#so sure he could throw all the body improvement club members around. he could lift their heaviest weight. but he doesn't

[brown-little-robin]

Mob joins the body improvement club, not to get stronger, but to try to tire his body out so he can sleep. btw.

still with the goal of becoming more appealing to Tsubomi though <3 girls like men who look well-rested right

[telfordelle]

Naughty

Characters: Filip "Chibs" Telford x Y/N

A/N: I just had to get this out of my system, I guess. Also, here's a recipe for the Purple Nurple

Words: ~ 2.2k

Warning: Smut

You were in the Clubhouse, sitting in front of the bar. Nobody in the club knew that you two had something going on. You weren't sure why Chibs hadn't introduced you yet, but you were fed up with hearing his excuses over and over again. Therefore, you figured that it was time to provoke your man a little bit. You knew that the club was having a party this evening, so you decided to dress up and surprise your favourite Scot. Your black lacy lingerie was brand new, and he hadn't seen it yet. He was in for a surprise when he'd undress you this evening.

"Another beer, honey?" Gemma asked you. You nodded and thanked her after she had slid the beer over the counter to you. Gemma came around the bar and sat on the stool beside you.

"Is everything okay?" she wanted to know. You chuckled - Gemma had always been good at sensing your mood.

You had known Gemma since you were young. Her son Thomas had been your best friend in kindergarten and first grade. It had broken your heart when your best friend's health was getting worse and worse, and after his death, you had been devastated. From that time on, Gemma had taken you under her wing.

"Nah, it's nothing. Work's just a bit stressful at the moment," you lied, hoping that she wouldn't notice it. But of course, she would. After all, it was Gemma you were talking to.

"Honey, I know that this is not your 'my work sucks' face but your 'men problems' face."

You sighed. Why was she so good at reading you?

"You're right," you admitted.

"So, what kind of man is troubling you?" she asked.

"The kind who doesn't seem to be sure if he wants a serious relationship or not."

"What makes you think so?" she asked, "Did he say that directly?"

"We've been together for a while now, and I know that he’s the type to be in a serious relationship, but he doesn’t want to make it official and introduce me to his friends,“ you complained.

"Well, did you introduce him to yours?" She raised an eyebrow as if to prove her point.

"Gemma, that's not the point. I mean, he made it pretty clear that he isn't interested in that. So he probably also isn't that interested in me," you replied sulkily.

"Honey, maybe he just needs some time. Also, men can be pretty dense sometimes. You two should probably just talk it out, trust me. I've been with the most stubborn and dense men you can find in Charming," she said, laughing heartily. Hearing her laugh, you couldn’t help it and joined in.

"Well, I hope everything will work out in your favour. I'll see you later!"

You nodded and smiled at her. Talking to Gemma always lifted your mood.

You grabbed your beer, took a big sip, and looked around the Clubhouse. You were familiar with most of the club members, but as always, there were also some people you didn't recognize - especially the Crow Eaters. Sometimes you wondered if Chibs still hung around with some of them. Whenever you tried talking to him about making it official, he was blocking you. He said that he had his reasons, and at first, you believed him, but as the situation didn't improve, you got increasingly frustrated. And speaking of the devil, or rather, thinking of the devil, there he was.

You gulped, why was he so sexy? You took another sip of your beer, debating whether you should just go to him or leave the decision up to him. Mentally, you slapped yourself to stop staring at the Scot. To your displeasure, you found that others were also interested in your man. Fucking Crow Eaters. One of those bitches was clinging to the Scot, ogling him. You clenched your fists as soon as she started to caress his shoulder in a flirty way. Forcing yourself to look away, you exed your beer, giving the guy at the bar a sign that you wanted another one. Or even better, something stronger. You ordered a Purple Nurple, hoping that this one would numb your thoughts - and feelings.

Still, you couldn't help it and had to sneak a peek. And what you saw made you hold your breath. That bitch from before had her hand in your man's back pocket, and it seemed as if she was biting his earlobe. Instead of pushing her away, he was - grinning?

You saw red. Alright, two could play this game. It was time to take some action. You knew that Tig was always up for some fun, no feelings attached, so you made your way over to him.

"Hey, Tigger," you greeted him. You used the nickname because you knew that it would make Chibs furious - albeit knowing that he couldn't even hear you at this moment.

"Y/N, what's up?" he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Wanna dance?" you asked.

"Sure, babe," Tig replied, smirking. He took your hand and led you to the centre of the room.

You circled each other, gazes remaining locked. You knew that the other Sons were watching you, so you were fairly certain that Chibs' eyes would also be on you. Tig wiggled his eyebrows as you danced towards him, lewdly swaying your hips. You gently rested your hands on his chest. Slowly, your hands slid down his body as... you could hear someone clear their throat.

"Am I interruptin' somethin'?" that someone asked with a thick Scottish accent. You turned around and were greeted by an angry-looking face. Chibs nodded at Tig, who got the hint and excused himself.

"What's your problem?" you asked, knowing that the question would get him even more agitated. His eyes turned dark.

"You're mine," he growled.

"Well, last time I checked, you weren't willing to tell anyone about us," you snapped.

"Then it's time to change that," he replied, scowling.

"Oh, all of a sudden?" you retorted. You knew that you got what you wanted, but it still made you angry that you had to play the jealousy card.

"Lass, ye'r comin' wi' me," he said huskily. Chibs grabbed you by your wrist and pulled you with him towards the door. While being dragged away, you caught a glimpse of Gemma, who was smirking. Of course, she would connect the dots immediately.

Instead of going to his bike, he went for one of the trucks.

"Get in," he growled, holding one of the doors open.

"Why should I?" you replied, arms crossed in front of your chest.

"I'm not discussin' this wi' ye," he answered. You knew that both of you had done their wrongs, so you got in without another word.

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. You just hoped that you would get to your flat soon. Your eyes kept wandering to him. Did you finally fuck up? Was this the point of no return? All you wanted was for him to finally acknowledge you in front of the others. You sighed. You sighed. Finally, you arrived at your flat. He went straight for the door. Reluctantly, you got out of the truck. Had you pissed him off so much that he would end your relationship? Hands trembling, you opened the main entrance and went up the stairs. You could hear him follow you. Luckily, your apartment was on the second floor.

"I'm so angry wi' ye right now, I cannae put it into words," he snapped.
 "Tch, what are you angry for?" you huffed. 
He growled. "Ye'r MINE, lass." His eyes had a dangerous glint to them. If you hadn't been so angry, maybe you would have been turned on by now. Scratch that, you definitely were turned on. But you still had to stand your ground.
 "Yours, huh? Certainly didn't seem like it when that fucking Crow Eater was feeling you up. You don't even have the balls to tell the others about me! Maybe I'm just tired of waiting, Tig didn't seem to have a problem being seen with me in public." You looked at him challengingly.

And Chibs snapped. He saw red, thinking back about you dancing with Tig, touching him. He pinned you against the door and kissed you hard, wandering from your mouth to your neck. You moaned into his ear, which only turned him on even more. You could feel how hard he was, and you began stroking him through his pants.

"Bed," he growled while picking you up. But instead of just throwing you onto the bed, he sat on its edge and bent you over his knees.

"You've been bad, lassie," he murmured while grabbing your ass.

"Guess I have to punish ye," he drawled, accent getting thicker the more turned on he got.

"Lift yer ass," he said, tone demanding. You did what he said, and he immediately pulled down your shorts, taking in a sharp breath as he saw your new lingerie. It seemed as if your surprise was working. Frantically, he also took off your shirt.

"Ye look good. But don't think you'll get off your punishment just because of that," he hummed, rubbing you through your pants. You hissed - you were already wet. He began rummaging through the bedside cabinet where you stored your toys. He chuckled, which probably meant that he had found what he had been looking for. He blindfolded you and you could hear him opening a bottle. You shivered in anticipation. He pushed your panties aside and let two fingers glide between your buttcheeks, making them slick with lube. You gasped as he entered your hole.

"Relax," he murmured into your ear. You concentrated on his voice.

"Maybe this will help you," he said. Before you could ask him what he meant, he shoved something into your mouth. "Suck on it," he commanded. You recognized the shape as one of your buttplugs. You squirmed under his touch, excited for what was about to happen. Maybe you should be naughty more often if that meant that he would punish you this way.

He removed his fingers, only to replace them with the buttplug shortly after. You drew in a sharp breath.
"Ye like that, dinnae ye?" His thick voice made you even wetter, which he immediately noticed.

Still bent over his knees, he spanked you a couple of times. Each time his hand connected with your ass, a wave of pleasure surged through you. Blindfolded, every sensation felt more intense. You bit back a moan.

Sternly, Chibs told you to get on all fours and lift your arse. You could hear from the sound of his voice that he was annoyed with you. He was displeased with your behavior at the clubhouse. Now he had to make you behave again.

You heard him opening his jeans and sliding them down his hips. They fell to the floor with a thud. You were so wet, he would be able to slide into you at once. You bit your lip, and your hips rolled involuntarily at the thought of this. You needed some friction, right now. You needed HIM. You gasped as he opened your lips with the head of his hard cock, teasing you because he didn't immediately put it inside you. It felt like an eternity. Chibs ran the tip of his cock up and down your folds, making you long for more.

"Filip," you whimpered, begging him to finally fuck you.

"Don't come. I'm going tae fuck ye just a little 'n' slowly. Don't ye dare come before ah say so."

He thrust into you, at last giving you what you so desperately needed. Spreading your buttcheeks, he stroke over the buttplug with his thumb, making you moan out loud. Chibs leaned over you, bringing his hot mouth toward your ear.
 "Who's the only one allowed to touch ye?"


"Y-you," you barely managed to get out.

"What was that? Say it louder," he demanded. Why was his voice so sexy?

"You!" you cried out with pleasure.

"Good girl," he murmured into your ear before grabbing your hips and beginning to fuck you harder and faster. You were almost there, but he hasn't allowed you to come. You spread your legs wider, rotating your hips and meeting his movements. Your breath became short.

"Do ye want to come?" Not being able to form any coherent sentence, you just nodded.

Instead of answering, he took off the blindfold, flipped you over, and kissed you hard. His thrusts became more erratic. He brushed your hair out of your face and leaned his forehead against yours.

Your orgasm hit you like an earthquake, bucking your hips you enclosed Chibs with your legs, wanting to feel him even deeper inside you, be even more connected with him. He groaned and you could feel his cock twitching as he came, shuddering. He kissed you deeply, almost tenderly, conveying all his feelings for you.

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

Both of you were still shaking, as you snuggled up to him.

"When are we going to tell the others?" you wanted to know.

"Lass, I don't think there's a need to do that anymore - they already know now," he laughed.

You punched his shoulder, glaring at him.

"Alright, alright, I got the message. Tomorrow, okay?"

Well, you could live with that. Smiling, you cuddled up against him, never wanting to let go again, ever.

[seokiloquy]

Bruised Ink - Kageyama Tobio

Soulmate AU: When you write on your skin it appears in the same spot on your soulmates body

Requested (though I changed it a bit to keep it as canon as possible)

Tags/Warnings: GN!Reader, Kageyama being a bit of an airhead, mild swearing

Word Count: 1.7K+

Art club, morning, lunch, and after school. Though admittedly your art club supervisor / English teacher didn’t enjoy seeing an eager face so early in the morning. She, over a matter of days, had gotten used to your silent presence in the corner of the art room as she worked on papers, occasionally asking for your opinion on a topic. 

“See you after school!” you called down the hall, before waving to your aforementioned supervisor who was talking to the art teacher in the corner.

You flicked your uniform jacket off, letting it hang off the top of a chair as you ran to your canvas. The clean paint brushes waited patiently next to the progressing piece of art and your pallet rested next to them, mummified and waiting to let it’s paints feel the air again. You delicately picked at the tape wrapped around the pallet, pulling it off to reveal the chemical smell of acrylics.

You gazed at your painting for a moment, admiring the contrasting muted colours that blended nicely into the slowly fading background. Taking a brush, no larger than the width of your pinky, you reached for a vibrant green and royal blue, ready to dollop small portions onto your pallet. You huffed through your nose as a clump of blue stuck to your fingers. With no paper towel in sight, you kept your mouth shut and rubbed the paint against the back of your opposite arm. 

“You’re going to stain your skin,” your teacher huffed behind you as she walked to her desk, brushing a free hand through her bob cut. “It looks almost like a bad bruise.”

You sighed, picking up your pallet and brush, gently working the bright teal colour you mixed into the layers of your canvas. “Maybe, but if I’m lucky it’ll be gone before any of the other teachers notice just like every other time.”

She gave you a quirked brow sliding into your spinning chair that was tucked into the corner of the room. She grabbed a pen with one hand and sipped on her coffee mug with the other. “What do you mean by that?”

You laughed. “Every time I doodle, draw, paint, or just anything on my skin whatsoever, it’s gone before I see it again.” 

“So your soulmate’s washing it off before class?” she hummed, turning her eyes away from your blocked-out painting and onto the sheets before her.

“I don’t have a tattoo or a red string, so most likely, ya. They probably don’t want to get in trouble. Or maybe they’re in a swim club and don’t even notice it?”

Chuckling she looked up but kept her head down, gifting you the sight of a mischievous look. “Or they could be sweating it all off.”

“How often does a person sweat to get rid of that much ink on a daily basis?”

“There are some dedicated athletes out there.” She shrugged, rubbing the golden tattoo on the back of her hand. “Then again, all soulmate connections are a bit different.

Humming, you turned back to your painting that leaned against the wall. “What are you working on this morning, Ms. Ono?”

Behind you, a page flipped followed by a groan. “First-year English.”

“First-year? I thought you taught second-year English?”

“I did for Sugawara’s class, but I usually teach the first-year.”

You pushed your brush into the canvas a little harder. “Damn, I thought I would get to be in your class.”

“Sorry, kiddo, but you wouldn’t be in my English class anyway. But your Japanese is improving!”

You huffed through your nose. “I’d hope so, the Sugawara’s really aren’t giving me a break.” You studied your canvas and took a step back, looking at how the light bounced off the surface and made the teal look with the less saturated colours.

“Good on them.”

“Don’t encourage it!”

“Kageyama, what happened to your arm?”

The boy’s grown out bowl cut swished as he flipped his arms around turning his head in search before eventually finding the offending colour that had spread into his skin. Twisting his arm, he gave the colour an indecisive look, before poking it his index finger. “Must be a bruise. Probably smacked it when we were setting up the net. Doesn’t hurt though. So hurry up, let’s get started.”

“Why does everyone have to get to school so early,” Sugawara mumbled to himself, pushing the door to the gym open as he ruffled his hair. He spoke louder, “Tanaka, can’t you stop these two?”

“Sorry, dude. But I’m having fun with this. Why are you here so early anyway?”

Sugawara sat down in the doorway, changing his shoes and rolling off his uniform pants to reveal his loose shorts for practice. “(Y/N) has been coming to school early to paint. And my parents said ‘they’ll get lost, you go too’ instead of ‘no, sleep a little longer.’” 

Tanaka huffed through his nose, “Has (L/N) been settling in well?”

“Oh ya. Eichi loves the new company. But now I have to keep up with essentially two siblings instead of one and these two idiots.” The silver-haired boy yawned as he gestured at the two first years that yelled at each other while throwing balls into the air.

Tanaka gets out a gruff chuckle before running into the centre of the gym to join the duo with endless energy.

“Gone again,” you mumbled as you slowly packed up the bento box that Koushi’s mom had prepared for you.

Your arm, which had been covered in paint stains and ink marks across the whole colour spectrum, had been wiped clean. No doubt the work of your soulmate and whatever activity they partook in during their free time. 

Grumbling, you took out your white ink pen and doodled a subtle frowning face on the inner crease of your wrist.

Ms. Ono rose from her seat, patting away invisible dirt that clung to her dark pencil skirt as the warning bell sounded through the speaker system. “Alright, (L/N). I have a class to teach, out you get.” She shuffled hat stacked papers in her hand, pausing for a moment as a look of realization was thrown onto her face. “Oh and, there won’t be art club this evening, so tell the other members too.”

“What? but that’s the best part of my day!”

“Sorry, (L/N) but I can’t be in here all the time.”

You whined, following the English teacher out of the room. Mr. Sato, the art head, walked into the paint-filled classroom as you left. You both gave him a friendly nod, before continuing with your conversation. “What can I do then? I’m not allowed to go home alone.”

Ms. Ono hummed, “Why don’t you sit in on Sugawara’s volleyball practice, you can use it as a figure study and sketch in your notebook.”

“I guess that’s not a bad idea.”

“Well, there you go. Alright, get, to class or you’ll be late.” She stepped into her sunlit classroom, walking straight for her desk with clicking heels.

You left the entryway of class 1-1’s homeroom and started making your way down the hall to your own room in class 1-4. As you weaved through the crowded hall of first years you kept your head up, looking for the nearest tunnel of space, only to get locked against the wall staring into the eyes of an intense schoolmate you were unaware of.

“Uh sorry,” you mumbled, looking away from his pinched brow and sharp eyes that only held your gaze for a moment.

He raised a brow, looking down the hall behind you to his classroom. Saying nothing, he huffed and schooled his expression. Placing the opposite hand on your shoulder, he spun your body to be behind him, switching locations, and continued down the hall. You watched his flat black hair bounce as he turned into class 1-3’s room.

“Well, isn’t he sweaty,” you mumbled to yourself as you made the last few steps into your classroom.

“Koushi, Koushi, Koushi. Are you sure it’s okay for me to sit in?”

“Just don’t encourage any foolishness and it should be fine. We still have to practice.”

You nodded, following your homestay as he led you to his club’s gym, rambling about his teammates.

“Ah, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi? They’re in my class. I didn’t know they played volleyball.”

“Do you talk to them?”

“No sir, I do not think Tsukishima's intimidating.”

Sugawara led you to the side where their manager stood, speaking with one of the teachers you had seen running around the school, you bowed silently as Sugawara quickly gave an introduction and ran off to change his shoes and clothes.

The group had an easy time ignoring your presence as you sat on the metal bench, flipping coloured pens between your fingers. Rough doodles filled the page as messily scribbled outlines took the form of the players you saw before you. Some were stretched out in the air while others dove to the ground in elegant swoops. 

Your pen skidded across the paper.

“Damn,” you muttered, lifting the tip and forcing it into the papers again. Nothing.

Twirling the ink-filled tool between your fingers you shifted the sketchbook off your lap and taking the pen to the surface of your skin.

The ink skidded, leaving uneven marks in an indecipherable pattern along the surface of your skin before running dry. You reached for another pen, only for the result to repeat. You grabbed another, and another. The pattern continued, pushing and pulling, dragging the fine tips as they slowly began to cover the entire surface of the back of your hand in every colour including your white ink, which luckily still worked fine and contrasted brilliantly with the muddied mess on your hand.

You huffed out a quiet cheer of success, finding that a majority of your pens worked fine, and placed the forgotten book back into your lap, coloured pages ready to be drawn over with your trusty series of pens.

“Yo, Kageyama. Is that another bruise?”

God this one is vague as hell but I didn’t have to brainpower to make it any more decipherable. 

It was originally requested that the reader be Sugawara’s little sibling but he only canonically has a little brother, not everyone physically looks like Sugawara, and the adoption trope is meh to me. So I went with a foreign exchange student that is being housed by his family. (if you couldn’t tell)

This au, in particular, is very hard because we try to keep our character (being Y/N) physically ambiguous for the purpose of allowing everybody to enjoy reading it. This au very much panders to those with lighter skin, so I apologize if I didn’t make it as open as I could’ve and please let me know if there are ways I can make this sort of au better. I want everyone to enjoy reading them and not feel excluded.

That’s all, and I hope everyone is healthy and safe. - Bacon

Posted: 06/12/2020

[autumnsart22]

Oikawa x reader ch. 13

Sorry for the late update, but it’s still Sunday so I’m good lol. Hope you enjoy!

As I wandered out of the club, I ignored all of the drunken yells and shouts calling me back to the dancefloor. I kept my eyes forward, barely even able to see straight as I walked with single minded determination towards the exit. I needed to get out of this club. 

Right as I reached the door, the dark haired girl from before appeared right in front of me, a sultry look on her face. 

“Hey, you’re leaving already?” She wrapped her arms around me, and it took all the strength in my body to not shove her as hard as I could. 

Go back to that dumb bitch you were with before if you want to feel better about yourself!

I clenched my jaw, but effortlessly pulled her hands from around my neck, walking away without a word. 

When I finally got to my car I sat in numb silence, unable to make myself move. I couldn’t stop seeing the shocked and hurt expression on Y/n’s face right before she walked away from me, telling me she wanted me out of her life forever. I hadn’t meant what I said, not even a little bit. I wanted to tell her that, to chase after her and call her a million times until I got the chance to explain.

I pulled out my phone, dialing her number before I could think, but it went straight to voicemail. 

“Hi, this is Y/n! Sorry I can’t answer the phone right now, but I’ll call you back as soon as I can…” 

My chest ached. Taking a few deep, heaving breaths, I rested my forehead against the steering wheel, trying to relax. It would be fine; I would just call her again tomorrow and explain. Everything would go back to normal. 

There was a loud tapping on my window, and I jolted. Iwaizumi stood outside, gesturing for me to open the door. 

“Get into the passenger seat, Shittykawa,” Iwa snapped, and I decided not to argue, silently moving to the other end of the car. Iwaizumi took my place on the drivers side, starting the car and putting it into reverse. 

We drove in silence for a long while, neither of us sure of what to say. 

I was the one who ended up speaking first. “She’s never going to forgive me, Iwa.” 

My best friend shot a glare at me, looking annoyed. “Don’t be stupid.” 

“You don’t understand. The things I said…” 

“Oikawa, neither of you handled the situation well at all, ok? That doesn't mean you won’t forgive each other.”

“What do I do?”

He sighed, leaning back. “I have no idea. That’s up to you to decide. For right now, I’d give it a little bit of time for you both to get some space, and then figure out a way to show that you’re sorry.” 

Space? Time? I didn’t want either of those things. But I knew that Iwaizumi was right in that regard. Both of us needed to cool off, even though I didn’t want to admit it. 

Iwaizumi pulled up in front of my house, face hard even though I could see the glimmer of concern in his eyes. “You going to be ok?”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’ll try.” 

✨✨✨✨

Y/n POV: 

It had been one full week since the horrible night at the club, and I hadn’t spoken to Oikawa once. The Sunday after the party, I cried every hour, and I ended up emailing coach Nobuteru asking for a few days off like a coward. I must have sounded pretty pathetic, because he ended up giving me the whole week. 

Avoiding practice didn’t mean I could avoid Oikawa all together, even though Seijoh was pretty big. In fact, I felt like I saw him everywhere throughout the school day. I began to keep my eyes peeled for his familiar tall figure and fluffy hair, turning around whenever I spotted him. It caused me to be late to a few classes, but it was better than the awkward interaction and the pain that would have ensued otherwise. 

What hurt the most was the fact that he didn’t seem that upset. Whenever I saw him, he was usually surrounded by people (mostly girls) talking and laughing like there was nothing wrong. Maybe to him, there wasn’t. Did I really matter that little to him? 

He also made no attempts to contact me or talk at all. I had received one call at 2am on the night of the party, but after that, contact went dead. 

My only form of communication was Iwa, and we both had made a silent pact to not mention HIM. Instead, we spent a few afternoons taking walks, going out to lunch, or eating snacks in his car while listening to angry rap. I was happy that I got to be with Iwaizumi without Oikawa as a constant distraction for once. I felt like we got closer because of it, and it became easy to talk to him about how I was feeling (excluding any mention of HIM). In return, he told me more about his mom, and eventually wanted me to meet her. We ended up visiting her in the hospital after school one day, and I held Iwa’s hand the whole time. She was in a deep sleep, but Iwaizumi told her about his day, and I introduced myself. As we left, I promised that I would take care of her son. 

Seeing Iwa’s mom made me realize how ridiculous the fight with Oikawa was, and how pitiful I was being. I refused to be the girl ruining her life over a boy. 

I couldn’t stop my chest from hurting though. 

Not working as Aoba Josiah's manager freed up a lot of my free time, and I ended up going to most of Karasuno’s practices after school. Being with the team lifted my spirits, especially when I noticed Hinata and Kageyama holding hands. 

They had noticeably improved, better than I had ever seen them. They worked as a coherent team, picking up each other's slack when one of the team members fell short, to the point where I was blown away. I wished I could be wholeheartedly happy for them, but all I could think about was how Aoba Johsai would have to face Karasuno in the finals. When had I become so loyal to Seijoh? 

Oikawa POV: 

The week after the party was hell.

The first day back at school I had a plan to corner Y/n after practice, but she ended up not showing. When I questioned Iwaizumi about it, he told me that she had decided not to come for the rest of the week, but if I wanted a reason, I would have to talk to her myself. I tried pressing him for more, but he was like a concrete (iron) wall. I clearly wasn’t going to get any help from him. 

After that, I looked for her everywhere in the halls, hoping to get a moment alone to talk. I spotted flashes of her a few times, but she always seemed to be moving away from me and I was always with people, so I couldn’t run after her. I considered calling her a few times, but chickened out, not sure if I would be able to handle her declining my calls. Iwaizumi had said to give her space anyway, so maybe I should wait. 

But I couldn’t get the image of her tear stained face out of my head though. Every moment, even as I faked smiles and laughs, my chest physically ached. I felt like I was being torn up inside, watching her slide farther away. 

On Friday after school, I headed to the office to get some permission slips signed for an away practice game coming up. My headphones blasted the 1975 into my ears, drowning out anyone trying to talk to me as I strode down the hall. A few girls stepped in my way, but I gave them apologetic smiles and kept moving. I was already late for practice, and I knew coach Nobuteru was going to make me run extra laps as punishment. 

I stepped into the cool office, breathing in the smell of copy paper and air freshener. My entire body froze as I spotted Y/n standing by the front desk, speaking to the woman behind the counter. 

As I approached, the woman paused in her conversation with Y/n. “Oikawa-san, it’s wonderful to see you!” I watched Y/n visibly stiffen, turning slowly to face me. I watched her face twist with some emotion I couldn’t name when she saw me, and I attempted a bright smile. 

“You as well, Ms. Suzuki. I was just here to get these papers signed.” I held them out, and the registrar smiled. 

“Of course,” she said, before turning back to Y/n. “I’ll get those copies you wanted if you just wait here a moment.”

Y/n gave a strained smile, pulling out her phone as the woman disappeared into the back office. I noticed her fingers trembling slightly as she scrolled through instagram. 

WhatdoIsaywhatdoIsaywhatdoIsay…

“Why haven’t you been at practice?” I blurted, my voice coming out all wrong. I sounded like I didn’t care. 

She swallowed twice, not looking at me. “I needed some more time to focus on my homework.” 

Liar, she was such a dirty liar. She had never struggled with homework before, and she was one of smartest people I knew. 

“You--” 

Ms. Suzuki emerged from the back office, smiling brightly as she handed Y/n and I back our papers. The second my manager got her hands on the copies, she turned and practically sprinted from the office. 

“Y/n wait--!” 

The door slammed and she was gone. 

      ✨✨✨✨

Y/n POV:

I sat on my bed, trying to finish the math packet I had gotten in class today. The work wasn’t very hard, it just took a long time, and my brain felt dead. 

I was also majorly distracted. I couldn’t stop replaying the encounter with Oikawa over in my head, the horrible awkwardness and the sickening feeling when he smiled at me like everything was normal. I felt like a coward, unable to face him. I was sure he thought I was deranged after I had quite literally sprinted from the building. 

My pencil broke on the page, and I cursed, throwing the useless thing aside in frustration. As I reached for another on my bedside table, I heard a knock from downstairs on the front door. My mom was out at a business conference in Osaka, and my father was in his office working, so he wouldn’t be able to get the door. 

I groaned rolling to my feet. Who the hell would be knocking at this hour? 

I padded down the stairs, rubbing my eyes and stretching as I walked to the door. When I opened it, I felt my stomach explode and fly right out of my mouth as I blinked up at Oikawa standing on my porch. 

“Hey,” he shifted awkwardly, looking a little shy. He wore adidas pants and a regular white t-shirt, a black beanie covering his hair, and I was suddenly overly aware of my disgusting yellow pajama shirt and pink shorts I wore. 

I didn’t respond, my brain unable to catch up. 

He cleared his throat and stepped towards me, eyes on my face. “Y/n… I came here to apologize.” 

I let out a slow breath. “W-why?” I could feel tears already coming, but I clenched my fists. No crying. 

“Why what?” 

“Why are you here to apologize? I thought you didn’t care, and wanted nothing to do with me.” 

Oikawa’s eyebrows scrunched together. “You keep saying that...why do you think I don’t care about you? I do, a lot.” 

My hands were shaking. “I--” 

He stepped closer, towering over me, and I had to lean my head back to see his face. “Y/n, I wish I could take back what I said. I didn’t mean it, and I never want to make you sad again.” 

“It was my fault though. I shouldn’t have…” I trailed off, unable to look at him. 

“You-you had no obligation not to kiss Ushiwaka.” His jaw clenched but he continued. “I overreacted and blamed you. Please accept my apology? I don’t want to lose you.” 

My lower lip trembled. “You’re so…” I sniffled and looked away. “You don’t need to apologize. We both reacted badly.”

“But you’ll forgive me? I can’t take not having you around. This week has been hell.” 

I blinked, my face growing hot. “But I thought...” 

“What? That I didn’t care about our fight?” 

“I-I mean, you didn’t look that upset…” 

Oikawa let out a frustrated breath. “You don’t know anything.” “Then tell me.” 

His eyes were dark, his breath washing across my face as he leaned towards me. “I missed having you around, Chibi-chan, so much I could barely breathe. I don’t ever want to be the one to make you cry again, ok? I do care about you. Don’t forget it.”

I let out a half sob, half laugh, and my head fell forward to hit his chest. “Ok,” I whispered. “I’m sorry for walking away from you, and for kissing that dibshit. I didn’t mean for it to hurt you.” 

I gasped in surprise when he crushed me in a hug, his face buried in my neck. “I forgive you,” he murmured in my ear, and I relaxed, breathing in his familiar smell. 

After a long moment, he pulled away and I shuffled awkwardly. “Um, do you want to come in?” 

He grinned and shrugged. “Sure.”

He trailed behind me, kicking off his shoes and following me up the stairs to my bedroom. I flicked on the light, suddenly feeling extremely self conscious. My room was pretty simple, but it suddenly felt way too childish. I bit my lip, blushing furiously, but Oikawa looked delighted. 

“Is this you as a baby?” He grinned down at a picture of me dressed in a pumpkin costume when I was two. “You were so cute!” 

I smiled shyly, pulling him away and flopping on my bed. It was big enough to fit both of us shoulder to shoulder, and I opened my computer and pulled up Netflix. “Do you wanna watch something?” 

He nodded, scrolling through the list of movies available. “Horror?” He grinned wickedly. 

I rolled my eyes. “You hate horror movies, and so do I!” 

He shrugged. “So? Let’s just give it a try.” 

We ended up starting to watch the Grudge, which was about a cursed house and a ghost haunting and murdering everyone who entered said house. 

It was not the right decision. Oikawa hid his face for most of the movie and screamed like a child at the jump scares, and I was so freaked out I clutched his arm in a death grip, so hard he probably lost circulation. 

We stopped halfway, unable to continue, and Oikawa whined that he was too scared to go home alone now. I laughed, not arguing, because I didn’t want him to leave either. 

“I have ice cream downstairs, so I’m going to go grab it,” I said, rolling off the bed and heading to the door. The second I saw the dark, creepy hall, I insisted Oikawa come with me. Especially since it was his fault we had watched the movie in the first place. 

We held onto each other's arms as we slowly crept down the stairs, listening for any sign of ghosts or serial killers. I almost had a heart attack when my cat crept past us, which made Oikawa laugh his head off. 

In the kitchen, I snatched two spoons and sat on the floor, leaning my back up against the cupboard. Oikawa sat next to me, his long legs stretching way farther than mine. The ice cream tub was massive, easily shared between two people, and we munched on it in comfortable silence. I thought it was weird that I could be so happy sitting on the kitchen floor eating ice cream at 3am with Oikawa, more happy than I was during most other exciting moments. How did he do this to me?

“I’m glad you’re here, Tooru.” I turned to look at him, watching his face redden. Did he not want me using his first name? Shit, maybe I’d gone too far…

He cleared his throat before staring at me earnestly. “Me too.” 

I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. 

Chapter 12

Chapter 14

[sparklyjojos]

THE SAIMON FAMILY CASE recaps [4/13]

In which our detectives meet the great magician, talk about the theory of illusion a lot, and Kirigirisu is charmed.

--

PART 3

The first person narrator of the framing device shows up for a brief page to tell us about a memory predating the Case a few years. That was when he first visited the Saimon family—and when he became aware of her existence for the first time.

Crouching to watch the beautiful carps in the canal by the family’s residence, he lifted his sight and noticed first a visibly pregnant belly, then its owner: a woman in a black tomesode looking back at him, her gentle sight full of love befitting a mother.

He would later learn that her name was Tsukumo Yumeji.

--

Though the reader has already witnessed the splendid magical show of November 23rd, let us go back in time a day to the evening of 22nd, for that is when Ajiro Souji and Kirigirisu Tarou arrive in Yamaguchi. The circus schedules two performances a day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, so free time after the evening performance seems like the perfect time to speak with Soga Tensui.

The detectives head towards the giant white tent against the stream of people who have just finished watching the show. Once they explain they’re here on Tensui's request, a young staff member leads them through the circus grounds—next to the souvenir booths, the toilets, and so forth—towards the restricted area by the back wall of the tent, where he holds the entrance open for them and beckons them to go through.

The staff area is a square of open space surrounded by a few smaller tents, with a bunch of trailer houses in the middle making the place feel cramped. People dressed in staff jackets are hanging all around. A couple of men still have their clown outfits on.

Kirigirisu is enthralled by this unusual sight; he has never seen something like this before and tries to take in everything at once. Ajiro, who has been walking in front of him, turns around to say something… but instead goes still, staring at something right behind Kirigirisu’s back. It’s probably just that young staff member who has been following them, but Ajiro’s strange expression makes Kirigirisu turn around to look as well.

Standing there is not the young staff member, but a tall man about fifty years of age, his magnificent stature and dignity making him seem an emperor, his jet-black hair elegantly swept back, his intense features adorned with a thin Kaiser moustache. He regards the detectives in complete silence, no visible emotions on his face, dark eyes intense, and the staff jacket he’s wearing does little to counteract the sheer power of his presence. He must have intentionally crept up upon them, patiently waiting for them to notice.

“You… you must be Soga Tensui?” Kirigirisu finally manages to say.

Instead of answering, the man removes his right glove, sticks his hand out for Kirigirisu to shake, then quickly puts the glove back on. Though the man’s hand looked empty, Kirigirisu realizes that a small piece of paper was somehow left in his own hand. It’s about the size of a business card, but says only:

Nice to meet you, I’m Soga Tensui.

And on the other side:

Nice to meet you, Kirigirisu Tarou.

“You already know my name…?” Kirigirisu is confused. Did Ajiro tell the man about him beforehand? He glances at Ajiro, but is met with an impenetrable stone face, so he shrugs off the surprise and presents his own business card. “It is indeed nice to meet you. I am a member of Nihon Tantei Club, Kirigirisu Tarou. I’m looking forward to our cooperation…”

Tensui accepts the business card, then holds it on top of his open left palm, covers it with his right, uncovers it, and… the business card has magically changed into a copy of Tensui’s own card. He shows both sides to stunned Kirigirisu. Nice to meet you, Kirigirisu Tarou. Nice to meet you, I’m Soga Tensui. Then Tensui uses his free right hand to point intently between his jacket’s right pocket and Kirigirisu.

“Are you asking me to look inside your pocket?” Kirigirisu once more glances at still completely serious Ajiro, who just nods, so he follows the instructions. “...I looked, but there doesn’t appear to be anything inside.”

Tensui nods, puts his right hand inside the pocket that has just been confirmed to be empty… and pulls out Kirigiru’s business card out of it.

“But—how?!” Kirigirisu can’t help but shout.

“Are you sure you checked thoroughly?” Ajiro sounds like he’s poking fun at him.

“I’m sure I did.” Kirigirisu is already feeling lost, but surprises don’t end there.

Tensui puts Kirigirisu’s card back in his right pocket, then tears his own card in half. The piece with Nice to meet you is given to Kirigirisu, then Tensui holds up the one with I’m Soga Tensui in his right hand so they can see it clearly. His left hand pulls out a lighter from his left pocket, lights the card on fire, and puts the lighter back. Once the fire subsides, an orange silk handkerchief shows up out of nowhere in its place. Tensui gestures at Kirigirisu to take and inspect it.

“It’s normal silk.” Kirigirisu tries to pass it to Ajiro, but he just shakes his head, I’m good.

Tensui takes the handkerchief back with his right hand, then makes a fist with his left and stuffs the handkerchief inside through a tiny opening between his fingers, the orange color peeking out. He moves his fingers like he’s curling the material inside into a ball, finally opens his fist… and instead of a handkerchief there is an actual orange ball there. He lets it bounce a few times on his palm, throws it high in the air—dumbfounded Kirigirisu following it with his sight—then catches it with both hands… but it has now turned into a mandarin orange.

From a burning business card to a silk handkerchief, to a ball, to an orange. Kirigirisu is already shocked out of his mind, but the show still doesn’t seem to be over, for Tensui gives him the orange and mimes peeling off the skin. Kirigirisu has no choice but to entrust his Nice to meet you scrap to Ajiro, then start to peel the orange… inside of which he finds a tightly rolled piece of paper.

The piece of paper is one half of a business card, saying I’m Soga Tensui on one side and Kirigirisu Tarou on the other, its torn edge a perfect fit to the Nice to meet you part Ajiro has been holding onto.

Kirigirisu has been involved in his fair share of strange and complicated cases over the years, but nothing has ever shaken him as much as the last few minutes.

A small applause arises next to him; Ajiro is clapping.

“I see you've improved further, Gensui,” he says.

Gensui? Kirigirisu looks closer at the torn card and notices that indeed it says I’m Soga Gensui, as if the printed words have magically transformed.

Tensui (Gensui?) finally loses his unemotional facade and gives them a genuine, gentle smile, a great contrast to his previously stern features.

“Forgive me for this little surprise,” he says in a fittingly deep, friendly voice. “Let me say it once more: my name is Soga Gensui, and it is nice to meet you, Kirigirisu Tarou.”

Kirigirisu is still in shock, but Gensui’s sudden change from an impenetrable wall to an affable fellow is accompanied by such relief that it makes him automatically crack a smile of his own.

“Likewise. So you aren’t Soga Tensui, but Soga Gensui?”

“Well, I am also Soga Tensui. As long as I don’t speak, that is.” Seeing Kirigirisu’s confusion, he adds, “You’ll understand once you meet my older brother. He is Soga Tensui, see.”

“Let’s leave explanations for later, Gensui,” Ajiro interrupts.

“As you wish, Souji.”

Looks like these two are good friends despite the age difference. For some strange reason, the thought evokes feelings of jealousy and loneliness in Kirigirisu; maybe it’s because as a man with no past, he finds Ajiro about the only person in his life he can truly be close with, other than his wife Kano.

Unfortunately, Gensui can’t really talk with them right now; tomorrow is the concluding day of the current show repertoire, and many preparations are still in order. What’s more, Gensui wants the two detectives to watch tomorrow's show first before they discuss the case in details. (While he is smiling a lot, whenever he mentions the case his face goes back to utterly serious.) The plan is that tomorrow evening after the show they will catch a ride with the Saimons to go back to their hometown, Tsuwano. That same night they will attend the wake of Saimon Yuuta, the third possible victim who was found dead just a couple days ago.

Since Gensui has to go help everybody prepare, Kirigirisu gets more information from Ajiro as they’re walking to the inn where they intend to spend the night.

The man they’ve just met is Saimon Suigetsu (48), whose stage name is Soga Gensui. He’s the younger brother and body double of Saimon Ryuusui (50), who’s known as Soga Tensui. It’s easy to get lost in all these similar names, especially considering that all of them have sui (“water”) in them somewhere.

[To explain a bit more about their names: Ryuusui is written 流水, just like the JDC author’s pen name, and means “flowing water”, “stream”. His stage name Tensui (天水) literally means “rainwater”, with the individual kanji standing for “sky” and “water”, perhaps referring to his Sky Walk and Sea Walk.

Suigetsu (水月) is a term meaning the Moon’s reflection in water, and the first kanji of Gensui (幻水) means a “phantom” or an “illusion”—quite fitting for a double.]

According to Ajiro, Gensui wanted to see for himself what kind of person Kirigirisu was before making his identity known. Apparently Kirigirisu made a positive first impression, so Gensui sent a sneaky signal to Ajiro, who only then could start referring to the man as “Gensui”.

While the two brothers are not twins, for show purposes they made themselves look as similar as possible. A part of this was introducing easily noticeable and memorable things to their looks: the tailcoat, the hairstyle, the moustache. Any good detective knows that people tend to remember characteristic details like that and overlook more subtle differences.

(As they are walking, Kirigirisu gets a strange feeling of deja vu. Perhaps he visited Yamaguchi before, just can't remember it.)

--

Soon, Ajiro and Kirigirisu settle down in a room at a traditional inn, the kind where you sit in a tatami room on legless chairs on opposite sides of a low table, eating local delicacies and having an inn employee ready to assist you whenever you clap your hands. It’s quite a relaxing time, in part because they got some alcohol inside them already and the conversation is flowing well. Maybe they’re getting a bit too relaxed on a job trip, but hey, they have time to spare, and are already close enough to consider the other something of a family member.

The conversation inevitably drifts back to the magician brothers.

“Just like Gensui himself said, he serves as his brother Tensui’s double,” Ajiro says. “Because of that, he must act like Soga Tensui in front of outsiders, at least until they prove themselves trustworthy. You can’t reveal this secret to anyone, do you understand? Not even your wife. I didn’t tell mine either.”

Kirigirisu knows that Ajiro is married to a kind woman called Mizuki and that they have a little boy called Souya. Apparently Mizuki was born in Shimane prefecture, just like the Saimons, and just like the two magician brothers she has the kanji for “water” (mizu) in her name… but surely that���s just a coincidence.

“Understood. I won’t tell anyone, not even Kano.”

“Looks like Gensui can judge people well.” Ajiro smiles a little.

“By the way, boss, this may be a baseless doubt on my part, but… have you ever actually seen both Tensui and Gensui at the same time?”

“You’ve barely just met one of them, and you’re already doubting the other’s existence?”

“No, that’s not what I—”

“Don’t worry. If anything, doubting is what makes a detective. However, I can assure you that Tensui and Gensui are two different people. I’ve met both at the same time, even.”

“Are they really so similar that no one ever notices? Not even their close ones?”

“The Saimons know, of course. The show is mostly ran by their family, but they employ some additional staff that doesn’t know the secret.”

“It’s beyond my understanding how two people could manage something like that. To always pretend to be the same person in front of their staff...”

“Then you still don’t understand what kind of people Tensui and Gensui are. They are magicians. Pretending that they are one and the same person is a part of the act.”

Kirigirisu shares his theory on how Gensui managed to sneak behind them earlier. He couldn’t just mix in with the crowd, since always perceptive Ajiro would spot him, so he probably hid himself in one of the nearby toilets, waited until they passed by, came out and quickly switched places with the young staff member. The switch had to happen just as Ajiro and Kirigirisu were getting through the entrance to the restricted area. However, it still seems strange how much Gensui had to rely on sheer luck; if they randomly looked back and witnessed the switch in progress, wouldn’t that break the illusion?

“Do you think a famous magician wouldn’t have already anticipated the possibility?” Ajiro answers with a question. “What may look to you like a lucky coincidence was actually a carefully calculated inevitability. Something like us suddenly turning around simply would not happen.”

Kirigirisu recalls that moment again and realizes just what Ajiro means. At the time, they had just entered a restricted area filled with smaller tents, trailer houses, staff walking all around, some people still in costume. These sights were something not many people were used to and would almost certainly take a minute to stare at. In fact, did Ajiro not turn around first, maybe Kirigirisu would never notice Gensui, too focused on the scenery in front of him.

“The possibility that we wouldn’t turn around was indeed high,” Kirigirisu admits, “but I wouldn’t say you can make an outcome of a situation like this completely inevitable.”

“You can if you use misdirection,” Ajiro says. “In magician vocabulary, it means pulling the audience’s attention away from something. Leading them in a wrong direction, hence: misdirection.” Seeing that Kirigirisu still doubts him, he adds, “If you think that misdirection can't make an illusion inevitably work, then… how about this?”

Ajiro rolls up his sleeves, holds his lit cigarette between two fingers of his right hand and stretches his arm towards the ashtray. Kirigirisu has no idea what’s going on, but something clearly is, so he looks at the cigarette in anticipation. Ajiro stretches his left hand forward as well, and suddenly—flings the lit cigarette towards it, left hand immediately closing in a fist. Thin wisps of smoke arise from between his fingers. The heat must be unbearable, but Ajiro seems unfazed. He points to the fist using his right hand, look closely, then slowly opens the fist… revealing absolutely nothing inside. He shows that both the front and back of his left hand look normal, no cigarette anywhere. Then, as if guessing Kirigirisu’s immediate thought, shows his right hand as well. Empty.

It’s not a big illusion, but Kirigirisu’s entire world still turns upside down. Despite knowing Ajiro for a few years, he’s never ever suspected that the man could do magic. Maybe every single person on the planet can, and he just forgot about it like about everything else, who knows at this point.

But even as he remains speechless, Kirigirisu’s brain is already working hard, his detective instinct yearning to logically explain what seems unsolvable.

The cigarette had to still be there, and still be lit, to give off smoke. Lack of a burn wound meant Ajiro couldn’t extinguish it in his hand. Therefore, it was probably still lit at the current moment, and couldn’t be hidden away easily without giving off smoke. But hidden where? Ajiro’s sleeves are rolled up. What is the trick?

Before he can figure it out, Ajiro once again shows him that both his hands are empty.

“Look closely,” he says. “I’m not holding anything, right? So if I now curl my left hand into a fist...” He does so. ”...there should be nothing inside, shouldn’t it? Now please hold it tight between your hands.”

Kirigirisu holds Ajiro’s fist with both his hands. He has to strongly lean forward on his knees to do that, and sincerely hopes that no one enters the room to see them in that awkward pose.

“You saw there was nothing in my hand,” Ajiro says, “and you yourself are holding it closed now. Wouldn’t it be strange if something appeared inside?”

“Strange? That would really have to be magic!”

“Then let me show you magic.” Ajiro reaches from below with his right hand, fingers squeezing in inside his fist as if he wants to pull something out… and at the same time, a wisp of smoke rises from between his and Kirigirisu’s fingers.

“That’s impossible!” Kirigirisu forgets himself and yells when Ajiro pulls out the lit cigarette from inside his fist.

“That’s quite an overreaction,” Ajiro comments with a slight smile. “I wouldn’t even call it magic, more like a small sleight of hand.”

Kirigirisu isn’t sure what the difference would be, considering that even if it was sleight of hand, it definitely looked like pure magic to him… maybe even more than Gensui’s act. Gensui was a professional magician, so one could prepare emotionally for the meeting, expect to see a few illusions from him, and know deep inside that there is always a logical method behind his act.

Ajiro, on the other hand, has just randomly done something that made him look like a wizard.

Maybe it's the surprise involved that makes an act truly magical; had Kirigirisu known about Ajiro’s skills before, he probably wouldn’t be nearly as astonished. Without time to prepare, he felt the same shock he would if a case’s culprit turned out to be someone not even on the list of suspects.

...interesting how when his brain couldn’t understand the illusion, it instead started analysing his own reactions.

“Can I borrow one of yours?”  Ajiro gestures to Kirigirisu’s pack of cigarettes.

“Take as many as you want, boss.”

“And I can do anything I want with them?”

“Yes, but… what are you going to do with them?”

“You won’t protest if I snap one in half, then?” And like he says, he does, despite definitely not being the type of person who would just take an underling’s cigarette and destroy it.

Before Kirigirisu can blink, Ajiro is throwing one half (only one half?) of the cigarette between his hands, playing catch ball with it. Eventually, he catches it in between fingers of both hands so that it can’t be seen. He opens his hands, revealing that the cigarette is now back to being whole.

“These are just bar tricks, but they help explain the use of misdirection.” Ajiro’s left hand makes a fist into which he inserts the cigarette. He holds it closed for a while, making strange stroking movements with his fingers, then opens his hand. No cigarette. Right hand empty as well.

Suddenly, Ajiro’s sight starts to wander, as if he’s noticed a fly. Kirigirisu follows his sight, but can’t see anything. Ajiro points to an empty spot in the air with his left hand, reaches there, grabs something invisible and holds it in his fist. He reaches inside his fist from below… and out comes the cigarette.

“Do what I do now, Kirigirisu.” Ajiro gestures at him to also take a cigarette and try imitating his strange grip. “Yes, just like that. Then you do this…” He moves his hands in slow motion, repeating a few times until Kirigirisu gets it right. “Once more. Hit your palms together at the end, as hard as you can.” As soon as they both clap, Ajiro shows both his hands, his cigarette nowhere to be seen. His left hand makes a fist, and just like before he reaches in with his right and pulls out the cigarette.

“What… how…?” Kirigirisu stammers out.

Ajiro opens his mouth to say something, but at that exact moment the room’s door is opened.

“Can I help you with something?” The inn’s employee looks inside the room. He must have heard them clap and assumed they were calling for him.

“Could you please tell us when our order will be ready?” Ajiro asks nonchalantly.

“We’re very sorry for the delay, we will bring it as soon as possible.”

“No, no, it’s all right. There’s no rush.”

The employee closes the door. Kirigirisu returns his sight to Ajiro… who already has his cigarette back and lit in his mouth, and gives him a very satisfied look before saying:

“And that, Kirigirisu, was misdirection.”

--

“I had the opportunity to pursue magic after I met the Saimons,” Ajiro explains once Kirigirisu comes out of shock. “It was frankly intimidating to realize just what mastery it requires and how it changes one’s life. There was a time when I trained religiously. Even now it’s a small hobby of mine, but not something I’d go around demonstrating to others. It’s not that I don’t want to; I still show the odd trick for my family sometimes. Souya is young enough that he believes I’m really a wizard, just like he believes in Santa Claus. But I really just know a few simple tricks that work better with the element of surprise.”

Kirigirisu can relate to little Souya, considering he also for a moment felt like Ajiro was using real magic. Well, losing his memories essentially made him a reborn man, so maybe in that sense he really resembles an innocent child sometimes. Which is to say, he’s pretty easy to deceive. It’s not like he can remember ever seeing magic before.

“I think you’re being too humble, boss,” he says. “It really looked like magic to me.”

“That’s because you don’t know anything about illusion yet. These were beginner acts, nothing to brag about... though it is true that the wide world of illusion is supported on the backs of amateurs more than professionals, and the latter all had to start somewhere. I’m really not much more than a beginner and haven’t mastered many things yet—and the unspoken rule of magic, the moral responsibility of a magician, is to never show anyone an illusion one hasn’t mastered. Not even those you fully trust.”

“Not even…?” Kirigirisu thinks that if he were ever to learn magic, he would for sure train in front of Kano so she could help point out mistakes. “Why not?”

“Because an imperfect illusion reveals the method behind it. For a magician, the method is his entire life, the utmost secret of his art. Do you think I’m exaggerating? Magicians aren’t wizards. They need secrets in order to work. They make a living by selling dreams. People know, of course, that there must be a logical explanation behind the illusion—but as long as the method is kept hidden, they can indulge in the charm of magic, briefly go back to being a child.”

“So revealing the method destroys the illusion… but I feel like what I just saw was simply too amazing. Surely its charm won't just completely disappear if I learn how it's done.”

“A lot of laymen think the same way. However, the moment I tell you the method, the wondrous feeling of true magic will surely disappear, as if you just came to your senses after a period of infatuation. When I look back at how easily charmed I was when I first saw simple illusions, it feels like looking back at how much you once believed in Santa Claus and bemoaning own ignorance.”

“But does this way of thinking really apply to all people? I think that rather than being annoyed or embarrassed at their old belief in Santa Claus, many would look back at it fondly as a memory of innocent times.”

“That is true. In a similar manner, we can divide people into two groups based on their approach towards illusion.”

“You mean that those who belittle their past selves for believing in Santa Claus would also lose all sense of wonder after learning the method behind an illusion? And conversely, those who look back at it fondly would still feel charmed?”

“That’s the easy way to describe it. The thing is, there’s few people for whom the magic wouldn’t be lost. Many methods are, once you know them, ridiculously simple. When learning the truth, many will feel deceived, deny that they were ever emotionally moved, consider the magician a swindler, and maybe even storm out in anger.” A tone of sadness can be heard in Ajiro’s voice, perhaps caused by his own experiences. “That’s not the only reason for secrecy. Another is that illusions are a sort of joint intellectual property belonging to all magicians. Exposing the secret impacts not just your own life, but lives of many others that use the same method, it may even expose an entire genre of the art of illusion. Usually, magicians only learn each other's methods through willing exchange.”

“So methods are kept secret in order to protect the entire magician community…”

“It’s not just to protect their own well-being; it’s also for the sake of their audience. Many amateurs seem to think that when a charmed spectator asks them to reveal the secret, they should do so—but it only breaks the illusion for them, sours the pleasant memory. Keeping the secret safe is actually the best thing you can do for your audience. The unspoken rules of conduct really boil down to what we know as Howard Thurston’s Three Rules in Magic. To tell you the truth, these are just a few of the rules Thurston listed, but these are the ones widely circulated in the magician community of Japan.”

The three rules are as follows:

1. Do not preemptively explain what you are going to do.

2. Do not show the same illusion twice to the same audience.

3. Even if asked directly, do not reveal the secret.

The third rule is obvious. The first one is easy to understand too: if Ajiro started his little show by saying he’s going to make the cigarette disappear, that would lessen the element of surprise and heighten the risk of Kirigirisu noticing how it was done. The second rule serves the same purpose, as someone seeing an illusion for the second time would already know what’s coming and probably be actively trying to guess the method, sometimes successfully.

“You may be thinking I showed you the same illusion four times in a row, but in reality these were four slightly different illusions connected in one routine,” Ajiro explains.

“I see. Just like Gensui performed one routine made of many little illusions. I understand the rule, but still… I would really love to see you perform your routine again, boss.”

By saying this, Kirigirisu doesn’t mean that he wants to try guessing the secret or challenge Ajiro in some way. It’s just an innocent wish to witness the magic again. Once he explains his feelings, maybe a bit too desperately, Ajiro smiles at him in response.

“I know you’re not the type of person to do things out of malice, I wouldn’t take you here if you were. You would never reveal a secret to anyone if you can help it. Well, maybe except to Kano… I’m joking. But it’s a point of personal morals for me to never show the same illusion twice to the same person, not even to you, not even to my own family. ...I hate to talk in hackneyed cliches, but that’s the truth. There are two kinds of people in the world: magicians and non-magicians. The distinction between amateurs and pros doesn’t matter, just like those who investigate fewer cases than us are nonetheless called detectives. It’s not even the matter of actually performing magic or not. What matters is having the right spirit. Even a talented master might be selling out secrets behind people’s back. Someone who can’t even perform a single illusion, but loves the world of magic with all their heart and guards its secrets, can be seen as a magician even when being a part of the audience. In fact, Kirigirisu—if you want, you can become a magician starting right now. How about it?”

“I… If I do decide to become a magician...” Kirigirisu’s voice is trembling. “What will I actually have to do in order to do that?”

“All you need is the right spirit. Be true to your heart’s love towards magic, and you shall be a magician.”

In order to never forget that, Ajiro has apparently created his own little set of rules for himself that he has never spoken about to anyone before Kirigirisu.

Ajiro’s Three Rules are as follows:

1. Do not boast about being a magician.

2. Remember to treat other magicians with respect.

3. Do not reveal your secrets to anyone who isn’t a magician.

Kirigirisu likes these rules; they are concise and easy to understand.

“But this aside,” he says, “why are you telling me all that about becoming a magician in the first place?”

“Because you asked to see my illusions again, and because I can see what sort of person you are. Usually, people unfit for magic lose interest after I talk to them about it, but you’re different. And you must have noticed that while my rules say to never reveal your secrets to others, there is one exception.”

“If the other person is also a magician...”

“That’s why I’m telling you all this. You only need determination to become a magician. So, Kirigirisu—won’t you become one?”

If he does, it means that he will be able to learn about Ajiro’s magic, and not only his, Gensui’s too… There’s only one answer Kigirisu can give to that.

And so, the magician Kirigirisu Tarou is born.

--

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

[yourdreamscenarios]

When your costume is too revealing

🎃 Smutty Friday Halloween scenario 🎃

Characters: Jungkook / OC Genre: Smut Word count: 3,650

“This is going to be so cool.” Amber was practically jumping up and down beside you, her snow white costume twirling around her as she stood outside of the van, waiting for everyone to get out. For a Halloween costume hers looked quite cute, in contradiction to Samantha’s, who had dressed like a vampire for the occasion. She looked quite convincing. She had rubbed her skin in with the palest make up she owned, wore contacts and had even shoved some fake fangs into her mouth. The cape she wore made her look mysterious and if you’d been snow white, you would have started running by now. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve been in a club.” Amanda sputtered beside you, her Chucky red hair swinging sticking into all different kinds of directions. You’d seen one of the movies and ever since had banished all dolls from your room. 

She had drawn freckles across her cheeks and was dressed in a big oversized sweater. Somehow you felt the need to tell her that this wasn’t a club and that you had been invited to a Halloween party at someone else’s house. You didn’t recall knowing them personally, but you’d heard that several groups and artists from different companies had been invited. You couldn’t remember ever going to a costume party before and you were quite excited. It hadn’t taken you that long to figure out what you were going to wear, you’d immediately figured out what kind of character you wanted to impersonate. Knowing who you were dating, and being aware of the fact that he would be here tonight, you had thought of something to get to him, even if it was only a little. Something that you knew would annoy him, just to be a tease. 

So you carefully stepped out of the van, trying to make sure that your bunny ears didn’t bump against the roof. Combining leather leggings with a top which had a low v-cut and a leather jacket it didn’t seem like that much of a big deal. But you had made sure to have a little fluffy bump sued at the back of your trousers and to apply your make up a little more forceful than you usually did. You looked like a bunny, but there surely wasn’t much cute about it, you were a sexy bunny. You were sure that Jungkook would immediately figured out this costume was meant for him as soon as he’d lay eyes on it. “Look at you. Someone’s playing dirty tonight.” Jessica chuckled beside you, giving your tail a small squeeze before hitting her arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to her. You smirked, brushing your hair back and pushing your chin up. She was dressed in a cat woman suit, her whiskers tickling your cheeks. 

You were very curious to figure out what kind of costumes the other guests had chosen. It wouldn’t be hard for others to beat you, but you hadn’t come here to impress others, you were only here to affect one person and to have some fun of course. The past few weeks had been packed and busy and you had been longing for this free night. No worries, no obligations, just you and your friends having a great time. The huge villa loomed in front of you and you had to bend your neck in order to see the rooftop. Somehow you got the feeling that the organizer of this party could handle quite some guests. You could only hope it wouldn’t be too busy to find Jungkook in the crowd, because then all your efforts would go to waste. “I don��t know what you’re talking about.” You purred at your friend causing her to laugh as the last one closed the door behind her. 

Elena muttered something underneath her breath, the skeleton suit she was wearing tight against her body. A scowl was plastered across her face as she joined the five of you, crossing her arms over her chest. “We could just go home.” She grumbled and you all sent her a look. This topic had been discussed before and you’d hoped that her mood would improve once she was wearing her costume and she was ready to go. The thing was that she didn’t enjoy these kinds of childish events, as she called them. She thought that getting dressed up and pretending to be something you weren’t was things kids did, not adults with a responsibility. She’d been going on all night about the fact that you had an influence on people, that you shouldn’t risk the chance of loosing the image you’d built up for yourself by wearing these ridiculous suits. 

You knew that she was just tired and that was the number one reason why she was so cranky. But when you had suggested for the five of you to go by yourselves she immediately got defensive, saying that if the rest of her band members went there she wasn’t going to stay home all by herself. The only thing you hoped for was that she wasn’t planning on sulking all night and ruin things for you in the process. The rest of you were here to have a good time, you weren’t going to spend it on making sure she was smiling. “You can go if you want to.” Amanda said, obviously also tired of her behavior. Yet, Elena remained silent, which you translated into the words that she wasn’t planning on leaving. Sighing deeply you ignored her, staring back up at the house in front of you. Music was already meeting your ears and your feet were itching to move closer. The longer you stayed out here the more you missed of the fun. 

Pumpkins were settled along the pavement leading towards the front door, candles lighting up their engraved smiles. Somehow it should have looked scary, but to you it just seemed cosy. Tugging at Jessica’s hand you didn’t give her a choice but move along with you and the others soon followed. Keeping in a fast pace your heels clicked against the stone, and you neared the double doors rather quickly, where two masked men awaited you on each side of the entrance. They didn’t smile, nor did they ask any questions as they opened the doors for all of you, letting you pass. Was it save that they didn’t even ask for names or had they memorized the face of every single celebrity that came here tonight? As soon as you stepped in the warmth air inside of the hallways hit you straight in the face, almost knocking you over. 

It was packed with people, chattering with each other and just standing beside one other. The different colors that reached your eyes amazed you, but you noticed how the dark fabric seemed to fill most of your view. Everything was there, from werewolves to vampires, from fairies to pirates. Some were dressed as princesses others as gnomes. It was as if you had gotten stuck in a fairy tale all of a sudden. “Waaww.” Jessica mumbled beside you, clearly just as amazed as you. Several speakers were placed around the room, music blasting out of them and as you continued your journey inside of the house. Every costume surprised you more than the other and you were astonished to see what some of them had been able to create. Some of them almost seemed real. 

The six of you formed a small circle at the side of the room, trying not to bump into any dancing bodies. It seemed like for some of them this party had been going on for quite a while and they hadn’t thought to bother about their image at all. The alcohol seemed to be flowing freely, glasses of champagne and other, much stronger kinds of liquids. Some of the harry potters and scientists that were walking around the room were already pretty messed up. “It seems like everyone likes to let loose once in a while.” Samantha muttered, which gained her an incoherent response from Elena. An unknown person flipped herself around Amber’s shoulder and you watched them for a second as they got caught up into a deep conversation, like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a very long time. It seemed like they had a lot of catching up to do. 

Letting your gaze wander around the room your eyes fell on a group of young girls, who were using their whole body to swing on the beat. You wondered if they realized how inappropriate that look. Yet, your eye soon fell on a group of boys standing next to them, who didn’t seem to pay any attention to them but were too busy messing around. It was only then you realized one of them was staring at you, his dark eyes priming into yours before they studied you up from your bunny ears, down to your feet. A smirk was tugging at the corners of your lips when you recognized him. Jungkook was with his the rest of his band members, and you noticed his friend Yugyeom standing beside him. The boy was freely talking to him about something and hadn’t seemed to notice yet that Jungkook wasn’t paying attention and he was too busy drinking you in instead. 

You weren’t sure if you were imagining things, but you thought to see his look getting darker by the second, his fingers turning white around the drink he was holding. If you only knew what was going through his head right now? A gasp escaped from you when you felt someone bumping into you, their drink spilling all over your shirt. The icy cold liquid dripped on your skin, and you could already feel the stickiness of it. Pulling a face you looked up at the the culprit, sending him a glare. The guy in front of you let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back as he did it. You weren’t sure if you had ever seen him before, especially in his strange costume you didn’t recognize him. “I’m sorry! I didn’t see you!” He yelled over the loud music, and you immediately noticed that he was already drunk. Shaking it off you tried to put a step back, wanting to create a distance between the two of you, but he didn’t seem to like that. Instead he lowered himself to your eye level, sending you a look that should have seemed seductive but which was rather capable of shooing you away. 

With his drooped eyelids and slurred smile he just seemed like a drunk guy. “I could clean it up for you if you want me to. I won’t ask for much in return.” He mumbled, already lifting his hand towards the place on your chest where your drink had been spilled. But his movements were slow and if a hand hadn’t jumped out from behind you then you surely would have slapped his hand away yourself. Yet, an annoyed looking Jungkook appeared beside you, a very displeased expression on his face as he stared down the person in front of you who was supposed to represent Peter Pan. Amazed he stared up at your boyfriend, before grinning and putting his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. “I’ll take you as well, if you want to.” He opted and your jaw dropped in awe as you felt someone curl their fingers around your wrist and pull you away. 

Jungkook’s posture was tense as he guided you through the sea of people, and as you hobbled behind him you took that as your chance to study his costume. It seemed like he had to represent Frankenstein, dressed in a ripped suit and his hair messy and sticking to the sides. Slamming into serval people you apologized every single time, though the most of them didn’t even seem to notice you. Your boyfriend didn’t once turn around to see if you were okay as he piloted you towards the stairs. There weren’t many things you knew about parties that were organized at someone’s home, but you were pretty sure that most of the times the rooms upstairs were forbidden territory. The hallway was dark when the two of you reached the first door and Jungkook passed another two before he tried the doorknob. It gave in easily and he quickly threw the door open and pulled you inside of the dark room. As soon as he closed the door behind himself you heard him lock it before he turned on the light. 

The brightness hurt your eyes for a second but you didn’t have much time to readjust to it as Jungkook spoke up behind you. “I think you owe me an explanation, don’t you?” His voice was low and even though he had meant to ask a question, it came out as a demand. Turning on your heel you shot him an innocent look, pretending as if you didn’t know what he was talking about. “I have no idea why that guy spilled his drink all over me.” You blinked your eyelashes at him as you said it and he let out a dry chuckle as he got his hand through his already messy hair. Even though he was supposed to look scary in his costume, you still though he looked hot. He was too sexy for his own good. Taking big strides it only took him a few seconds before he suddenly showed up right in front of you. You had to tilt back your head in order to focus on him. 

His dark gaze was looking down on you, drilling into yours and even though you knew that he wasn’t referring to that, you refused to say anything more. “I’m talking about your costume.” He grumbled, taking a deep breath as he stared at your bunny ears once more. You could tell it was intruding him and you tilted your head to the side, sending him a smile. Bringing your arms around his neck you flattered your chest against his. It wasn’t like you had come here with the plan to have sex with him, you just wanted to tease him a little. You hadn’t expected for him to get so frustrated by this. “I picked it out especially for you though, I thought you’d like it.” You pouted, keeping your face close to his so that you could feel his breathing hit on top of your cheeks. His lips parted slightly his pupils dilated as his hands found their way towards your hips, resting on them. 

His fingers dug into your skin without mercy and you couldn’t help but love it. “You weren’t the one who had to deal with every man inside of the room trying to undress you with their eyes.” He informed and this comment did actually astonish you. You hadn’t noticed any stares at all, except for his. You opened your mouth to say something, but didn’t even have the time to react when all of a sudden Jungkook’s hands put pressure against your shoulders and caused you to fall backwards. You gasped loudly out of shock, but soon felt the soft mattress dig into your back as you bounced on the bed. With wide eyes you gazed up at him, feeling the way he forced your legs open and he stood in between them. Unwillingly your breathing fastened, wondering what he was up to. If Jungkook got angry then he could turn into an animal, it wouldn’t be the first time it happened. 

“You’ve been a bad girl, and now I’m going to have to punish you.” He remarked and your breath got stuck inside of your throat as he placed both of his hands down on each side of your head. Biting your lip you watched the way he brought his head closer to yours, your noses brushing together. Automatically your eyes fluttered shut and you waited until he would press his lips against yours and kiss you, like he always did. But to your surprise you felt his lips attack your collarbone. Gasping loudly you felt the way your chest pushed upwards out of surprise, but he pushed you back down. His teeth were nipping at your skin, attacking it and leaving bruises as he went as low as the low cut of your blouse would let him. “You’re not allowed to dress like this around others.” He breathed, causing goosebumps to spread across of your skin as the stream of air hit you. His lips nibbled their way back up towards the side of your neck, creating a hickey right underneath your ear. 

He wasn’t even trying to be gentle. You were panting and you really tried to catch up with what he was doing, but your mind was foggy. You were completely aroused, so when you felt him reach for your trousers and tug them down in one rough pull, you didn’t know anything better to do than to help him. Kicking your legs you heard your heels hit the floor with a thud, the fabric of your jeans slipping fast your feet. Slowly he lifted his head from your throat and you opened your eyes so you could look at him. His cheeks were red as he stared down on you, a lustful glance inside of his eyes. It was clear he was enjoying the view of you getting turned on underneath him. “There’s no one else who can make you feel like this, is there?” He asked, his voice raw. Quickly you shook your head, knowing that if you wouldn’t give into him now you would only make things worse. 

His hand slipped down your body, painfully slow as his fingers tickled your stomach. You moaned softly when you felt the way they stroked you through your panties, pressing at the perfect spots. It was still audible above the loud music coming from downstairs. It was so exciting to know that you friends were all partying just a floor underneath you while you were getting steamy over here. “There’s no one who can make you this wet.” He continued, leaning forward to take your bottom lip in between his teeth, tugging it. You couldn’t get yourself to answer him anymore as you felt him push aside your underwear, his fingertips slipping through your folds. You gripped the bedsheets beside your head, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to stay still. The more you fought him the harder he would make this for you. “There’s no one who can make you bed the way I do.” He growled and you barely had the time to process what happened when all of a sudden his touch disappeared. 

Mewling in dislike your eyes flew open. Yet, he wasn’t even listening when he suddenly grabbed a hold of your legs underneath your knees, drawing you closer near the edge of the bed. When you saw him lowering himself in front of you, you swore that just the sight of it was enough for you to come undone. “I’ll make sure you remember how good I make you feel.” He said, his warm breath hitting your centre, causing you to throw your head back against the mattress. His hands ran across the inside of your inner thighs, making you loose your mind. All the little touches, the teasing, never getting where you wanted him to, it was driving you crazy and he damn sure knew it. “Jungkook please…” You wined, feeling him place small open mouth kisses along your legs, getting closer and closer to where you needed him, but never actually giving in. 

“You’re lucky I liked the bunny ears, otherwise I’d be much harder on you.” He said, and then you finally felt him cupping you with his mouth. Letting out an airy moan of pleasure you felt the way his mouth circled your clit, sucking at it harshly. Immediately your hips buckled upwards, but he placed one of his hands down on your stomach, pressing you down. Instantly your breathing fastened, stars visible behind your closed eyelids as you fixated yourself on the feeling of his tongue swirling intensely on your sweet spot, over and over again. “Jungkook…” You couldn’t help but call his name, it was the only thing that your mind was still able to think of. As an answer he hummed in between your legs in unison, causing you to feel even better. When he slipped two fingers past your entrance he immediately picked up a fast pace, pumping them in and out of you without mercy. “Fuck.” You groaned, squirming slight until you couldn’t stop yourself anymore from curling your hand inside of his hair, gripping the locks tightly. 

He didn’t swap you away but let you hold onto him as he worked you all the way up towards your high. Driving his mouth deeper into your sex he curled his fingers inside of you, hitting the perfect spot. Your toes curled with pleasure and his name rolled off your tongue over and over again when you came undone inside of his mouth. You could practically feel him smirk against you. When he finally pushed himself up again he had a satisfied look on his face, his tongue tracing his lips as he watched the way you tried to catch your breath. Hovering over you once more he placed a passionate kiss against your lips, making you long for more as you circled your arm around his neck. But he stopped you, grabbing a hold of your hands and pulling you up from the bed, making you look at him in surprise. “Get dressed, we’re finishing this at home.” He demanded, and something about the way he looked at you told you that this was going to be a long night. 

BTS Masterlist

[eldestatlantica-blog]

Our Little Secret || Self Para

One night alone, that was all Attina wanted. So, when her old classmate, Mariah, sent her an invitation to her birthday, Attina jumped at the opportunity. A night out in London without Luca? She'd be dumb to not take that offer.

“Ah! Attina!” Mariah ran over as Attina walked into the loud crowded club. “I can't believe you actually came!” Her friend shouted. Attina rarely went to parties that didn't benefit her social standing. She didn't have time to fit pleasure into her calendar. “Regardless, I'm so excited! Everyone is up in V.I.P.”

Attina moved through the crowd and let the music carry her to where the rest of Mariah’s guests were located. She knew a few of the guests. A majority were from the London party scene. Mathias, another student who was in the exchange program at Castelobruxo, showed and kept Attina company.

More and more people came that knew her. Being who she was, everyone felt like they personally knew her. It was a chore to keep up with them all. Respite came in the color of red.

“Timothy,” Attina greeted her sister’s new love interest with a kiss on the cheek. “Or should I say future-brother-in-law?”

“Not yet. I'd ask you first,” Timothy laughed lightly before ordering a drink. “How've you been? We missed you at the games this year. Although, I am not disappointed with your replacement.”

“Oh, please,” Attina swatted his arm, “no one can replace Attina Atlantica.”

“This is true but Adella is quite lovely.”

“Speaking of,” Attina narrowed her gaze on him as his drink arrived, “what is it I heard you slept in her room?”

“Don't worry, Attina,” he waved the bartender back over. “Nothing happened. What are you drinking?”

“Vodka and sprite.”

The night progressed and the pair rehashed old stories. “Do you remember the time Javier took that girl home and found out she was a guy?”

“Oh, Merlin! Yes!” Attina leaned back to laugh and almost fell over. “I guess I'm a bit drunker than I thought I was.”

“Don't die on me now. I don't want that fiancé of yours to come after me.” Timothy laughed as the corners of his mouth lifted with a smirk.

“Luca couldn't do anything but throw a tantrum,” Attina grumbled as she tossed back the rest of her drink.

“Tina, Tim,” Mariah ran over to the bar where they stood, “you have to dance!” They looked at one another and shrugged. Dancing couldn't hurt.

Timothy let Attina lead the way. They were crammed against one another as the dance floor pulsed with bodies. Their drunk eyes held one another in their gaze. Timothy held her close, his strong hand holding her at the curve of her back. Attina’s petite fingers trailed the collar of his shirt and held him there.

Attina knew she shouldn't be so close with Timothy. He was Adella’s. But he gave her the power. She forgot what that felt like. She needed it like she needed air. And she drank it up like she was stranded in a desert for centuries.

The party died down and Mariah spoke about hitting another club. “I'm good. You guys can go.”

“Aw, Attina. Come with us!” Mariah bounced up and down as she begged.

“No, I'm good. I'm just going to apparate home.”

“You're in no shape to apparate! Just come with us!”

Timothy chimed in, “My hotel is local. You can rest there for a little bit.”

“I-”

“Oh Merlin, thank you, Timothy. I'd die if something horrible happened to Tina!” Mariah hugged them and took off.

“So much for wanting me to go,” Attina muttered as the party left.

__

“You can put your bag down. Do you want anything to drink?” Timothy said as they walked into the hotel room.

“Water?” Attina asked as she put her bag down on the small glass table near the door.

“Vodka it is…”

Attina stepped beside Timothy as he poured her drink, “Aren't I drunk enough?”

His chocolate eyes looked down at her as he smirked, “the Attina I knew could handle her alcohol.”

“The Attina you knew wasn't getting married in a month,” she playfully hip-checked him as she took the drink from the counter.

“Attina Atlantica can't be off the market that easily. What will we do without her?”

“You'll be off the market soon,” Attina’s finger traced the lines on the lampshade as she walked by. “We're all bound for marriage. That's our job; marry pure and make more pureblood babies.”

“Is that what you want?” Timothy walked toward the white couch and took a seat with his own drink, Maker’s Mark on the rocks.

Attina slipped from her heels before taking a seat beside him. “Well, yeah. It's all I've ever wanted.”

“You sound like Adella.”

“Ha! No.” Attina's face was a firm line before she cracked a smile. “I love my sister but she's an idealist. I want children to further our line. She wants children because they're cute.”

“So, do you fancy yourself a realist?” Timothy asked stretching his arm across the back of the couch.

“Yes,” Attina’s feet tucked under her legs as she took another sip of her drink. “I'm no fool. My marriage is arranged. Luca and I will never love each other the same way, say, Adella and you love each other. I don't need love to thrive.”

“What if you could have love?”

“Love is a commodity I cannot afford.”

“But I'm asking what if you could?”

“I still wouldn't want it”

“Why’s that?”

“Love is fleeting.”

“You are a true cynic,” Timothy laughed into his drink. “I guess Javier was right.”

“What else did Javier tell you?” Attina asked curiously.

“The sex was great,” he smirked against the rim of his glass. “I guess I'll never know…”

“We were teens. I've improved,” she winked.

“Don't tease me like that. You're off the market,” he leaned in with a low grumble before standing up to return his empty glass.

“You have Adella. I'm sure she'd be willing to help you with that,” her eyes motioned toward his pants.

“We haven't slept together,” Timothy flipped the empty cup upside down and moved away from the bar. “I am a gentleman,” he said trying to remove his tie.

“You're going to stick with that lie?” Attina rose from the couch and shook her head at his pathetic attempts at freeing his neck from the tie.

“It's the truth,” he said watching her fingers gently untangle the silk fabric.

“Does she not do it for you?” Attina asked a bit offended.

“No,” he laughed.

“Don't like brunettes?”

“Oh, I love brunettes,” he lifted Attina’s face to look at him. “There's nothing wrong with Adella.”

Attina felt her cheeks flush as she freed herself from his touch, “Good.”

They stood there in silence. “I should go lay down,” Attina spoke first. “Do you have a shirt I can borrow?”

“Yes, come over this way,” Timothy motioned toward the large closet and led Attina that way. He went through the small selection of pressed white shirts. Then he handed one to Attina.

“Thank you,” she held it against her lap. “Can you unzip the back a bit?”

“Sure,” Timothy said as she turned her back to him. He pulled the silver tab down slowly and watched as it exposed her delicate skin.

“Thanks,” she said softly looking at him over her shoulder.

Attina changed in the bathroom and came out in his shirt. “You're a massive human being.” Attina rolled up the sleeves as she walked through the hotel room.

“It's all muscle,” Timothy commented as he walked around in sweats. Attina had never seen him that undressed and almost blushed for him. But she wasn't surprised. He was a quidditch player.

“That it is,” she laughed as she tapped her fingers on the back of the couch. “I guess I'll crash on the couch for a little.”

“You can have the bed.”

“It's yours. I wouldn't want to intrude. I'm good on the couch. Plus, I'm only here to sober up a bit more.” Attina walked around the couch and paused as they passed each other. “Excuse me.”

“Luca doesn't know what he's getting,” Timothy said quietly.

“Excuse me?” Attina asked defensively. What did her sister tell her new beau?

“He's just lucky. I'd kill to see this every night,” Timothy exhaled as his hands raked over his face. “I shouldn't say things like that. I'm dating your sister.”

“We can pretend like you didn't,” Attina tapped his chest gently. His hands held her hips and brought her closer to him and pressed his lips to hers. “And that, too.”

“What about this?” Timothy kissed her again, deepening it with each movement. Attina’s arms wrapped around his neck as he picked her up. The alarm bells rang in her mind but she ignored them.

“Not the bed,” she said against his lips as he changed directions and laid her on the couch. His hand pushed the fabric up her leg as he kissed her. All Attina could think of was what Luca had done to her. How he stripped her of her dignity and control. Timothy could've ignored her wishes. But he didn't. He was gentle in comparison. There was no way her body was giving it up. Not anytime soon, anyway.

Attina placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back. “Are you okay?”

She rolled him onto his back and straddle his hips. “You're fine…” her hips rolled as her voice trailed off.

Timothy exhaled sharply as he let his hands explore the petite woman’s body. He pushed the shirt over her head and pulled her lips toward his again. Their kisses were hasty and more clothing came off as they continued. Well, more of her clothing came off, what very little she had on to start with. Attina hadn't allowed Timothy to take his pants off but she could feel how badly he wanted to.

“Attina,” he growled as his thumbs rolled against her tender peeks. “Merlin, I want you so bad.”

“How bad?” She asked with a breathless moan.

“So bloody bad,” he held her hips harder, pressing himself against her center.

Attina slid her small hand beneath the waistband and held his thickness. With each stroke, he moaned. She enjoyed every agonizing second of the torture she inflicted on him. She felt like herself sitting on top of him. The control was palpable once more. She felt guilty that it was the man her sister was so fond of but her guilt faded quickly.

Timothy swung his feet from the couch and sat with her spread over him. His hips lifted and he pulled his sweats down. His member sprang from its cloth prison and teased Attina’s fold. Her palms held onto the back of the couch and lowered her body into his shaft. A whimper escaped Attina’s mouth as Timothy pushed deeper into her center. He held her rear as she rode him, her body bouncing to the rhythm of their breaths.

While inside her, Timothy lifted her off the couch and carried her to the floor, gently placing her down as his body stretched out. She felt a twinge of panic as his rough hands glided up her arms and hesitated on her wrists. But the panic faded when his hands laced with hers and held her hands above her head.

Attina wasn't expecting to finish. It had been so long since she had. The sensation shook her core as the pleasure resonated from her lips, “Fuck!” Then she felt him finish with similar sentiments. He kissed her softly as Attina tangled her fingers in his ginger locks.

Timothy rolled over onto the floor and pulled Attina close to hold her. “We don't speak a word of this,” she stated as her fingers walked along the cuts of his muscles.

“Our little secret,” he said sleepily as the alcohol and the sex finally dragged him down.

__

In the morning, Timothy woke to an empty room and a note: 

Thank you, -A.A.

written in the flowing elegant handwriting of none other than Attina Atlantica.

[adventurgal]

Marching Band AU

Part 1 out of 2

I mentioned this au in a chat and people were really enthusiastic about it! I was already compiling ideas for it, but I really wanted to share this! This is really long, so I’ll put the rest of it under the cut.

I’ll start with the Esper Squad.

Mob. Mobs in the color guard!

He wanted to play an instrument, but he just doesn't have the stamina to blow into something and march across a field at the same time.

What is that something??? I’m not sure yet. I was thinking a clarinet. He seems like a clarinet-ey kinda guy.

He plays the clarinet during concert band. He's actually not that bad!

He joins band because he was amazed by how much went into putting a show together! He thought it was cool, and felt that it would be a great use of his time. Tsubomi was a motivator too, she’s also in the color guard.

He's not that great at marching. At first, he's always off tempo and starts off with the wrong foot. After a year or so, he gets better at staying in form and not sticking out.

He’s surprisingly good at remembering his flag movements. He spaces out a lot during practice so it surprises everyone because he keeps to himself.

Carrying around heavy ass flags and batons isn't easy for him. He’s usually so sore after practice that he can't lift his arms

Note: I’ve only ever only held a flag like, once. I remember it being heavy, though I have no upper arm strength so who knows how heavy those things actually are. They look heavy...

Hes passed out on the field during practice before. Luckily it hasn't happened during a performance

All of his fellow guard members know he's the weakest link, but he tries so hard. They're proud of him and acknowledge how hard he's working!

Ritsu. He’s a flute/piccolo.

I might change this, but yeah. Ritsus in the flute section. (Self projecting? Oh, I'd never do that~)

His first year of band, he plays the flute during marching season. The next year he’s promoted to piccolo, and becomes a section leader.

He’s pretty good at playing the flute. He’s technically good at playing the piccolo too, but piccolos sound like shit. He manages to not make everyone's eardrums bleed, though.

He joins band because of Mob. He thought it was cool and wanted to be like his big bro

He has pretty good stamina. Impeccable posture. Almost perfect attendance. Always in tune. He's a model band student.

He always has his music memorized, always has his dot sheet. He’s always on point and makes sure that the rest of his section is too

He doesn't really talk so he doesn't get yelled at or told to stay focused

He helps out the other sections too. If they need instrument assistance, he’ll help them. He has extra reeds, valve oil~

Why the fuck does he have all of that stuff with him. Like, he just pulls it out of his pockets

He helps Shou the pit load their truck too. They could always use extra help

He gets really heated during competitions. If someone's goofing off, he’s the first to tell them be serious

Despite being a model student, he contemplates quitting band because he only joined because of Mob. School and such gets in the way too. After a while, he decides to stay, because he notices how much fun he has on the field! He starts to mellow out a bit once Shou joins too.

Shou. My precious fire child. He's a percussionist!

I’ve always imagined him being a percussionist. I don't know why, But he just seems like he’d play the drums.

I might flesh this aspect of the au out a bit more at some point? But Shou is a transfer student. He transfers into Mob and Ritz’s school (which is still Salt Mid. Or maybe Salt High? I’m not sure yet.) He transfers to Salt Mid. during Ritsus first marching season.

His first year, he's in the pit. (Which is the front ensemble. At my high school, we called it the pit.) He really wants to be in the drumline, and he begs Serizawa (Who I’m going to get to in a bit, along with Reigen and Dimple don’t worry,) to promote him. Seri says no, because he’s new to the marching scene.

He has a ton of fun playing so many instruments. The marimba, bells; The gong is his favorite. Especially during competitions. He loves the rush of adrenaline he gets when he hits it.

He practices a lot after school and outside of practice. He’s very passionate about what he’s doing.

Surprisingly, he’s the most composed when he’s practicing alone. He’s actually focused. He doesn't stay focused during practice.

 He’s always pulling a prank on someone, flirting messing with Ritsu, trying to piss off Reigen… He still manages to have any new material memorized by the end of practice some how.

He just,, YELLS at Ritz from across the field. He just wants to talk to him, he doesn't care if he’s annoying people.

It’s very rare that he’s close to him during practice. During their breaks, Ritsu usually scolds Shou for bothering him. Then they canoodle.

His second year of marching, he’s finally in the drumline. He's a tenor!

His lackeys are the rest of the drumline.

He breaks sticks all of the time. Not because he's playing too hard or something, but because he’s always twirling them when he’s not playing.

This drives Serizawa absolutely insane, but he’d never show that to Shou

He likes to throw them at Reigen when he’s distracted

Teru. He’s also in the color guard!

He’s not attending the same school as the rest of the squad. He still attends Black Vinegar.

Shou originally went to B.V, so he knows Teru. (I might change this) Teru meets Mob and Ritsu through Shou because of this

At first, he’s very competitive against Salt Mids guard, but once he gets to know everyone he chills out a bit and starts to root for them

He is B.Vinegars guard captain

He was originally a saxophone, but switched to guard because he thought everyone looked cool

He’s really good at playing the sax. He’s a bari sax! He also plays the clarinet, the trumpet; he's dabbled with every instrument there is in his school's band

He’s also a model band student, much like Ritsu

He has so much fun on the field and he’s very enthusiastic about marching in general

He has little spirit days with the rest of his section. Like, they’ll have pink day, they have to wear pink to practice. *wink wonk*

He doesn't get to hang with the rest of the squad that much because of his school, but at competitions, they hang and wait for their results together

Reigen. He’s a part of this too!

He's the boss of the field staff. He’s the one who puts each formation together and writes the show

He’s really enthusiastic. Everyone laughs at him because he’s just. All over the place, always

He’s a jack of all trades. When he helps out each section he knows what the fuck he’s talking about

I could see him being a brass player, maybe he was a trumpet or maybe even a mellophone when he was in school

But, yeah. He’s well versed in everything. If Mobs having trouble with his hand work, he’ll grab his flag and show him how to do whatever it is he has to do

It’s the same with Ritsu. If he's having a hard time with a set, Reigen will march it for him to see what the problem is

This annoys the fuck out of Ritsu

He’s so proud of Mob. Once Mob showed interest in marching he started showing him videos of his own shows when he was still in school. Once Mob told him he actually joined, he started crying

He gets so pumped up during competitions holy shit

If the band has a really powerful hit, he’s yelling at the top of his lungs! He’s so proud of the kiddos!

If he feels that the band wasn't scored correctly during results, he’ll go and try to fight the judges

Serizawa has stopped him from doing this wayyyy too many times

Dimple encourages him to fight the judges

The last competition of the season, he starts crying during the last note. They’ve come so far. He’s so proud ;O;

Serizawa. He’s also a percussionist!

He directs the pit and the drumline too, sometimes

He was reluctant to help out with the band, but once he saw how passionate the kids were he wanted to be a part of the magic

Once Shou joins the pit he’s so happy oh god

He’s just really proud of the kid and happy that he's found a less destructive outlet to let out his energy

He’s way more… open. During practice. He likes making music and is very happy to see children just as enthusiastic about it like how he was when he was still in school.

He gets really nervous during competitions. Everyone does, but he usually needs to step away after the band performs to compose himself

He’s always doting over his section. He brings snacks and extra blankets for when it starts to get colder during practices

Dimple. He’s also there.

I’m not really sure what his role is yet? He’s kind of just there. He helps Reigen and Seri whenever they need it though.

He helps the pit load their truck for competitions. He’s usually the one to drive it too

This isn't security guard Dimple. This is muscle man Dimple

He’s also really proud of the kids. It’s a ton of work and they do it pretty well

I’ll make another post with the Telepathy Club, Body Improvement Club, and Student council eventually. I burned myself out typing this out, lol

If you have any ideas, PLEASE send them to me. I would like to see them! Thank you for reading this!

@unluckyships

@brostrid

[untamedphoenixz]

The Click

In the beginning of my fitness journey, I always felt like I was simply going through the motions. I hated fitness, but I was there to keep myself alive. I knew it was necessary.

Then April 2016 came, and I felt the “Click”. The click was this moment when I realized I was actually enjoying what I was doing in the gym. I was happy to be there. Coach Andrew showed me that fitness wasn’t just about treadmills and 4 sets of 10, but it could be much more. Functional. Heavy. Fun. He made me realize that fitness could be a part of life that brought joy, and was more than just a chore.

Also in 2016, I went to Camp Nerd Fitness. I was nervous; always a super overweight guy my entire life and here I was going to a fitness camp. I set a goal that summer before camp. I was going to drop at least 25 pounds during that summer’s “Fit Club” at my gym. Every day I came in early into the gym and got into a cardio HIIT class, and on days with no cardio HIIT got on the elliptical. In the afternoons on non-HIIT days I was lifting weights.

It was an arduous schedule that I both hated and loved simultaneously. It was shortly after my fuse blew and I felt the “click” of fitness. It sometimes felt like a slog, but I was getting stronger, losing body fat, and in general actually felt fantastic during that eight week period. In the end, I succeeded in losing about 28 pounds in that 2.5-ish months leading up to camp and went down to the mountains of Georgia for this adult fitness summer camp with a confidence; it didn’t hurt that Andrew & the ATF folks were building up my confidence the whole summer. After I got back, I transitioned into more powerlifting style training, generally pleased with where my body was for a time. Then a year later I moved to Richmond, and began sort of “muddling through” fitness. Went through a couple of coaches, trying to find my way in a new city and new gyms. Landed in a chain studio doing HIIT classes for about 9 months.

The truth is that I never really felt F45 was the right thing for me, deep down. I made myself want to believe it was. That it was sort of that “CrossFit” atmosphere I looked at from afar and generally thought it would be good… but I was afraid of injury. I was afraid of hurting myself. I was afraid I wouldn’t measure up in a CrossFit box because, let’s face it, CrossFit boxes have a reputation. Jacked, shirtless people throwing up huge weights at high speed and hammering out burpees. 

So I went through the motions there, but I never really felt like I was progressing. I wasn’t getting leaner. I wasn’t getting stronger. My endurance definitely increased, but I felt “drained” after every workout to the point that I just didn’t want to do anything else for the rest of the day. Sitting at “peak” heart rate for 45 minutes just took everything out of me. My form wasn’t improving because everything moved so fast that I could not adapt or learn. “Do front squats… for 45 seconds…” doesn’t let you perfect your front squat, it simply makes you do them faster and lighter. In mid-December I saw an ad on Instagram for a local CrossFit box without CrossFit in the name. River City Fit. I thought I knew the gyms around, but this place was a mile and a half from my apartment? Really? Ok, maybe I’ll go check this out. When I got there, I learned it was, in fact, an actual CrossFit box and a CrossFit affiliate. The Owner, Jacob, talked about wanting a different culture. I was hesitant, I was scared. Did I want to go down this rabbit hole?

Jacob convinced me to take a free class. Thankfully the free class I took was front squat focused, and not some Olympic lifting where I didn’t have a clue. After the class, I agreed to sign up for a couple of months. My thought was that I was going to flip back and forth between CrossFit and F45 for a couple of months, just as a change of pace.

My first week, which I refer to as Week 0, I spent half of my time at RCF and half my time as F45. This was also the week of Christmas, so I had some time off on Wednesday, bouncing between the two gyms. I went to bed that Friday, unsure which gym I was going to go to on Saturday. They were both offering classes Saturday morning. When I woke up, I looked at my phone and smiled. I realized the right move. I was done with F45. I closed the app, opened Wodify and booked myself into the “team” class in RCF. What I found when I arrived was a group of supportive, amazing people who were so supportive of the “newbie”. Sure, I knew some lifting, but a lot of this was still so foreign to me. 

The following week, New Years Day I went into F45 as my membership was still active. RCF had no WOD that day, and I wanted to get a workout in. It was also a good opportunity, having been away for a few days, to make sure I was making the right decision. It was weird, because even though the workouts at RCF were shorter bursts, even after a week I found the F45 session to be less of a challenge all of a sudden. I realized at the end of that session that I definitely made the right decision.

In Week 1 I struggled and beat myself up mentally. I kept feeling like I couldn’t do this. The moves were all new to me, and the intensity was shorted and compacted into smaller zones. 

At the same time, there was something about this that felt very… familiar. It felt like a coming home moment, and I wasn’t quite sure why. As I struggled, Coach Jacob made a suggestion… let’s do some Personal Training sessions and work on the Olympic Lifts 1 on 1. I can deadlift, I can squat. These new lifts, I thought it was a good idea so I signed up for five PT sessions with Jacob.

On Session 1, we worked on some clean form. We started with PVC pipe and moved through the motions I needed to get to. He also identified some areas to work on, including wrist mobility (which has been awful forever) and strengthening my scapula. It was sort of surreal, because we also had the session on Wednesday afternoon; I always met with Andrew at Anytime Fitness on Wednesday afternoons, so it felt so familiar and yet new at the same time.

During Session 2, we hammered at form on the clean some more. We worked on the wrists, and really hammered at the form. About halfway through the session, I did a clean from hang position and Jacob screamed, “that’s it! That was awesome,” and I felt something in my brain. The click. That was it, THE CLICK! I remember that… I felt it four years ago, and I haven’t had that feeling in a long time. But there it was. I know it. That was the click. My brain came to the realization that this is it, this is what I should be doing! I was struggling, like I did when I was first learning to squat and deadlift, and that felt awesome. I was being challenged, and yet at the same time with every lift I was feeling a little stronger, a little better.

The day after, I took a rest day because my scapula was on fire. On Friday, I was in the fray again. This past week, I put in seven days in the box with a double session of class & PT. With every session, I feel like I am learning more and more. New movements, new concepts, and new ways of moving my body. I am refocusing on my body being present and in the moment, my breathing as I am more focused on the performance of the movement than just moving as fast as possible.

It was during this past week that I said those words to myself. The words that I never imagined I would say since I began this journey four years ago.

I’m a CrossFit Athlete.

Not a member. Not a client. The coaches treat us all as athletes. Andrew always treated me like that; he always pushed me as he would push an athlete. He saw something that no one had previously seen in me, and I feel like I became that. It’s why he said I was the Phoenix; I burned up and rose from the ashes stronger. It feels great to be treated as someone there to get stronger, to get better, and to push myself beyond my perceived limits. To force me to be uncomfortable so I can get better every single day. We’re focused on safety, but we’re also focused on improving ourselves.

When I left ATF a couple of years ago, I always said you can’t capture lightning in a bottle. I still believe that, you can’t recreate the defining moments of your life. In that space I had such a supportive crew of people around me. For the first time in years, I am feeling that again. Amazing, supportive people all working together to make themselves better.

I’m a CrossFit Athlete. No, you won’t find me swinging from rings shirtless tomorrow while snatching 225. Those are goals for the future. For now, I’m pushing hard and improving myself every single day. I am pushing myself every WOD to become a better athlete. Every workout puts me closer to my goals, and now that I have that feeling of purpose again, I am focused on making 2020 the Year of Phoenix; this will be the year I achieve what I’ve been chasing for four years now. 

[tonguetiedmag]

concert: Midnight world tour pt 3

Shows at the Black Sheep will always hold a special place in my heart--10 minutes from my house in the town I grew up in, I went to my first GA show ever here and many more throughout my teenage years. Being a very intimate room in a moderately sized city that has almost no music scene, shows here are always a giant hit or miss; that being said--The Midnight Tour Part 3 may be the best show I’ve seen at this venue yet.

With a giant troupe of Denver-local fans who travelled to be there mixed with the familiar faces of the Colorado Springs crowd, I was surprised at the unwavering energy the crowd held throughout the night. Despite the crowd the room drew in changing pretty drastically in between sets, a new pack of passionate fans, crowd-surfers, and lyric-screamers seemed to pop up for every artist.

Shows at this venue have often been forgettable--I can’t even remember the last time I attended a show at The Black Sheep, but the pleasant shock of the energy this show brought in is something I will never forget.

Pure-Noise group Selfish Things welcomed in the evening, invoking excited shrieks from the room just 30 minutes after doors. Although I was personally unable to watch their set, I surely heard about it from fellow music fans for the rest of the night. I spoke with Denver-local live music lover Alexander Chase about their thoughts on the group’s performance, who told me, “Their set was absolutely fantastic. The mix of going from soft music to music I can beat the shit out of someone [to] was perfect and it mixed well. The best part was .. their stage presence! They got the crowd involved and their performance was amazing.” Despite not having heard of Selfish Things prior to the show, when asked if they would see the group again, Chase answered, “I sure as hell would see them again.” Much of the small talk with friends and strangers alike throughout the evening showed me that many there held similar sentiments, and I’m positive next time the four-piece rolls through the area they will not disappoint.

With an instant wave of spirited fans rushing the stage and deafening cheers filling the room, I knew that could only mean one thing: Richmond-based pop group Broadside’s set was in its beginning moments. Rocky Mountain Broadside fans were treated with being the first ears to hear the band’s new singles, “King of Nothing” and “Empty” at a live show, and fans made sure their love for the group’s new music was known via their relentless crowd surfing. Broadside also ripped fan favorites like “Coffee Talk” and “Laps Around a Picture Frame” as well as throwing in older, lesser-known tracks like “Damaged Kids”. Despite the altitude and being drenched in sweat, the musicians rose to the challenge of matching the energy the crowd was giving. As a result, the men of Broadside cultivated that intense feeling of adrenaline-fueled interconnectedness between everyone there that is one of my favorite things about going to live shows. Although the music filling the rest of the evening was equally as entertaining, Broadside without a doubt produced the most active crowd of the night and I loved every moment of it-- and I haven’t been able to stop listening to them since.

Emarosa was up next -- Emarosa is one of those bands that I’ve known about for a while, but somehow never got around to listening to before this night, so I had no idea what to expect. When I asked a friend nearby what their sound was like, I was answered with “Dance Gavin Dance, but without the screaming.” Without any prior knowledge of the band’s history, this struck me as a seemingly contradicting description, but less than a minute into the group’s set, I understood exactly what they meant. Although delivering pop-focused tracks, I could hear the influences sonically from the group’s older, heavier releases that they melded with pop and sprinkled some funk into to create their current vibe. The group gave off a light-hearted all smiles energy, spreading an infectious positivity that prompted head-bopping from audience members which turned into full-body dancing and laughter. Although at times throughout the set lead vocalist Bradley Walden’s dialogue came off as overly cocky, I can appreciate that swaggering stage personality is often an integral part of making an artist’s performance. The music and talent from the rockers spoke for itself, who are clearly no strangers to a fun time. They seamlessly strummed out an intriguing groove, producing a slightly disco-esque element that I have yet to hear from a modern rock group. The sound made it impossible not to move and kept my ears paying attention. Adding some flair to their live performance, towards the end of their set previously mentioned lead-vocalist Bradley Walden lifted the group’s guitarist onto his shoulders, working his way through the crowd and managing to deliver solid vocals while balancing his bandmate. As Emarosa’s stage time came to a close, the men had the crowd come close to a huddle, cheering out “Peach Club”, the name of the group’s latest release at the count of three. I appreciated the familial feeling the moment created as the excitement from their set came to a head, and I certainly won’t allow myself to be a stranger to what this bunch does in the future.

Stagehands worked quickly to transition all the moving parts of headline group Set it Off’s production into place amongst the chatter of tipsy moms, excited pre-teens and everyone in between. Before long the room went dark, illuminated only by the nearly-haunting blue light coming from the timer now displayed on stage, paired with a room-filling audio message that said “2 minutes until ‘Midnight’”. A cute play on words in regards to the group’s latest album, ‘Midnight’ and a smart way to build on the anticipation in the air, it quite literally set the stage for the level of production the rest of the night would hold. Set it Off provided all the fundamental aspects of a stellar performance; strong vocals, likeable stage presence, precise instrumentals--but what resonated with me most was the level of production and visuals that united with those fundamentals to create an unforgettable act.

Opening with the danceable and lively track, “Lonely Dance”, the group did an appreciable job incorporating deeper cuts into the setlist along with the fresh releases. Changing things up just before the mid-way point of their set, lead vocalist Cody Carson opted to hop behind the drumset, while drummer Maxx Danziger took to center-stage to the mic-stand, ukulele in hand to strum out a stripped-down version of “Bad Guy”, surprising fans with the treat of welcoming Danziger on to lead vocals for the track. Additional surprises during Set it Off’s performance included the amount of gleeful crowd surfing from fans, Carson cracking a joke in between songs about the potential for concussions in the front row and checking to make sure both barricade-bearing attendees and crowd surfers alike were all doing okay.

The quality of the performance didn’t falter for even a moment, despite all the new aspects incorporated into the set compared to previous tours the group has done for this album cycle. It was clear to me the longevity of Set it Off’s career can be attributed to the performer quality these men hold in their bones. It didn’t matter what was happening; intent was present always. In particular, drummer Maxx Danziger offered a captivating personality onstage -- incredibly animated while drumming, and still performing when he wasn’t. Everything between propping his feet up on his set paired with a sassy wink, to engaging the crowd to get excited whenever guitarist Zach DeWall ripped an impressive riff or lead vocalist Cody Carson delivered a difficult vocal.

Danziger’s true shining moment was offered during a drum solo that including a medley of current chart topping songs such as “Old Town Road” (Lil Nas x Billy Ray Cyrus) and “If I Can't Have You” (Shawn Mendes) while also incorporating current internet humor cultural aspects, drumming to the mii theme song and including fun spins on memes that have been circulating around Twitter as of late.

Guitarist Zach DeWall additionally impressed me with his focused finger-picking in one of the final songs of the set, “Midnight Thoughts” delivering a difficult riff and executing it with precision that had the crowd cheering and grooving. Lead vocalist Cody Carson offered consistent vocals and even more heightened stage presence. The power of the individual forces these three musicians hold fusing together was undeniable as the entire room bounced to the closing song of the evening, fan favorite “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing”.

Between the deeply rooted and evidently long-practiced musicality and talent this trio holds, paired with the impeccably captivating visuals and heightened production this tour offers, I definitely walked away having been more entertained than expected. I have a feeling that’s going to be a trend with this trio -- constantly presenting an improved performance every tour, every show, every night.

I’m ecstatic that I was able to enjoy the first night of this lineup, and you won’t want to miss it if it comes near your city -- The Midnight World Tour Part 3 has something for every pair of ears, whether they’re familiar with any of the artists going into the evening or not -- you won’t be disappointed with this tour package.

Review by: Liz Holland

[elincomcadamsyil-blog]

The Opportunities In Vital Factors In Hand Chalk

Some Basic Questions For Swift Programs Of Liquid Chalk Canada

The advice shared here will teach you how to get more fit and how to do it right. It's crucial that you learn about fitness prior to exercising so that you can avoid injuries or doing something improperly due to not knowing beforehand. Spend some time researching fitness before starting your workouts. Lifting weights is the most common way people use to try to achieve their fitness goals. However, if the thought of weights is not appealing to you you can maintain an excellent fitness level by practicing six simple exercises. These include leg raises, squats, pull ups, push ups, bridges, and handstand push ups. A good tip to keeping in good shape is joining a health club and when you do, pay for a few months upfront. Not using your membership could make you feel guilty, and more likely to attend. This is a good way make yourself exercise more often. If you are lacking in motivation regarding your fitness, set some goals! This encourages you to stay focused on defeating obstacles rather than becoming overwhelmed by their difficulty. Having a goal will discourage you from giving up on your fitness program and help you to think of it as an ongoing project which you have not completed yet. Seek a variety of workouts so that you stay interested and committed. If you keep it fresh you will find something you want to focus on and inspire you to go to the gym. Try dancing or take a yoga class. Endure a kickboxing or boot camp session. If you don't like a class, you don't have to go back, and you will have burned some calories. Document every step. This includes all of your exercises, food, and beverages. You may even find including the day's weather to be helpful. You will later begin to pick out certain patterns. If you couldn't work out for a couple days, write down why. It's a great idea to jot down a few notes about your day's exercise in a fitness journal. Be inclusive; you should note down not just your scheduled workouts but also any extra opportunities you had to be physically active. Purchase a pedometer and record your steps into your diary as well. Having a written record will help you track your progress as you work towards your goal. Wear whatever you feel most comfortable in during workouts. If you go to a gym, you may feel tempted to wear certain things but ignore that. The clothing you wear should permit you to move freely without embarrassment. Proper clothing is essential to help you concentrate on exercise and not on ancillary matters. Running is a great exercise but can also damage your body if practiced for a long time. To help prevent the negative effects, you should reduce your mileage to half of the normal miles during one week, every six weeks. Reducing the distance to only half of what you are used to gives your body the opportunity to recover and helps you avoid any permanent damage that could occur. Some mistakenly believe they can work their abs every day. Doing so for this particular group of muscles is not recommended. Like other muscles, you should rest your abs periodically. Wait two or three days between each ab workout. Look around for different exercises that you can regularly do, there is a lot to do out there. Find what works for you. It is so easy to find a workout regimen that you will like doing. Fitness is one of those great topics which piques your interest and makes you eager to keep learning more.

Obtaining Help On Core Aspects In Canada

Photo by Courtesy, NARA. Beginning in the 1870s, federal officials in Canada and the U.S. removed Native children into off-reservation boarding schools, where they were forced to give up their languages, clothing and long hair. Even today, some public school systems , prisons and some workplaces still require Native Americans to cut their hair. Conrad Eagle Feather, a Sicangu Lakota living on South Dakota’s Rosebud Reservation, recalls taking a job for an organization in California. “I wanted to grow my hair out, but long hair was a violation of the company’s grooming standards,” he said. “I even had a spiritual leader go explain to them why it was important for me to wear long hair. But they said ‘No.’” After the company altered policy to allow a non-Native man to wear a beard, Eagle Feather enlisted the help of a legal organization and ultimately won the right to grow his hair. Michael Linklater, a Nehiyaw (Cree) from Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan, Canada, and a 3-on-3 pro basketball world champion, says he was harassed as a child for wearing his hair in braids. “A lot of people who see indigenous men or boys with long hair see strength, and they see power. And it makes them uncomfortable. So, they feel the need to bring those people down,” he said. Two years ago, after his own boys confessed to being bullied, Linklater decided to take action. In early 2016, he created a Facebook page that has since become a social movement — Boys With Braids . “There needed to be a platform to foster pride in these young men, give them a voice and create some awareness on the issue,” he said, expressing hopes that the movement can put an end to bullying.

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Follow These Tips To Make Yourself A Better Basketball Player

Are you interested in basketball, but wish you knew more about the sport? It's not just you! Few people know what it takes to shoot, pass, and block like professional players. This article is going to teach you some of the things that the pros know. If you want to excel, you have to play to your strengths. Your best talent may not make you the star of every game, but learning to play your best angle will help you contribute more to the team. Ask others to help you identify your strengths and practice until you fully master these skills. Watching the pros play is a great way to see how great basketball players use their skills in the game. You can follow the pros in online videos, on TV and you can also attend a basketball game if there is a pro team in your area. You'll see that every great player has specific skills that cause them to be great and you have the opportunity to practice what you're watching them do. Perform skills, practice your ball handling and shoot free throws when you are practicing alone. You may not always be able to find someone to play with you. That is okay. There are many ways that you can improve your game alone. You can practice many different techniques, such as your free throw routine. There's always some work to do. It is best to take a break if you sustain an injury while playing. You can easily tear a muscle or even break a finger while playing. Trying to play while injured will just make your situation worse. Be sure to seek medical care if you have a serious injury. Ask fellow team members what they like about your skills on the court. Is there something that you excel at? Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to develop your skills to become an all around better player. Determine what others like about your game and fine tune those skills. Always be aware of where you have your feet and what you are going to do with them next. Just touching the baseline is going to get you called out of bounds. The ball will be turned over on a walking call if too many steps are taken with no dribble action. Also, moving either foot when trying to set a screen, pick or take a charge results in a foul call. In order to become better at dribbling the ball you should learn how to practice using your weak hand. You will be able to get past your opponent more easily if you can use either hand to dribble the ball. Force yourself to not use your stronger hand. Your weak hand won't be that for long! A good basketball drill to perform is to see if you can get the ball down the entire court in 5 or less dribbles. This may be difficult in the beginning, but if you manage it, you'll be a force to be reckoned with. This is a vital skill to give you points on fast break opportunities. Use your hand to create a barrier between the ball and your opponent. Don't push your opponent because that is a foul; however, you may use your free arm to create a barrier that keeps your opponent away from the ball. Keep this hand up as you're dribbling the ball with the other. In the final analysis, perhaps you enjoyed basketball before, but now you really understand it. However, after you've gathered additional knowledge about the game through this article, maybe you feel like getting out on the court and being a pro yourself. Now, use these tips and get on the court!

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