#was not expecting the second level of jazz classes to be more tiring than the second highest level of musical theatre but here we are

[gods-favorite-autistic]

Me, just trying to get through dance and doing my across-the-floors:

Some random-ass white woman staring at us through the window in the hallway: 🙎‍♀️

[if-you-built-yourself-a-myth]

Check Ignition: Part VI

The Sobbe fake-dating Hogwarts AU that one person asked for and I dove into headfirst

First part // Previous part // Next part

Requests are open, and I live for your comments

Telling Noor was out of the question. Robbe was in far too deep to admit to something like that. And here, he dangled on the precipice of making his relationship with Sander the truth. She could wait. She could never know. Whatever.

Robbe needed to marinate in this feeling as long as it would last.

He stayed up all night, reliving the moment until he could no longer form coherent thoughts. It was so vivid: Sander slid his hands under Robbe’s shirt and kissed the side of his mouth. He sucked gentle bruises into the bridge of Robbe’s collarbone and lower, and lower…When Robbe fell asleep, around eight in the morning, he dreamed of warm kisses in the crook of his neck. Did it really happen? Could it have really happened? Robbe couldn’t believe how different a kiss could be when he knew it wasn’t for anyone else’s benefit.

Of course, it could have been for someone else’s benefit. He didn’t know for sure what it meant. He had to talk to Sander.

Everything about this was disclaimers, every day. How annoying.

He pushed himself out of bed at ten with a mere two hours of sleep under his belt. Breakfast waited for no man. The thought of Sander was enough to rouse him to action. Moyo and Aaron were both in the bathroom already, hogging the mirror. Moyo must have stayed after some hangout last night. They talked in animated whispers.

Moyo’s mouth leaked toothpaste to the sink as he spoke. “—so then I told him that you can’t expect a Patronus if getting head is the happiest you’ve ever been—”

“What’s your memory?” Aaron countered. The bristles on his toothbrush were flattened.

“My memory doesn’t matter, because I’m not thinking—”

“No, I want to know. Since you think you’re so much better.”

“It’s not sex, if that’s what you—”

When they spotted Robbe, they froze.

“Fucking hell,” said Moyo, after a beat. “What happened to you last night?”

Robbe rubbed his neck. He couldn’t see what he looked like with his friends blocking the mirror, but he could make an educated guess. There were one or two hickeys his t-shirt collar may or may not cover. Tingling dry skin around the side of his lip spoke to hours of kissing someone who had the first prickles of facial hair. Aaron and Moyo made a big show of focusing on brushing their teeth.

“Promise you won’t tell?” said Robbe. He never saw the boys uncomfortable. It could be fun to play with them a little more. Logically, Aaron saw him leave with Sander yesterday. It still left Robbe with hours of free time unaccounted for, time to switch companions, but not a lot, if Aaron remembered.

“We promise,” Aaron said. He wouldn’t meet Robbe’s eyes.

Robbe steeled himself. “I met someone.”

Moyo’s toothbrush clattered to the ground. Moyo hurried to pick it up. “What?”

Aaron, less shocked but just as surprised, spit a glob of minty foam into the sink. Robbe treasured their expressions. And also didn’t. He vaguely remembered them plotting with Jens about something the other night, something about him and Sander, but how would they react when the real thing came out? Positive. Probably positive. They seemed supportive when they pushed him out the door to Sander before.

“I met someone,” Robbe repeated. He decided he would leave it at that. Let them stew in it. There would be more to say after he talked to Sander, and told Jens.

Moyo had other ideas. “Not a serious someone, right?”

Robbe shrugged. “Might be.”

“But what about your arrangement?”

“It’ll end, I guess.”

Now Aaron showed signs of distress, too. They weren’t understanding what he meant. “It can’t end! What about Sa—” Moyo smacked him in the side, not subtly. “What about Noor? Won’t she bother you again?”

As love lives went, Robbe’s had never been the most interesting. Seeing the boys so invested in something that involved him made Robbe irrationally happy. Or maybe it was the residual thrill of Sander. Who cared? He dragged it out. “No, she won’t. I don’t think things around her will change that much at all.” There was enough there for Moyo and Aaron to catch his drift, if they were going to, and enough to keep deniability if it did not work out.

Robbe didn’t want to think about it not working out. Even though that was a large possibility.

Moyo breathed in deep. “We’re happy for you, Robbe,” he said. “Just—don’t lead Sander on if it’s over.”

“How am I leading Sander on?” Fuck, this was almost funny.

“You’re not, you’re not,” Moyo backtracked. “But if you were, I mean, I would ask…”

“Forget he said anything,” said Aaron. “Go be happy. Have fun. Sorry, we were—” He pushed Robbe back a step with the palm of his hand and closed the bathroom door between them. What followed was a buzzing in Robbe’s ears, indicative of the Muffliato charm for silencing purposes. Aaron had some skill after all.

Back in the main room, Jens rolled over in his bunk and glared at Robbe. “All that… You’re in love with Sander, aren’t you? Motherfucker.” He pressed a hand to his forehead, warding off the oncoming headache. “Gay rights.”

Robbe didn’t know what to say to that, so he set off to the Great Hall. Truthfully, he didn’t know if he was gay. He knew he liked Sander. The rest was another crisis for another day.

***

Breakfast that morning featured mounds of French toast, three different variations of eggs, and enough pumpkin juice to put the castle underwater. The Hufflepuff table was nearly empty, no more than a few first years fussing over their notes for upcoming exams. Robbe sat a reasonable distance away to eat. Close to the doors. He couldn’t stop smiling.

Across the way, at the Ravenclaw table, Zoë, Milan, and Senne pored over their Potions books. This week, Robbe thought, he could return to his regularly scheduled Potions class. Britt told him he was the winner. He didn’t have to be afraid of her.

Milan caught Robbe’s eye and winked. Zoë gave him a wave and a double thumbs-up.

No one occupied the Slytherin table. The only people who’d be up this early were their Quidditch players, and yesterday’s game had been rescheduled for tonight. They were likely on the pitch already, practicing. No sign of Sander.

He served himself another heaping helping of egg, despite not having finished the first. Whatever spices were in the scramble, it tasted better than anything in his father’s recipe cards from home.

The hourglasses at the front of the Great Hall shined as points drained from Slytherin’s side. Gryffindor was on track to win the House Cup. Those fuckers.

Okay, so here was the plan: he’d finish up eating here. He would go back to the dormitory to shower and change and all that jazz. Sander usually met him at the Hufflepuff table for lunch. When that happened, maybe Robbe would suggest they visit the astronomy tower instead, and maybe they’d have their deep conversation. Jens had a Quidditch practice scheduled at two.

If Sander didn’t show up to lunch, chances were he’d be at the Quidditch came this evening. Jens had it double-underlined in the plan, after all. Robbe would intercept him afterward and kiss him until they both forgot how to breathe.

Solid. Good plan. Robbe rewarded himself with another scoop of eggs.

A few Slytherins walked into the Hall in full Quidditch regalia. Robbe’s earlier assumption had been correct. He stood up on reflex; he could ask them where Sander was, or something like that, and then he could clarify what their thing was right away. Fuck the plan.

It was a real relationship. You don’t kiss people you don’t want a real relationship with.

Or, good people don’t.

Or, maybe that line of thinking didn’t make any sense. He was losing his mind here. He’d never been this happy. The Slytherin group was engaged in an intense conversation, their circle closed, their voices easy to hear. Robbe gave them a respectable distance while he waited for them to finish speaking. Then he could ask his question.

“Britt said to leave him be for a while, y’know?” the Slytherin captain said. “She said someone would come.”

“You’re gonna leave him?” asked one of the others. Might have been the Seeker.

“Can’t do much else. I can’t get him up.”

“Shit.”

Another interjected, “Does Madame Pomfrey know?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell her. He could be tired, I guess, but it’s weird. Anyway, Britt said someone would come for him.”

“Sander’s weird as hell. He was probably just up all night with what’s-his-face.”

Wait, what? Robbe backed away. They hadn’t noticed him waiting behind them yet. He could make it back to his own table if he moved fast, except, he wouldn’t hear the rest of what they had to say.

“You always get the worst roommates, Willem.”

The Slytherin captain huffed. “He’s not bad, he’s just asleep. Overdramatic. Oh hey, eat your eggs. Energy is the name of the game today.”

The group moved on to other topics. Like the weather.

“Sorry, do you know where Sander is?” Robbe surprised himself by speaking up. He wanted to disappear when the whole group turned to him. The captain, Willem, looked him up and down with a gaze like a barcode scanner. He paused for a minute at Robbe’s shoulder level.

“He’s asleep,” he said, simply. “Tired as fuck. Sorry.” He gestured to Robbe’s neck. “I guess we know why.”

Shit, Robbe had forgotten he was covered in hickeys. He should have put on his robes before coming to breakfast, but Moyo and Aaron were in the bathroom, and he couldn’t change in the front room!

Back to the plan, back to the plan. Sander would be there for lunch, or if not, he’d be there for the match. Moyo must be out of the bathroom by now.

“Thanks,” he said. He could go sit with Zoë, Senne, and Milan in the meantime, so he didn’t look like a loser.

“Hey,” said Willem as Robbe made to leave. He got up from the table to do so, while the others continued their conversation as if he were not there. “Hang on a second.”

Robbe stopped, even as everything in his body screamed at him to move. He was a shy, uninteresting person; it was a cornerstone of his personality. He didn’t mean to keep challenging the persona, as he had for these two weeks, as he always would for Sander.

“Do you know who’s coming?”

“Coming for what?”

Willem shrugged. “Britt said someone’s gonna get him. I don’t mind, really. It’d be—I don’t know—cool to know who’s gonna be wading through my belongings.”

Robbe answered honestly. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Fair. I suppose the ex would know more than the current.” He said it so passively, Robbe kind of wanted to punch him. “Whatever.” Willem shoved his hands into his pockets.

For a second, they both stared at the floor in silence. There was something more, dangling on the tip of Willem’s tongue. Robbe could feel it. He waited patiently for whatever it may be. The Slytherin team chattered in the background about the eggs this morning and the assurance that they would win against Hufflepuff at the Quidditch match.

“You can see him, if you want,” said Willem, finally. “The password’s written on the frame of the closest painting. Regulus will help you.” He paused. “Regulus is the painting. If that wasn’t clear.” Robbe blinked. He wasn’t expecting help. Willem extended his hand to Robbe’s and shook it, although Robbe’s hand was kind of a limp fish in his grip. “I’ll see you on the pitch, then. Good luck.” He returned to his friends and their meal.

Alright. This was a blessing. Sander was asleep, as he should be at this hour. It was totally reasonable. Robbe thought it over for less than a minute before deciding he needed to let Sander sleep in today. It would come across as clingy to go visit and wake him up, and Robbe couldn’t give off that vibe so close to the beginning of their relationship.

There was a new list of rules in his head, alongside all his other archived lists. How to handle being a boyfriend.

If Sander wanted him as a boyfriend.

Robbe went back to his plate, where it remained on the Hufflepuff table. He took a few more bites of the eggs. At home, they had a red ceramic frying pan and an electric tea kettle, and these instruments were the sole caretakers of breakfast. Robbe’s mother swallowed her pills with a teacup. Robbe wanted to know those things about Sander, he realized. He wanted to know Sander’s hands by the freckles on his knuckles, he wanted to know Sander’s presence by his step on the staircase. He wanted to know what Sander ate for breakfast at home.

Simple things, you know. He hadn’t felt this way for anybody else, ever.

Milan jarred Robbe from his reverie. He, Zoë, and Senne were leaving for their daily activities. “Might want to invest in some concealer, buddy.” He tapped one of the pinkish blotches on Robbe’s neck and winked. Robbe tugged the hem of his shirt to cover it.

***

Quidditch practice passed without pain. Before Robbe knew it, he was in his official robes and hovering far above the grass once more. From this vantage point, even the Great Lake looked small as it reflected oncoming storm clouds. No hail tonight, according to Professor Trelawney, although Robbe didn’t know how she could predict something like that with such assurance. He never bothered with Divination classes. Jens slicked all his hair back with the first spat of rain. He and Macs leaned forward on their brooms, anxious for the match to begin.

Yasmina gave the pep talk today. “Play good. Win.” Everyone enthusiastically agreed.

Robbe didn’t have to worry about any talk of strategy. He spent the final six minutes before the Quaffle’s release examining the stands for Sander’s bleached hair. The rain made this a difficult task; not only did it blur the image ahead of him, but many people wore ponchos that covered their hair colors and sometimes most of their faces. Robbe couldn’t even make out Moyo, and he knew for a fact that his friend would be sitting in the first row.

The captains, Jens and Willem, met in the middle of the pitch to shake hands. As soon as they were finished, the Quaffle was thrown and the game began. Jens and Macs took turns with the ball as they rocketed down the pitch. First points came seconds after. The Hufflepuff stands screamed.

In sharp contrast to the game versus Ravenclaw, Robbe found himself trailing Slytherin’s seeker in the search for the snitch.

The rain picked up. What was once light drops became a downpour so torrential that Robbe couldn’t see more than five feet in front of his outstretched hand. He knew Hufflepuff and Slytherin scored some points, because the bell chimed when they did so, and also because Luca practically screamed it every time it happened.

“I think that went through the hoop. One for Macarthy, his third today. If he wants to contact me, I might be free Monday night—”

Slytherin’s seeker ran into Robbe’s side. Robbe gave him the benefit of the doubt, especially because he put his arms out in front and had the good sense to fall off his broom. Robbe didn’t falter.

“Has anyone seen the snitch yet?” Luca wondered.

They had not.

The score stood at thirty to twenty in Hufflepuff’s favor after a whole forty-five minutes of play. Robbe was beginning to doubt that the snitch had been released from its container at all. Wouldn’t that be just his luck?

Macs zipped by with the Quaffle. The wind strengthened, a storm heating above them. The air buzzed with electricity. Robbe needed to go lower—the perspective he’d craved was clearly not working out here. The clouds must be less thick closer to the ground, and maybe the snitch would be there.

He aimed in the direction of Hufflepuff tower, or what he thought was Hufflepuff tower, and angled his broom downward.

“Looks like Robbe sees something. About time. I’m cold.”

Nope, still hadn’t seen it.

The stands materialized in front of him. Dozens of people in black raingear crowded together. Some had flags, or at least sticks; it was hard to tell with the rainwater pounding the fabric against the students. Robbe flew just above their heads, as he had last game. He thought he saw Moyo in the front.

No Sander. Sander had very distinctive eyebrows. Robbe would have seen him.

Sander didn’t have to go anywhere. It would be okay if he skipped this match.

“Jens with the Quaffle again,” Luca’s voice boomed. “Willem comes from behind—aw, that’s shit luck. Bad luck. Sorry. Willem takes the Quaffle.” She sounded close. This was the Hufflepuff stands. Robbe made a second pass, hoping some students would find it in themselves to take off their hoods and get soaked in the rain.

No sign of Sander. He could get a little bit closer, or even land, but what good would that do? Robbe bolted off in the opposite direction. Sander didn’t come.

Why would he come? What was the point in coming?

He was probably ignoring Robbe. Avoiding him.

Robbe tried to stop his thoughts from pendulum-swinging back and forth. Thunder cracked, then lightning. No hail.

One hour elapsed without sign of the snitch when the rain subsided. One whole fucking hour. The Hufflepuff chasers and beaters had taken to holding the Quaffle and loitering in the air to conserve energy. Willem and his team resorted to batting the Hufflepuffs around and praying they’d drop the ball. All the while, the two seekers were locked on equal ground.

“This is the fucking longest game I’ve ever attended,” said Luca into the microphone. For once, no one could debate her use of profanity. Everyone wanted to leave.

Fuck it. Sander should have been here. Robbe u-turned and passed so low over Hufflepuff’s stands that he could see the eye colors of everyone in the back row. Nothing.

Robbe couldn’t even be mad when Slytherin’s seeker caught the snitch somewhere high above him. Hufflepuff’s lead gave them the lenience to scoot by with a win, barely.

Sander didn’t come. They had the most wonderful night last night. The best in Robbe’s life. Robbe wanted to sit down with Sander and hold him for the rest of forever, and Sander didn’t come to a Quidditch match that he said he’d attend. Not even that—he hadn’t seen Robbe all day. The anger stirred rapid and sour in Robbe’s stomach. No, not anger. Disappointment. He almost laughed at the thought of saying that to Sander—I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.

Robbe landed a little too heavy on the pitch. He was soaking wet, used up, stood up. He wanted to go to sleep.

“Great game we played tonight,” said Jens. Yasmina, Macs, and Aaron, who walked with them back to the castle, knew this sarcasm wasn’t for them. It was a little daunting to hear something icy from Jens, Robbe’s protector.

“We won,” said Aaron.

Something bubbled inside of Robbe. He didn’t like it. He wanted to go back to the workshop with the origami butterflies. Sander must have reasons for not coming. He had to have a reason why he didn’t come. Robbe had the password to the Slytherin common room.

Sander could have been tired. Sander could have wanted to avoid the implications of cheering against Slytherin when his roommate was the Slytherin captain. Sander could have—

It didn’t do any good. Sander said he’d be here and he wasn’t. They kissed last night for hours and Sander hadn’t said a thing today.

“Yes, you all did great.” Jens bumped Robbe with his shoulder. Robbe wanted to scream.

He was being overdramatic.

“Robbe did his best,” Yasmina said. “Leave him alone. The rain was bad.”

“His focus was bad,” said Jens, but he stopped talking after that. Unlike Robbe, he could shrug off a minor sin without a second thought.

***

New plan, new plan. Clearly the old one hadn’t worked. New plan. Robbe would visit the Slytherin common room and he’d yell to anyone that would listen that he was in love with Sander.

Too grand. He’d yell it at Sander. Wherever Sander was. He would just say it, and then he’d go to Noor and tell her everything. New plan, he wasn’t going to be ignored on the day after the greatest day of his life. He just wasn’t.

Robbe had made up his mind by the time they breached the doorway to the castle.

“You guys go on ahead,” he told them. “I have to see something.” They waved without protest.

Robbe took the stairs that were closest to the entryway. He took them three at a time, not unlike Britt left the astronomy tower on Thursday. Something was wrong, he could feel it. It boiled in his bones. At the bottom of the staircase, a painting hung over a thick wooden door. Intricate drawings of serpents in green, silver, and gold wound their way through the woodgrain, snakes devouring each other’s tails, ouroboros, the chain of a locket dangling into a pool of water. The painting depicted a young man with black wavy hair and a similar locket looped about his neck.

“Password?” he asked.

“Willem said you’d help me,” said Robbe.

“Incorrect.” The painting clicked its tongue. “Try again.”

Willem said something about an inscription on the side of the frame. Robbe checked, but all he could see was a little plaque detailing the exploits of one Regulus Arcturus Black. Nothing remotely helpful.

“Black,��� Robbe tried.

“Do you think we’re stupid enough to make the password my last name?”

“No.”

“Try again.”

“Willem?”

“I hate that rat bastard,” said the painting. “Might as well sit down if you’re going to keep guessing.”

Robbe sat down. “Sherbet lemon.”

“Wrong. Who do you need to see?”

“Ouroboros.”

“Nope. Why do you need to get in?”

“Locket,” Robbe guessed. He had a good feeling about that one.

“Stopping guessing,” said Regulus. “It’s embarrassing. Tell me why you’re here.”

“To see my boyfriend.” It was a little forward, he supposed, but he could always say it was for the sake of their fake-dating thing if it backfired. Shit, he’d almost forgotten about the fake-dating thing. “Basalisk.”

“Why the fuck would someone make that the password?” Regulus shook his head in disgust. “Do you really think so little of us—”

“I need to see my boyfriend,” Robbe insisted. “Regulus Black.”

“You said that already.” Regulus relaxed back into his painting. In it, he sat in a deep velvet armchair. He wore a similar velvet suit, with green cufflinks that matched his eyes. “I was in love, once.”

“Regulus Arcturus Black.”

“It is not a variation of my name.” The painting continued his story. “I know power corrupts everything, but I didn’t think it would do that to us. I thought we had something. But then, what could you expect? I was eighteen. Am eighteen, I suppose. And everyone under the age of twenty is a certified idiot. Should’ve listened to Sirius.”

Robbe was a little curious. Maybe the password was hidden somewhere in this story, maybe that’s what Willem meant. “What happened to you?”

Regulus laughed. “I drowned in a lake within a cave. You still want to see your boyfriend?”

“What lake?” Robbe prompted.

“You know, I’m not really sure. It was in a cave.”

“Cave.”

“That isn’t the password.”

“Drowned in a cave.”

“Mm, too much of a mouthful. I’ll save that for the next time they change it.”

The knot tied in Robbe’s stomach slowly began to unwind. Disappointment ran off into the excitement of this little game. He thought over the brief summary of Regulus’s life again for any more clues. “Cave Lake.”

“No,” Regulus said. He paused, considered Robbe. “Why do you need to see him so badly?”

There was no harm in an honest answer. “I’m in love with him. He needs to hear it so he can decide what we’re going to be.”

Regulus nodded, as if he understood. “Animagi. I see.”

“I didn’t say anything about animagi.”

“What are you going to be?”

“I don’t know, boyfriends or something?” Robbe had yet to give that aspect as much thought as he’d given this kissing escapades. He knew they would be people who kissed each other. The label would be icing on the cake. They would be people who went to each other’s Quidditch games. Something was still wrong, because Sander should have been there, because—“Sirius Black.”

“You said he was your boyfriend already,” said Regulus. And then, “Sirius was a Gryffindor. We would never make him the password.” He considered the situation. “You’re about to have the what are we? talk, then?”

“Yes.” Robbe rubbed his eyes. He felt a headache coming on.

“I see. So you’re being a bitch because you’re worried, I take it?”

Bullseye. “He hasn’t seen me all day.”

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Robbe shot back, “Are you going to help me or not?”

Regulus stroked his chin. “That depends. I don’t see how helping you would aid the relationship, if you don’t trust him enough to spend one day apart.” He adjusted a flower pinned to his lapel, a bright white lily. Robbe recognized it from the plaque at the front of the Great Hall—many who fell in one of the earlier Wars had them on their portraits.

“I can trust him,” Robbe said. “It’s just—”

“It sounds like you’re about to make an excuse.”

“I didn’t come here to chat with a painting.”

“And I wasn’t painted to be a relationship counselor,” said Regulus. “But here we are. If I’m going to let in a non-Slytherin, it needs to be worth my while.”

So Robbe leaned back against the stone. He pictured himself in the astronomy tower. And he thought. Sander spent quite a bit of time kissing him last night. They were together for hours. This morning, Willem mentioned that he couldn’t wake Sander up. He must have been exhausted after such a long period of strenuous physical activity. And then, he could have assumed that the arrangement was over, that they were something real. Such an assumption would invalidate Jens’ plans for their fake relationship, and Sander would not have to go to the Quidditch match if he was too tired to do so.

Yeah, that made sense. He could run with it. Whatever Sander’s absence had inspired earlier, it was stupid. Hell, it was almost hilarious.

“You’re going to be a clingy boyfriend,” noted Regulus, without a note of humor. “I pity this boy.”

I’m going to be a clingy boyfriend, thought Robbe. If one missed Quidditch match would do so much to him, who’s to say what could happen if Sander was late for a date? He needed to chill out. What they had wasn’t that serious, anyway. It wasn’t.

Some clarity would be appreciated, of course. He had a right to demand some clarity.

“You know what, go ahead. The password’s Lover Boy, if you have to see him so badly. Go on, go.”

Robbe had made a fool of himself during that Quidditch match, focusing on Sander instead of the snitch. He was an idiot for coming here. At least Willem hadn’t lied about Regulus’s help.

“Never mind,” he said. “I overacted.” This would be his first exercise in trust. Go a whole day without seeing Sander, the first since they’d been fake-dating. Go a whole day without kissing him, without tasting the spearmint of his toothpaste on his tongue…

“About time you realized that,” said Regulus. “Get out of here. I’m going to my other portrait.”

Robbe went up the stairs. He walked through the hallways. It was dark. Jana should be with him if he was out. He could lose house points for being seen here.

It was for the best that Sander didn’t come to the match. It could even be good. He’d wanted to tell Jens about how he felt before Sander anyway, even if Jens had inferred it from his behavior. And after taunting the boys with it this morning, it wouldn’t be much fun to end the suspense and bring Sander in as an official boyfriend right away. It could be good. It would be good.

He trusted Sander enough.

He turned the corner to get back to Hufflepuff’s common room. The scene went by in stop-motion animation.

There they were.

Sander and Britt.

In the hallway.

Britt was holding Sander. Hugging him close. He could make out that much. Sander’s hair basically glowed in the dark.

This wasn’t happening.

Robbe couldn’t breathe. He fell back against the wall and mumbled a cloaking charm under his breath. They couldn’t have seen him. It was too dark. He trusted Sander, he trusted Sander, he trusted Sander…

“What are you going to do?” Britt whispered. “What are you going to say?”

“I don’t know,” said Sander.

“You’ll have to tell him something.” Britt threw her hands in the air, exasperated. “Fuck, Sander. You can’t keep pulling shit like this. It’s not okay.”

“I know.”

He shouldn’t be listening in. How was it, in the span of two weeks, all of his important information came from eavesdropping on other people’s conversations. He hated it. He couldn’t keep himself away.

“I’m not in love with him,” said Sander. The conviction in his voice was surprising; whatever disappointment had dulled in Robbe’s soul earlier returned with a surge fierce enough to take Robbe to his knees. But not really.

He just stood there. Everyone under the age of twenty was a certified idiot. He was a certified idiot. It didn’t mean anything. Nothing ever meant anything.

Okay.

“Well then,” Britt said, her arms wrapped tight around Sander’s neck, “there’s nothing more to it than that.”

Robbe couldn’t bear to hear the rest. His legs carried him back into the Hufflepuff common room without another word.

[luminous-studiess]

Hi. :) You said that you're trying to consciously make studying enjoyable and productive. Do you think you can tell us what you're doing exactly? Thank you. ❤️ Hope your day is fantastic and productive.

OHHH thank you for asking this, i’ve been wanting to share this for a while. i think @studyimpression asked this too a while back, and i wasn’t able to answer. long post ahead!  HOW I MAKE STUDYING ENJOYABLE AND PRODUCTIVE: SECOND HALF OF 2020/QUARANTINE EDITION i’ve mentioned this briefly here, and i still stand by a lot of these tips, mostly because this is my general baseline for what i consider ‘enjoyable’ and ‘comfortable’. but i do think i can expand on these especially in terms of productivity. what i’ve discovered, and what has helped me get things done is knowing that studying is not an inherently comfortable or easy thing to do. and knowing this already makes you manage your expectations about what you need to do, and how much hard work needs to be put in. however, there are things you can do to make the workload manageable and the process less difficult.  1. TRY TO MAKE YOUR STUDY HOURS/SPACE AS COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE: A “HAPPY/PRODUCTIVE” ROUTINE this does not mean that you need your own, personal workspace (although that would be a bonus) or anything particularly fancy. things are not productivity, and as long as you have the proper learning resources, you have it in you to succeed.  however, i do think it really helped me to start to associate studying with some level of peace and focus by setting a routine which made me start to associate getting productive with a little peace and pleasure. as i’ve mentioned in my other posts, my favorite thing to do lately is to get up early, do a quick freshening up, and to pretend my dining room is a small cafe by making myself an iced coffee and turning on some jazz music. it’s nothing expensive or overly fancy (in fact that whole kilogram of coffee is like... less than 10 dollars), but it allows me to pretend that i’m in a starbucks, and it feels unbelievably peaceful while i start studying. that helps me get going at a very early hour, and this routine makes me excited to get up and start working. personally i think it’s a very good way of treating yourself while being incredibly disciplined. after doing this lately, i feel as if i’ve been more responsible and accountable, but i also feel peaceful and not overworked!   however, this also means: 2. KNOWING WHAT HOURS YOU ARE MOST PRODUCTIVE AT + SETTING A DEFINITE AMOUNT OF WORK HOURS PER DAY i don’t have classes yet, so i have a little freedom to decide when i’ll start working. however, i do have an urgent deadline to finish before classes, so i’m forced to do a lot of work during very unstructured days. that’s why it helped to (a) EVALUATE WHAT TIMES OF THE DAY I FEEL MOST FOCUSED and (b) to track the number of hours i work. so on point (a): studying is not comfortable. it’s actually very tiring. and it helps to see when your body feels the most energy to be able to focus for several hours at a time, doing intensive tasks. i recommend that you try different times in the day to finish something you need to do with complete focus (more on that later), and see at what time your body naturally responds/feels focused. well... this doesn’t apply if you have online classes, and are forced to sit at set times, but this helps for the times when you have to do independent work/homework/revision.

from personal experience, i work best from 7 am to about 10 am. then my body tends to go into a slump until late afternoon and before 12 am. it’s different for everyone, and you really have to listen to your body. (b): it’s inevitable that you have to dedicate many hours to get good results. i really recommend setting a minimum number of hours per day as a quota/the bare minimum. you don’t have to do them all in one go! maybe you might do the pomodoro method and spread these hours out, but it helps to have a baseline for what you consider productive. (mine is four minimum). use a timer or a productivity app like forest. count your hours. set goals within those hours (like assignments that need to get finished), then take a break after. you’ll feel so proud of yourself, i promise. 3. FOCUS AND DISCIPLINE: FOCUS IS A MUSCLE YOU HAVE TO EXERCISE AND STRENGTHEN this is not naturally enjoyable, but it makes you productive, and is a skill that needs practice. i also have a poor attention span, so this is something i had to work on! i thought i was naturally lazy, but this all changed when a friend told me “hey. focus is a muscle. it needs to be worked out regularly”. so slowly, i realized that i had to put a lot of work and effort into focusing on one task at a time, and ignoring all distractions. again, this wasn’t easy; i had to use apps like forest to lock myself out of my ipad so i wouldnt goof around on social media/games. but once i started to get used to being disciplined about getting work done every day, and finishing certain tasks, it became even easier to focus on what needed to be done. it really isn’t perfect yet, but i do find that concentrating on one task keeps me in a “focus” mode, and helps me to get things done much more easily and even calmly.  however, if there are days you can’t focus. acknowledge that. rest first, then go back to work. 4. MAKING CHECKLISTS OF EVERYTHING/PLANNING i would consider myself a very carefree person and used to hate planning. but once i started writing everything down, scheduling on calendars, and making lists, i became less afraid of what i needed to do, because i could visualize what was due, and how much time it takes to break down huge tasks into smaller, more manageable deadlines. i would recommend using a notebook or a program (like Notion! it has a free premium plan for students.) to map out all the things you need to do. it also helps to break down tasks into subtasks, so that even if you do a little, you can still check it off and feel less overwhelmed. put your deadlines on google calendar immediately, and set aside a little time at the start of your workday to see and write down what needs to get done, and what you WANT to get done.  this also helps in lessening the time i became anxious about making decisions re: what i needed to do! forming processes which made my studying easier made me much less scared of starting 5. EVALUATE YOUR DAY: BEING MINDFUL, BE PROUD OF WHAT YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED as i get ready for bed, i like to run by my lists and check what i’ve finished, what i haven’t gotten done, what needs to get done. i also ask myself what i did well that day, and what didn’t go so well. this isn’t harsh self-critique! it just helps to know how i can make my next study day more efficient AND enjoyable (sometimes i just end up looking for nice playlists for studying....) 6. DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL THINGS!!!! it’s easy to worry about doing things wrong, especially now, when so much of our learning is self-guided. But as long as you’re doing the work, being disciplined and accountable, but also gentle with yourself, then you don’t need to worry about the tiniest details. DO YOUR BEST, AND MOVE ON. <3 7. FINALLY: NEVER ASSUME THE WORK IS EASY, AND NEVER ASSUME THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE.  we tend to underestimate or overestimate what needs to get done, and that gets in the way of being productive. we become scared or lazy or overwhelmed, and it makes it hard to move! know that learning is very very difficult, but putting in the work and accomplishing something is beautiful, and that it is a PROCESS. and always know that you are capable of great things if you have the discipline and the grit. i hope that helps. don’t forget to take many breaks and do the things you love. intense work is meaningless without equally intense rest. please take care, and stay safe!!! -- sam <3 

[five-rivers]

Daydreams

Phic Phight Phic!  Based on a prompt by Alexa Piper!  

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Daydreams

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The observatory had been de-funded and shut down almost a year ago, a result of light pollution from Amity Park, the frightening proximity of ghost attacks, and all the scientists quitting when the Guys in White shot a missile at it while chasing Danny, breaking the mirrors of the main telescope.

Good times.

Still, the observatory was a good place to go stargazing, and Danny had sort of made it his unofficial haunt. It wasn't as if anyone was using the building, after all. No one minded if he brought in some of his parents' old computers, or replaced the telescope's mirrors with his ghostly ice. He wasn't bothered or harassed when he brought in his old mattress and sleeping bag, or when he brought in a mini-fridge he'd gotten for cheap at a garage sale and one of his parents' prototype ecto-converters.

It was nice, to have a place he could go. Somewhere to hide if things went bad. Somewhere he could bring his friends, or just be himself.

He taped another star chart to the wall. He'd found this one in the bottom drawer of one of the desks at the bottom level. It was a bit ratty around the edges, but it had cool retro vibes. He smiled, smoothing it out.

He really loved space, loved astronomy, loved the stars. He couldn't get enough of them, even here.

On some level, he knew his ghost half had latched on to his love of space. His thoughts of the stars had the same vibrant intensity as his deep-seated need to see his people happy and safe. Heck, if he was stargazing while in ghost form, he'd wind up with constellation-shaped freckles. He didn't like to think about that, though. The fact that he had Obsessions. He never talked about it, even if he was sure Sam, Tucker, and Jazz could see it. The idea of his... ghostly needs being used against him scared him too much.

But, when he was here, or when he was with his smiling friends and family, it was so easy to forget all about that. So easy to be happy himself.

So, he did.

He floated himself back onto his mattress and sighed. Being at home was too stressful right now. As he did with increasing frequency, he planned to sleep here, tonight.

.

A patch of night seeped through the ceiling of the observatory and blended perfectly with the star charts hung on the walls. It crept, silent, to pool in the shadows under Daniel Fenton-Phantom's makeshift bed.

Nocturne had been watching this place for some time. At first, he thought to make it his new base, after his foothold in the mattress factory had been discovered and dislodged. After all, a ruined observatory fit with his theme.

He had, however, been surprised to discover that Phantom, of all people, had claimed it as his own.

The younger ghost hadn't shown any signs of being interested in space before. It didn't fit his theme, which was entirely based on comic book superheroes. Still, Nocturne could recognize the signs of a dual Obsession as well as any ghost, and better than some.

A thin line of mist escaped Phantom's lips, and his eyes flickered open. Nocturne struck, pushing him back to sleep. He had done this several times, now.

He had tried trapping Phantom in dreams once or twice, before finding the observatory, but somehow the little brat always seemed to find a flaw in the dream and wake himself up. He had tried attacking him while he was held under, asleep, but, again, Phantom woke up. It was intensely frustrating.

But, now, with him sleeping out here, alone, most nights, Nocturne had a freer hand. He had more time to work with, more time to be subtle. To be delicate.

It was fortunate that Nocturne's theme and Phantom's second Obsession meshed so well. One could almost say that the stars were smiling on Nocturne.

Nocturne was certainly smiling on them.

He touched one tendril of darkness to the back of Phantom's neck, nurturing a dream, and slipped another under his twitching eyelid. If everything went well, he would test his progress tomorrow.

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Danny shivered as his ghost sense went off as he stepped into the school building. He groaned. He'd been hoping to make first period on time today. If this was the Box Ghost again, he was going to snap.

He ducked into the bathroom, went ghost and-

-it suddenly occurred to him how nice Venus would be tonight. It would be almost at its furthest possible distance from the Sun, as viewed from Earth, so it would be bright. The moon would be new, too, so the seeing would be even better. It would be a great time to try out the telescope, he was pretty sure he'd fixed the hydraulics. He could see it in his minds eye-

He blinked, hard. Wow. He'd never zoned out that hard on the way to a ghost fight. In class sure, but... He shook himself. He had things to do.

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The results, Nocturne mused, weren't exactly impressive, but he had expected that. It would take time for the seeds he had planted to come to fruition.

He watched Phantom dance through the sky, fighting Ember, and gave the metaphysical string that currently tied Phantom to him another little tug. Phantom didn't slip into a daydream, didn't even pause in his assault, but he saw the moment when Phantom's focus wavered, and Ember did, too.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

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Danny had stars on his mind today. It seemed like every time he blinked, there they were. His focus was trashed. How could he concentrate on the French Revolution when the history of the stars was so much longer, more violent, more dramatic, more majestic?

Maybe he had been spending too much time at the observatory. But he deserved something for everything he went through, didn't he? He could treat himself now and again, right?

"Are you feeling okay, Danny?" asked Sam.

"Y-Yeah," said Danny. "Just a little tired, I guess."

"Right," said Sam. "Have you been sleeping at the observatory again?"

"Maybe."

"Well, maybe you should try a real bed tonight."

"Maybe," said Danny, not wanting to commit when his parents could be brewing who-knows-what in the kitchen sink again.

Sam gave him one last concerned look before turning down her street. Tonight was a patrol night, but she wouldn't be joining because she had family over.

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Danny chased the ghost beaver who, until a few minutes ago, had been merrily chewing down telephone poles, through the storm drains under Amity Park. They burst from the ground in a relatively dark residential neighborhood, and Danny had to stop for a minute to stare up at the sky.

He'd never be able to get over just how beautiful the stars were.

A human shrieked in the distance and Danny cursed as he realized the ghost beaver had gotten away.

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Alright. Enough was enough. Danny wasn't always the most focused person, but the past couple of days he had been a total space cadet. This couldn't continue. He couldn't let his hobby get in the way of saving people's lives, and that's what it was doing.

Fine. No more indulging himself. No more nights at the observatory. No more astronomy books. No more space documentaries. No more stargazing. Not until he could get himself under control.

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If the Phantom hadn't been such a thorn in his side, Nocturne would almost pity the boy.

As Nocturne watched from a distance, it became obvious that Phantom had no idea how to manage his Obsessions. Nocturne had to wonder if he even knew what they were, with how he was behaving. His ignorance was, well, painful. Clearly, the boy needed some kind of instruction.

Well. Nocturne could provide that. Later. In the meantime, this just made it easier for Nocturne.

After all, you couldn't stop yourself from being hungry by refusing to eat.

.

"Danny," said Tucker, gently shaking his shoulder. "Hey, man, are you okay?"

"Uh?" said Danny, peeling his face off his hand. "What? What's going on?"

"School's been over for five minutes," said Tucker.

"Oh," said Danny, blinking. He'd- He'd missed all of class. Not really a loss, honestly, since it was history and Pluto was a fascinating planet with-

No. Stop that. Stop.

"Is something bothering you?" asked Tucker.

"I don't know," said Danny. "I just keep zoning out. I don't know why."

"Could it be, you know, a ghost thing?"

It certainly could. In fact, Danny knew perfectly well it was a ghost thing. Specifically, his ghost thing.

He forced a smile. "No, I don't think so. I probably just have ADHD or something." What would his friends think, if he couldn't even control his own mind anymore? He'd always been troubled by the thought of his friends finally realizing what a freak he was and abandoning him, but now even the slightest hint of risk in that direction seemed untenable.

"If you're sure," said Tucker, dubiously. "I mean, you're the expert."

"Yeah," said Danny.

"So, feeling up for the Nasty Burger?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

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Nocturne glided from shadow to shadow, just out of range of Phantom's annoying ghost sense. This would be the moment of truth. The moment he found out whether or not all his planning and careful preparations payed off.

Finally, he loomed up, over the three teenagers, and pulled, hard, on the strings he had tied to Phantom. Phantom gasped and froze, but then relaxed, just marginally. Nocturne saw tiny stars flare to life in the dark space of Phantom's pupils, and then that darkness expanded, pushing at the boundaries of Phantom's irises.

Then one of Phantom's little human friends started shouting at him, shooting at him. Nocturne's lips curled these humans had put him through quite a bit of trouble during his first attack on this city. It was time for some payback.

He seized the more annoying of the two in one hand, bringing him up to eye level. "Well, now, what do we have here?" The human screamed.

Abruptly, he felt his hold on Phantom slip.

Curses. He had moved too soon.

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Danny hung in the air, hands on his knees, panting. He had driven Nocturne off, barely, but... He put a hand to his face. What was wrong with him.

"What's wrong with you?" shouted Sam, echoing his thoughts. "You just let him grab Tucker!"

"Sam-" said Tucker.

"No, she's right," said Danny, drifting down and returning to human form. "I don't know what happened. I'm sorry."

Sam frowned, heavily. "I know you've been going through something this past week, Danny," she said. "But, really. I hate putting all this on you, but... I mean, you're the only one who can fight ghosts like Nocturne."

"We're here to help," said Tucker. "But we can only help if you let us."

Danny looked down at his feet. He had doodled little stars all over the white parts of his shoes, so that didn't really help.

"At least talk to Jazz," said Tucker. "I know you don't like to, but... She does know about stuff."

"You think I'm going crazy?" asked Danny.

"No," said Tucker. "Just, maybe that you need to talk about things."

"You don't have to tell us if you really don't want us to know," said Sam. "We all know about secrets, but... This is hurting you."

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"Alright," said Jazz, after Danny finished explaining. "I think I get what you're saying. But, um, are you sure this is you?"

"What do you mean? I'm definitely the one spacing out."

"Yes, but... This just feels like something Nocturne would do. You said he was the one you were fighting?"

"Yeah," said Danny, picking at the ruffle on Jazz's pillow. "But I was doing this before he showed up."

"Before you saw him show up," corrected Jazz.

Danny glared. "Why are you so against it being my fault?"

"Why are you so insistent that it is?" countered Jazz.

Danny shrugged, trying to put as much anger into the gesture as possible.

"What if," said Jazz, steepling her fingers and leaning forward in her desk chair, "we try triggering whatever it was that made you, um, space out?"

"What? No!"

"I'll be right here to snap you out of it, or whatever," said Jazz. "Then, maybe, we can figure out what's causing it."

"I know what's causing it!" snapped Danny, slamming the pillow down on Jazz's bed.

"Oh," said Jazz, blinking. "You do?"

"It's because I'm a freak!" he said.

Jazz's face fell, though she tried to cover it up. "That's Spectra talking," she said, sternly. "You aren't a freak." She reached towards him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're my little brother, and you're a hero."

"But this is getting in the way of that," said Danny, fighting back tears. "I almost let Nocturne hurt Tucker."

"But you didn't. And you'll always be my little brother, no matter what."

"It's- it's still coming from me, though," said Danny. "Because I have Obsessions." He rubbed his eyes, even though they were still dry.

"Well," said Jazz, "we'll just have to figure out how they work, then, won't we?"

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Jazz watched as Danny squared his shoulders and stared resolutely at the wall. It had taken some convincing, but Danny had agreed to try and trigger an 'episode.' Jazz thought he might be dissociating, or experiencing some kind of fugue state- But, at the same time, she knew those were both pretty extreme diagnoses, the conditions the sort of things that would wind up in thrillers, and the truth was probably something less 'exciting.'

"This isn't working," said Danny.

"Well, maybe that's a good thing?" said Jazz. "But... Try to think about what you were thinking about when it happened before."

Danny grumbled. Slowly, though, he began to relax.

Jazz tilted her head. There was something off about his eyes. His pupils were growing larger. Too large. She frowned. He should be in pain from the light at that dilation. Her own eyes widened. Human pupils didn't get that large. Or that sparkly.

She scooted back, just a little bit.

The black spilled into his sclera, then out of his eyes altogether as it reached his lower eyelids, dripping down his face like tears.

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Nocturne started with surprise as Phantom gave their link a tentative tug. Then he smiled, taking up the slack. Perhaps he hadn't overreached after all.

He reeled Phantom in. When the child was looking for dreams, it was easy to lure him in, to trap him.

Now... First thing. Those eyes. Keep them filled with stars. Then, if the boy was going to be his sleepwalker, he had better look the part. That raggedy old outfit would never do. Might as well make him pretty, paint his skin with stars, dust them through his hair.

There. That worked.

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"Sam?" said Jazz, her voice crackling with static over the phone.

"Yeah? What's up?" asked Sam, sprawled on her bed. "Did Danny talk to you?"

"Yeah, but I think I screwed up."

"Hey, don't worry. He doesn't stay mad at people for long, you kn-"

"No, no, it isn't that. It's a ghost thing."

"Well, we sort of figured it was related to his ghost half."

"No, I mean, as in mind control, Sam. It's a mind control thing. He like, got stars, like Nocturne all over him, and his clothes melted, and maybe his eyes, too? I'm freaking out here, Sam."

"Okay, okay," said Sam. She was no longer lying on her bed. The dress box she kept her heavy anti-ghost ordnance in was open on her braided rug. She needed something that could do damage but not permanently hurt Danny... tough call. "What are you doing right now?"

"Gearing up," said Jazz. "I'm freaking out, not totally irrational."

"And where's Danny?"

"Jumped out the window. He's in human form, Sam, and he's dripping stars. His footprints are black. He's leaving puddles. Puddles of stars. I hate this so much. I'm going to end Nocturne, I swear."

"No complaints here," said Sam.

.

This was amazing, walking through space like this. The stars sparkled. Nebulae intersected his path like veils of light. The planets orbited around him, like a celestial crown. Something thick and wet dripped down his face, but it didn't matter. The stars danced. He wanted to touch them.

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Tucker was already asleep. So was half the town, all of them just keeled over in place, black and starry hand prints on their shoulders, faces, and backs.

Danny had been busy. They hadn't seen Nocturne yet. By mutual agreement, Sam and Jazz were avoiding Danny and looking for the real culprit.

This was, however, hard to do when Danny stepped out from an alleyway, right in front of them, an absent smile on his face, his eyes fixed on something overhead.

"You go," said Jazz. "You have more experience than I do. I'll distract him."

"With what?"

"Psychology."

"God, that's cheesy."

Sam turned and ran back the way they came.

Jazz cursed under her breath as Danny slowly walked towards her. Either this was going to work, or it wasn't, and, if it did, she was going to feel terrible because she knew Danny was insecure about his ghostly qualities, and-

Right, he was getting closer.

Jazz took a deep breath a screamed.

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Something echoed through the space around him. He frowned. That wasn't right.

The sound came again. This time, he recognized it as a scream, but-

You couldn't hear things like that in space.

You couldn't walk in space, either.

In the scream was a cry for help.

The illusion crumbled around him.

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"I'm so sorry, guys," said Danny. "If it wasn't for me-" He wiped away a tear with the heel of his hand. "You all could have gotten hurt so bad."

"But we didn't," said Tucker.

"It wasn't your fault, anyway," said Sam.

"But it was. If I wasn't like this, if I didn't have this weakness, everything would have been fine." He clenched his fists.

They were meeting in Danny's room today, as the most parent-free indoor space currently available to them. Nocturne had yet to be found, but they were pretty sure whatever hold he had over Danny had been broken.

"Hey," said Sam, "we've all been there."

"I've been there twice. I'm useless."

Jazz met Sam and Tucker's eyes over Danny's bowed head.

"You're the least useless out of all of us," said Jazz, "and I've been doing some research, before this happened, I mean, about ghost psychology. I know I don't understand what you're going through, but maybe I can help?"

"I don't know," mumbled Danny.

"Or maybe you could talk to Frostbite? Or Dora?" suggested Jazz. "They're ghosts, and they have Obsessions," she felt Danny flinch under her hand, "but they're still good, right? And both of yours- both of yours are fine. Nothing evil about them."

For a moment, Jazz worried that she had gone too far. She knew Danny didn't want to talk about that, not directly, so why did she bring it up?

Danny groaned. "Why do you always have to be right?"

[kuviras-eyeliner]

(totally fine if you delay this or dont want to do it i understand that you have a life and you gotta tc of yourself yk?) if matchups are still open, i would like one for LOK and ATLA please. im 5'1 (lmao short i know) straight female. hufflepuff. pisces. ISFJ. curly dark hair. aspiring beam of light. anxious. sarcastic. writer. mom friend. constant overthinking. perfectionist. constant planning. hype person to many. big on self care. talkative but needs the other person to talk too. thanks! tc!

I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS ONE TOOK SO LONG I LITERALLY JUST REMEMBERED IT IM SO SORRY WHAT THE HECK HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN OH MY GOSH ITS BEEN TWO WEEKS IM SO SORRY 

*exhales*

But ahhh thank you so much for asking!! You’re literally so sweet and my heart is eXpAnDiNg and my serotonin levels are rIsINg, thank you!!! I’m so glad I found this either way because this is sweet as heck!

I match this lovely person with...

Sokka! 

I literally cried for like two minutes straight because this ask was so sweet, and my heart just 🥺💞 Thank you so much I can’t with myself right now-- Okay, so, with Sokka! I know I’ve matched a lot of people with Sokka, but I think that you two would be *jazz hands* OTP >:D You seem like someone I could really get along with in-person, and I’d literally do anything to meet you. You seem so sweet ajajajajaj- SO BASICALLY, (I’m so sorry I keep on getting distracted-), I think that first of all, you and Sokka have a lot of things in common! I’m honestly sure that most people forget that Sokka is also really, really smart? Literally, without Sokka, there would be no plot that moved forward because he was always the one to plan things. Everything would be boring and gray, and it wouldn’t be... fun. And the same goes for you! Everyone loves that you can sound tired as heck, but you still have this spark of creativity and humor inside of you. You effortlessly light up the room and spice things immediately! You’re like that salt or bit of pepper that goes into a pasta (weird analogy, amirite?? Is that even an analogy??). It seems like something small, but without it, everything is bland and tasteless. You add on so much more adventure in life, and you impact more people than you may expect. And that’s what Sokka loves about you-- you’re capable of so much, and yet, you don’t brag about it. Not even for a second. He sees you and knows you better than almost everyone else, and he makes sure you know that you’re more than just looks and never underestimates you. He’s been underestimated for most of his life, so with even just a day spent with each other, he knows how much you’re able to do. He makes sure he doesn’t push you, but he helps you go past your safe zone and makes sure he’s with you, every step of the way. He’s there to lighten and brighten things up, and holds your hand and loves that you care for others over yourself. Even though Sokka may be a bit extroverted, he develops into this sweeter, gentler, more straight-forward character. That’s when he realizes he loves you-- and he’ll make sure that even if it’s just for a second, that your dead is cleared of worries. He’ll hold onto you, even when the world is over.

WAHOO, THAT WAS A FUN ONE! Alrighty, next one:

I match thee with:

Kai!

Magnificent fanart by: beroberos!!! 

(Haha please keep in mind that all of these characters I match you with have been aged up or down to your age :D)! But yes, I match you with Kai! I can’t tell you how much of a blessing Kai has been to The Legend of Korra. Kai will make sure that you feel welcomed and safe with him, and even though he might not be the most energetic when he’s in love with someone, he IS IN LOVE :D! Kai really enjoys your company-- no matter what, he’ll assure you that he’s there for you whenever you need it. He’ll make jokes every now and then, and make sure that you’re smiling and you’re not overthinking. He’s always there to help you and always open to talk, and encourages it all the time. When you cry, he cries. He’ll cry and hold onto you until he knows for sure that you’re smiling again, and Kai gives you the softest hugs in the world. He’ll tell you all the time that you’re worth more than you think, and Kai loves how much you write. When he looks at your writing, he immediately peers over and asks you what it was-- Kai really enjoys how much you can light up a room, and although you may not think it, he wants your company every second of the day!!

(I’m so sorry that Kai’s was so short, but I tried to put in as much info as possible!! I had to go to a class and got yelled at again xD) Thank you so much, @appa-gaangnam-style! (ALSO I LOVE YOUR USERNAME??) Thank you so much!!

My ask box is always open for anything ;D Stay safe, you beautiful and lovely kiddos :D <hugs!!>

[rogsclogs]

Some Day One Day (Brian May x Reader); Part 1.

Hello everyone! I’ve been getting requests to do a longer series instead of my usual ones so here’s me trying out a long series for once! Feedback is always welcome so please do let me know what you think of it!

Enjoy :)

Very brief summary: Y/N is a college student who has to take Mr. May’s class in order to apply for the masters degree course she wants, but she ends up finding herself tangled up in a web of emotions and feelings that might take her on a different road.

Y/N had been getting ready for her last class of the second semester for a while, knowing how everyone who took that class always seemed to have struggles passing and not wanting to end up in the same place as them.

She was a physics major, numbers were her everyday companions, but this class would definitely challenge her ability to read through long problems and figure out the solution within a couple of minutes, and she knew that. She’d went over all her maths and physics notes from the past three years for over a month before feeling ready to face the lecture and she still had some anxiety left in her, no matter how many times she’d repeated the formulas in her head and wrote them down on paper. It’s not like she had a test on that day or anything, she just wanted to make sure she wouldn't fall behind and realize too late that she was lost.

What if she wasn’t smart enough to pass this class? Her parents would be so upset with her and they’d make a big deal out of it, even though she’d been acing her way through every class since the beginning of college.

She wanted to get into arts school, but since she’d always been very clever and good with numbers, her parents pushed her to get into a scientific field, limiting her choice (as they’d always done) and making her do what they thought was more fitting. She knew that, in a way, they were trying to do what was best for her, but she’d always suspected there was selfishness involved, and the more she grew up the more she could recognize it was mostly that.

Nevertheless, she loved physics and felt so accomplished whenever she aced one of the many exams she had every three to four months and some of her friends would look at her with envy because of how natural and simple she made it seem.

Out of all the fields she had looked into, her favorite one was by far astrophysics, she’d read countless books on the topic and had decided that her place was with the stars, she belonged amongst them, and she knew from the beginning she’d try her hardest to get her masters degree in astrophysics.

However, she had to get accepted in the program first. And, in order to get accepted, she needed to take Mr. May’s class, there was no getting around that. He taught astrophysics to older students who were already working on their masters degree and he tutored them when they had to start their thesis, that’s all she knew about him. Actually, she also knew that even though the class she was going to be taking was made specifically for students wanting to get into astrophysics and therefore it wouldn't be impossible for her to pass, Mr May wanted to make sure they could get a glimpse into the real and demanding world of stars and planets, so he tended to be very strict. She knew deep down she had the knowledge to do great, but more often than not she let her insecurities get the best of her and tear her down.

As she finally found her class on campus and went in, she realized that no one was sat behind the professor’s desk, which was bizarre because while she wasn’t late (she would rather die than be late to lectures), she wasn’t that early either and most students were already sat down, waiting patiently for someone to show up.

And someone did, but it wasn’t who Y/N was expecting at all. 

A very tall and lanky man rushed inside the classroom carrying a small backpack on his back and a cup of coffee in his right hand, his massive head of curly hair bobbed around as he walked fast, clearly annoyed at himself for being somewhat late, and reached his desk, throwing all his belongings carelessly on it and finally taking a deep breath.

Y/N couldn't help but notice that he looked nothing like a ‘stereotypical’ professor, in fact she thought he was just another student trying to take the piss before watching him pull out a bunch of papers and signing them. The classroom wasn't the biggest and Y/N always sat front row, so that allowed her to take some time to really look at his figure. 

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, giving him a strict outlook which was softened by the gentleness of his big brown eyes that were focused on whatever it was that he was writing on a piece of paper, and his clothes were rather casual, especially considering the authority he had on campus, he was always looked up to by other students and professors alike, but there was a certain humbleness to him, almost like he didn't know about other people’s opinions or he didn't care enough.

His attire helped Y/N to relax, maybe the course wouldn't be so bad after all and she’d do just fine.

When Mr. May was done writing down the last few things, he finally turned around and took a good look at his class, sipping on his now cold coffee every once in a while and smiling warmly as he was always happy to start a new semester and to share his passion for astrophysics with talented students. He loved having small classes too, being able to connect on a personal level with everyone involved was crucial for him to help them out when they needed it.

“Hello class, welcome to your first ever astrophysics lecture” his voice got everyone’s attention back to the front of the class with the only exception of Y/N who hadn't taken her eyes off him since he got in, she was fascinated by his persona and now by his voice as well, which was so sweet she swore it coated the grey walls of the lecture room with a layer of honey.

“I’m Mr. May and I’m very glad to see that so many of you applied for this course, which obviously means that there's many young people out there who find interest in the vast and intriguing world of astronomy and astrophysics, and I could not be happier about that” his lips stretched into a comforting smile that reached his eyes, Y/N couldn't understand nor try to explain what was going on inside her head but she’d never felt so captivated by someone before, and maybe it was just because of his authority figure status, but she found it hard to focus on the words he spoke rather than on his lips. He was introducing the course and all the things they were required to buy for it, books and calculators and all that jazz, but she could only think about those lips on her neck. Not that she’d ever admit it to someone out loud.

“So, I hope you guys won’t hate me or try to slash my tires once class is over, but I have decided to have you all take a test this morning” a loud groaning noise erupted from the group of students who all looked distressed from the new information and Y/N was no exception. Yes, she’d been getting ready for the eventuality, but would that be enough?

“Everybody settle down, please. It’s not an actual test that you’ll be graded for, it’s just my way of figuring out how knowledgeable you all are and how much I need to revise with you. You’ll be fine, don’t be so dramatic” he joked and Y/N’s heart fluttered even more as she left out a soft laugh along with her classmates. So he was handsome, smart, kind and funny? Seemed a bit too good to be true. She didn't even know why such thought were running through her head, he was clearly much older than her 22 year old self, and even though there were no visible rings on his slim fingers, that didn't mean he was single, and he was a respectable professional person who'd never even look her way twice. But she couldn't help but fantasize and imagine what his hand would feel like caressing her cheek.

No matter how much her parents had tried to shelter her from everything going on in the outside world, Y/N had always found ways to sneak around their demands and worries and she’d always been a wild one at heart, having her first experiences with boys at a relatively young age, which would get her murdered if her parents were ever to find out. She’d always been an extrovert, she lived her life out loud but kept it hidden and safe from prying eyes. Her libido was currently skyrocketing and she was indeed ashamed of her thoughts, but she was young and needy and truly not in the position to even consider flirting with the man she’d taken an interest to, but she was allowed to watch and dream as he passed a bunch of papers around the room with a number of questions written on it.

Her eyes lingered on his hand a bit too long when he passed her a copy of the sheet, and when he gently smiled at her (she knew he was probably just being kind but hey, she couldn't stop herself from hoping, that's how infatuation works) she knew she’d work hard to get his attention, no matter what it took. 

As she took a look at the set of questions, she let out a breath of relief as she was able to figure out the answer to a couple of them just by reading them. She finally found the strength to focus on the math and numbers in front of her, as she worked fast and wrote down formulas and variables. Numbers were the easiest thing in the world for her to work out, their properties were fascinating and the things you could do with them were mind-blowing. Kind of like Mr. May, in a way.

She worked through all the questions at the speed of light, and she was the first one to hand the paper in.

She was satisfied with her work, Mr. May could tell by her demeanor and the smile on his face only grew in size when she approached him to hand him her sheet

“Done already, miss? That's impressive!” He truly was impressed, the questions were definitely not the hardest out there but they weren't all that easy to work through either, and he was delighted to find that at least one of his students was so advanced already. 

“You might not even need this class, after all” he lightly joked with Y/N and caused her to giggle while still trying to keep her voice low out of respect for the rest of her classmates still working.

“I doubt that, but thank you very much Mr. May” her eyes sparkled with admiration for the beautiful man in front of her, she just wanted to reach out and touch him but she knew better than that.

“Well, since you’re already done, feel free to leave, I thought this test would take up the whole lecture time but apparently not for everyone” he said as he put on his glasses to take a quick look at her sheet. The first two questions were solved magnificently and with ease, he could tell by her writing that she went straight to the point because she knew the answer from the beginning, and he couldn’t help but feel admiration for the girl. 

“Thank you Mr. May, have a great afternoon” she whispered as she collected her stuff and walked out of the class, moving her hips maybe a tad more than she usually would, hoping to catch his attention.

While the rest of the students finished their work, he went to correct her answers, none of which were wrong, and he finally found out her name, Y/N Y/L/N. He sat back on his chair and thought about their interaction, he couldn't deny that he was intrigued by such a smart person, but he stopped his train of thought right then and there, not wanting it to get inappropriate. She was definitely going to be stuck in his mind for a while though. 

[mr-lancers-english-class]

Already Half Dead

Part 2 of Waiting to Die. Prompt by @tonis-writings​: Reverse Trio AU, Sam is slowly being killed by her plant/nature core. But Undergrowth seems unwilling to teach her how to master it. Will she manage to convince him otherwise or will not only her life end but all of Amity Park!?

AO3   Part 1

Word Count: 1889

Sam met Danny and Tucker by their lockers after class.

“I have a problem.”

“You always have a problem, Sam,” Tucker laughed out. “You’re a like, half dead, y’know.”

“Yeah, I know I’m dead. I’m talking about a whole different problem right now.” She sighed, and started unlocking her locker. “You know that thing, that I went to Clockwork about, and he said it wasn’t a problem, and then Undergrowth said it was probably just some human sickness? I think it’s definitely a problem, and I think it might be killing me.”

Tucker chuckled a little while Danny looked Sam up and down, trying to figure out if she was joking. Despite his distinct lack of people skills (He was much better with his technology), it only took him a moment to decide that Sam was not joking.

“Tucker, stop laughing,” he muttered as he elbowed the other boy. “She’s being serious.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah, I am,” Sam said. She turned to her locker, and started opening it. “I wasn’t really paying attention in class-”

“Makes sense,” Danny interrupted. The Trio knew more about all things ghostly than anyone else in the town. Valerie knew more about hunting them, Wes knew more about tracking them, Jazz knew more about their psychology, the Fentons claimed to know more about their evil, diabolical ways, but no one had had more interaction with the ghosts than Sam and her friends. She even had some friends and allies in the Ghost Zone, which no one else could claim.

“But then Tucker, you asked that question about ectoplasmic radiation and then Danny, you made the joke about how you should be the dead one because of your parents’ cooking, and I’ve been so tired and short of breath and unstable lately. And that’s when I realized: I’m dying. My core is killing my human half. Ghosts and humans don’t mix well, it’s why overshadowing people is so tiring. My ghost half is killing my human half, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it!” Sam slammed her hand against the locker next to hers, denting and burning the door with an accidental ectoblast. Two underclassmen standing nearby squeaked and ran away.

“Okay first, don’t scare the poor freshmen,” Tucker said. “We don’t want anyone to call Danny’s parents because they think you’re overshadowed. Second, I’m not sure you’re dying, I think you might be overthinking this a little. Third, if you are dying, we’ll fix you. You’re our best friend Sam, so we’ll do everything we can to help.”

“Yeah, I uh,” Sam stuttered. “Yeah, yeah. It’s probably nothing.”

“Alright. You guys can come over to my place after school, we can go run some tests, and we will figure out what’s up with you, Sam.”

“So, it’s worse than I expected, and we need to get help immediately.” Danny looked up from his parents computer setup tucked away in the lab to where Sam was hooked up to a bunch of wires and cords measuring various vital signs.

“Uh, define immediately,” Tucker spoke before Sam could.

“Not immediately immediately, but relatively soon. Within the next few days, though sooner is better. And not human help. Ghost help.”

“Why?” Sam hopped off the lab table to get a view of the computer screen.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

“Let’s go with good news.”

“Well, your power levels are significantly up again. On the traditional scale, you’re closing in on a 13, on the Guys in White scale you just passed a 19, and on our scale, you’re twelve percent ahead of Undergrowth. Also, you’ve grown another half-inch.” Danny rattled off the numbers. “That means you’ve increased in power by 32 percent in the last month.”

“Okay then, what’s the bad news?” Tucker asked. Sam was still mulling over her sudden growth spurt. She didn’t feel more powerful.

“Lots of shit is going wrong in your body right now. Like, pretty much everything is just wrong. First, your resting heart rate is up to 128 beats per minute while your oxygen levels are down to 87%. Both are off even for you. Second, your blood sugar is down, again, which I would blame on your diet if we didn’t have the last three years of data that say otherwise.”

“Don’t diss the veggies, Danny.”

“I will continue to diss the veggies till the day I die Sam, but that’s not important right now. You’re bodily functions in general just seem to be slowing down. Your metabolism is less effective, your lungs are less effective, everything is failing. The worst one, though, is this” Danny pointed to a chart in the top right corner with a line that had been going up, suddenly plateaued, and was now pointing down. “That’s your core stability. It plateaued nine months ago after you managed to get your plant powers under control. The last time we checked on it, right when you started getting sick, it was the exact same as before. Now, it’s down by 17 percent.”

“That’s not good,” Sam muttered. Danny turned back to the computers and pulled up a few more charts and graphs, before responding.

“No, it’s really not. The more progressively powerful you become, the more stable your core should be. That’s what happens with the other ghosts, and it was what was happening with you. It should be a rather similar ratio, no matter your power level. I mean, core stability is entirely dependent on maintaining homeostasis in your ghost form, and the more powerful you are, the more you can maintain your form outside of the Ghost Zone with less effort. The fact that your powers are increasing while your stability is going down might actually help explain why you feel weaker. Your ghost half is needing to use more of your human energy to keep up your stability, but your metabolism is slowing down, so you’re just constantly short on energy. That might also be what’s up with your heart and your breathing.”

“So, why is my metabolism slowing down?” Sam asked. Danny stopped typing.

“Y’know, I hadn’t actually thought about that one.”

“And why is my core less stable?”

“I don’t know about that one-”

“Didn’t your parents just get that new X-ray machine?” Tucker interjected. He was absentmindedly drawing in his sketchbook, but had stopped to add his thoughts to the conversation.

“Uh huh. It’s in the corner.” Danny nodded to a cluttered area next to the portal. “Why?”

“Maybe we should get an X-ray of Sam. See if we can tell what’s causing problems.”

“That would actually work. And, it’s meant to be able to take X-rays of ghosts. Well, not technically x-rays cause it’s using different wavelengths, I think gamma rays, to photograph ectoplasm, but the idea still stands. You’re a genius, Tucker.”

“Thank you.” Tucker nodded, pleased he had helped, before going back to his sketchbook.

“Alright Sam. How does an X-ray or five sound?”

“Ugh. Do I have to wear one of those weird shirt things?”

“To make sure I get clear images, yes.” Danny was now in the corner, getting the imaging machine set up. “There’s a box of them on the shelf there.”

“I see them.” Sam grabbed the light blue blouse out of the box, turned herself invisible to change out of her sweatshirt and t-shirt, put on the shirt, tied it behind her back, and then brought herself back into the visible spectrum. “Alright, I’m ready.”

“Great. Just stand here,” Danny pointed to the ground in front of the odd looking machine. “Now, grab this thing up here, and when I tell you, breathe in and hold your breath. Tucker, stand back here, no, behind that thing. Yes, that thing.” Danny joined Tucker behind the barrier and reached for the button. “Alright Sam, breathe in and,” He pushed and held the button. “One, two, three, you’re good.” Danny popped out from behind the wall. “Next one, turn sideways. I need a profile view. You still need to keep your arms up, grab the thing above you, yeah just like that. Get ready to hold your breath again. You good?” Sam nodded. Danny disappeared back around the barrier. “Breathe in.” Sam complied. Danny pressed the button. “One, two, three, and you’re good. Last one, turn so I can get your back. Just like that, now give the target a hug. Good. Hold your breath, and,” Danny pressed the button. “One, two, and there you go.”

“Did your parents teach you this?” Tucker whispered into Danny’s ear.

“No, remember when I had that really bad cough last year? I got an X-ray of my lungs cause they wanted to triple check that it wasn’t bronchitis or lung cancer or anything like that. It wasn’t, but now I know how to get a decent chest X-ray. I mean, Mom taught me and Jazz how to actually work our machine, so…” he tailed off. “Alright, now I need to get some pictures of your ghost half, Sam!” Danny shouted.

“Well then, guess I’ll die.”

“You need a better catch phrase, Sam,” Tucker muttered. “And that’s coming from me, so you know it’s bad.”

His words were lost to the swooshing noise and bright light of Sam’s transformation. As two rings split at her waist and traveled up her body, the X-ray blouse was replaced by a deep purple hazmat suit with white accents. Her eyes started to glow a brighter purple than normal, a glow that still gave Tucker goosebumps even after all these years. Green energy crackled around her head as her hair went from black to white in an instant.

“She really does, Tuck,” Danny whispered to his friend. “Alright Sam, same thing as before. Face the machine, hands up, there you go. And, stop breathing.” Danny and Sam ran through the imaging process again, getting all three angles of her core.

“And now what?” Sam set herself down on the floor as the two rings split her body again.

“Now, I talk to Jazz. She comes home for break tomorrow, and she can take a look at everything.”

“So I just wait?”

“You could go check in with Undergrowth again. Aren’t you supposed to meet him for another training session soon?”

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

“Then yeah, just wait.”

“We could have a go at Doom? Get past a few levels?” Tucker suggested.

“It doesn’t involved any moving, right?” Sam asked.

“Nope.”

“I got dibs on the green chair.” Sam floated up through the ceiling.

“You two go set that up. I’m gonna make some copies of your X-rays, Sam, and then wipe everything. If my parents think I’m using this just for fun with my friends, I’ll be grounded till I die.” Danny had pulled out two USB sticks.

“See you up there.” Tucker called from the stairs.

“Yeah…” Danny called back. He quickly pulled up the images he’d just taken, and sighed. If he was wrong, then oh well. That would be for the best, actually. If he was right, well, he didn’t want to scare his friends. He needed Jazz to come back and take a look at everything. She would know for sure. He only had a vague idea. Jazz would know. She had to know. She had to say he was wrong.

[kyulkyungs]

enemies-to-lovers!jisung

Request: hi hi! could you please write an enemies-to-lovers au with either chenle or jisung please?? and if you don’t mind could you make it quite angsty? thank you💌🌸🍄 (Hello!!!! This is a sure can do! Here you are and thank you!~ I did a coin toss, and Jisung was chosen!!)

others: lucas | yuta | renjun | hendery

jisung is constantly praised for his feats and manages to always prove that he can do much more than other’s expectations

he excelled especially in dance

out of the entire school he attended, he never failed to rank in the top 5... most often being number one in his area

and what comes with being number one is the respect, connections, friends, and priviledges

for his age, this was an amazing feat as he was in a better place than most adults working in the same field

better yet he was astounding at most dances people brought up to him

tango, waltz, ballet, hip hop, breakdancing, modern, foxtrot, all that jazz

he even choreographed his own dances from time to time

even got to be a guest instructor to kid’s dance class once and they videoed it and sent it to youtube where he skyrocketed there and not just in the area

all in all, jisung is oftentimes always number one

and you’re always stuck at number two

no matter what you did, you could never be on the same level as him

number two was a good spot, a great one really

but whenever jisung came into the room, the admiring people flocking you ran off to go see him instead

you also posted your own dance covers on youtube and gained quite the amount of recognition there

to the point where dance studios asked for you to come to a class to dance with them once

and you did

but always, always 

there were the comments that said ‘i hoped jisung was in there!’ , ‘can you also bring jisung???’ , ‘maybe do a collab with jisung, i think they’d go really well with his dance!’

they never focused....... on you

sure, yes, yeah. jisung was a great dancer... is, but it never felt great knowing that nobody acknowledged you for the same

at your age, your skill level, your ranking, nobody wanted anything to do with you if jisung were also in the equation

honestly you didn’t mind sometimes

you weren’t used to the attention some of the times and jisung handled it all, which was the only great part about this thing

but otherwise........ you were stuck in his shadow

heck even number 3, 4, 5...... they were getting the amount of attention they should be getting...... but number 2... who? yes... that’s you

every now and then there’d be that one pairing assignment and everyone usually went with jisung

and when he was taken you were always left with whoever didn’t have a partner

‘wait so why are you complaining? you’re number two!’

‘exACTLY JENO!! i’m only second best...’

jeno sighs and resumes dancing position and motions for you to do the same

he’s most often your partner because he lurks back and lets everyone else choose and then fills in

other times it’s jaemin who spins into your direction and is like ‘will you have this dance?’

those two highlight your classes honestly and get your mind off your problems 

eventually the instructor calls time and to gather back up

you’re still complaining to jeno until the instructor calls for the top three of the class to step up

proudly, jisung steps up first and you’re like >:I and you step up afterwards one of the senior students sicheng steps up

the rest of the class get dismissed while they start talking to you three and they’re like

‘we have a showcase along with the other top schools and each one is sending their best three, that’s you guys.’

and you all nod because of course yeah sure, and then they say

‘the thing is we are only allowed to have one solo and one partner dance. so decide amongst yourselves, hm?’

and instantly sicheng steps up and is like, ‘i can do the solo. i haven’t done one in a while and the choreo i’ve worked on for two years is finally perfected.’

and the instructor is like :)! sure! okay! that means you and jisung work out the partner dance

sicheng turns and is like, sorry you guys don’t mind, right?

and the both of you shrug and are pretty okay with it because hey we kind of have to dance anyways and plus he’s older sooo

but regardless he just smiles at you two and promises to buy you both some snacks later on as a repayment

so you and jisung turn towards each other and are like, so we have to figure this out huh?

and you’re thinking it’s honestly not that bad when the two of you are trying to decide what style of dance you’re doing

and since most of the top dancers from other schools are modern or ballet, and even sicheng is going to do something like that

you two decide to do something more intense, with a song with a lot of beats and snappy movements

while searching for songs and asking some people for recommendations you think that working with jisung isn’t bad and you were wrong for disliking him just because of his rank

he was so calm and so focused

until it came to the actual crafting of the dance

often times the dancers look like they’re in the mood of the song and the dance

and when i said the dance was more intense, it was. more intense

jisung was incredibly serious about creating this choreo and perfecting it

no matter what moves you suggested, jisung would insist that his would fit more and then move on

every now and then he did try out something you offered, but he’d always morph it into something of his own

you wanted to do some fancy footwork in one spot and jisung thought that it was better to do a transition to a different spot

you wanted to add more fluid motions and rolling movements and jisung said that more snapping of the hips and arms would be more suited

you thought that perhaps at least some interaction between the two of you in the dance, as there was none at all, would be great

and jisung thought that his way was far better than yours

not only was he the royal prince of the dancing school, but he was also a royal pain in the butt to work with

‘do this. no this. not that. like this. move fast. arms wide. feet closer. head high.’

you could see the frustration on his part when you refused to be compliant with him, and he grew increasingly more commanding to you over the next few weeks

honestly you were dead tired every practice

jisung would make you stay back late to work on the dance with him or to add something or change something

until one practice you fell over during a spin and instead of cutting the music and asking if you were fine, jisung just........ kept dancing and gave you a side glare as if you were such a problem

you were so. angry because first of all how dare he? and secondly, what did you even do to be treated like this from him?

you hobble over to the music player and shut if off, and only then does jisung stop and he sighs and rubs his face

he’s about to make some sort of comment but you beat him to it

‘what is wrong with you?’

‘me?’ he asks, as if you personally offended him. ‘what’s wrong with you? why can’t you get the moves right?’

‘not only is my body completely tired and destroyed from your controlling self, but i literally had no say in these moves and some of them i can’t do!’

jisung sneers and is tugging a little at his hair and just blurts out

‘i don’t even see why you’re second place! you’re not even good enough for 1,000th if you can’t do these stinkin’ moves!’

you just stand there and when you see that he doesn’t regret his words after saying this to your face you just grit your teeth and start walking towards your stuff

‘and where are you going now?’ he asks and you try your hardest not to snap right there so you turn around while packing up and go

‘i’m quitting’

jisung’s face morphs to one of shock ‘what?’

‘i’m. quitting.’

and it’s not the shock you imagined because jisung says ‘but who else will i dance with? on such short notice too! the showcase is in a week!’

and you just shrug on your bag and walk out with a wave saying, ‘why don’t you find someone who you deem deserving of second place instead of a lowly thorn in your side like me?’

and the next day when jisung walks in to see you talking to the instructor with your back to him

he feels some relief washing into him and is like phew they were just overreacting yesterday

but then he sees both the teacher and you look at your ankle and he trails his eyes down too and......

you have your ankle wrapped up in a brace and you’re actually putting a lot of weight on your other foot

the teacher nods and starts talking more and and jisung is able to hear clearly once he gets closer

‘when do you think you’ll be returning?’

you shift and that’s when you turn and see jisung watching your conversation, and this makes you bite the inside of your cheek like ughhh

but you answer loud and proud like

‘i’m not sure. they said it was only minor so i don’t have to be in the brace for long.................. but i might take a break for a while. i don’t think i’ll have the motivation to dance.’

the instructor is really understanding, truly, because of the stress and pressure you put yourself through

but jisung only now just realizes that oh snap they really did run their body worn

the dark circles under your eyes, the messy hair, the way you were holding your shoulder, too, crumpled clothes...... hey isn’t that the shirt you wore last night??

jisung sighs to himself because he really did it this time

the instructor thinks for a moment and asks what about jisung?

to which you give him the side eye and go ‘it’ll be fine. the choreo can do so much better without me anyways. it was practically a solo with a backup dancer.’

they laugh and are like oh haha you’re so modest but yeah i’m sure jisung could handle this well

then you start to head over to the side to talk with some of your friends and tell them the news

while this happens jisung tries to take his mind off things and continue working on the dance the two of you................ he was working on

your absence wasn’t really noted by everyone else in the class, but it was the most prominent to jisung

he kept thinking back to the choreo and it really....... wouldn’t change much if there was only one person to dance he realizes

he was so caught up in making the dance himself that he included only himself pretty much

two days before the competition jisung is walking back to the practice room because he wants to get the dance down even with you gone

but as he nears the door, he can see the lights on and can hear music playing

he opens the door quietly and he peeks in bc what is going on???? he wanted to practice????

he stays quiet when he realizes that it’s you who’s dancing...............

to the song that you both picked out, really the only thing you had agreed with

you’re dancing to the song, and it seems like your ankle had gotten better as it wasn’t that bad of a fall

still you were mindful, but yet your dancing was so smooth and so sharp and just the way you envisioned the song to be

the way you moved, jisung agreed with himself when you weren’t deserving of number 1000th

no, that’d be way too insulting

heck, no wonder you were in the top three

your potential wasn’t at it’s peak with jisung weighing you down like this

and boy did he feel bad :( 

you were trying really hard and you truly did want to dance and jisung was only ruining that for you

he didn’t mean to

not after.....................

jisung decided to watch as you performed the dance a couple more times and even hid when you thought it was time to leave

tbh, jisung spent all of his time watching you and it was time for him to go home as well

but he decided to continue and stay and practice because he had something to work on

you were so passionate, so in the moment and it was...... beautiful

but he decided to continue and stay and practice because he had something to work on

timeskip~~~ to~ the~~~ competition~~~~~ 

(what was that aslkdg sorry it’s super late and i shouldn’t be up = stop me now)

anyways

the teacher invited you to the showcase anyways to support the other two and to be a representative regardless, just as one on standby

you’re sitting in the crowd and there’s a couple of kids from other schools talking with you and expressing their sympathies for your ankle, which was mostly fine but braced up again since you did put a lot of strain on it before when you were dancing (haha, oops)

all of a sudden jisung rounds over and the others turn their attention on him not surprisingly

they greet him in respect and try to make conversation but he’s waving them off and asks if he can steal you away for a second

you’re confused but they back off immediately and allow him to have you to himself for a little bit

‘what?’ jisung tries not to flinch at the sharpness of your tone but he looks you in the eyes and just says

‘i saved you a seat by the front.’

then he walks away and leaves you there and you’re like 

???? uh what ???

you’re wondering if this is to rub in your face about having the dance to himself and witnessing all his glory

but nonetheless, you take the seat because hey it’s already pretty filled up with people with cameras and scouts and just audience members

you find the seat easy by the jacket jisung had worn a couple times at practice before

when you sit down the air moves around you from how quickly and forcefully you sat down and you’re taken in and surrounded by jisung’s scent

whatever it may be, his shampoo, deodorant, cologne even.............. it’s nice

as you watch the performances from the others schools you’re honestly so enraptured by them all and you know exactly why they rank so high

heck some of them you were so awed by their stage outfits themselves

there would be one more dance before an intermission and then the rest of the perfomances

and, of course, that last one would be jisung’s

you look around at the audience and see that they’ve all gone quiet

you had hoped that jisung at least seated you around the others because hey usually people stick in their groups y’know

but, i mean, then again why would he if he thought you weren’t worthy then hey the others were probably even worse

when he finally walks up on stage you see him in a stage outfit and his hair done nicely 

just by how he carried himself to position on stage you could tell, as well as everyone else

that this would be a good performance

although you personally did not like his created choreography, it fit better with him

which was probably why he made it that way....................

a moment before the music started, jisung locked eyes with you

and you felt no malice or superiority or power or even regret or anything

he was just...... looking at you

then he started out

you didn’t realize it at first until you saw some complex footwork that led into a smooth roll of his body in tandem with the beat

this was your choreo

the one that you made

honestly you’re so mesmerized by him dancing and watching him add in a spin

even though he’s dancing solo it almost looks like..........

that he’s reaching out to you

multiple times he looks out into the crowd and he always lingers on you

multiple times he reaches him arm out and it looks like he’s trying to get to you

multiple times he gets near the end on the stage almost in hopes of jumping down and running out

to you

this made you so confused because.......... what was he doing???

this wasn’t the dance, this wasn’t what you two were working, this wasn’t something you got to show him at all

the dance ends and as the lights dim, you see him glance up and make eye contact with you again right before it fades to where you can’t see him anymore

in the low light you can see his figure sprinting off the stage and the lights turn back on and every sits up

everything is in motion

everything except you

you continue watching the spot where jisung had last been standing, and soon he’s there again

this time, just closer and right in front of you

‘what is it?’ you ask, and this time it’s soft, because your tone is laced with wonder and confusion

jisung takes this as a good sign and kneels down in front of you where you sit in the chair still, looking up into your eyes

‘i’m sorry.’

you stare back at him and cock an eyebrow ‘what?’

he takes in a deep breath and can’t meet your eyes for a moment

‘i’m so sorry. i’m stupid all of the time and can’t keep my mouth shut. i never should have said those things to you...’

‘so that up there? was that an apology?’ jisung thinks a little bit and decides to nod instead of saying anything ‘why?’

‘i wanted to show everyone how talented you are’

‘jisung, nobody saw me up there at all. i don’t even get to dance for another couple of days because of you.’

jisung hangs his head and grasps your hands tightly when he realizes that you’re getting angrier with him

‘please,’ he whispers

you can still hear him even in the loud crowd in the room and the bustling of feet and the shouting kids

‘don’t quit, please’

you think back and remember what you had said angrily to him.

‘i’m quitting.’

you sigh and pull your hands away and tell him that you’re not quitting dancing, but you might take a break from being one of the top ten for a while

jisung looks back up and is like ‘but you deserve so much more!’

you huff and are like but that’s not what you said a couple days ago...

jisung visibly flinches this time and smacks his forehead, clenching his fists tightly

‘i do that because i’m mad!’ he blurts out

you stay quiet to let him continue, watching him unfold for the first time

‘do you know how many times i would just hand you over number one just because? i just saw you one day and thought you were the most talented, beautiful being i laid my eyes on! i can’t hand over my position because they don’t listen when i say you deserve it and it makes me so mad i can’t just give it up for you’

you watch jisung drag his hands down his face and angry tears come into his eyes

‘i just want to make you happy, and seeing how unhappy you are looking at me sometimes makes me angry because i can’t do anything about it and i don’t know why’

before jisung starts to ramble more and continue raising his voice, you take his hands this time and rub them gently

‘jisung, quiet down’

he takes a deep breath and hangs his head, telling you that he’s sorry

‘have you just been acting on your anger this whole time?’

sheepishly, he nods and takes one of his hands to wipe at his face

you beat him to it and rub at the corners of his eyes

seeing him like this.......... even though he said such mean things to you......... he apologized and all you wanted to do was cradle the boy at that moment

‘dancing is when i can get my emotions loose... i tend to act more on them too...... i just get really emotional when i see you....... seeing you upset makes me upset and..... i couldn’t control it’

you jolt up for a second, realizing what jisung has been meaning this whole time

‘hey,’ you call and jisung looks up

only to be met with your lips to his cheek

when you pull away he’s blushing hard and looks confused

regardless, he starts breaking out into a smile ones he sees the small one you’re wearing now

‘i don’t think you noticed, but i think it means you like me, dummy’

[soto-translates]

Saiyuki Crossroaders ch2 pt2

Here's the second part of chapter 2 of the online novel Minekura Sensei was posting on the Zero Sum website.

My translations of previous parts are here: Ch1 Pt1 | Ch1 Pt2 | Ch1 Pt3 | Ch2 Pt1

It was practically a casino from a Hollywood movie.  The elaborate lighting arranged everywhere made the rather stylish customers and furnishings dazzle.  Activity and light filled the entirety of the hall, belying the lateness of the hour.  Every now and then one could hear a coquettish cry, but it was a high class cry befitting the wealthy, not a vulgar one from the outskirts of town.  This was absolutely an adult’s social gathering place, colored by soft jazz.  It brought to mind the grand cabarets of the past.

Two young men made their leisurely way through breaks in the pleasantly chatting crowd that had come to amuse themselves with games.  They were noticed by a young woman in a dress who dodged them with a smile plastered on her face, and by a displeased-looking man whose tuxedo was open at the neck.  The two men simply headed for their goal, naturally slipping through the wall of the crowd.

Near the center of the great hall, beneath an outstandingly striking near-futuristic light fixture, were three gorgeous roulette tables.  The dealer behind the nearest table noticed the two men first and greeted them with a smile.  The few customers already lured by the wheel turned their eyes on the newcomers.

Sanzo, the sleeves of his white robe billowing, lowered himself wordlessly into an open seat.  He crossed his legs and relaxed in the velvet chair, his back slightly bent.  Behind him stood Hakkai, like the highest ranking monk’s obedient attendant.

The chips from the previous round were already being collected atop the table, but the surrounding gazes were fixed on the out-of-place attire of the blond robed priest and Chinese-style traveling man.

...... As much as they may have wanted to appear in smart, stylish suits, unfortunately the current Sanzo Ikkou lacked the funds to purchase such items in this town.

The fairly well-built middle aged dealer was, as expected, a professional; he remained unshaken by the unconventional customers’ entrance and took up the table top bell with a mild expression.  Shaped like a golden cup, the bell played a single harmonious note, signaling the start of a new game.  The dealer set the wheel spinning, and the customers gathered around the table began to move their hands.

Sanzo remained motionless amid the comings and goings of colorful chips on the table, simply gazing at the action with cool eyes.

He watched the game like that for two turns.

In order to size up any oddities of the roulette wheel, quite a few customers would begin by watching the game in this manner.  ...... However, what Sanzo was keenly observing was not the rotation of the roulette wheel, but the fundamental betting of chips.  No one thought that this man, clad in dignity and observing the game with an experienced air, was a complete roulette novice.

No one apart from the young attendant standing behind him, that is.

Having explained the basic rules to Sanzo, Hakkai made a disinterested face as he nevertheless closely observed the board.

This casino’s wheel was in the American style, with one pocket more than those of European roulette wheels.  Thus, there were 38 divisions, including the 00 pocket.  The European style was more advantageous to customers in light of the dividend and deduction rates, but the American style was a must in this sort of casino aimed at the nouveau riche.

In the first place, roulette featured a system fundamentally more profitable to the casino no matter what bet was placed.  The odds were adjusted in order to keep the house edge (the commission ratio) fixed.  Thus, probability-wise and statistically speaking, it was smarter to pick and play one large bet, rather than placing many random bets.

Sanzo watched a third turn, then the bell signifying the next match rang.

A snap from the dealer like a stringed instrument being strummed, and the wheel lightly began its revolutions, a silver ball running neatly backwards along the outer circle.

Abruptly, Sanzo’s left hand moved.

As he had seen others do, he placed his chips in a numbered box painted on the table.  He bet on ‘Dozen’, the numbers between 13 and 24.  The payout was three times the bet, the probability... about 31%.  Hakkai instantly calculated the bet Sanzo had placed.

The other players around the table flinched at the fact that the chips the blond monk had slipped across the table were of the lowest value of all.

Those chips amounted to a child’s allowance in this town, but it was practically all the money Hakkai had had in case of emergency.  They had no choice but to use those funds and build up the bets from there.

“No more bets.”  The dealer spoke in a calm voice, ringing the bell twice.  This was the signal that bets were closed.  After this signal, no one was allowed to withdraw from the game or change their bets.

Unshakable violet eyes watched, seemingly uninterested, as tension enveloped the area and the silver bullet danced atop the wheel.

Priest Genjyo Sanzo was, simply put, tired.

▪️　　▪️　　▪️

Before heading to the casino, the Ikkou received their marching orders in their room.  Night had begun to fall in earnest, and although this was a sleepless town, the truth was they only had a few hours until dawn to earn their money.

“First, I think we should spread out in order to both increase our chances of winning and decrease the risk of losing.  There are numerous casinos in town, but...”

“It’s dangerous to split up in a town run by youkai yakuza, huh.”

Security checks were probably carried out to prevent hazardous materials from being brought into an amusement facility as high-class as this one.  Luckily, aside from Sanzo they could all finish a fight bare-handed.  However, thinking about the unarmed Sanzo, it was best to avoid independent actions.

“Yes.  So, we should all play different games within the same casino.  ...What we are about to do may not be the most legal of actions, so just in case I’d rather we not all gather in one spot...... but it’s unavoidable.”

What d’ya mean, not the most legal of actions, Goku thought.  Reading the atmosphere, however, he kept his mouth shut.  Instead, he decided to worry about how he could help in this serious casino, given that his previous gambling experience was limited to mahjong and cards.

“First, let’s have Goku try the slots.”

“Slots?”

“Just pull the lever and match up the pictures.”  Assistant instructor Gojyo gave an extremely haphazard lecture to Goku, who had obviously never seen a slot machine before.

“Given Goku’s kinetic vision, I’m sure it would be an easy win if it were a meoshi (※２) -type slot machine.  But I suspect in a casino of this level it will be lever operated RNGs (※３).”

“Yeah.  But, in any case, Goku’s the most likely to be blessed with beginner’s luck.”

Goku just blinked in surprise as though hearing an unfamiliar magical spell.

“And Gojyo, I’ll leave card games to you.  Try not to cheat.”  This was an obvious point, logically speaking, but Hakkai chose to make it.

“I can’t make much in a short time if I’m playing cards by the rules though.”

“I apologize, but I’d like Goku and Gojyo to stop after a moderate profit.  It’ll be too unnatural if all four of us draw attention by winning big.”

In other words, the remaining two, Hakkai and Sanzo, would win big through ‘not the most legal of actions’.

Hakkai finally turned to Sanzo, who had been yawning on the sofa as though this were none of his concern.  “Sanzo, how about roulette?”

“I know nothing about it,” their leader majestically declared.

Hakkai didn’t flinch, and continued.  “That’s fine; roulette is among the easiest casino games for beginners.  There are practically no rules, after all.”

“...... And you want me to make money at it?”

“Hang on, roulette’s no good for mateur-way (※４) cheating,” Gojyo interrupted, suspicious.

The plan was to leave the big winner role to Sanzo alone.  They’d heard tales from the Snake’s Head Ryojyun about Priest Koumyou Sanzo visiting and going on a winning spree 20 years ago.  Hakkai thought these anecdotes would make for plausible evidence.  If he could make people believe what that man had said -- that the highest ranking monks have an innate talent for gambling -- then the unnaturalness should be severely reduced even if Sanzo suddenly won big.

On the other hand, the amount they were aiming to earn in one night was quite eye-catching.  They would want to avoid troubles like attracting the attention of the mafia running the casino, or otherwise drawing suspicions.

“There’s no time to explain the rules.  Please observe the actual game two to three times, and watch how the other players bet their chips.  It’s fine if you bet randomly.”

“It’s fine... and you can win with that?  He just said roulette’s no good for cheating.”  Goku asked, perplexed.

Hakkai smiled like a saint.  “I believe so.  Sanzo has me on his side, after all.”

▪️　　▪️　　▪️

A low, admiring commotion had risen in a corner of the casino.  The bet Sanzo placed on his second round was an inside one - a high dividend bet placed on particular numbers, rather than on a color or even/odd numbers.  He placed a ‘corner’ wager, choosing the number 13, 14, 16, and 17.  Compared to his first, the outside ‘dozen’ bet, the corner bet payed out at rather high odds.

Atop the lazily spinning roulette wheel, the ball dropped securely into the targeted 16 pocket. This was the cause of the admiring voices in the gallery.

Hakkai took the cheers as praise for his own abilities.  Thank you, he grinned inside his head.  ...Shooting a tiny amount of ki with his fingertips so no one would notice and dropping the ball in the chosen pocket was harder than expected, and took a lot of nerve.  He did it so well he deserved the praise.

A mountain of chips, 9 times the amount of the bet, was pushed in front of Sanzo.  He sat back arrogantly, not even twitching an eyebrow.  The blond monk in the white robes drew the curious stares of the crowd that had gradually assembled.  In order not to expose the fact that Hakkai was cheating with ki from behind Sanzo’s back, Sanzo had to be the bait that drew the public’s eye.  Luckily, the Ikkou’s leader had the handsome looks and aura to draw anyone’s attention just by sitting still.  Really, he was an excellent panda (※５).

Sanzo beckoned Hakkai with a single raised finger, not bothering to glance back.  Hakkai, in the guise of a pious attendant, brought his ear near to his lord’s face.

“--When should I quit?”

“Keep going like this, building on your bets, for about 6 more games.  At the end, put it all on the outside, either red or black.”

If they collected Gojyo and Goku’s earnings just before that final game and added it to the roulette bet, they should be able to earn more than enough.

The bell rang as though cutting through the pair’s solemn exchange, and the roulette wheel once again began its smooth rotations.

▪️　　▪️　　▪️

What do I do? Goku thought to himself while calmly continuing to push the slot button with his palm.

Golden coins were flowing out like spring water from the machine’s payout tray.

...What do I do?  The coins aren’t stopping.

Several full coin boxes were already carelessly stacked at Goku’s feet.  The coins that didn’t fit were beginning to establish a golden plain covering the floor.

Luckily, --no, unluckily, this machine was a ‘progressive jackpot’ type.  The ‘progressive jackpot’ was a system wherein the possible winnings increased with each successive game.  Plainly put, it was a machine the prize money of which grew the more it was played, and Goku had absentmindedly played game after game.

...It was fun in the beginning.

He’d gotten Gojyo to explain the basic controls, and received a lecture including points like “always put in 3 coins at once,” and “don’t change machines even if nothing comes out.”  Oh, he’d thought, so I just hafta push the button to line up the pictures, and played it like any other game without thinking too hard about the details.  And this had happened.

Hakkai would not be pleased by this situation, given how much he’d warned them to win moderately and not stand out.

As could be expected, the spectators behind him soon began to increase, calling out things like “Nice pull, boy!”  The only thing Goku could do was fake a smile in return.

...... Man, shouldn’t it stop soon?

Goku returned to himself when the loud music became even more frenzied and the lamps decorating the machine flashed ostentatiously.  At the same time, a huge amount of gold coins erupted from the payout tray.

“Ah geez!!  Excuse me, more boxes please!”

So unlucky!  Goku’s internal shout harmonized with whispers of “So lucky...” from the nameless crowd.

▪️　　▪️　　▪️

Second betting round - the man with the dealer button dealt out 3 cards on top of the board.  Gojyo, however, paid no attention to the cards; instead he glanced at the expressions of the other players as they laid eyes on the exposed card denominations.  This technique of reading the atmosphere had always fit his style more than counting cards and memorizing what had already been dealt.

This card table was for a type of flop poker called Texas Hold ‘Em.  It was a comparatively popular game in large casinos.  Several players competed by using the 2 cards in their own hand, called hole cards, in combination with the 5 cards dealt on top of the board.  Of the various types of card games lined up on the floor, this was the one Gojyo chose.

Right now, 5 other players were gathered around the table, one of whom had already folded and left the game at the pre-flop(※６) stage.  Every single one of them was a fancied-up ‘gentleman’ dressed in expensive-looking clothes.

“... Bet.”

“Call.”

“Raise.”

The other players turned as one to look at Gojyo, and the onlookers began to buzz.  Gojyo had even upped the bet at the pre-flop stage.

The red-headed man, appearing so ill-suited to this place, sat back arrogantly in his high-class seat, crossed his long legs, and swept aside the curious stares as he swayed the tip of a boot.  The other players, peeking at Gojyo’s expression, continued to check or call in turn.  Many of them decided that the rough-looking gambling addict was merely playing a bold bluff.

Gojyo had a theory about facing off against the upper class, and purposely exaggerated his bad behavior.  Of course he was hostile toward those who fancied themselves celebs, but that wasn’t all.  Millionaires, who only saw those beneath them as inferior, were surprisingly frank in their teasing and curious confrontations, and would underestimate their opponents.  Moreover, they wouldn’t raise a fuss even if they lost; instead they could look at it like giving a poor person some allowance money and feel self-satisfied.

The really rich had enough to be generous.  They were naturally equipped with a pride large enough to make them want to smartly avoid any low-class struggles.  Truly, ‘the rich do not fight.’

Gojyo knew this well, and loathed them for it.  He felt like taking everything, even the hair from their asses, but stealing ass hair from those fat pig bastards wouldn’t make him happy.

In the next round another player folded, and the 5th card, called the ‘river’ card, was displayed.

“...Fold.”

“Check.”

“Call.”  Here, Gojyo went with the fairly weak ‘call’, and matched the bet.

Show down.  Everyone showed their hands, beginning with the players who raised in the previous turn.  The hands confidently displayed by the gentlemen were a full house, a flush...

Nice, nice situation.  Gojyo narrowed an eye and stubbed out his shortened cigarette in the crystal glass ashtray.  Then he tossed the 2 cards in his hand to the table.

“...... Four of a kind!”  One of the spectators whispered, seeing the 4 queens gathered atop the table.  A faint commotion began.

The show down was the final round, and hands were shown starting with the strongest bet.  Gojyo’s ‘call’ had been a set up for the climatic scene, pushing his disclosure to the end.

Doesn’t matter how neatly you dress it up, a golden pig will never be popular with a queen, stupid.  Gentleman Gojyo stuck a new hi-lite in his mouth to prevent that thought from being voiced.

▪️　　▪️　　▪️

A mild knock echoed through the room.

“Enter,” Ryojun urged, eyes focused on the documents in front of him.

The middle-aged floor person entered the office, closed the door behind himself, and politely bowed once.  “...Manager, I thought I should make a report.”

“Did something happen?”  Ryojun, seated at his desk, lifted his gaze.  Behind him, the cheerful night view spread out in a panorama beyond the glass wall.  Ryojun was the casino manager; in other words, he was the highest authority in casino management.

“There’s a group of customers that is a little odd.”  So saying, the man proffered a printout of the aforementioned customers’ game situation and the flow of their chips.

Glancing at the lines of text through his rimless glasses, Ryojun murmured, “Crossroaders, huh.”

‘Crossroaders’ was casino jargon for wandering gamblers.  They were professional gamblers who drifted from one gambling party to the next.  Because they were wanderers they paid no mind to the casinos’ tacit rules.  They engaged in somewhat rough play, as they had no fear of penalties.  ...The point being, malicious cheating came as a matter of fact.  Rather than enjoying casinos as places for social gathering, they focused only on earning money using any method possible.  Crossroaders were detested by both the management and by other customers as so-called ‘gambler thieves’.

“As far as we could determine, they are the real Priest Sanzo group.”

“...I see.”  Ryojun smiled indulgently at the floor person’s clear-cut figure.  “What about the surveillance check?”

“We wound back the footage, but we haven’t been able to confirm any particularly suspicious actions.”

As he listened to the report, Gyojun hit the power button on the remote control atop his desk.  The multiple monitors embedded in the wood grain wall simultaneously turned on, each displaying a pan over of the different floors of the casino.  They were real time images from the eye-in-the-sky surveillance cameras.

Displayed on different monitors were an out-of-place looking chestnut-haired boy, and a man with indecently long red hair.  They were the ‘attendants’ mentioned on the Sanzo Ikkou’s entrance form that Ryojun had just been perusing.  They stood out even worse through a bird’s eye view.

And the golden-haired monk was strangely conspicuous on the screen that displayed the roulette wheel.  Ryojun manipulated the remote to fix the camera on that scene.  On screen, the Sanzo priest made a bold corner wager, betting quite a lot of chips.

The dealer at that particular roulette table was one of the casino’s old timers; it was difficult to image that he would assist any cheating.  That being said, even close observation didn’t yield any particularly suspicious behavior from the Sanzo priest.  Rather, he didn’t make any unnecessary moves.  One could feel his aggressive aura even though the camera.

Earlier that evening, when Ryojun had exchanged greetings with the man at the restaurant, he had felt that aura prickling on his sun-darkened skin.

Most likely, the priest had seen through the fact that Ryojun was a youkai.  That suspicion had wound its way through their peaceful dialogue, like an invisible piano wire.  A life long mafia man, Ryojun had rarely felt such an overwhelming sense of dignity as was given off by the priest Genjo Sanzo.  He was strangely moved by the presence of the man who had become the highest ranking monk at such a young age.

“What shall we do, Manager?”

“...I heard that another Sanzo who came here before was like this too.  Keep observing him for now.”

“Understood.”

Ryojun removed his glasses and put them away in the breast pocket of his well-tailored Y shirt.

...Is the highest ranking monk really visited by natural talent, as he had flatteringly told them earlier, of was the monk cheating with some special power...?

In this casino, prided as being the largest within Maakou Town, there was a barrier controlled by youkai powers.  Its aim was to prevent illegal actions using youkai possessed of particular abilities, but it was a mere ‘control’, and did not seal out the entirely of illegal actions.  The reason was, a perfect barrier would be a double-edged sword, sealing away even the powers of the youkai management.

Ryojun turned his eyes once more to the Sanzo Ikkou’s documents, gazing at the faces of the 3 attendants.  At first glance they appeared to be scoundrels.  If they were youkai chosen to be the attendants of the highest ranking monk, Priest Sanzo, then they must be hiding unthinkably strong youkai powers.

...No.  After all, the slender, monocled man who took on the role of the group’s negotiator had clearly stated that they ‘had no plans to enjoy the gambling in this town.’  So for what possible reason had all of them headed out to the casino...?

“Then, excuse me.”

“Wait.”

“...Yes?”  The floor person turned back, holding the door open in readiness to leave.

Ryojun’s eyes gleamed as he stared piercingly at a single monitor.

TBC

※２ Meoshi 目押し: A pachino-type slot machine term I couldn’t find an English equivalent for.  On these machines you hit a button or pull a lever to stop the spinning reels with certain images on the pay line to win. (As opposed to regular slot machines, where hitting the button or pulling the lever starts the spin.)

※３  RNG: Random Number Generator.  With these machines, a microchip is constantly generating random numbers, which represent different reel positions.  Pulling the lever or pushing the button displays the latest numbers.

※４  Mateur-way: Amateur.  Japanese has a slang similar to Pig Latin, wherein the first few syllables of a word are placed at the end, so shirouto しろうと (amateur) becomes toushiro とうしろ (mateur-way).

※５  Panda: Slang for the black and white police patrol cars.  I assume Hakkai calls Sanzo a police car because the cars are eye-catching, exactly what he needs Sanzo to be.

※６  Pre-flop: Before the community (flop) cards are dealt.

[ahouseoflies]

The Best Films of 2019, Part III

Part I is here. Part II is here.

PRETTY GOOD MOVIES

80. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (Martin Scorsese)- Can one put a star rating on Bob Dylan, with renewed purpose, belting out "Isis" in a head and shoulders close-up to New Hampshire teens? What about a naked moment when he and Joan Baez simultaneously realize they should have married each other, and he, for maybe the first time, has nothing to say? As a Dylanologist, I'm glad that this footage from an under-reported period saw the light of day. You can start to think about stars when Martin Scorsese, my other dad, does everything he can to complicate and ultimately undermine that footage with his contributions. I appreciate that he uses his documentaries to experiment and chart his passions, and I think that I get what he's doing with his present-day chicanery, but it does not work for me. Shout-out to when Bob Dylan claims, of one of Scorsese's fake people, "He seemed to need enemies. Even when there weren't any." I felt that. 

79. Serenity (Steven Knight) Djimon Honsou: Lawful Good Jeremy Strong as "The Rules": Lawful Neutral Anne Hathaway: Lawful Evil Diane Lane: Chaotic Good The Kid: Chaotic Neutral Jason Clarke: Chaotic Evil The Bartender: Lawful Neutral Matthew McConaughey: True Neutral Me, Believing Almost Sincerely That This Is a Good Movie: Chaotic Neutral

78. Atlantics (Mati Diop)- It's plenty effective as a window into a patriarchal society I wasn't familiar with, but Atlantics doesn't ever match the heights of its exquisite opening. At the risk of getting banned from this website--and I do realize what I'm implying here...not enough happens.

77. Birds of Passage (Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego)- After enjoying the formal invention of Embrace of the Serpent, I was interested to see Guerra and Gallego's spin on a well-worn genre like crime. So I was surprised to see how conventional Birds of Passage was. The indigenous Colombian rituals provide some color and grandeur, but otherwise this is a rise and fall that I've seen before, complete with a hothead character that threatens the whole operation. Perhaps my favorite part of crime movies, the alluring sinful fun that ropes the viewer in and makes him complicit, is nowhere to be found.

76. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Joe Talbot)- I admire Joe Talbot's debut more than I like it. It's straightforward in its ideas of African-American and masculine performance, and it boils its essence down into a really effective scene near the end (on the bus). It does get tedious though. The protagonists' goals keep changing in a way that makes it seem like the film is overcompensating for how simple it actually is. 

75. Running with Beto (David Modigliani)- Beto O'Rourke is both inspiring and goofy, able to get me to look to the stars and roll my eyes within the same breath. This movie is pretty standard for its genre, but its greatest strength is getting us to see that all people present those contradictions on an individual level, while most people, if we're talking about blue and red states, are the same collectively. 

74. Gemini Man (Ang Lee)- Ang Lee treats Gemini Man like a test reel for 3D high-frame rate presentation, and I think I would have liked the film much less if I hadn't enjoyed the bells and whistles. (Find me in the club and ask me about the HDR--I can go deep.) You could read the film as a comment on Will Smith's Movie Stardom: We're the product of our experiences, and up-and-comers lack some of the character/baggage that Smith brings even if those imitators can approximate his bluster. (The fact that the film is a commercial failure adds another layer. Perhaps the cultural bridge that Smith created is no longer necessary.) 

But you'll notice that none of that stuff is dealing with the text, which rarely does the unexpected, especially when it comes to the mustache-twirling Clive Owen character. The film pointedly avoids a romance between Smith and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and that's another absence that I'm pretending is a plus.

73. The Hummingbird Project (Kim Nguyen)- At first, the film has trouble selling itself, almost underplaying how quixotic the characters' plan to beat the stock market is. Once it settles in after a few false starts, it expands into a story about how precious time is in general, an idea that Jesse Eisenberg sells in his sympathetic performance. The other characters don't fare as well. Skarsgard's foil is comparatively static and dull, and a dialed-up Salma Hayek makes this a more external, obvious picture than it should have been. But there are long stretches that I like. 72. Escape Room (Adam Robitel)- I was exhausted in a good way as the movie rocketed through its setup, showing us the backstory of half of its characters while bypassing the rest. I was exhausted in a bad way by its fourth ending. Basically though, this movie does its job. And I'm glad that some of these thrillers are still envelope-pushing PG-13's. 71. Late Night (Nisha Ganatra)- There's a preposterous scene swinging into the third act that I just cannot accept or get behind, and it introduces a wave of Serious Scenes of People Getting Real with Each Other. But I haven't seen such a distilled juxtaposition of second-wave feminism and third-wave feminism before, let alone in a comedy. Some solid jokes. And John Lithgow playing piano while feeling bad about himself! 70. Non-Fiction (Olivier Assayas)- Non-Fiction is a sign that Assayas, always prolific, is entering the Woody Allen Zone. That is, he, a filmmaker capable of great formal beauty, has left behind formal rigor for a moderately funny tale about pseudo-intellectuals having conversations that would have been provocative five or ten years ago. 90% of the film depicts infidelity, but it isn't really about infidelity. Just as every latter-day Allen picture has two or three immaculate jokes or inward moments, Non-Fiction, despite its lack of ambition, has some perfect Assayas inter-textual flourishes. The Selena character bemoans the disposable nature of the TV show she works on, but Assayas drops us into one of the show's wintry, over-exposed shoot-outs as if to capture a genre he'll never fully pursue. He also writes a joke in which Selena, played by Juliette Binoche, claims that she'll try to talk Juliette Binoche into recording an audio book.

69. Crawl (Alexandre Aja)- I guess you could say something negative about this movie, but you would also have to mention that ol' girl lets off a full clip from inside the gator while it is chomping her arm off. So it pretty much has that Academy Awards category sewn up. 68. Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Bi Gan)- as Chinese Jerry Seinfeld once said, "Why don't they make the whole movie out of the hour-long unbroken 3D take?"

67. The Art of Self-Defense (Riley Stearns)- The Art of Self-Defense is a film of two halves--in a way that, actually, Riley Stearns's previous film Faults was. For me, those two halves, one being slow and pre-ordained, the other being wild and unpredictable, are too extreme on either end. The vagueness of the setting is a weapon that goes a long way in unifying those parts though. Even if I couldn't get down with the silliness, The Art of Self-Defense is worth checking out for Alessandro Nivola's career-best performance. The movie is about performative masculinity, so he has the challenge of playing a sort of confident monolith while also being totally specific. He's everything you would imagine a karate instructor to be, but he also takes his glasses out of their case in a way I've never seen before.

66. Dolemite Is My Name (Craig Brewer)- Keep in mind that I couldn't make it all the way through Dolemite proper, so I'm not the intended audience for this film's "let's put on a show" awe. The structure is notable: It starts with Rudy Ray Moore as a failure who has tried everything, crests past the shooting of his movie, and uses that completion as a plot point, only to focus on the distribution for the third act. That is, the screenplay breathes new life into the plot right when it needs it. Eddie Murphy's best performances always seem like regretful commentaries on his own relationship with the audience, (I'm picturing the final speech of The Nutty Professor.) and he follows suit here. Even better is an effete Wesley Snipes as the too-cool-for-school D'Urville. Despite all of the talent involved, however, the thing just isn't funny, and it's least funny in the comedy club scenes that are supposed to sell us on Rudy Ray Moore's genius. If it's not supposed to be funny, then why populate the movie with five comedic supporting actors?

65. Harriet (Kasi Lemmons)- History classes could do a lot worse. Like a history class, the film has so much ground to cover that it has to make choices for pacing, and even then it still feels like a greatest hits. It does have a surprising, brazen edge though, and it's more spiritually curious than I was expecting. Kasi Lemmons leans in to the mystical side of the story, using Tubman's spells as conversations with God that give her the confidence that she needs. The device is a double-edged sword though: What distinguishes and others Tubman, what makes her the chosen one, is also kind of passive and out of her control. Speaking of out of control, Joe Alwyn plays the slaveholder who ain't gonna be as nice as his pappy was. "Seems to me things have gotten a little too easy 'round these parts." 64. Motherless Brooklyn (Edward Norton)- Like Edward Norton, Motherless Brooklyn is sincere and smart and shows its work. Also like Edward Norton, it sort of tires you out after a while with how hard it's trying. I respect the ambition--the film tangles itself in race and jazz and urban planning and makeshift families--but by the third or fourth time that the hero blacks out while getting roughed up, the film reveals that it can't quite thread the needle between noir pastiche and noir cliche. It's satisfying enough as a mystery in general.

63. The Two Popes (Fernando Meirelles)- I'm the target audience for 21st century papal fan-fic, and even I started to zone out during the flashbacks. Jonathan Pryce sort of disappears, but I think this is the first Netflix prestige project being judged on a curve.

[melissagarcia8]

37 Places to Eat in Tokyo

On a whim, I went to Tokyo for a week. My friends and I had been talking about a food-themed trip to the city for years, and after convincing them that now was the time to cash in all our miles, we found ourselves at the airport on a cold November day with one goal: to eat as much as humanly possible.

Like me, they’d been to Tokyo before and each had a list of places to eat at. Along with our combined lists, I had received suggestions from friends, readers, and one of my favorite foodies, Mark Weins of Migrationology.

Even eating four to six meals a day, I was barely able to scratch the surface of the list of recommendations. Nevertheless, I wanted to share the combined suggestions of the community and my own investigations with you. (Those I ate at are denoted by a star.)

Afuri Yebisu (1 Chome-1-7 Ebisu, 117 Bldg. 1F, Shibuya 150-0013, +81 3-5795-0750, afuri.com) – Tom (@tjdj311 on Instagram) recommended this for yuzu-flavored ramen.

*Bifteck Kawamura Ginza (6 Chome-5-1 Ginza, Ginza MST Bldg. 8F, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-6252-5011, bifteck.co.jp) – At the suggestion of our hotel’s concierge, we went there in our quest for Wagyu beef. The steak basically melted in my mouth and exploded with flavor. However, I don’t think I’d go back, as I found it a bit too high-end and overpriced for me. The décor is incredible, the service over the top, and the wine list world-class — but all that is more than I needed. That said, if you want to spend money on delicious steak with out-of-this-world service, you can’t go wrong here.

BrewDog Roppongi (5 Chome-3-2 Roppongi, Minato, 106-0032, +81 3-6447-4160, brewdogbar.jp) – Recommended by Matt Chandler (@mchandler07 on Twitter), this bar has 20 craft beers on tap, 10 of which are brewed on site. So if you’re tired of sake and want some fancy beer, you probably can’t go wrong here!

CoCo Ichibanya (1 Chome-2-12 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, 160-0023, +81 3-3345-0775) – Recommended by Char (@charmatcha on Twitter), this ramen restaurant is supposed to offer hearty and filling ramen as well as good chicken and pork curry in a fast service environment. I haven’t been here, but I’ve been to similar places in the past.

*Genki Sushi (24-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya, 150-0042, +81 3-3461-1281, genkisushi.co.jp) – Yummy sushi, recommended by Jeremiah Cooper (@jeremiahcooperphotography on Instagram). There wasn’t anything fancy about the place — it just had solid, satisfying sushi. Very attentive service too!

Ginza Kagari (4 Chome-1-2 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3561-0717) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) suggests coming here for incredible chicken broth ramen.

*Ginza Sushi-Dokoro Shin (7 Chome-12-4 Ginza, Way Fair Bldg. 1F, Chuo, 104-0061, +03-3543-9339) – A spectacular sushi spot in Ginza. It was one of the best I ate at. The portions are huge. Go for lunch, when you get more bang for your buck. And definitely get the uni — yummy! (Suggested by Mark Weins)

*Ichiran Shibuya (1 Chome-22-7 Jinnan, Shibuya, 150-0041, +81 3-3463-3667, en.ichiran.com/index.php) – Recommended by many people, this ramen spot served one of the best meals I had my entire trip. The thick, flavorful broth is to die for. I also like how you eat in your own little private booth. Funky. Expect a wait during peak lunch and dinner times.

*Isakaya Juban (2 Chome-1-2 Azabujuban, Minato, 106-0045, +81 3-3451-6873, izakayajuban.com) – A little hole-in-the-wall izakaya restaurant (think Japanese tapas) with locals getting drunk on sake and eating tasty small plates. I was big fan of their salmon and grilled squid. They have a small English menu, but judging how my friend ordered for me, I think it doesn’t list everything, so if you see something, point at it and get it!

JBS Bar (Jazz, Blues, Soul) (1 Chome-17-10 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, 150-0043, +81 3-3461-7788) – A cool bar (recommended by Anna Klebine on Facebook) that is basically a one-man shop filled with records, whiskey, and smoke. It’s tucked away on the second level of an office/shopping plaza.

*Kakimaru (6 Chome-1-6 Roppongi, Minato, 106-0032, +81-3-5413-3689) – While catching up with my friend, we found this awesome place. There was an older couple next to us and a wedding party getting drunk across from us. As the night went on, the couple helped us pick food (try the speciality crab dish, it’s served in the shell and to die for), and the wedding party kept asking how we loved Japan and refilling our sake glasses, sang songs, and talked baseball. It was an amazing experience. The food is also outstanding. Be sure to get the oysters. Note: While Google Maps will list the restaurant as Kakimaru, when you go there the restaurant will be called Uohama.

Kanda Matsuya (1 Chome-13 Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda, 101-0041, +81 3-3251-1556, kanda-matsuya.jp) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) also recommended this for authentic soba noodle dishes.

*Kyubey (8 Chome-7-6 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3571-6523) – Suggested by my friends, this restaurant (which has a couple of locations) offered the fanciest sushi I had in Tokyo. You sit at the bar and are served whatever the chef decides to bring (this is called omakase). It was expensive (at $150 USD) but worth every penny. Check out this video where the shrimp they served me is still moving.

Masaru (1 Chome-32-2 Asakusa, Taito, 111-0032, +81 3-3841-8356) – Daina (@headedanywhere on Instagram) recommended this as an excellent option for tempura dishes.

*Memory Lane (Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, +81 3-3342-1589, shinjuku-omoide.com) – On this tiny alley of yakitori joints, some require an entrance fee, but they are all worth it. I ate at about three of them, but I don’t remember any of the specific restaurant names.

Mutekiya (1 Chome-17-1, Minami Ikebukuro, 1F Sakimoto Bldg., Toshima 171-0022, +81 3-3982-7656, mutekiya.com) – Carly Sabo (@carly_sabo on Instagram) recommended this spot for its amazing ramen. Honmarumen is its most popular dish.

Narisawa (2 Chome-6-15 Minami Aoyama, Minato, 107-0062, +81 3-5785-0799, narisawa-yoshihiro.com) – One of the highest rated sushi restaurants in Tokyo. This was suggested to me by many people and, very sadly, I did not make it here but you probably should! I doubt it is cheap though!

*Ostrea Oyster Bar and Restaurant (8 Chome-9-15 Ginza, 8F Jewelboxginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3573-0711, ostrea.jp) – I found this while wandering Ginza, and being an oyster lover, went in for some giant oysters. Japanese oysters are big and meaty, and the ones here were no different. They also lacked a very briny, oceany taste to them (I prefer my oysters to be more sweet than salty). The restaurant doesn’t get too busy, so you won’t have a wait.

Robot Restaurant (1 Chrome-7-1 Kabukicho B2f, Shinjuku, 160-0021, +81 3-3200-5500, shinjuku-robot.com) – There are a lot of weird restaurants in Tokyo, and I was sad I didn’t get to this one. Dinner comes with a show featuring robots, lasers, monsters, and dancers. It was recommended by just about everyone.

Rokurinsha (1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Tokyo Station Ichibangai B1F, Chiyoda, 100-0005, +81 3-3286-0166, rokurinsha.com) – Located on Tokyo Station’s “ramen road,” this tasty ramen restaurant is easily to spot: it has the longest line. I didn’t eat here as I didn’t want to wait; I went to one further down the “road” and it wasn’t super good. I mean it wasn’t bad, but it made me wish I had waited here!

Shin Udon (2 Chome-20-16 Yoyogi, 1F Soma Bldg., Shibuya, 151-0053, +81 3-6276-7816, udonshin.com) – Recommended by Macaera (@macaera on Twitter), this is supposed to be great for tasty udon noodles at an affordable price.

Sometaro Okonomiyaki (2 Chome-2-2 Nishiasakusa, Taito, 111-0035, +81 3-3844-9502) – Housed inside an antique building, it is well known for its okonomiyaki (a Japanese savory pancake). Recommended by Mark Wiens.

*Standing Sushi Bar (1 Chome-12-12 Nishishinjuku, Kasai Bldg. 1F, Shinjuku, 160-0023, +81 3-3349-1739, uogashi-nihonichi.com) – Recommended by my other food guru Jodi, this standing sushi location is one of many in town. It’s great for a quick bite: you stand, eat sushi, and get out. It has a robust menu, so you can get anything you want, and a meal here will only set you back around 1,000 yen ($9 USD).

Sushi Yuu (1 Chome-4-15 Nishiazabu, Minato, 106-0031, +81 3-3403-6467, sushiyuu.com) – Lauren Michelle Stow (@lstoweaway on Instagram) raved, “Sushi Yuu was possibly the best culinary experience I’ve ever had. Expensive, but worth it. Make a reservation and ask to sit at the bar. Shimazaki-san makes the meal extremely personal and answers all your fish-related questions.”

*Sushi Zanmai (11 Chome-9-4 Tsukiji, Chuo, 104-0045, +03-3541-1117) – This sushi restaurant has locations over the city. I ended up eating at the one in the fish market on one of my last days there. The fish was fresh, the servings were large, and the staff was attentive. I can’t speak for the other locations, but this one gets very crowded around lunchtime (expect a 30-minute wait).

*Tenmatsu Tempura (1 Chome-8-2 Nihonbashimuromachi, Chuo, 103-0022, +81 3-3241-5840, tenmatsu.com/english.html) – The tempura here is well known for its lightness. It’s a small establishment with set tempura menus. The staff doesn’t speak great English (the clientele was mostly Japanese businessmen), but they were super friendly and accommodating, and the food is outstanding.

Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten (4 Chome-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya, 150-0001, +81 120-428-485, mai-sen.com/restaurant) – A legendary tonkatsu place. Allyson (@wanderwithheart on Instagram) recommended this one.

Tonkatsu Tonki (1 Chome-1-2 Shimomeguro, Meguro, 153-0064, +81 3-3491-9928) – Recommended by Kimberly Ann (@kimberly_ann113 on Instagram), this restaurant specializes in pork tonkatsu.

Tonkatsu Wako (1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda, 100-0005, +81 3-3214-6987, wako-group.co.jp/shop/detail/3147) – This restaurant reputedly makes the best tonkatsu in town. Megan (@megameg71 on Instagram) suggested it; put her recommendation to the test.

*Tsukiji Fish Market (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3542-1111, tsukiji-market.or.jp) – This world-famous fish market, whose auction powers much of the world’s sushi supply, is truly breathtaking. You can’t get in before 10am these days, and when you do, most of the vendors are already breaking down, but it’s beautiful to walk through. All around you are fish with colors and shapes you didn’t know existed. I have never had seen more seafood I couldn’t identify. Most of the restaurants nearby source their food right from the market. Some must-eats in and around the market:

*Nakaya (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Tsukiji Ichiba Jonai 8, Chuo 104-0045, +81 3-3541-0211, tsukijigourmet.or.jp/46_nakaya/index.htm) – Located in the Fish Market itself, it’s a great place to go for a sashimi rice bowl breakfast. I loved the uni salmon bowl. (Another Migrationology suggestion)

Sushi Dai (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Tsukiji Fish Market 6th Bldg., Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3547-6797, tsukiji-sushidai.com/shop/honkan.html) – As it is the most famous sushi spot in the market, people line up at 4am for when it opens, and wait times can last up to three hours. I hear it’s good, but frankly, in a city with so much good fish, I wouldn’t wait three hours for a meal.

*Sushi restaurant with no English name – One of the best value meals I had the whole trip, it included a delicious 15-piece sushi lunch (1,200 yen, or $10.76 USD), with huge cuts of fish and a tasty miso soup. The restaurant is small, so try to avoid peak eating times. There’s no real good signage, but it’s the only restaurant-looking place on the street. (Another Migrationology suggestion)

*Tsjukiki Dontaku (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Bldg. No. 6, Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3541-9408) – A few doors down from Sushi Dai, this restaurant has a great omakase (though slightly expensive at 2,500 yen ($22.40 USD)), but the service and fish were impeccable — the uni and mackerel were some of the best I had all week. And there’s hardly a wait.

Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles (1 Chome-14-1 Sugamo, Toshima, 170-0002, +81 3-3943-1007, ameblo.jp/yuki-onishi) – Another recommendation from Tom (@tjdj311 on Instagram); it has a Michelin star so the noodles are probably pretty out of this world. They also use truffle-infused ramen oil.

Yakitori Ton Ton (2 Chome-1-10 Yurakucho, Chiyoda, 100-0006, +81 3-3508-9454) – This tiny stall near the railroad in Yurakucho specializes in skewered pork and chicken. Suggested by Mark Wiens.

***While I can’t vouch for every suggestion on this list, I never ate a terrible meal in Tokyo (although there were some “meh” restaurants that didn’t make the list). I suspect that it’s hard to eat a bad meal in Tokyo, where even the worst thing is ten times better than what you find back home!

So the next time you find yourself in Tokyo, you won’t be short of food options! Half the fun of travel is trying something new. (If it’s someplace I didn’t make it to, let me know how it is!)

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Thanks to everyone who gave me recommendations. And special thanks to Mark for being my Tokyo food ninja. You can check his blog for more posts on Tokyo and food in general.

The post 37 Places to Eat in Tokyo appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/where-to-eat-in-tokyo/

[brandyfields66-blog]

My CrossFit Transformation Was Much More Drastic Than I Expected–But Not for the Reason You'd Think

Most people start CrossFit because they're looking to lose weight, or get stronger, or get into the best shape of their life. Having played rugby in college, taught Zumba, finished a marathon, and taken up bodybuilding, for me, CrossFit wasn't about the physical promises. I joined a CrossFit box (as the gyms are called) because I needed a job.

I moved to New York for what was, at the time, my dream job. But six months in, I called my mother sobbing. I'd just been given notice that the company would be letting me go in two weeks' time. The eager post-grad haze had worn off, I was no longer certain I had chosen the right career field, and I was hit with a wave of loneliness.

After living in the city for half a year, I'd failed to make any friends. Late nights at the office had taken precedence over happy hours and girl-gang hangs. And because I'd often gotten off work late, instead of sampling New York's fitness class scene, I'd opted for a 24-hour big box gym. There, I'd do some bicep curls, walk on the stairmaster, and after about an hour, flex, take some mirror selfies, and leave.

RELATED: 25 Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Now, here I was, bummed out, wishing for pals to vent to about my impending unemployment, and in serious need of pulling together work. So when I saw on Instagram that a Manhattan box, ICE NYC, was hiring a front desk social media manager, I applied.

I'd talked (or at least, thought) trash about CrossFit in the past, even though if I'm being totally honest with myself, I had no reason to. But I guess there was a part of me that was a little intrigued with the whole CrossFit phenomenon and the community it promised.

My first interview took place directly following a class. Having arrived super-early, I caught the tail end of the workout and watched as the athletes congratulated each other and brought it in for a cheer. The ethos of the group reminded me of my time playing rugby in college: The coach was treated with respect, the team was determined and focused, and the athletes followed an implicit "No One Left Behind" policy.

While the promise of barbells alone couldn't convince me to try CrossFit, watching a class and talking with the gym's owner about community, fitness, and joining the two could.

After my interview, the owner called to let me know that if I tried CrossFit and liked it, he'd hire me. So I signed up for a class the very next morning. I thought taking a CrossFit class would be like updating my LinkedIn, flossing my teeth, or eating greens: a necessary evil.

Turns out, CrossFit is not a thing you just walk in and out of every once in a while. If it sticks, it sticks real good.

I've changed plenty since I was originally hired at the box. For one, I switched to a part-time role so that I could pursue a fitness writing career, but I still work out there and consider the box my home. Twelve months since joining the ICE NYC CrossFit community I can safely say the sport has changed my life. Here's how.

RELATED: 7 Things to Know Before Trying CrossFit

It's cliché, but patience is a serious virtue

Most boxes have an on-ramp process that involves learning the ropes (and basic barbell lifts and bodyweight movements), but because I had weightlifting experience from my collegiate days I was allowed to pass over those sessions. (If you're thinking about joining a box, take advantage of these offerings; I regret missing the learning opportunity). Even though I had fitness experience, it still took a long time to figure out what the heck I was doing.

CrossFit defines itself as constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensities, and that constantly varied part... it's a lot. There's the snatch, and then there's the power snatch. There's also a hang power snatch, and a hang squat snatch.

This variety is part of what makes it fun; you get to try so. many. different. things! But that also means there's an unending stream of things to learn. The go-go-go New Yorker in me loved the exhaustive list of exercises, but the athlete in me felt overwhelmed by the variety.

I had to learn to be patient with myself and my body. If I forgot the difference between a hang, a squat, and a power clean, I had to learn to ask. If I couldn't string together more than a few pull-ups, I had to ask for drills that would help me be able to… eventually. I gave myself permission to not know what the heck I was doing, and then developed the patience necessary to be okay with the learning curve.

Winning isn't everything

My position in rugby was wing, which is the position that scores. Racking up points for my team was my job, and when I failed to do my job well, a loss for the team was usually the outcome. I love winning, and I brought that love of winning to CrossFit. “Finish first” was my motto.

And sometimes I did. Sometimes I'd take the top of the leaderboard on a bodyweight WOD (which stands for workout of the day), and I'd smile smugly, feeling proud. But then the next day, I'd have a workout with heavy barbells, and no amount of willpower would allow me to lift the barbell and lift it quickly while keeping good form.

A few conversations with my head coach helped me realize that my competitive spirit will help bring results for any goal, but that when it comes to heavy lifting, there's a cardinal rule: Technique first, consistency second, and intensity last. “I love how competitive you are and how eager you are to learn and get better,” she told me. “My advice to you: There's no rush. CrossFit isn't going anywhere. Take it slow, learn, work hard, trust the process. You'll end up where you're supposed to be.”

Rest days aren't a sign of weakness

When it comes to getting stronger, you need two things: First, you need to work your muscles, which causes little tears in the muscle fibers. Then, your muscles need to repair themselves, which is a process that requires rest.

Before CrossFit, I would go to the gym six to seven times a week. I stuck to that same schedule when I started CrossFit. I often went seven days a week because it was all so new and fun. My workouts lasted an hour, but sometimes I'd join some of the CrossFit vets for an additional workout afterward. Surprise, surprise: I got an overtraining injury.

Six days of heavy weights and intense intervals every week is too much, and I probably would have gotten stronger faster if I had stuck to just four or five days a week and actually given my body the time it needed to recover between sessions.

The mind is a muscle that needs to be trained

Anyone can do CrossFit: The workouts are scalable, which means that people of all fitness levels can come to a box and do the workout of the day. But CrossFit is no joke. When it comes to barbells, box jumps, and burpees, you need more than physical strength. You need mental toughness.

If you want to achieve your best performance on a workout, you must be willing to suffer–we call it “finding the pain cave.” When you're trying to snag a personal best, your body and mind work against you. But the pain cave is a place where I'm forced to ask myself just how much I'm willing to give to reach my goals.

Building the toughness necessary to endure the pain cave isn't as easy as dropping to the floor and cranking out 20 push-ups. It takes work to get your brain to a point where it is willing to push longer and harder than it ever has before–and to know when to tone down the intensity. During my first year of CrossFit, I had to train my brain every single day through practices like journaling, meditation, and breathing exercises.

You don't need to switch your eating habits to match your friends

Paleo. Whole30. IIFYM. Before these diets went mainstream, CrossFitters were jazzed on them. Until I started CrossFit, I didn't realize the nuances of these diets.

I've dipped my toes in the waters of all of these diets for anywhere from a week to a month, and I always come out thinking the same thing: They're just not worth it to me! Counting macros may work for certain goals, but it is hella time consuming, and it made me obsessed with food.

Similarly, while I liked the Paleo diet (and it's even stricter cousin Whole30) in theory–lots of veggies, protein, healthy fats, some fruit, and no grains or dairy sounded okay–in practice, I became a hangry monster. Basically, cutting out all grains and added sugars meant that I ate fewer carbs, and carbs are really important when you're exercising regularly.

While I thought trying out my friends' eating habits would be a fun bonding activity, it always just ends up making me grumpy.

Abs really are made in the kitchen

A month into my stunt as a CrossFitter, I had the flattest stomach I'd had up until that point. Which meant I had a new-found confidence to strut around the gym in my sports bra after every sweat sesh.

But while I looked good, I was getting tired four hours into my workday and didn't have the energy I used to. Could I have mono a second time? Why was this happening?

My coach guessed it: I was under-eating. My go-to meals and daily intake hadn't changed after I'd joined CrossFit, and I wasn't giving myself the fuel I needed to power through–and then recover from–the high-intensity workouts.

With a little guidance from the coaches in my gym and phone calls with a nutritionist, I revved up my breakfasts to include more protein and complex carbohydrates (wahoo for sweet and nutty overnight oats!) and made a point to have a snack between lunch and dinner. Suddenly my energy levels shot back up–and my abs have only gotten more defined.

RELATED: 11 Reasons Why You're Not Losing Belly Fat

CrossFitters make great friends

CrossFit isn't just special for its high intensity and unique lingo; there's also a surprising level of camaraderie. I used to think that made CrossFit a cult, but it's way more accurate to simply call it what it is: a community.

People usually work out at the same time every evening, so you end up spending five to seven hours a week with the same crew of 20 who are similarly interested in health and fitness.

While the concept of breaking a sweat with someone as relationship-building is not unique to CrossFit, in CrossFit “working out” really means something much more specific. It means changing your life and the lives of those you sweat alongside; it means being pushed physically harder than you've ever been pushed with a group; and it means calloused high fives, fist pumps, and even sweaty group hugs.

[foursprouthealth-blog]

My CrossFit Transformation Was Much More Drastic Than I Expected&ndash;But Not for the Reason You'd Think

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/health/my-crossfit-transformation-was-much-more-drastic-than-i-expectedndashbut-not-for-the-reason-youd-think/

My CrossFit Transformation Was Much More Drastic Than I Expected–But Not for the Reason You'd Think

Most people start CrossFit because they’re looking to lose weight, or get stronger, or get into the best shape of their life. Having played rugby in college, taught Zumba, finished a marathon, and taken up bodybuilding, for me, CrossFit wasn’t about the physical promises. I joined a CrossFit box (as the gyms are called) because I needed a job.

I moved to New York for what was, at the time, my dream job. But six months in, I called my mother sobbing. I’d just been given notice that the company would be letting me go in two weeks’ time. The eager post-grad haze had worn off, I was no longer certain I had chosen the right career field, and I was hit with a wave of loneliness.

After living in the city for half a year, I’d failed to make any friends. Late nights at the office had taken precedence over happy hours and girl-gang hangs. And because I’d often gotten off work late, instead of sampling New York’s fitness class scene, I’d opted for a 24-hour big box gym. There, I’d do some bicep curls, walk on the stairmaster, and after about an hour, flex, take some mirror selfies, and leave.

RELATED: 25 Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

Now, here I was, bummed out, wishing for pals to vent to about my impending unemployment, and in serious need of pulling together work. So when I saw on Instagram that a Manhattan box, ICE NYC, was hiring a front desk social media manager, I applied.

I’d talked (or at least, thought) trash about CrossFit in the past, even though if I’m being totally honest with myself, I had no reason to. But I guess there was a part of me that was a little intrigued with the whole CrossFit phenomenon and the community it promised.

My first interview took place directly following a class. Having arrived super-early, I caught the tail end of the workout and watched as the athletes congratulated each other and brought it in for a cheer. The ethos of the group reminded me of my time playing rugby in college: The coach was treated with respect, the team was determined and focused, and the athletes followed an implicit “No One Left Behind” policy.

While the promise of barbells alone couldn’t convince me to try CrossFit, watching a class and talking with the gym’s owner about community, fitness, and joining the two could.

After my interview, the owner called to let me know that if I tried CrossFit and liked it, he’d hire me. So I signed up for a class the very next morning. I thought taking a CrossFit class would be like updating my LinkedIn, flossing my teeth, or eating greens: a necessary evil.

Turns out, CrossFit is not a thing you just walk in and out of every once in a while. If it sticks, it sticks real good.

I’ve changed plenty since I was originally hired at the box. For one, I switched to a part-time role so that I could pursue a fitness writing career, but I still work out there and consider the box my home. Twelve months since joining the ICE NYC CrossFit community I can safely say the sport has changed my life. Here’s how.

RELATED: 7 Things to Know Before Trying CrossFit

It’s cliché, but patience is a serious virtue

Most boxes have an on-ramp process that involves learning the ropes (and basic barbell lifts and bodyweight movements), but because I had weightlifting experience from my collegiate days I was allowed to pass over those sessions. (If you’re thinking about joining a box, take advantage of these offerings; I regret missing the learning opportunity). Even though I had fitness experience, it still took a long time to figure out what the heck I was doing.

CrossFit defines itself as constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensities, and that constantly varied part… it’s a lot. There’s the snatch, and then there’s the power snatch. There’s also a hang power snatch, and a hang squat snatch.

This variety is part of what makes it fun; you get to try so. many. different. things! But that also means there’s an unending stream of things to learn. The go-go-go New Yorker in me loved the exhaustive list of exercises, but the athlete in me felt overwhelmed by the variety.

I had to learn to be patient with myself and my body. If I forgot the difference between a hang, a squat, and a power clean, I had to learn to ask. If I couldn’t string together more than a few pull-ups, I had to ask for drills that would help me be able to… eventually. I gave myself permission to not know what the heck I was doing, and then developed the patience necessary to be okay with the learning curve.

Winning isn’t everything

My position in rugby was wing, which is the position that scores. Racking up points for my team was my job, and when I failed to do my job well, a loss for the team was usually the outcome. I love winning, and I brought that love of winning to CrossFit. “Finish first” was my motto.

And sometimes I did. Sometimes I’d take the top of the leaderboard on a bodyweight WOD (which stands for workout of the day), and I’d smile smugly, feeling proud. But then the next day, I’d have a workout with heavy barbells, and no amount of willpower would allow me to lift the barbell and lift it quickly while keeping good form.

A few conversations with my head coach helped me realize that my competitive spirit will help bring results for any goal, but that when it comes to heavy lifting, there’s a cardinal rule: Technique first, consistency second, and intensity last. “I love how competitive you are and how eager you are to learn and get better,” she told me. “My advice to you: There’s no rush. CrossFit isn’t going anywhere. Take it slow, learn, work hard, trust the process. You’ll end up where you’re supposed to be.”

Rest days aren’t a sign of weakness

When it comes to getting stronger, you need two things: First, you need to work your muscles, which causes little tears in the muscle fibers. Then, your muscles need to repair themselves, which is a process that requires rest.

Before CrossFit, I would go to the gym six to seven times a week. I stuck to that same schedule when I started CrossFit. I often went seven days a week because it was all so new and fun. My workouts lasted an hour, but sometimes I’d join some of the CrossFit vets for an additional workout afterward. Surprise, surprise: I got an overtraining injury.

Six days of heavy weights and intense intervals every week is too much, and I probably would have gotten stronger faster if I had stuck to just four or five days a week and actually given my body the time it needed to recover between sessions.

The mind is a muscle that needs to be trained

Anyone can do CrossFit: The workouts are scalable, which means that people of all fitness levels can come to a box and do the workout of the day. But CrossFit is no joke. When it comes to barbells, box jumps, and burpees, you need more than physical strength. You need mental toughness.

If you want to achieve your best performance on a workout, you must be willing to suffer–we call it “finding the pain cave.” When you’re trying to snag a personal best, your body and mind work against you. But the pain cave is a place where I’m forced to ask myself just how much I’m willing to give to reach my goals.

Building the toughness necessary to endure the pain cave isn’t as easy as dropping to the floor and cranking out 20 push-ups. It takes work to get your brain to a point where it is willing to push longer and harder than it ever has before–and to know when to tone down the intensity. During my first year of CrossFit, I had to train my brain every single day through practices like journaling, meditation, and breathing exercises.

You don’t need to switch your eating habits to match your friends

Paleo. Whole30. IIFYM. Before these diets went mainstream, CrossFitters were jazzed on them. Until I started CrossFit, I didn’t realize the nuances of these diets.

I’ve dipped my toes in the waters of all of these diets for anywhere from a week to a month, and I always come out thinking the same thing: They’re just not worth it to me! Counting macros may work for certain goals, but it is hella time consuming, and it made me obsessed with food.

Similarly, while I liked the Paleo diet (and it’s even stricter cousin Whole30) in theory–lots of veggies, protein, healthy fats, some fruit, and no grains or dairy sounded okay–in practice, I became a hangry monster. Basically, cutting out all grains and added sugars meant that I ate fewer carbs, and carbs are really important when you’re exercising regularly.

While I thought trying out my friends’ eating habits would be a fun bonding activity, it always just ends up making me grumpy.

Abs really are made in the kitchen

A month into my stunt as a CrossFitter, I had the flattest stomach I’d had up until that point. Which meant I had a new-found confidence to strut around the gym in my sports bra after every sweat sesh.

But while I looked good, I was getting tired four hours into my workday and didn’t have the energy I used to. Could I have mono a second time? Why was this happening?

My coach guessed it: I was under-eating. My go-to meals and daily intake hadn’t changed after I’d joined CrossFit, and I wasn’t giving myself the fuel I needed to power through–and then recover from–the high-intensity workouts.

With a little guidance from the coaches in my gym and phone calls with a nutritionist, I revved up my breakfasts to include more protein and complex carbohydrates (wahoo for sweet and nutty overnight oats!) and made a point to have a snack between lunch and dinner. Suddenly my energy levels shot back up–and my abs have only gotten more defined.

RELATED: 11 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Belly Fat

CrossFitters make great friends

CrossFit isn’t just special for its high intensity and unique lingo; there’s also a surprising level of camaraderie. I used to think that made CrossFit a cult, but it’s way more accurate to simply call it what it is: a community.

People usually work out at the same time every evening, so you end up spending five to seven hours a week with the same crew of 20 who are similarly interested in health and fitness.

While the concept of breaking a sweat with someone as relationship-building is not unique to CrossFit, in CrossFit “working out” really means something much more specific. It means changing your life and the lives of those you sweat alongside; it means being pushed physically harder than you’ve ever been pushed with a group; and it means calloused high fives, fist pumps, and even sweaty group hugs.

[jaouad2d]

37 Places to Eat in Tokyo

On a whim, I went to Tokyo for a week. My friends and I had been talking about a food-themed trip to the city for years, and after convincing them that now was the time to cash in all our miles, we found ourselves at the airport on a cold November day with one goal: to eat as much as humanly possible.

Like me, they’d been to Tokyo before and each had a list of places to eat at. Along with our combined lists, I had received suggestions from friends, readers, and one of my favorite foodies, Mark Weins of Migrationology.

Even eating four to six meals a day, I was barely able to scratch the surface of the list of recommendations. Nevertheless, I wanted to share the combined suggestions of the community and my own investigations with you. (Those I ate at are denoted by a star.)

Afuri Yebisu (1 Chome-1-7 Ebisu, 117 Bldg. 1F, Shibuya 150-0013, +81 3-5795-0750, afuri.com) – Tom (@tjdj311 on Instagram) recommended this for yuzu-flavored ramen.

*Bifteck Kawamura Ginza (6 Chome-5-1 Ginza, Ginza MST Bldg. 8F, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-6252-5011, bifteck.co.jp) – At the suggestion of our hotel’s concierge, we went there in our quest for Wagyu beef. The steak basically melted in my mouth and exploded with flavor. However, I don’t think I’d go back, as I found it a bit too high-end and overpriced for me. The décor is incredible, the service over the top, and the wine list world-class — but all that is more than I needed. That said, if you want to spend money on delicious steak with out-of-this-world service, you can’t go wrong here.

BrewDog Roppongi (5 Chome-3-2 Roppongi, Minato, 106-0032, +81 3-6447-4160, brewdogbar.jp) – Recommended by Matt Chandler (@mchandler07 on Twitter), this bar has 20 craft beers on tap, 10 of which are brewed on site. So if you’re tired of sake and want some fancy beer, you probably can’t go wrong here!

CoCo Ichibanya (1 Chome-2-12 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, 160-0023, +81 3-3345-0775) – Recommended by Char (@charmatcha on Twitter), this ramen restaurant is supposed to offer hearty and filling ramen as well as good chicken and pork curry in a fast service environment. I haven’t been here, but I’ve been to similar places in the past.

*Genki Sushi (24-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya, 150-0042, +81 3-3461-1281, genkisushi.co.jp) – Yummy sushi, recommended by Jeremiah Cooper (@jeremiahcooperphotography on Instagram). There wasn’t anything fancy about the place — it just had solid, satisfying sushi. Very attentive service too!

Ginza Kagari (4 Chome-1-2 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3561-0717) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) suggests coming here for incredible chicken broth ramen.

*Ginza Sushi-Dokoro Shin (7 Chome-12-4 Ginza, Way Fair Bldg. 1F, Chuo, 104-0061, +03-3543-9339) – A spectacular sushi spot in Ginza. It was one of the best I ate at. The portions are huge. Go for lunch, when you get more bang for your buck. And definitely get the uni — yummy! (Suggested by Mark Weins)

*Ichiran Shibuya (1 Chome-22-7 Jinnan, Shibuya, 150-0041, +81 3-3463-3667, en.ichiran.com/index.php) – Recommended by many people, this ramen spot served one of the best meals I had my entire trip. The thick, flavorful broth is to die for. I also like how you eat in your own little private booth. Funky. Expect a wait during peak lunch and dinner times.

*Isakaya Juban (2 Chome-1-2 Azabujuban, Minato, 106-0045, +81 3-3451-6873, izakayajuban.com) – A little hole-in-the-wall izakaya restaurant (think Japanese tapas) with locals getting drunk on sake and eating tasty small plates. I was big fan of their salmon and grilled squid. They have a small English menu, but judging how my friend ordered for me, I think it doesn’t list everything, so if you see something, point at it and get it!

JBS Bar (Jazz, Blues, Soul) (1 Chome-17-10 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, 150-0043, +81 3-3461-7788) – A cool bar (recommended by Anna Klebine on Facebook) that is basically a one-man shop filled with records, whiskey, and smoke. It’s tucked away on the second level of an office/shopping plaza.

*Kakimaru (6 Chome-1-6 Roppongi, Minato, 106-0032, +81-3-5413-3689) – While catching up with my friend, we found this awesome place. There was an older couple next to us and a wedding party getting drunk across from us. As the night went on, the couple helped us pick food (try the speciality crab dish, it’s served in the shell and to die for), and the wedding party kept asking how we loved Japan and refilling our sake glasses, sang songs, and talked baseball. It was an amazing experience. The food is also outstanding. Be sure to get the oysters. Note: While Google Maps will list the restaurant as Kakimaru, when you go there the restaurant will be called Uohama.

Kanda Matsuya (1 Chome-13 Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda, 101-0041, +81 3-3251-1556, kanda-matsuya.jp) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) also recommended this for authentic soba noodle dishes.

*Kyubey (8 Chome-7-6 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3571-6523) – Suggested by my friends, this restaurant (which has a couple of locations) offered the fanciest sushi I had in Tokyo. You sit at the bar and are served whatever the chef decides to bring (this is called omakase). It was expensive (at $150 USD) but worth every penny. Check out this video where the shrimp they served me is still moving.

Masaru (1 Chome-32-2 Asakusa, Taito, 111-0032, +81 3-3841-8356) – Daina (@headedanywhere on Instagram) recommended this as an excellent option for tempura dishes.

*Memory Lane (Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, +81 3-3342-1589, shinjuku-omoide.com) – On this tiny alley of yakitori joints, some require an entrance fee, but they are all worth it. I ate at about three of them, but I don’t remember any of the specific restaurant names.

Mutekiya (1 Chome-17-1, Minami Ikebukuro, 1F Sakimoto Bldg., Toshima 171-0022, +81 3-3982-7656, mutekiya.com) – Carly Sabo (@carly_sabo on Instagram) recommended this spot for its amazing ramen. Honmarumen is its most popular dish.

Narisawa (2 Chome-6-15 Minami Aoyama, Minato, 107-0062, +81 3-5785-0799, narisawa-yoshihiro.com) – One of the highest rated sushi restaurants in Tokyo. This was suggested to me by many people and, very sadly, I did not make it here but you probably should! I doubt it is cheap though!

*Ostrea Oyster Bar and Restaurant (8 Chome-9-15 Ginza, 8F Jewelboxginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3573-0711, ostrea.jp) – I found this while wandering Ginza, and being an oyster lover, went in for some giant oysters. Japanese oysters are big and meaty, and the ones here were no different. They also lacked a very briny, oceany taste to them (I prefer my oysters to be more sweet than salty). The restaurant doesn’t get too busy, so you won’t have a wait.

Robot Restaurant (1 Chrome-7-1 Kabukicho B2f, Shinjuku, 160-0021, +81 3-3200-5500, shinjuku-robot.com) – There are a lot of weird restaurants in Tokyo, and I was sad I didn’t get to this one. Dinner comes with a show featuring robots, lasers, monsters, and dancers. It was recommended by just about everyone.

Rokurinsha (1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Tokyo Station Ichibangai B1F, Chiyoda, 100-0005, +81 3-3286-0166, rokurinsha.com) – Located on Tokyo Station’s “ramen road,” this tasty ramen restaurant is easily to spot: it has the longest line. I didn’t eat here as I didn’t want to wait; I went to one further down the “road” and it wasn’t super good. I mean it wasn’t bad, but it made me wish I had waited here!

Shin Udon (2 Chome-20-16 Yoyogi, 1F Soma Bldg., Shibuya, 151-0053, +81 3-6276-7816, udonshin.com) – Recommended by Macaera (@macaera on Twitter), this is supposed to be great for tasty udon noodles at an affordable price.

Sometaro Okonomiyaki (2 Chome-2-2 Nishiasakusa, Taito, 111-0035, +81 3-3844-9502) – Housed inside an antique building, it is well known for its okonomiyaki (a Japanese savory pancake). Recommended by Mark Wiens.

*Standing Sushi Bar (1 Chome-12-12 Nishishinjuku, Kasai Bldg. 1F, Shinjuku, 160-0023, +81 3-3349-1739, uogashi-nihonichi.com) – Recommended by my other food guru Jodi, this standing sushi location is one of many in town. It’s great for a quick bite: you stand, eat sushi, and get out. It has a robust menu, so you can get anything you want, and a meal here will only set you back around 1,000 yen ($9 USD).

Sushi Yuu (1 Chome-4-15 Nishiazabu, Minato, 106-0031, +81 3-3403-6467, sushiyuu.com) – Lauren Michelle Stow (@lstoweaway on Instagram) raved, “Sushi Yuu was possibly the best culinary experience I’ve ever had. Expensive, but worth it. Make a reservation and ask to sit at the bar. Shimazaki-san makes the meal extremely personal and answers all your fish-related questions.”

*Sushi Zanmai (11 Chome-9-4 Tsukiji, Chuo, 104-0045, +03-3541-1117) – This sushi restaurant has locations over the city. I ended up eating at the one in the fish market on one of my last days there. The fish was fresh, the servings were large, and the staff was attentive. I can’t speak for the other locations, but this one gets very crowded around lunchtime (expect a 30-minute wait).

*Tenmatsu Tempura (1 Chome-8-2 Nihonbashimuromachi, Chuo, 103-0022, +81 3-3241-5840, tenmatsu.com/english.html) – The tempura here is well known for its lightness. It’s a small establishment with set tempura menus. The staff doesn’t speak great English (the clientele was mostly Japanese businessmen), but they were super friendly and accommodating, and the food is outstanding.

Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten (4 Chome-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya, 150-0001, +81 120-428-485, mai-sen.com/restaurant) – A legendary tonkatsu place. Allyson (@wanderwithheart on Instagram) recommended this one.

Tonkatsu Tonki (1 Chome-1-2 Shimomeguro, Meguro, 153-0064, +81 3-3491-9928) – Recommended by Kimberly Ann (@kimberly_ann113 on Instagram), this restaurant specializes in pork tonkatsu.

Tonkatsu Wako (1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda, 100-0005, +81 3-3214-6987, wako-group.co.jp/shop/detail/3147) – This restaurant reputedly makes the best tonkatsu in town. Megan (@megameg71 on Instagram) suggested it; put her recommendation to the test.

*Tsukiji Fish Market (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3542-1111, tsukiji-market.or.jp) – This world-famous fish market, whose auction powers much of the world’s sushi supply, is truly breathtaking. You can’t get in before 10am these days, and when you do, most of the vendors are already breaking down, but it’s beautiful to walk through. All around you are fish with colors and shapes you didn’t know existed. I have never had seen more seafood I couldn’t identify. Most of the restaurants nearby source their food right from the market. Some must-eats in and around the market:

*Nakaya (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Tsukiji Ichiba Jonai 8, Chuo 104-0045, +81 3-3541-0211, tsukijigourmet.or.jp/46_nakaya/index.htm) – Located in the Fish Market itself, it’s a great place to go for a sashimi rice bowl breakfast. I loved the uni salmon bowl. (Another Migrationology suggestion)

Sushi Dai (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Tsukiji Fish Market 6th Bldg., Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3547-6797, tsukiji-sushidai.com/shop/honkan.html) – As it is the most famous sushi spot in the market, people line up at 4am for when it opens, and wait times can last up to three hours. I hear it’s good, but frankly, in a city with so much good fish, I wouldn’t wait three hours for a meal.

*Sushi restaurant with no English name – One of the best value meals I had the whole trip, it included a delicious 15-piece sushi lunch (1,200 yen, or $10.76 USD), with huge cuts of fish and a tasty miso soup. The restaurant is small, so try to avoid peak eating times. There’s no real good signage, but it’s the only restaurant-looking place on the street. (Another Migrationology suggestion)

*Tsjukiki Dontaku (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Bldg. No. 6, Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3541-9408) – A few doors down from Sushi Dai, this restaurant has a great omakase (though slightly expensive at 2,500 yen ($22.40 USD)), but the service and fish were impeccable — the uni and mackerel were some of the best I had all week. And there’s hardly a wait.

Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles (1 Chome-14-1 Sugamo, Toshima, 170-0002, +81 3-3943-1007, ameblo.jp/yuki-onishi) – Another recommendation from Tom (@tjdj311 on Instagram); it has a Michelin star so the noodles are probably pretty out of this world. They also use truffle-infused ramen oil.

Yakitori Ton Ton (2 Chome-1-10 Yurakucho, Chiyoda, 100-0006, +81 3-3508-9454) – This tiny stall near the railroad in Yurakucho specializes in skewered pork and chicken. Suggested by Mark Wiens.

***While I can’t vouch for every suggestion on this list, I never ate a terrible meal in Tokyo (although there were some “meh” restaurants that didn’t make the list). I suspect that it’s hard to eat a bad meal in Tokyo, where even the worst thing is ten times better than what you find back home!

So the next time you find yourself in Tokyo, you won’t be short of food options! Half the fun of travel is trying something new. (If it’s someplace I didn’t make it to, let me know how it is!)

?

Thanks to everyone who gave me recommendations. And special thanks to Mark for being my Tokyo food ninja. You can check his blog for more posts on Tokyo and food in general.

The post 37 Places to Eat in Tokyo appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

Travel 37 Places to Eat in Tokyo http://ift.tt/2rsQiNN via Nomadic Matt's Travel Site http://ift.tt/14WVcCB

[tamboradventure]

37 Places to Eat in Tokyo

On a whim, I went to Tokyo for a week. My friends and I had been talking about a food-themed trip to the city for years, and after convincing them that now was the time to cash in all our miles, we found ourselves at the airport on a cold November day with one goal: to eat as much as humanly possible.

Like me, they’d been to Tokyo before and each had a list of places to eat at. Along with our combined lists, I had received suggestions from friends, readers, and one of my favorite foodies, Mark Weins of Migrationology.

Even eating four to six meals a day, I was barely able to scratch the surface of the list of recommendations. Nevertheless, I wanted to share the combined suggestions of the community and my own investigations with you. (Those I ate at are denoted by a star.)

Afuri Yebisu (1 Chome-1-7 Ebisu, 117 Bldg. 1F, Shibuya 150-0013, +81 3-5795-0750, afuri.com) – Tom (@tjdj311 on Instagram) recommended this for yuzu-flavored ramen.

*Bifteck Kawamura Ginza (6 Chome-5-1 Ginza, Ginza MST Bldg. 8F, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-6252-5011, bifteck.co.jp) – At the suggestion of our hotel’s concierge, we went there in our quest for Wagyu beef. The steak basically melted in my mouth and exploded with flavor. However, I don’t think I’d go back, as I found it a bit too high-end and overpriced for me. The décor is incredible, the service over the top, and the wine list world-class — but all that is more than I needed. That said, if you want to spend money on delicious steak with out-of-this-world service, you can’t go wrong here.

BrewDog Roppongi (5 Chome-3-2 Roppongi, Minato, 106-0032, +81 3-6447-4160, brewdogbar.jp) – Recommended by Matt Chandler (@mchandler07 on Twitter), this bar has 20 craft beers on tap, 10 of which are brewed on site. So if you’re tired of sake and want some fancy beer, you probably can’t go wrong here!

CoCo Ichibanya (1 Chome-2-12 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku, 160-0023, +81 3-3345-0775) – Recommended by Char (@charmatcha on Twitter), this ramen restaurant is supposed to offer hearty and filling ramen as well as good chicken and pork curry in a fast service environment. I haven’t been here, but I’ve been to similar places in the past.

*Genki Sushi (24-8 Udagawacho, Shibuya, 150-0042, +81 3-3461-1281, genkisushi.co.jp) – Yummy sushi, recommended by Jeremiah Cooper (@jeremiahcooperphotography on Instagram). There wasn’t anything fancy about the place — it just had solid, satisfying sushi. Very attentive service too!

Ginza Kagari (4 Chome-1-2 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3561-0717) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) suggests coming here for incredible chicken broth ramen.

*Ginza Sushi-Dokoro Shin (7 Chome-12-4 Ginza, Way Fair Bldg. 1F, Chuo, 104-0061, +03-3543-9339) – A spectacular sushi spot in Ginza. It was one of the best I ate at. The portions are huge. Go for lunch, when you get more bang for your buck. And definitely get the uni — yummy! (Suggested by Mark Weins)

*Ichiran Shibuya (1 Chome-22-7 Jinnan, Shibuya, 150-0041, +81 3-3463-3667, en.ichiran.com/index.php) – Recommended by many people, this ramen spot served one of the best meals I had my entire trip. The thick, flavorful broth is to die for. I also like how you eat in your own little private booth. Funky. Expect a wait during peak lunch and dinner times.

*Isakaya Juban (2 Chome-1-2 Azabujuban, Minato, 106-0045, +81 3-3451-6873, izakayajuban.com) – A little hole-in-the-wall izakaya restaurant (think Japanese tapas) with locals getting drunk on sake and eating tasty small plates. I was big fan of their salmon and grilled squid. They have a small English menu, but judging how my friend ordered for me, I think it doesn’t list everything, so if you see something, point at it and get it!

JBS Bar (Jazz, Blues, Soul) (1 Chome-17-10 Dogenzaka, Shibuya, 150-0043, +81 3-3461-7788) – A cool bar (recommended by Anna Klebine on Facebook) that is basically a one-man shop filled with records, whiskey, and smoke. It’s tucked away on the second level of an office/shopping plaza.

*Kakimaru (6 Chome-1-6 Roppongi, Minato, 106-0032, +81-3-5413-3689) – While catching up with my friend, we found this awesome place. There was an older couple next to us and a wedding party getting drunk across from us. As the night went on, the couple helped us pick food (try the speciality crab dish, it’s served in the shell and to die for), and the wedding party kept asking how we loved Japan and refilling our sake glasses, sang songs, and talked baseball. It was an amazing experience. The food is also outstanding. Be sure to get the oysters. Note: While Google Maps will list the restaurant as Kakimaru, when you go there the restaurant will be called Uohama.

Kanda Matsuya (1 Chome-13 Kanda Sudacho, Chiyoda, 101-0041, +81 3-3251-1556, kanda-matsuya.jp) – Bethany (@bjbitler on Instagram) also recommended this for authentic soba noodle dishes.

*Kyubey (8 Chome-7-6 Ginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3571-6523) – Suggested by my friends, this restaurant (which has a couple of locations) offered the fanciest sushi I had in Tokyo. You sit at the bar and are served whatever the chef decides to bring (this is called omakase). It was expensive (at $150 USD) but worth every penny. Check out this video where the shrimp they served me is still moving.

Masaru (1 Chome-32-2 Asakusa, Taito, 111-0032, +81 3-3841-8356) – Daina (@headedanywhere on Instagram) recommended this as an excellent option for tempura dishes.

*Memory Lane (Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, +81 3-3342-1589, shinjuku-omoide.com) – On this tiny alley of yakitori joints, some require an entrance fee, but they are all worth it. I ate at about three of them, but I don’t remember any of the specific restaurant names.

Mutekiya (1 Chome-17-1, Minami Ikebukuro, 1F Sakimoto Bldg., Toshima 171-0022, +81 3-3982-7656, mutekiya.com) – Carly Sabo (@carly_sabo on Instagram) recommended this spot for its amazing ramen. Honmarumen is its most popular dish.

Narisawa (2 Chome-6-15 Minami Aoyama, Minato, 107-0062, +81 3-5785-0799, narisawa-yoshihiro.com) – One of the highest rated sushi restaurants in Tokyo. This was suggested to me by many people and, very sadly, I did not make it here but you probably should! I doubt it is cheap though!

*Ostrea Oyster Bar and Restaurant (8 Chome-9-15 Ginza, 8F Jewelboxginza, Chuo, 104-0061, +81 3-3573-0711, ostrea.jp) – I found this while wandering Ginza, and being an oyster lover, went in for some giant oysters. Japanese oysters are big and meaty, and the ones here were no different. They also lacked a very briny, oceany taste to them (I prefer my oysters to be more sweet than salty). The restaurant doesn’t get too busy, so you won’t have a wait.

Robot Restaurant (1 Chrome-7-1 Kabukicho B2f, Shinjuku, 160-0021, +81 3-3200-5500, shinjuku-robot.com) – There are a lot of weird restaurants in Tokyo, and I was sad I didn’t get to this one. Dinner comes with a show featuring robots, lasers, monsters, and dancers. It was recommended by just about everyone.

Rokurinsha (1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Tokyo Station Ichibangai B1F, Chiyoda, 100-0005, +81 3-3286-0166, rokurinsha.com) – Located on Tokyo Station’s “ramen road,” this tasty ramen restaurant is easily to spot: it has the longest line. I didn’t eat here as I didn’t want to wait; I went to one further down the “road” and it wasn’t super good. I mean it wasn’t bad, but it made me wish I had waited here!

Shin Udon (2 Chome-20-16 Yoyogi, 1F Soma Bldg., Shibuya, 151-0053, +81 3-6276-7816, udonshin.com) – Recommended by Macaera (@macaera on Twitter), this is supposed to be great for tasty udon noodles at an affordable price.

Sometaro Okonomiyaki (2 Chome-2-2 Nishiasakusa, Taito, 111-0035, +81 3-3844-9502) – Housed inside an antique building, it is well known for its okonomiyaki (a Japanese savory pancake). Recommended by Mark Wiens.

*Standing Sushi Bar (1 Chome-12-12 Nishishinjuku, Kasai Bldg. 1F, Shinjuku, 160-0023, +81 3-3349-1739, uogashi-nihonichi.com) – Recommended by my other food guru Jodi, this standing sushi location is one of many in town. It’s great for a quick bite: you stand, eat sushi, and get out. It has a robust menu, so you can get anything you want, and a meal here will only set you back around 1,000 yen ($9 USD).

Sushi Yuu (1 Chome-4-15 Nishiazabu, Minato, 106-0031, +81 3-3403-6467, sushiyuu.com) – Lauren Michelle Stow (@lstoweaway on Instagram) raved, “Sushi Yuu was possibly the best culinary experience I’ve ever had. Expensive, but worth it. Make a reservation and ask to sit at the bar. Shimazaki-san makes the meal extremely personal and answers all your fish-related questions.”

*Sushi Zanmai (11 Chome-9-4 Tsukiji, Chuo, 104-0045, +03-3541-1117) – This sushi restaurant has locations over the city. I ended up eating at the one in the fish market on one of my last days there. The fish was fresh, the servings were large, and the staff was attentive. I can’t speak for the other locations, but this one gets very crowded around lunchtime (expect a 30-minute wait).

*Tenmatsu Tempura (1 Chome-8-2 Nihonbashimuromachi, Chuo, 103-0022, +81 3-3241-5840, tenmatsu.com/english.html) – The tempura here is well known for its lightness. It’s a small establishment with set tempura menus. The staff doesn’t speak great English (the clientele was mostly Japanese businessmen), but they were super friendly and accommodating, and the food is outstanding.

Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Honten (4 Chome-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya, 150-0001, +81 120-428-485, mai-sen.com/restaurant) – A legendary tonkatsu place. Allyson (@wanderwithheart on Instagram) recommended this one.

Tonkatsu Tonki (1 Chome-1-2 Shimomeguro, Meguro, 153-0064, +81 3-3491-9928) – Recommended by Kimberly Ann (@kimberly_ann113 on Instagram), this restaurant specializes in pork tonkatsu.

Tonkatsu Wako (1 Chome-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda, 100-0005, +81 3-3214-6987, wako-group.co.jp/shop/detail/3147) – This restaurant reputedly makes the best tonkatsu in town. Megan (@megameg71 on Instagram) suggested it; put her recommendation to the test.

*Tsukiji Fish Market (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3542-1111, tsukiji-market.or.jp) – This world-famous fish market, whose auction powers much of the world’s sushi supply, is truly breathtaking. You can’t get in before 10am these days, and when you do, most of the vendors are already breaking down, but it’s beautiful to walk through. All around you are fish with colors and shapes you didn’t know existed. I have never had seen more seafood I couldn’t identify. Most of the restaurants nearby source their food right from the market. Some must-eats in and around the market:

*Nakaya (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Tsukiji Ichiba Jonai 8, Chuo 104-0045, +81 3-3541-0211, tsukijigourmet.or.jp/46_nakaya/index.htm) – Located in the Fish Market itself, it’s a great place to go for a sashimi rice bowl breakfast. I loved the uni salmon bowl. (Another Migrationology suggestion)

Sushi Dai (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Tsukiji Fish Market 6th Bldg., Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3547-6797, tsukiji-sushidai.com/shop/honkan.html) – As it is the most famous sushi spot in the market, people line up at 4am for when it opens, and wait times can last up to three hours. I hear it’s good, but frankly, in a city with so much good fish, I wouldn’t wait three hours for a meal.

*Sushi restaurant with no English name – One of the best value meals I had the whole trip, it included a delicious 15-piece sushi lunch (1,200 yen, or $10.76 USD), with huge cuts of fish and a tasty miso soup. The restaurant is small, so try to avoid peak eating times. There’s no real good signage, but it’s the only restaurant-looking place on the street. (Another Migrationology suggestion)

*Tsjukiki Dontaku (5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Bldg. No. 6, Chuo, 104-0045, +81 3-3541-9408) – A few doors down from Sushi Dai, this restaurant has a great omakase (though slightly expensive at 2,500 yen ($22.40 USD)), but the service and fish were impeccable — the uni and mackerel were some of the best I had all week. And there’s hardly a wait.

Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles (1 Chome-14-1 Sugamo, Toshima, 170-0002, +81 3-3943-1007, ameblo.jp/yuki-onishi) – Another recommendation from Tom (@tjdj311 on Instagram); it has a Michelin star so the noodles are probably pretty out of this world. They also use truffle-infused ramen oil.

Yakitori Ton Ton (2 Chome-1-10 Yurakucho, Chiyoda, 100-0006, +81 3-3508-9454) – This tiny stall near the railroad in Yurakucho specializes in skewered pork and chicken. Suggested by Mark Wiens.

***While I can’t vouch for every suggestion on this list, I never ate a terrible meal in Tokyo (although there were some “meh” restaurants that didn’t make the list). I suspect that it’s hard to eat a bad meal in Tokyo, where even the worst thing is ten times better than what you find back home!

So the next time you find yourself in Tokyo, you won’t be short of food options! Half the fun of travel is trying something new. (If it’s someplace I didn’t make it to, let me know how it is!)

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Thanks to everyone who gave me recommendations. And special thanks to Mark for being my Tokyo food ninja. You can check his blog for more posts on Tokyo and food in general.

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