#yup i will self promote them

[alexanderwales]

The second chapter of Save the Cat! is about genre, titled "Give me the same thing ... only different!". The general principle is one that I strongly agree with, even if I don't always practice it in my writing: you must know how and why things work in fiction, you must be a student of the realms you're writing in, you must give your own twists on clichés if you think you might be writing them, and must be familiar with clichés so that you don't end up boring people. Study things that are like the thing you're trying to create. Analyze them, take them apart, understand how they work or don't work.

But then a lot of the chapter is taken up with Snyder's own system of ten genres, and when I was reading it I wanted to just stop him and say "hey, what the fuck, did you even watch that movie?"

Also I laughed for like five minutes at him putting Schindler's List in the "Dude with a Problem" genre, even though I agree that according to his typology it completely fits.

I'm a huge fan of making up arbitrary categories and then stuffing things into them. I don't think it's often very useful, no, but it's fun, and when you're done shoving things into boxes, you can pull them back out, find a new set of boxes, and repeat the process. I'm not going to repeat Snyder's categories here, but I think they kind of suck, and don't accurately reflect genre as we understand them, and the whole thing would have been better off is it was taking story archetypes and saying why they work and then what the usual deviations from them were.

Here are two examples that I take issue with, among others. First, by his accounting Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a "Golden Fleece" movie, the kind of film centered around a hero's journey where what he ends up finding is, ultimately, himself, and every set piece along the way is important only in the way it relates to the hero's self-acceptance or whatever.

No. Wrong. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is very very clearly a "Buddy Love" under this system. Look at this fucking image:

Could this DVD cover make this any more obvious? Literally all the promotional material is like this. It even says in the book that most "Buddy Love" movies start with the "buddies" disliking each other, and that their relationship is central to the movie. And if Snyder is getting this wrong, what else is he getting wrong about his own system?

Example two. I'm just going to quote it in full:

Now look at The Matrix and compare and contrast it with the Disney/Pixar hit Monsters, Inc. Yup. Same movie.

Fucking what do you mean.

Under this system of genres, Monsters, Inc. is very clearly another "Buddy Love" movie. There's a kid they have to deal with, but most of the movie is grounded in the relationship between Mike and Sulley. Like, what's the low point of the whole movie? They get banished to the Himalayas and then have a big fight! It's about their relationship to each other!

(I looked this up on the savethecat website and found an article claiming that it's an example of "Monster in the House", which is fucking stupid, because what's the monster and what's the house? Just does not apply. The child is takes the role of the "monster" for such a small amount of the movie, then they're looking after her and trying to return her home, and even before that it's not relatable as a monster to the audience. Blake Snyder didn't write the article, so maybe he had something different in mind.)

Meanwhile, The Matrix most closely falls into either "Dude with a Problem" (ordinary man thrust into extraordinary circumstances) or "Superhero" (extraordinary man in ordinary circumstances) and I would argue that it's actually neither of those because it's a goddamned hero's journey and those are their own thing and it makes no sense to try to split them into two parts because you don't get more explanatory power of what's working and what's not. His analysis of what he calls "Superhero" films also sucks for that reason and just totally misses the mark about what makes them tick.

So how are these the same movie? I don't know, it probably made sense to Blake Snyder. I have done my due diligence and searched for answers online, but haven't found much, just some weak ass defenses.

Also, I really hated that he says Chinatown and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? are basically the same movie because no shit. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a parody of noir, and was adapted from the script for a never-produced third film in what was supposed to be a Chinatown trilogy. But even then, I don't get how you can say they're the same movie without pointing out the strong "Buddy Love" through line in Roger Rabbit!

This whole chapter was a total miss for me. Decent advice at the start that I've been hearing and preaching for a long time, but this typology sucks and he doesn't even seem to understand it (or the movies he's putting in it) very well. And since the typology sucks, it's a bad lens for understanding the underlying rules of writing, of story structure, the components of story, etc.

[writtenbymisunderstoodnerds]

Best day of my life (USWNT x ADHD reader)

Song: The one my heart beats for by Greg Steinfeld

This took longer than I expected and I got a bit carried away, but it's finally done!

I love this series, but I think it might be coming to an end. I'm open to doing one more part if you guys might want one, let me know and feel free to send me some ideas!

Warnings: Panic attack, self doubt

Part One, Two, Three, Four

Words: 7.3k

"What's got you so excited today?" Tierna asked sitting down next to me on the field. While I had tried to tone it down a bit, I was very hyperactive today. My hyperactivity was always worse when I was excited, there was pretty much nothing that could be done to stop it. Ally had to go back home for a month for work. We hadn't been apart for that long since her promotion so I was suffering. She was coming back today so it was safe to say I was extremely excited.  

"Take a guess."

"Something to do with your better half I'd say. Is she coming back today?"

I did a little wiggle before flopping back onto the grass, "Yup. A month is way too long to not be with her. Oh! It's also her birthday in a few days! I love her birthday because it's the one day I get to go all out spoiling her and she can't complain about it." 

"You two are adorable, I love how excited you get to see her. We should do a team dinner to celebrate Ally's birthday. Is the wedding planning all done?"

"You guys would really want to celebrate her birthday? Um also mostly, we just need to sort out wedding rings and honeymoon."

Tierna looked at me like I had just said the craziest thing ever, "You're marrying her, we see her almost as much as you and she is amazing. Y/n, Ally is family now, of course we want to celebrate her. What rings are you going to get?"

The problem was, I had no idea what my ring was going to be. I had been scouring the internet and countless jewelers for anything that might work, but I was drawing a blank. Rings were a sensory nightmare for me, I could wear them for a short time before they started driving me crazy. Ally had gotten me a few rings over the years, mostly fidget rings. She knew I liked them and wanted to try adjusting even though I always ended up wearing them on a chain. It was my wedding ring though, I wanted to be able to wear it normally, to show off that I was married.

"I don't know. I think Ally is going to use her engagement ring since she loves it so much. I really struggle with wearing rings so we were talking about getting me a fidget ring though a fancier one to fit as a wedding ring. That way I can play with it and hopefully it'll help me get used to it. Ally wouldn't care if I wore it on a chain, but I want to wear it like normal people do, I want to show off I'm married T."

"Hey, don't go comparing yourself to others okay? I think a fidget ring is a great idea and it's awesome you're trying to adjust even if it makes you uncomfortable. Just be patient with yourself and if all else fails, just get it tattooed."

"That's not a silly idea. Thanks T."

---

"Hey Y/n, wher-"

"Don't have time," I yelled running away from Emily. Ally had messaged saying she was downstairs. I was very excited to see her, but I also wasn't going to let her carry her bags up herself. Whenever we went anywhere, I carried her bags. Ally had messaged me when she was already in the lobby, so I was in a rush to beat her before she could come up. 

Before Ally had the chance to turn around I wrapped my arms around her waist and spun her around. She squealed, well at least the person I was currently spinning around squealed. As soon as I heard it, I realised it wasn't Ally. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I thought you were someone else."

The women laughed, before turning around to reveal Ally's younger sister. When you see her face on, they look nothing alike, but behind they look very similar, "Hi Y/n."

"Dani? What are you doing here? Where's Ally? I'm very confused."

"Ally's over there getting her key. I'm in town for a work conference so figured I'd come see Ally for her birthday." By this point, the coaches just automatically roomed me alone, but put down for two so Ally could stay with me. There had been a bit of push back when Ally first started traveling with me, though it was quickly realised that I played better when sharing a room with Ally.

After giving Dani a proper hug, I pulled away to go find Ally. There was no way I was going to repeat what just happened so instead I tapped Ally on the shoulder once she was clearly identified. "A warning would have been nice y'know, I just picked up and spun around your sister. Like I'm not complaining, I love your sister, but I love you more."

"I know, I saw and it was hilarious." I pouted. Ally giggled, pulling me into a hug and subtly kissing my neck. We didn't go out of our way to hide our relationship, but we were more careful in public. Things were easier without the public interfering, I also didn't want Ally to have to deal with the meanness of some of the fans. "I'm sorry my love. It was a last minute plan."

I pretended to think about it for a second before smirking, "Hmm I'll forgive you later when we're alone."

Ally blushed, but pulled me over to Dani without a word. I could only guess what was going through her mind. Dani had become like a sister to me pretty much as soon as we had met. So despite my initial embarrassment, I was actually really excited to see her. She was only a few months younger than me and much to Ally's dismay, she did match my energy most of the time. Ally loved that we got along, but it meant she had to deal with two crazy people. 

It was too early for dinner yet so Ally, Dani and I hung around in our room for a while catching up and talking about wedding stuff. Dani made me sit through the torture of looking at her possible dress choices. Ally loved it, but I would rather be doing anything else. Dani literally sat on me though, so there was no other option. 

Ally was taking too long to get ready so Dani and I decided to wait for her in the lobby. I had spent too much time sitting down and was feeling restless so I ran down the stairs while Dani walked behind me, complaining she wasn't an athlete and to slow down. I just flipped her off and ran faster, knowing full well that if Ally or Ali found out I would be in trouble.

Dani had decided to chase me after flipping her off. Some of the team were hanging around the lobby so I made a beeline to Ali and hid behind her, though Dani hadn't given up. I managed a few laps around Ali before she grabbed my shirt, allowing Dani to catch me. The team watched on as Dani tickled me, while I tried to fight her off. It wasn't an easy task given the full blown fits of laughter, but I managed to get her into a headlock. 

Eventually, Dani pulled out of my grip, doubling over in laughter while attempting to catch her breath. I followed suit, not realising how many eyes were currently on us. "Uh hey Y/n and mystery women who's not your fiancé."

My head shot up as I realised how strange this probably looked to them. "Right, this is Dani. Dani the team."

"Hello team."

"Where's Ally?" Ali asked, still looking very confused.

"She was taking too long to get ready as always so we left without her. We're always waiting on her, such a slowpoke." Dani answered, getting raised eye brows in response. A few of the team looked like they wanted to say something, but held back. It was then I realised I hadn't actually told them who Dani was.

"Dani is Ally's sister by the way. She's in town for work so we thought we'd go out for an early birthday dinner for Ally."

"Ohh that makes more sense. Nice to meet you Dani."

Ally caught my eye, looking stunning as always. I was really looking forward to having time alone with her. Not necessarily for inappropriate reasons, but to cuddle with her, the lazy make out sessions before we fell asleep or when we woke up and just being close to her. Dani flicked my ear, running out of my reach. Ali dodged me as I ran around her, moving to the safety of where Ally was standing, "Are they always like that?"

"Unfortunately. Dani matches Y/n's energy pretty much constantly so it's like having a hyperactive Y/n, times like 10 because they feed off each other. Dani is like the sister Y/n never had. They're happy, so I'm happy even though it's exhausting sometimes. I'll give them a few minutes to tire themselves out before stopping them, hopefully they'll sit through dinner."

"Good luck. The team and I were thinking we could go out for dinner to celebrate your birthday. Either on the day or a day around it. What do you think?"

"I would love that." Ally's smile caught my eye, distracting me from where I was going and making me run into Kristie. She stopped me from falling, but all my attention was still on Ally. It was one of her genuinely happy smiles, something that people wouldn't be able to tell apart from her regular smiles. This smile was more lopsided and toothy, the corner of her eyes crinkling just a bit more. Besides her love filled smile it was my favourite smile. Kristie and Dani followed my eye line when I didn't say anything for a while, "What are you looking at?"

"She's looking at Ally of course. She's in looooove."

"More than I ever thought possible," I mumbled, moving over to stand next to Ally. "I love you."

---

We had finished dinner a little while ago and had been walking around, but we all had to be up early so we dropped Dani at her hotel before starting the short walk back to ours. There weren't that many people around so my arm wrapped around Ally's shoulder, pulling her against me as we walked. "I love everyone and everything, but I'm really glad we're alone now. I missed you."

Ally kissed the spot under my ear, "I missed you too Y/n/n. Thankfully, I don't think I'll need to spend that much time away for a while."

"Good. Mmm I can't wait to cuddle."

"I believe you hinted at something earlier."

"Oh yeah, you giving me a massage to make up for not telling me about Dani."

Ally groaned, pushing me away, "You're such a tease."

I laughed, pulling Ally back into me, peppering her face with kisses, "I'm sorry."

"Nah," She pouted, walking away and into the hotel. I went to chase after her, but a group of fans outside the hotel called out to me. Interacting with fans was one of my favourite things to do so of course I went over.��I knew she wasn't seriously mad or anything so it made me feel less bad about going over to them. Also, she was waiting just inside giving me reassuring smiles. Ten minutes and dozens of photos later, I made my way back into the hotel, following Ally into the elevator. 

My arms wrapped around her waist from behind, leaving light kisses across her neck. Sometimes, I felt bad that Ally had to deal with me being well known to the public. She never complained about it, instead keeping her distance and allowing me to interact as I wanted to. The guilt was hitting pretty hard right now though.

Once we were back in the room, Ally cupped my cheek, pulling me in for a slow, lingering kiss, "What's wrong?"

I shrugged, not meeting her eyes, "Nothing."

"Liar. You haven't said a word since you came inside, you got all soft and touchy suddenly so talk to me."

 "You're the best you know that? It can't be easy dating someone who's in the public eye all the time."

"You're feeling guilty again aren't you?" I just nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed. Ally straddled my legs, letting my head fall against her shoulder. "Y/n, I knew before we started dating that you were in the public eye and that once you got called up, it would only get worse. Maybe it's not always easy, but if I couldn't handle it, then I wouldn't have pursued you, let alone agreed to spend the rest of my life with you. You're respectful about it, you know the time and place to leave me to interact with them. Please don't feel guilty Y/n/n. Now, I know it's getting late, but I've really really missed you so what do you say we get reacquainted."

Once we were thoroughly reacquainted and cuddled up in bed for the night, I completed my nightly routine of scrolling the internet for my wedding ring. This time though I think I found the one. It was a simple black titanium fidget ring, engraved with shooting stars. They were subtle as they were black and flush with the surface. Ally absolutely loved stars so it would be a little reminder of her when we were apart. Another perk was there was the option to have the band width smaller which would be perfect.

I quickly rolled over toward Ally, making her look at me confused. "Baby I think I finally found my ring."

"Ooo show me." Ally grinned after seeing the photo, kissing my temple, "I love it. Stars because of me right?"

"You know me too well. A part of you for when you're not around."

"You're such a sap."

I cuddled against her side, leaning up to connect our lips, "Only for you Ally."

"Better be. Now we've got everything else sorted, we need to plan our honeymoon."

"Honestly, I don't even know where to start. There are so many options."

"Well, you've always talked about wanting to go back to New Zealand to explore the south island. Maybe we could do that? It'll be winter, but it'll be ski season."

"Wait really? That sounds amazing. It kinda fits, skiing was our first trip as a couple and it'll be our first trip as a married couple. I'll look into game schedules so we can book it."

---

Something anyone could tell you was that I was not in the slightest a morning person. I hated waking up early and would do everything to avoid it. That being said, there were three days in a year that I naturally woke up early for. They were Ally's birthday, our anniversary and since meeting Ally, Christmas. This morning I was awake at 7:30am because it was Ally's 27th birthday. It was too early to wake her up so I spent almost an hour enjoying cuddles before getting restless and sneaking out of bed to find breakfast for us. 

I peppered Ally's face with kisses. She groaned, shoving her face further against my chest, "Baby wake up it's your birthday!"

"Why does my birthday have to be one of the three days a year you turn into a morning person?" Ally groaned.

"Because I get to spoil you and you can't complain. Now I got you breakfast. I couldn't make it this year, but I found a cafe close by that had all your favourites so you gotta wake up."

Ally protested, but sat up anyway, taking the coffee with a sleepy smile. We ate breakfast in comfortable quite, some random show playing in the background. I just wanted to give her the presents I got, but I wanted her to enjoy her breakfast while it was warm so I waited impatiently. As soon as Ally finished eating, I pecked her lips before practically running to the cupboard where I had hidden them.

"Y/n, why did you get me so much? You know you don't have to."

"I don't have to, I want to so deal with it. Besides, it's only three things. You are an amazing, incredible women who deserves to be spoilt. I love you so much. Happy birthday my love."

"Thank you Y/n/n. I do appreciate it even though I don't like you buying me heaps of stuff. I love you."

"I know, now open them!"

In all honesty, I wanted to buy Ally much more than I actually did, but I knew she would feel really bad and not enjoy them as much. Instead I stuck with matching silver initial necklaces with a heart pendant, a star map of the night I proposed and a custom engraved keychain with a photo of me standing behind Ally, arms wrapped around her as she looked back at me with a huge grin. It was her favourite photo of us. These were all things that she had talked about wanting. Ally grinned, launching herself into my arms giggling. "You remembered. Thank you, I love them."

"You wanna know a secret?" Ally nodded quickly, "You know my memories shit so whenever you point something out that you want or talk about, I write it down in my phone notes so I remember."

"Really? You're so sweet Y/n/n. Put this on for me?"

I secured the necklace around her neck, leaving kisses across her neck and jaw before leaving a lingering kiss against her lips. "I have a whole day planned for you. Don't even ask because it's all a surprise."

We spent a while making out before moving to the shower and finally leaving the hotel. Ally went for a spa and massage session, while I went to get stuff required for a picnic lunch at the gardens. It was a little bit chilly, but Ally loved picnics so it was still perfect. We just used it as an excuse to cuddle the whole time. After the picnic, we walked around for a little bit before going to a board game cafe. They had a heap of board games you could play while you were there. While board games may not have been my thing, they were definitely Ally's and her birthday was all about things that she liked doing. That night, I took Ally to a restaurant where the team were waiting to surprise her. Of course we finished the night cuddled up in bed watching all of Ally's favourite movies. 

---

I felt multiple intense and overwhelming feelings as I read the text from an unknown number. 

Unknown: Hi Y/n, it's mum and dad. We're sorry it's been a while, but we've been thinking about you recently and wanted to check in, see how you're doing?

Unknown: We also heard you were getting married and wanted to say congratulations. We're sure he's lovely and can't wait to meet him. Maybe we can sort out a time before your wedding?

Anger, disgust, sadness, fear and many more emotions swirled around my head as all I could do was stare at the message. I didn't know how they had gotten my number, how they knew I was getting married or why they suddenly felt the need to reach out after years of no contact. There was nothing on my public social media about it and the only family I still talked to were a few cousins that had nothing to do with my parents. It was safe to say I was confused as hell and slightly scared at how they were getting information on me. They also knew I was gay, yet they still refused to acknowledge it, instead deciding to misgender my fiancé. 

I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to process it. The familiar tightness in my chest returned as my breath caught in my throat. The tightness that I hadn't felt in so long. It felt like I was drowning, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't catch my breath. My phone fell to the floor, catching the attention of some of the girls. They were saying stuff that I couldn't comprehend as a hand landed on my shoulder. I knew they were trying to help, but it just sent more panic through me as I shrugged it off and stumbled back. 

Arms wrapped tightly around me from behind, calming me down enough to realise it was Ali. I wanted my Ally, but Ali was helping enough to breath a little easier despite still panicking. 

"You're okay, I've got you Y/n. Ally is coming, but I need you to take some deep breaths for me. Just follow my breathing."

The more I focused on mine and her breathing, the easier it became. I found myself relaxing against Ali. The tightness in my chest slowly disappearing. A few minutes later, hands cupped my face, familiar lips leaving soft kisses across my face before landing on my lips.

"Ally," I whimpered, pushing myself into her arms. 

"I've got you my love. Come on, let's go back to our room."

Ally didn't question what had happened straight away, instead she held me tightly as I curled into her side and cried. All the feelings and memories from growing up came rushing back. It had been years since I cried over them, I couldn't help feeling stupid. They didn't deserve my tears. 

A hand ran through my hair and down my back, effectively helping me to calm down enough to stop the tears, but left me a hiccupping mess, "What happened Y/n/n?"

I handed her my phone, never leaving the safety of her side, "Messages."

She was quiet for a few seconds before my phone was thrown back on the bed next to us and I was held tighter, "Oh hell no. Don't even give them the satisfaction of a reply, they don't deserve it and you don't need to deal with this. We can just block them and move past this."

"I know that's what I should do. I don't want anything to do with them, but how did they know I was getting married? We haven't posted anything publicly and we don't know anyone who has anything to do with them. They also shouldn't be able to message, I blocked them. It scares me."

"Okay, I'll text them back and ask then block them. You're not going to have anything to do with it."

"Thank you Ally. I feel like this is a huge step back. I thought I had accepted the situation and moved past it, but I obviously haven't."

"That's not true. It was unexpected, they put you through hell and this was a normal reaction. You've made so much progress, this doesn't take away from that. I know it might have taken you back to times you don't want to remember, but you'll move past it. We'll work through this together."

"I love you."

"I love you Y/n."

It didn't take long for my parents to reply. In all honesty, they were probably waiting by the phone. They were likely delusional enough to think that everything they did to me would be forgotten and I would welcome them back with open arms. Actually, they never understood what they put me through so in reality they just expected to act like the last 3 years never happened.

"So apparently my gran told her church group I was getting married, showing off photos and everything. Someone from the group recoganised you as the daughter of someone they know from a different group and told them you were getting married. As for your number, apparently they just got a new phone and tried your old number. I guess they got embarrassed that they didn't know so wanted to make themselves look better. I'm so sorry baby, I didn't know they were connected in anyway. I'll talk to gran about keeping stuff to herself."

"It's not your fault, it's such a random connection. I don't blame your grandma either, she's just excited that her granddaughter is getting married. We can talk to her about it tomorrow or something. Can you tell them I don't want anything to do with them, then tell them to fuck off, block them and delete the messages? I don't want any reminder of this."

"Of course. I think maybe we should change your number so this can't happen again."

"That's a tomorrow job as well. For now can we just have a bath then cuddle and watch movies? After you please let the girls know I'm okay."

"That sounds like heaven. Let me call my boss as well and let her know I'm done for the day."

"No, you should be working. I'll be fine."

"That's not happening. You're more important than work."

Ally slipped out of my grip to call her boss and run a bath before coming back. I pouted, lifting my arms up, "Carry me?"

"Baby, I would love to carry you, but you're the strong one. You know I would drop you."

She was right, I knew it from experience. Doesn't mean I didn't pout the whole time I was getting up, "Ugh fine."

"Don't pout. I can give you a massage instead."

---

None of the team had been told the details of what caused my panic attack a few days. I hadn't wanted to bring it up again. Surprisingly, after the initial panic attack, it hadn't effected me as much as I expected. There had been a few nightmares to begin with, but Ally had stopped me from bottling it up and actually made me deal with it. 

Ali gave me a quick hug before letting me into her room, "I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but you doing okay kiddo?"

"I think so. Ally's been a big help." Besides Ally, Ali was the person I trusted most, so I gave her a quick rundown on what had happened. Even if she tried not to show it, I knew she was worried.  

"Don't worry, even if they show up, they won't be getting in."

"Thanks Ali. I know I've asked a lot of you recently, but I have another favour to ask."

"You know I would do almost anything for you Y/n."

"Will you teach me how to dance? Ally wants to have a first dance, but I don't really know how. She knows and offered not to have one which I agreed to. I'm planning on surprising her though and want it to be perfect."

Ali smiled widely, "Of course I will. I really admire how much effort you're putting into this. I'm sure she'll love it either way because you tried."

Ali put some slow music on quietly in the back ground before standing in front of me, "There are two ways you can do it, either holding one of her hands as you more around or one persons arms around the waist while the others around the neck. Or you can do both depending what you're comfortable with."

Ali guided one of my hands so it was around her waist, hers looped around the back of my neck as she connected our spare hands, "Obviously you two will be closer, but you get the idea."

We moved around in small steps, swaying to the music as I focused on not stepping on her feet. It didn't work though as my foot connected with the top of hers, she flinched, but laughed it off. "It's okay, we'll keep practicing. You're doing great. If you step on her feet, just laugh it off and keep going. I'm pretty sure she won't mind because you're trying."

I stepped on her feet multiple times before managing to go a few minutes without stepping on her feet and we moved on. I was starting to relax by this point while also getting excited about dancing with Ally. Ali looped her arms loosely around my shoulders as mine went around her waist. We mostly just swayed this time as she gave me pointers on where I could rest my hands or head on Ally. "I want you to spin me."

"What? No I can't do that."

"Yes you can, when we do the first dance, move your hand up, spin me around then bring me back in either into the same dance or into the second one which ever feels more comfortable."

As I attempted to spin Ali around, I brought her back in too quickly and ended up head butting her. "Shit, I'm sorry. See I can't do the spin."

"Yes you can, we'll keep practicing. It'll feel easier with Ally because she's a bit shorter than you. Just bring me in slower."

It took a lot more head butting and tripping before I finally got the hang of it. Before we got the chance to practice the full thing properly, Ally's name flashed across my phone screen. I instantly remembered that we had dinner plans tonight and I was running late. 

"I have to go."

"You did good today. On the day you're going to be nervous both because you don't want to mess up in front of everyone and because you want to be good for Ally. So when you start getting nervous, just focus on Ally, let her guide you." 

"Thank you Ali. See you tomorrow."

---

I couldn't believe in just over three hours I would be married to the love of my life. I was excited beyond belief, but I was also incredibly nervous. What if I wasn't a good wife? What if Ally changed her mind and decided she didn't want to get married anymore? What if we didn't work as a married couple?

I knew it was just me overthinking. Ally and I worked well together. We loved each other deeply, we connected and understood each other, we had fun. Maybe it was cheesy, but we were made for each other. Not just because we met and connected instantly. We worked hard to get where we were, we worked hard to keep our relationship working despite our busy schedules, distance, and my issues with my ADHD. I tried to remember that as my thoughts went crazy, but it wasn't working. Ali was updating me on the set up and preparations, I couldn't focus on anything she was saying though. I was too busy overthinking.

"Y/n, Y/n!"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"I-I-I c-can't do this," I stammered, before running out of the house, Ali calling after me. I didn't stop until I found a hidden part of the beach where I slumped in the sand, tears falling down my cheeks. I don't know how long had passed when someone sat down behind me, arms wrapping around my waist and chin resting on my shoulder. Without even looking, I knew it was Ally, the softness of the way she held me and the smell of her hair gave it away. She didn't say anything for a while, just held me until the tears stopped.

Ally kissed my temple, hands drawing soothing patterns across my stomach. They weren't the soft touches most people find soothing, those touches made my sensory issues worse. There was a little bit more force behind it, making me relax against her. Sitting here with Ally, I realised that I was being stupid, there was no doubt that I was going to marry her today. Instead of being angry that I had ran away, she was here comforting me. "We can postpone if you don't want to do this, if you're having second thoughts about getting married. I understand, I know it was quick."

I quickly turned around, accidently knocking Ally over. "Shit sorry." I helped her so she was sitting again before kissing her softly, "No, no, we're not postponing. I want to marry you Ally, I'm going to marry you today, go to bed calling you my wife. I'm sorry I ran, I got stuck in my head, overthinking this, overthinking if I would even be a good wife, if you even still wanted to marry me, but didn't want to tell me and I freaked out."

"Baby, I want to marry you more than anything in this world, that hasn't changed and it won't ever change. You're are an amazing girlfriend Y/n, you're going to be an amazing wife. We're going to keep being the best couple there is and getting married is only going to strengthen that. I love you, I love you so much."

"I love you Ally. Can we stay here for a while?"

"We can stay here as long as you need. Ali's going to take care of the set up and everything. When you're ready we can go back and get ready for the first look."

I settled back between Ally's legs, back against her front as I watched the water, feeling more relaxed than I had all day, "I can't wait, you're going to look incredible."

"So are you Y/n/n."

Ally and I had decided to do the outfit reveals before the ceremony because I knew I wouldn't be able to control my emotions once I saw her. So here I was waiting anxiously for the love of my life to step around the corner. I was nervous about Ally's thoughts on my suit, but I was more anxious to finally see what Ally was wearing. Just as I was starting to get impatient, there she was. I froze, tears starting to fall instantly, I crouched down for a second, face buried in my hands to control the tears.

The sleeveless blue dress lined with lace, the black flats, her hair half up in a braid with the rest loose. She looked incredible, more breathtaking then I could have ever imagined. Ally stopped in front of me, small smile present with eyes shining with love and unshed tears. I took her hand, spinning her around so I could admire everything about her. Ally looked amazing on any given day, but today I was absolutely speechless.

"Y-y-yo-u-" I cut myself off, taking a deep breath to get myself together, "Y-you look breathtaking Ally, absolutely incredible. Holy shit."

Ally grinned, cupping my cheeks and connecting our lips. I heard protests about messing up Ally's make up, but I didn't care. Ally pulled away, this time being the one to take my hand and spin me around, she let out a long breath, making me slightly nervous, "Fuck you look stunning baby, my god you look incredible. I know it's probably out of your comfort zone, but you should definitely wear maroon more often, it is definitely your colour."

"I almost didn't choose it because it's not what I normally wear, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone for once."

Ally laced her fingers with mine, "I'm so proud of you love."

"Alright guys it's almost time to seal the deal so it's photo time," Alex interrupted as Ally was leaning in to kiss me. 

I groaned pulling away, "You couldn't have waited 2 seconds? We already had photos."

"And have you ruin her make up? No, you can do that after the photos. You had photos of your reveal, we want proper couple photos."

---

It was time. It was time to marry the love of my life. Of course I was nervous, incredibly so, but as the time came to walk down the aisle, most of my nerves were replaced with excitement. I was about to marry my person and there was nothing in this world I wanted more. We had decided I was going to go first, purely for the reason that I was dying to watch her walk down aisle. There was no better way to do that, then be standing at the end already.

We had gone pretty simple with decorations. The aisle was made out of various coloured petals, lined with rows of chairs and a wooden arch draped with white fabric at the end. String lights were strung around the trees, fence and patio. The chairs would later be replaced by outdoor furniture and bean bags. Long tables for food and the bar were set up, as well as a smore station for when the firepit was lit. We had made sure to hire a bartender to stop anyone getting out of control. 

Also, while we had hired a photographer, we also had a bunch of polaroid and disposable cameras for everyone to take their own photos. That way we had more intimate and fun memories. We had found a guest book that had mini envelopes and note cards so people could leave little messages if they chose to. The envelopes were the best idea knowing how inappropriate some of the team could be.  

Dance with me in the rain In the heart of Spain Let your hair fall down Curl around your face And sway with the tide Of the strangers passing us by

My arm linked with Ali's, her squeezing mine gently. Our friends and family lined the sides, huge smiles and some with tears in their eyes. My heart warmed knowing they were willing to be here, that they cared enough to make plans last minute to see us get married. 

Well let them watch What do we care There's no need to rush To come up for air As the world spins around us we dive In each other's eyes

No I don't want to go Can't seem to leave you alone For all that I am I wouldn't stand a chance This life on my own So love me now Love me forever Love me today and the days we're not together A moment this right is too hard to deny That you're the one The one my heart beats for

Land light on my feet To not make a peep Tip toe across the room So the floors don't creak As you're laying in bed Perfectly sound asleep I'll wake you with a kiss So you do not miss Your morning cup of coffee Pressed against your lips As the sun warms us up through the blinds We turn back the time

We stopped at the end, Ali kissing my cheek before walking back to her spot. I waited for a few seconds, trying not to fidget for once in my life. Every second that went by, made me want to walk back down grab her and drag her back because she was taking too long. Ally finally appeared, arm linked with her dad who had a huge, proud smile. There was a time in our relationship where I never thought he would be happy about us getting married. We had a rocky start, but now they were family. They had taken me in, treated me as if I was their own daughter. Between Ally, her family and the team, I had never been so loved.

No I don't want to go Can't seem to leave you alone For all that I am I wouldn't stand a chance This life on my own So love me now Love me forever Love me today and the days we're not together A moment this right is too hard to deny That you're the one The one my heart beats for No I don't want to go Can't seem to leave you alone For all that I am I wouldn't stand a chance This life on my own

They stopped in front of me, Ally's dad pulling her in for a hug and kiss on the cheek before moving to hug me, "You look amazing Y/n."

He moved back to his spot, while I took Ally's hands, kissing her cheek softly. We stood there, just looking at each other as the song came to an end. There was so much love shining in her eyes that it made my knees go weak. 

So love me now Love me forever Love me today and the days we're not together A moment this right is too hard to deny That you're the one A moment this right is too hard to deny That you're the one The one my heart beats for

We had chosen to have Sydney officiate our wedding just as she had with Ali and Ashlyn. It made the day feel just that little bit more personal. Once everyone was seated and quiet, Sydney started speaking.

"Thank you everyone for being here today to celebrate the marriage of our amazing Y/n and Ally. We all know Y/n gets antsy when she has to stand still for too long so we'll keep this as brief as possible. The relationship between Y/n and Ally is so full of love, life and friendship. It puts even the best of us to shame. With that being said, Y/n and Ally have chosen to write their own vows. Ally you're up."

"There are so many things I want to say to you, but we would be here all day if I did. So instead I'll start with thank you. Thank you for choosing me, for letting me in and trusting me with you and your heart. For trusting me enough to be your person and to show me who you are inside and out. With that, I vow to you that I will always tressure your love. I will always be by your side when you need me, I will always be there to hold you up when you need it and support you with everything I am. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you now and I will love you forever."

"Okay, you'll have to bare with me because there's no doubt I'm going to cry." There were a few laughs as Ally squeezed my hand. "There was a time in my life when I never thought this would happen for me. Where I never thought I would find someone who loves and trusts me so unconditionally, who understands me so deeply and who makes me laugh uncontrollably. Then you came crashing into my life, flipping it upside down in the best way possible. 

"You are my world Ally, my everything. I am far from perfect, but I promise to always be open and honest even on days that aren't great, to always support you in everything you do, to make you smile and laugh even when you don't feel like it. I promise to hold you, cuddle you and kiss you every chance I get because I know how much you love it. Most importantly I promise to love you with everything I am everyday for the rest of our lives."

My voice cracked as I pulled her closer, cupping her cheek and kissing her forehead, "You are my partner in life and love. I love you beyond what words can describe, I love the person I have become with you and the life we have and will continue to build."

"Now the rings. Ally, do you take Y/n to be your wife?"

Ally smiled widely, "I do."

I slipped the ring on her finger before letting her take my hand, "Y/n, do you take Ally to be your wife?"

"I do."

Ally slipped the ring on my finger, kissing it after she did so. If even possible, my smile grew as I stopped myself from fidgeting with excitement. One final sentence and Ally would be my wife. 

"It is my pleasure to pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

My arm wrapped around her waist, the other cupping her head as I dipped her, lips connecting in a long, passionate kiss. Everyone cheered and clapped as I threw my hands up, "We're married bitches!!"

---

"We would like to welcome the newlyweds to the floor for their first dance."

Ally looked confused, but let me take her hand and guide her to the dance floor. Just like Ali showed me, I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her against me and taking her hand in mine. Ally smiled, pecking my lips before resting her head on my shoulder as we moved around slowly. As we danced around, watched by our closest family and friends, I was the happiest I had ever been. To have so many people come to celebrate with us at last minute, I felt loved, possibly more than I ever had.

After a couple of minutes, I successfully spun Ally around, bringing her into me and connecting our lips. My head landed against Ally's shoulder, kissing the bare skin softly, "We're married Ally, we're actually married."

Ally giggled, kissing my temple, "Best day of my life so far. You learnt how to dance."

"You wanted to have a first dance so I got Ali to teach me. You make so many compromises for me, I wanted you to have this."

"This is how I know we'll be good married, you're so thoughtful and sweet, you go out of your comfort zone for me with out a second thought. I love you."

"I love you more my wife."

[elisedonut]

I've been so freaking obsessed with Evan Rosier/Percy Weasley time travel fic.

Starts out as a Voldemort wins AU and Percy time travels to the past, ends up about 16/17 and back in Hogwarts, sorted into Slytherin, he doesn't know shit about Voldemort or how to prevent the war, so he does the only logical thing he can. Becomes a better alternative to Voldemort. Yup, straight up Percy Weasley cult, yes I'm doing that :P

It takes a while, but most of the other students are more or less on board, except Evan Rosier. He's hanging around because his friends are all enamoured, but he's suspicious, he doesn't trust Percy. Percy thinks he's hot c: Evans emotionally constipated self thinks Percy is hot too :p but very sus and he doesn't trust easy

So basically Percy has to change the future by forcing the Hogwarts population into therapy, becoming a sort of accidental cult leader, joining the pta and uniting with parents in ways that change actually happens even if they don't like some things he says, changing some of the dumb things the teachers do, changing the gryffindor bias, promoting interhouse unity and all that fun stuff :D

Yk like litte things that change everything

His and Evans dynamic is kinda like

Evan: *shaking the front of Percy's robes* I don't know who the fuck you are, or what you're playing at but I'm going easy on you because my friends like you. But you so much as stub their toe, you are dead, do you hear me?

Percy: That's nice, mind the robes will you? They're new. Unlike some people I can't afford buying new ones for every idiot who randomly decides to assault me.

Evan: You kissed Mulciber?

Percy: What of it

Evan: No- I just- Mulciber? He's probably got some- I don't know, infectious disease!

Percy: If I didn't know better I'd think you wanted to kiss me.

Evan: *spluttering*

Evan: Why were you hanging around with Snape

Percy: *flipping page of his book* We were discussing the importance of media literacy in charged political climates

Evan: *darkly* Of course you were.

Percy: Is there a problem?

Barty: *popping up out of nowhere with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle at Evan* Yeah, why are you bothering him Evan, it's like your obsessed :)

Evan: I am not obsessed! I just- I- I just think maybe his lordship shouldn't leave everyone out of interesting discussions!

Barty: Seriously.

Percy: Actually, that's a good point Rosier. Thank you for pointing that out. How about tomorrow we properly launch debate club! I'll go ask professor Slughorn, Rosier will you assist me?

Evan: *dying inside* Whatever. I don't have anything else that I'm doing so like- yeah

Evan doesn't know why the fuck Percy is crying but he gets it. He gets what it's like and he doesn't trust him, can't trust him, can't make that shrivelled little thing inside him reach out and accept someone new, but he can understand. And he holds him. And Percy cries into his jumper until he's asleep and then Evan tells himself he should go, he shouldn't be here, it feels so wrong to see this boy so vulnerable and trusting but he stays and in the morning they don't talk about it. In the morning Avery fawns a little as he pours milk in Percy's cereal and he sneers just the same as usual, a hufflepuff asks for Percy's thoughts on rock music and he scoffs and rolls his eyes the same as usual but he finds himself checking if Percy actually eats the food they give him, seeing the dark circles under the redheads eyes, seeing the smudged and filled up schedule he keeps worrying over

ASDFGHJKL I CAN'T GET OVER THEM PLS

oh sounds neat

ngl I don't really know anything about Evan because I'm not a Marauder girlie like at all

Death Eaters are honestly my least favorite people to pair with Percy personally and there's not many that I do actively like

so i don't tend to pay them much attention unless i find them interesting for some other reason

because as anyone who's been here long enough can probably tell i have a hard time caring about characters unless i can tie them back to Percy in some way or another

but regardless yeah Percy and Time travel are two of my favorite fic genres so i could see the appeal

Percy trying to start a cult himself is very funny though

like at this point he just doesn't know what else to try so he's just kind of like fuck it i guess ill try this

it is neat because Evan's the only one seemingly suspicious and in a way his suspicions are right like Percy is 100% up to something its just that the something isn't actually a bad thing really

Also your writing him so jealous thats always fun

[muse-m]

*FOURTH WING x CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE/reality/cute*

We finished wrapping up filming for 'Children of Blood and Bone', and now months later we are ready to attend our first fan meeting and promotion event for the season.

I was so excited wearing this beautiful silhouette made by a Malian tailor. The quality cotton dress is black with small blue printed flowers. The above-the-knee length dress was long-sleeved and fitted in the top. The tailor created unique wrapping styles with the fabric that made my upper body look great! From my waist down the dress pleated and was flowy. Paired with a simple black heel with straps wrapping around my ankle and a few African gold accessories, I looked like an African princess like my character Amari. My hair is in exquisite cornrows made by a talented Senegalese braider. The cornrows were braided into a high ponytail, with the length of the hair hitting midway of my back. The ponytail is accessorized by a piece of my dress. Simple makeup to finish the look and I'm ready to face my fans.

All four of us main characters in the film were ready to go on stage for Q&A and meeting the fans. As we begin to step on the stage, I try to give a model facial expression and slowly strut the stage, until I randomly break into a cute little African dance that makes the audiences scream and laugh. I turn fully to face the audience and give them a big genuine smile. It truly was a gift to have fans that like all that you do even if it's random.

We get through our fun Q&A session and head backstage. One our reps come up to us tells us that the cast for Fourth Wing are in another room, as their session is start in an hour and that one of the cast would love to meet us. We all look at each other and nod, agreeing that we should. Personally. I wanted to meet them too and get to see the cast who are portraying characters of one of my favorite books. I was especially curious to see the man who plays Xaden Riorson, who, if you have read the book, knows that he is described to be simply put "hot"!

We approach the door and I'm in the front so I knock first then slowly open it, sneaking my head in first before revealing my whole self. I smile widely as all the cast members look up me in shock. I shortly laugh and open the door fully, and said, "Hii!". The rest of my cast file in. And what I assume the girl who is playing Imogen jumps up and gives me hug. She says, "I'm. A. Fan.!" And squeals. I thank her and formally introduce myself. I don't like to assume that everyone knows me as one of the youngest black women to be 2x Oscar winner with few other rewards under my belt. If anything, the title is humbling.

We all make our hellos and hugs. The casting did amazing, I can instantly tell who plays who, like they are spot on. Like the girl playing Violet, is just absolutely gorgeous.

But, my heart makes a leap when I finally make eye contact with the man who plays Xaden Riorson. Yup, the casting directors did their job well. Damn, I thought, he was finnee. His eyes were a natural golden brown, an awing contrast with his tawny brown skin. I realize I haven't said a word or moved. "Hi, I'm s/o", I say as I reach out to him for a hug. I'm at a lost for words, I start to feel embarrassed. In my industry, I am surrounded by beautiful men of all calibers all the time, but why does he make me feel a little nervous and quiet. "I know, it's nice to meet you", he says with his deep, velvety voice. I softly smile back and respond, "me too". All being said without breaking eye contact. I unwillingly break away from him, I didn't even realize I was still holding onto to his one arm. I give him one last look, then greet the person next to him, who I can tell plays Liam.

The man playing Liam is cute, I give him a slight sad smile knowing what his character in the book, and now this film will befall to. It seems like he knows that look all too well and begins to laugh. I laugh as well and tell him, "I should know better as actress to feel bad for an actor playing a fantasy character who has a horrible outcome. But it's hard to separate the two. "Yeah, well, knowing the lovely character I play, everyone who has read the book, gives me the same look. Haha. Your sympathies have been accepted, cause I'll be out of a job after this!", he replies. Omg. I laughed out loud.

We all chat for a bit, admiring and complimenting each other and wishing each other luck for our movie success. We knew their time to get ready for their own Q&A was approaching. As I was walking away, the man playing Xaden slightly touched my arm and said, "By the way, you look beautiful. Truly. Like an African Princess. " I blink once, then smile shyly, feeling a blush rising on my caramel brown cheeks, and reply, "Thank you, and you are...". "And that's all. There's no need to compliment me back, I just wanted to let you know. " I smiled back and nodded in understanding. Just take the compliment and go, I tell myself. I also hoped this wasn't the last time I'll see him again. Just from our short moment, I felt that instant chemistry and the stomach churning feeling that alerts me that I like him already. Am I somewhat transferring my feels for a character to a real person. Ugh. Obviously, he isn't Xaden Riorson and doesn't have the same personality. Just the looks. Ugh, I hate falling in love with book charaters, like as an actress like me who has played many roles, should definitely know better than to do that. Before we actually leave, we decided to take a group photo. I somehow end up standing right next to the man playing Xaden Riorson.

***WOW. She was stunning. I thought as I watched the girl who plays Amari in Children of Blood and Bone walk across the stage with her other cast mates for their Q&A session. She obviously had a cute personality and wasn't afraid to do a little dance, that only made the audience scream even louder. I kept my facial expressions neutral, but I was impressed by her presence, even though I wasn't in the same room as her. I notice my other Fourth Wing cast mates watching the screen as well. My castmate who plays Violet says, "wow. How is that whole cast just beautiful!". Other hummed in agreement.

It was inspiring to see that cast of seasoned actors as I finally just landed a lead role to play Xaden Riorson for the Fourth Wing film. I'm yet to find out if it was my potentially resembling look to the description of the character, my acting skills, or both that landed me this once in a lifetime role. I hope it's the latter.

Moments later, I heard a knock on the door, and there was that beautiful girl with that cheeky smile peaking through the room. Everyone reacts, except me, I stay quiet because I was speechless, especially the moment she fully walked into the room. She exudes a calm confidence that I just found it to be sexy. And her look was just perfect, her dress was made for her. I took a mental note of how kind she was to everyone as she greeted with a hug and humbly introduced herself, even though we all know who she is.

She now approaches me and we lock eyes. I smile and I give her a half-armed hug. Again, she is even more beautiful up-close with her chocolate brown eyes, not losing contact with mine and her smile that makes me smile back. She also smelled great. "Hi, I'm s/o", she says in a soft, slightly deep, toned voice. "I know, it's nice to meet you", I reply. Is that really all I can say? We still hold each other's arms for a moment. Is she feeling what I'm feeling? A connection that I'm suddenly feeling. She then replies, "me too", and unfortunately breaks away and turns to my cast mate who plays Liam. I hear her laugh and see that they are having a short conversation. She laughs again but louder to whatever he said, and I instantly felt jealous. Why couldn't I have done that? I look away from them.

Looks like it's time for to get ready for our session. As she's about to walk past me to leave, I tap her elbow and said, "By the way, you look beautiful. Truly. Like an African Princess". She blinks once and I'm relieved when she shyly smiles back and thanks me. I knew she was about to give me a compliment back, but I interrupted her to not. In that moment, I just wanted to tell her genuinely how beautiful she was. I hope it wasn't the last time I was going to see her.

[ghostinthegallery]

Okay so about Orikan and Imotekh!

Yup, I continue to be the most hinged person on the planet when it comes to imaginary ancient Egyptian themed space robots.

But anyway, Orikan is canonically a member of Imotekh's court, and Imotekh might be one of the only people in the universe Orikan actually respects (or fears? It's 40k, close enough). Which is interesting because Orikan is An Intellectual with a healthy disdain for the military (probably some family issues there, he did come from a military family then ran away to go to star college). So why serve a soldier? I mean yes, Imotekh is one scary dude, but that's a boring answer. Naturally they've never had a scene together because GW hates me specifically.

Which leaves me to wildly speculate, and I think these two have some key things in common that really get to the heart of issues with necron/necrontyr society...

Because the thing is, necron(tyr) society might be one of the most highly stratified cultures in all of 40k. So much so that it was baked into their physical being after biotransference. The higher their social status, the better the living metal body they got. The more mental capacity they got. The more *free will* they got. We see in a Twice Dead King flashback that members of the nobility could and did kill anyone without consequence. Life was so cheap to the necrontyr that it didn't matter. Class mobility was and is not a thing.

Enter Imotekh, who started as a soldier and became a general and then a *phaeron*. He did the thing no one is supposed to be able to do by being just *that* competent and terrifying. Remember, Imotekh woke from hibernation because some Sautekh noble wanted to *use* him to get one up on their rivals in a dynastic power struggle. This guy really thought Imotekh the Gods Damn Stormlord would be so grateful that he'd just help this clown take over the dynasty? Yeah no, Imotekh offed that guy and anyone who wasn't going to vote Stormlord 4 Phaeron.

Which must have been pretty mind blowing for Orikan to see. After all, Orikan may be important, but (as Trazyn loves reminding him) he isn't nobility. A fact that matters in a society where status directly correlates to how much of a person people think you are. Other necron lords "use" Orikan all the time. For his predictions, during battles (seriously check the wiki, feels like the poor guy gets dragged out for like every necron campaign). Orikan may manipulate those nobles on a regular basis (aka "strategically editing" his prophecies) but he won't straight up oppose them. At least not without invoking Imotekh's name, as he does during the Court Scene of TI&TD.

Again, I don't think the two have ever interacted in the canon, but Imotekh respects Orikan's work enough to base battle strategies on his divinations (which is huge, as being a master strategist is the basis of his power). And Orikan doesn't bullshit Imotekh the way he does other phaerons who ask for his counsel. Is Orikan scared of Imotekh? Of course he is. Trazyn calls him out on this during War in the Museum. But I think it's interesting that these two characters are trapped in a cruel society determined to use them up and spit them out, and both of them have found ways to resist that. Ways that could set them at odds with each other (nerd v. jock false dichotomy) but don't.

I do wish there was more canon material to work with, because I am filling in a ton of blanks with my own interpretations. But hey, speculation is fun!

And if you want to see these two in a room together read my necron longfic on AO3 here (heck yeah shameless self promotion!)

[atwooozi]

gojo x original character

Chapter 6: Chaos

summary: Despite her professional demeanor, Ai finds herself unexpectedly flustered by Gojo's antics, causing her to question her feelings and professional boundaries.

genre: modern AU, slice of life, comedy, eventual romance, eventual smut, some angst

A/N: I'm really proud of how this chapter turned out. I'm working with Zark and their notes have been incredibly helpful on adding a whole lot of depth to my story and characters that I was otherwise missing. I'm really grateful to them, so if you haven't checked out any of their work you really should.

Additionally, the song I picked out to go along with this chapter is Yuck by Charli XCX . I love the funky beat on this track and I feel that the lyrics suit this chapter pretty well. I just wish it was longer and promoted properly by her label.

READ ON AO3

The life of a celebrity seemed like a different world to Ai when she was a child. As a kid, she always pictured each famous person walking around in a bubble, like the bubbles children blew at parks and such. They seemed untouchable, otherworldly, even god-like at times in the way they carried themselves. She didn't want to be like them, but she wished she could see the world as they did. 

However, if young Ai could see what adult Ai did now she might feel different. 

Ai sighed as she watched Gojo Satoru force his younger co-star, Fushiguro Megumi, to teach him how to make shadow puppets on the wall of his dressing room. Between the clicks and flashes from the Geto's camera, Ai wondered if her younger self would find this amusing or if her ideas of celebrities would burst. 

The ideas usually did burst over time. Ai remembered her first encounter with Nobara, who looked so poised and elegant when she had walked into the cafe, but slipped into her regular Tohoku accent as soon as Ai mentioned she was from the countryside. It took her by surprise but at the same time, it reminded her of home. 

But with Gojo…Ai felt that maybe Gojo Satoru would kill all her ideals of celebrity in an instant, whether that was a good thing or not she wasn’t exactly sure. 

“Can I leave?” Fushiguro asked as he put his hands down. 

“Don't leave, Gumi-chan,” Gojo whined as he continued to try and make a rabbit with his hands. Since Gojo's fingers were so long, every animal he attempted to make looked pretty grotesque in comparison.

“I think I'm getting it!” Gojo said as he curled his fingers a bit more. 

Ai and Junpei tilted their heads as they looked at Gojo's attempt at a shadow puppet. “I don't think that's right, Gojo-san…” Junpei said as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

Geto grimaced as he looked through the viewfinder of his camera. “Satoru, that’s awful...” he put his camera down. “Can you make it look less bad?”

“Yeah, it looks more like a monster.” Ai chimed in.  

“I accept praise only, thank you ,” Gojo huffed as he continued to move his hands. 

Fushiguro sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “I'm leaving.” 

“No,” Gojo whined and grabbed Fushiguro's sleeve. “You're so mean to me, Gumi-chan.” 

Fushiguro expertly moved out of Gojo's grasp, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Don't call me that.” 

The messy-haired man left the room quickly after without much of a fuss from Gojo. 

“Gumi might seem like he hates me, but he's just awkward at showing his feelings,” Gojo said, looking over his shoulder at Ai with a smile. 

Ai gave Gojo a skeptical look. “Are you sure about that?” 

Gojo gave a firm nod. “Mhm!” He stood up from his chair. “I was friends with his dad.” 

“Really?” Ai sat up a bit in her seat. 

 Gojo nodded eagerly. “Yup!” 

Whenever Gojo started talking it always seemed to go one of two ways. Either Ai would learn something that shattered her idea about the man or he would just lead her down a path to nothing. Gojo was many things, but “concise” wasn’t one of them. She hated to admit it, but he was very good at capturing his audience, or maybe Ai was just a bigger idiot than she knew herself to be. 

To save face, Ai chose to believe in the former rather than the latter. Still, she found herself waiting with bated breath for Gojo to continue with the story. “...Well?” 

Gojo cocked his head and gave Ai a confused look. “What?” 

“...That's it?”

“What's it?” 

“...You were friends with Fushiguro-kun's dad.” 

Gojo nodded. 

Ai gestured in the air as if asking him to continue. However, Gojo similarly moved his arms to hers as if asking her to continue for him. The man was truly insufferable at this point. It made Ai doubt that she would ever get anything from him without having to force it out of the weirdo.  

“Gojo!” Ai said in a frustrated tone. 

“What?” Gojo held his hands up in defense. 

“I thought you were going to tell a story just now.” 

Gojo shrugged. “I mean… it's not really my story to tell.” 

Ai relented and turned away from Gojo. She thought she was finally getting somewhere with him but he would always just get a bit further out of her grasp. She wondered if he did this on purpose. Knowing Gojo, he probably did.  

“ Fine , keep your secrets,” Ai muttered under her breath. 

Turning her attention back to the chaos unfolding in the dressing room, Ai watched as Gojo continued his futile attempts at shadow puppets. Despite herself, she couldn’t help but admire his relentless optimism even when each creature he tried to make looked so… ugly . 

“Hey, Ai-chan, you wanna give it a try?” Gojo asked as he looked back her way, a large grin on his face. 

Ai blinked in surprise. “Huh?” 

“Yeah, why not? It’s fun!” Gojo waved her over to join him. 

Ai hesitated for a moment, she looked back to Junpei and Geto for anything. Junpei urged her on as Geto quietly took photos. As unsure as she felt there wasn’t much else to do. With a shrug, she decided to indulge the guy a little.

“Fine,” Ai said with a small smile, stepping forward towards Gojo.

Ai tried her best to copy Gojo’s hand movements but only fumbled through making the shapes. How on earth did Fushiguro do this so easily? She thought Gojo wasn’t trying hard enough, but it felt so awkward to hold her fingers in such a way. 

Gojo chuckled as he looked over at Ai’s hands. “No, you’re doing it wrong,” he said as he carefully moved her fingers. He smiled at her gently, letting his glasses slide down his nose as he gazed at her. 

Ai felt heat rise to her face as Gojo helped her make a rabbit with her hands. She hated herself for it. She felt shy because Gojo was close and touched her fingers so delicately. She didn’t realize that Gojo was capable of being so gentle.   

If anyone asked her about it, Ai would deny it. She would lie without hesitance. But she couldn’t deny the thrill she felt from his touch. It was a simple gesture, but it felt intimate as if they were sharing a secret moment despite Junpei and Geto being in the dressing room with them moving around getting shots, and adjusting the lighting. 

“Like this,” Gojo whispered, his breath tickling her ear as he adjusted her fingers. Ai’s heart raced from the proximity, her cheeks flushed even more. She found herself holding her breath, not wanting to disrupt the moment, but also hoping that maybe she’d die. 

“O-okay, that’s enough,” Ai said, once she heard the shutter of Geto's camera go off. She pulled away from Gojo and quickly retreated towards Geto and Junpei. She felt the need to hide herself from Gojo and for some reason, her instinct was to use Geto and Junpei as shields or to run. 

“Are you okay, senpai?” Junpei asked as he turned to face her. “Your face is all red.”    

Ai’s heart pounded in her chest, her cheeks ablaze with her own embarrassment. She did her best to muster up a smile and let out a nervous laugh, doing whatever she could to brush off the moment she just had with Gojo but the memory persisted, sending shivers down her spine. 

“Y-Yup!” Ai managed to say. “It’s warm in here, right?” 

“Is it?” Geto asked as he lowered his camera to check the pictures he had just taken. He wore a knowing smile, his sharp eyes twinkling with amusement. 

If Ai weren’t so flustered she’d probably say something to Geto, but her mind was in such a flurry that she had to drop it. Although he could be somewhat irresponsible he was annoyingly observant. 

Stupid photographer…

“Mhm!” Ai nodded her head. “I am…going to get some air!” she said as she quickly grabbed her jacket and bag. 

Before anyone could say anything else Ai stepped out of the dressing room, and quickly made her way out of the building. The cool air hit her face and she closed her eyes in relief. She took a deep breath and leaned against the wall of the building. When she looked down at her hands she couldn't help but frown. There was a lingering sensation of Gojo’s touch and the warmth of her breath against her ear. Just thinking about it again made her heart race. 

She couldn’t believe how easily flustered she had become at that moment. It was such a silly thing to get so bothered about. On top of that, it was Gojo Satoru. The thought of getting so worked up by him made Ai scrunch up her face in disgust. 

She wouldn’t have been so upset with herself if she had this reaction from Geto, but no it had to be Gojo. Stupid Gojo with his stupid pretty hair, his stupid impossibly blue eyes, and his stupid nice smile. 

She hated him. 

Except she didn't hate him. Not even a little. That's what made it worse. Ai could tell herself the same few lies over and over again, but she knew deep down what she was truly feeling. It made her nauseous. She felt like she was going to be sick…She couldn't let the lines blur like this. Gojo was a celebrity. Celebrities were in a league of their own. People developed crushes on Gojo every single day. Ai liking him wasn't anything special. But unlike most people, she had to work with him. 

Ai brought her hands to her face as she tried to compose herself. She couldn’t afford to get distracted, not when there was so much still that needed to be done. She wasn’t just going to let her silly emotions get in the way of her job. With a determined exhale, Ai straightened up and made her way back into the building. She wasn't going to let her emotions win.

Heading back to the dressing room, Ai was greeted by Geto and Junpei. Although relieved she was also slightly disappointed that Gojo was no longer there. She wanted to prove to herself that she could handle being in a room with him and stay focused. 

“These photos of Gojo-san and Fushiguro-kun are amazing, Geto,” Junpei said as he peered at the small camera display.

Geto nodded proudly, his eyes reminiscent of crescent moons. “Oh thank you so much, supervisor Junpei.”

“Will you two quit it?” Ai sighed as she plopped down on the couch.  

The two men frowned at each other, both of them still a bit at odds since the project had started so awkwardly. There was no hostility between them but Geto’s sarcasm and Junpei’s more timid personality made them an odd pair. Thankfully, they were able to manage to work together which made Ai’s life just a tad bit easier. 

Junpei started to gather his scattered papers before helping Geto with some of the portable softboxes that he had brought with him. Apparently, Gojo’s dressing room didn’t create the type of lighting that he had in mind for his pictures. 

“Better?” Geto asked as he started to put his camera lens away. 

Ai nodded. “Better.” 

Geto looked as if he had something to say, but continued to help Junpei pack their things. Ai pushed her lingering feelings aside and focused on the task at hand, helping Geto and Junpei pack so they could all get out of there for the day. 

“I’m going to call the driver,” Junpei said as he left ahead of Geto and Ai. 

Ai nodded and waved the younger man off. She made a note to herself to buy Junpei lunch after all this was over. He took care of all the tedious things that made the job harder, without her even having to ask. The boy was truly a blessing. 

“Did you want to get a drink after this?” Geto asked. 

Geto had taken Ai to a rather unassuming bar. It looked a lot like the traditional townhouses littered around Kyoto. Ai thought that if she walked past it on the street she’d miss it. The inside of the small place felt rather sleek and sophisticated with its dark wood counters and stools. For some reason, it reminded her of Geto. He fit the aesthetics of the city so perfectly.

“Take a seat,” Geto said as he sat down near the corner of the bar, gesturing to the stool next to him. 

Ai nodded and sat on the stool next to the one Geto had offered her. She was thankful that he didn’t question her decision to create a purposeful space between them. It wasn’t that Ai wasn’t comfortable around Geto, but she felt so at odds with herself because of what had happened earlier with Gojo. She was worried that if she bumped elbows with Geto she might send herself into orbit. 

It made Ai wonder if she was a bad person in her past life. If not a bad person in her past life, she must’ve done something to be cursed by someone in this life. She couldn’t come up with a reason as to why either of those things might’ve happened, but that was the only way she could explain this. She had never felt so out of tune with herself before.  

Ai groaned and rested her head in her arms. “I’m so stupid.” 

Geto eyed Ai with concern as he ordered himself a drink. “...Maybe a little.” 

Ai frowned and looked over at Geto with a glare. “You’re not helpful.”

Geto chuckled as he watched Ai and took a sip of his sake. “I wasn’t trying to be.” 

Ai pouted as she looked over the drink menu–she couldn’t even handle a White Claw on a good day, so she ordered a "Naked and Famous" without giving it much thought. Although she felt so out of sorts, she was relieved that she could still find some humor in the situation.

The bartender worked fast–it seemed like as soon as they put their orders in the drinks were already in front of them. 

Ai took a cautious sip and did her best not to grimace at the bitter aftertaste of the alcohol in the back of her throat. 

Ai jutted out her lower lip as she stared at the gross drink in front of her, debating on whether she should try to force herself to drink the rest. 

“So Ai-san…” Geto broke the silence, swirling his sake in his cup as he glanced her way. There was an irritatingly smug smile on his face. Ai was almost afraid to acknowledge him. She wasn’t prepared for whatever he was going to throw at her. 

“Yes, Suguru-san?” Ai frowned at the demon masquerading as a photographer sitting close to her, her tone dripping with sarcasm. 

Geto couldn’t help but snicker at Ai's tone. He bit his lip to keep from laughing before he continued. “Did you get flustered like that around Nobara?” 

Ai gaped at him. She wasn’t surprised at his question, but she didn’t expect him to lay it out so frankly. “What would you like written on your headstone, Geto?” 

Geto laughed and took a long sip of his sake. “Don’t be so cruel, Ai-san.” 

Ai huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She was starting to seriously regret going out for drinks with Geto. She should’ve opted to go back to the hotel like Junpei and sort through her notes. 

“What really happened back there?” Geto asked as he rested his chin in his palm. Unlike earlier, Geto appeared to be more serious now. 

His sudden shift in mood threw Ai off completely. She sat up and ran her fingertips along the stem of her glass, trying to distract herself from her own anxiety.. “...I don’t know,” she said softly. “I think I, uh, just got caught up in the moment.” 

Geto sipped his sake quietly. While he didn’t say anything his face said it all. He didn’t believe her. 

And for the record, Ai didn’t believe what she was saying either. She knew that she was in trouble, but somehow Geto confronting her with her own bullshit made it feel worse. 

Ai sighed and leaned back in her chair, her thoughts swirling as she tried to make sense of her own feelings. “I think…I guess– I just got carried away,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Geto listened intently, his gaze steady on Ai. He waited quietly for her to continue. 

Ai fidgeted with her glass, avoiding Geto’s gaze. “I don’t know…It’s hard to explain. I think it’s just all the time I have to spend with him.” Ai frowned as she tried to make sense of what she was saying. “And he was being so…so… ”

“So Satoru?” 

Ai nodded. “So Gojo .” She swallowed thickly. “And then he…he touched my hand, and it was like…I don’t know.” Ai shook her head as she remembered the feeling. 

Geto nodded slowly as he listened. “You felt something.” 

Ai’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she couldn’t deny it. “Yeah,” she admitted, begrudgingly. “I felt something.” 

Geto chuckled to himself causing Ai to glare at him. 

“What’s so funny?” 

“You like Satoru~,” Geto said in a teasing sing-song voice. How old was he? Ten? 

“I don’t like you .” Ai huffed as she turned her head away from Geto. The way he shifted moods so quickly was giving her whiplash. 

Geto bit his lip but broke out into a smile. “I know,” he did his best to hold back his laughter. “You like Satoru.” 

“Do you want to die?” Ai frowned at him. 

Geto raised an eyebrow, his smile widening into a grin. “Nah, not today.” He leaned back in his chair, swirling the sake in his glass. “Maybe next Christmas when I’m left all by myself.” Geto sniffled and wiped a fake tear away from his eye. 

Ai rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. “You’re both really annoying, you know that?” 

Geto chuckled as he poured more sake into his cup. “I know…it really gets under your skin, doesn’t it, Ai-san?”

Ai sighed as she stared down at the liquid in her glass. She didn’t want to acknowledge Geto’s question; he'd probably just tease her more.  

“We're handsome too, right?” 

Ai scrunched up her face as if she had eaten something sour. “No comment.” 

“Off the record, then?” Geto asked as he leaned in a bit closer, forcing Ai to look at his annoyingly perfect, symmetrical face. 

Ai met Geto’s gaze and pursed her lips slightly as she thought about what to say. She smiled to herself and gave Geto a concerned look, causing his expression to change with hers. 

“What?” Geto asked, his tone less playful than before. 

Ai reached out her hand carefully to touch Geto’s hairline, causing him to flinch back in confusion. 

“Suguru-san…if you keep wearing your hair like that you’ll make your hairline recede even further,” Ai said in the most serious tone she could muster. 

“You're no fun,” Geto said with a pout as his hand went up to feel where his hair met the top of his forehead. “Joking like that …my father is bald.” 

Ai chuckled at Geto, but her mixture of feelings continued to stir within her. She couldn’t help but feel a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. She always prided herself in her professionalism, but now…She was so upset she didn’t even want to admit what she was feeling to herself. 

And while Ai appreciated Geto’s presence, his teasing didn’t help clarify anything. Still, it’s not like she could have this type of conversation with Junpei. She didn’t want her kouhai to lose any respect for her. It was hard enough that she was already losing respect for herself. 

Taking a deep breath, Ai tried to focus on the logical side of her brain, she loved that side of her. She knew it well. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake off the memories from earlier with Gojo. 

“Maybe I’m just overthinking this whole thing,” Ai muttered to herself. 

Not a complete lie, but she knew it wasn’t just a simple case of overthinking. 

“You know, Ai-san,” Geto began, his tone gentler than earlier, “there’s nothing wrong with what you’re feeling. You can’t rationalize your emotions. Sometimes we just feel things.” 

Ai sighed, as she listened to Geto. “It’s just frustrating.” She gripped at the hem of her skirt. “I’ve always prided myself on being able to be a professional and maintain control, but with him… ” Ai trailed off, unable to find the right words to express what she was feeling. 

“Yeah…Toru doesn’t really come to mind when I think of professionalism and control.” Geto said thoughtfully. 

“Is that true though?” Ai questioned. 

“Hm?” Geto raised his eyebrow at her. 

“Well–it’s just that Gojo does seem irresponsible and impulsive, but on set, he’s the most professional person I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, really?” Geto asked with a rather amused smile. “You’ve been watching him more closely than I thought.”

Ai just listened to Geto quietly. She couldn’t tell anymore if he was trying to be helpful or if this was just his way of making fun of her. 

“Hey,” Geto called out to Ai, grabbing her attention.

“Maybe letting go of some of that control is okay?” Geto looked over at Ai trying to gauge her reaction. “Satoru is a lot of things, but he isn’t a bad guy.”

Geto set his sake cup down on the counter and studied the lines of the wood. He looked more thoughtful as he ran his hands along the grooves of the tabletop. “Before meeting Satoru I always felt like I was second best.” The corners of his lips quirked upwards in a rather bittersweet smile. “In everything …second best, second choice no matter how hard I tried I could never be more than second.” He glanced Ai’s way before continuing. “But then Satoru came into my life and I knew he was better than me. Things were just so easy for him, but he never saw me as competition and I hated him for it…but one day he told me that I was his first friend, his equal…and I wanted to cry. He never saw me as competition, because in his eyes I was always his equal.” Geto sighed but gave Ai a small smile. “Sorry for rambling.” 

Ai shook her head. “Don't be sorry.”

Geto let out a mirthless chuckle and smiled to himself. It was like he was staring through her, past her, reliving his memories with Gojo. “I guess what I'm trying to say is I know that liking your subject as a journalist has some ethical concerns…” He paused for a moment as he tried to find what he wanted to say. “But liking Satoru as you are, the woman, Amada Ai, not the journalist isn’t a bad thing. Does that make sense?” 

Ai mulled over Geto’s words. Maybe she was too high-strung…She couldn’t even remember the last time she had a crush on anyone. It’s not like she had to do anything about the crush. Crushes just come and go anyway. It was just like Geto said, liking Gojo wasn’t a bad thing. Maybe it was time to allow herself to embrace the messiness that came with having to work with Gojo Satoru. How bad could that be? Crushes were harmless. As long as no one acted on anything it would be fine. She wouldn't let it get out of hand.   

“Thanks for this,” Ai smiled as she looked over at Geto. 

Geto returned Ai's smile. He raised his glass in a silent toast. “To embracing the chaos?” 

Ai chuckled, feeling a bit better about the whole situation. Ai clinked her glass against Geto’s and reluctantly took a sip of her drink. The tequila left a bitter taste in her mouth. 

“To embracing the chaos.”  

[cheiyunn]

Kimisute main story [4部] Part 2

Side: Argonavis

[Apollo Records office]

Furusawa: –so, I want you guys to participate in Genesis Trax’s project

Yuuto: Got it

Furusawa: The promotional live for the project is currently in the works. I know you just had that live a while ago but, I have trust that you can pull this one off just as well

Furusawa: It’d be helpful if you planned your new song around this project as well, I’ll leave it to you

Wataru/Rio: Yes.

Furusawa: It’s a big project so the direction will be stirred from over here but…

Furusawa: Is there anything you’re particular about?

Ren: a……………

Furusawa: Hm? Ren, something wrong

Ren: n-no. Everything’s fine….

Furusawa: Okay. Well, if there is something, just tell me later on if you want

Furusawa: Then, we’ll end today’s meeting here. You’ll be busy in the near future but good luck

Banri: Thank you very much

Furusawa: Yuuto. Stay back for a bit. There’s something I need to talk about

Yuuto: huh? o…   understood

Wataru: Yuu. We’ll head back first then

Yuuto: yeah… see ya later

--[They leave]--

Yuuto: Furusawa-san, what did you mean by.. Talk?

Furusawa: You know what I’m referring to right?

Furusawa: It’s about your father

Yuuto: …guessed so…

Furusawa: Well off course. After the news broke you’ve been all over the place, I can’t just let it be either

Yuuto: did I… is it really that easy to see? I thought I was operating as normal…. But…

Furusawa: No self-awareness huh… then its pretty bad. So, have you been in contact?

Yuuto: With my family? …not in the slightest…

Furusawa: You…. Okay, listen to me. [--------]

--[Hallway]--

Banri: Will he be okay?

Ren: surely, it’s about his dad right…

Wataru: Since this is Furusawa-san we’re talking about, he’s probably talking to him so Yuu can get back to normal and calm down…

Rio: Well since Goryo isn’t the type to talk about his family on his own accord after all

Rio: We should also wait for him to feel comfortable enough to open up on his own as well

Wataru: Yeah, I’d say the same 

Ren: Yuuto also has alot weighing on his shoulders right now too. So…

Banri: We should think about what to do from now on then. To lessen that burden on him

Wataru: Yup. I also want to get the new song concept down soon. Kikyo, maybe later  we could have a meeting–

--[Footsteps]--

Ryuusuke: Woah, y’all were called by unc as well?

Rintaro: The only one not here is, your leader boy it seems

Wataru: Good work today. Yuu is currently talking to Furusawa-san at the moment

Ren: um. I’d like to apologize for not properly greeting you that time

Ryuusuke: Hm? ….oh~ that thing. We don’t really mind it so don’t worry so much

Ryuusuke: How-ever…

Ryuusuke: Nanahoshi. I need to tell you one thing.

Ren: Me..? What is it?

Ryuusuke: You… You’re not fulfilling your role as a vocalist one bit.

Ren: ….. —— Huh?

[Office]

Furusawa: Oh, good work today to you two

Ryuusuke: We arrived on time as requested

Rintaro: We met those Argonavis kids just now 

Ryuusuke: The leader had this super muddled face when we passed by, something up?

Furusawa: Ah… well, just some stuff. More importantly, how are they in your opinions

Ryuusuke: Young

Furusawa: Well, if you’re looking at it that way then they’re always young. …plus, you know that's not what I meant

Ryuusuke: Being young isn’t a bad thing. The fresh vibe is a strong selling-point. The problem is… how long can they push through with just having ‘that’.

Furusawa: I see, as expected… I hope you’ll continue to look after them then

Ryuusuke: Yeah yeah, we don’t have a choice but to listen to your requests

Rintaro: So, what’s the main topic?

Furusawa: I’m sure you already know about it but… its about the project that Iryuu Koga is involved in

Furusawa: Hah! You don’t even need to ask, you have your answer

Ryuusuke: We’re joining it. Ain’t that right, Rin-chan

Rintaro: Of course. What Ryuusuke wants, is what I also want after all

Ryuusuke: It’s a dream come true kind of opportunity. We’re making a new song for this, and use his arena to give him the good ol’ one two…!

[deus-ex-mona]

New Year's Festival!: Chapter 7

aizo, no, your protag energy is showing

previous part (chapter 6)

next part (epilogue)

And so—

The time when the filming of the programme was set to begin finally arrived.

Following the host’s introduction of him, Aizo turned towards the camera.

Aizo: It’s nice to meet y’all. I’m Aizo! I usually perform in a unit called “LIPxLIP”!

Host: It’s nice to see a fresh face on this show. Though, Aizo, I’ve heard that you’re quite the athlete. Is it true?

Aizo: Yup. Plus, I’ve undergone special training just to prepare for today.

Aizo: I’ll do my best to give the viewers at home a good time so as to start the New Year off on the right foot!

Owing to his special training, Aizo had been able to achieve great results in practically all of the events. And so, despite having to put up a fight, the team he was on managed to win without a hitch—

As a bonus for winning, the winners would be allowed some time to promote themselves to the viewers.

Host: And now, let the reward for winning, namely a self-promotional segment, begin!

Host: And the star player of the day is, without a doubt… The one who led his team to victory with his outstanding athleticism, Aizo!

Aizo: To all the viewers at home, thank you so much for tuning in today!

Aizo: “LIPxLIP” is a unit of two, consisting of me and another guy named Yujiro!

Aizo: The songs we’ve released till now are all great songs, so I’d be stoked if you guys gave ‘em a listen!

Aizo: Plus, we’ve got a February concert in the works!

Aizo: So, if I’ve managed to get you even the tiniest bit interested in us after today’s show, please come to our concert!

Aizo: You won’t regret it!

Aizo: (Awwright! That went just as planned!)

Aizo: (Next up is the ending, right?)

At the end of the programme, several performers were thus asked to express their thoughts and feelings about the show. Right before the show ended, however, the host turned the microphone towards Aizo.

Host: Aizo, I heard that you don’t usually perform on variety programmes, but how did you find today’s show?

Aizo: Lemme think. I performed all by myself today, instead of as a unit, so…

Aizo: I really felt how strong of an impact that my partner… Yujiro’s presence has on me.

Host: Speaking of him… Yujiro came to cheer you on today, right?

At the host’s words, the camera that was situated at the corner of the studio was turned towards Yujiro.

Aizo: Ah…

Aizo: (Oh no. None of us expected that they’d turn the camera to Yujiro. Will he be okay…?)

Aizo was just about to head over to Yujiro’s side to cover for him when—

Yujiro: Hello. I’m Yujiro from LIPxLIP.

Yujiro: I’m so relieved that Aizo managed to make it to the end of the show without a scratch. He was really nervous back when he was still in his dressing room, you know?

Aizo: Wha…! I wasn’t nervous at all, stupid…!

The audience erupted with laughter when Aizo quipped back like he would usually do.

Aizo: (Oh shoot. I’d planned on being all cool for the show and all…)

Aizo: (But, well… it’s fine.)

Thus, the very first variety programme that Aizo had performed on all by himself came to a close without incident—

Right after the New Year’s holidays—

Suzumi gave Aizo and Yujiro a report about the viewers’ reactions to the New Year’s variety programme.

Hiyori: They loved it! The sentiment of “My heart skipped a beat when I saw how close Aizo and Yujiro are.” seems to be especially shared by tons of people!

Yujiro: Their hearts skipped a beat…? Just what about me and Aizo made them feel that way…?

Aizo: Well… Wouldn’t you say that making them view us that way is a success, and a good thing in and of itself?

Aizo: (Though…)

Aizo: I really felt how strong of an impact that my partner… Yujiro’s presence has on me.

Aizo: (Those words really did unintentionally slip out of my mouth, didn’t they…? I truly didn’t mean to say any of that, though.)

Hiyori: Plus, I’ve got even more good news for you guys!

Hiyori: That same producer has extended an offer to participate in another variety programme to y'all! 

Hiyori: And they said “I’d like Aizo and Yujiro to perform on this one together” with regards to the next show!

Yujiro: What is the programme going to be about?

Hiyori: It seems to be one in which celebrities would compete against each other in sports attractions.

Hiyori: It’ll be a team competition, and it looks like they want the two of you to be on different teams!

Aizo: In other words…

Yujiro: They want to see me and Aizo compete against each other, don’t they…?

Aizo: I feel so bad for you, Yujiro. Your loss is already set in stone way before the show has even taken place.

Yujiro: Huh? What are you saying? There’s no way that I’d lose to you, Aizo.

Yujiro & Aizo: …

Yujiro & Aizo: Pfft.

Aizo: Haha!

Yujiro: Ahaha!

The two of them did not get along as well as Minami had said they did, but… Aizo was sure that this was just the form that the partnership between him and Yujiro had taken. Such was the thought that he had found himself thinking spontaneously—

[tanya-shiza]

My evil businessmen (3/4) // LMK OC Info

In my shitpost blog ( @tanya-shitpost-shiza ), I mentioned that I had new oc that connected others to the group. Therefore, here you go third of four posts about my oc-es and a little bit about my headcanons about Megapolis.

⚠️Disclaimer⚠️

I don't promote drugs or it distribution. On the contrary, I want to show how terrible it is, and that people distributing them should be punished for this.

⚠️Trigger Warning⚠️

Mentions of:

Alcohol, alcohol addiction

Drugs, drug addiction

Abuse

Violence

Jail/Prison

Welp- Yup- All these characters here are complete assholes- Don't be like them, ok, yea?

Fedor:

Fedor is 42-year-old man who spent his entire life doing nothing but fighting. However, this does not mean at all that he is helpless or cruel, although he behaves coldly and closed.

Fedor was born into a poor family, with an alcoholic father who regularly beat his wife, who, due to psychological attachment, endlessly forgave him. She married her husband for the sole purpose of helping the man change, but in the end it became nothing more than an obsession.

Fedor loved his mother very much and was as much angry with his father for beating the only person who was kind to Fedor. When he was little child, Fedor promised to his mother to always protect her. He kept his promise. He did poorly at school, devoting all his time to sports. He was a bully and extracted money from other kids, but he never bullied anyone. On the contrary, he stopped his friends if he noticed that their jokes were going too far.

One day, a drunken father again wanted to beat his mother, but when Fedor intervened in a fit of anger... He accidentally killed his own father. He turned to his mother to tell her that now no one would ever hurt her, but she just exclaimed: «Murder»! She renounced her son. In tears, she rushed to the corpse of her husband and, sobbing, asked him for forgiveness, asked him to return. Only now puzzled Fedor did realize how crazy his mother had gone.

The police didn't care about the death. Some ordinary drunken brawl. No one cares. Anyway, he was poor and no one will miss him. Fedor escaped prison punishment.

Fedor barely graduated from high school, but undoubtedly he wasn't accepted into any university or college. While looking for a job, he comes across an almost ideal option for people like him - strong, but not smart. He's quick to get to work as collector. However, he did not punish for monetary debts, but punished drug couriers.

Fedor and his “partners,” whose names he didn’t even know, wanted terrible things from people. But even so, Fedor tried to stay away and not go too far. However, he was forced to take part in the murders. after all, it's his job. A job he hated. He hated his “boss” even more. He, of course, was the most important person in this drug trafficking scheme, but for Fedor he was the boss.

Jiāo - was an arrogant, self-righteous guy, much younger than Fedor, but thanks to his sharp tongue, he easily rose through the hierarchy and often mocked Fedor and others, calling them: dumb jocks, implying that they are nothing more than muscle power, expendable.

It’s impossible to say with certainty was he lucky or that it can’t be called that, but... Fedor was framed. Someone at the top failed and all the blame was placed on Fedor. The court sentenced him to 12 years in prison (which seems to me is the maximum punishment?). As a result, he got in at 29 and got out at 41 years old.

Fedor is incredibly angry at this setup, but prison had its unexpected advantages. Everything there seemed so familiar to him. This is like in his school years, but now there are no unbearable teachers. Fedor quickly gained authority there and joined the group. Rough treatment from the police was annoying, but it was better than working for a drug dealer. Upon his release, Fedor decided to start life from clean slate.

He got a job as docker(?), works as a taxi driver in his free time, and even bought himself an apartment. And even if it was in poor areas, it was his. Earned by honest labor, without deception and violence.

[twilightmalachite]

2×2 - Children on the Streets 9

Author: Akira

Characters: Yuuta, Hinata. Shinobu, Nagisa

Translator: Mika Enstars

"Parira parira! Vroom vroom! Parira parira! Vroom vroom!"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Spring

Location: Downtown

Hinata: Parira parira! Vroom vroom! Parira parira! Vroom vroom!

Fuhaha~! Foolish mortals! Today shall be the anniversary of your deaaaaath! ☆

Yuuta: You sound like some combination of Rinne-senpai and Sakuma-senpai… My love for Aniki has dropped drastically.

Hinata: Even though it’s already been on the decline as of late!?

Why do you say such cruel things, Yuuta-kun? Even though I always love Yuuta-kun soooo much~!

Yuuta: If you love me, then at least make an effort to be loved. You’ve worried people quite a bit, and now you’re behaving like an idiot the first time you show your face in a day.

What’s with that? What’s your intention?

In some cases, even siblings will shoot another after cutting ties.

Hinata: Don’t! It's not a big deal if I get shot since it’s a water gun, but if I’m cut off as your sibling, your Onii-chan will die of heartbreak!

Nagisa: …Fufu, I’m glad you seem to be getting along well.

…But first things first, there’s a lot of things I’d like explained. Where do you stand now, Hinata-kun?

Hinata: Oh, I’m the boss of the assailants!

Beginning now, I shall lead an evil army to lay siege on Master’s restaurant!

I feel bad that I’m repaying a favor with vengeance, but that’s the direction for the performance this time! And I do have Master’s permission, just so you know!

Yuuta: I wish Master wouldn’t give OKs out so casually… Well, if Master says it’s fine, then…

Hinata: Yup! The restaurant’s closing for the day so we won’t be bothering any customers, and they’re happy to promote the restaurant with it making an appearance on this performance!

However, while it goes without saying, do try not to dirty or damage the storefront!

Yuuta: Yeah, that’s a given. But while it’s supposed to be a siege, we’ll be fighting outside of the store, won’t we?

Hinata: And of course, we have permission cleared from the town hall to do so!

Yuuta: You’ve really got this all ironed out well… Should I be praising Anzu-san’s skills, as the producer in charge of this episode?

Hinata: …Well, I’m sure the producer in charge is feeling anxious after the “Experience Living in the Streets” became a complete mess.

She’s serious about this and is really betting on this performance, so you too all do our best to help her out.

Yuuta: Of course we will. Well, I feel like it’s just a band-aid over a bullet wound~, but it’s better than leaving it a mess, right?

So? What shall we do, then? Should we go ahead and turn Aniki into a beehive?

Hinata: Hearing all that be said is scary, but basically, yes! All you have to do is defeat me, the mastermind behind this attack, before you all are wiped out.

So you know, if you hit any of us assailants with a water gun or any other weapon of the sort, they will be counted as dead!

We promised not to dirty the storefront, so we couldn’t use paint guns. So it’ll be self-reported, but the assailants will die if they get hit!

Follow the rules and enjoy the dueling!

Nagisa: …Alright. It’s a simple game. I understand the rules.

…However, if Hinata-kun is the only one on the side of the assailants, we have an advantage of having three people.

Hinata: That won’t be the case, of course! We’ve hired a ton of extras for this performance!

Forward! Oh infernal army that I lead…☆

Shinobu: Ooh, some evil-looking people have shown up, de gozaru.

Yuuta: Amazing, now that’s surprisingly well put together. You have a solid look of badassery going on.

Hinata: Looks like the “real thing”, doesn’t it~? ♪

As you may have noticed, there are a good number of them but they are not armed, so treat them basically as zombies! Things are set up so there’s no dialogue, so no talking with them!

Meaning, they cannot be persuaded! If you come in contact with these zombie-like people, you will become infected with something zombie virus-like and you’re out! You guys will die!

Yuuta: Too many “-like”s. This entire setting is so fuzzy…

Hinata: It’s a quickly-made spur-of-the-moment event! Can’t be helped!

Nagisa: …I see. So we’re overwhelmingly outnumbered, but we are armed, so we have a chance of winning depending on how we handle it.

…That is fair. Sounds like a fun game.

…I don’t have much experience with those sorts of things, so I’m very intrigued, and happy.

Hinata: Yes! Please enjoy it to the fullest!

2×2 is an adult’s job, but this is a child's game! In extremes, the one who has the most fun wins…☆

[ ☆ ]

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[nebulouscoffee]

Ok for the series ask game thingy I shall ask you… TNG and Enterprise

Ooh, this should be fun! Thank youuu :D

TNG

Favourite character: ahh this is legitimately hard! I love all the main seven leads so much. Maybe Deanna? I think she's heaps more interesting and complex than she comes across at first glance- I love her difficult relationship to her Human and Betazoid halves, I love her complicated dynamic with her mom, her state of cultural drift, her very nebulous sense of self that she's always just a little too afraid to confront head on, her compassion, her self-awareness, her warmth, and of course her occasional barbs that just never miss

Second favourite character: gosh this is even harder!! I feel like it's either Data or Geordi, but then I remember Worf. I adore Worf... but then there's also Beverly.... Okay, okay, I'm reasonably sure it's Data. I just really love his arc, his multifaceted relationships with the other characters, and the complexity of the questions his existence and chosen life raise. Some of the series' best episodes are centred around him. Not much else to say- I just love the guy! (And I am laughing so hard picturing your face while reading this. Sorry Fancy! Lmao... Unfortunately I am a Data girlie😂)

Least favourite character: uhhh maybe that Okona guy from 'The Outrageous Okona', I haven't actually rewatched that episode in sooo many years and I think he might be why haha (also every single guest character in 'Code of Honour' though that's not so much a case of me hating them as wishing the writers had never come up with them)

The character I'm most like: None of them!! They all joined the space military lmao I would never join the space military!! Also they're all very smart, like top-of-their-fields smart. TNG where is the representation for us mediocre dumbasses. I demand more mediocre dumbasses on the Enterprise! (OKAY if I had to pick, it would probably be Geordi but only when he's goofing off- or Riker when he's rejecting a promotion so that he can remain with his besties)

Favourite pairing: Beverly and her lamp🥰 okay, okay, Troisha from the non-canon ships, Troi/Riker from canon

Least favourite pairing: Deanna/every man she was ever sent to single episode romance hell with, special shoutout to that one dude from 'The Price' for making me watch that looooong as hell foot massage sequence *strained laughter*

Favourite moment: Gonna be a cliche and say that poker scene from the finale. Yup, they actually managed to end the show on... my favourite scene from the whole show. Good job, TNG! (If I'm being honest it's everything from the climax with the three Enterprises working together to Q's line on how exploration is not about conquering or charting territory but discovering new depths of the soul (good stuff👌) and the gang vowing not to let themselves drift apart like they did in that possible future. This is where TNG ended in my heart tbh! Every other appearance is like schrödinger's canon to me; it's canon when I need it to be, and fanfic generally lol

Rating out of 10: Objectively, it's a 7.5/10 from me. Its highs are SO high, but its lows are just so hilariously low- it had a rough start, there's no getting around that, and it's frequently clueless about the inherent imperialism and colonialist undertones of its premise, plus it almost never lets its female characters shine the way they deserve to. However this show also turned my life around so it gets a 100/10 by the power of the blorbolense😌 thank you for existing TNG!

Enterprise

Favourite character: Hoshiiii we love an overworked gifted child prodigy who grew up learning to speak soooo many languages but never had anyone to talk to, only now learning to relax and make friends and figure things out as an adult on the ship of the unhinged

Second favourite character: I mean it's gotta be T'Pol! She is far and away the most interesting character on the show imo, and despite the constant terrible horrible so-bad-it's-funny attempts to objectify her she manages to surpass the material and contain so much depth. She's an alien among humans and a deeply scandalous weirdo and pioneer among her own people, and I love her struggles navigating those two spheres throughout the show <3

Least favourite character: the ever-present air of post-9/11 military propaganda. And if you're going to argue that that's not an actual character on the show, I beg to differ. Straight up had more lines than Travis Mayweather!

The character I'm most like: Maybe Phlox? I'm not much like anyone on this show honestly, but in general he's a chilled out dude just doing his own thing. I feel like that's me right now

Favourite pairing: T'Poshi hell yeah!!! I know the characters barely interact in canon but it really is actually that deep you guys. I love it! For some reason all my favourite ships seem to involve these eager young super smart friendly compassionate officers falling for much older buttoned-up aliens who are obviously culturally isolated, and then connecting in a way that reveals the older alien (who might have a drug problem) is actually a social outcast in their own society whose superiority they won't shut up about and the younger officer actually has a more complicated relationship to their culture than first apparent thanks to an overbearing family, and they are strikingly similar shades of lonely. Hmmm....

Least favourite pairing: I don't think I have one lol! I don't feel strongly enough about any of the canon pairings and fanon ships don't affect me because I don't really engage with that side of Enterprise fandom (not saying this like a snobby thing, I'm sure it's great! I'm just not interested enough in this show that way hehe)

Favourite moment: T'Pol's speech standing up for the crew to the Vulcan High Command stands out in my memory... I'd probably have to rewatch to answer this question properly tbh

Rating out of 10: gonna be generous and overlook the nightmare of its place in history and all the ensuing xenophobia baked into its very premise and give it a solid 6/10. These characters deserved to come into their own, and the show is often good fun!

[storiesofsvu]

1, 11, 16 and 20 for get to know you fic writes asks <3

1- do you prefer writing one shots of multi-chapterfics?

mainly series! you can play around with characters more, delve into the feelings, complications, you can include multiple themes or stick to just one. i like working on the plot, it gets my brain working better. i enjoy one shots for things like bingos, writing new characters or shows, and obvi fix it fics. and any requests i get i like to expand on peoples ideas/req's.

11. link your 3 fave fics right now.

ooo... okay... two that i cant stop rereading & some shamless self promotion of one of my fave series

16. how many fic ideas are you nuturing right now? share one of them?

oh good god.... i think around 17 that are either currently in the midst of being written, or on the bingo card.

and a whopping 25 series ideas. some of which i will definitely write and some that when i just looked at them now i went "eehhhh" so i probs wont be writing all of them LOL.

One idea that i'm excited for and do plan on doing relatively soon is Rita Calhoun meets a make up artist through a client that she takes a liking to, they end up on a first date, rita's smitten, but yn's worried that she has a deal breaker considering rita gives off the no kids vibes and she has a young daughter at home. Rita's willing to give it a chance because she's so smitten, and just cutesy fluff and chaos ensues.

20. have you noticed any patterns in your fics? words/expressions that appear a lot? etc?

YUP lol. I LOVE a good trope of what you think is gonna be a one night stand with a stranger but the next morning you walk in to find out you now work with them/they're the child of your boss/they're your besties sister/etc, etc/

There's also tons of words/phrasing, especially with smut recently that ive been noticing are go to's for me.

Thanks for asking! ☺️💕

[manicmisanthrope]

Yup! Always super happy to encourage or uplift the homies. I'm not afraid to repeatedly tell guy friends it's ok to come to me and unload/talk about their feelings. Society has conditioned them to think that is shameful or embarrassing and I don't want them to keep it in, keep hurting them, and lead to self destructive behaviors.

I don't ever wanna see those I care about hurting and potentially...permanently gone the next day. Small things can mean so much. They can literally be life saving. I dont mind telling them over and over again that they can feel safe around me because I understand a lifetime of conditioning them to think a certain way can take a lifetime to undo.

So if you've got a promotion recently...fuck yeah! Proud of you. You just had a kid? You'll be the coolest dad on the block, I just know it! You just completed a really hard game or challenge? Tell me all about your exciting journey and don't leave anything out, I'm all ears! Even if you recently graduated from schooling or learned a new skill...that is fantastic and worthy of celebration. 🎉

[ttakttakmedead]

Week 8 : Real Talk on Body Modification and Health

today, I want to dive into a topic that’s been on my mind since week 8's lecture —body modification and how it’s portrayed on visual social media. yup, we’re talking about tattoos, piercings, cosmetic surgery, and even some more extreme transformations that are all over our feeds. with the rise of platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc, we’re constantly bombarded with images of body modification that look super cool (or sometimes super scary and unreal).

The Digital Stage for Body Modification

First off, let’s talk about why body modification is so appealing. It’s a form of self-expression, a way to tell the world who you are without saying a word. Whether it’s a delicate tattoo with personal meaning or a dramatic surgical change, body mods can be empowering. They can also be a statement, an art form, or just a fun way to change your look.

But here’s where it gets tricky—what we see online isn’t always the whole truth. Filters, Photoshop, and the perfect lighting can make anything look amazing. It’s easy to forget that there’s a real person behind those images, and sometimes, a lot of pain and maintenance too.

what ‘aesthetic templates’ are on social media

Aesthetic templates aren’t just about fashion or trends—they’re about shaping how we see ourselves and others. When celebrities and influencers promote specific looks or lifestyles, they can inadvertently reinforce narrow beauty ideals. This can lead to feelings of insecurity or the pressure to conform, which can affect our mental health.

Korean singer, IU once mentioned on Happy Together 3 that her daily diet consisted of an apple, two sweet potatoes, and a protein shake. She did this to lose weight while filming a show and successfully shed 4 kilograms in 4 days.

This sparked a viral trend known as the 500 Kcal diet, with numerous YouTube videos showcasing people attempting it (i remember trying this diet when i was 15 too). However, this diet trend has contributed to a rise in mental health issues among South Koreans. (Naher, 2022)

BUT! it’s not all negative. Public health campaigns and positive influencers/celebrities are starting to shift the narrative. They’re advocating for body positivity, diversity, and inclusivity. They remind us that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all and that real life isn’t always filtered or perfectly staged.

For example, a Korean-American rapper, singer, and songwriter Jessi, celebrates body diversity and encourages self-love through her platforms. Jessi has also been quite transparent about her several plastic surgery procedures, most notably her breast augmentation, as well as the filler she had put in her lips and face. Jessi did, however, clarify that she had her fillers removed and now loves the way her body looks. She declared that she was now aware of her limitations and that she now encourages everyone to accept and cherish their bodies, regardless of whether they decide to get plastic surgery or not. (Kelly-Ouyang, 2020)

Over 2.2 million people have viewed the YouTube video "Jessi's breast surgery confession." One of the hosts asks Jessi if she's ever been made fun of, and that's when she makes her "confession." She responds that people often talk about her behind her back but never in front of her.

“For example, they would say, ‘You have fake boobs.’ OK, so what if they are fake? I paid for them.” said Jessi

On the other hand, influencers like Jameela Jamil challenge these norms by advocating for body positivity and criticizing unrealistic beauty expectations. She once called Kim Kardashian West "toxic" for posting an advert promoting a dieting lollipop. Kim was promoting a product from a company that provides diet goods, such as lollipops, which decrease hunger. According to the company's website, lollipops are meant to be consumed during food cravings. (btw, the same company has had social media adverts banned in the UK) However, there is a disclaimer that reads, "The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements." (BBC, 2018)

you can read the full article here!

Microcelebrity culture plays a big role too. These influencers may seem larger than life, but they’re also human. They have their own struggles and insecurities, just like the rest of us. It’s important to remember that what we see online is often a carefully curated version of reality. Being a good digital citizen means being smart about how we consume and share content, especially when it comes to body modification. We need to question the reality of what we see, remembering that not everything online is real. Before considering a body mod, thorough research is crucial—look up reputable artists or doctors, check reviews, and understand the risks involved. Think about the long-term consequences, as many modifications are permanent or semi-permanent. It’s also important to respect others’ choices; just because a particular modification isn’t for you doesn’t mean it’s okay to judge someone else who has it. Finally, let’s not forget the importance of body positivity and acceptance. Social media can make it seem like everyone is perfect and constantly upgrading their looks, but the truth is, everyone has insecurities, (me too!) and that’s okay. Embrace who you are, whether you have modification or not. remember, everyone’s body is their own canvas! :) thank you, xie xie, kamsahamida, arigato! hope to see u in my next blog! >.< References:

Abelman, D 2023, ‘K-pop star Jessi is entering a new era of sexy - and it doesn’t include plastic surgery’, Allure, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.allure.com/story/k-pop-jessi-plastic-surgery>.

Anon 2018, ‘Kim Kardashian called “toxic” for Advertising Diet Lollipop’, BBC News, BBC, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44137700>.

Kelly-Ouyang 2020, ‘Idols who helped improve the female body image’, allkpop, allkpop, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.allkpop.com/article/2020/09/idols-who-helped-improve-the-female-body-image>.

Naher, TA 2022, ‘Does K-pop promote a positive body image for women?’, Mindless Mag, Mindless Mag, viewed 19 June, 2024, <https://www.mindlessmag.com/post/does-k-pop-promote-a-positive-body-image-for-women>.

[longmonthartist]

A Rookie’s Journey through DBFZ PC Steam Online Ranks (November 2022 – May 2023)

-        Updated as of May 20th 2023

Hello fellow Dragon Ball fans, I thought I’d record this event while it’s still fresh in my memory. As the title described, this details my brief 7 months journey through the DBFZ PC Steam verion’s online ranks plus collecting all 35 achievements.

I know, it’s a bit different than what I used to write but as an avid DB fan, collecting all 35 achievements, getting Steam’s badge of approval, and making it to SSJ3 rank (11th rank amongst the 24 available ranks), this is quite an achievement personally so that’s why I thought I’d share this with all interested. I’m also writing this down for personal closure, since playing ranked non-stop is affecting myself quite a lot so I’d like to give myself a pat on the back and say it’s time to move on.

Aside from some obviously self-indulgent moments, I’ll also include a bit of my take on the game and online system progression so if you are interested in buying the game or climbing the online ladder, feel free to give this I read.

How it all began:

As a fighting game player and DB/K18 fan, I became aware of DBFZ back in 2018 before it was launched. Back then, I’d watch clips from major fighting game tournament players such as SonicFox, Go1, and promoters/tournament organizers like Maximillian Dood. For a while and due to financial reasons, feasting my eyes on the eye candy that is DBFZ and how top players can perform otherworldly combos was enough to satisfy my cravings...until I can’t stand being a mere viewer that is.

Therefore, On November 2022 (7 months ago), I decided to purchase the title on Steam, the only gaming platform I own and thus began my journey in DBFZ.

Getting Interested in Online Ranks:

Like many DB fans, I wasn’t that into the online matches nor climbing the ladder, which based on my previous experience in playing fighting games online such as Tekken, Street Fighter, and Dead or Alive, knew would become a grind and in time feel like a second job (inevitably it did). So for the first several weeks, I immersed myself in the game’s content-rich offline modes such as story, arcade, tournament, and etc.

It wasn’t until I saw my online rank as Saibaman that urged me to start playing because, well, no one wants to be a Saibaman. So starting from late November 2022, I mustered up my courage to dabble in the competitive online mode and hoped for the best.

In my very first online match (Ranked nonetheless since I didn’t know there’s casual matches), I did’t even knew how to select my team and just went along with the preset Goku SSJ, Vegeta SSJ, and Trunks. Having very little experience with them, since my main were Krillin, Sixteen, and Eighteen, I got my ass whopped. In fact, my opponent, also a Saibaman I think, was so confident he finished me off with a Beerus vs Goku SSJ Dramatic Finish in space. Yup, I get to watch my character getting wrecked in cinematic finish.

The next match was no better either, as my opponent finished me off with a Sixteen self-detonation kill. For those familiar with the game, Sixteen has an instant kill self-detonation super that’s slow as snail. It’s a move people only use to troll others.

On hindsight, those earliest matches were embarrassingly bad, but I was determined to not be a Yamcha killer, a Saibaman and just soldiered on.

 Deciding the Online Rank to Settle With:

Due to my hatred for Saibaman, I was elated when I was finally promoted to Earthling. It’s a very low rank that all who’s played online can achieve, since when you first start, even losses earn you battle points (BP for short), the points required to advance. This said, this rank reminded me of Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and many others, and I couldn’t be happier to sit here forever as an Earthling.

This temporarily bliss didn’t last long of course, because with enough online mode plays, further advancement to Namekian, Saiyan, then Frieza clan..etc was inevitable.

At that point that I started to ask myself, if I can’t stay as an Earthling, what’s the rank I want to settle with? Then before long, a Steam Achievement caught my eye, the one titled “My Power Level is 530,000” and sporting a Frieza first form’s sinister smirk.

For those unfamiliar with the online ranks and how many BP’s required to get to 530,000, it’s the Demon rank (Rank 10). Back then as Frieza Clan and already running into some pretty decent players, getting this rank seemed near impossible but, as usual, I felt obligated to get it since without collecting all achievements, I felt like a lesser DB fan (I know, that’s just how my brain works as times).

Alas began my torment, my second job that costs me countless weekend hours just to grind.

Changing the Team:

As described previously, I started off maining Krillin, Eighteen (of course I need her to complete the K18 duo), and Sixteen (just to complete the android/cyborg trio). I also had some pretty good successes too, as I’d rock this team all the way to roughly Android rank (Rank 7), the first non-Casual rank and requiring 270,000 BP (about half way to Demon).

However, due to how, ahem, underpowered Eighteen can be and how clumsy Sixteen is (please don’t hate me readers), I found myself winning less and less, with Eighteen especially gradually turning into my weak spot. It was during this time I decided to start experimenting with other characters, including Frieza, Goku Black, Goku Blue, and SSJ Goku to name a few. I was also starting to see how DLC characters, which I haven’t bothered to purchase, would often dominate my team.

Yes you’ve guessed it, I walked down the path of Top Tier cheapness and bought myself all those ridiculous DLC characters and eventually settled down with a team of Krillin (just had to keep him), Ultra Instinct Goku (a top tier without a doubt), and Lab coat 21 (described by many as having no weakness).

My win percentage started improving from 40 percent to around 50 percent and eventually, the 60s, a percentage I’m stuck with till this date. I never forgot about my old team though, and always kept them as backup but when I’m facing stronger opponents, it’s always Kril dog plus the two top tiers.

Flaws in the Matchup System: 

For those familiar with DBFZ online, you’d know that you can't pick nor know the strength/rank prior to every battle. Only way of knowing was during the loading screen composed of both players’ team, their ranks, and threat level. At first, I didn’t know this would be very crucial to my eventual advancement until I start seeing people exploiting it online.

I ran into one such incident when I made it to Super Saiyan 2 (SSJ2) around March 2023, a step above Android and requiring 330,000. By then, I’ve improved to the point of obtaining an Orange square, the second highest threat level indicator.

I still remember that Saturday very well. That day as I was determined to grind to Supreme Kai, I ran into a Super Saiyan ranked player, someone two ranks below me. I was prepared to claim myself some delicious BPs when, after the loading screen, the match was disconnected. I was pretty puzzled as you might imagine, until when I was matched against an Android player and they too disconnected before the match start. The next one was against a fellow SSJ2 with a lower threat level and they too disconnected.

Something was up, it’s all too coincidental how players would disconnect before facing me and trust me, I wasn’t amused. My irritation increased further when a Supreme Kai (rank 9), someone a rank above me, quitted before facing me next. By then I’ve had enough, so when I was matched against a Demon rank (Rank 10) and the highest ranking opponent I can possibly face as SSJ2 (Rank 8), I pulled the same stunt and disconnected before the match starts, thinking how ridiculous it was that I had to just let some easier opponents go and start the day off against a very strong opponent.

Getting the Final Achievement

I knew 530,000 BP is pretty hard and as expected, it was the last achievement left in my collection. Eventually though, I too would get Demon rank at the end of April 2023. This said, having a Demon rank does not mean you get the final achievement automatically, since Demon rank is at 500,000 BP while the achievement requires 530,000.

“Okay mister, so why not just play a bit more and get it” you might ask, well my friend, the problem is by the time you reached Demon rank, the opponents are so strong and experienced that every match is nerve wrecking. Also by then, it’s possible to get matched against opponents from SSJ3 (Rank11) and Majin (Rank12), and let me tell you, the players in those ranks are no joke, as most can take out 40 percent of your life bar with a touch.

This was the time when I too decided I only want to match up against Demon players and nothing above that.

Earlier when I was Supreme Kai (Rank 9), I ran into a Green Squared SSJ3 (the highest rank I can fight as Rank 9), and got destroyed. Even when using two top tiers like UI Goku and Lab Coat 21, I was no match against a team of Bardock (a melee monster with no ranged options), and K18 of all characters. After taking out Bardock with a few cheeky vanishes and long ranged beams, my opponent’s 18 made short work of my top tiers and then stomped my Krillin bad. It was then that I realized just how strong SSJ3 ranks are and to not challenge them (not to mention that I regret not maining 18 anymore).

I’m not proud of it, but I too started using the same opponent screening tactic, disconnecting against SSJ3 or above before the match starts while fighting Demon, Supreme Kai, and SSJ2 only. This worked for quite a while, and I was able to amass a 16 win streak, including beating 10 Demon players.

I was able to achieve the final achievement earlier this May too, and by then I was all too tired of cherry picking my opponents and just wanted to quit the whole online ranking journey.

Only there’s one last task to accomplish.

Getting SSJ3 (Rank 11) in both personal account and leadership board

Getting all achievements should be the end of it all. After all, I started off merely not wanting to be a Saibaman, so what else is there to get?

Well, as a K18 fan, I can’t stand Demon, knowing what Dabura the demon king did to Krillin. So I made up my mind to get to SSJ3 both in my personal account and official leader board.

What’s the difference between personal account/record and leaderboard? Aren’t they suppose to be the same? Well fans, not really, since personal account calculations are much more lenient compare to official leaderboard, so it’s possible to achieve SSJ3 but still remain a Demon in the latter.

This meanns after getting to SSJ3 and getting 600,000 BP roughly a week ago on May 13th, I had to grind till roughly 630,000 BP to get my leaderboard rank to SSJ3 too.

By then and having accumulated 16 wins by fighting Demon ranks only, I grew a bit too confident of myself and decided to take on SSJ3 rank once more. The result was disastrous, as I got destroyed by the first SSJ3 I came across, resulting in the loss of BPs but thankfully no rank down. The next opponent was a Demon about to advance to SSJ3. I thought it wouldn’t be too hard, but ended up losing to him too.

The accumulation of 2 consecutive losses after a 16 win streak made me so mad I challenged a yellow squared SSJ3 next, my mind blank and wanting nothing more than to win. Perhaps I’ve improved by quite a lot since my Supreme Kai days, as I ended up beating this player 2 out of 3. Personally, this was quite a victory and made me realize that perhaps, I do deserve to remain in SSJ3, having beaten an average yellow square opponent of that rank.

My next opponent was a Supreme Kai on the verge of becoming Demon, and to my surprise, I lost to him 0 – 2. It was a hard loss, but later I found out that this person not only advanced to Demon, but from Demon straight to SSJ3 in the same day, destroying several SSJ3 opponents. This at the very least made the loss bearable.

The final matches I played on May 20th 2023 were against a pink squared (highest threat level) Demon and a Supreme Kai about to turn Demon. The 6 straight wins were enough to push my leaderboard rank to SSJ3 and therefore end my 7 long months of grinding.

At last, I am no longer a Saibaman, have achieved all achievements and proven to myself I am a dedicated DB fan, and is not a Demon who turned Krillin to stone. I am a SSJ3.

Thoughts about the Experience:

I’m definitely glad I get to SSJ3 rank and, while cherry picking opponents since reaching Demon, never disconnected against anyone once the match starts. The only disconnection happened once, when my laptop ran out of battery. Unfortunately, my opponent didn’t take it well and refused to play me afterwards.

Was it worth it? Yes I think, and SSJ3, although only at Rank 11 (slightly above average, as Supreme Kai/Demon are reportedly the average rank), it is the highest rank I can achieve without resorting to straight up rage quitting. The next rank above SSJ3 is Majin (requiring 700,000 BP), and I can’t stand that rank due to Buu eating the entire K18 family, so advancing to that rank is out of the question unless I also make it to Super Saiyan God (800,000 BP), which is so high up I dare not dream of it.

Please excuse me for bragging, but some of the deeds I’m pretty proud of include:

- Getting Pink Square in Supreme Kai and keeping it till this day, maintaining the highest threat level possible.

- Prevent the promotion of a Demon to SSJ3 as a lowly Super Saiyan 2 (Does this count as beating SSJ3?).

- Beating yellow squared SSJ3 on May 20th, the day I decided to stop playing ranked and giving me an assurance I kinda/sorta deserves SSJ3.

For Casual Players

First of all, thanks for reading my rather self-indulging post. Now please allow me to offer people who is considering trying out the ranked matches or getting all achievements.

I think it’s quite possible to attain some level of success and personally, believe that anyone can grind their way to Android/Super Saiyan 2 ranks (Rank 7 and 8 respectively) without in-depth knowledge of the game or combo system. So hurray for all 18 fans, we can all be 18s.

In terms of achieving all Steam achievements and getting that elusive 530,000 BP though, it’s very, and I mean very hard and tedious, especially if you have never played any fighting games. Even as someone who’s been playing other fighters for roughly two decades, it’s hard for me in later stages and to be frank, anyone Supreme Kai or above can be a killer. So don’t just rush in and throw away your time since, well, it can feel like, literally, a second job, one that doesn’t earn you any money.

Did I mention if you lose a match, you lose BP points? That’s a big reason why getting all achievements isn’t for everyone. I’ve once met a player who was SSJ2 Rank 8 (I was only SSJ Rank 6 back then). I ended up beating him 6 – 1 and ranked him down to Android. Later I met him again, this time both as Supreme Kais and beat him 3 – 0 again. The last time I checked, he got demoted to SSJ2 even having played over a thousand ranked matches (it took me about 80 wins out of 120 rounds to get to Supreme Kai) so no, ranked isn’t for everyone.

In the end, some just learn faster than others, and I've seem people getting SSJ3 with only 90 (total, not wins) ranked matches. Speaking of which, I once lost against a Namekian as a Demon while playing casual matches where losses do not result in loss in BP so talent and learning speed difference is definitely a thing.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this rather personal piece. I’ll still continue to play DBFZ but just not in ranked anytime soon, or at least not till I’ve improved enough to the point I don’t need to cherry pick my opponents, as I realize how annoying that can be for others (sorry to all the SSJ3, Majin, and Super Saiyan God players I’ve disconnected before a match starts).

Lastly, I’d also like to hear your stories in regards to DBFZ. Please feel free to comment and share your glorious moments.

[serial-doubters-club]

What's your favorite 3 Inuyasha fanfictions that you've written to date and why?

Guess who finally caught up on grading and can't avoid answering your wonderful ask anymore?

Yup. It's meeeee!

Asdfghjkasdfghjk I'm having such a hard time writing this because you know how terrible I am at complementing my own writing, which is probably at the heart of my awful self-promotion skills. 🤣🤣🤣

Ok, ok, here goes!

1. Courage and Strength 💕

I loved the process of writing this story. From writing that flashback with Kagome's father and the Mama Higurashi/Kagome moment in the garden, I was emotional from start to finish. I was able to connect with Kagome in that we've both lost a father young, and I really pulled inspiration from that pain as well as my mom's experience as a single mother raising a daughter that wanted to take on the world to write it, and it was so therapeutic in so many ways. I loved that I finally got the opportunity to verbalize my headcanons of Mama and Papa Higurashi's past, as well as the reason behind Mama Higurashi's attitude toward Kagome traveling to the Feudal Era, even if just briefly.

I'd never experienced the feeling of having a story practically write itself until this one. I didn't even care that this fic didn't get much attention because in writing it alone, I felt so satisfied with every aspect of it, how it came together, and above all else, how it made me feel. It's probably the first fic that truly allowed me to experience the satisfaction of writing for myself.

2. Touch ❄

This fic was inspired by one of my favorite scenes from the Webtoon "True Beauty." I turned up the self-indulgence for this one and included all of my favorite things: a cold, winter night setting (+ snow!!!); inukag, of course; a beautiful face touch because it's so them; and a confession that's not really a confession but it actually is, and It's everything. 😬

3. Butterfly 🦋

I love introspective Inuyasha and that's pretty much what this fic consists of. It takes place after Kagome's return to the Feudal Era and Inuyasha reflects on how unreal it seems and at the same time on his fear that she might be an illusion that could shatter at any moment. It was inspired by one of my favorite BTS' songs, "Butterfly", which guided me in creating (or at least attempting to create) a moment that's so delicate you feel like you have to hold your breath inside of or risk shattering it. I think I did a good job of weaving the joy, the fear, the hope, the incredulity, and longing from the lyrics into the fic, and I'm really proud of that. Also, I'll take any opportunity to write Inuyasha pulling Kagome into his arms and them holding onto each other for dear life.

Ok, fine, I guess it wasn't that hard to say nice things 🤣🤣🤣 You got me! @classysassy9791 Thank you for this ask!!! 💙💙💙