#the soya thing is what I found

[autogeneity]

made thalipeeth today. or well, I pretended to follow that recipe. halved. except used whatever flour I had. in made up proportions. this turned out to look like ¾ cup pea flour, ¼ cup bran flour, and ⅛ cup soya powder. left out the chillies. basically made something entirely different lmao. I think the name still applies tho

anyway this got me 3 small-medium breads, which was a perfect serving personally. according to myfitnesspal this comes to 37g of protein which is big if true

[sunny-mercya]

Childs Guilt

Shikamaru Nara x Male Reader

Fandom -> Naruto

Masterlist

You hadn't been feeling well these past weeks already—stomach cramps, aching muscles, nagging hammering headaches, nausea, constant fatigue and slight waves of fever—though this week it had gotten visibly worse and once you had coughed out some blood and collapsed right after getting out of bed, Shikamaru had brought you into the hospital right away.

Sakura had checked you over and came to the conclusion, that your already broken seal—with the much heavyweight additional stress of being a parent, which Sakura could relate herself all too well with it—continues, which shouldn't even be happening in the first place, to take more damage and breaking completely down now.

Your body—more like your chakra core and mind, which can't process, without redeeming help of medical jujutsu (with by the current look of your seal, is probably too late to use) or specific sealing techniques—responds with signals of pain, trying to mend this sort of “wound” on its own.

Knowing this, Shikamaru thought he could—albeit it might not be much seen as help—relieve you from some of the stress and do most, if not even all, of the housework chores for the time being till you're feeling remotely better (or finding a way to stop your seal from breaking apart completely).

So here Shikamaru was, sitting at the dining table with his son and waiting—after being forced to do so, albeit grumpy with you about it—for you to serve today's lunch.

Now, don't get him wrong, Shikamaru would have made gladly—without hesitation or shame, most men would feel when being asked to do what their more household staying spouse would do—today's lunch, just so you could stay in bed and getting the needed rest, but you insisted to do lunch yourself (half heartily jokingly threatening him with any of your Oni's—preferably Raikou it would have been).

»I can't just lay in bed all day and do nothing. And no, laundry doesn't count as doing something.« is what you had said to Shikamaru, when he found you—instead of either laying in bed or the couch as you should and how Sakura had advised you to do—standing in the kitchen, hunched over the counters (a visibly tremor in your legs and hands) and preparing lunch.

~~~•~~~

»Here you go, soya sauce chicken katsu!« you announced happily, serving the two plates—your own appetite had significantly gone down in your sick ridden phrase, still is and the few bites you took during the cooking, were more than enough, too much even, for your stomach—to your husband and son.

Shikamaru said his thanks and started to eat, while Shikadai only moved the chicken around on his plate with his chopsticks—looking rather grossed out by it.

»Are you not feeling well Shi?« worry etched across your face as it's one thing if you're sick, but another if your son is—maybe Shikadai had gotten a seasonal cold or a stomach bug is being passed around, perhaps he just feels more tired than usual.

»Don't ask me.« muttered Shikadai, slamming the chopsticks down onto the table.

»Shikadai.« Shikamaru warned his son, giving an admonitory glance.

Shikamaru—in contrast to your knowledge—knows from his friends firsthand, that most of their children (Boruto and Sarada specifically) seemed to be getting more and more into a angry rebellious mood against them—and now Shikadai, for whatever reasons, as well it seems.

»Stop acting as if you're my dad.«

»What do you mean?« your worry turned in confusion, not understanding what exactly Shikadai is trying to say here and why he's getting so heated.

»You're not my papa and neither are you a supposed mother! All you are is a Monster, which shouldn't even exist!«

You remain silent, a crestfallen expression of hurt etched onto your face, because you knew you're a monster—having called yourself that a few times, even with a slight proudness just to provoke and to make Naruto (one of your closest friends) not feel alone anymore—but it's something entirely different when your own son (or any other person you love and hold dear) calls you such as it equals���akin to a heartache—to a stab into the heart.

»Shikadai! That's enough!« Shikamaru raised his voice—never thought he ever needed to with his son—disapproval sternness in it, because such outbursting outrageous behaviour—towards you—was line crossing and not acceptable.

»I hate you! I hate you!«

Shikadai was shouting—the hatred crystal clear to hear in his voice—by now at this point, chair screeching backwards—falling back with a thud onto the floor—when he stood up abruptly, running out of the kitchen and slamming some doors—either the front door itself or the one towards the garden—shut.

Shikamaru, standing up as well—who, even now as a parent, had never been one for strictness or tight enclosed rules—had half a mind to follow his son and reprimanded him that such behaviour wasn't acceptable as it certainly crossed a line—and while there a things, hurtful words, which a Parent should never dared to utter to their child, so are there words a child should never say to their parents.

But Shikamaru didn't go after his son, not when you have called out for him in a hoarse whisper—cup of (f.drink) slipping from your already shaky hands and shattering down onto the ground into million shards.

Turning to you, the once disappointing up-flaring anger vanish right away and morphed into concern upon seeing your pale sweat glistening face and the way how you clutched your stomach—Shikamaru, with a few steps towards you, puts his arms around you in support and walks you into the living room towards the couch.

~~~•~~~

»......something is wrong....« you rasped out in pain, fearing yourself for the worst already—a lingering sense crawling through your mind of what's happening to you and it's one of the few things which sparked pure terrific fear in you.

»Let me have a look.« Shikamaru raised up your shirt—being thankful that you wore much easier clothing nowadays and not the complicated traditional clothes—and coming to an unpleasant sight.

Your stomach, where the seal of the Oni Demons had once been placed—as you're, through all these years and despite the Oni's being long counted as friends and family, still a Vessel—looked bloody raw, skin tearing itself apart and the sealing marks coming off in a purple stream.

»Shika.....I'm scared.....I–I don't want to lose them, not again....Please, Shika, please don't let me lose them.« tears welled up in your eyes, the fear—which pulls Shikamarus heartstrings in an ache—visibly pooling in them, ascending down your cheeks and upcoming sobs—which bubbles up in your throat—threaten to escape over your lips.

Shikamaru as he shushes you gently, telling you in a promise—believing, although with not much faith in it, your husband as he had barley broken a promise before—that everything will be alright again and how he will do everything possible to not let you lose Raikou and the others—rubs his hand, in a careful and comforting manner, over your stomach.

»C'mon, let's get you back to bed, love.« Shikamaru picks you up and carries you into the bedroom—laying you down onto the bed, pulling him down with you as well, having a tight grip on his shirt.

And Shikamaru let you, holding you close while you cried yourself into sleep—squirming in pain and berating yourself, for something you weren't at faults even.

~~~•~~~

It had been days later—when Konoha had been evacuated, after being attacked by some cult Ninjas (close to being a second Akatsuki group) and either leading almost all possible Shinobi's, with a false lead, away from the village or locking them into a Genjujutsu—that Shikadai started to regret.

Seeing you—his Papa—getting purposely stabbed by the enemy, in order to protect him and Inojin—while telling Konohamaru and Mirai (despite them saying you shouldn't fight as you're still not recovered) to stay with them in protection, while you took care (in your words) of that fucker—sparked a flame of crashing guilt in Shikadai.

Shikadai argued with his Uncle—after the enemy had admitted that they're actually after you and your Oni's and seeing how brutal the attacks (which sends you crashing into the ground a few times already) you're receiving are—how he needs to help his papa and starting to cry out in frustration, anger and fear, when Konohamaru holds him back.

They don't understand, they just don't seem to understand the immense guilt and fear Shikadai feels, because this fight could risk your life and Shikadai didn't want to lose his Papa—not when these hateful words he had shouted at you, would be your last memories of him.

What Shikadai had said, wasn't true—you're aren't a monster, but it took the summoning of Raikou and the other three Oni's (who not only grand him sole protection, but also the whole village and Shikadai realise the extent of how strong you really are) and you literally sacrificing yourself—out of loyalty and parental love—to make Shikadai understand.

All Shikadai wants was to apologise and telling you, how much he loves you and how thankful he is to have you as his Papa.

I'm Sorry.

[sassyangelchild]

Hakuri, his true value, the girl from his past and the Rakuzaichi Arc

This started as me trying to tweet about some Rakuzaichi Arc and Hakuri thought because I still didn't get over it (I started Kagurabachi yesterday and already read all the chapters released lol) and it ended up much longer than I expected. I'm sure most of this would have already been said by someone, and is mostly me rambling but…

"You talk with me. Thanks to you I've enjoyed this meals."

The way something so simple really gave Hakuri enough strength to move forward, made him not lose hope in life, still makes me feel things.

"We talked… We talked together…"

The way his last attempt at stopping her is that, the words that gave him hope. He wanted to give back some of the hope he found in those words, to at the very least say "you were there for me, and talked with me, and that wasn't meaningless because thanks to you I thought it was ok for me to still be there. It's not that I talked with you, we talked together. You said we were both the same so if I have value you have it too".

The way he remembers how he specifically reinforced her idea of how, even if being sold wasn't her fate, she is unable to be with other people or be a normal person. His words can't reach her because she's been cornered, she really doesn't see hope.

Even if Hakuri's family mistreated him he still hoped they loved him. He was still waiting for the praise of his father after seeing how he was fully aware of the beatings and still turned his back on him. When he was explaining how his big brother always was "conveniently" losing the tools to beat him up so he will surely go back to beating him the old-fashioned way he sounded like he was trying to find some love in that, "He doesn't really want to hurt me that much, see? He lost the tool again." Even when believing his brother wanted to kill him when describing him he said "he loves me".

When she says her lover sold her I think it also resonates with him because it lets him see how she truly stopped believing someone could truly love her, and he understands her despair because he's also motivated by wanting his loved ones to love him back.

Throughout the arc Hakuri finally discovers he actually had talent with sorcery. One of the reason for being bullied and his low self-esteem was the belief that he didn't have any talent in that area, and his family didn't really care enough to realize it wasn't true or aknowledge any of his efforts to still serve the family.

He feels useless not being able to do more but let's be honest, he was doing his best with the non-sorcery stuff and at some point his lack of talent wasn't even the problem. The moment Soya, his big brother, realized Hakuri was no longer the pathetic and weak little brother he believed he was he got angry and refused to believe it, and his father just aknowledged the mistake of not having noticed his true talents before but didn't really believed in his potential even when presented with the evidence. Chihiro tells Kyora (the father) he should have believed in Hakuri and the father still manages to underestimate Hakuri again other three times, convinced that "ok he surpassed what I believed him capable of but he can't do more", his defeat is partly caused by his refusal to look at his son and realize he was great all along, something Soya also does. They both convinced themselves that Hakuri was a failure no matter what. Shiba only needed a day or two to look at that boy and realize he was in fact super talented without Hakuri doing anything big, but they have literal proof Hakuri is a talent not seen since the first generation and they still insisted he was no good, truly blind to the facts.

"Even if it was all lies (…) This time, I'll prove it"

Hakuri says this in his fight with Soya. Yeah, he knows maybe the words that girl said to him were just a way of gaining his sympathy, he can't be sure, but as she said he was trapped in a cage that made him unable to see his own worth.

He thought if his loved ones saw him as worthless he truly was worthless, but thanks to her words he slowly realized he still has value that is not conditional on his family or being useful to them and he found other people who valued him for who he is.

Even if her telling him he had value could have been said without truly believing in it, he will prove she was right: Hakuri is using sorcery, he's refusing to lose hope and let his family words become true, refusing to stop fighting; his brother is still screaming he won't amount to anything but no amount of words can change the fact that that's no longer true.

She said they were the same, rejects, and it's true that when they met both believed no one would ever value them. But she was the first to make Hakuri feel like he was important to someone, and that made her important to him too.

By proving he has worth and not losing hope he's also proving that if they were the same then she wasn't just merchandise. She was valuable as a person even if someone she cared about didn't value her, it was her words that taught him that.

Hakuri finally asks Chihiro to slay his father after he sees how one of his brothers died protecting a worthless door. This request it's the final step to accept that yeah, while Hakuri still loved his father and wanted him to praise him he's no longer dependent on his acknowledgement, because he has finally found himself and knows what he wants to do.

I think the whole family affair was tied up already with the end of the arc but I wonder if we will see any of his family members (like Soya) in the future. I don't think it's super necessary right now because Hakuri has already moved past his family and has other goals now and I'm sure with the Rakuzaichi dismantled the brothers will have their hands full looking for a way to survive (I guess they will end up putting to use the fact that they are proficient sorcerers? But I guess they will lay low for a while) but since they are still alive it wouldn't be so rare if they appear again in the future.

Kinda unrelated (didn't know where to fit this), but going back to the girl in Hakuri's past (I just realized she was never given a name and Hakuri didn't ask either), all her story also made me think about the first arc with Char: Char's mother body had special properties so she was hunted down for it, someone she trusted sold her, she ended up trapped and used as a guinea pig. The biggest difference was Char's mother had someone who still loved her (her daughter) so she never let the situation make her lose all hope.

And despite that, hope alone wasn't enough, one could say she never found someone who was willing to help her and she died trapped in there. Yeah, the girl from Hakuri's past wasn't entirely wrong, her fate looked quite bad and she didn't have anyone for her to still try despite the odds, it's quite possible even if she really did escape she would have ended up back into the black market or hunted down (let's be honest, Hakuri at most could have let her escape but he didn't seem to have the power to protect her), it's undeniable. But then... then we have Char, who also kept believing she had a chance at happiness because someone she cared for was wishing for her to not give up and keep looking for it, and she didn't give up and found people who care of her and won't see her as a tool or a monster. Yeah, she was lucky to find Chihiro's group, but she is mostly safe right now.

So, at the end, we don't really know what would have happened if the girl from Hakuri's past didn't lose hope. We have seen the two outcomes happening.

Being completely honest (and after having said all of this, lol) I'm not sure how much Hakuri was willing or able to help her, I assume the "let's eat together outside" was him letting her know the "let's escape together" was on the table? Or was it a last favor to her? Either way I think it was when everything went down that he finally fully realized how horrible was the situation and thought about how he should have done more before that point. Like his determination to stop the Rakuzaichi and his realization of how horrible it was were that strong because she did something very extreme, but I don't know if he was determined about stopping it before that. When he first talks about how he started to realize it was wrong he's shown in a suit looking at a group of prisioners so I assume he was already somewhat doubtful by the point in time he met her and still was hard to convince him/he still talked about merchandise and all that, so maybe he was willing to let her escape, maybe even prepared to be disowned and receive a beating, but wasn't really thinking about stopping the whole thing, I don't know.

Anyway, if someone read all of this... hope you enjoyed it (?)

[hestzhyen]

Insect Symbolism in the Edgy Sword Manga

Hi internet void, it's Mushibachi time (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧. Sorry not sorry for the blatant Hakuri agendaposting. Praying Mantis (Chs. 19 & 30)

The first time we see an insect used as symbolism is during Hakuri's introduction monologue, before we even see the guy himself. It's the very first insight we get into his character and thus extremely important.

Love how Hakuri says he "gritted his teeth and pushed through it" only for Hokazono-sensei to put that to the lie in the first really good look we get at him a few panels later. Hakuri's thoughts about himself don't match up with his real nature and image, which is a neat bit of foreshadowing.

Praying mantises are usually seen as signs of good fortune and symbols of bravery, as well as perseverance despite one's own frailty. So when Hakuri repeatedly refers to Chihiro as a "samurai"...

What a romantic you are, Hakuri! Jokes aside, samurai are often heavily romanticized as stoic yet principled lone warriors wandering the land, never able to truly settle down or find peace until their troubled past has been laid to rest (or they die).

We are probably meant to understand that he's enamored by Chihiro's courageous display of acting as a human lightning rod. Hakuri constantly recalls Chihiro standing up to continue fighting and draws inspiration from it through the whole arc, despite usually meeting with failure. Thanks to his samurai "lighting his helpless existence on fire" (jfc Hakuri) he's able to keep going in spite of his own weakness. Chihiro's bravery, his samurai spirit, is Hakuri's inspiration.

This is called back to in Ch. 30, when Hakuri is unexpectedly separated from Chihiro and left to contend with his main abuser (Soya) on his own.

Please be kinder to yourself, Hakuri!

This is the true turning point for Hakuri's character. Up until now, he's been doing what's asked of him and offering the help he thinks he's qualified to give. But once things go awry in the hallway here he's left with a choice- wait to be rescued again, or attempt to save himself. He chooses the latter and, despite not seeing success at first, finally comes into his own by believing in himself. Despite his weakness, he keeps persevering. And thanks to the confidence he gained from Shiba's instruction and Chihiro's reciprocated faith in him, Hakuri fulfills his destiny as a genius sorcerer from a famous lineage. He's able to finally put Soya -the manifestation of his own self-doubt and misery- to rest.* Hakuri was the real samurai all along! *gasp*

So all this to say: the mantis is not only Hakuri's ideal of bravery that he lost as a child and found again in Chihiro, it's also a symbol of his own efforts to gain strength as well. A concise symbol that thoroughly encapsulates his whole arc.

(*There's a chance that Soya is still alive and can come back to trouble Hakuri and Team Goldfish again, but his purpose for this arc is done.)

Butterfly (Chs. 40-41)

This was revealed last week, but I was obsessing over flowers. I mean I wasn't sure if this was going to be a recurring theme, yeah. That. Anyway, this is pretty on-the-nose stuff to let us know that Kyoura has been transformed after using Magatsumi. Reborn into something else, perhaps. Whatever he is now is somehow related to Magatsumi's wielder and has made him cursed as fuck.

No I'm not posting the spread, we've been jizzing over it for a week already.

But wait, there's more! The design is reminiscent of a swallowtail, (specifically an Alpine Black or Common Mormon).

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Papilio_maackii_male.JPG#/media/File:Papilio_maackii_male.JPG

Swallowtail butterflies are closely associated to death in Japanese folklore. Specifically, they are thought to act as a messenger between the spiritual realm and the world of the living, as well as a means of transferring souls to the afterlife. So yeah this indicates a 1000% increase of Kyoura is Dead and Possessed stocks IMO. It also has some terrifying implications for Magatsumi's power and why it's so feared in-universe. The true wielder can just casually possess anyone who holds it and turn them into a one-man force of nature, apparently? Is that why he's sealed up like a demon by the Kamunabi? I mean yes, but... hoo boy it will be rad to see the full power unleashed. This is the only ability we've fully seen and it's enough to have me spooked (waiting for more details on the spider web ability and the mystery third one before going on a rant about those.)

Anyway, I'm interested in hearing opinions if anyone managed to get through all this. Stay fresh bachibros.

Sources.

https://www.atshq.org/praying-mantis-symbolism/

https://spiritualcalmness.com/swallowtail-butterfly-symbolism/

https://visitjapan.blog/what-do-butterflies-symbolize-in-japan/

https://truespiritanimal.com/black-swallowtail-symbolism-and-meaning

[do-it-jakey-baby]

An Unlikely Encounter

Jake Kiszka x f!reader

Warnings: explicit sexual content, cyberbullying (kinda?), smoking cigarettes, fear of abandonment, strong language

18+, MINORS DNI

TAGLIST: @torniturntomyarrow @ignite-my-fire @hollyco

A/N: A shorter chapter this time, hope you enjoy. Please let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist! ☺️

Chapter 5

You wake up swaddled in a fluffy, white duvet cocoon in the middle of your hotel bed. As you begin to lift your arms to your face to rub the sleep from your eyes you notice how sore your limbs are.

Wow, Jake really did a number on me last night…

In the ambience of the quiet room you could hear the shower running, which was oddly comforting. The trajectory of yours and Jake’s relationship was confusing, there wasn’t a label affixed to your arrangement and you were just enjoying each other’s company, but you found such bliss in the mundane domesticated moments such as these. Listening to the faint sounds of Jake showering, the buzz of his electric toothbrush, the warm space beside you that was a reminder that you shared the same bed. The downside was that if you lingered on it for too long, the thoughts that you desperately tried to bury deep down and ignore began to surface. What was going to happen now that the European leg of the tour was ending? You both lived in separate continents, and with Jake being so busy with the band surely there wasn’t room for you in his life? You smack the heel of your hand to your forehead, as if the action would knock the narrative straight out of your brain. To distract yourself you pick your phone up from the bedside table and begin to scroll through your social media feeds.

You’ve been tagged in a photo on Instagram

Curious, you click on the notification and open up the post.

Jake Kiszka, juggling girls on his sprint across the world

Three photos were posted from an account called @exposingjake. One of you with Jake, his arm slung around your shoulder and smiling down at you. It was a shot that had been taken by someone outside of your party that you hadn’t seen before. The other two photos were of Jake with women you didn’t recognise. You frown at the screen before locking your phone and throwing it down onto the bed. Whoever was behind this account was clearly out to cause drama. You rake your hands through your hair, pulling it up into a messy ponytail and securing it with the hair tie you kept on your wrist. Moving from the bed, you find a pair of leggings and a hoodie from your suitcase and get dressed. You pull on your trusty converse and pick your phone back up off the bed.

Coffee?

Yeah, meet me down in the lobby in 10.

You write out a quick text to Jake to let him know where you are heading and proceeded down to the lobby. When you get there, Kat is sat waiting for you. As you get closer you realise she isn’t alone.

“Kat, Sam. Have fun last night?” You wink.

“Best night of my life.” Sam smirks, receiving a swift smack to the arm from Kat.

“Coffee, then?” She giggles, shooting you a look.

You find a cute little cafe situated just down the road from the hotel. You spot a small corner booth with an inviting, olive-coloured sofa curved round into an L-shape. You slide into the booth and pat the space next to you, smiling up at Kat.

“I’ll grab your coffees, what do you both want?” Sam asks.

“I’ll take an americano, she’ll have something ridiculously sweet and iced, with soya milk.” Cat smirks, raising her eyebrows at you as if to say I’m right aren’t I?

You nod at Sam and he saunters off towards the counter. As soon as he’s out of sight, Kat whips her head around to you and grabs your arms.

“Spill. What happened? I know you weren’t sick.”

You sigh, knowing that Kat would 100% catch you out in a lie, she knows your tells all too well. “He came and found me in the bathroom after that weird experience with Josh… he saw the whole thing and he was mad. We argued for a bit and he told me about his ex, which made me feel really guilty for trying to make him jealous. She tried it on with each brother and Danny, can you believe that?!” Kat’s eyes widen and she gestures for you to continue. “Someone wanted to use the bathroom, so we left and then he told you all I wasn’t feeling well. When we got back to the hotel he followed me into my room… and-” You pause, stifling a giggle and wiggling your eyebrows.

“Damnnnnn, she got LAID!” Kat cheers, way too loudly for the peaceful ambience of the quaint little cafe. Sam appears as if on cue, setting your drinks down onto the table in front of you.

“One americano and one… uh… I can’t remember what she called it, but she assured me it was sweet.” He laughs. “So, I hear you fucked my brother last night?”

You almost spit out the drink you’d just sipped from and begin to cough, sputtering as Kat hands you a napkin.

“Damn, that good huh?”

“Sam!” You choke, swatting at his leg. “What about you two then, hmm? I’m assuming you slept in the same room, seeing as I only invited Kat.”

Kat winks at you and presses her index finger to her lips.

You’re half way through your beverages and engaged deeply in conversation when you hear the soft sound of a bell chiming as the door to the cafe opens, and in walks Jake. You bristle ever so slightly in your seat, but enough for Kat to pick up on. Jake wanders over to your booth and sits himself down next to Sam, sliding his sunglasses off his face and placing them onto the table.

“Morning, early birds.”

“Morning Jake, sleep well?” Kat goads. Before he has chance to respond with a sassy remark, she grabs onto your wrist and pulls you from the booth. “Smoke break, be back in a hot sec.”

She steers you out the front of the cafe and sits herself down onto the al-fresco seating available. She pulls a pack of cigarettes out of her bag and places one between her lips, lighting it up and taking a deep inhale. She gestures to you, holding the packet out. You hastily snatch it from her and mirror her actions, holding your hand out for her lighter.

“Y/N Y/L/N, you haven’t taken a cigarette from me in years.”

“Yeah well, I needed one today.” You say in-between coughs as the nicotine goes straight to your head, making you feel fuzzy.

“What’s wrong? And don’t even bother trying to deflect, I know something is up.”

You look down, fidgeting slightly before taking another drag from the cigarette in between your fingers. You place the cigarette in the slot of the ashtray in front of you and pull your phone from your hoodie pocket, unlocking it and opening the Instagram post from earlier. You slide your phone across the table and Kat lifts it up to her face, then gasps.

“Who the fuck is this?”

“No idea, someone clearly trying to stir the pot.” You sigh, picking the cigarette back up.

“How do you feel about it?”

“I mean, I’m not bothered about the post itself. It just got me thinking, what the fuck am I doing? I’m in another country, over a thousand miles from home, with a famous rockstar who I barely know and I’m naive enough to think that this will end well for me. What happens when he goes back to the US?” You bring the cigarette to your mouth again.

“Have you spoken to him about it?”

“Well… no. What would I even say?”

“How about, hey Jake, am I just your European booty call or do you see this going somewhere?”

You snort, rolling your eyes. “Oh yeah, great idea. That won’t go down like a lead balloon.”

“You don’t know how it will go down. Take some control for once, Y/N. You can’t just keep assuming and staying stuck in that head of yours.”

You roll your eyes again, but you know she’s right. By the way she’s looking at you, she knows it too. You sit there in silence for a while, both finishing your cigarettes and enjoying the sun warming your skin. The bell rings again and then the sun is gone, hidden behind Jake’s figure looming over you in your seat. He’s got a takeaway cup in his hand.

“Avoiding me are we, princess?”

Fuck, don’t call me that. You squirm in your seat and an irritatingly smug smile creeps onto his lips. He extends his free hand out to you.

“Come on, we’re going on an adventure.”

~

“Where are you taking me?” You giggle in the back seat of the taxi.

“Somewhere just as pretty as you. Me and the guys have been here before and I wanted to show you around.”

The journey wasn’t too long, before you knew it you were parked up outside wherever it was Jake was taking you. He uttered “Obrigado” and handed a note to the driver before exiting the vehicle and walking around to your side, opening the door for you. You were slightly embarrassed at how hot under the collar you’d gotten just from hearing him speak a very simple Portuguese word. As you stepped out onto the pavement, you observed a sign on the wall in front of you reading ‘Jardim Botanico de Lisboa’. Jake walked beside you as you entered the grounds and casually slipped his hand into yours, making your cheeks flush. You walked hand-in-hand until you reached a giant greenhouse, surrounded by lush greenery and a small pond in the centre.

“Jake, this is… beautiful.”

“Just like you. Come on, shall we go inside?”

The view was utterly breathtaking from inside the greenhouse, with tropical plants as far as the eye could see. You took every inch of it in, thoroughly enjoying the tranquility and embracing the one-on-one time with Jake. As you were busy studying the details of the exotic landscape before you, you hear the sound of a camera shutter. You whip your head around to see Jake standing with a camera in his hands, the biggest grin adorning his face.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, you just look so happy and I wanted to capture the moment. Now I have you facing me, why don’t you give me one of your pretty smiles.”

You look at the camera and give him a big toothy grin. Once he’s snapped the picture he walks up to you and presses a kiss to your forehead.

“Do you want to get one together?”

You nod shyly and he extends the camera out in front of you. You smile and instead of facing forwards, Jake inches closer and kisses your cheek. The action makes your heart swell.

After your long walk around the gardens, you stop off at a small gelato parlour and share a cup. Jake lets you choose all three flavours, saying he’ll love whatever you pick. When you’re finished you head back to the hotel. The sun is beginning to set behind the clouds as your taxi pulls into the drop off area. Jake follows behind you into your room and plops himself down on the end of the bed.

“You should have just had me in with you, seeing as you’ve spent the majority of our time here in my room.” You chuckle.

“I didn’t want to assume that you wanted to stay with me, so I gave you the choice.”

“Well, thank you, that’s very considerate. But my choice would always be to stay with you.” You respond, sliding yourself onto his lap. “Thank you for today too, it was lovely.”

He tilts your chin down and his lips find yours, the kiss becoming more intense as you both hungrily lap at each other. He wraps his arms around you and falls backwards, pulling you on top of him. His arms snake underneath your hoodie and his hands smooth over the skin on your waist. The sensation elicits a soft moan from you into his mouth. As his hands begin to wander further, your phone lets off 4 notifications in short succession.

“You’re popular today.”

An unsettling queasiness forms in the pit of your stomach, as if your gut already knows what the notifications are. You sigh as you pull your phone from your hoodie pocket and confirm your own suspicions.

@exposingjake: Aww, bless her heart. She really thinks he’s interested in her.

Another unseen photo of you and Jake together flashes onto the screen. This time, other accounts in the comments are tagging you. You look through their profiles and realise that they are some of Connor’s friends.

Nasty fucking hoe!

That’s what she gets for cheating on my boy.

Hopefully he just drops her, give her a taste of her own medicine.

You try and fail to blink back the tears forming in your eyes. The room feels like it’s spinning furiously out of control as you drop your phone onto the bed, staring into the space that it filled. Jake grabs hold of your wrists, he’s speaking but you can’t hear him. The sound of your own heartbeat is thundering in your ears as Jake picks your phone up off the bed. After a few moments, he finds his own phone and disappears from your line of sight. It feels like hours have passed, but in reality it only takes a few minutes for Kat to come bounding into your room. Jake hands her your phone and her eyes widen momentarily, then fury paints her expression.

“Y/N, baby. Talk to me. What’s going on? Who is this?” Jake whispers, now at your side again.

You try to respond but instead the floodgates open, you sob and sob until there are no tears left in the world to cry. You sob as Jake and Kat both hold you, one on either side. You sob as Josh bursts into the room, hearing your wails from down the hall. You sob as he joins Kat and Jake, taking space behind you and curling into your back.

You aren’t sure what time it is when you wake, but it’s dark. As you find your bearings, you realise you’re in bed with Jake’s arms wrapped around you tightly. He looks so beautiful when he’s sleeping, his breath lightly tickling your forehead. You reach your hand out and cup his face, gently running your thumb across his cheekbone. You become painfully aware of an impending headache brewing, so you carefully manoeuvre from Jake’s arms without disturbing him and dig through your bag in search of some paracetamol. You find a bottle of water in the minibar and wash down the capsules, then your eyes happen upon a packet of Jake’s cigarettes and a lighter on the desk.

Another wouldn’t hurt right now.

Thankfully, your hotel room has a balcony, so you slip out into the cool evening air and light up, inhaling deeply. It’s a small moment of reprieve, but you’ll take all you can get at this point. You lean over the balcony, watching the traffic whizz past as the light breeze soothes your swollen face. After a few moments you hear the sliding door of the balcony squeaking open.

“Thought you’d run off with my cigarettes.”

You extend your hand to him, the cigarette carton open. He takes one and you flick the lighter, sparking up the end for him.

“Didn’t know you smoked.” He smirks.

“I don’t. Haven’t for around 10 years, but sometimes you just need one.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

You shrug.

“It’s not true, y’know. Those are old photos of me with fans.”

“They have a point though, Jake. I don’t know what the hell this is between us or what happens when you go back home.”

He quietly finishes the rest of his cigarette and walks over to you, taking your face in his hands.

“Y/N, you are everything to me. Do you know how much I thought about you after I left London? There’s not been a second that you haven’t been on my mind. Even when I’m playing on stage, I look out into the crowd and all I see is you at the front of the barricade.”

“But we live thousands of miles from each other, Jake. How is that going to work?” A tear rolls down your cheek again.

“Baby, please don’t cry. We’ll figure it out. I don’t want this to end… I want you to be mine.”

“You do?” The tears are falling harder now. Jake presses you into his chest, his arms wrapping around your back.

“I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but I am falling so fast and so hard. You’re so beautiful, inside and out. I, um… I actually started writing a song about you.”

“Is that what all those crumpled up pieces of paper were in your room?”

“You noticed those?” He chuckles, rubbing his palm across your back. “Yeah, I wanted to get my thoughts down onto paper but nothing quite captured how I feel, so I wrote the chords instead.”

“Will you play it for me?”

“Of course, angel. When it’s finished.”

You both stand there for a few moments, silently embracing. His hand stroking light circles onto your back is so comforting, you could almost fall asleep upright in his arms.

“I want to be yours too.”

He smiles against your forehead. “You want to be my girlfriend?”

“Is that you asking?”

“Yes.”

“Of course I do. But Jake, how-”

“Come home with me, to Nashville.”

You step back from him, your jaw dropping open. “What?”

“I’m not saying you have to uproot your life and move, but please just come back with me. Just for a bit?”

“Jake, I don’t have that kind of money. I’m unemployed, I was just about to start job searching.”

“I’ll take care of everything, please.”

“Can I at least think about it? I want to, like, so badly. But I need to talk to Kat, I’m supposed to be moving in with her.”

“Ok baby, think about it. But the offer doesn’t lapse, it’s an open invitation.”

~

The next day you roll out of bed early and make your way over to Kat’s hotel room. You knock on her door and are greeted by Sam, clad in the bathrobe that the hotel provides.

“Sam, is my best friend in there?”

“She is. Kat, you have a visitor.”

Kat pops her head under Sam’s arm and her expression changes to one of sadness.

“Baby girl, give me two seconds and I’ll be out.”

“Uhhh.. my room is kinda occupied.”

“Sam, can you leave us for a bit?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll go find Danny and see what he’s up to.” Sam pats your head and offers you a small smile as he walks past you.

You sit yourself down on Kat’s bed and she joins you.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Whoever is behind that account is just a fucking clout chaser, Y/N. Please don’t pay them any mind.”

“I actually came here to talk about something else…”

“Oh?” Kat’s eyebrows raise.

“Jake and I talked last night, he asked me to be his girlfriend.”

“Oh my fucking god! He told me he was going to ask you and I was wondering when he would actually find the balls!”

“What?! When?”

“He called me before we came out here… sorry, I couldn’t tell you. He made me promise.”

“You sneaky bitch!” You laugh, jabbing her ribs.

“Ok, so is that it?”

“No… he asked me to come back to Nashville with him for a while.”

“Shut the fuck up! What did you say?”

“I said I’d think about it. I’m supposed to be moving in with you.”

“Have a day off! Are you kidding, I’ll be fine. You have to go, Y/N!” She squeals, throwing her arms around you. “You deserve this, you deserve to finally be happy.”

You squeeze her tightly, rocking back and forth as you both giggle with excitement.

“Thank you so much, you’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”

“Just make sure you send me a postcard!”

You and Kat sit and talk cross-legged on her bed for a couple of hours, you tell her how much you’ll miss her and that you’ll message her every day. When you get back to your hotel room, Jake isn’t there. You can’t blame him, you left hours ago whilst he was still sleeping and didn’t give him any indication of where you were. You walk down the hall and knock on his door, but there’s no response. Sam’s room is situated opposite Jake’s, so you knock there next. No response. You sigh, pulling your phone from your jeans, but you’re cut off by the sound of laughter coming from further down the hall. You follow the sound, until you reach another door. You can hear the faint sounds of Danny’s voice, so you knock. Danny opens the door and smiles down at you.

“Hey, Danny. Any chance you’ve seen Jake today?”

He stands to the side, unveiling all 3 Kiszka brothers in fits of laughter.

“Having a party in here, boys?” You wink.

Josh leaps forwards, pulling you into a hug. “Now the party has started! Hello, Songbird.”

“Hey, Josh.” You giggle, ruffling his curls.

“I suppose you’re here to see my other half?”

Jake looks up and you nod. He stands from his seat on the sofa and follows you out of the room.

“Your room?” You ask.

“Yeah, sure.”

He presses the keycard to the reader on his door and motions for you to enter. As he walks in you grab his arms and send him hurtling backwards onto the bed. He chuckles as you climb on top of him, pressing kisses on every inch of his face.

“What’s this for?”

“Just wanted to show my boyfriend some appreciation.”

“Your boyfriend, hm? Is that your way of saying yes?”

“Thought I said yes last night.”

“Not definitively.” He retorts, snapping his teeth at you.

“Well, I couldn’t not call you my boyfriend when I’m travelling across the world for you.”

He sits up, lifting you up with him so you’re straddling his hips. His face is inches away from yours as he looks you dead in the eyes.

“You’re coming? To Nashville?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He grunts and presses his fingers into the meat of your hips, pulling you down onto him. You stifle a moan at the friction. You feel his heart rate pick up in his chest as he brings his lips to yours, kissing you passionately. His tongue laps over yours as he brings his hand forward to palm at your breast.

“Fuck me.” You breathe.

Within seconds he’s on top of you, pulling your t-shirt over your head and kissing a trail from your neck down to your navel. You shimmy out of your jeans and he begins to pull your thong to the side, kissing at the skin on your inner thigh, but you lift his chin up to stop him from making contact with your core.

“No, I want you inside of me.”

“Someone’s demanding today.” He smirks, dipping his fingers into the waistband of your thong and pulling them off. She stands to remove his own clothes and settles back on top of you. His fingers graze over your clit and you buck up into his hand.

“Jake, pleeease. Fuck me.” You whine.

“Patience, angel. I just wanna feel how wet you are first.”

He slips a finger into you and hums with satisfaction, then brings it to his lips and sucks on the digit.

“Like fucking honey.” He croons into your ear.

Using your hand, you line him up with your entrance and he pushes in, stretching you out with his length.

“Fuck.” You whine.

“How do you want it?”

“Hard. So fucking hard.”

His hands curl over your knees, pushing them back towards your chest. The thrusts into you and you yelp, the tip of his cock hitting against your cervix. The combination of pleasure and pain is intoxicating. As if your reaction is spurring him on, he begins snapping his hips into you hard and fast, each thrust eliciting soft moans from your lips. He brings a hand to your throat and squeezes, causing the blood to rush to your head. Your eyes roll back as you chant his name, the orgasm building quickly within the pit of your stomach. He curses loudly, sweat collecting at his hairline as he drives into you.

“You’re such a good fucking girl for me. So beautiful, taking me so well.”

His words push you over the edge, your walls fluttering around him.

“Jake, don’t stop! I’m cumming!”

“Cum for me angel, I’m there.” He breathes as his face contorts. As the dam shatters inside you, his hips sputter and his release mixes with yours. He fucks you through it until you float down from your high. He leans forward and captures you in a gentle kiss, the gesture saying a thousand unspoken words of adoration.

Once you’ve cleaned yourself up, you hear a knock at the door. You pull on Jake’s bathrobe and pad over, opening the door to see Kat standing there, beaming from ear to ear.

“Guess who’s coming to Nashville, baby!”

[alonelystargazer]

For the 'send me a fandom' post, Kagurabachi!!

Yay Kagurabachi my new favorite series! Well, not so new to me because I've been following it since March. It still might be too early to tell with some of these, but it will be fun to look back on this post in the future and see if anything has changed!

The first character I first fell in love with: 

I think it was Shiba. I really like mentor characters, he's devoted to keeping the Rokuhira legacy alive and untainted, and he has a mysterious past that I want to know more about. I NEED to know what it was like for him during the war! I just know he did some bad shit, but I wanna see it anyway. And I also wanna see more of his sorcery and fighting prowess on screen. Also, let's not forget that he's hot as hell! The rolled up sleeves and the slutty exposed ankle and the loose strand of hair! 🔥🔥🔥

I'm putting the rest under a read more because this is also a really long post.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: 

It feels wrong of me to say that I didn't like the main character Chihiro, but that's what it was like for me at first. I think I got a bad first impression of him as this cold edgy guy who just slices people up for fun from dudebros on twt, but he's really not like that. He isn't built for this lifestyle of taking revenge and murdering people. He only kept that cold facade because it's the only way he could keep his mission going, otherwise he would crumble. He's really kind and understanding on the inside and that bleeds through his exterior. We've seen how he acts towards Char and Mr. Inazuma, they're kids but he doesn't belittle them and he's protective of them. And he has an immense amount of trust in him, and he's supportive and is a source of inspiration for him, and in fact sees him as his equal (or even more) because of how much Hakuri has grown. There's more I could say, but this is already too long.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: 

I think this mostly applies to JP fans, but I really despise Soya. Most Western fans hate Soya for being the worst older brother with a sick and twisted history of torturing Hakuri, but for that reason, he has the same appeal to JP fans as Naoya from JJK has, and I find that really weird.

The character I love that everyone else hates: 

Hmm, I don't think there's any character that applies. Most characters in KB seemed to be well-liked in some way.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

I also don't think there's any character that applies. My love for a character only continues to grow over time, unless we get something that shows them in a negative way.

The character I would totally smooch: 

SHIBA!!

Also the unnamed Hishaku leader known by the fandom as John Hishaku. And Kunishige. Also Hiyuki. And Tafuku. And Azami. Good lord there's a lot of hot people in KB.

don't look at me but Kyora too sorry I like dilfs

The character I’d want to be like: 

I think maybe a mix of Hiyuki and Hakuri. Hiyuki, for the fact that she knows that loyalties are flimsy and she can also see different perspectives. And Hakuri, because he had such low confidence in himself, thinking he's useless and hating himself for it, when he found people who believed in him and showed him kindness, he grew more confident and had the courage to fight against his abusers (who happen to be his own fucking family).

The character I’d slap: 

SOYA I HATE HIS ASS! But also Sojo, not because I hate him, but I just wanna see what his reaction would be lol.

A pairing that I love:

I'm a firm Hakuri/Chihiro fan. I think I've said this before, but they have such an immense level of trust in each other and that whole "we'll take down the Rakuzaichi together" thing is just peak yaoi.

But I also like any combination of Kunishige/Shiba/Azami, and Hiyuki/Tafuku.

A pairing that I despise: 

Soya/Hakuri because they're brothers and Soya is an abusive piece of shit. Also, Shiba/Chihiro because even though they aren't related and they're both adults, just the thought that Shiba most likely knew Chihiro from when he was a baby and watched him grow up is enough to deter me from this ship. But these are ships I've mostly seen from the JP fandom.

Also, I don't hate Chihiro/Hinao but I just find it funny that this ship still has shooters because it really has no legs to stand on. Even Chihiro/Hiyuki makes more sense as a het ship, if that's what you're looking for.

Well, there you go! Apparently, I have a lot say, sorry! And since there's only 44 chapters at the point of me writing this, my opinions could change, but for now, this is where I stand with Kagurabachi.

[umihoshi]

some tips for people who just started living on their own

It's been 4 years now, and I'm not regretting a single day that I moved out. No more adapting to what my parents want, no more reporting where I'm going or who I'm bringing over, I can create my save haven the way I like it. For me, it was really the start of becoming myself.

But, there's a bunch of stuff here and there that would've been nice if I had known it from the get-go. And I thought: let's share them!

1 what appliances to invest in?

one thing that is going to come back every single day is cooking. and food is expensive AF if you're not careful. I found 2 great ways to save a bunch of money and they both rely on one thing: Invest in a good freezer! Many grocery stores have systems where they price down things that are close to the shelf life date. One of our local grocery stores can go up to 70% discount! But the problem with those is, you need to eat it right away.... OR DO YOU??? Freezing things close to expiring will let them last for a full freaking month extra. and vegetables go even longer. Plenty of time to use it when you need it (just don't forget to thaw) Be careful though: once you thawed it, you can't freeze it again.

Items are usually also WAY cheaper if you buy them in bulk. Chop them up and in the freezer they go! This one's also great if you don't always have the energy or drive to cook: cook up a large pot of whatever you like, put it in containers and freeze them. I always like doing so with pasta sauce and then cook the pasta fresh~ But it also works great with stews, curry and other types of sauces. stores like IKEA have containers that are just the right size for one meal.

For some of you, the next one may be a no-brainer, but.... My mom was really proud of how fast she was with doing the dishes. She was always like 'why get a dishwasher, I'm faster if I do it myself'. And I have lived up to that same idea up until half a year ago. My kitchen was always a mess, I didn't feel like cooking, inviting people over was embarrassing. I exhausted myself every time visitors would come and I had to fight that monster pile. Please, if you recognize these problems: invest in a dishwasher. Life became SO MUCH easier. My house is clean, my mind is more at ease, social contact increased cuz it's not as big a hassle to clean before guests show up. I really wish I wouldn't have wasted those 3 years fighting a monster that was this easy to tackle in the end...

2 easy cooking

Though it's also a bit of an investment: cooking becomes fucking easy with an airfryer. No oil is added, so it's a bunch healthier. you just put the temperature and timer and it's done. and a lot of things can just fry simultaneously. chuck in some meat and potato's at 400F (200C) for 20 minutes and all you'll have to worry about is adding some vegies with it. springrolls, pizza, potato's, meat. it all gets nice and crunchy too. (prepare vegies in a rice cooker for the same don't-have-to-keep-an-eye-on-it experience. you can cook them simultaneously with rice too!)

Something that became one of my fave dishes of the late is 'stir fried whatever'. it goes like this: Bake whatever meat you fancy, great with egg or tofu too. add whatever vegies (straight out of the freezer is fine). add stir fry sauce in whatever amount seems nice (little for coating, more if you want it to be saucy). make some carbs and you're fucking DONE! no measuring, no thinking what spices to use, it goes with anything and everything. and your local grocery has probably like 5 different flavors. (or at least, it does here. dunno if that's true for America...) like it creamy? add half a cup of soya milk. it takes like 10 minutes tops (not counting the cooking of rice/pasta/potato/bread)

3 think in money or think in space

With tricks like a good freezer, saving money with discount products becomes a whole lot easier. But there are also different discount products that can save you a lot of money. my mom always used to buy like.... packs of 4 toilet rolls. and if you calculate it, buying 3x4 rolls is so much more expensive than buying a 12 pack. But what you'll need for that is space. Try keeping account of a spot like that in your house. cupboard underneath the sink, the spot where they installed the boiler, top shelves you don't often use cuz it's high up, on top of the fridge, garage. I live in an apartment and have a small storage space for my bicycle. Perfect spot for non-consumables. (be careful to keep them out of reach for mice) think toilet paper, tissues, cat litter, soap, shampoo, toothpaste. they'll be good in 2 years too, and you'll still be needing them all the same. I once found this 6 pack of toothpaste for like 3,-! aint no one selling 1 tube for 0,50 when I buy it once I need it.

dunno if this is of any use to someone, but I hope this can help out anyone to safe some money, time or energy! Because it sure did for me.

[princesspumpkinseed]

A daily review with a twinkle of optimism and softness is exactly what I need right now. As occurs often, I had a beautiful day and yet my brows are still furrowed in disapproval of myself, which I disallow. In fact, as soon as I began typing, my facial muscles relaxed and so I deduce that I am exactly where I need to be.

Last night, I cooked a Mexican feast for two friends and I think that it went tremendously. I feel quite humbled to spend time with these two people because they’re so funny, kind, and intelligent so I was particularly pleased to see that they were impressed by the dinner I made for them. I got some ginger ale and filled the glasses with fresh mint and lime wedges; I made a two bean chilli, my classic red onion and mint salsa, some rice and tortillas and salad, guacamole, and avocado (of course). There was just enough to feed me today as well and my friends seemed satisfied. In fact, one friend praised the evening to another friend this afternoon... so yes, I’m blushing.

This morning’s breakfast was perfect in every domain but one: I don’t have any avocado left to make it again tomorrow. This morning I did a yoga flow with Allie Van Fossen which was powerful enough to satisfy my morning restlessness; I had my wake-up treat of a double espresso with some warmed soya milk; I showered and put on a sleek dark-academic outfit (complete with heeled boots, light face-powder, and some perfume which I perceive to be a ‘clean’ scent). I felt good, and my booty was looking pretty good when I left the shower, too.

From 9am until noon, I was in the library and I was impressed with my productivity. I found a space which had the perfect temperature and level of noise and completed the Functional Analysis homework and a problems sheet.

After that, I returned home and chatted with my housemate Bethan in the kitchen, She really does light up my days and she was making a satisfying breakfast while I assembled some leftover [fajitas] from last night. Good for her.

In the early afternoon, I got my exam notesheet done for Number Theory, despite the beautiful sunshine tempting me outside, I finished just in time to meet with my friend and his friend to go for a walk and grab a matcha coconut latte. I’d like to be a matcha-drinking individual but the first matcha I ever tasted was incredibly bitter and this one just tasted of sweet coconut with a complementary bitter undertone so I don’t know what to believe.

I talked with my friend a lot during our walk and I just hope that he and his friend were entertained by my conversation. I hope that they felt they were listened to and treated with kindness and encouragement. I loved the walk we had and I feel slightly selfish for having taken their afternoons but it made me very happy. This is the root of my self-criticism this evening, I believe.

Getting home, I made a simple yet tasty meal of leftover rice with basa and veggies. The peas and sweetcorn makes me think this dish is quite childish but there’s nothing childish about ensuring your 5 a day and preventing foodwaste.

This evening, I wrote up half of my functional analysis homework and hope to do the rest first thing tomorrow. I concluded this task with a phd salted caramel protein shake (which would have been better if I’d had blended a banana into it as well) and one of Yoga with Kassandra’s evening sequences. Now, I will treat myself to a biopic before bed :) I look forward to good weather tomorrow and to seeing my parents.

[thewritetofreespeech]

Yaaayy requests are open !!

Can you write azashiro souya x fem!wife Reader . Azashiro is in reader mansion because she is the head of shihouin Clan.

He hates being here. Despite the vastness of its walls, he found the Shihōin estate stifling. As if with each breath those vast walls just came a little closer and closer, until they would eventually swallow him.

Urozakuro rattled at his side in her sheath. Azashiro’s hand had to come and stay her hilt to make her stop.

“Soya?” The captain turned his head to look at [Y/N]. Her gentle smile telling him that she hadn’t noticed his uncomfortableness, or his struggle with his Zanpakuto. That she was just happy to see him. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Life of the Shihōin head. You know.” No. He doesn’t. But in another life he might have, as the only son of the once great & proud Azashiro Clan. “Did the servants offer you anything? Goodness, what a terrible impression….”

“I didn’t want anything.” Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he thought it was a trap. That the tea they offered him would be poisoned in some elaborate long came where the Seireitei assassins would finally destroy the Azashiro with the clever beguiling nature of its head.

“Hmmm…shall we head to the garden then?”

Azashiro nodded. Outside was best. Not better, but best. At least the open space would let him get air in his lungs. “How is your brother?”

“Captain Shihōin,” [Y/N] said with a playful sneer. “He’s fine. Wiping the Onmitsukidō into shape over his perceived abuse at having to take orders from a woman all his life.”

Urozakuro rattled louder. To the point that Azashiro had to wrap his whole fist around her hilt to silence her. “Children can be that way.”

Since [Y/N] had no interest in being a Shinigami, the traditional role of leading the 2nd had fallen to her brother. A decision that many regretted and urged her not to make, as she was notably stronger and more even tempered than her brother, but she told him once that it was not the work, she hated but the politics. He had to agree. Life was simpler in the 11th, where strength was the only measure of character.

Her horrible little brother was actually how they met. The clan heads, those of course not already seated in positions of power in the 13, attending one of the captains’ gathers to discuss safety and security in the Seireitei. A joke, Azashiro had thought, as the only ‘safety & security’ nobles cared about was their own power. His butchered family was testament to that. But…he had been moved by [Y/N]’s earnestness in the meeting. She genuinely seemed to care about people; and not just the people within their walls. Perhaps it was all an act, as he knew nobles were good at that too, but he had been taken in by her words and soon fell in love.

“Hopefully he’ll grow out of it one day. I mean, he has too, right?” [Y/N] sighed. Then said in a low voice, “for the sake of his children I hope so….”

He had no children now, but would be expected to. To marry, and carry on the line, because, as luck would have it, their prized jewel was not only not interested in being a Shinigami but also barren. The Shihōin family seemed to have been cursed with a beautiful, intelligent, wonderful tragedy that would bring them into great prominence and then hand it off to sows of an idiot. Doomed, some said, but a boon for Azashiro. Since she could not extend the line, no one questioned their friendship and relationship as nothing of note could come from it.

[Y/N] sighed again and stretched her hands over her head. “Let’s get out of here.” Azashiro looked towards her in surprise. Or as surprised as he let his expressions be. “I know you don’t like it here. You play it off, but to a Shihōin’s sight you might as well be shouting it like you want to.”

The corner of Azashiro’s lips turned up. He should have known she had noticed. What a stupid thing to assume. “Places like this…bring back bad memories.”

“I know.” She of course knew about his family. He never spoke of it, but every noble family knew. “And I don’t want you to have bad memories with me. Only good ones.”

Her fingers laced with his and he suddenly felt as some of the Shihōin palace weight had come off his shoulders. Funny, how the person who’s walls now stood for made him feel more at ease.

They leave and head for the country side via Hoho, and spend the afternoon in the fresh air and the sun. He could finally breath and let his hair down; metaphorically as he would never actually take his hair down in front of a lady.

Their relationship was complicated, with his past and her future, but he was content in the way that it worked and found peace in it.

Peace, unfortunately, was not something he was used to. Azashiro wondered how long it would last.

[batgirlsay]

Shining Summer Memories

Playlist for Zenyuki Week 2023 by @zenyuki-festival

Glad my Zenyuki playlist draft had songs to fit this year’s prompts! Arranged the songs in order of the daily prompts (and surprisingly “Ordinary” was the only one that was a bit of a stretch... but I love the new orchestra version too much not to use!). Also thanks to @soya-ix for the Taylor song inspiration 😊

Shining Summer Memories

Sweet Nothing- Taylor Swift (Day One: Fireflies)  The Ballad of Laura and Mike- Matt Pond PA (Day Two: Park)  Ordinary (Revolving Doors Version)- Copeland (Day Three: Barbeque)  Snow On The Beach- Taylor Swift (Day Four: Constellations) Dancing with Our Hands Tied- Taylor Swift (Day Five: Warmth) There Cannot Be a Close Second- Copeland (Day Six: Festival/Fireworks)

Summary lyrics and daily prompts are cited after the cut:

Sweet Nothing- Taylor Swift (Day One: Fireflies)

I spy with my little tired eye Tiny as a firefly A pebble that we picked up last July Down deep inside your pocket We almost forgot it

You say, "What a mind" This happens all the time

And the voices that implore, "You should be doing more" To you, I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it

All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing

The Ballad of Laura and Mike- Matt Pond PA (Day Two: Park)

Would you promise to try not to die? That’s the only fear of mine There could be more but I want people to hear you Singing bout the stains in the fire

I’m good at worrying When you’re gone out west The garden’s doing fine The rabbits are my friends

I think I believe in you more than I believe in myself

Ordinary- Copeland (Day Three: Barbeque- this theme is a bit of a stretch but it reminds me of them sharing everyday meals together)

Today was fine I woke up late like I always do Made work just in the nick of time And thought of you And when I returned I found you just like I always do Waiting for me like you always are

Since you came along My days are ordinary We laugh just like yesterday And I kiss you like the day before And I hold you just like ordinary Perhaps when the day is new We'll find tomorrow is just ordinary too

Tomorrow came and my shadow it was growing long I came home to find you singing songs Just the same And today it seems You're smiling like you always are Everyday it's the same old thing

Snow On The Beach- Taylor Swift (Day Four: Constellations)

One night, a few moons ago I saw flecks of what could've been lights But it might just have been you Passing by unbeknownst to me

Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful You wanting me tonight feels impossible But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around Like snow on the beach

My smile is like I won a contest And to hide that would be so dishonest And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it 'Til you do, 'til it's true

Dancing with Our Hands Tied- Taylor Swift (Day Five: Warmth)

I loved you in secret First sight, yeah, we love without reason

My love had been frozen Deep blue, but you painted me golden Oh, and you held me close

Oh, how was I to know that I could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets Picture of your face in an invisible locket You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it

I loved you in spite of Deep fears that the world would divide us So, baby, can we dance Oh, through an avalanche?

Oh, 'cause it's gravity Oh, keeping you with me

There Cannot Be a Close Second- Copeland (Day Six: Festival/Fireworks)

You've got an extra special heart A perfect light that shines through And it seems the hardest part Is shining back at you

So forgive me 'Cause I don't know what to do

When you look at me There can be no hesitation There cannot be a close second to you

[sana-yan]

here are the quick facts about axiz for those who want the lowdown but don't watch noah (go subscribe to wrestle universe!!)

this is katsuhiko nakajima, the "mad wolf"

he's a short king wild boy from a tumultuous childhood, and a genius at striking offense with a background in martial arts and MMA since he was literally 14 or something

it doesn't matter how tall you are, he's swingin

he's burned countless bridges before, one being his ex-tag team and now current tag team partner, mr. "i am noah" himself, go shiozaki

he's the tallest smol you'll ever meet with a real tragic past, loyal to a fault (and loves cute things like desserts and using cute emoticons, has 7 cats and a dog, and is unironically a kpop stan).

this is him in my favorite shirt of his that he likes to wear

anyway they were in a tag team called axiz and they used to be like this:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 中嶋勝彦 Katsuhiko Nakajima (@katsuhiko_nakajima)

and like this:

anyway, the main thing is that they were homies.

they also had three specially produced photobooks with lore.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 中嶋勝彦 Katsuhiko Nakajima (@katsuhiko_nakajima)

by the way, if you have twitter, give Hi5ame a follow; they are literally a godsend for the NOAH fandom.

as i mentioned, nakajima tends to burn bridges and the surrounding 50km radius. he turned on shiozaki when he believed that go had no "use" for him. in fact, nakajima turns on his partners when he feels they no longer rely on him.

he betrayed go to join kenoh's stable, kongo in august 2020. worth noting that the reason why he teamed with shiozaki in the first place was that he betrayed his ex-partner masa kitamiya earlier in 2018. anyway, no matter how kitamiya feels, nakajima is in kongo now.

at the time, it seemed like nakajima was the odd man out, the lone wolf of the group, but over 2 and half years, it appeared that the wolf had found his pack. there was even a haircut episode (iykyk)

in particular, he bonded with kenoh the most. nakajima and kenoh were rivals, but they had also become bros outside of just hating The Company and ragging on shiozaki

in a way, nakajima stumbled into what he needed the most. friends who understood him, who lived through the struggles of noah as he did. but the thing is, despite finally finding a faction that seemed to suit him and want him, nakajima couldn't be happy. not when he and kenoh's try at the tag belts failed. inadvertently rubbing salt in the wounds, kenoh's other tag belt endeavors with other members of kongo succeeded.

so, on may 4, 2023, during a 6-man tag between kongo (katsuhiko nakajima, kenoh, manabu soya) and noah's main unit team of kaito kiyomiya, yoshiki inamura, and go shiozaki, in what was go's comeback match after 8 months of being sidelined with injury, kongo utterly and thoroughly crushes the hope of the returning shiozaki.

further humiliating him in the ring, nakajima mocks shiozaki on the mic, wondering where the strong ace of noah's past went. before him is a weak and pathetic man.

and that's exactly why nakajima lifts up his hand to deliver the final blow...

...and offer to team up. because shiozaki needs nakajima. shiozaki would be nothing but dependent on nakajima. nakajima will be irreplaceable.

leaning on none other than shiozaki's surgically-repaired shoulder, nakajima poses, hearkening back to classic axiz. and shiozaki, a head taller than nakajima, nearly crumples to half his height, clinging to nakajima in a grateful and emotional embrace, so happy to have katsuhiko back.

(source: pro wrestling noah global twitter)

the thing about axiz's catchphrase is that they are "homies now and forever." and bless him and his loyalty, shiozaki took it to heart. in the two and half years axiz had broken up, go had never changed his twitter bio. he's always been repping AXIZ (and also bts lmao). he'd always been hoping that nakajima would return to his side.

(source: x)

and in the backstage, nakajima makes it clear, saying, "kongo doesn't need me anymore. kenoh doesn't need me anymore. i don't need him anymore either."

kenoh, of course, ain't happy. deeply hurt by this betrayal (and losing nakajima to go shiozaki!!! of all people!!!), he calls nakajima a "traitor." things are gonna get real spicy, especially as the fallout of axiz's reformation begins to settle.

if you're interested in what comes next:

subscribe to wrestle universe! things are just getting started!

[thirty-crown]

If a dog tries to lick your cooch, does that make you sexy ... or ... - ♛♛♛

I don't know what it was, perhaps it's the internalization of "The Call of the Wild", but last night I found my self being rudely sexualized by a dog named "Soya", if sexualized is the word. I'm not saying that it was enjoyable, but it was oddly, one of the most amusing things that happened to me, and greatly cheered me up. It was the sheer, ridiculousness of everything. In all honesty. Plus the dogs name, that sort of did me in.

[humanoidtyphoons]

i think it’s so interesting that jumong and so seono never really... regained that spark after marrying. like maybe it’s an issue with the actors, it’s possible they didn’t have enough chemistry, but i think what they had was enough when they were in love in the first part of the show... and then it burned out because they’d changed, and married other people, as situations forced them apart, and then together again

like i always believed they loved each other! i don’t really think it was a romantic love when their marriage came around -- they were many things, comrades, friends, rulers. but their time together came and went, even if they both admitted they were happiest together in their youth... that’s not now! that’s not the present! they had fundamentally changed too much, and that history they shared... it made their bond permanent, but it oddly wasn’t a romantic one?

those fifteen years they spend together as rulers.... just didn’t rekindle their love... in one way it’s sad, but in another, it’s.. idk. understandable? they had different priorities even if their goals were united for a time

(ig the show had to be true to history, but i do think it would have been an interesting situation had a jumong/so seono child been born... would she have taken her children and left then??? well, it would have complicated matters for sure.)

but it does feel true that jumong would watch her leave from afar, and lets her go, it’s just. it’s kind of not the same romantic angst as it was the first time around -- bc he loved ye soya!!!! he loved his son yuri!!! he hadn’t seen them for 18 years!!! and finally he’s reunited with them! but he did care for so seono, and they were happy together as co rulers.

and so them parting, and so seono going on to found baekje was sad. but both understood why it had to happen. to prevent treason and political conflict, but still... it was -- it was essentially a win/win, and maybe the best decision, but somehow it still feels like a loss bc they were friends and nobody wished anyone any ill on each other. (okay piryu did, but in fairness, teen feelings and strugglign to make sense of things is allowed in my books! a lil bit of treason plotting is an okay first time mistake especially when his great-aunt manipulated him into doing it!)

but still. i liked them.

[pitchshitterarchiver]

A Pitchshifter interview with PETA2 somewhere I think pre or post none for all and all for one single

I found this off the psirecords old site under media and then interview

PETA2: Can you tell new PETA2 fans a little about how it all started and what makes you tick?

J.S.: Basically, we weren’t hearing the music out there that we wanted to hear. Thirteen years later, we’ve recorded nine albums, toured 25 countries, and started our own record label. Not bad for a bunch of punks on a crummy housing estate in the Midlands. What makes me tick? A passion for life!

Mark: We have all been possessed by music for a long, long time. Tours have included the Vans Warped Tour and Ozzfest USA. Our aim has always been to get people to think and question everything.

PETA2: What issue involving animals is closest to your heart?

J.S.: My brother and I have always tried to involve our beliefs in Pitchshifter and often donate tracks for anti-fox-hunting compilations. I think education is the key for progress on the ethical treatment of animals. If people don’t know the full story, they won’t make an informed decision. As with everything, education is the key.

Mark: I despise animal cruelty in any form. Factory farming and seal culling make my blood boil.

PETA2: What was the event in your life that made you decide to stop eating meat?

J.S.: As I remember, it was The Smiths, Crass, and a bunch of punk bands—from the music, I got into the lyrics and then into the ideas. So music really sparked my interest in animal issues.

Mark: I bought the Meat Is Murder album by The Smiths. The track “Meat Is Murder” begins with herds of animals screaming before they are slaughtered. After that, there was no turning back.

PETA2: How did your friends and family react when you went veg?

J.S.: I think I was 15, and Mark was 17 when we first dropped the bombshell on our family and friends that we weren’t going to be eating meat anymore. I remember them all looking at us like we were insane, but we slowly won them over, and they came to accept it. The irony now is that a lot of my friends and family have gone veggie or eat way less meat for health reasons. So you could say it got them in the end.

Mark: At first, people just think it’s something you do to be cool, just a phase you go through. But that was 17 years ago, so I think people have got the message now.

PETA2: Does being veggie tie in with your other ethics and your outlook?

J.S.: Well, I just believe in trying to do the right thing. Human beings are the most complex, astounding, creative, energetic, persevering life form on the planet. We are so beautiful, and yet many of us choose to be so ugly to our species and so many others. It blows my mind. I just try and treat everyone and everything the way I would like to be treated.

Mark: Totally, being vegetarian goes hand in hand with wider environmental issues. If the world farmers farmed soya instead of cattle, then I believe the world could be fed. The world’s resources are being destroyed and people, governments, and countries need to make massive changes.

PETA2: How is being vegetarian different today than it was when you first made the choice?

J.S.: Well, these days, the food is great. These days, you don’t have to “miss out” to go veggie, you just have to realign your purchasing and you’re there. I am loving veggie hot dogs this month. Can’t get enough of them!

Mark: Going to restaurants is really good now, [before] as a non meat-eater, there would only ever be one or two choices. Now vegetarians are being taken seriously.

PETA2: You have been granted the power to change the world. You sit and consider the first thing that you would do. What is it?

J.S.: Well, if we’re going to go into the realm of fantasy, I will take it one step further: If I was given the power to change EVERYTHING and do anything, I would give everyone the knowledge of what it’s like to be everyone else, of every species. Kind of like a ‘day in the shoes’ of everyone and everything. I think if we had that kind of an insight into life, there would be a lot less cruelty going on.

Mark: I would eliminate world hunger and ban hunting.

PETA2: If people are reading this site and trying to decide whether to go veggie or vegan, what would you say to convince them?

J.S.: If nothing else (i.e., you don’t care about it ethically), think of your health. The surgeon general agrees that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables extends lifespan and facilitates a better standard of living. That ALONE should be enough reason. What do you need … a money back coupon and a free set of soup bowls!?

Mark: We are an intelligent species who have evolved to the point where we do not need to eat meat. DO something about it. Watch some films on animal factory farming, and you will be disgusted with the whole industry. Go veggie!

[phantom-of-the-memes]

I always find it so ridiculous when so called leftists “dunk” on vegans by making fun of our food. Saying things like “tofu is like a wet flavourless sponge” and “(insert whatever vegetarian/vegan dish here) is so sad and bland and disgusting”. Also making fun of foods like soya milk, chickpeas, lentils, other pulses, vegetables, etc.

Like you do know that these are cultural dishes and foods that have been around for centuries, mainly invented in Asian countries right? I don’t care what you think of vegans, but you’re not “dunking” on us when you say this. You’re making fun of someone’s culture.

Also the concept of vegetarianism (and therefore veganism) wasn’t founded by white people, it was Asian people, more specifically in India (I believe) for religious reasons. This of course continues today. There are billions of Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, etc. who are vegetarian for religious/ cultural reasons.

So who are you really hurting with this rhetoric?

[grdprotein]

Protein powders- Do they really work?

With so many health and fitness brands available in the market, we often end up questioning, if it’s just a marketing gimmick or a niche created to sell a product, or is there any evidence at all if these products work. If you look up for any particular product on google you will get at least a hundred pages of information for you to search and decide. That’s how the FMCG market works. It is tough to pick a product because everything is packed and marketed so immaculately. Loads of websites and influencers are paid to review the FMCG products. The higher the marketing investment the better the product is perceived by the consumer. It isn’t easy for the consumer to decide and it’s not easy for the marketeer either because the competition is tough. How does the scientifically correct knowledge reach the consumer? All healthcare products are required to publish a label claim and a consumer leaflet, so it’s always important for the consumer to read and understand what value add the product is doing to their health and lifestyle. If you are not getting the right benefit, do not believe in the product just because the advertisement looks great. Another way to approach a healthcare purchase is by speaking to your doctor, because you will get the correct advice from there too.

 Protein powders have caught the buzz recently. Almost all FMCG companies have included a protein powder in their product portfolio and almost 45-50% of the Indian population is aware of protein powders and has at some point in their life purchased and has been prescribed one. So everyone is aware about these protein supplements especially because they are known to help you gain muscle and boost your immunity, but let’s figure out how real that is and whether these protein powders actually work at all.

 There are mainly three types of protein powders that are available in the market. The vegan or plant derived protein powders derived from soya, hemp, pea, etc. The milk protein powders like the whey protein. The protein powders derived from eggs. They all claim to give you the same kind of advantage in terms of protein content. Since they are all dietary supplements there is no way to know what is claimed on the labels is actually what is inside the pack, unless you take it to a laboratory and get it tested, which I am sure you won’t. It’s basically a hit and miss kind of a thing.

 What does protein do?

Protein is generally found in almost many things that are consumed every single day, protein helps build your bones. It's important for your skin and hair, for your brain function, for your immunity, for your hormones and all vital organs to function smoothly. It is a macronutrient that is essential and the general recommendation is to consume 0.8 grams per kg of your body weight. The protein gets converted into muscle or is used up as energy, hence for people who are trying to gain muscle or build their body need to consume that extra bit of protein. The unutilized protein just gets converted into fat and is stored in the body. Excess protein can also cause your kidneys to not function properly. So you see where I am going with this, if it’s necessary you need to consume it because if it’s extra, it’s simply going to be expelled out or be stored as fat. If you want to gain mass, sure go ahead and consume that extra protein powder.

 Are protein powders essential?

Yes, in many cases a good source of protein powder is essential. They are essential when:

 Your immunity is compromised

You are always low on energy

You have some auto-immune disorders ( after Doctor’s recommendation)

During pregnancy when extra nutrition is required

In special cases when a protein deficiency has been observed

If your skin and hair are lacking luster and falling out

You want to gain that extra muscle

Your job is highly physically demanding

 In all these above cases, it’s always best to speak with your doctor and get that opinion and prescription.

 Which protein powder can be considered?

There are multiple protein powder brands in the market so pick according to your requirements, however consuming pure whey protein can have its disadvantages as the long term side effects are not known so you need to be careful.

However, you can safely choose one of the many variants of GRD-The superior protein, because it not just contains superior Whey protein but also fortified with a lot of vitamins and minerals which surely benefit your health. It has been prescribed by a lot of doctors in the country hence it can be considered safe for the entire family. If you are considering enhancing your protein intake, GRD can be a safe bet.