#imagine if Hakon found out

[deadfileinthecabinet]

Does Aiden has a thing for older women and men? Because I swear, he was subtly flirting with her and he wasn’t that subtle with Hakon either. But Sophie? Lawan? He didn’t seem to care.

Or maybe older people have a thing for him, I don’t know. Both Thalia and Hakon flirted with him.

[tafferling]

Dying Light: Monsters, We.

a fan fiction | Season Two | Blood from Stone

Chapter 11: Sleepless in Villedor

In which Kyle Crane might have stayed out too long, wrapped in comforting darkness and counting the stars and his sins. There's also a bit of Frank, some cussing at Hakon, and a flustered Aiden.

>> Read on Ao3 <<

Kyle hadn’t always been the type to remember his dreams. As a child, he’d considered it an injustice. Really fucking unfair, ya know? Why’d Bob sitting in the second row window seat get to dream he’s a Ninja Turtle while Kyle got nothing? Nada? Zilch? Not even a gross smoochy-smooch dream? Predictably, little Kyle had overcompensated, falling back on his imagination and making shit up on the spot as he’d pretended to have the Best Damn Dreams Ever. It’d taken growing up to change his mind. Give him perspective. Suddenly, going out like a light when he put his head down and not remembering shit was a blessing. Because who wants to be eighteen, close his blinkers, and see that boy he’d found on his first tour; so tiny, so dead, torn up by shrapnel, with a gaping mouth and empty eyes where there should’ve been life? No, Kyle hadn’t always been the type to remember his dreams. In fact, he’d been so damn good at compartmentalizing that nothing he’d put aside had ever come at him unprompted. Didn’t matter if he’d been awake or asleep. If he didn’t go looking for it, it left him alone. Then Harran happened and his woefully underprepared ass got bitten. Ouch.

>> Read on Ao3 <<

[marine-indie-gal]

Bragi

The Norse God of Poetry, Ceremony, Music, and Skalds who was said to be the Husband of Idunn. He was revered for his wisdom, his eloquence, his ability to compose, and his own knowledge of poetry. According to the Prose Edda, the reason as to why Bragi was a God of Poetry was because that poetry was called “Brag” and even a Person (regardless of the Gender), who was said to be a Brag (which means “Chief”) of Men or Women if he or she was excelled in eloquence. Bragi was often linked to eternal youth since his Wife (Idunn) always kept the apples of Youth for the Gods to keep them looking young. Bragi also shared the name of a celebrated Norwegian Poet from the 9th Century, who was a Skalad named “Bragi Boddason”, who invented a certain type of stanza. It is possible however that he became deified after his death to the god Bragi as the Said God appears to be a late development in the Scandinavian imagination with Odin as the principal god, was also identified as the patron god of skaldic poetry. Another connection for his Name states that Bragi also means “The First/Noblest”, “Lord” or “Prince”. The “First/Noblest” meaning to Bragi’s name was suggested by an Old Norse Cup “Bragarfull”, a cup that would only be drinked would be occasioned with vows. He was also the Son of Odin as it was somehow stated in “Lokasenna” and that his Mother could be either Gunnlod or Frigg (which Frigg describes Braggi that if she had a son in Aegir’s Hall, he would be brave as Baldur then Loki would have to fight for his Life). In a poem, Bragi forbidden Loki at first to enter the Hall by Odin but the Trickster God gave a Greeting to all of the Norse Gods and Goddesses who are in the Hall to save Bragi so the God offers Loki his own sword, horse, and an arm ring as a peace gift but Loki responded by accusing Bragi as a coward. He responded to Loki saying that they were outside of the Hall but Loki repeated the accusation. Idunn attempts to calm down her own Husband as Loki accuses Bragi’s Wife of embracing her own Brother’s Slayer and that Bragi might’ve been the Killer to his own Brother-In-Law (Idunn doesn’t really have a Brother). In the Second Part, “Skáldskaparmál”, Bragi and Aegir talk about the Nature of Poetry as Bragi mentions the origins of the mead of poetry from the blood of Kvasir and how Odin obtained this mead. Snorri Sturluson discussed that the Poetic God and the Person who has the same name as the God (Bragi Boddason) were originally the same character but became so separate for the author or that chronology has become very muddled and Bragi Boddason has been relocated to mythological time. Whether the God of Poetry originally arose as a deified version of Bragi Boddason, it was much debated in the 19th century. In the Poem, “Eiríksmál”, the Gods of Valhalla hear the death of the upcoming Eric Bloodaxe and his Hosts that bid the Heroes (Sigmund and Sinfjötli) to rise up. Bragi questions how Odin knows that it is Eric and why Odin has let such a king die. In “Hákonarmál”, Hakon the Good was taken to Valhalla by the valkyrie named “Göndul” as Odin sends Hermóðr and Bragi to greet him. In those Poems, Bagi could be either Alive (as a God) or Dead (as a Mortal Warrior who died). In “Lokasenna”, Bragi was the first to speak just so that Loki could insult him and the Other Gods over at a feast.

SBSP Universe

Bragi is the Norse God of Poetry, Ceremony, and Music as well as the Husband of Idunn. He is Bittersweet, Loyal, and Genuine as he is Rather Soft-Spoken. He loves to write down poems and create his own songs of music as he really enjoys singing sweet love songs. He can be quite caring towards Others, especially to his Dear Wife (Idunn). He mostly can’t really stand anyone who is rude with arrogance, especially Loki, who hates being one of his own insults. When Bragi had found out that his Wife was missing, he began to feel sad in sorrow for he tried everywhere to search his Wife until when Loki told the Truth that the Giant (Thiazi) has kidnapped his Wife, the Gods were furious as even Bragi couldn’t believe it in his own eyes as he was pissed at Loki for having his own beloved wife being kidnapped by a Jotunn. After Loki brought Idunn back, Bragi cried in tears of joy as he hugged his beloved again but the Gods needed to set up a trap for the Jotunn in case he came over to Valhalla to seek his revenge. When Thiazi came over to Valhalla, the Jotunn was caught in the Net as the Gods punished him where he was banished to Muspelheim. Loki deeply apologizes for Bragi for what he did to his Wife but Bragi had to forgive Loki only because he had to bring his own Wife back but he still distrusts Loki of what he did. He’s not really a fan of Neptune because of how arrogant he can be, especially towards his own fish people. He doesn’t really like Poseidon because of how he tried to woo his own Wife nor how he tries his own subjects while attempting Animal Cruelty of Sea Snails for Poseidon’s own Skin Care as Bragi finds Poseidon to be the most vainful person ever. Bragi could also get along with Squidward very well due to their love of Art and Music.

[gintokisimp]

Sunset - Aiden x Hakon Ficlet

Sometimes they drink and talk on the rooftops. Spoiler-free. 

Genre: Comfort, Light Angst maybe 

Rating: General Audience 

Word Count: 1,115 

The sunset is slowly progressing, blossoming upon the clouds, illuminating the roofs of Villedor, tinting the sky in a deep orange. The colorful dome stretches above the two men sitting on the ledge of the small dwelling in the middle of the city, not far from the bazaar.

The faint sounds from the progressively active undead below them don’t bother them as they share a bottle of old whiskey Aiden found on one of his lonely nightly raids. He flicks the cap away and takes the first sip. The liquid burns in his throat, almost forcing him to spit it all out again, but he refuses and finally slams the bottle next to his leg next to the other man.

“Why’re you still living alone?” Aiden begins their nightly conversation. He stopped counting how many times they already sat up here and shared something to eat or to drink. The evenings fly by, it feels like years already with all the talking they do. Sometimes they trade materials from the expeditions with no one being the real winner or loser in the end. Just some fair trading.

“You worry more about me than my fourth wife did,” Hakon laughs dryly and snatches the bottle out of Aiden’s hand to drink his share of the alcohol. Aiden reaches behind him and grabs a roof tile to throw it on the cars below. The howling increases in volume, limping steps and the sound of naked running feet resounds between the buildings. The evening scenery could be quite poetic, with the sun setting behind the skyscraper skeletons and if Aiden imagines the sounds of the walking corpses as singing birds.

“I didn’t say I was worried,” Aiden defends himself. “Aren’t ya tryin’ to find another one? I mean, there’s a lot to choose from actually. What about those two women who were with you when you saved me? What was her name again.. Jana?”

“Don’t want another one.. don’t need one,” Hakon whispers and stares into the distance. “Maybe it’s time for a change.”

“What kinda change are you talkin’ about?”

“Hm?” Hakon turns to Aiden with a surprised face. “Oh, I’m just dreaming about leaving the city again..,” he says and looks down into the alley under their feet. Unsurprisingly, a horde of undead had gathered there, drawn in by the sounds of the falling tiles and their chattering.

“Don’t ya get tired of living alone?” Aide continues after a pause.

“Maybe, but it’s not easy to find someone who wants to live up here and the chance of the other person just never coming back is too high,” Hakon says, his eyes still fixed on the corpses. He’s right , Aiden thinks. The risks of living together or.. falling in love are just too high.

Aiden grumbles, annoyed by his own thoughts. “I should find a better place to live for the time I’m here. Running from camp to camp isn’t that great, it’s nicer to come back to a.. home.”

“Mh yes, you’re right. But as I said.. Let’s get to know each other and find out, right?” Hakon smiles and takes another sip out of the bottle. Aiden tilts his head. His reply doesn’t seem to be an answer to his statement and Aiden doesn’t grasp what exactly the survivor means with that, but having a roommate in these times always has its advantages and it’s not just anyone, it’s Hakon..

“No one needs my help anymore,” Hakon continues without waiting for a reply from Aiden.

Aiden thinks a moment and leans forward, throwing one of the loose tiles on one of the heads below and grins when his victim howls.

“This whole case with Lucas is a really tense situation,” Aiden drawls, pushing his thoughts about Hakon’s depressing statement aside. “It’s not easy to please both sides when you try to find out what really happened.” A small laugh from Aiden echoes over the roofs when he places down the bottle next to him. Hakon grabs it and fidgets with the bottleneck for a moment before he takes another big swig himself.

“Yea.. I can imagine,” he replies a little hesitantly. “Any progress with that?”

“Nothing of relevance,” Aiden sighs. “They just sent me from one point to another and every damn time I arrive somewhere, someone’s already dead. It’s like death is always a step ahead of me, but what can I do,” He lifts his head, staring into the falling night.

“If we just went to the ocean — “

“ — Don’t start with that again Hakon. The ocean’s not gonna solve any problems,” Aiden interrupts Hakon’s unreachable dream. “Even though it would be a nice solution. Just run away and leave everything behind. But we can’t do that.. I mean, I can’t do that.”

Hakon laughs. “I’m just saying, maybe no one really needs your help here,” he says wryly and leans back, propping himself up on his hands to stare into the sky just like Aiden does.

I’m not doing it for them, I’m doing it for myself,.. I think,” Aiden hesitates. “I have to make progress to find my sister,..”

Aiden feels a hand on his shoulder. “I know, I know,.. I hope I can help you with that at least.”

Aiden turns to look at him but Hakon still stares into the colorful heavens above them. “I still don’t know why you’re offering to help me every damn time, the first time we met you saved my life, no questions asked,” Aiden says after a tense break with the man's hand still placed securely on his shoulder.

Hakon stands up and walks up to the corner of the roof. He takes a swing and throws the bottle off the building with an anger Aiden can’t quite interpret. The bottle crashes against a brick wall and shatters into a million pieces, the liquor splattering all over the wall. A few angry howls can be heard as the walking corpses get drawn into another direction by the loud sound of broken glass clattering to the ground.

Aiden frowns and looks at the man who has his back turned to him. “Hey what’re you doin’, there was still quite a lot in there, wasn't easy to find it! Had to run over a lot of bodies for it,” he protests and Hakon turns around with a smile on his lips.

“We can always find another one,” he replies and Aiden looks up at his friendly face.

We?

“C’mon Aiden, another night of surviving,” Hakon holds out his hand and Aiden takes it firmly.

The darkness falls quickly as the two men silently run over the rooftops, outliving another night in an inevitable ending world.

———

AN: 3 friends and I started to play the game on release day (first session was 12 hours no breaks lol) and I started to ship them for fun since they first met each other because I'm sorry, but Hakon is clearly flirting with Aiden. He's doing everything for him, literally love at first sight. On the same day I started to search for fics, but of course there was nothing on release day. But I checked again today and there are three already! So I thought I should add something as well <3

[pissthena]

Pap

Hakon x Aiden.

I got a request for Aiden not knowing “normal life” and I gotta say, I love this idea so much.

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

Clink.

The door pushed open easily, with a few tries of lockpicking. Aiden peeked his head inside, checking the surroundings.

“Clear. Completely.” Confusion painted his voice. It wasn’t often you would find a store with no infected roaming around.

“None?” Hakon poked his head inside, giving a cheerful whoop, echoing off the empty store. 

“Awesome! Come quick, close the door.” With a small jump, he stepped inside, taking in the store. It had been so long since he’d been in a grocery store. It was just a bit before the world went to shit and god, he had missed it. It was such a mundane and annoying task, but now it felt almost special, roaming around in this store.

“What are you doing?” Aiden’s head craned over his shoulder, looking at the item his hand was gripping. 

“It’s a shopping cart.” The older man said nonchalantly, pushing it along the aisles. “What’s that?” Aiden raised an eyebrow, trotting along, eyeing the different items displayed on the shelves.

“It’s a cart. For shopping.” Hakon deadpanned, stating the obvious. “You put your wares in it, so you didn’t have to carry it all in your arms.” The younger man nodded, trying to picture what it would have been like. “I cannot believe you haven’t been grocery shopping. It was such a shit chore.” Hakon chuckled, throwing a few items into the cart. 

“Why not just put it in your bag?” Aiden asked, poking the other man’s backpack.

“Then you’d just be stealing, it would be too hard to check.” He sighed, it was as if they were from two different worlds.

“Oh. Makes sense, I guess.” The younger man picked up a random box, trying to look as if he knew what he was doing. Not a moment later, a laugh echoed throughout the store. He turned his head, brow raised in confusion to the other man’s joy.

“I don’t think you’ll need that.” A grin spread across the man's lips, causing Aiden more confusion as he looked back down at the item he was holding. “It’s tampons, Aiden. Women use it for their periods.” It took him a moment to process, before quickly putting the item back on the shelf, his face painted red, giving Hakon yet another reason to laugh, patting his back affectionately as the embarrassed man walked past him. 

“I can’t believe they have this!” Hakon exclaimed, causing Aiden to stop his sulking in the corner of the store. “What?” The younger man was quick to peer over his shoulder, curious to what object he had found. A small ‘pap’ and what felt like a paper ball hit him right in his forehead. 

“What the?” Aiden lifted a hand to rub the weird feeling away, touching a stick of some kind, sitting right on his face. Pap. Another one stuck on his hand. His brows furrowed, looking at the weird stick, sitting there, seemingly with magic. Pap. Another one, this time his cheek and- pap, chin. Pap, pap, pap. Aiden looked at the other man, done with his antics and weird magic sticks. Hakon erupted with laughter at the sight of his friend.

“You look like a damn porcupine!” He choked out, in between his fits of laughter. “God, I used to play with this all the time when I was a kid!” He smiled down at the gun in his hand, reminiscing about times Aiden couldn’t even imagine. “What is it?” The younger man asked, stepping closer, hoping the bullets had run out.

“A nerf gun! It’s with suction darts, so they stick to the skin. You look great.” He teased, pulling off various of the darts with a soft ‘plop’. A silence fell over them as Aiden watched the other man, just staring at the bullet, a small, but somber smile resting on his lips. “A simpler time, really. I’m sad you couldn’t have experienced it with me.” Hakon turned his attention to the younger man, his whole expression turning to a somber tone. “I think you’d have loved it.” He whispered, as if the world wasn’t allowed to hear. 

Aiden didn’t answer, but turned his attention to the dart, still stuck on his hand, before reaching out for the gun. 

“Can I see it?” He asked, never truly having seen anything like it. Hakon grinned softly, handing it over.

“It’s a bit complicated if you don’t know how i-” Pap. Square on his forehead, a dart rested, as if he had been executed for his crimes. 

“Whoops.” Aiden grinned, not sounding very convincing of his apparent ‘accident’. Hakon could have caught flies, if he hadn’t immediately picked up one of the other guns besides him, cocking it back. 

“Oh, you’ll regret this!”

[yyuangss-main]

❝chapter one❞

“A letter?”

“Yes, it’s in a red envelope and has your name on the front.” Sugawara gave a perplexed look at his laptop while sending in an assignment. “I made sure your mother didn’t open it. You should come pick it up later today if you can.”

“But, why wouldn’t they mail it to my apartment?” Sugawara set aside his laptop. “Will you still be at home around four?” Sugawara heard his father continue rambling about how it was Sunday and he knew they never went out. Sugawara rolled his eyes with a playful smile.

“Come pick it up or I’ll give it to your mom.” And the line went dead. The grey haired male wasted no time getting dressed and taking the bus to his parents house. “Ah, finally. It’s on the table.” Suga’s dad opened the door, letting his son into the house.

“I don’t see the problem with me opening it.” Sugawara’s mom was in the kitchen. The sound of plates clattering led him to believe she was cooking something. “I’m only curious to know what’s in it.” Suga’s dad rolled his eyes, making his way into the kitchen where he began bickering that it was delivered for Suga.

“Hi Mom.” Sugawara gave a bright smile to his mother. “Where’s the letter?” She dried her hands on the apron tied around her waist. Her fingers picked up the edge of the letter and extended it to her son.

“Do you need any money for the way back?” She moved some strands of hair out of her face.

“No, I’m fine.” Sugawara examined the letter. The pretty lettering of his name stretched over the front. Sugawara gave a sweet smile to his parents, “Be careful. I’ll try coming over this weekend. Maybe we can go out to eat.” His mother patted his cheek softly and sent him on his way out.

On the way back home, Suga wondered what it could contain. An invite to a birthday? Can’t be. His friends all know where he lives. One of those letters of his past self? Man, it’s about time the high school teachers mail them. When did they get into red envelopes though?

Arriving back at his apartment, Sugawara tore open the flap carefully. Once it was all ripped, his slim fingers pulled out a folded sheet in it. He dumped the envelope on his kitchen counter, flipping the colorful sheet open.

Dear Koushi Sugawara,

You were the sun setting after a long day at the beach. Your eyes sparkled like those luminescent rays scattering across the water’s surface, their depth as fathomless as the ocean floor. You always radiate warmth, like the sun beaten sand beneath bare feet. I had never met someone who immediately made me feel at home, until I met you.

Running into you on campus was a blessing I never could have anticipated. I was lost, literally and figuratively, and you showed me the right path. Listening to you tell me the real truths behind university life was so raw and honest. It was everything I needed at that moment. You were everything I needed at that moment. Love at first sight was always a silly concept to me, until I met you. Our time together may have been brief, but you stole a piece of my heart that day.

Thank you for helping me to grow. For showing me the endless possibilities that awaited me if I would only reach out to grasp them.

For sharing your warmth with me.

Your wild campus encounter,

(Y/N) (L/N)

Sugawara flicked at the paper when he reached the bottom.

“(Y/N)! She came on tour last year and told me she’d gotten lost!” Sugawara smiled at the memory. Sugawara did his best to comfort the girl and help find her tour group. “How is she doing?” A giant smile stayed on his face as he re read the letter. Suga placed an elbow on the counter, leaning his chin into his palm.

Reading the letter had him in a trance.

Love at first sight was always a silly concept to me, until I met you.

‘I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the same case for you.’ Suga laughed to himself. ‘Might’ve been the only reason why I stopped to help.’ All his unanswered questions flew out the window when the memory of meeting (Y/N) came back. Suga’s phone beeped, making him jolt to check the notification.

Daichi

We’re here.

Suga hissed, hurrying out of the kitchen to open the door. Suga rubbed his nape sheepishly at the sight of Daichi and Kuroo’s arms crossed who gave him a look.

“I completely forgot you guys were coming. I went out earlier to my parents place.” Suga said, closing the door after the two males.

“Maybe you’re just in love.” Kuroo remarked with a grin and entered the kitchen. Suga’s breath hitched, mind roaming back to the letter, “They say people lose weight and daydream when they’re in love.” Kuroo closed the fridge when taking out a water bottle. Daichi shook his head, clearly tired of his antics.

“Ha ha. You make me laugh.”

“Huh?” Kuroo picked up the letter, causing Sugawara’s eyes to widen. “I got one like this this morning. Hey, you know (Y/N) too?” Kuroo held the love letter up, talking to Suga. Daichi’s eyebrows raised.

“I’m starting to feel jealous of not getting one.” Daichi input, getting Kuroo’s water bottle thrown at him.

“Well, uh… It’s complicated.” Suga shrugged. “I met her last year when she was on tour.” Kuroo examined the letter, turning it around to see nothing on the back.

“Yeah, I met her during the summer. Hella cute.” Kuroo grinned again, scanning the letter up and down. “Glad she’s doing good.”

“Do you… Know anything about her?”

“Oh yeah. She’s single. Actually, she goes to your university. She graduated from Hakone Academy.” Kuroo came from the kitchen, retrieving his bottle from Daichi. “That’s all I know. Why? Thinking of going for her?” Kuroo nudged Daichi on his side.

“Shouldn’t you do that to him?” Daichi pointed to Suga.

“Hey Suga,” Kuroo ignored Daichi’s comment, “Path’s open for you. I’m balancing between work and school. I won’t be mad or hurt or anything.” Kuroo brought the bottle to his lips.

“Yeah. Fine by me.” Suga sighed.

Sugawara grabbed the envelope and letter, walking to his room. He put the letter back into the envelope and stared at it. Prior to meeting you, he never ceased thinking that he missed a chance. Suga placed the letter on his bed.

‘I won’t miss this chance.’

Kuroo’d given him your social media, told him you had class at eight for Monday’s. Daichi commented on how that made Kuroo sound like a stalker.

Suga had classes at eight for Monday’s as well. Tomorrow, he will try and find you.

His eyes scanned the crowd thoroughly.

And the quick look away from you after he found you made him slip around the crowded walkway. Suga noticed you picked up your speed, making him laugh to himself. Thankfully, his athletic background from high school came back and he found himself grabbing your shoulder. You whipped around, surprised when he reached into the pocket of his jacket.

He pulled out the red envelope.

“Seems like these things are just flying around, huh?” Sugawara’s grey eyes smiled. Between his pointer and middle finger, Sugawara waved the letter in a teasing way. You stayed silent, letting out small muttering noises. “I didn’t imagine receiving one.” He put his hand down by his side.

“What do you mean flying around?” You asked. “And where did you get that?” You resisted snatching the letter and burning it. Sugawara let out a laugh and stashed the letter safely in his backpack.

“It was mailed back to my parent’s home. I picked it up yesterday.” He said. “By flying around I meant�� Does the name Tetsurou Kuroo ring a bell?”

No. Please tell me he’s not friends with the lifeguard. There’s no way a guy like Koushi Sugawara could know someone like Tetsurou Kuroo.

“If it did?” You huffed, watching the corners of his lips curl into a smile. “How would you know him?” Suga snickered.

“I know, it’s weird isn’t it? You wouldn’t expect me to be friends with a guy like him.” You shook your head with a no. “I met him through one of his coworkers. My friend Daichi works as a lifeguard with him. They came by my apartment yesterday and Kuroo saw the letter.” You grimaced.

Daichi was the other lifeguard that had a flock of teenage girls and adult women trying to impress him. Suga definitely had a weird choice in friends.

“Sorry, it’s a dumb letter.” You rubbed your temples. It really is a small world we live in. “I can take it back if you want.”

“No, I don’t find it dumb at all.” Suga scratched by the mole under the corner of his eye, “It intrigued me. I didn’t know I impacted you that much. We’d only spoken for a couple of minutes that day. Anyways, it was enough for me to get the courage and talk to you.”

You tilted your head, noticing he wasn’t done talking.

“Had to figure out a few things though. Like if you were dating or interested in a date.” Suga’s cheeks flushed, his eyes darting to the cement to not make eye contact. Suga stumbled on his next words, “Basically, I wanna get to know you more. Do you have a class now?” Your heart pounded against your chest. Remind yourself to thank your psychology professor for not having classes on Mondays.

“No. Do you?” Sugawara’s face brightened.

“That’s great! I don’t have one until eleven. Wanna come with me and get something to eat?” You did skip out on breakfast this morning, rushing out to not miss class.

“Okay.” Sugawara gave an excited smile, proudly presenting it on his face to you.

“Great. It’s nearby so we’ll only need to walk. I’m sure you’ll like it (L/N).”

❝Koushi Sugawara is one out of fifteen to receive your love letter. Unlike the rest, he decides to talk to you and try to build a relationship. Will you allow him or will the embarrassment of the love letter get in the way?❞

TAGLIST CONTINUES IN THE COMMENTS

Taglist: @heykoutarou @the-writing-otaku @avbreyissad @elianetsantana @tetsujime @ne-kuroo @restricted-illusion @kac-chowsballs @bokuakadaily @kweenregent @justatempo @aksteldesu @kellesvt @luckypartyranchmug @london-quynh @humanitysbiggestsimp @daniella-uwu @kitababie @omigogames @sleep3deprived @melialeic @cafetetsu @vicassa @chibishae34 @timeturnerss @mariachiiii @dearestsuna @spaceboitrash @haikyuusugasuga @tsukisemi @atsumubabe @cadenceh2o @hawkssnugget @dabilove27 @hikari-writes @shibayamasbae @isleofnajera @thathoneybee3 @uncleirohsbobbatea @shinhiromi @greyevangeline @graykageyama @holycometz @mattsuns-prettybaby @fluffymilkbread @rogueofbullshit @turntechsquishy

— Change your mode?

yes. no.

— Continue?

yes. no.

[littlemisswolfie]

nothing is so loveless as the break of day

AO3

Cold dawn A waning moon With no companion— Since our parting, nothing is so loveless As the break of day.

—Mibu no Tadamine

 Haiji wakes up on his first morning in his new apartment and decides it’s too quiet.

Getting a team of almost complete rookies to the Hakone Ekiden in less than a year is an accomplishment. It’s noteworthy. While Haiji hadn’t been thinking of his future prospects in his last year of college (he just wanted to run), the fact is, what he did should have been impossible, as Kakeru said. Over and over and over. 

This, as it turns out, makes him very employable, and somewhere in between his emergency surgery and his final exams and his packing, he gets a job offer to be an assistant coach for a corporate team. He doesn’t really have anything else going for him, so he takes it, and he, Yuki, and King all graduate from Kansei to the cheers of their teammates. 

Haiji’s heart is heavy as he steps out of Aotake for the last time as a resident. He knows the team is in good hands, with Kakeru being unanimously voted to succeed him in captainship and several incoming freshman eager to be part of the team that seeded in their first year at Hakone, but it’s bittersweet. He got one year. One year. One year out of four. 

“Call me if you need anything,” he tells Kakeru.

*

Kakeru doesn’t call. 

*

“Hey, Kiyose-san!”

Haiji startles, looking up from his training journal to face one of the runners he’s been charged with inducting to the world of professional running. Tamura Shou, his mind supplies. He’s a bit older than Haiji, with dark hair and brown eyes. “Tamura-san,” he greets, closing his notebook to hide his notes. He knows from experience (from Kakeru) that runners seeing their own stats isn’t always the best idea. “Did you need anything?” The group Haiji is in charge of is taking a break right now so another group can run time trials, so he doesn’t see the harm in a little bit of conversation.

“Well,” Tamura says, looking a little sheepish all of a sudden, “Yoshioka and I have a bet running, and I wanted to ask you straight out, so, do you have a girlfriend, or something?”

(“By the way… Kakeru, do you have a girlfriend?”)

“What.”

Tamura flushes. “F-forget it!” He blusters off to a cluster of other runners.

Haiji blinks, a little stunned. What would have made him think Haiji had a girlfriend?

*

Cooking for one is hard. Haiji always makes too much.

*

He still talks to Yuki and King, sometimes. Yuki’s trailblazing his way through both the legal track and several women’s beds and is always eager to talk about each conquest. Haiji enjoys his career talk and tolerates his womanizing talk. King finally found work as a guidance counselor at a nearby middle school, and he’s the faculty supervisor for their men’s track and field team. Haiji never lets him forget how reluctant he was to start running in the first place.

The three of them meet up for drinks every once in a while. Haiji considers proposing inviting the older members of their old track team, but decides against it. Seeing them feels sad, like trying to relive that last glorious year of college would be betraying his friends.

“Haiji, King,” Yuki slurs one night after a few too many drinks, “you need to get girlfriends already.”

King blushes. “Shut it! I’m busy enough as it is without a woman getting in my way!”

Haiji sighs. First Tamura-san, and now this. What is it with the world prying into his romantic life? “I’m content,” he tells Yuki. “I already got everything I could ever want. What else can I ask for?”

*

He almost goes to a track meet to see if Kansei is there. He decides against it.

*

His team goes away for a training camp. Haiji can get around pretty well with his crutches by now, so he goes with them.

Okinawa is beautiful in the summer. Haiji leans out the window of the van his group takes and watches the passerby, the teenagers on their skateboards and the families walking together. He remembers how much the twins wanted to come here last summer. (He wonders where Kansei went this year, if they went anywhere at all.)

Watching the runners run is always hard. He wants to run with them, feel the wind in his hair, use his muscles that have become lax in the months since Hakone, hear his heart thunder in his ears. Wants to see if that white line that was always under Kakeru’s feet is anywhere else.

(He doubts it.)

He helps cook the meals for the team, like he used to for Kansei, but it feels wrong to cook with someone other than Kakeru next to him. He’d only had company in the kitchen for a year, but he grew used to it, and cooking without Kakeru is foreign.

He wonders if Kakeru cooks with anyone new at Aotake. He wonders why the thought makes his stomach twist up in knots.

*

He doesn’t visit his parents very often. What would they even have to talk about, other than running?

*

He’s off his crutches by then, but he still doesn’t get to go watch the Ekiden in person. Training starts that day, after all, and he’s too new to be able to beg off to watch his former team compete in a relay race. Instead, he watches the highlights when he gets back to his lonely apartment both nights.

Not everyone from last year is running the race. Prince, Jota, and Nico-chan-senpai all act as supports rather than runners, but they’re wearing their track suits, so Haiji knows they’re still on the team. He’s surprised at Nico-chan-senpai not running. It’s his last year.

The team is strong, much stronger than when Haiji was captain. He knows that’s because of their success last year. If they hadn’t made it to the Ekiden already, their team would be pretty much unknown. But the sight of all these strong runners working together with his friends makes something ugly bubble up in Haiji’s chest. He wants to be there with them. He wants to be running that race.

Kakeru beats the section nine record again. Haiji watches him hand the sash off to the last runner, some first-year, and remembers when that was him.

Kansei finishes eighth. 

Kakeru doesn’t call him.

*

After their graduation, Shindo and Nico-chan-senpai join their nights out. Shindo’s working as a business analyst for the corporation sponsoring Haiji’s team, so they see each other more frequently than the others already, and Nico-chan-senpai is still doing his freelance programming.

“Whoa,” Yuki says the first time they meet up, “you cut your hair!” His fingers brush Nico-chan-senpai’s newly-short hair almost reverently. “You almost look like a functional person!”

“Thanks, I really missed this,” Nico-chan-senpai snarks, but his eyes are unbearably soft.

The conversational inevitably turns to Kansei. “It’s so strange,” Shindo muses one night, before he gets too drunk. “I got so used to it just being the ten of us that working with all those new people was weird.”

“They just kept hangin’ around Aotake, too,” Nico-chan-senpai grumbles. “As if the twins weren’t loud enough already.”

Shindo groans. “And they’re even worse now that Hana-chan’s at Kansei. They have some sort of pact to not pursue her until they graduate, but they’re so moony. Musa and I were never like that.”

What?

Haiji’s glad he’s not the only one confused by this statement. A quick glance around their table tells him the rest of his former teammates look just as shocked. Well, except for Nico-chan-senpai, who just nods in agreement, like this is a reasonable thing for Shindo to be saying. “Uh, Shindo?” he says. “What are you talking about?”

Shindo looks at them like they’re all stupid. “Uh, me and Musa? We’ve been dating since last year’s Ekiden?”

“HAH?!” Yuki slams his hands on the table, jostling everyone’s beer. 

“Wasn’t it obvious?” Shido’s neck is red, now, and not thanks to the alcohol for once. “It’s not like we were trying to hide it or anything!”

“I-I thought you were straight, though!” King says, flushing red under his tanned skin. “You had a girlfriend!”

“Bisexuality exists, you know,” Nico-chan-senpai drawls. Haiji doesn’t miss how his eyes flicker over to Yuki as he says this, or how Yuki stares straight at Shindo, ears red. Huh.

*

“Kakeru misses you,” Shindo says to him after the others leave for the night (or early morning, whichever is more accurate). “You should give him a call, sometime.”

“He could also call me,” Haiji points out.

What good could I ever do to him? he wonders silently. I can’t even run anymore.

*

The revelation of Shindo and Musa’s relationship is one Haiji can’t help but dwell on. Looking back on it, he realizes the signs were there. They were always close, after all, and Musa ended up dragging a drunk Shindo back to his room on more than one occasion. It was weird to see one of them without the other close behind. 

So, he thinks, maybe this was inevitable.

He imagines their relationship, sometimes, when he’s alone, lying in bed in his too-empty apartment. They’re probably easy. Comfortable. They don’t have to fill a silence. They’re content to just be with each other.

He wonders if Kakeru has anyone like that.

He hopes not. Does that make him a bad person?

*

Now that he knows about Shindo and Musa, Haiji can’t help but wonder if any of his other former teammates are like them, so he does what he does best: he watches.

It only takes a few more guys’ nights out to notice how Nico-chan-senpai keeps looking at Yuki. He only does it when he thinks no one is looking, but his eyes are soft, affectionate, loving in a way that makes Haiji ache. Has anyone ever looked at him like that? Like he hung the stars in the sky? Like he’s the answer to everything?

“Why haven’t you said anything?” he asks Nico-chan-senpai when Yuki heads back to the bar to hit on a girl. Shindo and King are talking loudly to each other about their respective jobs, both already three sheets to the wind, so Haiji’s not concerned with either of them overhearing. 

Nico-chan-senpai doesn’t pretend to not know what he’s talking about. “I’m content with how things are,” he says, looking wistful. “I’d rather have his friendship and pine than risk losing him over a confession.”

Haiji nods, even if he doesn’t really understand. Then, a little quieter, he asks, “How many of the original team do you think are…?”

“Queer?” Nico-chan-senpai supplies. Haij flushes. “Well, Shindo and Musa for sure, and me, obviously. I have my suspicions about Kakeru, but I’m not sure.”

Haiji feels his world stutter to a stop. Kakeru?

*

He can’t stop imagining it, now. Has Kakeru ever kissed another boy? Did he sneak around with his classmates in high school? Is Kakeru with a boy right now, in his room at Aotake?

Haiji hates the thought. 

He pulls up his phone browser and types in “what does it mean if i get mad at the thought of my friend with a guy” and deletes it. He already knows the answer.

*

He throws himself into his coaching to try and distract himself from his new intrusive thought. His runners aren’t thrilled with his newfound enthusiasm, but it gets results, so none of them can really be mad about it. 

“What, did you get dumped, or something?” Tamura jokes.

“Five more laps!” Haiji tells him with a cheerful smile.

*

When Hakone rolls around this year, Haiji watches the replay of Kakeru beating his own record once again, and Kasei takes fourth place. After, Haiji pulls up Kakeru’s contact information and stares at the call button for a good minute.

He decides not to call.

*

The first time Musa and Prince join them after their graduation, Shindo downs five beers in ten minutes and spends the rest of the night in Musa’s lap. Musa (who has a goatee, now, and it suits him pretty well) manages a surprisingly normal conversation around his clingy boyfriend, and that’s how Haiji learns he’s staying in Tokyo for grad school.

“Visas are complicated,” he says. “Until the laws change and Takashi and I can get married, the only way I can stay here for now is as a student.”

Musa calls Shindo by his first name. Haiji’s not sure what to make of that.

Prince got a job as a shonen manga editor. “I’m not going to be working on any major projects for a while,” he grumbles. “What’s the point of editing manga if you don’t get to touch the big ones?”

“Hey,” Haiji soothes, “at least you get to work with manga! And who knows, maybe you’ll be tasked with a sleeper hit!”

“That’s what my girlfriend keeps telling me,” Prince groans.

Yuki almost drops his glass. “Girlfriend?”

King whirls around and grabs Prince by the collar. “I can’t believe you got a girlfriend before me!”

Nico-chan-senpai makes a considering noise. “That’s three of us with actual partners, huh? Shindo and Musa, and Prince.”

Musa laughs. “Four, soon, if the twins have their way!”

“I thought they were waiting until they graduated to ask Hana-chan out,” Haiji says.

“No, no, they are. They’re trying to set Kakeru up with a guy they met at this year’s Ekiden.”

Haiji’s blood roars in his ears.

“Oh, that guy from Rikudo?” Prince asks. “What was his name? Miyamura?”

“Miyamoto,” Musa corrects. “Miyamoto Jurou. They went against each other in Section 9. Jota saw him checking Kakeru out and decided they should get together.”

“I swear to god,” Yuki grits out, “if Kakeru loses his virginity before I get a steady girlfriend, I’m going to murder someone.”

So will Haiji, he thinks. 

*

Nico-chan-senpai pulls him aside as everyone else leaves the bar. “I saw that look earlier,” he says. “What’s got you so upset about Kakeru?”

Haiji really doesn’t want to talk about this, so he says, “I’ll tell you if you promise to ask Yuki out by our next guys’ night.”

And so the subject is dropped.

*

He goes home that night and looks up Miyamoto Jurou. He’s a third year at Rikudo, studying literature, and he’s tall and good looking, and he gave Kakeru a run for his money at this year’s Ekiden.

And he can run.

*

In what feels like a breach of their semi-distanced guys’ nights, Haiji finds himself at Shindo and Musa’s tiny apartment a few weeks later for a housewarming party.

It’s been Shindo’s apartment for a year now, but with Musa moving in, it feels kind of like a home. The decor is a healthy mix of Shindo’s country sensibilities and Musa’s colorful Tanzanian culture, and the two young men seem so at ease in this space they’ve made with each other that Haiji kind of wants to cry. 

More than anything (okay, maybe not more than running) he misses this. He misses living with someone else. He misses the noise and the companionship. Every morning, he wakes up to his empty apartment and he feels lonely.

He’s so caught up in this feeling that he misses Kakeru, Jota, Joji, and Hana-chan arriving until he hears something hit the floor. His head whips around and he sees Kakeru standing in the doorway, mouth slightly open in shock and a convenience store bag filled with what looks like plastic bottles of green tea at his feet. Haiji feels his heart stop.

Because Kakeru is gorgeous. He’s always been good looking, Haiji knows, but that was a lot easier to deal with when he saw Kakeru on a daily basis. Now, it’s been a little over two years since the last time he saw him, and he’s wholly unprepared. 

But everyone is looking at him, now, and he knows Kakeru kind of hates being the center of attention and that’s what’s going to happen if he keeps staring at him like an idiot, so he forces his face into a smile and waves. “Hi, Kakeru. Long time, no see.”

*

Things are more than a little tense, even if everyone pretends the atmosphere is normal. No matter where Haiji goes in the tiny apartment, he can feel Kakeru’s eyes on him, burning a hole in his skin. 

He tries to make the most of the party. He catches up with the twins and Hana-chan, who have all fallen into leadership roles as the years went on with ease. Now that Hana-chan is a Kansei student herself, she can help them full-time, which has, apparently, been very helpful. “Plus,” Joji whispers to him, already drunk, “having a cute manager is a huge morale boost!”

Jota and Joji are sort of like sub-captains, from what Haiji gathers. Kakeru is the main authority on all things running, but Jota and Joji, who specialize in sprinting and long-distance running respectively, have been overseeing those aspects of the team’s practice. “We have almost twenty guys now,” Jota says, “so it’s hard for Kakeru to give them all one-on-one attention, so Joji and I focus on the broader things while he nitpicks.”

“That’s a great idea,” Haiji praises, and he can’t help the smile that overtakes his mouth when he sees how Jota preens. This feels right, advising his former teammates like this. It’s different from the feeling he gets coaching the corporate team, because that’s a team, but this is Haiji’s family.

He wishes he could turn back time. He wishes he could live in that final, wonderful year of college for the rest of his life.

He wishes he could run again.

*

He can’t avoid Kakeru forever. Nico-chan-senpai makes sure of that, because when he escapes to the balcony for a breath of the cool night air, he hears Nico-chan-senpai say, loudly, “Oh, Haiji? Yeah, he just went out those doors! You should go check on him.”

Is this revenge? Haiji wonders. Is this him paying me back for trying to make him make a move on Yuki? It must be.

He doesn’t look up when he hears the sliding door open and then close again, or when he feels Kakeru walking up next to him to lean on the rail. “You never called,” he says, staring at the city streets below, still alive even in the dark.

Kakeru sighs. “I figured you would be too busy, with your rehab and your new team and all.”

“I’m never too busy for you.��

“Yeah, you say that, but you would do something stupid, like sleep less, to make time to talk to me.” Haiji finally looks over at him, his profile glowing a little from the light inside, and, god, he’s so beautiful. “You can’t do that to yourself again, Haiji-san. It was scary enough the first time, and we were still living at Aotake, then. If you collapsed again, I might not even find out.”

“Alright, point taken.” Despite the earlier awkwardness, this feels natural. It feels like quiet nights in the Aotake kitchen, listening to Kakeru clumsily chop carrots while the prepared dinner together. It feels like home, almost. “You’re doing a great job, Kakeru. I watched the last two Ekiden highlights, since I couldn’t go watch in person. You’ve become a great leader.”

Kakeru flashes him one of his genuine, tiny smiles. “I learned from the best.”

*

It’s easier, after that.

Everyone comes to the Aotake demolition party to say goodbye to the building that used to be home, and they split up to help Kakeru and the twins move into their new apartments, and things feel normal, for once.

Kakeru’s new apartment is tiny, but Kakeru, by his own admission, probably won’t spend too much time here in the next year before he graduates, so he’s not too bothered by it. Between his classes, training, and the part time job he’s picked up in the shopping district, he has a busy fourth year ahead of him.

“Years ago,” he tells Haiji when he sees him to the door when his taxi arrives, “you said you wanted to know what running was. Do you remember that?”

“Of course,” Haiji says.

“Come watch Hakone this year. I’ll tell you when it’s over.”

Haiji could say no. Should say no. He has his own team to think about now. But when Kakeru looks at him like that, Haiji would say yes to just about anything.

*

The next year passes in a blur. Haiji works harder than he ever has before, like he’s making up for having to take the first few practices of the new year off months in advance. The guys’ nights happen with a little less frequency (or, at least, Haiji attends less of them than he used to), but they’re fun when they do happen.

“I finally have a girlfriend!” King says one night, triumphant, and the table explodes into raucous cheers and applause. “Her name’s Noriko, and she’s the second year social studies teacher at my school, and damn, is she cute!” He whips his phone out of his pocket to show them a photo of a woman who is, indeed, damn cute. 

“Ugh,” Yuki groans. “Life isn’t fair. How did you get a girlfriend before me?”

“Being a whore might be a factor, there,” Shindo slurs.

Yuki growls when the rest of their friends laugh. “But really, who’s next?” He spins to glare at Nico-chan-senpai, who’s hiding his grin into his beer glass. “Are you gonna pop up with some girlfriend next? Huh?”

“Nah, I’m too old for that shit,” Nico-chan-senpai says, waving the comment off with his usual affable air. “I’ll just be the cool, childless uncle who spoils all your kids rotten.”

“So, that just leaves Kakeru,” Prince muses. “Has anyone heard anything else about that Miyamoto guy the twins were trying to set him up with?”

The mention almost makes Haiji’s blood boil, but before he can rile himself up too much, Musa shakes his head. “Hana-chan told me that he asked Kakeru out, but he turned him down. Apparently, he already has someone he likes.”

Around Haiji, his friends start debating who, exactly, Kakeru likes.

Haiji has an idea, though.

*

Before he knows it, the Hakone Ekiden has arrived. Haiji arrives at the finish line for the first day before the race starts, a livestream already bookmarked on his phone, and he finds the rest of the original Kansei team there, as well. “Hey!” Yuki says, slapping him on the back. “You made it this year!”

“Well, it is the last time any of the original team will be racing,” Haiji says. “What’s everyone running this year?”

Musa looks at his phone. “Jota is Section 1, Joji is Section 2, and Kakeru is Section 10.”

Haiji blinks. “Not Section 9? Why’d he change up sections?”

“If I had to guess,” Nico-chan-senpai says, “he wants to cross the finish line in his last Ekiden.” 

Haiji thinks back to his first and last Ekiden and nods. “That makes sense.”

*

Kansei ends the first day at fourth place, which is very promising for the return leg. Their fastest runner is at the very end, after all, and Haiji knows damn well how many runners Kakeru can pass if he’s serious about it.

Haiji stares at his phone in his hotel room that night and thinks about calling Kakeru. He knows he shouldn’t. Kakeru needs his sleep if he’s running the last section of the race tomorrow. But then he remembers their conversation on Shindo and Musa’s apartment, and he hits the call button.

Kakeru picks up very quickly. “Hey,” he says, voice soft. “Did you watch today?”

“Yes. Your team is really good. You’ve got a chance of winning tomorrow.”

“Don’t say that, you’ll jinx it.”

Haiji laughs. “Since when are you superstitious?”

“It’s my last chance, Haiji-san. I want to go out with a bang.”

“You’ll do great.”

“Will you be waiting for me at the finish line?”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

*

Haiji is a nervous wreck for most of the next day. He remembers this anxious feeling from when he was running the Ekiden, but now it’s combined with a feeling of helplessness. There’s nothing he can do but watch, and he hates it. He wants to be running alongside Kakeru, working with him, helping him cross the finish line.

But he can’t.

So he watches.

*

Kansei keeps doing well. They’re a far cry from the haphazard team Haiji put together all those years ago. These men are trained runners, athletes who have spent their lives preparing for this moment. There are no Princes, no Nico-chan-senpais, no Kings.

They are a group of Kakerus.

Where am I? he wonders as he watches them run. Did Kakeru find someone to take my place? Was there room for someone like me in the team he’s made?

*

The Kansei runner who runs Section 9 doesn’t beat Kakeru’s record from last year. Haiji can’t help but feel incredibly smug about it.

*

Haiji limps his way to the finish line as soon as he sees the sash get passed to Kakeru, who’s in first place. First place! “Go on ahead of me,” he tells the others, who try to slow down for him. His knee is on fire, but he’s going to see this through. “I’ll just slow you down.”

“What the hell kinda talk is that?” Nico-chan-senpai asks. 

Prince nods and puts a hand on his shoulder. “You and Kakeru didn’t leave us behind, no matter how slow we were. The least we could do is return the favor.”

“We’re the Kansei Ten,” says Jota, since he and Joji joined the rest of their former teammates after their sections. “We finish this the way we started it: together.”

“‘Kansei Ten?’ What kinda name is that?” Yuki scoffs.

Haiji’s heart feels full, and he and his friends, his family, walk to the finish line together.

*

When they see Kakeru coming around the bend, everyone starts yelling. Haiji can’t help but think about that second track meet, where only half of the guys ran, and how the spectators just went buck wild. This is the same thing, except there are nine people cheering and one person running.

Well, more than nine people cheering. The rest of the current Kansei team has joined them at this point, so their shouting is deafening. Haiji knows there are several cameras trained on them, but he can’t bring himself to care. All he has eyes for is Kakeru, running towards him. Was this how Kakeru felt, all those years ago, when he was in Haiji’s place and Haiji was in his?

There’s my dream, he thinks again. It’s taken form and it’s running.

Kakeru has always been his dream, even if he went over twenty years without knowing it. And now that he knows it, he can’t escape it.

“Kakeru!” he yells, cupping his hands around his mouth to make himself louder. “Last spurt!”

His friends laugh at the phrase and join in in sync, but he’s not paying attention. All he sees is Kakeru, speeding up, making a beeline to him. He knows, logically, that of course Kakeru has gotten faster over the years, because that’s how progress works, but Haiji swears on everything good in this world that he’s never run as fast as he is now.

When Kakeru crosses the finish line (in first place!), Haiji rips the blanket out of the twins’ hands and throws it over Kakeru himself. “You did it!” he gasps, and he’s positive Kakeru can’t hear him over the cheers of the rest of the former and current Kansei team members, but he says it again. “You did it, Kakeru!”

It seems like everyone is trying to touch Kakeru. There are hands on his arms, on the blanket, on his back, in his hair, but Haiji refuses to be dislodged. He has an arm locked around Kakeru’s shoulders and he’s not letting go. Not for anything. 

Haiji sees the reporters hovering outside their circle of celebration. He should let Kakeru go talk to them, should let this incredible man get interviewed for the nation to see, but he’s selfish, so he still doesn’t let go.

*

“And there we have it! Kansei University has won the Hakone Ekiden, led by captain Kurahara Kakeru! There, we can see Kurahara-senshu’s teammates congratulating him, along with the original Kansei University Hakone team. In the center of the celebrations is former captain and current works team coach Kiyose Haiji-senshu. Some of you will remember that Kiyose-senshu had to quit running after his first and last Ekiden four years ago…”

*

“Kurahara-senshu! How does it feel to have won the Hakone Ekiden?”

“It feels amazing, but, at the end of the day, the times don’t really matter. I got to run with and against extremely talented runners, and that is what I’m most grateful for.”

“Do you plan to continue running when you graduate from university?”

“I’ve had some scouting offers from works teams, but I haven’t committed to anything yet.”

“What do you have to say to young athletes?”

“I want to say that running isn’t about who’s fast and who’s slow. It’s about strength, and everyone has the strength to start. And, no matter what, you’re always running with someone.”

“Thank you for your time, Kurahara-senshu. And, again, congratulations!”

*

The team and their supporters retreat to a nearby bar to celebrate. Haiji still refuses to leave Kakeru’s side, finding excuses to touch him as often as he can. He’s probably being too obvious, but, then again, next to Shindo and Musa, he’d be surprised if anyone noticed. 

King’s and Prince’s girlfriends meet up with them at the bar, too, so everyone gets to meet them. King seems a little suspicious of Yuki when they walk through the door, but he’s a perfect gentleman about the whole thing. “They’re great guys,” he says to Noriko-san and Chihaya-san, Prince’s girlfriend. “I’m proud to call them my friends.”

Everyone stops dead at the surprisingly earnest expression from Yuki, and Nico-chan-senpai pulls him into a noogie, saying, “Damn it, Yuki, why’d you gotta get all sentimental?” and then everyone laughs.

*

As the night winds on, Haiji finally has had enough, and he tugs on Kakeru’s elbow to pull him away from the noise of the celebrations. They wind up outside the bar, leaning against  the building, arms just barely brushing. Haiji knows his knee is going to hate him tomorrow, but for now, he’s just focusing on Kakeru. “You said you’d tell me what running is,” he says, trying for conversational and probably failing.

“It’s you,” says Kakeru, characteristically to the point. “You’ve always been the answer.”

Haiji just stares for a moment. Then, for lack of a better reaction, he tilts his head back and he laughs.

Kakeru, of course, flushes bright red. “W-what?”

“Oh, no, not you,” Haiji says, having doubled over. “I’m not making fun of you, I swear.”

“Sure seems like you are,” Kakeru grumbles.

“I swear,” Haiji repeats. He straightens up, because he knows he has to be serious about this. “It’s just, I thought something similar about you.”

The younger man perks up. “Really?”

Haiji nods. “When I saw you running, that first night, I thought, ‘That’s it. That’s my dream.’” He laughs again, this time, soft. “We’ve both been idiots, haven’t we?”

“I think so,” Kakeru says. He’s breathless, like he just finished running, and Haiji can’t help how he delights in being able to affect him like this. He reaches a hand out, just this side of shy, and tangles his fingers with Haiji’s.

“Hey, Kakeru?”

“Yes?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Kakeru pulls his face down in response.

The first meeting of their lips feels like coming home.

“You know,” Kakeru mumbles against his lips when they draw back just enough to breathe, “my lease is up in a month.”

“Move in with me.”

“Yeah.”

And then they kiss again.

*

“Oh, fuck you guys!” Yuki yells when he pokes his head out the door a few minutes later to see them still kissing. 

*

A month later, Haiji wakes up in his apartment, Kakeru snoring softly into his ear and his leg thrown across his hips, and decides, maybe, it’s not too quiet, after all.

[spaced-out-imagines]

Reunion (Senkuu x reader)

warnings: none!

A/n: another oneshot that I wrote a while ago when I was stockpiling imagines before opening this blog. This is my first time writing for Senkuu so I hope he’s not too ooc. I hope you enjoy!

The first thing you saw when you were de-petrified was a man’s face, his long hair framing it. He had a gentle smile as he reached a hand out to you, helping you up off the ground. 

“Welcome to the stone world,” he told you. You simply looked around confused, the last thing you remember was being inside your high school looking for your boyfriend, Senkuu, and then moments later you suddenly couldn’t move. You were clearly no longer in your high school and wilderness surrounded you instead. 

The man must have noticed your confused face because he said, “you must have a lot of questions, but for now let’s get you back to our base. My name is Tsukasa by the way.” He gestured for the other people accompanying him to follow, as he led the way. You and the three other people who were just de-petrified followed obediently in silence. 

You soon reached a large base by a cliff. There were people walking around, each doing their jobs. As you walked they made sure to stay out of the way for Tsukasa, in turn giving you a clear path. He led you to what seemed to be a living space, as there were some people resting in personal rooms. Tsukasa stopped at the end of the hall and turned back to look at the four of you. 

“Here are your rooms. You can use this day to familiarize with the place and to get used to the situation, but tomorrow you will receive jobs for you to complete,” he told you, “I can tell you this however. 3700 years ago, all of humanity was petrified and currently we are the only humans who have broken free. My goal is to make this stone world a haven for the innocent young people, to cleanse humanity. So I ask you for your help.”

Hearing this your heart dropped into your stomach. Cleansing humanity? That was insane, sure there were some bad people in this world but there were also good ones. Cleansing humanity wasn’t the answer.

At the moment however, you simply nodded. You knew if you went against Tsukasa nothing good would come from it. 

“Excellent. Well if no one has any other immediate questions I’m afraid I have to go,” he said, starting to leave. The other three went into their rooms but you quickly tapped Tsukasa on the back.

“Tsukasa? Sorry to bother you but I have a quick question,” you said hesitatingly.

“Of course. What is it?” He said, turning back to look at you.

“Um well… Have you seen a boy named Senkuu Ishigami around? I was wondering if anyone has seen him. Oh what about a Taiju Oki or a Yuzuriha Ogawa?”

Tsukasa’s face darkened slightly before going back to normal. A shiver ran down your spine. Something about that look he just had scared you.

“Senkuu Ishigami is not here anymore. But Taiju and Yuzuriha are around, their individual quarters are down the hall, you might be able to find them there,” he answered before striding off.

“He’s not here anymore?” You thought, confused by Tsukasa’s wording. You followed his directions and eventually found what you assumed was one of their quarters. You knocked on the wall beside the opening to the room, a curtain separating the room from the hall.

“Coming!” you heard from inside. A couple of seconds later the curtain opened and there stood Yuzuriha. She paused for a second when she saw you before leaping at you for a hug. You hugged her back as she squeezed you tightly.

“Oh my god! Y/n you’re here! It’s been so long,” she said as she pulled back, allowing you to see the tears that had welled up in her eyes, “I’ve missed you so much, Taiju has also missed you! And don’t even get me started on Senkuu. He was looking for you everywhere but we were never able to find you. He said that he’d find you eventually but Taiju and I could tell that he missed you a lot more than he let on.”

“I’m happy to see you too Yuzuriha, although to me it feels like it hasn’t been that long,” you laughed slightly, “where is Taiju anyways? Tsukasa said he was here but then he also said Senkuu wasn’t here anymore? What did he mean by that?” 

Yuzuriha’s face fell a little and her eyes darted up and down the hall. Once she saw no one was there she looked back at you. “Taiju is doing a job right now but he will be back soon. Come inside and I’ll try to catch you up to the best of my ability.”

She pulled you into the room, closing the curtain again. You both sat on her bed as she began to tell you everything.

Yuzuriha explained how she was revived by Senkuu and Taiju around a year ago and how they made their way to Hakone to obtain gunpowder. In the middle of her explanation Taiju came in and burst into tears upon seeing you. After squeezing the living daylights out of you, he also joined the explanation. Taiju told you about the year he and Senkuu were alone, experimenting with the revival fluid and trying to survive. They then told you about how Tsukasa killed Senkuu, but he managed to live thanks to the petrification on his neck and how they went separate ways after that to carry out their respective missions.

By the end you were almost crying, having to hear about all the hardships they went through. Hearing about how Senkuu almost died was enough to bring you to tears, but you managed to hold them back. Yuzuriha gently hugged you, trying to comfort you and you appreciated the gesture. After you composed yourself, you looked back at them and asked, “Are you in contact with Senkuu now? Is he okay?”

They both shared a look and smiled at you. “Actually… we’ve been calling him for the past little while thanks to the cell phone he made with the people he met after we separated,” Taiju said.

“We’re working on a plan to secure the cave of miracles so that we can fight back against Tsukasa. The plan is going to be executed in the next few days and we’ll be meeting up with Senkuu there,” Yuzuriha finished. “Do you want to come with us?”

You grinned at the two of them, “do you even have to ask? Of course I’m in.”

(...)

A couple of days later the three of you made your way to the Kingdom of Science’s camp. You nervously walked beside Yuzuriha, with Taijuu leading the way. She seemed to pick up on your anxiousness as she looked at you.

“Y/n is something wrong?” she asked.

“Uh well… I’m just a bit nervous about this operation. I hope everything goes well,” you replied after a second.

“Anything else?”

You sighed, “I guess I’m a little nervous to see Senkuu… For him it’s been almost two years since we’ve seen each other.”

She patted you on the back, “you don’t have to be nervous about that. I’m sure Senkuu will be ecstatic to see you.”

You gave her a shaky smile as thanks when Taiju suddenly stopped after breaking through the treeline. He stood there for a second before rushing forward, you and Yuzuriha quickly following.

“Senkuu!” he yelled, diving to hug the green-haired male who dodged around him before patting him on the back.

“Good to see you too you big oaf,” he snickered. “You too Yuzuri-” Senkuu stopped abruptly as he made eye contact with you. 

You simply stared back, tears welling up in your eyes again. Even though it's been 3700 years, he was still the Senkuu you knew and loved. Maybe he grew a little taller and built up some muscle but you could tell just by looking at him he was still the science-loving mad man you were dating all those years ago.

You smiled shakily through the tears. “Hey Senkuu,” you choked out.

Senkuu slowly walked up to you. When he stood in front of you he reached up with a trembling hand and cupped your cheek gently, as if you were an illusion created by his mind. Once his palm met your warm cheek he took a shuddery breath.

“Y/n…” he breathed out, eyes wide and staring at you.

“Yeah it’s me,” you said, placing your hand on top of his, “I’m back Senkuu.”

Tears started to well up in his eyes as he pulled you into a tight hug. You squeezed him back just as tightly, gripping onto the back of his shirt as you let your tears fall. Both of you stood there for a few minutes, not wanting to let go. You did eventually pull apart enough for Senkuu to rest your foreheads together.

“I looked for you everywhere… I was so worried that I would never find you,” he whispered.

“I know, I know… I’m here now though. And you won’t lose me again, I’m ten billion percent certain of that,” you replied with a smile.

Senkuu chuckled under his breath, “stealing my catchphrase are you?”

You laughed as well, “you love me for it.”

“I really do,” he said before pulling you into a loving kiss. Finally you were back in his arms, and you were going to make sure that you would never be separated again. Because you knew that you would do whatever it takes to make sure he didn’t lose you a second time.

[deadfileinthecabinet]

The outfits are all from the DLC - Bloody Ties. Imagine if Hakon or Lawan ever found out that he was killing and murdering his way though an arena for wardrobe. Not any wardrobe but still.

Anyways, as for the DLC itself, it’s not bad in terms of getting a challenge but if you’re looking for a good extended storyline that ties back to the GRE or the Nightrunners, I haven’t encountered it so far. But don’t take my (sort of) review seriously, you’d have to try it to know.

I mean, I can get hooked on racing games or multiplayers without any story so I don’t think it’s a reliable review coming from me. I enjoy doing senseless re-runs to beat my own timing but that’s just me.

[ephemeral-delights]

KazeTsuyo Week - Day 4

@kazetsuyo2020

Day 4: Water

Ship: Kakeru x Haiji  

Rating: G

Warnings: N/A

Wordcount: 709

"Water.

Without water, there wouldn't be rain. Without rain, would there be life?"

It's pouring again, the sky screaming and venting its frustration. Projecting its woes onto the earth itself, a loud thundery storm, lighting striking the ground repeatedly. Somewhere around the Earth, a child screams, frightened by the very forces of nature. Countless adults sigh and complain.

The walls of Chikusei-so seem to shake like a leaf as unrelenting winds battered the creaky building harshly. A boy lifts his head to watch the crying of the sky, soft music playing in the background drowned out by the thunder echoing. He jolts once again, seeming to feel the tremors of lighting run through the whole building, knocking over a photo frame at the corner of his desk. The edges of his mouth pulls upwards, casting a fond gaze upon the photo as he reminisces about the past. Storms tended to calm him down.

"Hakone Ekiden." Whispering quietly, he holds the photo up towards the light, watching the light reflect off the cool metal frame. The room lights up and the boy is blinded for a moment. He braces himself, the pitter-patter of rain disrupted by yet another booming of thunder. Placing the photo frame on the desk gingerly, he picks up his pen.

His head was empty, writing whatever he wanted, letting the smooth navy-blue ink flow onto the page.

A loud crash... he blinks, placing his pen down. He thinks to himself, must've imagined that. Then, he hears a shout of surprise, judging by the voice, one of the twins. Flicking off his lamp, he gets up and heads out.

Joutarou is standing by the door, pointing at a figure. This figure looks very familiar. The boy steps forward and practically rips off the hood. Greeting with a bright smile, the figure turns to shut the door tightly behind them.

"Ha? Haiji-san?" Joutarou says and his younger brother sticks his head out from inside the kitchen, "Oh~"

The boy ushers Haiji in, giving him a change of clothes. Haiji smiles gratefully, taking them and heading to the bathroom.

"Kakeru?" A voice asks tentatively, the boy turns to face the source of the voice. "Shindou-san, do you need something?" Shindou looks briefly at where Haiji had been before, "I just woke up from a nap. Was that Haiji?" He nods and Shindou's eyes go as wide as saucers, "I have to tell Musa. Thanks."

The boy is just left standing in the hallway, the storm outside as intense as ever. He sighs and heads to his room. As he steps towards his desk, he notices that his pen had rolled onto the floor.

"Ink has water, doesn't it?" He tilts his head before turning around, "Haiji, that was fast." Haiji is all smiles as usual, ulterior motive hidden behind a mask, "Thinking?"

The boy pauses to look at him, bending down to pick up the pen afterwards, "Maybe." "You're writing again." Haiji traces his handwritten words gently, the boy smiles softly at him. Haiji purses his lips, eyes scanning over the page, eyes softening, "You're Kurahara Kakeru. You don't need to be who your parents want you to be as long as you're a good person."

"Tell them that. See if they believe you." The boy offers a lopsided smile, putting the pen into his pencil case. Then he blinks once more, processing Haiji's words, "What's with the water thing anyway?"

Mysterious smiles as usual.

"It's raining, there's water, isn't there? Ink has water. There's water in us too."

The boy chuckles, grabbing Haiji's hand, leading him out of the room, "Alright, whatever you say."

Even though he can't stop his parents from pushing their expectations in him, even though he can't stop himself from feeling stressed and suppressed, he feels lighter somehow.

They get to dinner and midway, Haiji places his chopsticks down and gives a wide grin, "Water is an essence of life, isn't it?"

"To which everyone didn't quite understand.

But, the boy... no, Kakeru smiled, he would interpret it in his own way.

He was Kurahara Kakeru.

His thoughts and actions mattered.

He wasn't lost any longer.

He found his meaning to run.

He found his partner for life.

He couldn't help it, he smiled."

[theparanormalperiodical]

The True Story Behind The Ring (2002) And The 11 Real Cursed Videotapes And Films That You Should NOT Watch

As a paranormal blogger, I often find myself treading the line between honesty and hoaxes. 

It could be the photographic evidence behind a ghost story, or it could be the claims of those that have supposedly witnessed something unexplainable - I spend most of my time trying to work out what's real with a capital ‘R’.

But if there’s one thing I can always rely on, it’s this:

The Japanese know how to make horror films. 

Sure, each corner of the world brings its own flair to the genre, but it’s a very specific aesthetic that runs like a piece of thread through Japanese horror, weaving together the cloak of Asian horror. 

And it was the British winter weather that reminded me of this aesthetic (and had me emotionally prepared to see a clump of black hair snake around my hand and upvote a Teen Mom 2 meme on Reddit).

So, in true Paranormal Periodical fashion, I’ve decided to dig deep into the reality of a horror icon native to Japan:

Samara, the creepy-ass chick from The Ring (2002).

Check out the trailer to her cinematic debut here!

But the thing is, the true story behind one of the most famous horror movies of all time goes much further than any ol’ cursed videotape.

Turns out that Samara’s life - and afterlife - is based on a very real story, and a very real set of ghosts that Japanese culture cannot get enough of.

Yep.

This means that there’s twice as much chance that The Ring is based on a true story than any other horror film. Great.

So, for all of the readers that haven’t hidden under their duvet, this article is going to be summarising the true story behind Samara, the Japanese folklore of the Yurei (imagine multiple Samaras just, like, existing all at the same time), and all of the cursed videos that bring us uncomfortably close to the plotline of The Ring. 

And if that wasn’t enough to traumatise you, I’ve even included all of the cursed horror films you need to know about!

Why? ‘Cause fuck you. 

If I’m going down, you’re going down with me. 

Now, let’s get spooky.

First, Let’s Recap Samara’s Screen Time (The Ring Movies And The Ring Novel Series)

Our story starts in 1991.

We are in Tokyo. News breaks that four teenagers have died on exactly the same night at exactly the same time. A journalist piques interest in this suspicious occurrence, and winds up in a holiday resort where they stayed a week before their mysterious deaths. 

When he’s not shacked up on the beach and living his Love Island fantasy, he discovers a videotape has been left in the room. This tape contains a set of weird-ass images and a warning appears which basically says:

“You gon’ die in seven days. If y’all don’t wanna die in 7 days do thi-”

An advert cuts off the instructions. (So, just like Love Island, then?)

This plotline sounds familiar, doesn’t it? That’s ‘cause it gets repeated in every novel and every film. But that’s not to say that this saga slacks story-wise. 

In the first novel, the investigations lead the journalist to the story of Sadako. Turns out that she was the daughter of Shizuko Yamamura, a medium who was branded a charlatan. Shizuko committed suicide by throwing herself in the crater of Mount Mihara as a result of her disdain by the world around her, but the fate of Sadako was declared unknown. 

The journalist follows the trail back to a well. And at the bottom of this well? What’s left of Sadako. 

Firmly believing that a proper burial will restore peace to Sadako’s ghost, he believes that laying her body to rest has fulfilled the duty expected of the viewer before the Flat Tummy Tea advert cropped off how to stop her.

But fit with the surprise ending that kills a sidekick of the journalist, we discover that copying the videotape is what spares the watcher of the tape from Sadako’s curse. 

Sadako doesn’t want to be laid to rest - she wants the world to know of her suffering and thus by copying the video and showing it to someone, more people will know.

Swap out a couple Japanese destinations for Seattle inspired locations, and we end up with The Ring (2002) - the American film. 

Still with me? 

Good. Because this is where the Japanese story and the American films diverge:

The American films go off-piece, either churning out this same plot, or go deeper into Samara’s past. This includes seeking out her mother and the child of the journalist being possessed by Samara. 

The Japanese, however, shake off such a simple plot and stick to the novels.

Spiral (1995) is the sequel to the first book, from which it is deduced that a tumour is what kills the victims of Sadako. The tumour forms in the throat, and then blocks the airway when the 7 days are up. This tumour is transferred from the tape to the body via an organism known as the Ring Virus.  

Investigations continue, questions go unanswered, and then the virus mutates and uses a report on this case to become a medium to transfer the curse to the reader. Some bloke reads it, and begins to think of Sadako and the well. He follows these thoughts to the well, and meets a girl called Masako.

They zig-a-ziga, and he discovers that Masako is actually Sadako.

Oh, and she’s up the duff.

Sadako then makes him publish the files that are essentially now the tape.

The rest of the book series sticks to the growing spread of the virus, and includes a supercomputer project, someone giving birth to Sadako… The Americans only went so far as someone sending a video clip to her next victim!

Yet despite the escalating Japanese side of things, there is something that I need to mention to bring out yet another component of Sadako’s uncomfortably realistic story:

It’s her tragic death. 

Having fled to Hakone - the site of the well she died in - to visit her father in hospital, she is raped by a doctor. She defends herself with her psychic powers, but once she is strangled, she is incapacitated and cannot fight back. She is then thrown (still alive) into the well. 

Nevertheless, the premise is still clear - and uncomfortably accurate to Japanese folklore and the true story inspiring this set of novels and films.

*Runs away*

The True Story Behind Samara 

Now it’s time to discuss the woman of the well herself.

Samara, or Sadako, is the leading lass of these films and novels, and is known for her mop of tangled black hair, her debut appearance in the creepiest cursed video tape known to mankind, and desire for the world to know her name!

(I’m telling you, this whole saga could just be a metaphor for Love Island.) 

But it turns out that this tale is based on a similarly tragic set of events taking place 700 years ago:

It is claimed that a woman named Okiku worked in the dungeon of Himeji castle, and was the servant to a samurai. Among her tasks was looking after a set of 10 golden plates. 

In true rom-com fashion, the samurai fell in love with her, and wanted to leave his wife for Okiku. However, in true patriarchy fashion, when she declined his advances he blackmailed her by hiding one of the golden plates and threatening to tell the authorities that she had stolen it.

We are uncertain of the exact events following this, but we know that she either committed suicide by throwing herself in the well, or was murdered by the samurai and then thrown in the well.

Either way she ended up in a well.  And this well actually exists…

(Note the iron bars covering the well. To keep her contained, perhaps?)

Well, I say ended up - Okiku made a point of revisiting the samurai after her death. She would haunt him by crawling out of the well each and every night, and would make a point of counting the golden plates. When she found once was missing, she would scream and throw a fit of rage. 

If that story wasn’t similar enough to the theatrical version of events, then Okiku’s portrayal as a yurei will be sure to send a shiver down your spine...

The Yurei

Okiku is far from alone in her ventures in the afterlife. In fact, a whole branch of Japanese ghosts bare similarities to her existence.

And they are known as yurei.

Take a look at this gif of Samara:

A dark mop of wet, let down hair. A white, flowing dress. Arms outstretched and hands limp.

These are all core traits shared by this #squad of spirits.

The japanese word translates to ‘faint soul’ or ‘dim spirit’, but the main focus of the yurei is actually their burial and afterlife.

Women are buried in Japan in white flowing dresses and have their hair down, hence this aesthetic crossing over to the other plain of existence. Unfortunately, the plain of existence they reach is far from the heavens expected:

The yurei are spirits who are kept from a peaceful afterlife, thanks to the unfortunate nature of their deaths. The yurei are ghosts which have died under unnatural circumstances - think traumatic deaths or having no official rites to bless than during their final moments. Oh, and you can’t forget the burden of jealous feelings and the desire for vengeance! 

“So, is sharing round their tragic stories like Samara’s the way to cleanse this spirit?”

Nah. 

Performing the rites or resolving the circumstances of their desire for vengeance or their unfinished business typically does the trick.

In fact, letting the ghost have intimate relations with an intended lover is a very popular method of de-yureing your life. 

Not willing to shag a spirit?

(Of all the sentences I thought I’d say on this blog, that is definitely not one of them.)

I’m afraid you’re going to have to let the yurei carry out their final actions forever…and ever… and ever…

So, we know what yurei are - but is Okiku the only recorded case of one?

Nope!

In fact, she’s one of three famous yurei that are repeatedly portrayed in theatrical and cinematic productions. Otsuya and Oiwa make up the rest of the trio, but unfortunately I can only find Oiwa’s story. 

Well, the terrifying part, that is: anyone that portrays her in a film or at the theatre is sure to be haunted by her!

Currently freaked the fuck out? Here’s how you can spot if you are being haunted by a yurei:

Their appearance is often what gives them away. Aside from the white dress, the hair style is actually key to their aesthetic. It is believed that Japanese women often wore their hair pinned up during their life, and thus had it down for their burial. That or the characters portraying yurei at the theatre would wear wigs, giving the appearance of a cloak of long hair. 

Speaking of the white dress, yureis wore white kimonos as this was the symbol of purity, again the traditional garb of buried Japanese women. They would also wear a small piece of cloth to cover their forehead.

(Perhaps explaining why Samara draped her forward and covered her face - and thus her forehead, too.)

“So, they just look like women that have been buried?”

Nearly - they are often seen hovering above the ground, with wisps of colour coming off of their bodies. Also known as hitodemon, these often stick to the colour palette of greens, blues and purples.

These colours feature heavily in the American Ring films. 

The Real Cursed Videos You Seriously Shouldn’t Watch  

Aside from Samara’s #aesthetic, the main feature of both the novel series and the films is that of the cursed video tape.

Bearing a similarity to a student film from an edgy undergrad, it contains a mix of abstract and hyper-realistic images bound to unsettle the watcher - all set to a soundtrack of high pitched noises.

The tape contains traces of Samara’s life, and is intended to leave a mark on the watcher to encourage them to make the world know of her pain. But being creeped out isn’t the only effect of this tape. Over the week prior to their deadline, weird effects in photographs, bite marks and other physical afflictions are also noted. It's these mental and physical effects that give the real life cursed videos lingering on the net their ‘cursed’ label.

Unfortunately, these effects tend to be much more drastic than those envisaged in The Ring.

*sigh*

#1 - suicidemouse.avi

Mickey Mouse is one of the most iconic cartoon characters to date. His lovable charm and his adorable voice make him the extrovert of the age! However, this video might make you regard the frontman of Disney in a different light.

This video - which first appeared on 4chan - sees a sad looking Mickey walk through a dark, grey city, with hands behind his back. 

Things take a turn, however, when a series of creep-AF things go down.

The screen goes blank for a couple of minutes. The piano music stops. The music comes back on. Screams are heard. The music gets fucked up. The buildings around him crumble. He wears an uncomfortable grin as the city falls apart. Mickey collapses with a syringe in his hand. 

The final shot shows a blurry logo for the cartoon character, and Russian text appears. It reads:

“The sights of hell bring its viewers back in.”

It is claimed that after a single watch you will experience panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. 

Could it have simply come from a troll on the web? Potentially. But the urban legend follows a much darker tale, claiming film critic Leonard Maltin was reviewing old cartoons that would be brought into a compilation when he saw this one. He voted it out immediately, and actually left the room thanks to the video.

But it is also claimed her kept a version for his own records.

Oh! And it gets worse!

The original editor was supposedly driven to insanity having watched it, stealing a security guard’s gun and shooting himself having yelled “Real suffering is not known!”.

Yeah, fuck this shit.

#2 - The Japanese Kleenex Advert (1980s?)

The Japanese film industry makes yet another feature on this list, and once again, it's the traumatising stuff that puts them on the map. 

The advert shows a woman sitting next to a baby painted as a red ogre who sits on a pile of straw. If that wasn’t weird enough, music with the innovative lyrics “die” in German repeatedly being chanted is the soundtrack to this freaky advert. 

Well, depending on the time of day, that is. The soundtrack would alter depending on when it was viewed. 

Viewers also noted an unsettling feeling whilst watching the advert, some even complained of sudden intense suicidal thoughts. The advert was quickly pulled from air thanks to the complaints, but not before it could take its toll on the creators of the advert.

Unexplainable accidents and a series of mental health issues plagued the creators of the film, leaving both viewers and producers haunted. The baby in the video? Killed in a car crash. The actress in the video? Hung herself in a mental hospital.

#4 - The Grifter

Potentially the scariest video on this list, the Grifter is a collage of images and clips relating to human torture, sacrifice and a variety of other gruesome scenes. Splash on some unsettling music and you have yourself a 4chan icon!

The thing is, only screenshots have been shared of this video. All we know is based on the whispers and wonders of the internet pit that is this website. This includes a clip of a rotting plant with the words “Your race is the one dying”, writhing maggots, paintings melting, flashing colours, random forests, text in different languages...

“Hold up - doesn’t this sound like all supposedly cursed videos?”

The images of a very realistic looking baby/doll set this apart from the other videos (dis)gracing this list. Well, that and the supposed subliminal messages people claim to be lingering on the frequencies in the music.

A very clear message is laid out to viewers, however, when a voice says:

“This child (now a young man) is still alive and lives in a local shelter whose name was not given. He never spoke, and still is katatonie [sic].”

We then once again return to the parallels with the other videos:

Negative physical effects and internal afflictions are frequently noted by viewers; sudden nosebleeds, nightmares, hallucinations, depression and suicidal thoughts haunt anyone who dares watch.

Fancy clickin’ ‘play’? Good luck with that. Any clips found on any corner of the web are often taken down, and are near impossible to copy. 

#5 - Satan’s Sphinx

Most of the videos have been traced back to 4chan, and have left us with much speculation regarding their backstory. But the urban legend accompanying this video starts with its creation:

It was supposedly uploaded to the internet in 2006 by the US government in order to test subliminal messaging. But when the reports of madness started rolling in, it was taken off the web.

Don’t fancy watching it yourself?

Then you’re missing out on a succession of bloody images overladen with high pitched sounds and murmurs! Eventually the images flick through so quickly that a flash of is all that is left.  

So, no, you’re not missing out on much. Apart from depression. 

The Real Cursed Movies You Seriously Should Watch (They’re All Great Movies, Okay, It’s Worth The Sacrifice)

Everyone okay? We all good? Had a little cry?

It’s ok, it’s over now. 

Now it’s time for the cursed horror movies you can watch! 

But before I continue the train of terrifying-shit that is this post, I wanted to begin with a personal story regarding cursed videos: In case you didn’t know, I captured paranormal activity on audio whilst recording a video for my long-dead YT channel. It was when I mentioned the true story of Anneliese Michel that strange occurrences began to plague my sound. 

Given that, I firmly believe that discussing the true stories behind certain hauntings is what cursed these films, most of which were based on true stories or unholy themes.

#1 - The Exorcist (1973)

It’s famous for being one of the scariest horror films to date, becoming a cinematic icon that would lead the the horror movie genre forward in terms of both CGI and storyline. But it's also earned its reputation through the claims of a curse.

Fires on set, actors being seriously hurt during filming - and the death of actors whilst the film was barely out of post production - all scar the film. Heck, in 1987, the actress who voiced the demon experienced the curse herself when her son murdered his own family before comitting suicide.

Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGw1MTEe9k 

#2 - The Conjuring (2013)

Both the cast and crew cited paranormal activity, but it was a slash of a claw on Vera Farmiga’s laptop that sparked the rumours of a curse…

Digital claw marks ripped through her laptop and then appeared on her thigh, bearing the mark of a demonic attack or violent spirit. 

An exorcist was thus made to be on set throughout filming for the sequel.

Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k10ETZ41q5o 

#3 - The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

The presence of Mel Gibson was not the only thing to have cursed this film. 

In fact, is was an ungodly amount of lightning strikes that plagued production - even if ‘ungodly’ isn’t the right word to use. In the filming of one scene, lightning struck the set, specifically Caviezel, a key actor in the film. And this was the second lightning strike felt by the assistant director. 

Unfortunately, this was one of the few ailments and issues Caviezel would fac including lacerations due to whipping and pneumonia. 

Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aif1qEB_JU 

#4 - Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

It’s time for another biblical tale! 

The sudden death of the composer and the infamous death of the director’s wife at the hands of Charles Manson have scarred this film. In fact, Manson supposedly cited that he was the devil and doing the devil’s work when he killed her. 

A producer also suffered sudden kidney failure soon after the film, amping up the evidence to suggest this film was cursed.

Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjpA6IH_Skc 

#5 - Poltergeist (1982)

There’s a lot going on with this film. Like a lot. Like real, human skeletons being used in the pool scene. But that was just the start of this curse.

Unfortunately, this fantastic film has a fatal backstory. 

Carol-Anne, the little girl at the centre of the film, died at the age of 12 as a result of a cardiac arrest, and across a mere 6 year window 3 crew and cast members also met their demise. 

Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eZgEKjYJqA 

#6 - The Omen (1976)

This film certainly racked up the greatest number of tragic occurrences, and this supposed curse is believed to be linked to the film itself.

The plotline follows the birth of the antichrist, and follows his life as he takes out his enemies and seeks to dominate the world. 

(Mwahahahaha)

And honestly, it seems like outside of the set this may have just been true:

3 planes carrying both cast and crew ran into dangerous weather conditions. The screenwriter himself was on two separate flights that were struck by lightning, and an executive producer was on a flight that flew through a storm.

Another plane that was supposed to carry Gregory Peck - one of the masterminds behind the film - crashed. Peck had cancelled his ticket moments before deciding to fly.

And the director? His hotel was bombed by the IRA. A special effects artist? His girlfriend was killed in a car crash. Still wanna watch? No thanks. 

Here’s the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS-sXcx30O4 

So - What Do You Think?

Are you planning to watch any of these cursed videos?

Or are you currently googling ‘how-best-to-protect-from-yurei-and-maybe-the-antichrist-too-why-not’?

Whatever your doing this fine evening, you can find more spooky stuff on this blog - including a new ghost everyday. You in? Then hit follow!

[pissthena]

Hi a Hakon x Aiden one-shot idea-

Where Hakon and Aiden had a bet and the loser must wear the bell choker (that hakon found) for a day, unfortunately Aiden lose the bet and he wore choker, Hakon laugh so hard while walking with a human husky (Aiden) not until Aiden got Juan's attention, then Hakon got really jealous so he grab Aiden out and start making out with his husky

Love your amazing oneshots btw!

I'm glad you enjoy them! I really enjoy making them too! Everyone is welcome to come with more suggestions!  If anyone want to draw any of my stories, you’re more than welcome to! Please tag me, I would love to see what you come up with! Also, I hope this is what you wanted! (This is a longer one!)

CHIMING IN

“You definitely can’t.” Hakon shook his head, looking up at the tall building. “Gliding from there to the tower would be impossible, Aiden.”

“Is that a dare?” The younger man’s lips curled into a smirk, infectious enough to spread to Hakon.

“Hmmm… We can make it a bet. If you win it, I’ll wear this beauty.” He grinned, pulling out a choker from his backpack, much to Aiden’s confusion. Where did he even find this? It was a thick, black leather choker, having a metal ring with a bell attached, not exactly something you’d just find lying around. “Where the hell did you even get that? And why are you carrying it around?” He furrowed his brows in confusion, this was bizarre, even for someone like Hakon.

“If you lose, you’ll have to wear it.” A smug smile spread on the older man’s face, completely ignoring the question, like it was never asked. He held the choker closer to Aiden, causing the small bell to chime softly.

Aiden looked down at it, thinking. He imagined Hakon wearing it and- fuck yeah, he had to see that, no doubt.

“Might as well put it on now.” He smirked, fiddling with his glider, so it was ready for takeoff.

“Can’t wait to see you wear it.” Hakon’s smirk was even wider than the other’s, both certain they would win this easy bet.

Aiden playfully rolled his eyes before speeding off, leaping off the building onto the next, scaling the taller building in less than a minute. Hakon had to admit that it was impressive, but no way in hell was he telling Aiden that.

The young man stood at the top of the building, feeling the wind gently caress his face. The image of Hakon wearing the choker fueled him with determination, he couldn’t lose this! It was a sight he had to see! He took a few steps back before getting a running start, throwing himself off the edge. It felt as if his heart got caught in his throat, it was beating recklessly, adrenaline flowing through his veins. He whooped as he deployed his glider, using the wind to ride upwards. A strong gust of wind came from a building, knocking him off course, causing him to collide with a nearby building. He was quick to grab a hold of a ledge, before he could fall to his death.

Blood rushed in his ears, as he tried to calm his beating heart, slowly crawling down the building before landing safely on a rooftop.

“Aiden!” Hakon’s voice rang across the roof, as he ran to the man. “You okay?” He grabbed the younger man’s shoulder, looking him in the eyes.

Aiden nodded, dragging a hand through his hair, breathing heavily.

“Yeah, a strong wind just knocked me.” He sighed, still trying to calm down completely.

“Damn. I won’t say I told you so, but I did.” Hakon grinned, before a small chime came from his outstretched hand. “You lost.”

“What? That hardly counts!” Aiden protested, taking a step back. “I demand seconds!”

“No, no! You were sure you could do it and you failed! Put it on! You decided to play Icarus and you flew too close to the sun, kiddo!” The older man grinned, stuffing it in his face. When Aiden refused once again, turning his head away, Hakon took it upon himself to secure it. He grabbed the younger man’s shirt, pulling him close, using his upper arms to hold the man in place against his chest.

Aiden’s mind went black, only being able to focus on the rising of the chest he was being pushed against. How did he smell this good? There was no deodorant or anything, and yet he smelled so good to Aiden. He didn’t even bother to fight against the choker being placed around his throat, this feeling was too good to waste.

A cool feeling washed over his body as Hakon stepped back, grinning proudly of his accomplishment.

“You look-” He couldn’t help the laugh escaping his throat. “Great.” He gave him a thumbs up, clearly trying to stifle his laughter.

“Shut up.” Aiden mumbled, he surely had to look stupid as shit.

“People will adore you tonight, Aiden, don’t worry about it.” Hakon grinned, before Aiden shot his head up.

“I forgot! Do I have to wear this at the party?!” Aiden looked almost mortified, his face going pale. “You can’t be serious, Hakon!”

“Oh, absolutely. You lost the bet, remember?” The smile only widened on his face, seeming almost malicious.

“Fuck you, Hakon.” Aiden mumbled, making the older man laugh.

“Hakon! Aiden! you made-” Lawan stopped in her tracks, right before hugging the younger man, who was in the middle of downing an old vodka. “What… are you wearing?” A chuckle left her lips, as she stared at the choker, causing Aiden to groan with annoyance.

“His new favourite accessory!” Hakon butted in, grinning from ear to ear, wrapping an arm around the other man’s shoulders. “He loves it!”

“Fuck you.” Aiden groaned, running a hand down his face. “This is stupid. It was a dumb bet.”

“You lost a bet and have to wear a choker? You knew what you got into.” Lawan grinned. “Suits you.” She joked, patting his shoulder before moving along, trying to hold in her laughter.

Hakon grinned after her, before turning his attention back to Aiden, the huge smile still present, in contrast to the other man’s highly annoyed look.

Hakon opened his mouth as to say something, but was interrupted by a voice behind him. “Aiden.” The sly voice caused the older man to spin around, facing a blonde man. “Sorry, pal, please run along.” Juan gestured for Hakon to leave, with much annoyance to the other man. He obliged nonetheless, stepping aside, but never going far.

“What in heaven’s name are you wearing?” Juan raised his hand in a gesture to the choker. “Where did you get that? I might need one of my own.” A sly smile spread on his lips, before bringing an old whisky bottle to them, taking a swig. “Suits you fine though, handsome.”

The blonde offered the flask to Aiden, who took it without much of a doubt, feeling the burn of whiskey down his throat. Handing it back to Juan earned him a smile and an arm around his shoulder, as he leaned in.

“You know, the offer I made you earlier always stands. The more the merrier.” He winked, before feeling a hard push, shoving him away.

“Yeah, you’ve said enough, fucker, leave him alone.” Hakon grunted, pushing Juan as far away as he could without leaving Aiden.

“Just give me a call!” Juan winked at Aiden, before being pushed far enough away for him to join another group of people.

“Ignore him.” The older man huffed, turning back to look at Aiden, who sported a confused look.

“Why did you do that?” He asked, cocking his head confused.

“Do what? He’s an idiot. You’re better off with someone else anyways.” Hakon’s voice practically dripped with venom, clearly disliking Juan.

“Oh, like who?” Aiden asked teasingly, the alcohol finally kicking in, giving him a bit of confidence.

“What? I don’t fucking know, anyone else than him.” Hakon shook his head, trying to rid him of thoughts that appeared in his head, that he certainly couldn’t say out loud. He knew exactly who, especially with that choker. It was supposed to be a joke, but god, he looked good in it. He pushed his way along the walls, trying to get outside to get some fresh air, to clear his thoughts.

He didn’t have to check to know Aiden was following him, the gentle chime from the choker made sure he knew where he was. Stepping outside into the cold breeze, felt freeing. Almost everyone was inside the Fisheye, so there were no people around to hog Aiden’s attention. Not that he wanted it, anyways.

The chiming got louder as the younger man caught up to him, standing beside him, looking out over the dark city, painting in the light from the full moon. The wind gently caressed the bell, almost chiming a calming melody into the night.

“Hakon?” Aiden asked, not sure where he was going with this. A part of him wanted to go back inside and find Juan, if purely to watch Hakon’s clearly jealous demeanor. It warmed him, though there was clearly something the older man wasn’t telling him. Why was he jealous? He was the one who put the bell on him in the first place.

“Yeah?” Hakon sighed, taking a swig of vodka, hoping he could forget any of this even happened.

“Would you be mad if I made out with him?” The sudden question got him choking on his drink, almost coughing it all up again.

“W-what?” He croaked, looking up at the younger man. “The hell is that question?” “You just seemed… I don’t know…” Aiden searched for better words. “Jealous… Or annoyed… Would you care if I did?”

“No… I mean… It’s your choice. If you like him, that’s what you should do, I just…” His words trailed off, leaving the roof silent, except for the gentle chiming.

“You what?” Aiden turned to look at him, the bell jingling louder at the movement.

“I.. you… You look really good in that.” Hakon gestured at the choker, the ring and bell glowing softly in the moonlight.

“This?” Aiden looked down at his throat, trying to see the choker. “And here I thought I looked stupid.” A blush crept up his neck, did Hakon actually think he looked good?

“Yeah. You look really cute.” Hakon tried his best to not stumble over his words, blushing himself, though if anyone asked it was from the alcohol.

The younger man fiddled with the bell, ringing gently in the night.

“Mon dieu.” Hakon said breathlessly, taking in the sight of the man in front of him. “I take it back. You look beautiful.” The way the light painted Aiden made him seem like a work of art. Half his face glowing in the moonlight, his hand entangled in the choker. The blush that crept across his cheeks only amplified the beauty in front of him.

Hakon couldn’t help himself, he could always blame it on the alcohol later. He leaned in close, feeling Aiden’s breath on his lips. Looking up, he saw the younger man had closed his eyes, before he too leaned in, connecting them.

It felt like a shock going through him, warmth spreading in his stomach, his cheeks warming up. The way his lips moved were enchanting to the older man, it felt like sparks flying each time they connected.

Aiden’s hand traveled up his back, sending shivers down his spine, before settling in his hair, holding on tight. It riled the older man up, as he grabbed the ring of the choker, pulling him closer with a soft jingle.

Aiden’s tongue pressed against his lips, yearning to be let in, as the other hand traveled down his back, grabbing tightly on Hakon’s ass. Hakon obliged happily, tugging on the choker, crashing their mouths together, as he felt the younger man’s tongue dance across his. Hakon moved his other hand to the man’s waist, holding him flushed against him, grinding slowly against him, as Aiden grabbed his ass tighter, pushing him closer.

With a gasp, they broke apart, needing the air. A string of saliva connected them, glowing in the moonlight. Their hot breaths and heavy panting was interrupted by a sound behind them.

Turning around, Lawan stood, staring at the two panting men, who were still entangled in each other, seeking friction and warmth.

“I just wanted to ask if you wanted something to eat, but it seems you’ve found other things to stuff your mouths with.” Lawan grinned mockingly before turning around, abandoning her original mission. “Don’t be caught naked out here, people might stare.”

The door closed behind her with a soft click, and the men diverted their attention back to each other, still breathless and needy. Hakon leaned in again, not wanting to waste another moment before feeling the other man’s lips and body against him again, but stopped right before they connected, to mutter out.

“I think you should wear that more often.”

[sunriseinorbit]

KazeTsuyo’s One... Questionable Soundtrack Decision: Lazy or Brilliant?

SPOILERS UP TO EPISODE 19

The fact that KazeTsuyo has a good soundtrack should come as a surprise to absolutely no one, since Yuki Hayashi has been making straight bops for like 10 years now, but it’s really good. I’ve listened to We Must Go at least 15 times in the past two days alone, and the rest of the soundtrack is just as good. (It’s on Spotify, go listen to it)

But when I was actually watching the show, I noticed one sound direction decision that was really fucking weird. And I’m not trying to nitpick, nor do I think that this decision was necessarily bad, but it’s something I’ve never seen (or heard, I guess) before in anime and it’s baffled me to no end since I found out about it. 

So let’s unpack:

At the beginning of episode 14, Haiji shows the team a documentary about the Hakone Ekiden. An old, wise narrator talks about the determination of the athletes and other sentimental bullshit over an inspirational backing track complete with Yuki Hayashi French Horns. But there’s something about said inspirational backing track that doesn’t sit quite right with me for some reason.

And at the beginning of episode 19, right before Prince starts the first leg of the marathon, the same thing happens. For some reason, there’s something really weird about the music.

(sorry about the play symbols, i used the screen recorder on my computer to grab these)

During the scene in episode 14, I had a hunch about what could be going on, and I paused the episode and went to Spotify to find the track and listen to it to see what’s so weird about it. But after I listened through the whole soundtrack, song by song, I found something even weirder: The song that plays during this scene isn’t on the soundtrack at all. 

At that point, my hunch seemed more correct, but I was still very confused because I kept telling myself “No, they can’t do that, they would never do that”, so I went to Reddit. I looked up the episode discussion page for episode 14 and scrolled through, and I realized that the soundtrack discrepancy wasn’t just a figment of my imagination. Other people were talking about it, too, and even more strangely, I was right. 

So what’s up with the music during these two scenes? Where does it come from? Why aren’t these on the soundtrack? 

Here’s the track that plays during episode 14, and here’s the track that plays during episode 19. Weird, huh? 

Now, onto my main point. Was this decision lazy and unimaginative, or was it inventive and thematically resonant? Well, that’s up to you to decide, but my answer, as it often is, is that it’s a lot deeper than you’d expect.

At first, I definitely thought it was lazy. After all, you have a beautiful original soundtrack created just for this series, why would you give that up just to use music that’s 3-5 years old? 

Well, first off, you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find similarities between Haikyuu!! and Run with the Wind. Besides having a plot structure and character tropes typical to their genre, both series are produced by Production I.G., have similar art styles, and have soundtracks by Yuki Hayashi (yes, I know Asami Tachibana did half the Haikyuu!! score, who do you think I am?) with similar moods, textures, and orchestration. Not to mention the Kakeru-Kageyama jokes. I’d definitely call the two sister series, and I think a lot of people would agree with me.

But that still doesn’t answer the question: Why would you use music from an entirely different anime?

When I first watched episode 14, my answer to that was that it represented that the Hakone Ekiden was something out of reach. The track itself is called “Longing”, and having it play in a documentary within the show makes it seem distinct and separate from the plot and characters outside of it. The Hakone Ekiden is meant for the best of the best, and at this point, the Kansei team isn’t there yet. There are so many good teams out there, there’s no way they could even qualify.

But at the same time, they’re so close. There’s still the qualifier to worry about, of course, but the vast majority of their members have official records. The Hakone Ekiden is definitely within reach. So there’s a bit of a discrepancy with this reading. 

Except... there isn’t. Because let’s step back. This scene happens at the beginning of episode 14. What happens at the end?

At the beginning of the episode, Prince is the only member of the Kansei team who doesn’t have an official record. At the end of the episode, he achieves one, and the whole team is eligible for the qualifier as a result. This episode is Prince pushing himself and catching up to the others, going from seeing the Hakone Ekiden as something impossible to being just one step away from participating in it himself. 

And what happens at the beginning of episode 19? Prince is preparing to run the first leg. 

The thing that connects these two scenes is Prince. And somehow, it makes perfect sense. Why? Because Prince is a huge fucking nerd. 

Prince loves manga. He reads it all the time including before and after races, his room is filled with stacks upon stacks of volumes, at one point Kakeru tells him to just think “After this, I’ll be able to go home and read more manga” when he’s running to get him to run faster, and while he doesn’t actually say the line, he’s the one who points out the MOTHER FUCKING JOJO REFERENCE. And in episode 19, it’s clear that he reads a fair amount of sports manga, too. 

Because the episode is filled to the brim with references and homages:

This shot is the most obvious example, but he also quotes Slam Dunk, Hajime no Ippo, and Yowamushi Pedal, and the fact that Production I.G. was able to directly reference all these series is astounding. But I think the overload of references is necessary, just to show how much Prince values the genre. These characters are his heroes, and their stories are ones he looks up to and is inspired by. Now that he’s living one of those stories himself, sampling music from another series just makes sense, because that’s the mindset he’s in and the background he’s coming from. That’s probably the music playing in his head right now.

I think the reason they chose to use Haikyuu!! specifically was just the similarity between the two scores, since a complete switch in musical style would have been jarring and ruined our sense of immersion in the series. But even with the similarity, if you’re listening hard enough and know the Haikyuu!! score well enough, you’ll recognize it.

But that sense of recognition and familiarity goes a lot deeper than the music, and Prince’s love of sports anime and manga in itself ties into it, too. Because what I’ve found over the past twenty episodes is that KazeTsuyo is a sports anime for sports anime fans, but specifically sports anime fans who have grown up. The character tropes and simple plot structure are still there, but gone are the absurd, over-the-top superpowers of series of old, now replaced by a nuanced take on the genre itself. Not only are the characters in college and thus dealing with issues and goals specific to an adult audience, but the themes are more mature as well.

Over the course of the series, one of the most important lessons to be learned is that winning isn’t everything, and that running is what you make of it. Whether you’re running because you love it or because it’ll make you healthier or stronger or because you want to push yourself to do something you’ve never done before, it’s going to enrich your life somehow, even if you don’t win the race in the end. And other sports anime have played with that theme, too, but KazeTsuyo makes it a main point. Every sports anime can be inspirational, but the message KazeTsuyo sends - that everyone has a different reason for wanting to run, and every one of those reasons is right - really pushes it above the rest in that regard, at least for me.  

Remember when Haikyuu!! got big on tumblr in 2015-2016? I was 15-16 then, and now I’m a few months shy of being 19. A large chunk of the fandom has done a fair bit of growing up since then, whether that’s going from middle school to high school like my sister, high school to college like me, or college to beyond like some of my friends. But for me, Haikyuu!! was the first anime I really loved, and it holds a very special place in my heart to this day. So when I hear its score in KazeTsuyo, there’s something distinctly nostalgic about it. 

But was that decision lazy or brilliant? I don’t know, but it feels like coming home, and that feeling is really, really cool.

[theundergrounddrabbles]

KojiYuu (request)

“Yuu-chan? Nice to see you.”

Yuko spun around to see the familiar face coming towards her. The first process was English before the words slipped out in the normal sense of her native tongue, “Yes… you have a photoshoot?”

“Yeah. It’s a fashion one with dresses. You look like something out of travel.” The other woman uttered.

“I just came back from a short trip to Hakone. They want to do some cover shots with the plain background. It seems rather unusual for this to happen.” Yuko answered. “What about you, Nyan? Have you been traveling?”

She nodded, “Just out to Yokohama.”

“Cool. I sent a card to Mari-chan. So lucky she could find someone so quickly.” Yuko drew a smile.

“Yeah… we should hang a bit after this round.” The woman threw the smirk across.

Yuko felt lost in the loop since her trip to America. She had found love and enjoyed the atmosphere of the foreign land. She knew that time was against her as a woman to get serious yet even with her boyfriend it was a bit hard to tell him about her past. Yuko was called and took the next few shots with the green screen behind as the smile came naturally to portray her feelings.

She returned to the spot to a note. Yuko knew certain things rubbed Nyan, Haruna, the wrong way as usual. Haruna for one was an airhead naturally yet she had true feelings about others. Mariko for one was pressing to be with someone for a while and with a blink of an eye, she was married. Then, Yuko had a boyfriend which was also good because of the sense of the cultural exchange.

“Meet me in the room.”

The first person caught her eye as she was directed to the door with her name tag. She gave a few knocks before Haruna opened the door for her as a smile came to her face. The cream-colored dress covered every part of her body except for her arms as Yuko was attracted to the figure of the woman.

“So what’s on your mind?” Yuko asked.

“Nothing much… Mari-chan told me and I laughed at first but honestly wanted to congratulate her. She sensed the frustration.” Haruna hummed.

“Frustration? You should really get someone to confess your heart to, Minami is always there.” Yuko moaned as Haruna flashed her smile. “There’s other ways around it, Nyan.”

“True but it would be fun to have a go around like usual. Unless you have a new flavor you like.” Haruna sighed with Yuko staring back at her.

“What is that supposed to mean? I may be perverted but to give up that is a bit excessive.” Yuko argued back.

“Well, I kept it on the down low since I was late bloomer. Mari-chan knows about the transgressions.” Haruna snorted.

“I do as well… but just because you did it, doesn’t mean I gave mines up as well.” Yuko reasoned as she glared upon the dress. “You’re willing, aren’t ya?”

Haruna gave a faint smile before concealing under the poker face. Yuko swayed the eyes away. There were too many factors now that were not applied since the previous occasion. She felt the urges yet the passion wasn’t going to drive her and to feel her marshmallow body was always the driver until it wasn’t presentable. Perverted Yuko was a memory in her mind away from the days in AKB however she had always seen the peer as attractive and cunning.

Yuko pulled her body over to the couch and let her hand graze across the thigh. She wasn’t built like some of the others. Her dislikes were unidollike and it was why many had liked her but now she was the symbol of the past. Yuko had seen more like her than Haruna and it bothered her greatly upon the thoughts of the group. She had buried it when she wanted to leave but to give her song over was easy from energy.

“So? Yuko… you miss me, right?” Haruna murmured.

“I do. Still… to satisfy… I’m a little rusty.” Yuko whispered.

“I believe you. What about we have a little stay at a hotel… my treat.” Haruna smirked.

Yuko moved her head to the idea. There was always plan to weave around it. Yuko stepped out to the photographer giving the okay while Haruna’s side was in cleanup. Haruna pointed over to the car in the parking lot with both going as they bowed to the managers before driving off the premises. Rarely anyone obliged their meetings as their friendship was like glue. Yuko stared upon the lights in the distance as the thoughts had returned about their kinship.

Even with second generation, she felt a little ashamed of everything as member yet she clicked with the others as a way to garner a bigger group of colleagues. Haruna had stepped up promptly to learn about Yuko as the two were opposite yet had the same goal. Time had withered them down to just be near the front and even that seemed far fetched until the end.

“I guess you’re still the pure one.” Haruna commented, breaking the silence.

“I wanted to know more about love.” Yuko started. “That what the group took away. I was hungry to learn and when it felt like the end, I could feel the growth in me. I wanted the challenge to be better suited like some of the others who could speak two languages.”

“That’s Yuko.” Haruna laughed.

The urge was still held up. She could imagine how the body would be over the few years they hadn’t met but it was still buried under her concerns when the car turned into a parking structure and noted the exterior being beautiful under the moon. She followed Haruna out to the elevator and took it up to the suites where the door slid open to a large bed and to the right was a kitchen with pots and pans.

“This is too good.” Yuko chuckled.

“Yeah it was my home for a bit before I got the apartment. Now, I just use it when I don’t want to go home.” Haruna explained as they headed towards the bed.

“Well you pretty much avoided the other issue at hand… so you just want to be around us.” Yuko pondered as Haruna moved her lips up to hers. “Again… is it because of your preference?”

“Maybe… just do what you usually do and we can be satisfied together.” Haruna snickered, lifting up the dress to her peach-colored underwear.

Yuko always anticipated more of the serious manner yet it was Haruna who never liked the approach since it was overly aggressive however when she was with the keys to the car, it had brought a new sense of the woman ahead. Yuko signaled the dress to be off the body at first with the woman complying swiftly and Yuko slipping off her clothing to the undergarments. Haruna stared upon the item on the body and gave a crooked smile as the guilt was simply unavoidable.

“Where’s mine?” She snarled.

“I forgot your size… it wasn’t like I had a choice either, I had to buy a few with the usual since I was away. You have a contract while I always had to find mines, remember?” Yuko shook her head when Haruna reached back for her own bra.

“Right.” She nodded in return with the grapefruit-sized bosom revealed.

Yuko unleashed her companions and climbed on top of Haruna. Despite her aggressive calls, Haruna had always insisted on bottom to start and to feel the mounds in her grasp was like a faint memory. Hearing the moans escaped from her lips brought back the moments together. Age had lingered over them since they left late and hearing about others had given them a different sense of love. Yuko rolled them with the thoughts floating in her mind before giving a peck to each side as her partner took the reins of the chest.

She didn’t stop thinking of her but it was infrequent especially after leaving. Yuko had little to say about her future except to learn abroad. Haruna’s grasp was always bringer of old times and how she held them and moved them were unique as she brought her chest forward to sense the humid expels and letting out the short cry into the room before feeling her lips around the tips.

“Nyan… I’m coming.” Yuko grunted.

“It’s been that long. Poor you.” Haruna responded as she moved her fingers along the panties. “Let’s get into position.”

Peeling the underwear off her body, there were already the look from Haruna. Yuko bit her lips as she drew her concentration on the kitty. Haruna was trimmed to the point like needle bristles and rubbing your hand over had produced like a porcupine before leading over the cliff to the glistening area between her legs. Yuko acknowledged the point and sunk her fingers into the core. The memory had returned to her mind of the treasure and moved them back and forth.

The measure shocked her partner. Yuko knew much about it as the canal tightened instantly. She began the moderate thrusts into the body. The cries spilled out into the open as she bit her lips upon the intrusion into the sex. It got her swiftly as a yelp escaped into the room as the thrusts continued on the other end with Yuko pacing her movements to Haruna.

Yuko knew the time off was going to hold her back but it brought the partnership back as the slight twitch on her end was instantaneous with Haruna. The torrent of liquid slid past her hand and onto the sheet below. Yuko continued the assault to get the rush to explode out and the loud screech came with the hips lifting up as she felt the same on the other side.

“You okay?” Haruna asked.

“I’m fine. A bit overwhelmed.” Yuko laughed.

“We hit that age.” She noted when Yuko turned back.

“Maybe one day you get your prince.” Yuko smirked.

“One day you can be pregnant and your child plays with aunt Haruna.” Her partner replied swiftly as Yuko turned into her.

“Thanks.”

[firstaidspray]

Imagining Hakon calling Monica "mon coeur" bc of the feelings I got when Frenchie kept calling Kimiko that in the Boys and I found out what it meant 🥺 and then what about Monica calling Hakon "caro mio" 😭😭😭 it's too cute to imagine. Even if they are super common terms of endearment for their languages I think it's cute esp since they're both Romance languages

[inkacontextlog]

David Mach

Biographical information:

Born in 1956 in Fife, David Mach attended Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art where he chose to specialise in sculpture because he thought it was the most demanding, intellectually and physically. He them was offered to study in Poland for his postgraduate year, however he martial law denied him to attend, this was followed by an invitation to attend king’s royal college in London on a Scholarship. March became a part-time lecturer in the Sculpture School, Kingston University from 1982 to 1986 and was a lecturer at the Contemporary Art Summer School, Kitakyushu, Japan from 1987 to 1991. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Dundee in 2002.  In 2004 he was elected an honorary member of the Royal Scottish Academy and the same year, the University of Dundee appointed him Professor of Inspiration and Discovery. From 2006-2010 he became a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. Currently working from his studio based in London. 

Analyses of Practice:

David Mach is one of the UK’s most successful and respected artists, known for his dynamic and imaginative large scale collages, sculptures and installations using diverse media. Most famous for his sculptures made from matchsticks, his work often refers to figures from history and popular culture, such as Gandhi, Betty Boop, and Charlie Chaplin. His theatrical yet universally relatable pieces are, in part, inspired by the work of the Pop Art movement—depicting everyday culture through everyday materials. “I don’t make work out of bronze,” said the artist of his work. “I’m doing it with this unlikely, naff material because coat hangers are something you don’t give a second thought to. It’s getting to another audience. You’re not talking to the guy who loves art; you’re trying to reach people who would rather set you on fire and chuck you in the river than pay attention to what you do.”

Mach’s first solo exhibition was held at the Lisson Gallery, London in 1982. His international reputation was quickly established and he has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions around the world including London, New York, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Hakone, Tel Aviv and Warsaw. Public commissions include the tumbling telephone boxes, “Out of Order” in Kingston, “Train” in Darlington; “Big Heids”, visible from the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh; “It Takes Two”, sited North of Paris and in Marseille, Likeness Guaranteed commissioned by McMaster Museum of Art, Hamilton, and most recently, “Giants” in Vinadio, Italy and “Phantom”, commissioned by Morrisons supermarket for the Promenade in Kirkcaldy, Fife. In 2003 his “Arm’s Length” sculpture of a woman made in coat hangers won The Jack Goldhill Award for sculpture at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.  In 2011 Mach was awarded the Bank of Scotland Herald Angel Award for his exhibition “Precious Light”, a daring contemporary interpretation of the King James Bible in the form of large-scale collage and sculpture. The same year, he also won the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for Art.

Important works:

David Mach is most famous for his sculptures made from matchsticks. In the early 1980s Mach started to create smaller-scale works assembled using thousands of matchsticks pressed into a clay mold to form the likeness of Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Mahatma Gandhi and Ben Kingsley, among others. Mach uses Japanese matchsticks because their heads come in all sorts of different colours. After accidentally setting fire to one of these heads, Mach now often ignites his match pieces as a form of performance art. He was inspired by a comment on him after he exhibited his magazine sculpture, saying he was a guy that would build the Eifel tower from matches. 

Previ ous lights, burning of the devil head sculpture at Edinburgh Arts Festival in 2011.

Big Heids 

Supported on an upturned freight containers, some 7m (23 feet) high, the heads where installed in 1999. The controversial work cost £273,000 and forms part of the M8 Art Project, intended to form a 'sculpture corridor' along the road between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Designed by Methil-born sculptor David Mach (b. 1956), the sculpture is modelled on the faces of local volunteers, two men and a woman picked at random from the streets of Motherwell. It is crafted from thousands of welded steel tubes, of the sort once manufactured at the former Clydesdale Steel Works at nearby Mossend. The work is intended to represent of the strength of character of the people of North Lanarkshire and also pays tribute to the industrial heritage the area, with construction undertaken by Motherwell Bridge, an engineering company founded in 1898. Supported by the Lanarkshire Development Agency, the project became the focus of an engineering training programme, involving a team of apprentices and adult trainees.

Magazine sculptures by David Mach

The thousands of magazines are composed into ripples and swells that mimic natural forms like rocks and topography. There’s something post-apocalyptic about the juxtaposition of transportation technology and the writhing mass of periodicals that weaves through it.  The carefully aligned magazine structures are building forms that can depict natural disasters as the objects which are part of the sculptures that being household objects or even trucks and aircrafts seem to be stuck in the weaves created by the magazines, carried by them or even almost completely veiled under them. 

David Mach’s “Golgotha” Sculpture Casts the Crucifixion in Coat Hangers

Although Mach is not religious, he finds great inspiration in the Bible. “The Bible has it all- war, famine, sex, death, pestilence, jealousy, revenge. Struggle, pain, love death- it’s all in there,” Mach said of the piece during it’s original showing. “As an artist, I think I would struggle to find a richer source of inspiration. No single text has had such a profound effect on our language, culture, and thoughts as this book.”

“Golgotha is my largest coat hanger piece to date,” Mach says. “I wanted this sculpture to be dramatic. It is an epic, violent scene. So the sculpture needed to have as much pathos as possible. I extruded the coat hanger hooks outward to reflect that and to me they seem to capture the agony of the moment.” Coat hangers are used as contours to describe the shape of the human form, where thousands of hooks are arranged in such a way that they create a sort of double image or sense of movement- the sculptures appear to look as if they are vibrating or animated.

Technique:

David Mach uses extremely diverse media including everyday mass produced objects repurposed to form cluttered compositions. coat hangers, matches, magazines, playing cards, candy wrappers and many other unconventional materials in creating his sculptures. ‘big on gesture and big in proportion, it demands your attention and gets it’.