pulling him in and locking the door behind us.

"actually babe i had a question about that."

i kissed him deeply, holding his shirt firmly in my hands. he hummed against me, his eyes going wide as i pulled away.

"okay, shoot."

i said, standing on my toes and beginning to kiss down his neck.

"i know we had talked about you wanting to move out of your parents house finally."

i hummed in response and made my way lower, kissing across his chest.

"yeah, what about it?"

i asked, untucking his shirt. he kissed me harshly, backing me into the wall.

"i want you to do it."

he said in a low voice, staring down at me. i snaked my arms around his neck.

"i cant just move out nikki."

i quipped back, pulling his shirt off of him.

"catch."

i said, jumping up and wrapping my legs around his waist. he caught me and held me firmly between him and the tile wall.

"sure you can."

he said lightly, moving to kiss along my neck now. my fingers found their way into his hair.

"id still have to go back home. where would i go?"

i said, resting my head back as he began sucking at the base of my neck. i let out a shakey breath as he pushed his hips into mine.

"besides, what would i tell my parents?"

i sighed out, closing my eyes as he gripped my ass.

"tell them youre moving in with me."

he said into my neck and my eyes snapped open. holding his head still, my fingers balling into a fist at the base of his neck. he moaned into me at the sensation and i pulled his head away.

"youre joking."

i said, a lazy smile making its way to his face.

"of course im not."

i shook my head.

"nikki i am not moving in with you."

he loosened his grip, sliding his hands further up to my waist.

"why not babe? its not like youre not there all the time anyways. besides, i need someone to watch the place while im gone."

he said, light heartedly. i loosened my legs around his waist and he helped me down.

"are you drunk?"

i asked, holding his head in both my hands and looking at his face intently. he just laughed.

"no, im not drunk."

he laughed, gripping my wrists lightly.

"high? what? i want to know what is going on in that head of yours."

he shook his head, pulling my hands down and resting them against his chest.

"no, none of that. why is it so hard to believe i want you to move in with me?"

i looked between his eyes.

"nikki thats a huge commitment. you hesitated even giving me the keys to get your mail while you were gone. now you want me to move in?!"

he leaned down to look at me properly, some of his hair falling into his eyes.

"look, i know, but that was before. being away made me realize how much i miss you. i want to walk through that door and see you asleep on the couch, watering plants ive never dreamed of owning before, or hell even chasing a kid around."

my eyes went wide.

"i really finally realized how much i love you. how much i need you."

he said slowly.

"i, i, i..."

i paused, opening and closing my mouth.

"i dont know what to say."

i said a little stunned. he wanted a domestic life? with me? he rubbed his thumbs in circles against my hips.

"you could say yes."

he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling something out. he held up a key-ring with his house key and a number six key chain. i hesitated before reaching up and taking it from him, looking down at it in the palm of my hand.

"we've only got two weeks till tour is over, you can start moving little stuff in until then, then we can move bigger stuff like your record collection and your desk and shit."

he said beaming at me. i laughed a little bit.

"nikki my desk? thats gonna take up so much room."

he nodded.

"yep and ive already cleared out a space for it."

i smiled at him, clutching my fingers around the keychain.

"okay. yeah, ill move in with you."

i said.

"yes!"

he shouted before picking me up and spinning me in a circle, kissing my cheek. i laughed at him as he set me back down, kissing me passionately.

"you wont regret this i promise."

he said, hugging me to him and nuzzling his face into my neck.

"youd better be right about that."

i joked as he kissed my neck again.

"i cant wait."

[twoidiotwriters1]

Starcrossed Losers II (Josh Wheeler xReader)

A/N: Loving this thing already, seriously hoping to keep the constant of posting two chapters every week lmao

Words: 2,766

Warnings: Swearing ig

Previous Chapter // Next chapter

Of course. Of course, it was this guy.

Eli fucking Cardashyan, or as I liked to call him, the goblin under the bridge that always copied my answers on every test since we were thirteen. Just like Josh, Angelica and Wesley, I knew Eli from a while back. He wasn’t exactly popular but everyone knew him as the school’s “wanna-be”, I thought he would be dead by now, I’m glad to see I was wrong.

But I can’t believe he’s got the mall for himself. Even worse, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. The mall was neutral territory, everyone could go and hang out with their friends, so the most logical thing is to say everyone had the same right over it. And is Eli Cardashyan the one who gets to have it all for himself? I call bullshit. This kind of situation is what leads me to believe that there is really no god.

“This is who we’ve been scared of?” Angelica complains, “A light breeze could kick his ass!”

“I thought it was gonna be Hoyles,” Wesley adds in a mix of disbelief and disappointment, “this is... Who is this again?”

“It’s Eli,” sighs Josh, he walks towards the bike and examines it, then lets out a childish laugh, “it’s fine, He’s a knock-off Baron Triumph”

And yes, obviously he was. Eli could be an idiot sometimes but he wasn’t a murderer. He went off on his (honestly weird as hell) speech until Josh cut him off.

“Who else is with you? Where is Sam Dean?” Eli scoffs.

“Do I look like her publicist?”

“Sam’s not here?” 

“I’m sorry, it’s just me and my girlf, Mavis” He answers with a smirk.

Josh and I share a look, I shrug and mouth a ‘sorry’, Josh shakes his head, telling me not to worry about it.

“You have the entire mall? You?” asks Angelica.

“Right?! How did that even happen?” I ask in frustration. Wesley mumbles a ‘chill, girl’ that I decide to ignore.

Eli went on and on, and to be honest I think I only understood like fifty percent of what he was saying, part because I wasn’t listening, and part ‘cause the boy has a wild vocabulary. Josh and I looked at each other in annoyance and I knew he was feeling as done as me with the conversation. When I was starting to think this day couldn’t get any crazier, the real Baron Triumph made his entrance.

We all hurl up at the doors and Eli pulls out a set of keys from his pocket, desperately trying to open them.

“Faster, he’s almost here!” says Josh.

“Get your own mall, this one’s mine” Eli grumbles.

“Are you twelve?” I reply, “We’re on the same side here!”

“We’re finna get eaten out here...”

“Not helping, Wesley.” 

“Got it!” Says Eli. The other boys pull him aside and practically rip the chains from the handles, “Hey!”

Josh pushes me inside hurriedly before entering himself. The others soon following after. I hear the door slamming shut and I look over my shoulder to see Eli running behind us; we’re all safe.

We reach one of the halls and Josh stops in awe, it takes me an extra second to stop completely cause I’m still wearing my skates, but when I do I’m just as amazed as him. Behind me, I hear Angelica talk.

“There’s power and air conditioning...”

“Everything is so... clean”

“Still smells like cinnabon”

“Am I still alive?” I look over at Josh, “You sure I didn’t die when you hit me this afternoon?”

“I didn’t hit you that hard,” He replies, still looking around like it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

“Solar panels on the roof!” Eli sings, “This is an island of paradise in an ocean of poop.”

“What a fancy allegory,” I snicker.

I’ll allow myself to remember, I don’t do it as often as I’d like...

-Flashback time-

What? You thought I wasn’t going to do this? C’mon, I’m a lonely child. All I have are my memories of the good ol’ times, so you’ll be forced to relive them with me. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. (I do, but I don’t wanna brag about it).

“We should go to my place, there’s nothing to do here...”

“Maya, for the last time,” I look at the girl standing next to me, “we told Alex we would meet here.”

“I know,” She whines, “but Hoyles is here and that guy gives me the creeps. I heard he tried to have sex with Ashley Miller while she was completely wasted”

“Sounds like Hoyles,” I nod in agreement, “but we can’t scatter everytime we run into them. We’re not little kids anymore, he can’t hurt us”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” She points to the opposite corner, Hoyles and his gang are terrorizing a freshman and the people around does nothing but move away.

“Can you belive that?” I start to walk towards them but Maya grabs my arm tightly, “What?”

“Don’t be stupid,” She rolls her eyes, “don’t even try to stop them, seriously, they won’t stop and you’ll get harassed.”

“It’s a freshman!” I insist, “Hoyles is like three times his size! You can’t expect me to do nothing”

“Listen,” my friend raises an eyebrow, “Y/N, those guys are crazy, please...”

I look back at the boys and realize they’re no longer there, I turn to her in defeat.

“I just really hate bullies, okay?”

“Let’s face it, we don’t have the ability to stop them all.”

“To stop what?” 

I quickly turn around and see the person I’ve been waiting for: Alex, my best friend since childhood. My mood switches instantly and I shrugg it off, already starting to forget.

“Just the usual dumbassery,” I reply with a chuckle.

“Hey loser,” Maya adds, “you’re late.”

“Yeah, I know” Alex nods awkwardly, “lost track of time again, sorry.”

“What was it this time?” I ask, “youtube or the comic?”

“Youtube,” He smirks, “vine is honestly a national treasure.”

“Sure,” I snort, “too bad is dead now.”

“Those who are great live the shortest lives,” He replies with his ‘wise old man’ voice.

“So,” Maya hops between us and puts her arms around our shoulders, “you want to look around?”

“I wanna go see the skates,” Alex adds, basically vibrating, “they have a new model and I wanna try them on.”

“The skates place, then,” My friend nods and pulls us with her.

------------------------------------------

A loud bang brings me back to the present and I remember why were we hiding here in the first place.

“This way, quick!” Eli tells us before he starts running. I move fast since I’m the only one with wheels on her feet. And soon most of them are behind me. Eli presses a button on the keychain he has, and the metal curtain lifts up enough for us to get in. “Go under, we’ll be safe in here...”

As soon as Josh, Angelica and I get in, the curtain comes back down.

“What the hell?” asks Josh.

“I’m not sharing my kingdom with you, sheep. No one busts into Eli’s mall. And don’t even try to escape.”

“We weren’t trying to escape, you brainless leprechaun!” This is unbelievable, I swear, I just want out of this day, “We’re running away from the monster that's on your side! You won’t make it on your own against Triumph, he’ll find a way to get in and eat you”

“Every door is locked or booby-trapped.” A laugh distracts us from the discussion and I see Wesley next to Eli... on the other side.

“Booby,” He chuckles. He’s been smoking, so you can’t expect him to behave.

Eli groans. Josh steps closer and smirks.

“Wesley Fists lead the state in sacks last season. Take him out, Samurai.”

“To fight someone so obviously inferior would be dishonorable.” He raises a brow. Eli shows us both of his middle fingers.

“Great,” I throw my backpack on the floor and walk away from the curtain, “this is only getting better and better...” 

“One punch, Wesley, come on,” Josh insists, “one punch.”

I let out a sharp breath and sit on the bench a few feet away from them to take off my skates. As useful as they are, I’m starting to feel sore and they’re not the most comfortable thing to wear after a few hours of running. While I’m doing so, another memory comes to mind and I’m unable to stop it.

Where was I? Oh, right...

------------------------------------------

“I think these are more you’re style,” I grab the bright, lime-green pair from the right shelf and hand them to Alex, he laughs and examines them for a moment like he’s actually considering the idea.

“I mean, they wouldn’t match any of my outfits but they’d totally be catching everyone’s eye.”

“Isn’t that the point, though?”

“Obviously,” He shakes his head pretending to be offended by the question, “though I think I’ll have to pass this time. I already made my choice.”

He shows me a pair of white-colored ones.

“Dude, are you serious?” I grab the skates and raise them to his eye level, “These are the most boring pair of skates ever”

“Now they are,” Alex moves my hand slightly so he can see my face, “but I bet that you can turn them into a masterpiece”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Please, Y/N don’t play dumb, you know I love your drawings”

I blush at his reply. Sure, I like drawing but I’m no Van Gogh at it. The best thing I ever drew was probably a worm.

“You’re telling me you’d spend your money on the newest model of skates just to ruin them with your best friend’s nonexistent skills?”

“To me, their value would go up by a thousand if they had your drawings in them.”

“Jesus, get a room!” Maya exclaims beside us, she’s sitting on a small chair, trying random pairs of skates out of pure boredom.

“Shut up!” We both respond quickly. 

He looks at me and I’m pretty sure he’s blushin but I can’t really look at his face cause I’m too embarrassed to do so.

Oh, right. I forgot to mention that I had a crush on my best friend, didn’t I? No, I wasn’t avoiding this topic. I thought it wasn’t important anymore. And it isn’t! I promise it isn’t. Alex is gone, and with him so are my feelings.

Yes, you can laugh all you want cause I was one of those basic idiots who fell in love with their best friend just cause he treats me like any decent human being should. Can you blame me, though? Compared to Hoyles and his team of dickheads, Alex was a fucking teddy bear. 

And the worst part? I’m pretty sure he liked me back. 

We never made a move.

------------------------------------------

A loud scream makes me drop my broken skates and I run back to were Angelica and Josh are.

“What the fuck...” I whisper, clinging to the curtain.

“What the fuck is here with us?” Angelica is the first to ask what Josh and I were wondering as well.

“Ooh, a ghoulie witch,” Eli steps closer, lowering his voice, “once upon a time, she was a normal girl who liked hanging out at the mall. But now she’s got mad powers, and she will fuck your shit up. She is unkillable and she is hangry.”

“There is no such thing as witches.”

“Well, a few months ago there weren’t mutant squirrels or ghoulies either.” Adds Angelica.

“That’s right. And when the witch eats your intestines like spaghetti, you’ll think: I never should’ve dissed king Eli...” He walks backwards and leaves us here with fuck knows what.

“I swear every time he opens his mouth I feel like I’m having a stroke,” Now that I don’t have my skates on, I realize Josh’s taller than me. I barely reach the tip of his nose.

“Don’t worry, I’ll convince him to let you out.” Wesley says, “I’mma go full Gandhi on his ass. Hunger strike.”

“Easy there, we don’t want to traumatize him for life” I reply dryly.

Angelica and Josh step back from the curtain and I follow them. We sit on the bench and I look at my skates, cursing under my breath. Josh notices and gently nudges my side with his arm.

“Sorry about that. We can find a new pair somewhere around here if you want.”

“I hope so,” I kick them and they slide miserably on the floor, the wheels almost fully worn out, “I really liked them.”

“You used to skate a lot? Before the nuke,” He asks in curiosity.

“Not at all. I didn’t even know how to use them,” I laugh lightly, “my best friend used to, though. He promised he would teach me one day but... things didn’t go as planned.”

“Is he..?” He leaves the question open but I understand perfectly what he’s trying to say.

“Fuck, no,” I feel a shiver going down my spine just by thinking about it, “we wanted different things, that’s all. He had a plan and I had another. Alex wanted to leave town and travel around the country now that we’re free to do whatever we please. I just wanted to find my sister.”

“And where is she?”

“She turned into a ghoulie, so I... I took care of it.”

“Shit,” He whispers, passing a hand through his hair and looking a little pale, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Again, I’m not gonna talk about this stuff with someone I just met.

“Did I ever meet your friend?” Maybe Josh can tell I don’t want to keep going with the hard topics, and I appreciate his effort to respect that.

“Dunno,” I shrug, softly massaging my feet, “He’s Alex Murphy. Bit taller than me, cool guy...”

“Oh, him,” He nods, then adds, “I have no clue of who that is.”

I laugh louder this time, giving him a gentle push.

“Dumbass,” I shake my head, “anyway, after Alex and I went our separate ways I decided to learn on my own and I think I did pretty well, they’re quieter than cars and definitely easier to control than skateboards.”

“Oh, so you’re still not over that?” He raises a brow, a smirk growing on his face.

“Well, I’m not the one running over innocent people on the street.”

“It was an accident! I wasn’t watching where I was going. I was too busy trying not to get killed by the jocks”

“You sure? Cause so far all I’ve seen you do is nothing but the opposite. If I may give my humble opinion, it's not something very smart considering you’re alone.”

“I was doing well until today,” He sighs.

“I believe you, Wheeler,” I eye him up, “you're not like I'd pictured.”

“Really?” He smiles, “What did you imagine?”

“Kinda like those boys who pretend to be all grown up,” I reply, scrunching up my nose, “the ones that can’t be caught having fun or they’d lose their cool, like some sort of bitter old man in the body of a seventeen-year-old boy...”

“Okay, okay! I get it,” Josh laughs, raising his hands in defeat, “jeez, thanks for the compliments”

“I am complimenting you!” I exclaim, “I’m saying I was wrong and you’re not what I thought you were”

“You did think I was, though”

“Well, at least I had an opinion on you,” I scoff, “I’m sure you didn’t even think of that after we did our school project, I probably just stopped existing in your world or something...”

“Of course not,” It was his time to act offended, “every time I saw you on the hall after our project I made sure to wave at you, remember?”

“How kind of you”

“What can I say? I’m a real-life gentleman.”

I laugh again and pull my shoes out of my bag to put them on.

“Is that the reason why Sam Dean fell head over heels for you?”

The effect was immediate. Josh’s shoulders tense and his smile disappears, he clears his throat and looks anywhere but me.

“Uhm, I don’t really know if she...”

“It’s alright,” I add promptly, “sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad”

“I’m not sad,” He shakes his head, “it’s just that I keep thinking... maybe things could’ve been different if I had said something sooner, you know?”

Trust me, Josh. I know.

Taglist.

@letsbloodmagic 

[storiesundercandlelight]

Loving Loki

Loving Loki: One

The first chapter in my Detective Loki fanfic!!

I wasn't sure how to feel about this place. Looking around the empty house before me seemed more daunting now than before I had left. I had always known that moving to a new area would be stressful and different and even scary, away from friends and family. But work is work and I wanted this job. It didn't help my nerves to know that the crime rate here was about as low and the empire state building.

The steam from my tea caused a cloud of condensation to fog over my glasses, the blanket draped over my legs offering little in the way of warmth but as I looked around my new home from the comfort of my couch I realised all the potential. It certainly wasn't a bad house, no stairs that was a bonus right? I mean sure it wasn't my first choice and it certainly wasn't the house of ones dreams but it was cute. The living room and kitchen were one, only separated by half a wall in between, a decent sized bedroom and a bathroom with a bath and shower. As far as houses go it was kind of perfect for just me.

A few neighbours came to say their greetings when I had been helping the delivery guys move my furniture in, I didn't have much with me, decorating was something I'd have to find time for around work. But I started in a few days so it didn't give me an awful lot of time to get comfortable. The lady next door had seemed pleasant, elderly and widowed, throwing large smiles as she and her grandson took her small terrier for a walk. Maybe she would offer good company over the next few months, she had certainly seemed interested in getting to know me, what was her name again?

A knock at the door pulled me away from my thoughts. I turned my head to check the time on my phone. 7:30pm. I wasn't expecting anyone that was for sure.

As I padded my way around the couch and to the door, I quickly looked through the eye hole. I didn't recognise him? I mentally scolded myself, of course I wouldn't know who it is, I've just moved here.

I pulled the door open, the chain lock only allowing it to open so far. "Can I help you?"

The guy stood on the porch turned around. He was young similar to me I suppose, black hair slicked back into one of those short around the sides long on top styles all the guys seemed to sport right now. His eyes were a shaded blue and there was what looked like a star tattoo peaking out from beneath his jacket.

"Sorry, I'm Detective Loki. I work at the police department, someone was meant to bring you these...admittedly it was meant to be me but I forgot, hence the late hour" I pushed the door closed slightly and slid the lock out of place so I could open the door wider.

"Oh, I thought I already had the police run through"

"You did, these are files on the department here, one of the new recruits made it up for you to help you settle in quicker and since my cases are the ones you'll be working on-"

"They sent you to host the welcome party?" He made what I would call a tired attempt at a smile. Maybe he was under confident? Maybe he wasn't sure if he could be friendly with me or not? Or maybe I should stop asking maybe and just go with the more obvious approach of him being tired.

"Well" I said taking the folder. "It's flattering to be greeted by a detective, I figured I'd just get the coffee guy or something"

"We don't have a coffee guy" Bad humour. Noted.

Time seemed to speed up whenever I entered the police department, two weeks in and I know everyones names, first and last. I know Jimmy and his wife are going through a divorce and his teenage daughter is playing the mom is better card despite it being her fault they're divorcing. Oliver and his wife... Katie? Are expecting a child, each member of the department have bets on the gender. Detective Loki or rather David...He just comes and goes, never really says much or engages with social gatherings but he's respected enough. I work on the evidence files, taking in reports and filling the paperwork, skimming through it incase anything was amiss. Someone in New York doing the same job as me had been promoted to an assistant detective because they managed to solve a case purely by seeing something in the reports the cops didn't.

But as my eyes drifted to the clock on the wall I did second guess my schedule working with David. Sometimes he was so wrapped up in his work he didn't even notice my staring. Which I did too often, it was hard not to. He was attractive, well built, strong silent type, didn't smile much but when he did it caught you off guard because it was such a nice smile.

"You should go home" My eyes flew open. Shit. I didn't even realised I'd closed them, I pulled my head off my hand which now quietly complained from leaning on it for too long.

"I'm sorry, I don't usually fall asleep on the job, I won't-"

"You're technically not on the job anymore, you finished an hour ago and I'm too wrapped up to have even noticed" He turned in his chair to look at me, there was a good few feet between our desks but even still I took notice of how we were alone, most of the lights turned off when everyone else left for home.

"Sleep would be appreciated" I smiled and there it was, he smiled back. It sent butterflies to my stomach, and I wanted to hit myself. You've known this guy little over two weeks!

"I'll drive you home'

"You don't have to do that I can walk its not far"

"Are you serious? It's dark out. Come on get your jacket"

Keep your eyes open. I could feel them slowly but surely getting heavier as the car rolled along the road to my house. You got this, two more minutes.

"You okay?" I looked over at David, and tried my best to smile.

"Yep, just tired' I turned to get out of the car, pulling my bag onto my shoulders. "Thanks for the ride home"

"You're welcome" Neither of us moved. Why didn't I get out of the car? His eyes wandered between mine and my lips, I also noticed they moved to the house. Was he looking for lights? Surely he knew I lived alone?

"Do you want a coffee?"

"Sure" He said it quickly, like he was scared I would take the offer back any moment.

Car doors shut as we made our way up the porch, the little light flickering on as I rummaged through my bag to find the keys. The little NYPD keychain my uncle sent me dangling from the ring as I opened the door to the apartment. It was still pretty bare, a few homey touches but no where near finished, if it wasn't for the books and empty coffee cup on the kitchen counter you could probably persuade yourself that no one lived there.

"I'll put the coffee on" David nodded and continued looking around the small area of the living room and kitchen before taking off his jacket and sitting on the couch. Coffee in cupboard. Turn on machine and pour, not so difficult see? I don't know why I was nervous, I'd had guys over before, I mean sure they weren't coworkers or someone like David but still he was just a guy too.

"You have a small obsession with James Patterson?"

"Obsession? Hmm...Sure I guess you could call it that, everyones gotta have a dream right?"

"You want to write?"

"Maybe, if I can find a good enough story" I set the mug of coffee down on the table in front of him, taking a seat beside him I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging my mug just below my chin.

"Im sorry you had to work late today, I'm not used to having someone work with me. I've been...distracted lately" His eyebrows drew together as if he was in deep thought, a slight crease forming on his forehead.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"You know everything about it already, I just don't like these kinds of cases" You did know everything, about the two little girls who had gone missing, the fact that it had been days now and still no word or links had been found for either of them, the parents lashing out at David for still not having any good news to give them.

"It'll be okay" It was a lousy comeback and you knew it, but you didn't miss the small smile that played on Davids lips before he reached for his coffee.

"Thanks"

[asa-ghost]

ROADRAT KIDFIC PART 2 -- Link to Part 1 in the notes.

"Alright, Kiddo, if yer gunna be stayin' here.. there's some rules we needta go over." Junkrat paced in front of the toddler, arms crossed behind his back, a serious expression on his face.

Mako snorted, letting this play out for now while he unhooked their haul from the bike. They'd arrived at the barn house a little before night fall-- after a small argument over Jamie having to share the sidecar. Roadhog had the whole ride to think over their situation.. and was still no closer to a solution.

"Don't touch my stuff. If ya don't know if it's mine, assume it is. Bathroom's outside. If ya pee in the floor, I'm not cleanin' it up. And-- hey, where are you-- Roadie! Road!"

The big man looked over again at Jamie's hollering, spotting the kid as they darted across the room, straight for his bed. They crouched down, picking up the pachimari stuffed toy tucked underneath, and hugged it tightly.

"Oy! That's not yers!" Junk marched over and the kid was already shrinking, bottom lip jutting out.

"Leave it," he snapped, sounding more threatening than he meant to. It made them both freeze up. Then Jamison scoffed. "..Fine. Whatever. It ain't mine."

Mako shook his head and headed toward the corner they used as a kitchen, intent on getting some dinner started. He already felt exhausted from having to deal with this situation and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

It wasn't long before Junkrat slid into a chair nearby, tapping his fingers on the tabletop. "Sooo..."

"So."

"..What's the plan? We go back tomorrow, look for the kid's parents? Leave a ransom note?"

"..No. No ransom."

Jamie huffed at that, but didn't push it. He watched the toddler approach them, giving Junkrat a wide space, before smooshing themself up against Roadhog's leg, the plushie still clutched in one arm.

Mako paused to glance downward.. then reached far enough to pat the messy curls.

"..Ya like it, huh?"

Roadhog pulled his hand away like he'd touched fire, going back to chopping up their dinner.

Junkrat grinned. "..Ya know, we could just keep 'em. Little rat's kinda cute."

"No."

Jamison stood up, slinking closer. The kid watched him the whole time, still pressed against Hog's leg. Jamie leaned against his other side. "Come on. We'd make great parents! I'll be the dad, you'll be mama, and Junior here will be our--"

"Mama?" Roadhog was glaring underneath his mask. Jamie could feel it.

"Ya. Cuz you got the bigger tits."

Jamison cackled and ran, narrowly dodging the swipe of a knife. 'Junior' giggled, too, from the silliness of it all.

"Make yourself useful and clean up anything dangerous."

Jamison looked around at their collection of tools, scraps, ammo, weapons, makeshift explosives...

"...Sooo.. Everything?"

"..Yeah. Pretty much."

--------

Childproofing took most of the night. Every time Jamison felt things were good enough, Mako found something else they needed to move higher or haul outside.

"If I woulda known this meant cleanin', I woulda left the kid in the dumpster.." Jamison complained, pouting while he placed some spare parts into a box. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Roadhog moving stuff around.. and his new best friend following right at his heels.

The kid had been glued to the big lug since dinner. Him and that plushie. The same plushie Jamie'd once stepped on and got tossed outside because of.

Jamie was sizzling with jealousy, although he'd never admit it out loud. He didn't need to. He could often tell what Mako was thinking without the guy uttering a word.. and Mako could read him like an open book.

When Roadhog made another pass by, he made a point to reach out and ruffle Junk's already unruly hair. He sat there stunned for a moment.. then broke out in a fit of giggles.

"Watch the kid. I'll be right back." Mako nudged the tyke away, muttered 'stay', then went to carry some boxes outside.

The toddler stood there, fidgeting, then walked over to a box on the floor. Jamison watched curiously as the kid tried to pick it up. Heh, that was kinda cute. They were trying to help.

Jamison stood up to give a hand-- that's all he had to give, haha-- but was too late. The kid tugged, the box tipped over, its contents spilling all over the floor, and as the child stumbled for balance, then fell backwards with a thump.

They both were still and silent for a moment.. then whimpering started. Panicked, Jamison rushed over, standing the kid back up. That didn't stop the big tears welling up. "No, no, no, no cryin'.. heheh... he'll be so mad if yer cryin' when he comes back.. uhh.." Jamison scratched the back of his neck, racking his brain for a solution. "Um.. ah!" He bolted away, returning just as fast, now dangling an object in front of those teary eyes.

It was just some old junky keychain he'd found ages ago, kept it because of the aesthetic. A little cartoonish mouse figurine hung from the chain.

"I'll give ya this if ya stop, okie doke?"

A hiccup. A sniffle. Then a tiny hand reached up, grasping the mouse oh so carefully.. and then hugged it close to their chest with a big smile.

"..Okie doke!"

Jamison melted.

--------

When Mako came back inside, he found Jamison sitting on his bed, teary eyed, with the kid in his lap, patting Junk's cheeks and cooing. Trying to cheer him up.

"....Roadie... I think I'm attached.. It's just.. so cute.." Jamison sobbed.

Mako groaned.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Gacha Gacha Crate Jan 20

Right after I began to work on my last review, this box showed up the exact same day <3< but maybe that’s good because look, I’m back again! This is also good timing because I bought a brand new storage container for my Gachapon as my previous one is way too full. If I was making videos I would show you guys my clean-up, transfer, and organization process of the whole ordeal I’ll be dealing with once I finish this. But I’ll be sure to include some pics with my next post for anyone curious!

With that, I hope everyone enjoys themselves~

One Punch Man Keychain

Our first item is this detailed keychain featuring 5 characters from a superhero manga-turned anime One Punch Man. These are by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.

As you can expect I don’t know this series at all, it’s not really in my preferred genre. So besides some pictures i know nothing about this series, other than the fact the character I got is named Genos.

The figure is about thumb-sized and features a hard-rubber plate with the series name written on it. It’s probably hard to tell from the pic but the detail on this little figure is really good. You can see all these little creases and metal pieces on his torso, and his hair is nice; it even looks like he has earrings.

Initially I didn’t think I would keep this since I’m not into the series, but out of my 5 options I feel like this is who I would have wanted to get anyway, and he’s pretty cool looking. I’m kind of curious in learning more about him.

Banana Animal Keychain

Our next item is this adorable little banana-themed bird from Epoch. There was 12 different banana birds in total (6 birds but one half came on a strap while the other half did not, or in the case of mine, 2 color schemes). These included a banana bird, a choco dipped bird, one with a pink banana peel, a cockatiel with a greenish-yellow peel, one with a brown peel, and a little parakeet in yellow or green.

Birds are so cute, and I love animal-food combi’s, so I thought this was a very sweet little set. I got the little green parakeet; and I’m not joking when I say little, he’s about the size of one finger segment. As a figure its fairly simple, but the coloring is very clean. This would be an adorable little figure to use in a display.

Cinnamoroll Keychain

Are you guys sensing a theme yet?

This is another TTArts gachapon, this time featuring the adorable Cinnamoroll doing a variety of cutesy little things. Each figure includes a nice silver ball chain (and is wearing a hat) and there is 5 in total: Cinnamoroll wearing a vest and holding a cane, Cinnamoroll in a cup, Cinnamoroll balancing on a ball, Cinnamoroll relaxing on a ball, and Cinnamoroll standing with a horn.

I was impressed with the quality of this little figure. In height its about one finger segment, in length its about two (obviously because of his ears :P). The coloring is perfect with no sign of discoloration or uncolored spots, and believe it or not but his entire body is in the cup. Sometimes companies will take a short-cut by finding a way to cover the body or not including the entire thing, but I assure you his is there.

I really like this cute little charm, I’ve been considering hanging it off of something.

Tanuki/Kitsune Mug Warmer

Our next item is from Kitan Club, based on a cute pair known as Tanuki & Kitsune (I might be a little inaccurate on that but I assume thats what it is), a raccoon and fox pair. Each mug warmer is 300 yen, and there are 5 available styles: 2 expressions for each character, and one that resembles a fence post with Tanuki wedged in it.

These fit Small to Medium-sized bottles/cups/containers/tubes, from 260 to 340ml. What makes these extra cute is that they also have a tail on the back, and a ball chain.

Out of the two I would have preferred to get Kitsune/Fox, but they are both really cute.

I didn’t have a drink near me at the time and I wasn’t in the mood to make anything, so I put mine on a bottle of lotion. He seems to like it.

The piece is made from a really soft plush fabric, while the face, ears, and tail are made from a smooth, thin fabric maybe like a very thin imitation leather? I’m not really sure what its called. The lining inside feels a lot like a really soft sponge and is in several layers, ensuring the heat stays in while its being used and probably making sure the hands aren’t burned holding it.

It’s not something I would deem necessary- but it’s very cute and I like cutesy little things like this.

Sumikki Gurashi Watch

Our next item is this big, obnoxiously adorable watch by Koro Koro Collection and is an official licensed product by San-X. Besides Penguin? who I got, there is Neko, Shirokuma, Tonkatsu, and Tokage. Honestly, I was surprised I got Penguin? because usually I end up getting my 2 favorites, Shirokuma or Neko- but I also get Tokage a lot. I think this is actually my first Penguin? piece of merchandise. I really wish I got Shirokuma looking at the colors (and because I got him for another watch two years ago), but they are all very cute.

Anyway, this watch is obnoxiously big but its colors are soft and sweet, and its jelly strap is a really light pretty color with glitter through it (matching the capsule it came in) and it feels very comfortable on the wrist. Also, I wanted to mention it was extremely easy to set even if you can’t read the writing on the included paper (which I couldn’t), so you can put in the exact time and date. I like wearing it, and while I usually don’t wear watches anymore, I’m excited to get a chance to coordinate this with some clothing~

If you need a watch or just like cute Sumikko Gurashi merch, I’d recommend picking one up if you can find these (like on the merchandise store for this brand, or Rakuten. There’s a few gachapon shops I followed on there).

Kirby Dishes

Our last item is this adorable Kirby themed set of dishware by TTArts. As you can see there are 8 pieces in total, a mug and matching plate. The little dishes are ceramic and about half-thumb size. The coloring is pastel and on the back of the mug is the characters name or a saying; as you can see I got Waddle Dee. I really wish I got Kirby (especially one of those last two plates, they look so precious), but I seem to get a lot of Waddle Dee’s from these boxes. He’s cute too though so it’s cool.

The piece itself comes in bubble wrap to keep it safe from any possible cracking or breakage (or as a fun bonus if you like popping bubble wrap like me). I’m not sure it would be worth trying to use, but it would make a really cute big doll or re-ment set piece. Or maybe you could find something to store in it, like some paper clips or a pen.

- - - - - - - -

With everything mind, I enjoyed this box :3 it was all very cute and the details on everything is clean and perfect. But in all honesty, I kind of feel like its a little limited in comparison to the past 2 boxes, which I felt like had better sizing with the items and more involvement. I’m not sure with all the tiny pieces we got that this was worth the price, but I did like the items and I would still recommend them if any of them sounded interesting to you. I also like how most of the capsules came in my favorite type, the colored clear sphere with a clasp you have to lift. I LOVE those ones.

If I had to pick a favorite item, I believe mine would be the Sumikko Gurashi watch! It’s so cute and fun, and unlike everything else I know it will be used. In fact I plan to wear it while I go through my collection~

Until next time, stay cute~

[irishcoffeeslushie]

Nobuta wo Produce review (excerpts) - II

Disclaimer: I didn’t write this, although I wish I had. Source.

The beauty of Nobuta wo Produce is that it doesn’t purport to be anything other than a high school drama, and that’s precisely what makes it so much more than just a high school drama. (Am I even getting my point across? Lol) What I’m trying to say is that the characters are every inch high school kids — no more, no less, neither dumbed down nor savvied up. But they speak from the heart because the writing keeps it all REAL and just lets the characters be themselves, be the thinking, feeling, self-aware teens that they are.

This drama explores the inner universe of adolescence, governed by its own whimsical vagaries and constant flux of emotions. And I love the judicious use of voice-overs as the main characters ponder such things as the future and the uncertainty of life. The dialogue is intelligent without being pseudo-intellectual, complex without being contrived (uh, Dawson’s Creek, anyone? man, talk about a series that tried too hard to be smart and deep and witty, but always felt like it was written by 40-year-olds *roll eyes*). The writing of NwP doesn’t try to be all these, it just IS. Just because the drama is about a bunch of high school kids doesn’t mean it has to be infantile and shallow, nor does it have to play at being implausibly grown-up.

The high school stereotypes are here in NwP, but with a distinctive Jdorama twist. True, the Class Clowns aka the Destiny Duo may not have the most gut-bustingly funny of spiels, but at least they never annoyed me, and always seemed to be having so much fun in their own little world — making funny puns, and punny fun. Beetlejuice Guy would be the closest thing to the resident Obsessive Basket Case, and adds a dash – just a dash! – of signature J-screwiness to the overall flavor of Class 2-B. Only Bando and the Bandettes are given the extreme treatment of all the 2-B students.

The grown-up characters are shown to NOT know all the answers to life, or possess the key to the Fount of Adult Wisdom. They’re mostly shown to be… big kids, really, just more beat-up around the edges and looking the worse for wear, maybe a little wiser and more jaded, and more accepting of the realities and disappointments of life. Hirayama the Tofu Guy (Takahashi Katsumi) provides a solid, comforting presence as Akira’s ever-obliging guardian — though not without his own share of regrets and hang-ups. Hirayama has an interesting dynamic not just with Akira, but with Akira’s volatile CEO father (Masu Takeshi). Both men take their stake in Akira’s upbringing quite seriously, but share an interesting “good cop, bad cop” approach to this responsibility. (LMAO @ the time both grown men bond while assembling the Nobuta keychains in Tofu Guy’s living room!)

I love how the Kiritani family feels like a real family — well, ¾ of a real family. And Nakajima Yuto as Shuji’s li’l bro Koji is the most perfect little boy you will ever lay eyes on… except that this was five years ago and he’s not so little anymore (heh heh). The scenes where the three Kiritani boys (small, medium and large) are just chillin’ at home — dad cooking dinner, Koji doing his homework, Shuji (with that topknot, lol!) patching up a torn sock — are always enjoyable to watch. Ditto the dynamic between Shuji and Koji — case in point: the moment the brothers share in the haunted house in Episode 3 is heartwarming without being hokey. It helps, of course, that Kame and Yuto (then a Johnny’s Jr. who also performed in the “Seishun Amigo” music video, poor kid, lol) share a wonderful on-screen chemistry.

The realism of Nobuta wo Produce doesn’t quite have the gritty, inner-city feel of, say, Dangerous Minds or Stand and Deliver, because there are offsetting moments of hyperreality (e.g. the horrific bullying, the vandalism/sabotage arc, the zany characters) as well as surrealism (e.g. the living spirits, the dream about Santa Claus, and the dream about Aoi) that all add flavor and character to the drama without overpowering its faithful depiction of Planet High School. This balancing act between hyperreal and surreal is a tricky line to tread: a production that exaggerates plot and characters will always feel facile despite any entertainment value (uh, Hana Kimi anyone?), while a drama that is too dependent on fantasy/dream elements can feel rarefied and thus run the risk of alienating the viewer.

The strength of NwP is that it doesn’t skew towards either extreme, but reaches a comfortable — yet dynamic — equilibrium, which is no small testament to the virtuosity of both writing and direction. The finished product retains its solid core of realistic narrative/character development and naturalistic technique, but is complemented by these pleasantly unexpected but contrasting touches of loopy Jdorama hyperbole and floaty phantasmagoria. This drama, ladies and gents, is pure magic realism at its working best.

… Such is the flipside of magic realism, this nebulous nexus of the strange, the dark, the frightening. The drama gives no explanation for the dream, and very wisely leaves it at that.

So, thanks to Nobuta wo Produce I will always, always, always hold Kame and Pi dear beyond words no matter what mess they’ve made — and continue to make — of their post-NwP career trajectories. Maki I remain fond of despite her lackluster performances in Hana Kimi and Kurosagi; I know I’ve been extra hard on her in my past reviews, but only because I think she’s capable of better things and hope a suitable film or TV project will eventually come her way. But my fondness for Maki is cosmically — cosmically I say!!! — eclipsed by all that I feel for Kamenashi of the pencil-thin brows, and Yamashita of the dead-fish stare. Now wait a minute, some of you might ask: How dare she even make that claim? Isn’t this E.G., who uses her blog to flay those boys alive as if there were no tomorrow? Isn’t she the harpy who likes to chain them to a rock and feast on their livers — again, and again, and again?

Er, yes on both counts. It’s haaard to explaiiiin, but the reason I rip these poor boys apart all the time is because I like to play with my food because they mean THIS MUCH to me. (Readers go, “Eeeehhh? Nandeee” *headscratch*) But see, such is the power of Shuji to Akira, that whatever Kame and Pi do in the years to come — whether as J-pop pinups warbling way off-key, or wannabe actors out to carve their own niche in the Leading Man Canon — I will be there to watch them, and love them in spite of it… maybe even because of it. Even if it makes my ears bleed, my eyeballs implode, and my spleen liquefy and dribble out the nearest body orifice (don’t ask which). I am their F-A-N, and their F-A-N for L-I-F-E — and all because of a pair of seventeen-year-old schoolboys who liked to bond over soy milk and take sunset bicycle rides together.

But I’m also the kind of fan who harbors no illusions about Kame and Pi’s dramatic abilities (for Pi, it’s the lack thereof haha); I’ve seen enough of their collective oeuvre (practically all of it, actually *blushes*) to know that Nobuta wo Produce is the best work they’ve ever done, or will ever get to do. (Like I said, that drama was puuure maaaagic!) Since NwP, each boy has made exactly ONE other drama I believe they can be proud of: Tatta Hitotsu no Koi for Kamenashi, and Proposal Daisakusen for Yamashita. (Never mind the rest; the rest are just the necessary evils you slog through to ultimately earn the title of “Kame/Pi Completist.” The reward? A 10-disc set of KAT-TUN+NEWS’ greatest hits. And a lifetime supply of cheap wine. *Kame fans remember Kami no Shizuku and promptly lapse into a coma* And one year’s subscription to AnAn. *Pi fans go: “YamaPi showah… chunyuu!”* Lulzzz)

Between the two, Kame is by far a more natural and versatile actor than his pink-loving seishun amigo; he does drama and comedy better than YummyPi my little Gummi Bear, who really can’t do much but… be himself. That’s why I’ve always thought that Yamashita Tomohisa’s best dramas — Lunch Queen, Stand UP!, and natch, NwP — worked so well because they just let him be his weird, spacey and endearing self — unlike the more recent ones which sucked the sweet, the warmth, the life out of the boy and left this… sleepwalking six-pack with deep-fried hair in his place.

And so, such has been my own “self-revelatory odyssey” that went from knowing nothing about these two boys a little over a year ago, to recoiling from the first photo of theirs (see above) that I came across (and it also made me go, “Egads, these kids look weeeiiirrrrd!” — sounds familiar? well hello-oo E.G.’s KimuTaku Space Odyssey, lol), to acquiring Nobuta wo Produce (I’d heard good things about this netizen hit, but left it on the back burner because of… said photo), to finally giving in and watching the damn drama. And just like my experience with Pride, the rest is history, my embarrassing (and at times, downright incomprehensible) Kame/Pi fangirly devotion lovingly smeared all over this blog. It’s too late to take it back, to act more dignified and unsullied by this dark, guilty pleasure of mine. But, hey — if Nobuta and Akira could live with their weird little selves, I suppose so can I.

And to end this review with the wise words of a Green Day song:

“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go So make the best of this test, and don’t ask why It’s not a question, but a lesson learned in time It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life…”

To Shuji, Akira and Nobuta, I hope you had, and continue to have, the time of your life… because you sure as heck gave me mine.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Gacha Gacha Crate April 19

Welcome to last months Gacha Gacha crate review :D

Er... I forgot to get a picture for the opener of this post, but rest assure the review has pics!

Sailor Moon Pouch

Our first item is perfect for magical girl and/or Sailor Moon fans, an adorable pouch that comes in six variations: the crystal star I got, another brooch (I’m sorry but its been ages since I watched Sailor Moon, I can’t remember everything), Luna or Artemis, the Moon Stick/Scepter, a patterned pouch, and a rounded “secret pouch”.

Each pouch is fairly flat but has accurate detailing and feels very smooth with a great working zipper. The inside has cloth-ish fabric.

The back of mine had this design on it, but I assume they all have it or something similar. In terms of what it can fit, I noticed it can fit 1 of any size gacha capsule, or several little trinkets like change, dollar bills, cards, certain beauty products; just not too many at once.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I think it’s pretty cute and well made. I wish it might have been a little bit bigger or spacious, and the material makes me think it wont hold up against staining- but I’m not going to test that theory out. I would have liked it if it had a ball chain or strap to attach it to things as well, but as a long-time magical girl fan I kind of like that feeling of being able to pull out a magical transformation device- even if it’s only to summon money or a card rather than a cute outfit and wand.

Build A Pokemon

I heard these “figures as the capsule“ are popular lately, and that seems to be the case. This is our second one we’ve gotten in the Gacha Gacha crate, which features adorable Pokemon!

There was 4 available: Pikachu, Gengar, the new electric mouse I never remember the name of, and Mew. They’re all cute but I’m very happy I got Gengar, who has always been one of my favorite Pokemon x3

This piece serves no purpose other than to keep the plastic wrap that was on him smooth, due to his “spikes” on his back. 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Compared to my Donald Duck (whose beak still isn’t on right) Gengar was much easier to build. He’s very accurate in appearance, and he makes a really cute decoration! It’s also fun putting together figurines, even if this wasn’t as detailed as my Yokai Watch collection (pretty much every version of Jibanyan I found back when I was collecting them. I still have them but I don’t buy them anymore).

Kuma and Tanooki Handkerchief

This is our biggest item yet by far! Kuma and Tanooki are popular characters who have their own twitter in Japan, and this handkerchief is perfect for this season when spring allergens start kicking up, or say, if you needed somewhere to sit a food item or clean up a spill.

There are 5 possible  “4-koma“ you can get in this collection, and it is by Takara Tomy Arts.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I think it’s very cute, kind of a random item but you guys know how much I like practicality. One of my concerns is getting items from the gachapon that I can’t actually do anything with- and considering I have “seasonal change weather allergies“ this will probably come in handy in some shape or form.

However... After barely touching it I noticed that it already has a couple of loose strands and I’ve done nothing to it. So I’m kinda worried about getting something on it/using it and then trying to wash/clean it off. It’s a very delicate and thin material.

Shiba Terrarium

This next item combines the adorable, popular shiba brothers and the recent trend of Character Terrarium displays. I really like things like snowglobes, toy house displays, re-ment, so I quickly took a liking to Terrariums too. Lately I’ve been seeing all kinds of popular character ones, like Pokemon, Kirby, Sumikko Gurashi, Rilakkuma.

In this specific set there are 4 to collect, each one is 400 yen and features one of the shiba brothers in one of the seasonal settings. Each terrarium includes the little setting/stage (in 2 pieces) the shiba, and decoration, they also incorporate the capsule, which is the terrarium obviously. The bottom part is flat so that they can be sat out to display. 

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I really like the white shiba (who has spring) but my favorite season is winter, so I think this was meant to be~

It’s extremely easy to put together, there’s no gluing or even pressing needed; although considering how easy it is for the pieces to move around when jostled or shifted, I kind of wish there was some pegs or something to hold the shiba and items down.

The detail is also spot-on and looks very nice for such tiny pieces, besides the perfect paint jobs on the snowman and shiba (he even has toe beans!), but there are markings in the snow where they sit for added detailing.

If you like terrariums but want a cheaper and less-messy (as in if something would happen less clean-up) this would be the way to go.

Mushroom Bird

This would be an adorable addition to a fall-themed terrarium, a MUSHROOM BIRD. Japan really likes cutesy animal-item/food combinations; and this is one of the few I’ve seen for birds. It’s by EPOCH and each one costs 200 yen.

As you can see by the checklist this is a medium-big collection. Each bird has a “rarity“ marking beneath them, mine being 2 out of 3 stars. At the second I don’t recall what mine is, I want to say shitake but I’m not positive- although I do like eating mushrooms.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It’s small but the detail on it is really nice and it’s very cute in my opinion. As I said above, you could use it in things like terrariums, or even re-ment or decorative items like planters or something.

Squeeze Sushi

This is our final item- and if you’re wondering why the setting looks different it’s because when I was uploading the images, the one I took was like... glitched or something? It wasn’t uploading right, so I hurried up and grabbed another pic.

Anyway, these types of Squeeze toys/squishy are pretty popular in Japan, and as of late here too! There’s a really adorable series I like collecting called Moj Moj that has some like this, but I know there are several varieties that can be found online too.

There are 6 sushi types available, from my cucumber (maybe avocado? I’m pretty sure it’s cucumber), crab, salmon, something that looks like fish cake, egg or vegetable, and fish eggs.

I usually see the one I have on a lot of videos from Youtubers I watch- and as a squishy fan I REALLY wanted my own but never bothered looking online to get one, so I was extremely happy when I saw this~

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

This was everything i hoped for and more! I love squeezing it and watching the stuff come out, then get sucked back in. The item is in a little oiled sack as I’ve learned watching people cut them open, and they can be a little fragile if handled too roughly (they’re also sticky so they collect dirt); but they’re super cute and fun.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Quality - 5 out of 5. Everything is fine and I love all the detailing put into each item. From the perfect coloring jobs to the rice texture of the squeeze toy and elaborate handkerchief.

Content - 5 out of 5. I really liked everything, maybe not as much as I did the prior months box, but I would put it in the top 5 thus far.

Total Rank: 7 out of 10 cuties. It was a lovely box full of adorableness~ and even though there was 3 non-practical items (unless you consider displaying an item practical) I still really liked them a lot. I didn’t dislike anything in this box, which is probably a first for this series. I’m not sure what kind of price range all of these items were together, but I could say that this box was worth what we pay.

♥ Cutie Scale ♥

1.  Sushi Squeeze - I love squeeze toys, squishies, and sushi; and considering how much I wanted one of these, I think my choosing this as my #1 item for the month wasn’t a surprise to anybody.

2.  Shiba Terrarium - It was simple, but still detailed enough. I still wish they had included pegs or something to hold the pieces in place, and looking at it again I wish the Shiba interacted with the items a little more, but it makes a very cute decoration regardless.

3. Handkerchief - As a fan of manga and cutesy or funny comics, I really appreciated the design behind this one. It has an adorable charm to it.

4. Mushroom Bird - it’s kawaii and little x3 but at the same time, unless you really looked at it, you probably couldn’t tetl it was a bird due to how small it was. I really wish I got one of the more colorful ones.

5. Sailor Moon Pouch - If I got Luna or Artemis this would have been higher up on the list. But it’s a perfect representation of Sailor Moon’s more known compact/brooch/whatever and just holding it gives me all sorts of feels~

6. Build a Pokemon - As much as I adore Pokemon, there isn’t really anything different than this Gengar. In fact it almost looks exactly like a plush keychain Gengar I got when I was little.

Alright, we’ve reached the end of another box and review. As usual I will be resuming normal order so up next we got the two beauty boxes, NMNL and Kira Kira crate.

Until then, remember to open up a box of cuteness every day!