#i know cherry blossom season is over but this was in my drafts

[sirsalamango]

Merry’s Sakura Cookie (Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp)

🌸 🌸 🌸 | 🌸 🌸 🌸 | 🌸 🌸 🌸

[umeumeumee]

Hi Hi! can i please request a shinobu x fem! reader where basically im S2 Ep1 where Uzui tries to take Aoi and Naho, its Reader and Naho instead? Maybe shinobu hears the ruckus and finds reader being held by Uzui (reader and Shinobu are in a relationship, but uzui didn’t know) and he slaps her butt and shinobu gets all pissed and they fight with words, and she bans him from the Butterfly Estate? maybe some fluff or something after . thank youuu s3 is airing rn & i love it sm<3

𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝

summary: a beautiful day, churned sour with the unexpected and unpleasant arrival of the sound pillar.

warnings: uzui touching readers butt, mentions of slight violence

authors note: oh. my. goodness. I am so, so, so very sorry for how late this is— season three aired so long ago! I apologize with profuse and endless apology for how long this took— in honest, it was so far in my drafts i forgot! I apologize again, and I hope you enjoy this even though it's been neons!

it was a lovely day. The sun lit up the newly sprouted cherry blossoms, the breeze carried warmth and the scent of honey, the birds sang and the flowers blossomed. Shinobu, who had found herself rather relaxed, had opened her window to the peaceful atmosphere. The craw of the songbirds and the breeze that flew through her office calmed her crashing nerves, and she bathed in the warmth of the sun.

Occasionally, shinobu would catch the laughter and muffled conversations of you and the girls as you all did chores around the estate, hanging clothes outside and watering plants. It was a very lovely day, and shinobu took the time to write.

You giggled, hanging a few shirts on the clothing line. “Aoi-chan,” you mused, causing the girl to raise a brow. “I was thinking of having dinner in the garden, would you consider joining me?” you asked, moving on to hang a pair of unfamiliar pants. Aoi hummed, scrunching her lips. “I suppose..” she mumbled, causing you to laugh at her dismay.

“Lady Kanao,” you called softly, watching as the girl slowly moved her eyes to you, wondrous. “Would you like to join me and Aoi-chan for dinner in the garden?” before she could flip her coin, Naho, Sumi, and Kiyo ran up to you.

“I want to, I want to!” they cheered, Naho tugging your clothes softly, causing you to smile.

“Of course you three can, I was going to ask Kochō-sama—” your words were cut off by the footsteps of an unfamiliar figure, causing you to shift your eyes up.

You put on a cautious smile, It was the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen. You placed a gentle hand on Naho, seeing as Sumi and Kiyo scurried off to Aoi, naho holding tightly onto you at the rather muscular man afront you two.

before you could greet the him— a large hand grabbed you by the waist and threw you over his shoulder.

You let out a yell, fear itching your bones as you saw naho in the mans other arm. He began to walk away, saying how you two will ���be fine.’ Sumi, Kiyo, and Aoi calling out to you.

“Stop it!” you shouted, banging your fists against his back, “stop it, will you!” you pleaded, trying to shake your way out of his strong grasp.

“please stop!” Sumi shouted, tears pricking in her eyes from beside Kiyo, who was crying, Kanao and aoi stared, both seemed paralyzed.

“Lady Kanao!” you called, staring at her as Uzui began to walk away with you in his arms, the sound of Naho sobbing causing you to fear more— but before he could get very far— Kanao bravely reached out to grasp your and Naho’s hand, or, well, Naho’s dress. Your eyes widened, she didn’t flip her coin.

“Lady Kanao…” sumi and kiyo said in sync, tears still present in their eyes.

Sumi and Kiyo suddenly came around, Charging at the man and trying to stop him from taking you and Naho, Kanao trying to pull you from her grasp, aoi joining in as well.

Everyone suddenly paused to look at the new figure, Tanjiro— a friendly boy who stood stunned at the scene, clearly confused.

his flabbergasted face cleared up as Kiyo spoke— “He’s kidnapping them! please, rescue them!” Tanjiro waisted no time in diving in, hoping to help.

Shinobu paused her writing, straightening her back slightly. The sound of the songbirds faded, and the light chatter between the girls had faded as well. Had you and they already moved on? Shinobu’s pen scarred the paper, ruining her writing as screams and yells caught her hearing.

she stood up, quickly sliding open the door to the engawa and making her way to the sound of the crying. As she came closer, new voices could be heard. When shinobu turned the corner, she was blatantly shocked.

The sight of Kiyo and Sumi holding Kanao and Aoi tightly together, and Tanjiro holding a crying Naho was unexpected. She followed her gaze up to the rooftop, her heart falling at the sight of you in the hands of of Uzui Tengen, who seemed to be only conversing with the young Kamado as the boys two friends tried talking to uzui from either side of him, convincing him to put you down.

She watched as the two boys jumped down to Tanjiro‘s level, seemingly convincing him. Shinobu was about to ask what exactly was going on— when the sound hashira placed a first smack to your butt, a smirk making his lips.

Shinobu froze, her nose scrunching so hard the skin could burst, jaw clenching so hard she fear she might snap the bone. For the first time, in a very long time- she felt pure anger.

she took a deep breath, clearing her throat to announce her presence.

“Uzui,” she called, her voice laced with pure venom as she called to the man with no respect in her tone. everyone froze, slowly turning their heads to the insect hashira as she stood with a smile that said more than a thousand words.

If looks could kill, Uzui would be six feet under.

“Ah! Kochō,” he expressed, ignoring the sweat drop that fell down his temple at her expression. He stood up from his squat, “I needed some girls to take to the Entertainment District,” he explained, clearing his throat and ignoring her gaze.

Shinobu saw you try and wiggle out of his grasp, trying to catch sight of her. “Put her down.” she said sweetly, but it struck fear into even Inosuke as he began to tremble, although her attention wasn’t directed to him.

Uzui put on a tough exterior, scoffing and once more ignoring the ball of sweat sliding down his temple, and the fearful faces of those on the floor below him. He hummed, Taking you and tossing you off the roof— the same way he had done to Naho previously.

Being no doubt being fastest Hashira, left her spot within the engawa with such speed— she most likely crossed many dimensions a split second.

You let out a scream as you were tossed off the roof— preparing to no at least receive a concussion from the fact you were most likely going to land face first— but, to your relief, you were caught by a familiar pair of arms.

Your eyes opened to see the face of your beloved shinobu, but the expression she held was nothing short of horrifying. She set you down with such care, like you were a porcelain doll, checking for any cuts or wounds with scavenging eyes before completely releasing you. The girls rushed to you, giving you big hugs and crying now that you were free.

You hugged them back, still keeping an eye on shinobu as you did so.

within not even half a second, Uzui was on the floor underneath shinobu’s foot, causing everyone face to drop cold.

The smile on her face was sinister, almost sadistic as she shoved her shoe on his cheek.

“uzui-san, you are no longer welcome to step foot in my estate.” she announced calmly, but everyone knew she could rip out his throat with her teeth if she wanted.

“If you do, I’m afraid i will have to dispose of you.”

Uzui didn’t reply, uncharacteristically still for his character. You held the girls tightly as they nudged their faces into your white nurse dress, seeking comfort.

Eventually , after some more foot stomping, she released him. Shinobu approached you, smiling genuinely now.

“are you okay, love?” she questioned you with concerned eyes, landing a hand to your cheek. You nodded, leaning into her touch.

“thanks to you, ‘nobu.” you hummed, earning the girls to call for attention as well. Shinobu patted their heads, then gave you a smooch on your lips.

Tengen watched with a perplexed expression, knowing why he was in such big trouble.

he began to try and defend himself, claiming he didn’t know she was dating someone. Shinobu completely ignored him, and the man stood from the floor.

Uzui, tanjiro and his companions left the butterfly estate, uzui sourly rubbing his cheek as he walked off. there was sure to be a bruise.

Aoi took Kanao and the girls’ inside, knowing you and shinobu were close to follow. You held shinobu’s hand, as she refused to let you go.

You watched the girls disappear behind a corner, but your walking was halted when shinobu pulled you back. She placed a sweet, hungry kiss to you lips, placing her hand on the back of your neck.

You hummed to the affection, pulling back and furrowing your brows at her expression.

“why so blue?” you ask softly, brushing some hair from her face.

you could see she was upset, and you knew why.

“You know…” you leaned in to whisper in her ear. “I never liked Tengen-sama.” you affirmed, huffing in disgust at the mention of his name.

Shinobu sigh, bringing your hand to her lips. “I.. just don’t like how he touched you.” she confessed, causing you to smile like a love sick fool.

“Well,” you put a finger to your cheek in thought. “I have a few ways we can get back at him for it.” you proposed, the mischievous tone in your voice caused shinobu to meet your eyes, earning her to smile. “you do, hm?” she whispered, a sly smile made her lips.

“mhm.” your hand squeezed hers as you led her down the hall, to the familiar sliding door of your shared bedroom.

[twig-tea]

A question for you because you seem like one of those people who has watched everything: how did you get started watching bl, and what are your ultimate favorite shows?

Double-barrelled! I'm honoured.

How did I get into BL?

The short answer is that ~2016 the YouTube algorithm served me up Lovesick and I immediately went EXCUSE ME WHAT IS THIS and looked up everything else available and watched literally everything I could get my hands on (which at the time was easy because there was only a handful compared to today, but it still felt like a wealth of content to enjoy).

The longer answer is that I used to be really involved in GL (I was the secretary at the first Yuricon in North America in 2002 or 2003) and then BL manga fandom (was in a scanlation group for awhile) through ~2006? so its extra hilarious that this wasn't my route in; I apparently took a break right before they started making live action versions in Japan. But when I got into Thai BL it was fun rediscovering these tropes in a new medium and through the lens of a new-to-me culture, noticing how they differed and how the genre had matured (and how it hadn't), and on catching up on the stuff out of Japan, seeing some of the manga I read over a decade ago come to life! So I mention this history because it's definitely a part of why I stayed (and probably why the algorithm found me relatively quickly).

I only started tracking things in a spreadsheet in 2020 (and it's not nearly as comprehensive or useful as @absolutebl 's), but I did try to backfill the highlights of what I've seen and I have over 550 rows on there, fwiw. I'm a completionist so I do try to watch everything, though that's getting more and more impossible these days.

Ultimate Favourite Shows

This question is so hard. I know you didn't even give me a limit but you have to understand @lurkingshan, I can't choose favourites, I have a draft top ten list that has been blank for 3 years because I can't commit. Okok. I'm just going to list shows as they come to me (not in any particular order):

Thailand: Until We Meet Again, He's Coming to Me, Diary of Tootsies, WhyRU, Ingredients, Not Me, Secret Crush on You, I Told Sunset About You & I Promised You the Moon, Triage, You're My Sky, Make it Right, La Pluie, My Ride, Bad Buddy, My School President, Laws of Attraction, Moonlight Chicken, Dear Dr I'm Coming for Soul, To Sir With Love/Khun Chai, The Eclipse, Midnight Museum, Lovely Writer... Grey Rainbow [ducks, hides, runs away]

Japan: Doushitemo Furetakunai (no touching at all), Kinou Nani Tabeta (What did you eat yesterday?), Our Dining Table, Takara-Kun and Amagi-Kun, Old Fashioned Cupcake, 7 Days (mon-thurs & fri-sun), His (miniseries & movie), I Want to See Only You, Kieta Hatsukoi/My love mix-up, the Cherry Magic Movie, Life~Senjou no bokura/Love on the Line, 180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us, Given (anime is my fave version), Tokyo in April Is..., Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, Utsukushii Kare/My beautiful man

Korea: Our Dating Sim, Semantic Error, The Lover [BL side], Color Rush, Blueming, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Love Class 2, Made on the Rooftop, Discipline Z, Light on Me, To My Star (yes both seasons), Strongberry (faves are Long Time No See, Confidential Coffee Break, and A First Love Story), Sing My Crush, Just Friends?

Vietnam: Goodbye Mother, Hey! First Love, Nation's Brother, You Are Ma Boy, Follow My Sunshine, FOOLs, Tien Bromance: My Small Family, Love Bill

Philippines: Gameboys, Gaya sa Pelikula, Boys Lockdown, Cheat [warning: horror], Your Home, Better Days

Taiwan: Be Loved in House, My DNA Says Love You, We Best Love (1 & 2), HIStory (Crossing the Line is my fave, and second fave is...Make Our Days Count [ducks, hides, burrows into ground]).

Other: Summerdaze (short from Singapore), Stay Still (Hong Kong), HeHe and He (Hong Kong, final season in progress but s1&2 are so funny) and the bromances/difficult to categorize: Scumbag System, Word of Honor, The Untamed, Guardian, Coffee Prince, Bromance (Taiwanese), Great Men Academy, Mr Queen, Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, SCI Mystery

*deep breath* ok I'm stopping lol narrowing it down any less than this gives me pain so I won't try. Also I'm sure I forgot something obvious (and Tumblr was eating drafts of this at various points). All I can say about this list is it's under 100 and that's the best I could do.

Thanks for the ask, and to anyone who made it this far thanks for reading!

[krabstick32]

Ocean

Pairing: Giyuu x Reader Synopsis: You and Giyuu have a short conversation before the summer starts.

Tags/warnings: I don’t think there are any warnings, this is just fluff

A/N: helloo, here’s another self-indulgent short fluff piece—I thought this one up in the shower and immediately wrote a portion down once I got out. 

Anyway, please enjoy!! <33

The two of you were sitting comfortably at the water estate’s engawa, savoring the afternoon light and the last vestiges of spring before your missions in the evening.

The weather was pleasant, but the air was already starting to feel a little warm, bringing in the promise of a summer breeze too humid. A few more weeks and your busy days would be filled with hot afternoons, and slightly cooler evenings. But the change was welcome since Summers were slightly easier for you demon-slayers—seeing that day lasted longer than night, preventing demons from roaming too long (that didn’t mean they would stop feeding on humans though).

You push thoughts of demon-hunting away as petals from the nearby cherry blossom tree scatter around the courtyard, some even making its place on your hair. Absently, you feel Giyuu shift under you to brush them away.

“You know,” He starts while you were cradled in between his legs. You hum noncommittally, already half-asleep as you lean against his chest. His heartbeat was like a steady lullaby that nearly lulls you to sleep. “You’re like… the ocean.”

You sit up slightly. His statement was making a mess of your drowsy mind, but you’re able to squint your eyes at him, pushing away the thought that he made a good make-shift bed. “What? Are you calling me big?”

He looks at you weirdly and wraps his arms back around your waist, gently pulling you back against his chest. “What? No, how does that even relate?”

“I dunno, oceans are big. You said I'm like the ocean, so maybe you’re calling me big.”

He nuzzles into the crook of your neck and mumbles a statement he one-hundred percent believed in. “No, you’re perfect.”

“Haha. Smooth.” You snort, but you don’t push him away. (He didn’t speak often, but when he did, it always left you blushing to your head down to your toes. Maybe if he was nice and gave you kisses, you’d admit that you liked his sweet talk). “Now tell me, why am I the ocean?” You pout, peeking up at him as you play with the collar of his white uniform shirt.

“I don’t know,” he says. “You just are.”

It makes sense he thinks. You are like the ocean, and he wonders why it took so long for him to realize it.

You were calm, like the small waves lapping at the shoreline, but you could be lethal, like a raging tsunami washing over an entire village that leaves behind the wreckage. You were soothing, nurturing, and like the water, you were all-encompassing—the warmth of your embrace never fails to fit so well against his body, down to his very core (like two missing puzzle pieces)—almost as if you were water itself. He felt consumed by the love you gave him, and he was willing to surrender all that he was—give you his love, his life, his mind, his body, his soul. 

Everything. Anything for you.

“Any chance you’re going to tell me?”

He wouldn’t. Maybe someday he will, but for now, he’ll leave those words unsaid. He was never much good at words anyway—he preferred saying ‘i love you’ with his actions.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe as in… No?” You guess. You’ve loved him long enough to understand bits and pieces of his mind, but that didn’t mean it didn’t frustrate you at times

He smiles cryptically, handsomely. A smile he reserved for you. “Maybe.”

In an effort to hide your flushed cheeks, you tackle him playfully. He plays along, letting himself be swept to the floor, but takes you down with him gently, cushioning your fall along the way. His body was warm, and you drape yourself over him, allowing your hair to fall around the sides of his face, like a curtain—a halo of (h/c) curls that hides the sickly-sweet smiles on your faces from the world.

The smile never leaves your face, but your eyes grow fonder. “I love you.” You say, because you felt like you would burst if you didn’t tell him.

“I love you too.” He answers back, and he feels his heart spread warmth all over his body. Giving you anything at this point was too late, because you’d already taken everything and swept him along your waves. 

Giyuu realized that he didn’t mind one bit.

“...You really won’t tell me?” 

He places a kiss square on your lips and you melt, returning what he gave. You push him away though when you realize what he’s doing.

“You’re distracting me.” You stare at him, a blank look masking your rapidly beating heart (but you knew he could hear it—you could hear his too).

He grins, his eyes crinkling at the corners in the cutest way, and you almost forgive him. “Is it working?”

Damn him, it does.

The water estate was filled with the sound of your groan and his rare laughter, echoing through the empty halls, and leaving behind a warm glow that was always present when the two of you were together.

Because while you had his heart, he knew that he had yours too.

A/N: And when summer came, the two of you went to the nearby beach after a successful mission. You looked very happy to roll your sleeves up to your elbows and wade through the water. Giyuu just watches you from the shoreline, a contented smile taking over his usually impassive look, as he lets the waves lap against his feet.

even if its no longer summer season, I want to write them going to the beach sometime soon (because i wasnt able to go to the beach), but i’ll settle for this one for now uwu 

it’s not my favorite piece and its been sitting in my drafts for like... a long time (◑-◑ ;) and i’m a little sick of seeing it there, so uh... here.

i hope ya’ll still liked it and found it fluffy!!

[uwua3]

helloo! i was lurking through ur blog and ur writing is so good??? ur angst fic for tsumu was so painful and now i'm 😭😭 so can i pls request for hcs for tsumugi with an affectionate s/o? thank youuu 😭😭😭💖

i promise you i have 5 drafts right now but the moment i thought about this prompt, it wouldn’t leave my mind and i knew i had to write it! also, i’m so happy you liked my tsumu angst 🥺 it’s my least popular writing so i didn’t know if it was just awfully written or T___T but yes! angel deserves love ♡

summary: when all else failed, flower language was there to win over your crush

author’s note: this might be a bit different from what you were expecting, anon! the affection so much isn’t... obvious? well, you’ll have to read it and tell me if you think flower language is affection ♡

i absolutely adore flowers, so i was so thankful to put this romantic knowledge to use! if you are looking to be timeless, woo your crush with flowers please~

word count: 2,992

music: dream – suzy & baekhyun, love is the way – red velvet

yellow tulips means there’s sunshine in your smile.

❄️📚 tsukioka tsumugi

tsumugi loved flowers

it all started when he worked as a florist. the store was the same as always, even after he came back. it was overgrown, with decades of flora & fauna taking over the storefront as there wasn’t a single dead leaf in sight. greenery gave the usual urban, grey road life as the sunshine felt warmer in the makeshift forest. displays of annual flowers made tsumugi smell the roses, and he came by daily ever since he was a teenager

tsumugi liked to check out the produce and greet his favorite little old lady nicknamed “ma” that ran the small store. she always coddled him, pinching his cheeks and affectionately saying he grew up handsome as he blushed under the praise. she liked retelling stories she remembered of his young self working in her shop, laughing at his low stamina but unbreakable will

she reminded him of his own grandmother, and often arrived after work with new flowers he had harvested from the mankai courtyard to impress her

it was a particularly lucky day. one of tsumugi’s blooms came earlier than expected, and the moment he noticed it whilst gardening and whistling a tune, he took one as he left the dorms in his gear. when tsumugi arrived nearly out of breath for attempting to run the entire length, he was about to call the grandmother’s name but noticed someone else was tending the plants

(strange, ma never needed help, tsumugi thought before he glanced at your smile and was blinded. you were the sun)

when you bloomed into his life like the most beautiful flower, tsumugi swore he nearly dropped his pot when he saw you the first time. you saw him in gardening overalls stained by dirt and his rural appearance, and he admired you like you were at full bloom

tsumugi wasn’t good with words, in fact, he couldn’t even speak when he saw you. he just nodded quickly, gesturing to the random new arrivals he was pretending to be interested in. as you went further into the store, tsumugi sighed and could feel the vines within his lungs crawl and tighten around his chest

he wanted to talk to you, but he was afraid you’d be a cherry blossom that lasted for two weeks before fluttering away

so tsumugi approached you the only way he knew how: with flowers

it was your first week working as ma’s apprentince florist, but you had found a minature flower bouquet by your door. it was tarragon, a herb with tiny green & yellow flowers, gently wrapped with a delicate pastel yellow ribbon

tarragon: lasting interest

when ma came upon the boquet, she smiled knowingly, as if she had some dirt on the secret giver. however, you couldn’t get ma to budge (that woman was incredibly stubborn and had seen too many things to yield to a young adult!)

you decided to keep the herbs, pressing the flowers so they’d dry and twirled the ribbon around your finger as the empty lackluster hours expectedly came and went throughout the day. you wondered if the person who brought you such a beautiful present knew of flower language?

tsumugi did

tsumugi was a hopeless romantic at heart despite living in a world of fleeting love. he remembered learning flower language for situations like this, though, this was the first time he ever had to (or wanted to) use it

he still came to the shop every other day to be the victim of ma’s endless teasing, her short frame not stopping her from jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow. but this time, with a knowing smile. nothing ever escaped ma, she was too observant for her own good

(tsumugi was the only person she knew who tied his ribbons that way)

(she only knew because every mother’s day, tsumugi liked giving her the best assortment of flowers she had ever seen ever since he worked for her)

as the days went by, you had begun to notice the quiet, timid boy with the shyest smile and brightest eyes always standing near the front in the sun as you hid away inside wherever the fan was

(perhaps you regretted that, when you heard his gentle laugh twinkle across the shop like wind chimes, you thought of tarragon)

one day, when you decided to look up after intensely reading a library book on botany behind the register, you saw him immediately avert his eyes and awkwardly laugh at something ma said. she glanced back at you, gesturing you over with a flick of her hand. you didn’t even bother arguing against it, closing your book and heading out front

(no one fought ma and won)

“this is my newest employee, tsumugi! they’re such a green thumb, it’s like they bring my flowers back to life.” ma bragged, laying a hand on your arm and pushing you forward so you were even closer to the boy you’ve been noticing out of the corner of your eye. he couldn’t look you in the eye, he was staring at everything but your eyes

(tsumugi couldn’t look at you because you shined so bright, he almost had to cover his eyes)

you introduced yourself properly, and as tsumugi finally tore his sight away from the new red roses in season, his eyes widened at something around your neck. you subconsciously lifted your hand to it and—oh

it was the yellow ribbon you had been gifted last week

ma grinned, feigning shock at your new acessory around the collar of your uniform. “my dear, i never noticed such a pretty little thing! haven’t you been wearing it everyday?” ma pretended to reach out for it but you leaned back, protectively putting your hand over the bow

(for some reason, you had become oddly attached to the ribbon)

“i... i have. just thought it was lovely, that’s all.” you justified, seeing tsumugi’s shoulders drop when he exhaled with... relief? tsumugi complimented the shade of yellow, saying it often fit the summer season and compared it to a dahlia

so, when it was the next day and you saw ma waiting for you with another knowing smile and a single yellow dahlia in her hands, you remembered tsumugi

the dahlia was pastel yellow, just like the ribbon you had on today. when you took it, you turned it over and watched the petals rustle in the summer wind

dahlia (single): good taste

“you know who it is, don’t you?” you interrogated ma, holding the dahlia close to your chest. it was clearly grown with care, in fact, it almost saddened you to see such a beautiful flower given to you when it could’ve kept on growing

ma just shrugged, doing her morning round of watering as she slipped on her gloves and got to work. you were about to do the same before something caught your eye

blue salvias

you didn’t even need to ask ma before she passed you a pen and floral tag you could attach

you bundled up blue salvias, tying a navy blue ribbon (you thought of tsumugi’s eyes and hair that glistened in the sunlight) with a note attached

“thank you, may all your flowers bloom during this summer season!”

you finished it off by signing your name, and left it in ma’s very capable hands. she complimented your ribbon choice with a snicker, but you didn’t question it. ma knew way too much neighbourhood gossip from being the local cupid with her flowers

(you were out back on break, taking notes from a herbs textbook you borrowed. while you were dutifully learning, you never noticed ma pass tsumugi a bouquet of blue salvias and his shocked, flustered blush as he accepted the flowers graciously)

blue salvias: i think of you

(“next time, my boy, just give the flowers to me. you’re much too obvious for your own good.” ma patted tsumugi’s cheek with her wrinkled hand, an aged look to her as if she knew it all)

(when tsumugi went home, he tied the dark blue ribbon around his watering can and put the salvias in a vase)

it didn’t take long before ma whacked a bouquet of flowers over your head, reprimanding you for slouching while reading

you took the gift, noticing a note but before you could read, you smelled the white camelias. but when you realized what it meant, you turned as red as the carnations beside you

white camelias: you’re adorable

“if only you were the sun, then all my flowers would be happy. though, they could never be as bright as you.”

as you unlooped the white ribbon this time, you put aside the note as you tied the ribbon around your neck. now, you had two equally cute ribbons that had you thinking of this secret admirer all day

as the fan blew towards you, the note floated to the floor as you leaned down from your stool to catch it mid–air. you checked the back of the tag, there was a name you would’ve missed: tulip

did they want you to address them as tulip? without a second thought, you had an assortment of red carnations held by a red ribbon and another note

“tulip? why is that?”

(you signed the back with “sunflower”)

red carnations: alas for my poor heart

next day, you received a dwarf sunflower with a bright yellow ribbon and a note you held closest to your heart

“perhaps, i just wanted to make you smile. — forever thinking of you, too, tulip”

dwarf sunflower: adoration

for the next month, you slowly forgot about the shy boy with the blue. tsumugi stopped by less, or at least he came during your break time. you wondered why, since he refused to look into your eyes and hid his face during the rare chances you did get to see him

(tsumugi always gave ma the flowers when it was break, he didn’t want you to find out)

you and your secret admirer kept exchanging flowers like it was mail. by this time, you had so many ribbons and you always received questions on why you wore them all

(“no reason.” you’d lie, and gently ran your fingers over the thread)

(tsumugi began tying the ribbons you gifted him everywhere just so he’d remember you. sometimes even around his pinky when he wanted to feel connected to you like soulmates would. he’d lay his head on his desk, pretending he was pulling on your string of fate and watched the ribbon flow elegantly around his hand with a small smile)

you had grown fond of tulip. his handwriting was delicate and light, you could tell he didn’t push down hard on his pen even when he doodled the flowers he was giving you that day. he had such a unique style, it was comforting to write to someone so genuinely kind and pure–hearted

although your affections to tulip were unparalleled, you often smelled the flowers he gave you and stared out at the horizon, wondering who this person was. you wanted a real name to connect to a face

(maybe, you were scared that whatever you were feeling was too much for a nameless unknown)

you knew it might have been too soon to demand answers, but your actions were readily supported by ma as she took the bouquet without letting you think it over

a purple bittersweet, also known as nightshade, with a deep violet ribbon and short note this time

“i must ask you, tulip, is it truly too much trouble for you to share your name? — best, sunflower”

(when tsumugi received these flowers with an impatient look from ma, he faltered, looking into the store but seeing you were no where in sight. ma jabbed him again, frustrated with his fear. “tell her!” ma insisted, but tsumugi shook his head and left)

(ma sighed, rubbing her temples as she shut her eyes. “kids, these days.”)

bittersweet: truth

“i am afraid, once you know the real me, you won’t want me anymore. i know it is selfish of me, but i just want to have you, just for a little longer. — always yours, tulip”

you read the next day and twirled the red columbine with a sigh. maybe you were afraid, this love would only bloom in the summer and tulip thought the same thing

red columbine: anxious, trembling

(you didn’t respond for a few days. you couldn’t, you were just as scared of what you felt for them)

you had started your day off bright and early, arriving at the local library to continue your research into flower language. you had chosen a book after becoming interested by its familiar drawings on the cover and took it to the shop, waving to ma as you rested in the back moss garden

you wanted to find the perfect flower to comfort tulip. even though your curiousity was overwhelming, you couldn’t help but understand where they were coming from. the relationship you guys had built was so nice, it would be a shame to question it

you turned the page but furrowed your eyebrows, automatically opening to a bookmark. it was custom, with dried flowers and a ribbon at the end through a hole. you noticed two initials at the bottom in light handwriting

T.T.

you were about to take it out to return it before the wind made you lose your place, going to the back of the book where the card pocket was. you put the bookmark at the back and found the letters aligned to a name that borrowed the book most recently

T.T. tsukioka tsumugi

tsumugi... that must’ve been the full name of the blue boy who came by so much. then, you noticed it

the handwriting was familiar, for a good reason. tsumugi crossed his t’s the same way as tulip, the ends of the t’s were curved in a similar fashion, too

you remembered the first time you met tsumugi

(“yellow, like a dahlia.” tsumugi hummed, reaching out to fix the way it was uneven. he almost didn’t notice it, until he looked up at your eyes. he moved back, made some excuse of how busy he was, and disappeared)

(you had touched the ribbon, wondering why you didn’t stop him)

you quickly moved to the front desk, shuffling through the countless stacks of paper and decorations until you reached the drawer where you kept all the notes. you took a random sample, realizing it was one of the more recent ones before you had asked their name

it had been stained with dirt. they must’ve wrote it in a hurry, like they just had to say it

“would it be too soon to say i want to see you, even though i know i can’t? — i miss you, tulip”

(you remembered this. pink camellia, pastel pink ribbon)

pink camellia: longing for you

you put the scrap of paper side by side with tsumugi’s name, tracing the letters with a shaky hand. how had you not realized it, was the boy you had become fascinated with the one you actually liked? sure, you thought the silent affection for the client was temporary, like a cherry blossom

turns out, he had survived the summer and would stay with you even until winter

was tsumugi tulip?

you had closed the book, attempting to process the revelation. all those things you said, all the secrets you exposed to the world, and he felt the same. sure, it was silly to think you could fall in love with the way someone wrote

but then, you thought about when you saw him the first time under the sun. he was glittering and sparkling like a streaming river, blue and beautiful. you wanted to see tsumugi again, you had to know

you didn’t usually send bouquets first, so when you handed one to ma, her face hardened and she seemed to know

“you know who it is, now? are you ready?” ma asked, placing the flowers down to envelop you in a motherly hug. you hugged back, nodding with resolve as you placed your chin on her head

“i... i need to know,” you chose your words carefully, but you glanced up and saw all the floral ornaments you had made from their gifts. their sweet, well–meaning flowers that brightened your day. then, your gaze fell upon the red columbine

“i need to know if this is real love.” you finished, ma patting you on your back comfortingly as she listened

“he loves you, little sprout.” ma simply said, but it meant everything when you waited until the next day with the flowers yourself

it was your break time. tsumugi came in with a bouquet just like you, but his steps stuttered when he saw you standing out front with flowers at your chest

you looked at him and softly smiled, the admiration and affection you had for a mysterious boy flourishing out of you. you took a small step forward, but tsumugi took two steps back. he hid the flowers behind his back

tsumugi was about to apologize, beg for your forgiveness before you smiled, your neck decorated with the tens of ribbons he had gifted you

“i love you, tulip.” you confessed, needing no note to hide behind when you held the bouquet out to tsumugi

red tulips, red ribbon

red tulips: passion, a declaration of love

tsumugi took a moment to admire you, the way you stood tall just like a sunflower. maybe it was too fast and he was being impulsive, but he felt it. he felt love, he wanted you to feel it, too

tsumugi offered you a bouquet in return as you laughed at the situation, pulling him into a close hug and taking in his warmth

yellow tulips, yellow ribbon

yellow tulips: there is sunshine in your smile

“i love you, too, sunflower.”

[dcbbw]

WIP Wednesday 7-15-2020

Thanks for the tags @bebepac​ and @hopefulmoonobject​!

You all know I have WIPs; too many of them. Below are sneak peeks of coming attractions. Many are still in draft stages and subject to changes before being posted.

 Back Roads:

The last item to be cleared was the late King’s personal safe, which Bastien opened for them; it was protocol that only the monarch and the head of the King’s guard knew the combination. None of the friends knew what to expect, but nothing seemed untoward: certificates of marriage to his three Queens; a petition to declare his first Queen presumed dead; Queen Eleanor’s death certificate.

A plain wooden box simply labeled “The Walkers.” Everyone looked at the other, curious what was inside. Liam wordlessly handed the box to Drake, who looked suspiciously at the strongbox before lifting its lid.

Everything was neatly compartmentalized: The Cordonian Cross, awarded to Jackson Walker posthumously for “acts of the greatest heroism or for most conspicuous courage in circumstance of extreme danger.”  The letter and certificate which had accompanied the Cross had been given to Savannah.

A copy of the Widowers and Children agreement, signed by Bianca; a copy of Jackson’s life insurance and pension plan. Drake and Savannah were beneficiaries to both with payments to begin when their stipend from the Crown ended. And a sealed envelope with Drake’s name written on it.

“Open it!” Olivia urged impatiently.

Liam handed him a letter opener, and Drake sliced the envelope open. His eyes quickly scanned the letter, one section leaping out at him:

In honor of his father’s selfless act of heroism, it is hereby decreed that Drake Walker shall be named a Knight of Cordonia and accorded the title of Sir Drake J. Walker, and afforded all the privileges of the Crown and Palace, with the exception that he shall retain commoner status when it comes the hierarchy of the Throne.

His sister, Savannah J. Walker, shall be named a Dame of Cordonia and afforded all the privileges of the Crown and Palace, with the exception that she shall retain commoner status when it comes the hierarchy of the Throne.

Maxwell, who was reading over Drake’s shoulder, let out a low whistle. “Wow … Drake, you’re … noble!”

Sister Someone, Chapter 3—Sunday, Bloody Sunday:

Harper breathed in Ethan’s scent: fresh, green, with just the slightest hints of mint and musk. She wanted Ethan to move in with her; it seemed … natural. He was already spending a lot of time there: He had clothes in her closet, and a toothbrush in her bathroom.  Her fingers began a slow walk across Ethan’s chest towards the buttons on his shirt.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. With a reluctant sigh, she pulled it from the crevice between their bodies and felt her eyes widen when she recognized the number.

“Who is it?” Ethan asked, seeing the expression on her face.

“Work,” Harper said quickly as she declined the call. “I’ll call them back.”

She tossed her phone aside to pull Ethan to her. When Ethan suggested they go upstairs, Harper told hi to go ahead; she wanted to review some paperwork first. Once she heard Ethan climb the stairs, Harper returned the earlier call.

The steak was seasoned and laying on a bed of onions, peppers, and bacon when her phone vibrated. Harper answered tersely. “What?”

He caller gave a low chuckle. “And a good morning to you, Dr. Emery. Merely calling to confirm you’ll be joining my fiancée and I for brunch later today.”

Harper exhaled a low breath. “Do I have a choice?”

“There’s always a choice. This isn’t extortion.”

Harper ground her teeth. “I’ll be there,” she gritted out.

The caller’s tone was pleased. “Excellent! Lucy and I will meet you at Sonsie at 11:30. Bring Dr. Ramsey if you’re so inclined. I’m certain he and Lucy would love to catch up.”

The call disconnected.

Twenty minutes later, when Ethan entered the kitchen, Harper told him her plans for the day: going into the hospital and spending the afternoon with her niece, Aurora.

How I Met Your Wife:

One week before the wedding, Liam and Riley were having lunch at the restaurant when they began to bicker. Yu smirked to herself as the bickering progressed to a full-blown argument. The waitress was fond of both Liam and Riley; their love for each other was both evident and contagious, and she thanked Kei every day for seeing what she had not. The two cared, not only for each other, but for all Cordonia.

“YU!” Riley yelled.

Yu approached the table. “What is wrong, my dumplings?” she asked in a soothing voice, her hands lightly touching their shoulders.

“Sit down,” Riley patted the seat next to her.

Liam’s eyes were narrowed. “Don’t you DARE, Riley Brooks!”

Riley arched an eyebrow and leaned into Yu, pressing dark cherry painted lips against the waitress’. Liam scraped his chair back as he hurried around the table to break the kiss. Yu was stunned, but curious.

Good lip service indeed.

Before she could slip her tongue past the Duchess’ closed lips, she felt Liam’s hand on her shoulder, trying to pull the women apart. Instinctively, Yu’s hand squeezed the King’s ass.

She and Riley would not share tongue until the couple returned to the restaurant two months later, after surviving multiple assassination attempts, a wedding, a kidnapping, and a honeymoon.

The Queen’s Friendship:

Riley was chatting with Maxwell in the Delegates Dining Room at the UN, waiting for the gala to begin. Liam was at the head of the room, arm in arm with Madeleine. His eyes spotted Riley and he winked. Riley rolled hers and turned her back to him.

“Blossom, don’t act like this! You know he’s trying,” Maxwell begged.

“WE’RE trying! He’s kissing his fiancée,” Riley retorted. Her eyes scanned the room. “Oh, look … there’s Drake,” she stated before walking away from Maxwell.

Riley had no idea if it was Drake or not, she just wanted away. From Liam, Madeleine, Maxwell … Cordonia. Riley figured now was the time to make the break. She was back home in New York City. She still had her apartment, for the next month at least. She passed by elegantly dressed tables and came upon an hors d'oeuvres station; she paused to pile a tiny plate with even tinier bits of food when she heard her name.

“Riley Brooks?”

She turned, a disinterested expression on her face until she saw who it was. Riley hurriedly set her plate on the edge of the buffet table before wrapping her arms around Veronica.

“OH MY GOD, Ronnie! What are you doing here?” Riley shrieked.

Veronica hugged her old friend tightly. “It’s so good to see you!” The women separated. “You look great, girl! I’m one of the event planners, why are you here?”

Riley shrugged. “I’m with the band.”

Veronica shook her head in disbelief. “How did you end up with royalty?”

“I answered an ad to be a waitress.”

Paper Cut:

The two men moved in the kitchen quietly. It was Friday: refrigerator clean-out day. It was a ritual they had established when they first moved in together. When the tossing of old, expired, and smelly items meant they were making room for new groceries on Saturday mornings. When there had been hand holding, price comparisons, fresh produce from Farmer’s Markets and fresh cuts of meat wrapped in waxed paper.

When they were together and in love. Or what they thought was love.

Liam looked dubiously at the bottle of ranch dressing; he tried to remember when they first bought it, but memory failed him. He wanted to say the dressing been in the fridge when they moved in. He shook the bottle before uncapping it; a very distinct vinegary scent wafted from the container.

Liam poured some into a spoon he grabbed from the sink. The white creamy mixture was lumpy and slightly discolored. Grant Emerson turned from the trashcan, his nose wrinkled. “What the hell?”

“Trying to see if it’s still good,” Liam muttered.

“It’s expired. It went bad a long time ago.”

Liam wondered if Grant was talking about the salad dressing or them.

Grant huffed as Liam continued to inspect the product. “It’s practically curdling and smells to the heavens, Li! Toss it!”

“It’s garden herb. Maybe …”

He never finished speaking; Grant grabbed the spoon and the bottle, tossing both in the trash.

“It’s done.” He shook his head and continued to pull items from the fridge.

 What are you working on: @ao719​ @choiceslife​ @katedrakeohd​ @sirbeepsalot​ @bobasheebaby​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @thegreentwin​ @burnsoslow​ @pamelawalkerwrites​ @loveellamae​ @bbrandy2002​

[fmdminaharchive]

❧ you’re like spring.

date(s): february-march 2021 mentions of: daisuke (briefly for happening reasons), jiah (extensively for gay reasons) word count: 1,712 (475 words composition, 748 words songwriting without the lyrics) warnings: none details: partial composition and full lyric verification for ‘the spring’. minah makes music again, it’s more of the same yet different. she’s also grossly in love, though she’s well aware there has been a time she wasn’t. also little extra bits of the whole Process because i can and they’re cute

“how about another spring song?” the creative director suggests and minah is quick to agree.

sure, she has some thoughts on that statement. the expected release date they gave her is late may, pushing near the end of spring but she can’t say she’s surprised. sure, these songs usually do best around early to mid april, when spring is fresh and the temperatures are slowly creeping up together with the bloom of flowers but she wagers that either bc doesn’t give her solo comeback enough priority over whatever else is planned earlier in the year or they’re aiming to recreate the same effect ‘hopefully sky’ had. 

it’s kind of ironic, minah thinks, the implied image of a late bloomer bc throws in her lap. 

she doesn’t mind it, it kind of suits her in ways.

➽───────────────❥

being informed that she will be working with the same producer she worked on for ‘hopefully sky’ and ‘being there’ only further confirms minah’s suspicions, they’re fully intending to let her stick to her niche. it’s not a bad thing persé, she likes her music, she likes the producer, the whole process will undoubtedly be a delight. but paired with the fact she had been purposely left out of writing for her debut album last fall, minah can’t help but feel bc doesn’t yet trust her quite enough. not enough to write on something important as an album, not enough to write on something she hasn’t done before.

which just means she has to prove herself.

when minah shows up for their first studio session, she shows up prepared, reaching for the acoustic guitar kept in one of the corners of the room

one eyebrow of the producer quirks up. “were you asked to compose it yourself? i thought i was, that’s why i prepared some things-”

minah just shakes her head, smiling serenely. “i wasn’t. but i have something i want to let you hear regardless.”

the guitar parts aren’t all that much, no bells or whistles. but minah likes to think that’s their charm. her instrumentals never are too flashy, not taking the foreground but instead serving as a gentle, guiding hand. the strums and chords are meant to be a base, to frame and support her voice rather than to be the main attraction.

the simple melody reminds her a lot of her busking days back in busan. sure, for the most parts she played and sang popular songs, ones that would be recognized by passersby and hopefully bring a smile to her face. but when things were slower, wen there weren’t as many people around, minah could spend stretches and stretches of time playing around with chords, improvising their structure as she went, their gentle hum to fill the silence until people came by again. it was a comforting sound, a comforting feeling.

of course, this time it’s not mere improvising, not tangent of chords that escape her memory the moment they fade out into the air around them but it still feels that way as she plays the song for the producer, a light-hearted, warm feeling teaching from her fingertips to her chest. 

when she finishes the song, minah puts the guitar beside her again, looking expectantly at the producer. “it’s not a full song-” she starts, sentence trailing off, searching for some sign of approval or dismissal, whatever comes first, whatever will tell her if she was right to go out on a limb.

“it’s not.” the producer agrees with a nod. “but it could be.” another beat of silence. “it will be when i turn it into one.”

the excited squeal that escapes minah is one of victory.

➽───────────────❥

“you know, i already wrote lyrics to go with it too.” minah brings up a little while later, by now both of them with a cup of coffee in their hands, having spent the last hour or so properly writing down the guitar part she had played earlier and fiddling with ideas how to expand on it.

“well why didn’t you say so earlier, go ahead, i’m listening.” 

so minah quickly pulls out the piece of paper the lyrics are written down on. they’re her words, she has sung them a few times but she doesn’t feel confident enough in her memory to do it entirely by heart just yet. 

she picks the guitar up again from where she had left it, leaning against the side of the table, placing her fingers against the fingerboard and strumming the strings, playing the same chords she had played before but this time accompanied by her voice. 

i think spring is coming again almost sick of the cherry blossoms once again, i face a lonely season as the wind blows

in terms of sound, the song sounds as warm and comforting as it’s spiritual predecessors ‘hopefully sky’ and ‘being there’ had, the sweet, family-girl charm minah had initially wrapped the general public around her finger with. lyrically, however, the tone is a bit more somber, lonely and longing for the happiness her surroundings seem to have found. it puts it smack in the middle of both her self-written songs from last summer and the tone of her first album and her portal collab with daisuke from last winter. a pretty clever way to bring together the two sides of her sound she has released so far if she says so herself.

that flower is so pretty, it makes me lonely that couple is smiling so brightly making me so sad why is it so beautiful? why am i jealous? everything’s spring spring spring but me

of course, the lyrics are hardly relevant for minah in the moment. she is entering her second spring together with jiah, their relationship having started roughly a year ago, when spring was creeping up on them much like it is now. 

but feelings didn’t need to be lived to write about them right, to be able to convey them all the same. minah’s entire ‘epilogue’ had been drenched in the sorrow of heartbreak while she was on cloud nine. much the same applied to this song, there is none of the longing for a spring romance, not when she has all of that right in the palm of her hands already, not when she gets to wake up stroking the messy strands of hair out of jiah’s face and kiss the tip of her nose.

you’re spring, spring spring spring you, where did you go? you’re spring, spring spring spring the spring wind is blowing

minah gets it, she really does, why spring is generally seen as a romantic season, the slow bloom of the world stirring awake after the winter. cherry blossoms showers during walks in the parks, couples huddled together due to the last remnants of cold wind. spring is romantic in it’s very existence. it’s soft, it’s comforting, a gentle welcome after the slumber of winter. 

and because of that, jiah is spring too. the pink hues of her flushed cheeks and the radiance of her smile, the tingling sparks of heat left across minah’s skin. she’s warm without ever being overwhelming, like the slowly rising temperatures giving the flowers time to adjust and bloom.

i’m dreaming of a fun love will my sweet love ever come? after another lonely day the wind blows

it hasn’t always been like that though, minah has been familiar enough with the bittersweetness of cherry blossoms. she’s a notorious workaholic after all. for as long as she can remember, she’s always been busy with something, be it her career or her family. it had left ample time for epic romances when she had been far too all over the place to open up her heart and whatever sparks did fly quickly fizzled solely due to the fact minah didn’t have the capacity to nurse a budding romance among everything.

so it isn’t like she doesn’t understand, it wasn’t like she has never kicked the ground scoffing watching the loved-up couples in springtime. minah knows the feeling all too well. so she knows how cathartic songs like this can be. sometimes you just need to be bitter for a bit before carrying on with life.

when the warm spring wind brushes my cheeks will spring come into my frozen heart as well? is it love?

minah has found her own love in the spring, only just a year ago, after watching the seasons slip by so often without much romance of her own. 

so minah hopes. she hopes that anyone who will relate to the song hearing it now will find their own spring love eventually. maybe not this season but possibly next, or the one after that.

even if not for many more springs, with every passing year, they’ll be one spring closer to that, and isn’t that enough reason to keep waiting? 

➽───────────────❥

a few weeks pass after that, minah doesn’t really keep track of the time where is so much she’s doing anyway but sooner or later, she finds the same producer waiting for her after she leaves vocal practice for lipstick’s upcoming comeback. 

“c’mon, i need to steal you away for a second, there is something i want you to listen to.” he explains briefly and minah is quick to follow the familiar path to one of bc’s in-house recording studios. 

of course, she knows this is about her solo comeback. she however doesn’t know if her draft got the bc stamp of approval. she might just as well be faced with an entirely different song.

as she takes a seat in one of the office chairs, the producer pulling up a file on his computer gracefully named ‘the spring’ minah feels pretty sure of her case though.

“i finished your song.” he simply says before pressing play.

it’s her song indeed, both of those parts are true. it’s hers, the familiar guitar strums in the background and a demo of her lyrics on top of it. it’s also a song, a full song this time, the blanks that were still missing from her rough draft filled in. 

minah really likes it.

when the song comes to an end, she turns to the producer and smiles. “i like the accordion.” she laughs. “it’s a nice touch.”

[jeanlucgodardbby]

i feel like i’ve been starved for summer

i feel like i’ve been starved for summer 

The summer before twists into my skin 

grocery carts stacked miles high 

heat, only unpleasant 

can you see me through my sweat?

but this summer belongs to you. 

to the aching i feel in the shower 

to the one in my chest

the summer belongs to the pinging i’ve scarcely felt, 

and to the brief cool nights

That stalk the days.  

do you mind if I paraphrase? 

peach pies carved with butter knives —

leaf ridden pools —

scratchy mix tapes.   

this heat belongs to you and i 

To the “tea house amid the cherry blossoms

on the way to death”

nothing quite bites like starvation 

so i consume our summer like none before 

Loving with intent

drawing the lines with sunshine 

that sneaks through my blinds. 

but you’ll have to realize i’m helpless 

because you won’t trust and i’m scared of becoming someone else

it’s almost careless the way you’re hyper-aware 

of the way that strand falls in your face 

curling beneath your nose. 

you can’t—you don’t escape my dreams 

the ones with my arm around your abdomen and your hand

in my hair. 

the way you 

speak, move, and breathe 

turn me to grape jelly against the wall. 

i want you to run your fingers 

through the holes in my old blue bra

webbed along my back 

tell me you love the way it fits 

my thoughts and mind 

run your fingers between the holes

in my favorite bra. 

i know your poetry 

isn’t about me 

but do you mind if i pretend it is,

every now and again?

 the aching travels to my stomach 

it resonates to my head

sending me into the clouds 

how long until i can’t feel my toes?  

“my skin is thick but my knees are weak” 

Somebody get me a brace. 

please let me come in

Its so hot and I miss your dog

i’m sorry for my sense of urgency 

but i can’t help feelin’ 

if we don’t act now 

we’ll lose what we’ve built 

that it’ll slip between our fingers 

all the time and suddenly we’re in a Mamma Mia film, 

tumbling to be lost in our sea of what-ifs

do you have the time? 

do i have the time? 

do We have the time? 

Mamma mia…..

i wonder how many times there was more 

more beneath the question i didn’t ask. 

How many times your bandaid covered an infection.

i like band-aids because they’re reminders that i’m alive 

wrapped around my finger 

across my leg 

over my ankle. 

was it you who instilled this idea in me? 

the line sickens my mind

a sadness pervades

and reason fails. 

i know what this was  

i knew your Intent 

before we began

but i still can’t help but think:

“no! she doesn’t want me like i want her” 

maybe because it’s true

or maybe because your loving with intent scares me 

and i start thinking there’s no loving even at all 

it kinda drives me crazy 

to think about all the love songs on the radio 

the ones my mother turns off 

the ones you hum along to 

to think about the static on the other end 

their questions and proclamations of love

unanswered in this one way channel 

“shall i stay, would it be a sin?”

“won’t you take my hand?” 

“do you know how much you mean to me?”

it makes me sad

but i suppose it’s fair 

we don’t always get a response, 

and we don’t always like the answer when it’s there. 

though i can myself living without you 

i also see myself 

diving head first off a california diving board 

into the lava pool we’ve created 

i love you, i know

we’re growing old

20 years and under 

i’ll jump into the lava 

the moment we have to leave 

because i don’t want it to end 

six seasons and a summer 

let me the lava eat away at me

I find myself, tormented yet naive 

i wish to be with you til the skies fall in,  

loving without furious abandon.  

But I’ve found an understanding that frustrates and berates and I love the way you make sense

So I’ll always wait. 

I love that that you love imperfection 

I see it in the sway of your writing 

your eyes are drawn to chapped lips  

it scared me when i stutter around you

did you know my grandfather has always had a stutter? 

and i’m always afraid it’ll present itself in me 

my own hidden imperfection 

that’ll you’ll love the idea 

of my stuttered “f”s and “w”s 

more than you love me 

the wind blows and the heat hugs

wrapping its fingers around my legs 

my blonde hair slapping my flushed cheeks

i’m smoking even though i know you hate it 

it really does calm me down 

and you’re not here—

I needed something. 

it’s just so quiet up here 

i think you’d like it. 

people don’t give enough to summer heat 

won’t you meet me at surf city highway?

fighting dehydration

the better i come to know you the more amazement i have for the infinity within you  

It’s so hot here. 

don’t say it was me 

don’t crazy ex girlfriend me 

don’t lie to me 

dont dont dont 

i know i didn’t to read into it 

i know that you just couldn’t bare it 

i know you’re scared of it 

i know i know i know 

but jesus christ man 

dissemble your watch to me realign it 

to dwell in me 

to dwell on me 

for only a moment of your time 

call it a devotion to 

intense and immense gratification

i feel it in my chest again 

in my toes and knees and stomach 

but it’s changed and morphed 

so now all you’ve become 

all we’ve become 

you’ve belittled us to a note 

lying in my iphone 

with feelings unspoken

desires unsatisfied 

Young love: a terrifying mystery  

 a yearning for you to come back 

and a fear that you actually might 

(draft #1) 

[notspoondere]

How to Scoop Less: Sky Strikers

I promised I'd make this in a banlist analysis post I never put into a public tag and which nobody remembers, but I'm nothing of not a man of my word.

[This has honestly been sitting in my drafts for months. Nats season has already come and gone. I don’t know how much longer this will be useful for, but better late than never.]

If you've played the game at all since the release of Dark Saviors, you might recognize this little old deck on account of it dominating the competitive scene for... a few formats here or there, sort of. It's hard to call this deck broken given that tournament results don't 100% agree with me (Gouki was arguably better until Firewall was banned, Sky Striker Trickstar only dominated for a few tournaments, and Hornet Drones dominates in every deck), but if you've played the matchup without teching against it, you probably know how impossible it feels. So let's fix that.

I've heard Sky Striker most often labelled a "tempo control" deck, which I believe means that it's a deck that has 1 card combos and multiple +1s but can't OTK you with them. Alternatively, you can view it as a deck that uses its inherent card advantage to back up a simple engine by accruing backrow. So you should be able to deal with it like any backrow deck, right? Not quite; the backrow is mostly quick-play spells, so Red Reboot is out of the window, and you can't easily OTK them because Kagari gets big and Shizuku debuffs everything and both can float into Raye who can tag into the other. Well, okay, those are Extra Deck monsters so I can just use Cherries, right? Well, you can, but you'd want to hit Kagari with that and Raye can tag out into Kagari in response, so their first turn is essentially impossible to stop with Cherries if they open Raye. And they play a hell of a lot of cards that get to Raye.

In short, a lot of the usual suspects are invalid here. That doesn't mean you don't have options. If you can view Sky Striker as a deck with two main components (monsters and backrow), one of the best ways to deal with it is to find a way that best disrupts both.

Before we begin properly, several Sky Striker cards are mentioned by name in this post. The Yugipedia page contains a list of all of them, so I won’t link them individually.

Going first, Shared Ride is such a common answer that it's become an occasional main deck choice. It is favored over Droll & Lock Bird because you will get to draw off of Engage, Kagari, and Shizuku, putting you in a good position to win the game after keeping up with their card advantage. It also can't be negated by Called By The Grave, but it can be negated with Ash Blossom.

Anti-Spell Fragrance, Secret Village of the Spellcasters and Imperial Order are similarly strong choices for hopefully obvious reasons. If they resolve, you will probably win the game, provided you kill them before they draw an answer.

If you're running a lot of floodgates, Gozen Match is the best versus Striker. Flip it before Raye hits field and they won't be able to summon anything else.

As for going second...

Starting with hand traps. Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring is obviously the best card ever and it's great here as well. If Multirole has resolved, you can't ash Engage, but if they use Multirole to send Area Zero to summon Raye, you can definitely Ash that. Droll & Lock Bird was mentioned above and it is decent as well. Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit is worth playing solely to interrupt Multirole. Effect Veiler is kind of meh, but playable--Infinite Impermanence is even better since it can stop their backrow once set. Ghost Belle & Haunted Mansion is actually better than both unless you really can’t afford to take hits from Hayate, since it can negate Kagari, Shark Cannon, and Called by the Grave. Speaking of which, Called is really good against Raye, so bring that in if you’ve got it in side instead of main for some reason.

Now that you aren't obliged by Gouki to run Sphere Mode or Cyber Dragon etc, you can safely start running Kaiju monsters. Any will work, but they get special mention because giving them a Kaiju will not trigger Raye and will actually prevent them from activating Sky Striker spells while they control it. Just tribute over Shizuku, deal with the backrow, then kill the Kaiju. (One of my all-time greatest moments in tournament was going to time vs a Sky Striker player who was slightly up on life with Kaina... With 5 seconds on clock, enter Main Phase, give you a Gameciel, give myself a Dogoran, declare Battle Phase, time called. Who needs engine cards when you see this much side?)

Speaking of making Raye not float, if you can make a Rank 4 undisrupted, Number 101: Silent Honor ARK can gobble up Shizuku and leave Raye alone in grave. This works because a monster isn't considered to have left the field once it becomes an Xyz material. That tech saw some minor play in Pendulum but has fallen out of favor as the deck has abandoned utility options for MORE COMBO. Other techs that function off of the same mechanic include Mind Control and Instant Fusion (summoning Thousand-Eyes Restrict, equipping the opponent’s Link Monster and linking it away).

Evenly Matched is also a decent choice, and if they don’t keep the monster, Raye will not float. The situation involving this card has become much more complex, though; seasoned players will play around it in games 2 and 3 if they haven’t seen their own sided-in copies of Solemn Judgment. The question then becomes whether it’s worth it to side Evenly Matched with the expectation that it’s there to bait Solemn Judgment... verdict’s still out, but I think it might be. Also worth mentioning: Sky Striker is not a deck that can kill you in a turn for leaving an empty board, so if you sae sided copies of Evenly Matched, but your opponent makes you go first, it might be worth passing turn without playing a card. Just play it off as though you bricked really hard. (smile)

Denko Sekka won't deal with the monsters, but it will totally shut off all of their other backrow (Shared Ride, Twin Twisters, etc). If you can spare the normal summon, she's worth it. Note that Denko is searchable off of Thunder Dragon Fusion.

Of course there’s a solid chance you’re not even losing to Sky Striker cards, but rather, Mystic Mine. This complete mess of a card absolutely demands answers by itself, so if you aren’t playing Twin Twisters or Cosmic Cyclone somewhere in your main or side, make sure to do that. Sky Striker typically ends up with one monster on board after breaking the Mine-induced stalemate, so intentionally linking your own board down to a single Knightmare Phoenix might be the play that saves your hide if it ever comes down to it.

All done. Hopefully the dust on this one doesn’t show through. I have some ideas cooking, but in order to avoid this situation happening again, I’ll keep them a secret for now. See you soon.

[myhalloweendreams]

Rules: answer 30 questions and tag blogs you would like to get to know better

Tagged by: @scoundrels-in-love​ Thank you love <3

Nickname(s): Gabi and some variations of the word love in my own language(and love itself) mostly by my best friend

Gender: Female

Zodiac: Gemini

Height: 171 cm (5' 7.5" according with google)

Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: I only like cold beverages (rarely I drink hot tea)... So iced cappuccino, iced sweet tea and cold chocolate milk would be my options for those three and my favorite would probably be the cappuccino

Fav band(s): I agree with Rainy i these one...You can’t make me choose

Fav solo artist(s): Nope

Song stuck in my head: Krewella - Alibi (mostly because I just listened to it)

Last movie I saw: Love, Simon ... with you (@scoundrels-in-love​) and Dia (@diaphonie​) in the rabb.it other day <3

Last show I saw: kdrama would be a episode of One Well-Raised Daughter (that I will be probably be watching for a long time) and western tv-show would be a episode of The Mentalist that I started to watch the first season when I figured that I never had (I don’t even know what I watched in tv anymore ... so I’ll rewatch all of it)

When did I create my blog: October 31 of 2011

What do I post: Books and reading posts, relatable posts, super heroes, funny things, cats, pretty photos, basically anything that catches my attention… Aka an absolute mess (but there is more books than anything else nowadays I think it was more relatable and funny and some books before)

Last thing I googled: How to convert my height for feet and inches or whatever is called (I don’t get that measurement system for anything)

Do I have any other blogs: Yes.. one to post about asian dramas, one to use as archive or something like that because I can’t find anything that I like or put in the draft anymore (after seven years of this tumblr I can’t find anything) and one for bts...I don’t to comment the last one :X

Do I get asks: Not really. I sometimes receive something from a mutual or answering a game I tried to do (normally from one of my friends too... lol) ... The very few I received brighten my day tho (mutuals or not)

Why did I choose my url: Because it was halloween and it was night when I did it and since I love halloween since ever and I thought that was a good idea... never changed

Following: 1473 (because I spent a few weeks cleaning the ones that were inactive after all this time... it was over 2000)

Followed by: (a lot) less than 500 in the main and recently passed 500 in lostindramas \o/. How is this... even possible? I still mesmerized that a single person decided to follow me. ILY all !! Thank you so much for following !!

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Average hours of sleep: 0 to 5 and (8 to 26 when I black out after too many days with little to no sleep of very badly slept hours) #insomniaisabitch

Lucky number: I don’t really have one, but I like 13... i guess

Instrument: None (Sadly)

What I’m wearing: Some very ugly pants that I hate but are the last one clean, a shirt with the ugliest brown color possible that I got from my aunt and it kind of work with the ugly beige of the pants (I’ll paint it black when I have enough motivation to do so... both),  I’m using a black sweatshirt over it and baby green wool socks (the only wool socks that I have)... aka a mess - but in my defense it’s cold and I don’t have many options (+ I’m prepared to go to bed)

Dream job: ??? 

Dream trip: Rome, Canada, USA, Somewhere I can see the Northern Lights, be in a path of cherry blossoms, places with lots of flowers, places with lots of history, somewhere with lots of old architecture, places with innovative architecture, places with a beautiful architecture, places with a beautiful view, places with cute cafes and bookshops ... Idk I just want to see the beauty there is suppose to be out there

Fav food: Potato? Cheese? Chocolate?... I mean even inside of each of these there is a lot of options and I can’t decide, okay?

Nationality: Brazilian

Fav song: Don’t make me choose, please

Last book I read: Beautiful Creatures, I’m reading the very first (or better saying I read like 100 pages and didn’t touched it again for more than a week now... the poor thing was sitting in my shelf for years and now this)

Last fanfic I read: Falling Petals from the beautiful @sugasxsugar​ (I heard a rumor that she is close to finish the next chapter so I’m rereading it ;) )

Random fact: I’m very indecisive and I suck at writing (including answers like this... what normally takes several hours of trying and maybe a breakdown lol)

Tagging: @honeyedmilks​, @whatlovelykdramas​/@whatlovelybooks, @shanalogic, @write-me-jessica and anyone else who may want to do this <3

[safflowerseason]

42, 48, and 54 for the writer asks!

These are such specific, unique questions! Love this ask game. 

42. How many drafts do you usually write before you feel satisfied?

For creative writing, there’s usually just “one” draft that I’m constantly revising and revising until I feel satisfied with it. For BMTL, I have one massive document where I write the very very very rough draft, but then I copy and paste the chapter into its own document for revising, so I do have separate files for each chapter. (I’m also a dinosaur and don’t like Google docs...I do all my creative writing in Pages). I should probably be more rigorous about separating each stage of the drafting process, but for fanfiction I’m less fussed about rigorously preserving every idea or turn-of-phrase. I do keep a “graveyard” document where I copy and paste passages or scenes or lines that I like, but have to cut from the current chapter, but it’s mostly for bigger chunks of writing that I just know won’t fit. Sometimes what happens is that I accidentally cut some lines with the intent to move them to a different point in the scene, and then forget to paste them before copying another chunk of writing...and then I can’t remember what I cut beforehand, and then I get very annoyed at myself for losing a good sentence for no good reason. 

48. Do you prefer to write skimpy drafts and flesh them out later, or write too much and cut it back?

I write skimpy drafts and then build them out. First drafts of BMTL are literally just dialogue--sometimes not even logically ordered--and a few key scenes roughly sketched out. I also make make notes to myself in the skimpy draft, like [insert insult] or [refine]. Then it’s just a process of delving into each scene or conversation and building it out and building it out...

One of my favorite metaphors for my writing process is that writing is like pottery. I start with a very lumpy, disconnected mass of an idea, and then the writing process is just continual refinement of the ideas and the language until it reaches the final form. The metaphor of landscape painting would also work (probably more apt, considering my own personal writing style, haha). You start with a mass of loosely disconnected colors that form the rough background, and then over time you blend and invent all the little details that eventually bring the landscape to life.

54. Favorite first line/opening you’ve written?

Eeeeek. I really haven’t written very many!

“The wake is less of a shitshow than Amy might have expected” from my S7 oneshot, see, I’m smiling, is a more distinctive opening lines, I think.

I also enjoy this opening from Chapter 1 of BMTL: “The cherry blossoms were out. Not that Dan gives a shit about the cherry blossoms—cherry blossom season just means more fucking tourists to avoid downtown—but his daughter kept bringing home cherry-blossom themed projects from school, blurry watercolors and short poems and fragile tissue-paper models, so it stuck out in his mind later.....”

It’s not technically the first line of the fic, but when I drafted it, I intended for it to be the first line, if that makes sense, even though the prologue and the little explanatory bit about Mr. Brookheimer’s death now come before it. My readers know I’m borderline obsessed with setting and descriptive detail, and I liked starting with such a distinctive image as the cherry blossom, which embodies DC in the spring. I also enjoyed undercutting the idyllic image with Dan’s bitchy commentary about tourists. And finally, it also became a way to introduce Cassie (or fatherhood) as a fundamental part of the way Dan now thinks about time and space, especially when he’s looking back on a past event. I guess I like this opening because I had to convey all these things in a few condensed lines, and it was fun to figure out how to do it. 

[junker-town]

Every recruit who’s decommitted amid FBI investigation

These are the recruits impacted by the FBI's college basketball corruption scandal.

The fallout from the FBI’s extensive investigation into widespread corruption in college basketball is just beginning, but players, coaches, and programs are already being impacted. No area of the sport will face more scrutiny than the already bizarre world of recruiting.

Recruits started dropping from the schools mentioned in the federal indictment hours after it was released. This is a running tracker of which players and programs are directly affected by the scandal. All of the rankings below come from ESPN.

Recruits who have already decommitted

Shareef O’Neal decommits from Arizona

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

At this time I'm am opening up my recruitment due to the current events with the UofA Bball team.I would like to thank all the coaches for recruiting me. At the time my family and I think it's in my best interest to look at other options to assure my play in the NCAA next year.

— Shareef O’Neal (@SSJreef) February 24, 2018

Ranking: No. 29 in 2018, per ESPN

The son of Shaquille O'Neal has blossomed into his own unique player. Whichever team he commits to next will get a high-flying power forward prospect that’s bound to show up on Sportscenter’s top plays.

Brandon Williams decommits from Arizona

DECISION MADE pic.twitter.com/tyiLscqFiG

— Brandon Williams (@TheeBWill) March 2, 2018

Arizona now has no recruits coming in for next season with Brandon Williams’ decision to decommit. Williams, ranked as the No. 40 player in his class by ESPN, 6’1 knockdown shooter out of California. He’ll have plenty of other appealing options.

Jahvon Quinerly decommits from Arizona, picks Villanova

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Ranking: No. 23 in 2018, per ESPN

Quinerly originally committed to Arizona in August before the FBI investigation reportedly tied him to corruption allegations from Wildcats assistant Book Richardson. Quinerly would hire a lawyer and reopen his recruitment, while Richardson was arrested and eventually fired.

From AZ Central:

How do we know it's Quinerly? The document reported that Richardson took a total of $20,000 in bribes and gave most of it to a "top point guard" who committed “around three days” before Aug. 11. Quinerly, a five-star point guard, announced on ESPNU on Aug. 8 that he would play for to Arizona.

Quinerly chose Villanova in February. If he’s eligible, the Wildcats will have a dynamic five-star point guard to take over for Jalen Brunson.

Taeshon Cherry decommits from USC

Ranking: No. 22 in class of 2018, per ESPN

Cherry joins J’Raan Brooks as the second big-time recruit to decommit from the Trojans following the FBI investigation. Cherry projects as a 6’8 combo wing with plus athleticism who likes to work inside-out. Arizona, Texas A&M, Florida State and Gonzaga were also involved in his recruitment before he chose USC. He will become one of the most coveted players in his class.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Anfernee Simons decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 8 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Simons’ family announced he would reopen his recruitment one day after the scandal broke:

Anfernee Simons' mom: "In light of all that has transpired Anfernee will be de-committing. This is a very sad day for my family."

— Jeff Greer (@jeffgreer_cj) September 27, 2017

Simons was Louisville’s first pledge in the class of 2018, committing to the school in November as a four-star guard out of Orlando. Back then, Simons found himself ranked in the 40s by most major recruiting services. That changed this summer when he blossomed into a bonafide five-star prospect on the Under Armour circuit for Team Breakdown. Now he’s being projected as a potential top-five pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

The 6’3 combo guard is noted for his quickness, length, and three-level scoring ability. He can also play above the rim:

Future Card @AnferneeSimons catches NASTY body @UAassociation All-American!!! pic.twitter.com/vOgo8WjV0S

— Matthew McNair (@Koach_MkNair) August 19, 2017

Pitino’s Cardinals were often led by a hyper-athletic combo guard, from Russ Smith to Terry Rozier to Donovan Mitchell. It was easy to see Simons as the next player in that lineage. So much for that.

Simons also had offers from Florida, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M before committing to Louisville.

Courtney Ramey decommits from Louisville

Ranking: No. 49 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Ramey committed to the Cards in February as a four-star prospect out of the St. Louis area. The 6’3 lead guard is noted for his end-to-end speed and ability to finish at the hoop.

Courtney Ramey's defenders didn't stand a chance on this drive to the hoop @STLhssports @wgbasketball @TheCardSports @statesmensports pic.twitter.com/RsyitK7CkI

— Victory Views Video (@VictoryViewsVID) February 21, 2017

Noted for his high motor and willingness to defend on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit, Ramey would have been an ideal fit in Pitino’s full-court pressure defense. Like Simons, he announced he was reopening his recruitment just one day after the scandal broke. Look for two schools that were heavy on him before — Florida and Oklahoma State — to get involved again.

E.J. Montgomery decommits from Auburn

Kelly Kline / Adidas

Ranking: No. 31 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Montgomery has been ranked near the top of his class since he entered high school while playing for the Adidas Celtics — Dwight Howard and Josh Smith’s old AAU team — on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. He’s an athletic 6’10 lefty forward loaded with long-term potential. He has a variety of ways to score inside the arc and he’s proved himself to be a good passer, too.

When he committed to Auburn in September, it was more evidence that Bruce Pearl was infusing the basketball program with elite talent. Auburn put together back-to-back top-25 recruiting classes in Pearl’s first two years, and Montgomery was a great building block for the 2018 class. Now he’s reopening his recruitment in the wake of the scandal.

Montgomery was considering Baylor, Miami, UCLA, and North Carolina State before he picked Auburn.

4-star guard David Johnson decommits from Louisville

2019 four-star wing David Johnson has decommitted from Louisville, he tells Scout | Story: https://t.co/NG3xleOgZy pic.twitter.com/lFyl2Cknb6

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) October 4, 2017

Ranking: No. 33 in the class of 2019, per Scout

Johnson committed to Louisville in September as a local kid who attends high school only 20 minutes from the Cardinals’ campus. Now that he’s reopening his recruitment, Louisville currently has zero committed recruits for the future.

J’Raan Brooks decommits from USC

Ranking: No. 79 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Thank you to everyone at USC pic.twitter.com/pZzzQ0mh1n

— JBro™ (@JraanBrooks) October 13, 2017

Brooks is a 6’8 power forward noted for his length and burgeoning skill level. He was the Trojans’ only front court commit in the class — and it’s possible they get him back. USC still has verbals from four-star wings Taeshon Cherry and Kevin Porter.

Update: Brooks has committed to St. John’s

Recruits no longer considering a school

Romeo Langford, No. 5 player in 2018, cuts Louisville

Ranking: No. 5 in the class of 2018, per ESPN

Romeo Langford drops Louisville from consideration https://t.co/oEx5yTGrI0

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) September 28, 2017

Langford is a precocious scorer out of Indiana who has developed into a consensus top-five player in the class. He’s racked up points at a record pace during his high school career thanks to his knockdown jump shot and ability to finish at the rim.

Louisville was in tight with him before this scandal, enough so that I predicted the Cards would land him earlier this month. He’s the No. 1 priority for Archie Miller at Indiana, but you can expect North Carolina, Kansas, and Kentucky to make a strong push, too.

Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 overall recruit R.J. Barrett cuts Arizona

Ranking: No. 1 player in 2018, per ESPN

No. 1 prospect R.J. Barrett no longer considering Arizona amid FBI investigation, per @DuckTerritory

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 28, 2017

Barrett is a superstar in the making. He seems like a strong Duke lean now.

Update: Barrett commits to Duke

Bol Bol eliminates USC and Arizona from consideration

Ranking: No. 4 player in 2018, per ESPN

Bol Bol: "Some of the schools were under investigation. I just didn't really want to be a part of that."

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 7, 2017

Bol is now down to Kentucky and Oregon after choosing to distance himself from Arizona and USC. The 7’3 shooter is one of the most unique players in the country.

Update: Bol commits to Oregon

Nassir Little reopens recruitment that never had a commitment

Ranking: No. 14 player in 2018, per ESPN

Update: Little has committed to North Carolina

#UNC gets a commitment from Nassir Little, and now they have the top class in 2018 https://t.co/7ZUv61SyoJ

— Tar Heel Blog (@tarheelblog) October 4, 2017

The strangest recruiting story to come out of this investigation so far belongs to Nassir Little, a five-star wing from Jacksonville. Here’s what you need to know:

Little played for 1 Family on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit. The director of that program, Brad Augustine, was arrested in the FBI probe.

Little tweeted that he was “reopening” his recruitment in the wake of the scandal and then deleted it. One problem: He never actually committed anywhere in the first place.

DraftExpress reported that Little to Arizona was essentially a done deal.

Two NCAA coaches involved in the recruitment of Nassir Little told me they had backed off this week as it became clear he was Arizona-bound.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

The director of Nassir Little's AAU team is currently in jail, and there's a decent chance Little is among those named in FBI/DOJ complaint.

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) September 26, 2017

This recruitment was thought to be Miami vs. Arizona — two schools directly tied to the federal investigation. At this point, it’s likely the NCAA puts Little’s eligibility case through heavy scrutiny.

In better news, he was also projected as a top-10 pick in the 2019 NBA draft by ESPN this week.

Jalen Carey cuts Miami from his list of finalists

Ranking: No. 34 player in 2018, per ESPN

4-star PG Jalen Carey (@yungswae5) no longer considering Miami Hurricanes Basketball per report #Canes https://t.co/SXNlyi8W2i pic.twitter.com/fBTQ6UL3eS

— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) September 28, 2017

The 6’3 guard from New Jersey thrives attacking the basket. With Miami out of the picture, he’s down to UConn and Syracuse.

Update: Carey has committed to Syracuse