#i actually also bought some other pretty much identical ones but i'm still waiting for those hahah

[belugaobsessed]

btw i got these too in the mail the other day~☆

[bahamutgames]

Paper Mario: The Thousand Afterthoughts

Game: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (May 23, 2024)

Console: Nintendo Switch

It's that time again!! If you had told me not too long ago that I'd have to give my thoughts on 2 different Mario RPG remakes on Switch (and an upcoming brand new M&L) so close to each other, I would've laughed you out of the room. But here we are. And now I look quite foolish, don't I?

My mood is kinda in free fall and I only want to write about these Mario RPGs when I'm in a good mood, but I think I'm okay right now. So I'll capitalize on it. Similar to the Super Mario RPG Remake I'll try to focus on what makes this such a lovely remake rather than gushing about why I adore TTYD. But if you're curious, it has some of the best characters, writing, and combat in the series. While I also think it's a really padded out game. That's my micro review of the original. Okay? Okay.

As always, this isn't a review. Just me throwing up my thoughts. Go play Thousand Year Door RIGHT NOW. Either the original or the remake. I'll wait.

Now that they're gone-

SPOILERS FOR THOUSAND YEAR DOOR AHEAD, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

Opening

I feel like I've given you my long, tragic backstory with Mario RPGs a billion times but if you somehow missed it. These were my favorite games of all time, they fell off, I get sad, so on and so forth. Thousand Year Door is one of my favorite video games ever, in the trio of greatest Mario games ever made you have Super Mario RPG, Bowser's Inside Story, and TTYD. And, yeah, needless to say. I was bummed when Paper Mario started to go in its new direction. But I'd like to not give that the oxygen of attention at the moment.

So when they were like "Oh there's one last thing" in that direct, the MILLISECOND that first note hit I was like "HUH???" And I flipped my fucking LID, I couldn't believe they were ACTUALLY gonna remake TTYD. And not only that, it was looking good! And then it came out and I couldn't afford it lol.

But thankfully my good friend (Idk if they want me to name them here so I'll avoid it for the time being) bought it for me. Which was so so so nice of them and I genuinely appreciate it cause this was such a wonderful experience. So this review is sponsored by my friend :)

And again, I'll skip the suspense. This is another WONDERFUL remake that's a total love letter to the original and understands what made it so good.

Stuff I liked

I think the best place to start would be with how faithful this is to the original. It doesn't change pretty much ANYTHING. If there's any major changes to stuff that was in the original (not counting new content) I can't remember it. Not that I was expecting them to change it but still, it's nice that they didn't like, butcher it or something crazy. It's the same good plot, pretty much an identical script (with any changes being for the better imo.), and the same wonderful gameplay.

But of course, what makes a remake interesting is what ACTUALLY gets changed. And I think pretty much right out the gate you'll notice the MASSIVE graphics overhaul this game got. It takes a more papercraft approach like the secondary Paper Mario Trilogy (SS, CS, OK) but applies it to the worlds from the original game. And it looks AMAZING! This is basically exactly what I wanted ever since we got to see the SS Flavion in Smash 3DS lmao. In addition to that there's SO many new sprites in this game for each character. It's actually crazy just how much new animations there are for everyone. Not just teammates, who now have back sprites and TONS of facial expressions and reactions, but even enemies and NPCs have TONS of new things that can do. Sometimes enemies will laugh at you if you get fucked over, people will change to match the mood of what they're saying. It's actually crazy, I had to stop playing every 5 seconds to look at all the new sprites and details. One of my personal favorite new expressions is Mario tipping his hat in respect when death is brought up. It's small but it's such a Mario thing to do and I actually flipped out when I first saw it.

Then there's the redone soundtrack. OH MY GOD it's SOOOOO GOOD. This might be a better OST than the original, and may be one of my new favorite Mario RPG OSTs in general. Every song is lovingly redone and they all sound SO NICE. In particular the battle theme, which changes for each chapter, is SUCH a treat. I adored that. All the boss remixes are great (Cortez in particular was a big shock that I loved) and I believe the teammate themes are actually new. This was also a lovely addition. Bobbery (not biased because he's my favorite partner) probably has my favorite theme. And some of my favorite songs, 'Happiness and Sadness' + 'We're Counting On You, Mario' were both SO well done!! And it's changes and upgrades like these that REALLY add to the experience and make it even better in my opinion! Or at least, wonderful to reexperience!

Then of course there's the combat, which is pretty much completely unchanged as far as I can recall? But they did actually add new super bosses which was really cool! You can fight Prince Mush which is neat, and Whacka which is AWESOME! This actually gives a reason to do the Pit of 100 Trials a second time (fun fact, this remake was my first time ever beating the pit! And I did it without dying. You can retry a floor if you die in this remade version of the pit, just as an fyi).

And the game over all is filled with nice little changes like that. Stuff that's maybe not ground breaking, or giving you a brand new reason to try it like the changes to Super Mario RPG's combat. But in my opinion, these small quality of life improvements are just as good. A much easier to access quick travel room to warp to each chapter is added in the sewers. Saving is instant, similar to Origami King and such. Most of the backtracking that people complain about has been cut out with simple pipes and springs in convenient locations. They even add more stuff to collect like letting you unlock CONCEPT ART WHICH IS SO FUCKING COOL, I still haven't looked through it all but it's actually amazing they did this and I'd KILL for Mario Art Books from every Mario game please just release more Mario concept art UGH. And of course there's the changed dialogue to confirm vivian being trans which is so nice, and I'm honestly shocked they actually did it. It feels almost un-nintendo of them to do. But I'm so happy they did it! It's a real remake, baby!!

In general, yeah, this game is perfect. It's filled with clear love for the original, without being afraid of acknowledging where improvements were made in future titles. Like, again, instant saving or the really nice graphics or music changing for each chapter. And while there aren't any WILD changes like brand new cutscenes in the Super Mario RPG remake, I'd say what they add and ultimately didn't add makes this such a wonderful remake all the same. I had a blast playing it and it felt so good to just, genuinely no coping love playing Paper Mario again!

Stuff I didn't like

But of course no game is perfect. And I do have some nit picks. Like, why don't they use Mario's official new signature when he signs up to join the Glitz Pit? No but seriously, folks-

There's not much wrong with this remake, there's some small stuff like them not fixing EVERY bit of fluff from the original. You still have to mash 100 times for the 'I Love You' scene. Which is funny! But like, no one complains about THIS but you all complain about a little backtracking? Amateur hour. I also think the Prince Mush fight isn't as cool as everyone says it is. I'm not huge on fights where you have to play 100% perfectly but I know that's just a me thing. And I wish SO badly they could've done a tiny bit more to have teammates interact with each other more. Although I do love that everyone comes out whenever you stand on the altar in front of the door. But like, I think everyone should've come out when the Crystal Stars are gathering everyone's wishes... OH MY GOD I FORGOT THEY MADE THE CRYSTAL STARS UGLY IN THIS REMAKE OH NOOOOO GAME RUINED-

But really, I think my big main complaint is that this remake feels a little... Too easy? Compared to the original. In the original the game is MASSIVELY padded out by having you get constantly fucked over by the stage elements. But this time I swear I got hit by a stage element maybe 2 or 3 times. But my enemy was CONSTANTLY getting fried or slammed to death in every fight. It's too common on the enemies, but feels like it's massively toned down on you. I think in the original you can get fucked over a bit much, but this doesn't feel like a compromise, if that makes sense?

Final Thoughts

But WHO CARES!! This remake is SO good! Genuinely, if you love Thousand Year Door, if you hate Thousand Year Door, if you've never played Paper Mario in your life. I think you owe it to yourself to finally experience this wonderful video game. It's truly one of my favorite video games ever and I think it's such a fantastic entry into the RPG genre.

From small changes to big changes, this is a wonderful remake. I don't know if I'd say it's a replacement to the original, personally. I actually think the original's more simple graphics have a GREAT and cartoonish feel to them that's lost a little bit with the papercraft look. And obviously nostalgia is a hell of a drug, but if someone told me they prefer this version? It's absolutely a no-brainer why. I'm so happy I loved this game so much...

Sooooo, how about that Paper Mario 64 remake, guys-

===

And that's that! Once again, I know I've said this a million times. But even though this remake was amazing and made me fall in love with Paper Mario all over again. I'm still waiting patiently for them to do a new Paper Mario in this style. I'm only so impressed that they made an amazing game amazing again. I want to know if they have what it takes to make something BRAND NEW with such a wonderful plot, characters, and combat. I'm very excited for the potential of future Mario RPGs regardless though, and I can't wait to see what's in store for us with Brothership. But Intelligent Systems, I AM wait for a new Paper Mario in this style. You've been warned.

That's all I have for now. Go out and play a game you adore!

[xiaq]

Hi, I have a question re:sex and Christianity. Small background: I still go to church, and I still live with my parents even though I'm not much younger than you, because housing is very very expensive where I live (pretty common here, I would say about 2/3 of my friends live with their parents and we are decently privileged kids)

Anyway. How does one get over purity culture? To be clear, I've never been told in church not to have sex, I've never gotten the gendered lessons that you got. But I am terrified of having sex. My first real, multi-year relationship just ended and while there was hand stuff etc, there was never any p in v sex (lol I feel 12). But I still had insane anxiety about being pregnant despite being on bc. And I think its because I know my parents would be so disappointed if I had sex. And if I was pregnant I could imagine all the gossip. And honestly I think im from a pretty open church, b/c one of our previous ministers kids recently got married at 8 months pregnant and lots of church people were at the wedding and supportive and her parents were there and everything.

I dont even think I particularly like sex, i might be on the ace spectrum, but how do I remove it from all the anxiety that's tied to it so I can even give myself the chance to find out???

(Asking because it seems like you've been pretty open about purity culture/removing yourself from it)

CW for sex talk (again)

How does one get over purity culture?

Oh man. That really is the million-dollar question, huh? Obviously, I can only answer re my personal experiences, and this is something you should talk to a therapist about, but I can tell you how I’ve tackled it with my therapist at least.

Purity culture is, at its core, an ideology that is perpetuated by shame. If you’re indoctrinated into purity culture when you’re a kid, the concepts become baked into the way you construct your identity, your perception of self, and your perception of your sexuality. It’s practically intrinsic, by the time you’re an adult, to feel shame any time you’re reminded you have a body, much less a sexuality.

According to the chapels I sat through every week as a kid, a girl's body could be 3 things: an intentional stumbling block for men, an accidental stumbling block for men, or unnoticeable. Women were to strive for the third option so as to keep their (and their male friends/authority figures) purity intact. After all, if a boy, or even your male teacher, had impure thoughts about you, it was your fault for tempting them (which, holy shit. I still can’t believe that was a thing I bought into for so long. If my 45 yr old grown-ass teacher had impure thoughts because he could see my 12 yr old collarbone, that sure as hell wasn’t my fault. But I digress.) The Only time a woman’s body can be something else, is when she gives it to her husband, at which point she must suddenly flip the switch in her brain that she is now allowed to be a Sexual Being and she must perform Sexual Duties despite living in outright fear of her own body and sexuality for years (decades?) up until this point. Jesus take the wheel.

Purity culture isn’t a thing you can just decide to walk away from if you’ve grown up in it. Because its ideology is insidious and internalized. So first you need to submit to the fact that you’re going to be fucked up about sex. It sounds like you’re there. Second, you need to interrogate what you believe. If you’re leaving religion behind entirely, you’ll approach removing yourself from purity culture differently than if you still identify as a Christian. It sounds like you might be the latter, which meant, for me, separating what’s actually biblical and what’s shitty, contrived, doctrine that I was told is biblical but is actually more political than spiritual. This helps you address the shame issue.

You need to throw away I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Lady in Waiting and all those ridiculous books you read and reread in the hopes of somehow obtaining impossible marriage perfection and look into actual scripture interpreted within its historical context. I could write a book on this, but the TL;DR is that the text of the Bible was written, translated, curated, and changed multiple times over thousands of years by human beings with human biases and, often, personal and/or political agendas. It contradicts itself! Reading it as it is—a flawed historical document—rather than some sort of God-breathed perfect document—is incredibly freeing. When you do, you’ll probably realize that purity culture is bullshit on a spiritual level. Which is a good start, if that matters to you. Because any time you start to feel shame or guilt you can ask yourself: does God actually care if I wear a bikini or touch a dick I’m not married to? Probably not. Wear the bikini. Touch the dick.

The most important therapy session for me was when my therapist asked what I would do if I got to heaven and God was actually the God I’d been raised to fear. What would I do if he condemned me for being bisexual and having premarital sex and becoming educated, for arguing with men, and failing to isolate while menstruating, and wearing mixed fabrics? If Montero had come out at the point, I probably would have said I’d pole dance down to hell. Instead, I said I would spit on heaven’s gates. If a god that cruel and that pointlessly demeaning really exists—a god who would create in me condemned desire—I won't worship him. The good news is, I’m 99% sure he doesn’t exist. At the very least, he isn’t supported by scripture.

Okay. The final thing you need to do is figure out what you actually want, sexually speaking. This bit is probably the hardest. I’m still in the early stages of this myself. You say: “I dont even think I particularly like sex, i might be on the ace spectrum, but how do I remove it from all the anxiety that's tied to it so I can even give myself the chance to find out???” Bro, I wish I had an easy answer for you. For me, whenever I’m feeling anxious about Sex Things, I tell myself: 1. My God does not equate my worth to my sexual habits. 2. My partner does not equate my worth to my sexual habits. 3. I do not equate my worth to my sexual habits. It seems silly, but reminding myself of those three things is massively helpful. If, after I’ve sorted through those, I’m still anxious or uncomfortable, I stop doing the thing. I evaluate. Am I overwhelmed and I need to try again some other time? Do I just not like the thing? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Sometimes you change your mind. Sometimes you just don’t know. That’s why having a partner who you trust and who’s willing to patiently explore your interests (and respect your disinterests) is so important. Half the battle, for me, was having a partner who told me they’d be ok with no sex at all. Because that took the pressure off me. If the bare minimum they need is nothing, then anything more than that is a bonus! Hooray! This is maybe TMI, but let me tell you. I thought I was asexual* right up until I was able to have moderately non-anxious sex. Never in my life did I think I would initiate a sexual situation but… I do now. It’s a fun thing to do with a person I love and, holy shit. I am furious that I nearly missed out on it.

Finally, re birth control: I don’t know how you can approach that fear in a way that works for you. If you don’t want to ever have penetrative sex, that’s fine! If that’s a point of anxiety you can’t get rid of, then don't push yourself to do it. If you find out you like other sex things, do the other sex things! If you don't like doing any sex things, don't do any sex things! Also, have you considered sleeping with people who can’t get you pregnant? Always an option if it’s an option you want to consider. ;)

Okay. I hope this was even a little bit helpful. Sorry if it’s a little convoluted, I typed it up in bursts during my work breaks.

*This is not at all to say that asexuality can be “fixed." Rather, it’s to say that things like purity culture can drastically confuse your sexuality in general. If you’re asexual, then this process is still important to discover what you like/dislike. Then you can be explicit about those necesities and find a partner who’s a good fit (if you want a partner at all, that is).

[mysticpetals]

Supermarket runs

Pairing: Jake × mc (Syianne)

Genre: fluff, humor

Words: 2.5k

Summary: Three times Jake ran into Syianne and one time he actually made plans.

Anonymous asked: Hello. If you do still requests, can you do 27 and 40, with Jake and MC from Duskwood from fluff? Sorry I forgot to add that.

Prompts: 27. "Are you blushing?" 40. "Why are you so afraid of loving?"

Notes: here it is! A cute meet up fic with Jake's point of view. I hope you like this one because it's going to be the last thing I'll be posting for a while 😬

Jake had reached his new hideout just a few hours ago.

After evading yet another capture from the government and planting false trails in his wake, he had escaped to a small town, renting an apartment for the time being.

Opening the door to his new house for a few days, he put his cat down, opened his cage and let him explore. Glitch immediately disappeared and Jake put his bags down, sighing tiredly.

He needed to make a quick run to the store nearby, getting some food and other essential items since it was clear that they didn't stock it in the room.

Before he could change his mind, Jake picked up his wallet, locking the door and walked to the store he came across on his way over to the apartment.

It was a medium sized store, probably the one of the few in this small town. Jake browsed the shelves picking up the things he needed along the way. He avoided eye contact with everyone, putting his hood up.

When he was done, he quietly put the few cup noodles and microwaveable dinners on the counter and waited for the cashier to scan his items. Just as he went to pick up the first item, the cashier's phone rang and he glanced at the screen, eyes widening in surprise before his face settled into panic.

"Oh shit, oh shit, I completely forgot," he mumbled to himself frantically and giving Jake an apologetic glance, ran towards the back room.

Well then, it wasn't like he was in any hurry either. He didn't want to go back so soon anyway. He rocked back on his heels, adjusting his mask so that it still covered the lower half of his face and looked around in boredom.

From the backroom, he could hear two voices arguing, one male and other female and just when he thought that maybe it was going to take a while, the cashier ran out of the room, hefting a jacket over his shoulders and looked back.

"I owe you one, Syianne! Thank you so much!"

Jake tilted his head on hearing the familiar name, memories of conversations with his Syianne creeping up.

"You really do, Percy! I better have a three day weekend after this!" The girl shouted back and Jake smiled behind his mask. She even sounded like her.

The cashier yelled back something but he was already out the door to hear properly. The girl came out from the back, wearing her uniform jacket and grumbling about having to do two shifts, but Jake had frozen.

"Sorry about that. My coworker forgot about the date with his girlfriend and had to bolt. Between you and me, she's pretty scary so I'd be running too," she said, already ringing up his few items but Jake couldn't reply. He kept staring at her familiar face, which he had accidentally accessed when going through her chats before.

This was his Syianne.

She glanced at him, probably wondering why he didn't say anything before looking back on the screen. He broke out of his stupor when she told him the total and held up a bag with his items.

His fingers brushed against her and it felt like a lifetime, blood rushing to his cheeks and heart pacing.

"Thank you," he said and got a smile in return.

"You're welcome! Sorry about the delay earlier."

He shook his head rapidly, telling her that it was no trouble and he completely understood. That made her smile widen, her eyes crinkling with happiness.

"Come again soon!"

Oh, he'd be coming back very soon, indeed.

The first thing he did after reaching home was to power on his laptop and search for Syianne's location. Glitch hissed angrily at him for disturbing his slumber atop the chair he was now sitting in but Jake's eyes were fixed on the screen.

The results baffled him, as it showed her living in a completely different country from when he had searched her before, when he had just gotten her number. And then, realisation dawned on him that she might be using a VPN.

He banged his head on the table in frustration but also a little impressed that Syianne had thought of doing something like this to protect her identity.

He was supposed to stay away from all of them, to prevent pulling people into his messes but now one of the most important people in his life literally worked a walk away from his hiding place. He couldn't change places so frequently as it hadn't even been a day and he had to give some time to the police to cool off, before he got on the move again.

He sighed, too wound up to make anything but cup noodles, he got up and went into the kitchen. Glitch trailed behind him, sniping at his heels for his own food and Jake emptied the last can of cat food into Glitch's bowl.

With a jolt, he realised that he would have to go to the supermarket tomorrow again and it brought him equal parts of excitement as well as anxiety at the thought of seeing Syianne again.

———

The next evening, he put the cans of cat food on the counter and was disappointed to find that the guy from yesterday – Percy, if he recalled right – was going to scan his items.

Jake shifted the mask on his face and looked around to see if Syianne was somewhere but to no avail. If Percy noticed him looking around, he didn't say anything. When he grabbed the bag from him, the employee room opened and Syianne came out wearing casual clothes, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, Percy!"

She came out from behind the counter and her eyes widened in surprise as they fell on him.

"Oh hi! You're the one from yesterday."

Jake cleared his throat and let out a hesitant, "Y-yeah."

Percy snickered, throwing a knowing look at Jake before turning to Syianne.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, idiot. Bring some coffee with you." He handed Jake his bag as he scrambled to bring out his wallet to pay and gave him a wide smile.

"Syianne here works the morning shifts." He winked and Jake was mortified to hear the amusement in his voice, knowing that he had been caught.

"I'm not bringing you anything until I get my three-day weekend. Anyway, nice to see you again…." She trailed off when she turned to Jake and his mind went into overdrive as he thought about whether he should tell her his real name or not.

"Phil." He blurted out, "My name's Phil."

She tilted her head, no doubt thinking about that bartender from Duskwood who was currently locked up in jail.

"Funny, I know a guy named Phil. Not from around here though." She glanced at the door giving him a final smile.

"Because all the customers come in the evening." Percy complained and Syianne only rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Well, come by in the morning if you want to chat. It's pretty chill that time."

"Deal with it. Anyway, see you tomorrow." She waved one last time and walked out, Jake's eyes following her figure until she disappeared around the corner.

"She's sweet and a little too trustful. I better not hear any complaints about you from her Phil or I won't hesitate to throw a punch or two." Percy threatened and Jake flushed before muttering a hasty excuse and practically running out of the store.

She actually talked to him today and hearing her voice, her words just made it harder for him to stay away. But it was okay if he didn't tell her who he was, right? She won't be in any danger then, right?

These thoughts chased him as he walked back to his temporary home, almost tripping over Glitch when he entered and found a disgruntled cat, waiting for his food.

———

The next morning, Jake worked in his room, occasionally shooing away Glitch who was determined to get his daily dose of affection.

"Just a minute, Glitch." He muttered, typing rapidly, his eyes scanning the screen with an eerie quickness.

A loud, disgruntled meow from his cat breaks the silence again and Jake heaved a frustrated sigh, pushing his laptop away and glaring at the culprit.

"Fine, you little devil! I'll give you breakfast first."

He walked out of the room, Glitch trailing behind him, purring in appreciation and hopped on to a chair while Jake took out the instant pancake mixture that he had recently bought. And that reminded him of the fact that Syianne was here, so close and whether he should tell her or not.

Making the pancakes in a daze, he put a plate in front of Glitch who immediately started gobbling it up. Jake huffed out a laugh and made his own plate, sitting across from his cat. The syrup was towards Glitch and when he leaned forward to take it, he was met by Glitch's paw swatting at his hand.

"What the hell? You ate already! Let me eat too!"

Glitch's paw rested on the syrup bottle and edged it towards the end of the table.

Jake froze.

"Glitch, no. Give me the syrup."

The bottle shifted a bit more.

"No, Glitch. Stop that."

The cat looked at him and stopped and Jake gave a sigh of relief, only to throw back his head in exasperation at the next moment as the bottle was finally pushed off the table.

"You little devil! I'm going to—"

The cat sprang up and ran into the other room, leaving Jake in the kitchen alone.

"Why is it always me?"

———

After cleaning up the kitchen and eating pancakes without any syrup, Jake found himself in the supermarket once again, embarrassed about being there everyday for the last three or so days.

When he put his items on the counter, including a syrup in a plastic bottle this time, he found himself facing Syianne who gave her an amused look.

"Having a good day, Phil?"

It took a moment for Jake to understand that she was talking to him and he flushed when he met her gaze.

"Not really. My cat decided to be an asshole today."

Syianne laughed and if Jake could have heard it everyday, he would. When she scanned his bandaids, she raised an eyebrow, and Jake gave her a sheepish smile, showing her his poorly wrapped hand.

"Oh no, that looks bad," she said but Jake only shook his head.

"It's better than it looks, I promise. I'm just bad at wrapping things up."

She didn't smile but only looked behind him. Seeing no more customers, she gestured for him to come to her side of the counter. Confused, he did as she asked and understanding dawned on him when he saw her opening the packet of gauze he had just bought.

"Oh, no, no. It's okay. I can do it at home." He rushed but she didn't listen, silently asking for him to hold his hand forward. When he realised that Syianne wasn't going to take no for an answer, he sighed and put his hand forward, face heating up and he regretted forgetting to wear a face mask that day.

"Are you blushing?" She asked teasingly and his flush only worsened.

"I-I'm not used to other people caring for me."

She hummed.

"That must be lonely."

She carefully unwrapped his hand, winching at the sight of blood and cleaned it with antiseptic wipes, before wrapping a bandage around the cut. Her hands were gentle but firm, as if she knew what she was doing and had done it a hundred times before. Jake was suddenly hit with a weird nostalgia, a feeling of wanting to know who she was, how many siblings she had, what her goals were.

He didn't realise when she had stopped, staring at him, as he was looking at her and only after several minutes had passed, did Syianne dropped her hands, letting him know that she was done.

The thought struck him like lightning and he quickly grabbed his bags, muttering another thank you and getting a simple smile in return. Before he knew, he was out on the streets and on the way to his house, his thoughts a raging turmoil.

"Thank you very much." He spoke softly, quietly, overwhelmed by such a gesture from her. He was essentially a stranger and she had still helped him, not knowing who he was.

She didn't know who he was.

What was he doing? Going to see her like that, finding excuses to go to the supermarket in hopes of seeing her? What did he want to accomplish?

He released a shaky sigh, running his hands through his hair, when he reached the place. Glitch, knowing that it wasn't the time for his shenanigans, only gave a welcoming meow from his place on the couch.

Maybe it was time he started searching again.

Jake opened his laptop but the ping from his phone made him look for it, heart quickening when he saw her name on it.

Syianne [5:00 pm]

Hey Jake!

How are you doing? I hope you're safe

I patched up a guy today who came in at work. He had a cat too!

Anyway, I don't know why I'm still writing but I hope you're safe and nobody got to you

Why are you so afraid of loving?

Sorry, insensitive question. Ignore that

Waiting for when you come back

...I'm still looking forward to that date

Jake's lips quirked at her messages, warmed by her concern. She had messaged him everyday ever since he went into hiding again. He hadn't replied then, being busy because of his relocation, but now….

In a bold move, very uncharacteristic for him, he messaged her back.

Jake [5:03 pm]

What if I told you that the guy you patched up was me?

Syianne [5:04 pm]

What?

His name was Phil

Oh

Jake waited as she typed and erased, all of it going on for two minutes before she stopped. Jake had a sudden, terrible feeling that perhaps he had made a mistake but soon enough, she replied.

Syianne [5:06 pm]

You're cute in real life as well <3

Jake laughed, amused by her flirty response and decided that perhaps he'd stay there for a few more days.

Syianne [5:06 pm]

What about that date at the Chinese restaurant you promised me?

Jake [5:07 pm]

Does tomorrow work for you? ;)

[starlightxsvt]

Hellion

pairing: Jeonghan x female reader

genre: fluff, suggestive, idk what this is

warnings: cursing

word count: around 1.5k

A/N: Firstly, happy birthday to the Jeonghan, our con man. I know I'm a day late so forgive me for that. Secondly, I've no idea what the hell I wrote. I've cancelled two other drafts I wrote for his birthday cause none of them were coming together and in the end I've decided to post this shit. Anyway, your feedback would be really appreciated in this mess of a story :').

"What's Jeonghan doing here?" You hiss to Mingyu who has a hard time prying his eyes off of Chaeyeon. "I invited him. I never thought he'd actually come. I'm surprised too." He replies.

"Wha- why would you invite Jeonghan to my birthday party!" You glare at him to which he rolls his eyes, "Come on now, he's in our friend group. And college is almost over. You don't know when you'll see him again. Ogle him while he's still here." He smirks.

"What did you just s-"

"Oh come on, don't act like I don't know that he's your secret crush. Maybe make up with him and if you're lucky you'll get some good dick as a birthday present." Mingyu chuckles at your open mouth before scurrying away to avoid your wrath. You glare at his retreating figure before inhaling sharply. And before you can stop yourself, you start to look for him.

You spot Jeonghan at the large porch in the back of Mingyu's house, sitting in one of the porch seats while sipping beer. He looks dashing as always, his black hair messy, his pale skin glowing in the moonlight, his cheekbones getting a prominent shine. You sigh.

Jeonghan was an exhausting person to be around and maybe, he'd say the same for you. You've known him since highschool and after a particular incident of him spilling his banana milk all over your brand new scarf, you decided to call it war. To this day you believe that he did it on purpose because you told your homeroom teacher that he slept during his class.

After that it was like an unspoken rule- you two would bicker whenever you were in the same space. It only infuriated you that he was so good looking, smart, famous and the fact that you had some feelings developing for him. Each time you saw him with a girl you'd feel a bitter feeling all over and you could only hope that those feelings would pass over time. But no they didn't, they only grew- the small branches had formed a tree now, the roots planted deep in your heart.

"How long are you going to stand there and stare at me?" Jeonghan calls, without turning behind. You clear your throat before walking to him, "Didn't expect to see you here, fuck face."

"Can you not call me names for a day please? You're just jealous I'm good looking." He remarks drowning the can of beer.

You snort, "Haha. You wish, loser." You plop down beside him. "I see you've finished quite a few cans. What's up? Got ditched?" You poke him.

"What do you care?"

"You're ruining the mood here with all these sad aura around you. Go drink your sorrows away somewhere else, this is my party."

"Yet you are sitting with me and my sad auras."

"I came to tell you that," you scoff, crossing your arms over.

"Parties are not your thing, I know. And Mingyu wasn't shy on inviting people. It feels more like his birthday than yours." Jeonghan comments, still staring ahead. His words are true and they infuriate you. You can't help but get defensive, "What do you know, sad boy? I'm enjoying myself just fine."

"And yet you are sitting with me and-"

"Stop saying that, will you!" You snap. Jeonghan chuckles before looking at you. He unabashedly eyes you up and down, heating your cheeks up in the process.

"Nice dress," he murmurs. His words catch you off guard and you glare at him, "Stop staring at me, pervert."

"You were staring at me earlier."

"Seriously? Can you stop for one goddamn second?"

"You're the one who started it."

"That's it. I shouldn't have come here," you stand up to leave but to your utter surprise Jeonghan grabs your hand, sending your heart to a frenzy. "Wait."

You swallow nervously, heart thudding loudly in your chest as Jeonghan lets go of your hand and meets your eyes, "Sit down, I've a gift for you."

You frown, "You have a gift for me?" Jeonghan nods before sitting straight, setting down his can. "Before that, I need you to know something."

"W-what?"

"I really didn't spill my milk all over you intentionally that day." He meets your eyes.

You can't help but laugh out loud partially because he's still concerned about that and partially because you believe he's lying.

"Listen here, sad boy, I've put that well past me. And I know for a fact you did it on purpose so don't-"

"You didn't, ___. We've been fighting over that for our whole goddamn lives. And no, I'm not lying. I've no reason to. I never cared if you told our teacher shit or not." His chocolate orbs bore into yours and you swallow. The air surrounding you suddenly becomes thick and you start to feel jittery and maybe a slight amount of guilt. Is he really speaking the truth?

"W-whatever, I don't care anymore." You say, sitting down gently beside him.

"And yet you still hold a grudge against me," Jeonghan sighs. "Besides you're not even fun to fight with."

"What did you say?"

He laughs, his eyes forming crescents and the sweet melody echoing in the air. You quickly look away before he catches you staring, "I don't have all day. Where's my gift?"

"Yeah, right." From beside him he produces a bag that you didn't notice before. He hands it to you and you tentatively peek in, half expecting a bug to jump out.

To your utter surprise, a scarf that looks identical to the one he ruined lies there. A small gasp leaves your mouth.

"I bought it that day after I stained yours. I was going to give this to you as an apology but dear lord, you were on my ass the second I got to class next day." Jeonghan speaks and a blush coats your cheek leaving you feel vulnerable all of a sudden.

"I don't know what to say," You whisper more to yourself. Jeonghan chuckles, "I know, you're touched. It's okay, we're even finally."

You bite your lip and exhale loudly before meeting his eyes, "Thanks." Jeonghan moves his hand in a dismissive wave. "I thought I'd finally give it you, call it a truce. We'll probably never see each other again after this month and I wanted to depart on good terms."

Your throat constricts, an overwhelming sadness enveloping you. He's right, you two would probably never see each other again. His dad owns a huge business and he'd probably go abroad to manage it.

"You're right, let's call it a truce," you whisper staring at the scarf in your lap.

"Come on now, don't look so sad, sad girl," Jeonghan teases you and you roll your eyes. He's still the same.

He hands you a beer, "Have a drink with me to sign the truce." You quietly laugh, taking the can from him. You two share a comfortable silence, staring at the night sky, the music from the party fading into the background until Jeonghan decides to break it.

"I know you like me, ___." The words slip past his lips like it's the most casual thing ever. You choke on your beer before looking at him eyes wide like saucers, "W-what!"

Jeonghan slightly turns to face you, his features calm, "You don't have to act. I've known all along."

Oh. My. God.

Heat spreads all over your face like wildfire. Your first thought is that Mingyu told him. You chew your lip as you see no way out. "W-who told you?" You squeak.

"I've figured it out myself," He says nonchalantly, resting his head on his hand as you stares at you.

"You-you did?"

"Mhmm."

You fumble with the hem of your dress before murmuring out, "I-I should get going." You need to escape him. Forever.

But Jeonghan isn't done. He casually goes on, "I've always thought you were pretty. Even when you get red after losing an argument." You blush furiously as your palms sweat.

"You know I really had no intention of picking a fight with you but you...you were so desperate to bring me down. You always speak too much and I often think about the many ways I could shut your loud mouth. Such a shame, we would've made a great couple."

Your face feels like it's on fire by now. You swallow before nervously laughing, "I s-see what you're doing here...You're trying to p-prank me, asshole."

Jeonghan runs a hand through his hair, sighing, "See? There you go again, running that damn mouth." Your lips press together as you clench your fists, thinking of a way out. In the blink of an eye Jeonghan scoots closer to you and leans in to capture your lips in a kiss.

A squeak leaves your mouth as Jeonghan tilts your head, cupping your cheek. You want to pull back, smack him, call him names but you can only moan as his mouth slots against yours perfectly. Your tongues clash as you grab a fistful of Jeonghan's shirt, moaning.

When you pull back for air, you're mortified, wanting to be swallowed up by the ground. Jeonghan is totally calm as he takes in your messy state licking his lips.

"Do you want to continue?"

"W-wh-what?"

"I said do you want to continue this? If you don't want to I'll leave. If you do then you're coming home with me. Which one is it gonna be, ___?"

You bite your lip. Oh my God. This can't be happening.

You grit your teeth as every ounce of your resolve disappears, "I...I want you."

The smile on Jeonghan's face is victorious, a smile you've seen million times before, a smile that makes you week in the knees. "Good girl." He says encasing your lips in another kiss before standing up holding out his hand. "Come along, sweetheart. I'm gonna ruin you for any other man. Even when it's morning you'll only be thinking about me," he whispers in your ear before tugging you out of the porch- your heart hammering in your chest as you squeeze the scarf on your hand.

Fuck, you owe Mingyu a fruit basket or some shit now.

A/N 2: Also, that video of Jeonghan exercising made me 🥵🥵 this man is so infurating. I was literally dehydrated from watching that video.

[sylphid187]

Coming Home, Taking Flight Chapter 3: I'm Finally Here

Hinata finally arrives in Osaka, and meets with his new housemates while waiting for tryouts.

He's tired from the trip, but he can't wait to step back into the court, especially after remembering all the monsters waiting for him to get there.

The car stops at an apartment building located just around the corners of the city. By the time the trio arrived at their destination, it was already past 10pm. As much as Kuroo had wanted to get Hinata to Osaka as quickly as possible, ignoring speed limits and having zero stops along the way, was completely out of the question. The ten hour drive goes smoothly enough, with a combination of chatter and sleep. Occasionally, Kenma had offered to switch with Kuroo in the middle of the trip, but the latter had insisted that he'd be fine after a few minutes of rest and a good meal. The two were prepared enough to have bought snacks to munch on in the car for the duration of the trip, and made sure that there was little to no mess when eating as well. 

The trio had also stopped by a small takeout spot for dinner. And as much as Shouyou loved brazillian comfort food, he also missed his fair share of Japanese takeout. Of course, Kenma never let him pay for anything, already taking out his wallet even before Shouyou had the slightest chance of pulling out a bill to pay with. This made Shouyou protest indignantly about the whole situation, but Kenma would simply give him a look that said 'no objections' and Shouyou would evidently clamp his mouth shut. It was amusing too, watching Kenma race to pay for Shouyou, and then Kuroo racing to pay for Kenma. 

If Shouyou had wanted to push, he doesn't think Kenma would really mind if he really did insist on paying for his own meal. But again, Kuroo had smiled from the sidelines and reminded Shouyou that "It's better to just run with it chibi-chan. Let Kenma spoil you a little more while we're here, and we'll be out of your hair by the end of the day." 

Shouyou personally thinks that Kenma has already spoiled him plenty, but he decides to take Kuroo's advice and allow Kenma to do as he pleases, especially if it makes his friend happy. He settles for "Thanks a lot Kenma." because if anything, he really is thankful. The smile he gets is it's own reward, for him and Kuroo both.

When they arrive, Shouyou is slightly snoring in the back seat. He feels someone nudge him gently on the side, and he blinks his bleary eyes open to see Kenma there looming over him with a small smile on his face. "Wake up Shouyou, we're here." 

"Wha…?" 

"Wakey wakey chibi-chan! Gotta get you to a nice warm bed before you knock out!" He spots Kuroo standing at Kenma's side and he rubs the sleep off his eyes one more time. He lets out a yawn and then proceeds to make his way out of the car's back seat. Once he steps outside, he stretches his arms and legs for good measure. 

He looks over to Kuro and Kenma again before giving them a small bow. "Thank you so much for driving me to Osaka!" 

He hears Kenma sigh and Kuro lets out another laugh in amusement. "Shouyou, stop thanking us. We were happy to do it." Kenma tells him, and he looks to see his friend with a small smile on his face. 

"Yeah come on chibi-chan, consider it a welcome home gift. Besides, you got to spend more than ten precious hours with yours truly." Kuroo tells him with a grin and a thumbs up. This gets Kenma to whack Kuroo on the head for good measure. 

Shouyou looks around again and looks towards the apartment that they've parked in front of. "Uhm, not that I'm not grateful but…." Shouyou scans the building again and looks around the area, to get some kind of clue, but the whole neighborhood already seemed to be asleep. "Where exactly are we? I didn't think people had apartments for overnight rent around here?" 

"You aren't here to rent an apartment chibi-chan." 

Shouyou's eyes widened. "You didn't buy an apartment did you?! Please tell me you didn't! I only needed a place to stay for two nights!" As absurd as it sounded, Shouyou really wouldn't put it past Kenma and Kuroo at this point.

Kenma actually chuckles at this. "I mean, we could definitely afford it, yeah." Shouyou's eyes widen even more, before the other continues "But no Shouyou, we didn't  buy an apartment. And even if we did, there's no way I'm letting you pay for it." and this allows him to release a sigh of panic and relief. He was already grateful to everything Kenma had done, he didn't want his friend needlessly spending for him, no matter how much Shouyou knew they could afford it. 

"You are staying here though, chibi-chan." Kuroo finally tells him, pointing up. "Third floor if I remember correctly. We're just waiting for the owners to come get you." 

"Owners?" And as if on cue...

"HEY HEY HEY!!!" Shouyou's eyes widen at the familiar greeting, and he can't help the wide grin that spreads across his face. He turns around, already knowing the identity of the man approaching, and looks to see Bokuto Koutarou there with a tired looking Akaashi Keiji following behind him. 

"Bokuto-san please, let's not wake the neighbors."

"Bokuto-san!" He runs forward to meet them halfway, and he's already feeling the sleepiness leave his body. 

"Kaashi! Look! It's my number one disciple!" Boukuto meets Hinata's embrace and uses his strength to try to carry the shorter male, enveloping him in a bear hug, and twirling them around.

"Yes Bokuto-san, so I see." Akaashi looks at them both with a smile. He then looks over to the orange-haired male and goes over to ruffle his hair. "Hello Hinata. Welcome home." 

"Hi Akaashi-san! It's so good to see you again." Hinata smiles wide while still being twirled around by Bokuto. He can't help the laughter that escapes him, as his mentor carries him around for everyone to see. 

"You too. You're looking well Hinata." Akaashi tells him kindly. "Bokuto-san, now might be a good time to help Hinata take his things up to our apartment?" 

"Ah! You're right Kaashi!" Bokuto comes to a stop and then releases Shouyou from the hug. "Come on, my disciple! Let's get your things into the apartment!" Both males had looked towards the car to see all of the things that needed to be carried into their home, and they began to slowly grab things to take up the steps and into the apartment. 

After the whole exchange with Bokuto and Akaashi, Kuroo and Kenma had gotten to work unloading Shouyou's things and handing them over to the other two. By the time all the greetings and hugs were over, all of his belongings were successfully taken to the apartment on the third floor. Shouyou had insisted that he could  carry his things up by himself, and all he needed was for them to show him the way. But his friends were very insistent on helping, Bokuto happily boasting that carrying a luggage atop three flights of stairs was no trouble at all for someone like himself. Shouyou was also pretty sure the apartment building may have had a small elevator for situations like move-ins, but Bokuto had insisted that he wanted the extra cardio. 

Once all of Shouyou's things were brought up, Kenma and Kuro stood at the doorway waiting for the moment they could say their goodbyes. The five of them stood there chatting with one another and catching up, as Kuroo and Bokuto were joking around about one thing or the other, while Kenma and Akaashi were looking on with exasperation. 

"I don't get how they have so much energy at this hour. I'm looking at them and I get tired just by looking. Kuro's energy goes from five to ten every time he's with Bokuto." Kenma says with a sigh, but Shouyou doesn't miss the fond look on his face as he looks at Kuroo. 

"I can't comprehend it either, on most days. Bokuto-san seems to have an endless reserve of energy stored in his body. I was sure that would have dwindled with all the practice he does after he's gone pro." Akaashi says with a shake of the head. "I was wrong, of course. It seems to have magically multiplied now, tenfold." 

"Bokuto-san seems to be the same as ever. I'm looking forward to seeing him play on the court again!" Shouyou chirps in. He couldn't wait for the opportunity to play with his mentor! He was already itching to get on the court.

"Ah that's right, he mentioned it to me the other day, that you were trying out for the Black Jackals. Are you nervous?" Akaashi asks with a tilt of his head "There's a lot of familiar faces on that team." 

"I am! I'm super nervous, but I'm just really excited to play indoor volleyball again." Shouyou tells them. He's been to some of the indoor matches in Brazil that Coach Lucio had allowed him to participate in, but he was still mostly competing on the beach with Heitor. He's been thankful to be allowed to practice with the indoor volleyball team there during weekends too, but now he's about to get the opportunity to go toe to toe with a bunch of indoor monsters. 

"I'm sorry I won't be able to watch you, but I'm sure you'll do well." Akaashi-san tells him encouragingly. 

"You'll make it Shouyou. I'm excited to see how many people will be shocked at the sight of the smallest player on the court, to not be trying out as a libero." Kenma says with a smug smile. 

"I might not be the smallest player though Kenma!" Shouyou says with a pout. "I'm not as short any more." 

"Still shorter than most though." Kenma says jokingly, and he swears he can hear Akaashi chuckling.

"I can't wait to have you on the team, my disciple!" Shouyou suddenly feels a hand that loops around his shoulder and tilts his head up to see Bokuto and Kuroo there, joining in on the conversation. "I think Tsum-Tsum will be happy to toss to you! And he doesn't really like tossing to just anybody." 

"Ah, Miya right?" Kuroo puts a hand on his chin in contemplation. "Guy's got a reputation of expecting the best out of his spikers. People say he's never been one to attend tryouts much either, because he doesn't have high expectations for newbies making it on the team. You're trying out as a middle blocker yeah?" 

Shouyou shakes his head. "No, I'm planning to try out as an opposite hitter actually! But I need to make sure they know I can be a good all-rounder too." He notices how only Kenma doesn't seem to be surprised by this.

"Huh. Then Miya is definitely someone you wanna impress." Kuroo tells him with a nod. 

"Aw, Tsum-Tsum really isn't that bad! But yeah I guess he does give off that vibe of being a bit unapproachable. He'll be watching this year though, all of us will. Coach's orders." Bokuto says. "It's less of him thinking less of new players from the get-go, but more of just how disappointed he gets when they don't meet his expectations." 

"And Miya Atsumu certainly has some very big expectations." Akaashi says in agreement. 

"Miya just knows what he wants." Kenma replies with a shrug. "I don't think there's anything wrong with knowing what you want and making sure you get the best out of every play. He's good enough to demand the best and have all these spikers dancing to his tune, it's only a matter of being good enough to keep up with him." 

Kuroo suddenly grins again and Shouyou feels the older male looking at him. "Miya Atsumu is considered a monster, and the only other people who could keep up, are monsters just like him." 

Shouyou remembers the Miya twins from when they beat Karasuno all those years ago. Inarizaki had punched their way into the Spring Interhigh semi finals back during 2015, and Shouyou remembers the rush his team had felt having been given another opportunity to face them on the court. His highschool days were honestly filled with opportunity when it came to being face to face with members of the monster generation, but among those talented monsters, there was no denying the genius that was Miya Atsumu. Kageyama was of course one of those geniuses of their time, the 'King of the Court' himself, but they were on the same team. There was a different thrill of having greats as opponents, versus the thrill of having them on your side. 

Shouyou also remembers a vague memory when their team had won their first bout with Inarizaki high. 

"Shouyou-kun, Imma toss to ya one day." 

Shouyou can't help but smile at the memory. He wonders briefly what it'll finally be like to have a setter like Miya Atsumu, and figures the only way to find out is to go tryouts and do everything he can to impress. If he wanted a setter who could get him to new heights, he needed to show them that he could hit anything they could ever think of throwing his way. 

"You guys sure you don't want to stay the night? We still have some futons you can use." Shouyou hears Akaashi ask, and he looks up to catch Kuroo raising his hands and gesturing "no". 

"Nah, Kenma and I'll make the drive home. You guys have some quality time with chibi-chan and catch up, yeah?" Kuroo slings an arm over Kenma's shoulder again and leans his head towards the other.

"Or Kuroo can go alone, and I can stay here." Kenma shrugs. "I wanna stay with Shouyou more."

Kuroo lets out another gasp. "Kenma! How could you?! You don't want to spend more time with me?!" 

Shouyou can't help but let out a laugh, but whatever he has to say is interrupted by Akaashi instead. "You know what, I take it back. I don't think being exposed to your flirting is healthy." And this gets a good laugh out of all of them. 

"Alright enough, we really have to get going. It's hella late, and I want to get some shut eye tonight. Then again, it's not like Kenma sleeps early anyway." Kuroo grins at them, and nudges Kenma to move. The gamer looks over to his partner and nods. 

"I'll see you around Shoyou. Good luck with tryouts." Kenma comes over to give Shouyou one more hug, and he hugs back immediately. "Remember to call me and send me updates. I'm still your sponsor after all." 

"Thank you again for taking me to Osaka, Kenma. And for literally everything else. You guys have a safe trip home!" He goes over to Kuroo as well and allows the taller male to give him a hug and a good pat on the head. When all is said and done, the two also move to say their goodbyes to Akaashi and Bokuto. 

They wave goodbye, the three of them looming over the third floor as they watch the pair get into their car and zoom away in the night. Once the car is completely gone from their view, Bokuto and Akaashi usher Shouyou inside their humble home, complete with welcome smiles and seemingly endless chatter. 

Once Shouyou is inside, he takes a little time to look around the place and can't help but think of how it immediately reminds him of the pair in front of him. There's a level of organization within the household that definitely reminds him of Akaashi, but he notices the MSBY jacket hanging on the side, including some owl memorabilia decorating the house, that he is sure came from Bokuto. Shouyou thinks it's a good balance between the two, and those who knew them well enough would definitely feel at home. 

The apartment itself is considerably well sized, and very spacious for the two. There's a sofa and a small television in their living room area, which was connected to their small kitchen. There was an island counter separating the two spaces, along with the stove and other cooking tools. A small table on the side that can comfortably sit four people, was also present. Shouyou could make out around three doors from where he was standing, which he assumes to be rooms and possibly a bathroom. 

"Here we are, my disciple!" Bokuto gestures wildly as they enter. 

"We placed your things in the room to the left, Hinata. You can use that room while you're here." Akaashi points to him. "Kuroo's mentioned that you've gotten to eat dinner on the road, so we'll leave it up to you to rest for now." 

"Thank you Akaashi-san, for letting me stay here on such short notice." Shouyou bows again and he feels someone pat his head affectionately. 

"There was no way we were letting you stay in some random budget hotel. Kenma sounded livid over text." Shouyou lets out a nervous laugh. He could honestly tell Kenma wasn't too happy when he mentioned staying at a hotel, and he got an earful from both of his friends even after they mentioned that they'd found a place for him to stay. 

 

"Tsk, that's a no-no, Hinata!" Bokuto beams up at him and ruffles his hair again. "Next time, you tell us when you need help. Because that's what we're here for! I would never let my number one disciple traverse through Osaka alone!" 

The bi-color haired male then looks to his partner and asks "Did I use 'traverse' right Kaashi?!" 

"Yes you did Bokuto-san." 

"Kaashi! Why won't you call me Koutaorou anymore?" Shouyou could definitely hear the pout oozing out of Bokuto's voice. 

"My apologies, it's a force of habit. To be fair, you haven't addressed me by my first name either." 

"Keiji!" The two bantering was a welcoming sight, and one Shouyou thinks he'll be seeing often during the duration of his stay. 

The three of them eventually move on to discussing house rules, and teaching Shouyou where everything was. The two residents weren't strict or particularly picky by any means. They just let him know that Akaashi tended to stay up late due to his deadlines and the nature of his profession, and Bokuto usually woke up first, due to the nature of his. They had simply explained to Shouyou when Akaashi would need his privacy, but other than that, he was free to roam around the apartment as he pleased. 

He was also thankful to the two when they mentioned he was free to use any of the utensils and appliances, barring those personal sanitary ones in the bathroom, like toothbrushes and such, for obvious hygienic reasons. Shouyou tells them immediately after, that he wants to go grocery shopping tomorrow, and wishes to cook them a meal for dinner as a thank you. This immediately excites Bokuto and boasts about being the 'best tour guide ever' to his disciple. 

Shouyou takes his time to familiarize himself with everything, before kindly suggesting that he would like to turn in for the night. He asks a few questions about the neighborhood from Akaashi, saying that he plans to go for a morning jog. The latter is happy to oblige his questions and explains the area in a simple enough manner for him not to get lost tomorrow. "Feel free to call us if you do get lost." Akaashi tells him with a teasing smile. 

"And try not to run too fast! Daichi mentioned once that you ran so fast you made it all the way to Shiratorizawa by mistake!" Bokuto tells him with a grin. 

"Urk! Bokuto-san! I've gotten better with directions now, I promise!" Shouyou exclaims. He refuses to believe he'll end up lost on the first day in Osaka. 

He says his good-nights to the two after this, and walks to his room. He immediately thinks that this is Akaashi's room, with how neat and tidy everything is, and knows that the two will be staying at Bokuto's room while he is present. His luggage is carefully arranged at the corner, and the bed is made with new linens and covers. He smiles as he thinks of how thankful he is that his friends really did go through all this trouble for him. And he's amazed they managed to clean up on such short notice as well, but he assumes that Akaashi is naturally tidy anyway.

Shouyou changes into comfortable sleepwear before falling face-first onto the bed. By now, the ten hour car ride was catching up to him, and he couldn't help but suddenly feel so exhausted due to the long trip and the hour of the day. He immediately sets his alarm via his phone, before placing it on his bedside. Once satisfied, he rolls over until he's facing the ceiling. He looks up and feels sleep begin to overtake him, but even through the sleepiness and weariness, Shouyou is excited. 

He's finally here. Finally in Osaka. Finally getting ready to fly. 

[almasexya]

Carnivorous Plants and the Things I Know About Them

I've been kicking around the idea of making a post like this and I figured it was of enough general interest to folks on Tumblr to go for it.

So

One of the things I do is grow carnivorous plants, like these

From top left to bottom right we have a Venus Flytrap, a North American Pitcher Plant, a Sundew, and a Butterwort. All of these are pictures I've taken of plants during the growing season.

Now if you look at these weird looking plants you probably wouldn't expect them to be native to North America, but they are. You can find pitcher plants all over the southeast up to the northeast into Canada, flytraps in the Carolinas, and butterworts and sundews all over the continent.

These plants are a lot of fun and easy to grow once you understand their requirements, but before we get into that, I want to take a moment and explain how they came to be in the first place.

To keep it short, carnivorous plants are carnivorous because they grow in soils that are lacking in the nutrients plants need to put out new growth. Because of this, they evolved to find their nutrients a different way - by luring, trapping, and digesting insects. While these plants still photosynthesize, they supplement this with the nutrients they absorb from insects.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I'm going to go into the basics of growing them, point by point. A short disclaimer - I'm specifically talking about temperate North American plants, since they're what I have experience growing. I can provide basic info on how to take care of tropical plants like the southeast asian pitcher plants, but as of this post I don't have experience with them yet.

Soil: For carnivorous plants, a good soil mixture is a must. These plants grow in nutrient-poor marshes, and the soil they call home is constantly wet. The main ingredient in basically any carnivorous plant soil mix is sphagnum peat moss, which is slightly acidic. The second part of the mixture is often perlite or horticultural sand. Some nurseries use a mix of equal parts peat and perlite while others use 80% peat and 20% perlite, but I've had success with both. The most important thing to ensure is that your soil doesn't have any fertilizer added to it. Because carnivores grow in low nutrient soil, any kind of medium that contains fertilizer can actually kill them.

Water: The other vitally important part of the equation (and the one that kills lots of plants when incorrectly applied) is water. Generally, unless your tap water is soft, water carnivores with distilled or reverse osmosis water. The minerals in tap water or even bottled drinking water can eventually build up and kill your plant in the same way fertilized soil does. Carnivores love waterlogged soil, and some even get flooded in nature. To approximate this, set your plant in a tray of water no more than an inch or two high. This ensures your soil stays wet without having to constantly water it.

Containers: Plastic pots are your friend. Avoid terra cotta clay pots, since they can leech minerals into the soil and also tend to dry out your substrate faster. Glazed clay containers can also work. If you're using the tray system, make sure to buy pots with drainage holes, so the water can get in. Also, a trick that lets the water in but keeps the soil from escaping is to line the bottom of the pot with long-fibered sphagnum moss. If you go with an undrained container, make sure to keep the soil wet at all times, but allow some of the water to evaporate in order to keep the water table fluctuating.

Sunlight: Since carnivores evolved their leaves to catch insects, they're pretty poor at photosynthesis. As a result, these plants love sun - the more the better. Many a store bought flytrap has perished as a houseplant due to lack of sun, so if you can, put these plants outside, in the sunniest spot you can. Generally, it's good to give most carnivores around 6 hours of sunlight per day. Many can get by with 4, but they don't often thrive with that amount of light.

Dormancy: Plants that grow in temperate or warm temperate climates tend to buckle down and hibernate during the late fall and winter months, conserving energy until spring. Generally speaking, the large traps die off, or in some cases the plant dies down to the roots, or forms a small bud that rests on the ground. Plants grown outside respond to colder temperatures and shorter photoperiods, while plants grown inside usually need some help. If you're growing your plants on a windowsill or in a terrarium, move them somewhere cold or cut down on their heating, and also diminish the amount of daily light they receive. You can also slow down on watering, though they still need some water to get by.

Temperature: Temperate and warm temperate carnivores can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, despite what you might think. My pots survived the freak snowstorm the Pacific Northwest got this February without a single dead plant. Most species can tolerate temperatures up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and down to 20 degrees, though not for prolonged periods of time. If you see long spells of hot or cold weather coming, try and move your plants to a protected area until they pass.

Feeding and Fertilizing: Now I know what you're thinking. Fertilizer? He just told us that stuff was death! And it often is, but there are ways to fertilize your plants. Generally, a fertilizer made for acid-loving plants can be diluted and applied to the leaves during the growing season. I use Maxsea 16-16-16 on plants that are too young to easily catch prey (diluted down to a half teaspoon per gallon) and haven't had issues. Try not to spray the soil unless you frequently water your plants from overhead, as the dreaded mineral buildup can still occur. That said, if your plants are outside, they'll fertilize themselves. You can also "feed" your plants insects using tongs - keep in mind that some plants require their prey to be alive in order to secrete digestive enzymes. I'll get into prey in more detail in other posts about specific types of plants.

Flowering and Propagation: For a lot of carnivorous plants, flowering is an exhausting effort that tends to deplete the energy they would use creating traps. As a general rule, if you're not interested in seed, clip the flower stalks off. Many plants can be propagated through leaf or root cuttings, which produce genetically identical plants. Some plants also clump and form their own divisions over time, meaning all you need to do to get more is wait for a year or so, depending on the age of the plant.

Pests: Carnivores can be targeted by various pests. For insecticides, I've seen neem oil recommended, as its generally less harmful to the plant and the environment. I haven't had to make much use of these yet, so my information on insecticides is a bit of a blind spot. Generally, try and stay away from soap insecticides and aerosols, and stick to less concentrated varieties. If you're dealing with squirrels or rodents digging up your plants, I found a generous sprinkling of cayenne pepper around the plants works wonders, and does no harm to the plants.

This is a basic rundown of carnivorous plants and how to take care of some of them. I must stress there's a ton of information out there - this post is geared more towards starter plants that are fairly forgiving and simple to grow.

So why grow carnivorous plants when you can just go out and buy some petunias?

They're active: Carnivores are showy, unique plants that can move on their own through some incredibly unique and complex evolutions. Watching a Venus Flytrap snap shut or a Sundew curl around an insect is a truly special thing to see.

They're a conversation piece: The relative rarity of carnivores in cultivation means the average person doesn't know much about them, despite maybe having heard of a Venus Flytrap before. A 12" pot of flytraps, sundews, and pitchers is a surefire way to grab attention.

They can control certain pests: Carnivorous plants can act as natural pest controllers. North American Pitcher Plants gorge themselves on flies and wasps, and considering some pitchers can grow over two feet tall, they can hold plenty of them. Sundews and butterworts specialize in catching smaller prey, such as fungus gnats, fruit flies, and even fleas. These plants can work as limited, natural pest controllers, though they won't eradicate a yellow jacket nest for you.

They're endangered in the wild: The wet, marshy habitats carnivores call home are rapidly dwindling due to improper land management and development. Some are nearly extinct in their home ranges, kept going through dedicated nurseries and attempts to naturalize them in other locations. By caring for carnivorous plants, you're raising awareness of these unique, underappreciated organisms and aiding in their conservation by keeping them alive.

Phew, I realize this was a lot, but I hope it was a fun read! Let me know what you think about carnivorous plants, or if you have any questions about them. I'm going to try and go into more detail on specific plants later, but for now, I wanted to bang out the basics.

If you're looking for more information, Flytrapcare.com is a great forum, and the r/savagegarden subreddit is very helpful as well. For books on the subject, the Savage Garden by Peter D'Amato is the go to source. Nurseries I've used and can vouch for are Sarracenia Northwest (located in Oregon) and California Carnivores (located in California).

[theplantqueer]

Hi I just recently bought a binder... and I don't know what to do really... I don't know what I am. I like being called she/her but when I'm called he/him on the phone I'm also fine... I also remember using bandages to bind my chest when I was younger and went outside... it's all so confusing my binder isn't even here yet but i feel like I'm wrong that maybe I'm not gender fluid... maybe confused... I really don't know what to do

hey! it’s all good my friend. you so don’t have to know what your gender is right now, or whether you’re gender fluid or not. it can be frustrating trying to figure it out, I know, I’ve been there too. I found trying out labels helped me for a while, and very few people in the community are gonna demand you stick to one way of describing yourself. This stuff changes all the time and your understanding of yourself and your gender probably will too. try different descriptions for yourself, play with them a bit, look for other ways to describe it…

for now also try to put aside the feeling of being an “imposter” in the trans community, or not being a “real trans person” - pretty much *everyone* has that feeling, especially at the beginning but sometimes even years into transitioning. I felt it, my friends felt it… but no-one else considered us fake or imposters. you deserve the space to explore your identity, pal.

for now I’d say wait for your binder to come, then see how you feel when you first put it on. some people feel a wave of what’s called Gender Euphoria - a feeling of affirmation. others still feel like imposters, or they don’t like how binders make them feel (which might change over time or they might just not wear binders from then on) but they continue to explore their identity and identify as trans/non-binary/etc. Some trans people only wear binders part-time as well, some don’t have access to them, some like their chest as is or don’t feel strongly about it. There’s no one experience of wearing a binder (or not!) that will be able to instantly tell you you are or aren’t trans so honestly? just see if you like it or not and go from there.

also regarding pronouns: for some people they’re super important and for others they’re actually not! Some people have several that they’re comfortable with. I am only fully comfortable with they/them but in certain contexts will be fine with others, and that’s changed for me over the years. Explore, see what’s comfortable, see if there’s any in particular that you find affirming. Again, there’s no one right way to choose your pronouns.

This is getting long, but feel free to message me at any point, and know it’s normal to not have a fucking clue how to navigate gender lol. Find ways to affirm yourself and feel most comfortable, find friends & community where you can (it helps a bunch) and don’t stress if the answers don’t come right away ❤️