#Aki is such a disaster gay and I love him for it

[digitalsatyr23]

Night at the Carnival (Commission)

Setting: Earth (urban fantasy AU) Characters: Aki, Jaune Genres: Slice of Life, Romance Word Count: 6,606

It was a late night in September, and there was a chill in the air. Aki, a university student, was trying to make his way back to his dorm very carefully. He was out past curfew, and if he didn’t make it back in time, he’d be locked out of the building. This didn’t mean he’d be trapped outside, but it did mean he’d have to reveal himself in order to get back in. He had gotten plenty of flack for sneaking in and out before, and he didn’t want to know what would happen this time. So, walking softly on his white-furred paws, Aki sneaked through the darkness.

In this world, there are many different kinds of people. Some tall, some short, some fat, some thin. Some people have pointy ears, animal-like legs, or even bushy tails. In Aki’s case, he was a kitsune – a humanoid fox with minor shapeshifting abilities. Kitsune were often touted as beings of great power and mischief in folktales, but in the modern era, people like Aki proved they were just like everyone else – just a bit fuzzier.

Despite the physical differences between humans, kitsune, and the other races, they all got along quite well in the modern era – with some exceptions – and any separation between race was a thing of the distant past. As such, Aki was considered a perfectly normal student at Whitewater University in Benard City, and despite not always following the rules, Aki was considered a capable student among his fellow fashion majors.

Aki stepped lightly on the pads of his paws. The sidewalks leading up to the entrance of the dorm were well-lit, so he made his way around to the back of the building. A certain tree with branches reaching just close enough to his dorm window was his aim, and unless something unexpected occurred, there wouldn’t be any trouble getting into his room.

In time, Aki made it to the tree and scurried up the trunk. After wriggling along the branch that reached towards his dorm window, he noticed something. The blinds weren’t down. On one hand, this made it easier to see if Aki’s roommate was awake – which was likely, given the light was on. However, he didn’t see his roommate anywhere. As strange as it was, there was no reason to stop now, so Aki wriggled along the branch further and further until he could start tapping on the window. Then, he saw the bathroom door open around the corner in his room. His roommate, Jaune, just got out of the shower and was wearing nothing but shorts.

Steam billowed into the room as Jaune walked out, light shining off of the condensation on his athletic body. The young man was rubbing his hair dry with a towel. Aki wasn’t sure why, but he could feel his cheeks getting flushed and his heart rate quickening. Then Aki saw Jaune about to change and let out a yelp, losing his grip and falling onto the bushes below. The commotion caught the attention of a patrolling security guard, who was quick to run over and help Aki out.

“Aki, what are you doing out here so late, man?” asked the guard. He was a cyclops named Murphy, and he was well-acquainted with Aki’s troublemaking ways.

The kitsune picked leaves out of his clothes and said, “Oh, it was just my restless leg syndrome acting up.”

“Restless leg syndrome?”

“Yeah. It’s when… My legs are restless. And I need to move them around a bit.”

“Couldn’t you do that in your room?”

“How many cubic feet do you think I have in there?”

“Fair point. Still, you really need to cut this bad habit of yours. The school takes curfew very seriously, and I can only cover for you so much.”

Aki grumbled at this and said, “Fine. But I’m gonna be a grump about it.”

“Good enough for me,” said Murphy. After the guard escorted Aki to the dorm’s front door and unlocked it for him, Aki turned momentarily to the guard.

“Thanks, by the way.”

“No problem, kid.”

Aki made his way up the stairs to his right. The dorm building had three floors in total, and his room was on the second floor on the eastern side. The kitsune’s legs felt heavy, not because he was tired, but because of the circumstances. Murphy was right. Despite it being a half-decent school, Whitewater University was still old-fashioned, being one of the few schools in the area that even had a curfew. Supposedly it was tied to an unfortunate incident that happened to students decades ago and the rules were never changed. Rules were fine and all, but locking up the building before 8pm? Most businesses in the surrounding area didn’t close until 11pm. It was ridiculous! At least, that’s how Aki felt about it.

Then there was the matter with Jaune…

Why did I react that way? thought Aki. I’ve been roommates with Jaune for a while, and it’s not like I’ve never seen him shirtless before, but…

The image was still crystal clear in Aki’s mind. The angle, the lighting, the circumstances. He felt weird, almost like he had become a voyeur, but he couldn’t stop thinking about it. As Aki turned the key in his room’s doorknob, he couldn’t help but mutter, “I don’t get it.”

Once inside, Aki noticed that Jaune was huddled up in his blanket across the room, half-sitting up on his bed with a laptop out and headphones in, gaming. It didn’t take long for Jaune to notice Aki, to which he simply slipped one of his headphones off with one finger like Jaune had done it a million times before.

“How was the show?” asked Jaune.

“It was fine… The show was fine, at least,” Aki said, realizing there were still leaves on his clothes. His ears drooped. While he continued grooming himself, Aki said, “Everyone’s outfits were so pretty! And the way everyone used their materials was great too. I’ve never seen tires used in that way before.”

“It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ waiting in the wing.”

Aki sighed. “Yeah… I got caught again.”

“Did you not make it to the window? I would have let you in like normal.”

“I…” Aki mulled over whether he wanted to be honest and decided against it. “I just didn’t make it to the tree this time. Murphy was on patrol and spotted me right away.”

“Damn, I’m sorry.”

“No…” Aki put his jacket away and flopped face-first onto his bed. “It’s all good. I’ll figure something out… Eventually… Hopefully the staff don’t hear about this. Although,” Aki spun around, facing Jaune, “I have half a mind to tell the dean how I feel about this stupid curfew. Most of the people here are adults, and I’m tired of being treated otherwise! If I can smoke, drink, buy porn, or drive a car, I should be able to live by my own schedule!”

“I mean… You could if you were an off-campus student.”

“Do you know how much rent is around here? I ain’t dealing with that shit!”

“Well the way I look at it is this is the school’s house, and since we live in the school’s house, we follow the school’s rules. It’s sorta like living with a distant relative, except they still ask for rent… At a reduced price, though.”

Aki buried their head under their pillow, grumbling, “Man, fuck rules, fuck rent, and fuck the system. Let’s just tear it all down and do whatever.”

“I’d be happy to join you, but I don’t think I’m gonna find a conch shell in the middle of Benard.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing…”

Aki wasn’t sure how to respond, so they just kept grumbling. Complaining and cursing always made him feel better, so he just kept doing it until it was out of his system. Once he could breathe again, he sat up, his hair now messy from rolling around in bed so much. He blew a strand of hair hanging over his good eye and decided, “Dammit, I should probably shower too.”

“Shower… Too?” Jaune asked.

Aki’s face went red as he said, “Nothing!”, then he ran into the bathroom.

With the bathroom door locked, Aki stripped down and got in the shower, running the water nice and hot. There was still a bit of condensation on the bathroom mirror, so Aki drew a little heart in it before taking their shower. Despite his legs’ shape and fluffy tail, showering wasn’t too difficult for someone like Aki – it just paid to be thorough. He went through the motions of scrubbing, shampooing, and rinsing, all while thinking about his circumstances. Aki wasn’t anywhere close to graduating, but he could already feel the strain of having to follow the school’s schedule. He was doing fine in class, and he even made some connections with fashion designers in the city, so it’s not like he wasn’t getting anything out of it, but what Aki cherished above all was freedom. The freedom to go where he wanted, do what he wanted, and say what he wanted. The more people tried putting him in a box, the more he tried breaking out of it. He had always been like that, ever since he was old enough to climb out of his baby crib. But the thing was, he didn’t want to live off-campus. He had friends at the school, clubs, easy access to events, and…

Aki shook his head. Something about Jaune of all people suggesting he live off-campus just didn’t feel good. He knew his roommate meant well by it, but he didn’t want to part ways like that. He liked being roommates with Jaune. They understood each other, even if they didn’t always verbalize it. But was that really all he felt?

“Man… Feelings are bullshit,” Aki muttered, turning the shower off. He scrubbed himself down with a towel, slipped on some clothes, and wiped away the condensation in the mirror to get a good look at himself. Aki considered himself to be a fairly handsome kitsune, with smooth skin across most of his slender body, save his lower legs and tail, which were dominated by white fur. His hair was white as well, and long enough that he preferred keeping it in a ponytail if he could, and his head was topped with two white-furred fox ears. His eyes were gold in color, though he usually kept an eyepatch over his right eye. He didn’t know what was wrong with that eye, but it didn’t always see the world right, so he kept it shut and covered with an eyepatch. He thought it made him look cool and mysterious anyway, so that was a plus.

After walking out of the bathroom, Aki noticed Jaune was still on his computer, but he wasn’t wearing his headphones anymore.

“Feeling better?” Jaune asked, eyes glued to his screen.

“A little bit,” said Aki.

“That’s good. By the way, I had a question for you…”

“Oh? What is it?”

For the second time that night, Aki took a good look at Jaune. He had fair skin, a handsome face, silver eyes, and very light green flowing hair that seemed to naturally float around. Jaune was a sylph, a race of people who were once thought to be wind spirits, but outside of being quick on their feet and having hair described as “lighter than air”, they were fairly ordinary folk.

“Are you free this weekend?” asked Jaune.

Aki tensed up. “What?”

“Are you free? I ask because sometimes you go to those local fashion shows.”

“I… Uh… No, I don’t think I have anything going on this weekend. Why?”

“Well,” Jaune turned his laptop, showing an advertisement for an upcoming event, “there’s gonna be a carnival not too far from here for the next couple of weeks, and it seems like you’ve really be struggling with cabin fever. I figured maybe going someplace fun on the weekend could do you some good.”

Aki’s hands were feeling clammy. He tried to play it off, leaning against the corner of Jaune’s locker. “Aaah, I see how it is. So you’re finally making a move on me.”

“I mean you can call it that if you want to. I just wanted to go and thought it’d be boring if I went by myself, and you’re right here, so… You know…”

“Then it’s a date,” the kitsune pointed, wearing a false grin. Smooth, Aki. Real smooth, he thought. Jaune seemed to chuckle at the line, so it made Aki feel a little better about it.

Aki flopped onto his bed once more. Even though he had already said yes to going to the carnival with Jaune, he couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about it. Was it a date, or not? Did it matter? Aki and Jaune were friends, after all. If anyone asked, it was none of their business anyway. Still… Aki couldn’t help but be preoccupied with the idea, and he twirled a bit of his hair with his finger as he thought about it, and when he finally went to bed, he dreamed of carnival games, bright lights, and overpriced, delicious food.

---

The week that followed felt agonizingly long to Aki. Nevertheless, he gave each class his all, doing homework as he received it instead of putting it off until the weekend (or as he most often did, the day before it was due). Aki even followed all of the rules, making sure he was back before curfew. He didn’t realize it at the time, but in hindsight, it was clear what was motivating him so much.

Then the day finally arrived. As Aki still worked part-time at a coffee shop, he and Jaune agreed to meet at the carnival after Aki’s shift around 4pm. This gave Aki just enough time to run back to his dorm, shower, change, and catch the bus. Aki decided to wear a black t-shirt, a flannel overshirt, and jean shorts. He made sure to brush his hair too, so it looked extra fluffy the way he liked. As he was ready to head out, he stopped and thought, Wait a minute, why am I overpreparing like this? It’s not like this is a date or anything. I’m just going out with a friend…

The kitsune rolled his shoulders to relax, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, centering himself. It was just an excuse to have fun. Just an excuse to have fun. Just an excuse…

When Aki finally showed up, he saw that Jaune was wearing slacks, a sweater vest over a buttoned shirt, and a nice jacket.

“What is that?” Aki asked.

“What’s what?” Jaune asked.

“Look at what you’re wearing! You’re like one of our professors!”

Jaune frowned slightly, looking himself over. “I like these clothes, though…”

“H-hey, I didn’t mean you looked bad or anything.”

“Then why are you laughing?” Jaune glared.

“Be… Because…” Aki did his best to hold in his laughter. “You… You look like such a dork.”

Jaune shrugged and said, “Well, whatever. You still wanna do this?”

“Of course! Do you know how amped up I am right now? I’ve been waiting on this all week!” Aki’s good eye beamed and his tail wagged behind him.

“Then let’s get going.”

“Hell yeah!!”

The two got in line, and when the time came, Jaune got both himself and Aki little wristbands. This would let them go in and out as they pleased all day, as well as let them ride every ride. Games and food, of course, were a separate matter, but they’d play that by ear.

Once inside the carnival, Aki had a sudden surge of energy beyond how he already felt, causing him to check out every colorful attraction he saw. There were the rides, of course, but there were also game booths with prizes, weird food stands that smelled of batter and frying oil, and a petting zoo. There was even a concert zone for bands – though no one was playing at the moment.

“Aaaah, what do I do first? Everything looks so fun! Should I have made a checklist or something? Maybe I should go pet the animals first, or maybe get some food? But if I do, I might spew everywhere on the rides. So maybe rides first?” Then Aki stopped, turning around slowly. “Ha ha… Sorry. I got a little carried away. How do you wanna do this? Should we stick together, or pick a meeting spot so we can do whatever we each like?”

“I think it’d be better if we moved as a group. Who knows what could happen with so many people around. I don’t know what to do first either, so I’ll follow your lead. And don’t worry about expenses either. I got us covered.”

“Wait, seriously? You really mean it?”

“Yeah!” Jaune beat his chest, looking proud of himself. “I found some gigs to do on the side, so a day at the carnival should be no problem for me.”

“Are you sure? It’s not like I don’t have money…”

“It’s fine. I just want you to enjoy yourself.” Hearing this, Aki stumbled, feeling weak in the legs. He clasped his heart, feeling it beat a little faster. Jaune moved in and put his hands on Aki’s shoulders. “Hey man, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I just need a minute…”

What was that feeling? Aki wondered. He decided to ignore it for the time being and turn his attention back to the carnival. Curfew on the weekend was a little more forgiving, but Aki didn’t want to risk getting in trouble again. With no time to waste, Aki decided to start with some rides, and the pair walked deeper into the carnival.

There were plenty of people moving back and forth around Aki and Jaune. Just about every race Aki could think of passed him by. He saw humans, people with horns, pointed ears, multiple eyes, animal people like himself, and everything in between. Many people dressed warmly like Jaune, while others, who were obviously used to the chill of Autumn, dressed lightly and showed off quite a lot of skin. Aki couldn’t help but compliment all the pretty and handsome people he passed by before finally settling on the roller coaster.

“You ever been on one of these bad boys?” Aki asked.

“Nope!” said Jaune. “Looks kinda dangerous. You think accidents ever happen?”

“I mean… Yeah… Probably. But that doesn’t mean it’ll happen to you. Half the fun is the thrill, the danger! You aren’t gonna chicken out on me now, are you?”

“Nah… I should be fine. Probably…”

“Well if you ever feel nervous, you can always hold my hand.”

“You really mean it?”

“Ye… Yeah…”

Goddammit, what was I thinking?

The line for the roller coaster was long. It was clearly the fan favorite among the carnival goers. The pair stood in awkward silence as they waited five… Ten… Twenty minutes, still waiting in line, all the while the line kept growing. At one point there was someone who cut in line behind the pair, and it seemed like a fight was about to break out. Aki’s ears and tail drooped. Then, Aki felt Jaune grab his hand.

“Jaune?”

“Don’t worry about them, Aki. I’m here for you.”

Aki’s face went beet red, his muscles tensed, and his ears perked right up. “Thanks man…”

“No problem. We’re roommates, right? Of course I’d look out for you.”

“Yeah… Roommates…”

It was long until the commotion was settled by security nearby, and after a painfully long wait, the pair finally got to the front of the line. One of the staff manning it, who had red skin, horns, and a pointed tail, looked Aki and Jaune up and down.

“Hmm. Yeah, you guys should have no trouble. Just be careful with your arms, and make sure the locking device clicks into place.”

After they were given the go-ahead, the pair went up the stairs, got in the roller coaster, and locked themselves in with buckles, straps, and the overhead metal bars for extra security.

“All right! You ready, Jauney-boy?” asked Aki.

“About as ready as I’ll ever be,” said Jaune.

“Good enough!”

When everyone was in place, the roller coaster started moving. It was a slow, steady climb up, and Aki could tell Jaune was getting nervous. He decided to reach out and hold Jaune’s hand, almost as a way of repaying him for the favor earlier. And then, the roller coaster descended, moving at a fast, exhilarating pace. Both Aki and Jaune screamed – one from joy, the other from terror. They sped around corners, went upside down through loops, then started the ride all over again. Aki lost track of how long the ride lasted, but around the third or so loop, Jaune seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, and they both threw their hands in the air.

After the roller coaster was over, they left through the exit and were handed a photo.

“Huh? What’s this?” asked Aki.

“The ride takes photos at certain points. Just a way to treasure the memories,” the staff said.

Aki and Jaune looked at the photo closely. It was near the beginning when Aki was having fun, all while Jaune was tensing up and clasping his metal safety bars like his life depended on it. The kitsune nearly killed over laughing, and Jaune tried to snag the photo from him, but Aki was too quick and ran off.

“You want it? You gotta catch me!” said the kitsune.

Then the race was on. Aki led Jaune from ride to ride, using the embarrassing photo like a carrot on a stick. Together, they rode on the Zipper, the Scrambler, the Tilt-A-Whirl, the Gravitron, bumper cars, and even the carousel. Aki was laughing his head off, having the time of his life. Looking back at the man chasing him, it was clear Jaune was having lots of fun too. They were like a couple of kids, just going wherever they wanted to and doing whatever they pleased.

Several rides later, Aki and Jaune took a break in the carnival’s food court, grabbing yakisoba and funnel cake. While eating, Aki remembered something.

It’s just like before… Aki thought. Me and my sister were sitting just like this… Eating food after some rides, just like this…

“Is something wrong?” Jaune asked.

“Oh, it’s… I used to go to the carnival a lot with my sister. Our parents weren’t the most dependable sort, so my sister was always the one to look after me. Our time spent together at fairs like this are some of my nearest and dearest memories.” Taking a big bite out of his funnel cake, Aki asked, “Do you have any memories like that?”

“No, unfortunately.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. This is the first time I’ve even been to a carnival.”

Aki’s eye went wide. “Get the fuck out. You’ve never been to a carnival before?” Jaune shook his head, and Aki couldn’t help but join in, totally flabbergasted by his friend’s words. “But… But… Kids always go to carnivals!”

Jaune shrugged. “My mom never had the money for that kind of thing, and my dad was never really around, so… Yeah. This is my first time.”

“Then… We have to make sure you see everything. If I’m the one to pop your carnival cherry, then we gotta do this right!” Aki took Jaune by the hand and pulled him along. “Come on, the rides are waiting for us!”

“But… My yakisoba…”

“Food can wait! Rides, now!”

And they both got right back to it. Jaune had trouble earlier with the rides, but he had gotten used to them by this point. Aki, on the other hand, did not fair so well. The food getting tossed around inside made him nauseous, and it took every ounce of willpower for Aki not to spew on the other riders in the Gravitron. As soon as the ride was over, Aki ran off to the bathroom, making some real nasty noises inside his stall. It took a good deal of cleaning, rinsing, and spitting to make Aki feel even remotely normal again, and by the time Aki left the bathroom, he looked woozy.

“Hey… Why don’t we… Take it a little easy?” said Aki.

Jaune gave Aki a shoulder to lean on and said, “You were the one that wanted to run around everywhere…”

---

From that point on, the pair was done with rides. They moved onto carnival games, such as the strongman game (which Jaune did surprisingly well at), a water gun game that Aki got a little too heated while playing, and balloon popping with darts. The pair walked away with some fun little toys and prizes, but nothing substantial. Most of the games only offered trinkets. But then, Aki noticed one of the booths had huge plush toys as its top prizes, including a fluffy fox doll the size of Aki’s torso. Just looking at the doll made Aki squee with delight.

“That’s so fucking cute!!” Aki said, his tail wagging.

“You like the fox, eh?” said the guy manning the booth. “If you can beat my game, it’s yours!”

The person running the booth was a short but muscular man with long red hair and a full beard, with green eyes and somewhat pale skin. He was a dwarf, by Aki’s reckoning, with fine clothes that included a nice vest and a bowler hat.

“Who are you? You look… Familiar,” said Aki.

“Me? The name’s Ratigan. I can’t say we’ve ever met before. I’d remember a distinguished kitsune like yourself if we had.”

“Trying to butter me up, huh?”

“Is it working?”

“Maybe a little.” Aki then looked at the game. It was a kind of hunting-themed game, with a pellet-shooting rifle and metal ducks with targets on their bodies. “Hm… How does this game work, exactly?”

“It’s quite simple, really. That rifle can hold a total of ten shots. The goal, of course, is to knock down the ducks! If you can knock down ten ducks, you win a prize! If you can knock down the goose as well, you win the BIG prize, such as that fox doll up there,” Ratigan pointed with his cane. “Of course, if you don’t hit enough, you get squat. Them’s the rules, take it or leave it.”

Jaune stepped up and asked Aki, “You really want that doll?”

“Yeah!” Aki said excitedly.

“Then let’s do this,” Jaune said to Ratigan. “I’ve handled rifles before. Should be no problem.”

“Confident! I like it. Just remember: your best bet for knocking the targets down is hitting them dead center. If you only hit a corner of the target, there’s a good chance they won’t fall, so make sure your aim is straight and true.”

Jaune slid Ratigan the entry fee. “Just give me the gun already.”

Ratigan counted the dollars and said, “You got it.”

Aki couldn’t help but be surprised by Jaune. He had never seen his friend so serious before. As the man took up the rifle, put the butt against his shoulder, and looked down the iron sight, Aki thought, Wow… I know I called him a dork earlier, but he… Looks pretty cool right now.

Despite the cool aura Jaune gave off, he didn’t get enough to win a prize the first time. Or the second time. Or the third time…

“Ah, almost, almost! You can give up now if you want. I wouldn’t blame you…” said Ratigan, a twinkle in his eye.

“Sorry, but my friend wants that fox doll, so I’m getting him that fox doll,” said Jaune.

Ratigan smirked. “So be it!”

“Are you sure about this?” Aki asked. “We could always do something else…”

“You don’t understand,” said Jaune. “It’s not just about helping you. It’s… A matter of pride. I used to go to marksmanship contests all the time when I was growing up. I helped my mother hunt. I can’t just let a carnival game beat me.”

Aki nodded. “Then do your thing. I know you can do this!”

Despite Aki’s words of encouragement, though, Jaune still struggled to win that prize. The goose in particular seemed to be a difficult target. It was larger, but faster, and anything shy of a perfect shot barely made it budge. Then, Aki noticed something peculiar. He saw Jaune make a clean shot on a target, dead center just like Ratigan said he should, but it didn’t fall. Not at first, at least. There was a small delay between the hit and the target falling over.

Wait… What was that?

Stranger still, Ratigan was watching the targets as well. He expected someone manning a booth to not pay much attention. And yet, Ratigan was watching the targets like a hawk.

Hold on, his arm. Did it just move?

Aki watched closely, and every once and a while, Aki saw Ratigan’s arm move ever so slightly, like he was hitting something behind the cover of his booth. He didn’t know what, but at this point he was certain something foul was afoot. When the game was over, Aki walked up and said, “Okay, let me try.”

“Are you sure?” asked Jaune.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Aki slid Ratigan a few dollars for the entry fee, but instead of taking the rifle, he picked up a rock and hucked it right at the goose. Not only did it hit the goose dead center, but it didn’t move at all. Everyone nearby was so shocked; they didn’t say a word.

“W-what the hell was that?!” shouted Ratigan. “Are you trying to break my game?”

“I can’t break something that’s already broken. This whole thing is rigged!”

“No it’s not!” Ratigan slammed his fist. “The pellets set off the targets! A rock wouldn’t make them fall!”

“But all you said was that they needed to be hit dead center. Why would a tiny pellet be enough, but a rock wouldn’t?”

“That… Is strange,” said Jaune, rubbing his chin.

“You two are just crazy. I already laid out all of my rules, so if you don’t like the game, you can go somewhere else.”

“What’s going on?” said a nearby security guard.

“Ah, officer! Thank heavens! These two are trying to break my game!”

“You are?” the guard asked.

“I’m doing no such thing!” said Aki, his hairs standing up. “We’re getting ripped off because the game is rigged! Ratigan is pushing some buttons or something to make the targets fall! The timing is all off! Here, I’ll show you!”

Aki picked up another rock and hucked it at a target. This time, the target fell.

“Ha! I told you it wasn’t rigged,” said Ratigan.

“You were just prepared this time!” said Aki. “Show us what that arm of yours is doing!”

Ratigan glared, saying, “My arm is doing nothing but tapping wood. I have nothing to show you.”

“I’d like to take a look, though,” said the guard.

“B-but officer!”

“If you don’t have anything to hide, what’s the problem?” asked Aki.

“It’s a violation of my rights! I am a perfectly legitimate businessman, and this is my perfectly legitimate business!” Ratigan pointed with his cane.

“Then what does this do?” the officer asked from behind the booth. Ratigan jumped from the guard getting close so suddenly. Then a few taps later, Aki and Jaune watched as targets just… Fell. “Huh. So it really is rigged.”

Aki turned and gave Ratigan the stink eye. To this, Ratigan said, “Hold on, there’s a perfectly good reason for this.”

Of course, the guard was radioing in, talking with a superior officer to see what he should do. Based on the conversation, carnival staff got involved as well, and by the end, Aki heard, “… The dunk tank? If you say so,” from the guard. The guard then turned to Ratigan and said, “Come with me. The staff have a new job for you.”

Ratigan wasn’t so eager to comply, so the guard had to drag him along. The dwarf kicked and yelled, “Get your hands off of me! I have rights, you know! I have riiiiights!!!” until he disappeared into the crowd.

“You know, I kinda feel bad for him,” said Jaune.

“I don’t,” Aki crossed his arms. “He must have cheated you out of fifty bucks! Speaking of which…” Aki climbed onto the booth and pulled the fox doll down. “I think you earned this.”

As Jaune looked at the fox doll, he said, “But… I was trying to get it for you.”

“Well yeah, I get that, but…”

“Go on, it’s okay. It’s yours,” Jaune smiled.

“You don’t even want a look? All riiiight. But it’s mine forever now.”

A bead of sweat slipped down Jaune’s face as he said, “Well… I wouldn’t mind looking at it for a little bit…”

“Nope!” Aki pulled it away. “No takebacks. His name is Ivan and he’s mine now.”

Jaune’s shoulders drooped at this, and he said, “Dang. I hope he makes you happy.” Jaune then looked around and said, “Shoot, it’s getting kinda late. Should we call it, or is there something else you wanted to do?”

Aki looked around as well. It was dark but it wasn’t quite time to leave. Then he noticed the Ferris wheel light up in the distance and said, “There is one thing we could do.”

---

Aki and Jaune arrived at the line for the Ferris wheel. Only couples were in line – mostly guys and girls. Aki’s ears drooped at the sight, hiding part of his head behind Ivan.

“What’s wrong? Are you nervous?” asked Jaune.

The kitsune’s heart started to beat fast. He didn’t know what to say, so he spoke in a purposefully deep voice from behind Ivan, holding the doll up and puppeteering its limbs.

“Ivan says he’s scared of heights, so he’d feel a whole lot better if someone held his paw.”

Jaune smirked and said, “All right, if that makes you feel better.” He then grabbed Ivan by the right paw while Aki held onto Ivan’s left paw. Aki felt dumb over the whole thing, and yet… It was nice of Jaune to go along with it. He wasn’t sure if his friend knew what was up or not. Frankly even Aki wasn’t sure. Was his heart beating fast because of the Ferris wheel, knowing the day was almost over, or… Something else?

After a bit of waiting, the pair were finally let onto the Ferris wheel. They sat across from each other, with Ivan to Aki’s right. Then the wheel started turning, and they rose further and further into the air. The slight shaking of the cart made Aki tense up even more and he practically went stiff. But then… He looked to his left out the window. He could see most of Benard City in the distance, the lights of its cars and buildings sparkling in the night and dancing across the river between the carnival and downtown. It was… beautiful. All the tense, nasty feelings welling up inside Aki just sort of disappeared. Even Jaune seemed in awe, as Aki looked over and saw his friend looking out the window wide-eyed too.

“Woooow. That’s really the city we’re from, huh? It looks so different from up here,” said Jaune.

“It really does. That’s why I like the night so much,” said Aki. “You get to see the other side of the things you’re familiar with…”

When they reached the top, everything seemed quiet. Aki saw the way the Ferris wheel’s lights hit Jaune’s face, making his skin and eyes look as pretty as the sight outside. The sensation in Aki’s chest intensified once more, and he couldn’t help but grip his knees. Why was he feeling this way? He had known Jaune for such a long time. What was it about tonight that made him feel such… Longing?

“Jaune, I know this seems kinda out of left field, but… I think I li-”

Before he could finish, Aki’s words were interrupted by the boom of fireworks. Pop after pop, fireworks flew up into the sky and burst into a dazzling display of colors. Once more, the pair was in awe, yet at the same time, Aki felt… Disappointed. He had worked up the courage to say what was on his mind, but he had been cut off. He sighed, feeling like he’d never get that chance ever again.

When the ride was over, Aki walked slowly. He was still carrying Ivan, and he watched Jaune move on ahead, the distance between them growing more and more.

It was just one outing. Why am I making such a big deal out of this? Is it really so… Important?

Then they were at the bus stop. Jaune was looking around, but for what, Aki wasn’t sure. They were the only ones there, so perhaps it was for the bus?

“Hey Aki,” said Jaune. “About what you said earlier… I think I like you too.”

“What?!”

Aki’s face got flushed once again, and he hid behind Ivan in embarrassment, but Jaune pushed the plush doll down and kissed Aki on the lips. Aki froze in place. What was happening? Was it real? How could it be? This wasn’t the Jaune Aki knew! But… It was real. This was really happening. Aki felt the warmth of Jaune’s lips for just a few seconds, and then Jaune pulled back.

“That wasn’t too soon, was it?” Jaune asked, rubbing the back of his head and smiling like a dork.

Aki grabbed Jaune by his stupid sweater vest and started shaking him. “Are you telling me you wanted to kiss me and you waited until we were at the fucking BUS STOP to do it?! You could have done it anywhere! The food court, the Ferris wheel! Anywhere but here!!”

Jaune’s voice shook with his body as he said, “But you didn’t say you liked me until we were done on the Ferris wheel! I didn’t want to make a move if you weren’t into it!!”

“How could you even hear all that with those loud ass fireworks?!?”

“Because I was paying attention!!!”

Aki stopped, taking slow, deliberate breaths. He put his head on Jaune’s chest and said, “I can’t believe you… You dork.”

The pair kept their distance from one another for the rest of the night, sitting in different seats on the bus, and walking with a gap between one another. When they finally got in their dorm room, Aki just sat in silence waiting his turn while Jaune showered. Somehow, Aki couldn’t even look at Jaune.

When night came, Aki rolled around restlessly in bed. There was so much he wanted to say, but he just couldn’t. Even Jaune noticed all the kicking and rolling Aki was doing.

“Aki… What is it this time?”

Unsure how to respond, Aki talked in that deep voice again, holding up the fox doll. “Ivan said… He’s cold… And he needs someone to help warm him up.”

Jaune sighed and got out of bed, moving over to Aki’s bed. After slipping under the covers, they both laid there, staring at the ceiling while Ivan sat between them. They didn’t do anything too physical that night, but… Aki did reach out for Jaune’s hand, and he reached out his. Feeling the warmth of Jaune’s fingers intertwined with Aki’s, the kitsune fell fast asleep. The last thing he heard was from Jaune.

“Good night, Ivan, and good night, Aki. Sweet dreams…”

---

Author's Note: This was commissioned by a friend who likes to do AU-type stuff with their D&D/pathfinder character, and asked if I could do a write up of a modern slice-of-life/romance idea they had involving theirs and their spouse's characters. In the game I ran for them in the past, Aki was a kitsune sorcerer and Jaune was a sylph gun chemist. Aki is exactly as much of a hot mess as a sorcerer as he is here as a university student. Quite fun to write for, as well. This also features a guest appearance by another one of my player's characters, Ratigan, who in the normal game is a dwarf/dhampir multi-classing guy who loves gambling and swindling people, so after I got the player's permission, I slotted him in as a minor antagonist for fun. Ironically for how much Aki and Ratigan would cuss each other out in-game, they're actually pretty good friends. They just try to kill each other sometimes. You know... Friend stuff.

I like how this comm turned out and my friends liked it too! I'm glad they gave me permission to share it here. Hopefully whoever is reading this got some enjoyment out of it too. :D

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this Week #118 (Year 3/Week 14):

My 3rd re-watch of Lawrence of Arabia, David Lean’s magnificent, all-male epic and the movie that Steven Spielberg had seen more than any other film. It’s so grand that the nearly 4 hours spectacle opens with 4+ minutes of orchestral music prelude on a dark screen and includes an ‘intermission’.

It got me to realize that most all movies (maybe because of the economics of movie-financing) always show deference to authority; The influences they represent, whether government, military, religion, civil powers, or simply ‘the big man’, the rulers are always accepted as masters.

🍿  

The Garden of Words, my second anime ever, and coincidentally also my second by Makoto Shinkai (After ‘Your name’). A melancholy and poetic story about a 15-year-old aspiring shoe-maker student who keeps meeting a woman skipping work on a park bench at the beautiful Shinjuku Gyo-en gardens during the raining season. Gorgeous visuals of nature and rain.

The Wikipedia page for this film is nearly as long as the one for Obama!

🍿

3 more terrific debut films by young female directors:

🍿 For some unclear reasons, I’ve seen a large number of Parisian high school dramas recently. Spring blossom is one of the best. A gentle drama of a shy 16 year old girl who falls in love with a 35 man she sees outside a local theater.

And like Quinn Shephard’s ‘Blame’, it’s twice as impressive, because it was written by the talented Suzanne Lindon when she was only 15, and she directed it and starred in it before she was 20. Je l'adore! 8/10.

🍿 The Hive, my first film from Kosovo. Another on my growing list of “Debut films directed by female filmmakers”. The “first film in Sundance Festival history to win all three main awards – the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award and the Directing Award – in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition”. Based on a true story, it tells simply but touchingly about a war widow who started a small business, making homemade Ajvar and empowering the women in her village. Highly recommended. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. And of course, reminiscent of the Macedonian documentary ‘Honeyland’. 8/10.

🍿 Rye Lane, a cute new rom-com about two young black South London strangers who meet at random and spend the day getting to know each other. Fresh and original.

🍿  

My 7th by Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki. Every time I watch another of his movies, I get elated. There is nobody who make movies like him, he’s one of a kind. The man without a past, the second of his “Losers” trilogy, opens with a cinematic gut pinch and doesn’t let go until the end. My favorite of all his films so far?...

The trailer. 9/10.

🍿    

The Hollywood Reporter Critics put out a new list of their ‘50 best films of the first 21 years of the 21st century’, and I decided to go through the ones I haven’t seen yet.

First was Far from Heaven, my 4th tragedy by Todd Haynes. A precursor to his masterful ‘Carol’, this is another Douglas Sirk-inspired melodrama of oppression and unrequited desire in middle class America of the mid 50′s. Drenched in luminous colors over all (except of the scenes of illicit dangers, in the gay bar and black cafe), and accompanied by another expansive score, it’s a devastating tale of the price of conformity. The husband who can’t control his homosexual urges, and the wife who falls for a black gardener are doomed, and their lives will be shattered. The poor players had simply nowhere to go. 8/10.

🍿 

‘Today I learned’ about ‘Elite Panic’ describing the “behavior of members of the elite during disaster events, typically characterized by a fear of civil disorder” and the shifting of focus away from disaster relief towards implementing measures of "command and control".

New order, my third memorable film by Mexican auteur Michel Franco (after the terrific ‘Sundown’ and the disturbing ‘April’s daughter’) describes a society collapsing, the exact moment when the shit finally hits the fan, when the riots on the TV screen cross over and knock on your door. It’s a brutal and unforgiving story, ugly, violent and without any sentimental sympathy. Shocking anarchy escalates quickly when the pressure gets too much.

When the revolution comes down, it will bring some serious bloodshed. No wonder the greatest boogieman the ruling class warns us all about is “Class Warfare”. The most distressing film of the week - 9/10!

🍿  

To catch a thief, Hitchock’s romantic thriller. The Good: Grace Kelly on the French Riviera, the ultimate glamour of the lifestyles of the rich and famous at Cannes and Nice, Hitchcock’s first (?) use of helicopter shots and modern car chases. The Bad: The genre roles & sexual politics of the husband-seeking unmarried young woman would not fly today.

I watched it solely because of this clip.

🍿 

2 with Brigitte Fossey (of ‘Jeux interdits’):

🍿 “...The square is mine!...”

I forgot that she played the grown-up Elena in Cinema Paradiso, one of Ennio Morricone’s most popular movies. And yes, without his magnificent score, the 3-hour long nostalgic trip to the heart of cinema, would not be half as enjoyable.

The question that was not well-answered was: Why did he not bother to visit his mother for 30 year? (Re-watch).

🍿 The happy road, a mediocre 1957 children comedy about 10 year old American boy and French girl, who escape from a Swiss boarding school, and hitchhike to Paris. Directed by and starring Gene Kelly, falling for the girl’s mother. 3/10.

🍿    

Inside, the new Willem Defoe survival thriller. He’s an art thief who breaks into a hi-end NYC penthouse of a wealthy art collector, intending to steal 3 paintings by Egon Schiele. But the security system traps him inside, and he’s unable to escape for many months. Captivating hi-concept and one-trick film, but a bit too long. 6/10.

🍿    

...”Never forget how much he loved you, Kubo”...

After being seriously obsessed with everything ‘Coraline’ all of last year, Adora moved on to Laika Studio’s next stop-motion animated story Kubo and the two strings. A Japanese-inspired action story about a one-eyed Samurai son who creates magical origami figures from his 3-stringed shamisen. But it was as if all the pretty parts were combined by an AI-engine. 4/10.

I will introduce her next to ‘The Iron Giant’, and ‘Isle of dogs’.

🍿    

First watch: The green room, one of the last few François Truffaut films I haven’t seen yet. In it, he plays a somber 1920′s journalist obsessed with death who builds a shrine to everybody he had lost. I love his human directing style, but this was a confusing mess. 2/10

🍿    

RIP, Ryuichi Sakamoto X 2:

🍿 In remembrance of his passing I started re-watching Bertolucci’s ‘The Last Emperor’, but to be honest, I got bored after 30 minutes; I blame the less than HD version of my pirated copy. So maybe I’ll try it another time.

Instead, I went back to my of favorite ‘Black Mirror' episodes, and the only one he composed the score for, Smithereens. It was directed by the same man who did my other cherished story ‘Hated in the nation’, and was also about online media frenzy that spirals out of control. This ‘Tyranny of the Screens’ parable received mixed reviews, because it wasn’t futuristic enough, but for my money it is a tense thriller on par with the best of them. 10/10.

Sakamoto’s dark score is subtle and minimal. You have to strain to notice it. Perfect!

...”This is my last day!”...

🍿 Psychedelic Afternoon, a 2013 animated short, featuring David Byrne, and released to raise money for children who survived the 2011 tsunami.

🍿  

‘Mad men’ is one of the few TV-shows I've seen, and I’ve seen it 3 or 4 times (including once last year). “Hazel” of YouTube ‘Dream Dimension Productions’ analyzes one “Perfect Scene” from Season 3 finale “Shut the door, have a seat”.

A terrific breakdown, which got me to watch it again, together with a few more.

Extra: Her ‘Netflix has a content problem’, which I also agree with, as I was attempting to avoid 90% of all their content.  

🍿   Talk to her, my 3rd unsatisfying film by Pedro Almodóvar (after ‘All about my mother’ and ‘The human voice’). A twisted story about two unappealing men who befriend each other at a clinic where they both care for comatose women. His editing choices and scattered direction, constantly focusing on unrelated detail in every scene turned me off. Some artistic perversions (like a silent film clip of a tiny man entering a giant vagina) notwithstanding. I guess I’m not a fan. 4/10.

🍿   2 more by Noah Baumbach (both with Adam Driver):

🍿 The last film I saw this week was also the best one:

I started watching the new Adam Driver dinosaur fantasy ‘65′. but it felt so stupid the moment Adam Driver opened his mouth, that I had to switch it off within 5 minutes. Instead, I turn to Marriage Story again. An absolute masterpiece, so painful and so true, for all divorced couples and parents of children of divorce. (That 10 minutes long scene at the apartment was raw! - Screenshot Above). 10/10 deservedly and without any reservations. 

(And now I must see ‘Two for the road’!)

🍿 (Actually, I ended up with his uneven While we’re young, which didn’t measure up to that. The milieu of hipster millennial poseurs and Brooklyn wannabe documentary filmmakers was uninteresting, and I also can’t stand Ben Stiller.)

Still I will look for the rest of his movies I had missed.

🍿

(My complete movie list is here)

[princekirijo]

Akihiko, Mitsuru, and Shinjiro

Oh yes senpai squad let’s go

• get randomly assigned as your lab partner for a whole semester - Akihiko. I’ll be completely honest with you this is a disaster no matter who I pick because I should never be let near a lab in the first place but Akihiko would be the most fun to work with. He’s quite intelligent too so we could help each other out with tests and stuff. But neither of us have any impulse control so the lab probably will burn down. At least we’ll have fun!

• get trapped with on a broken elevator for ten hour - Mitsuru. Out of the three Mitsuru is probably the one who would be the least likely to lose her cool and stay calm in this kind of situation so she’s definitely the one I’d go with here. 10 hours is more than enough time to get to know a person and she would be the one I’d want to get to know the most. Also I feel like Shinji would get pissed with me after an hour and Akihiko and me would spar for fun and break the elevator even more...

• get as my employee trainer for my new job at McDonalds - Shinjiro. This was a difficult one to choose but I feel like Shinjiro would actually be a really good mentor (he is kind under that hard exterior). As a bonus he would be really good at dealing with any rude or unsavory customers too. 

[ibuki-loves-you]

You have awoken meeee, the OC disaster machineeeee! Under the cut, cause I have wayyy too many- I'm keeping most of it short lol.

Ikei Kazuto

Ultimate: Seamstress

Backstory: He comes from a slightly poor family who owned a tailor shop. He was criticized for being "girly," for knitting and sewing. That created most of his insecurities and his self-doubt. Not very confident anymore, in himself or his capabilities.

Extra: Man is our protag! Our super insecure protag- He is bisexual, but more Yoshindo-sexual to be precise, preferring him over, well, everything-

Yoshindo Hiro

Ultimate: Technician

Backstory: N/A

Extra: Is actually like a programmer, hacker, tech fixer mashup. Is gay. Likes Ikei. Died for Ikei. Details can be given lol.

Akahiya Yoshimoto

TW: Rape mention, Homophobe

Ultimate: Heiress

Backstory: Need I say much? She was born into the Yoshimoto family, a higher branch similar to Togami corp. They were actually fiancees at a point in time. She was rap3d by her homophobic father so he could prove that if you have s3x with a guy, you're not gay. Which, clearly, caused her some PTSD and trauma.

Extra: She's secretly dating her bodyguard and no, it's not a cliche plot like they can't love each other. I mean, they can't, but no one is forcing anything on the other. Shizuo actually respects Akahiya's position and stands by, letting her love just sit there and hope they were in more fortunate circumstances.

Shizuo Nakajima

Ultimate: Bodyguard

Backstory: Her family has sworn loyalty to the Yoshimoto Corp for saving their lives from poverty. The Yoshimotos, despite raping their daughter, are somewhat kind? Unless you bring up gay relationships to the father, you'll be fine. Shizuo has dedicated her life to protect the current generation and the others to come.

Extra: Is willing to lay down her life for anyone else, regardless of status, wealth etc because everyone deserves to live, regardless of what they've done. Unless it's murder. Shizuo can't condone murder.

Aki Miiyaro

Ultimate: Stunt Performer

Backstory: She's always been an acrobat since birth, before she became a stunt performer, she uploaded her parkour videos online in hopes of becoming a legit one. Soon because of her good looks and acrobat skills, she was hired to star in an action movie with a female lead! Her brother soon became a movie fanatic of her movies to cheer her on and ended up becoming enamoured with action movies!

Extra: Her brother and her act fairly different! She has a foul mouth while he is pretty polite. She's super hot-headed while he could wait days for someone to apologize.

Kai Miiyaro

Ultimate: Action Movie Fanatic

Backstory: It was only until his sister got a job as a lead stunt performer in an action movie that he became intrigued by them.

Extra: He recommends all his sisters' movies to his friends!

Ichiki Kazuhara

Ultimate: Doctor

Backstory: N/A

Extra: She is fairly short, making people assume her age, which she hates.

Tsukishiro/Yuuki Onishiba

Ultimate: Casino Dealer

Backstory: His father was a gambler who ended up in so much debt, that he was going to sell off his daughter. Yuuki, who loved his sister and loathed his father, had to prevent this. So, he started looking for a job, something to pay off the debt. He was offered a very job at the casino where his father lost all his money, coincidentally. But the money he earned wasn't enough so he was hired by the debt collectors. He was forced to kill or his sister would be given to them.

Extra: Man loves his sister so much, he would die for her. His alias is Tsukishiro because it means White Moon and his sister loves the moon. He uses his alias in the killing game to hide his identity as he doesn't trust anyone but himself.

Yuuna Onishiba

Ultimate: Cheerleader

Backstory: Well, this is Tsukishiro's younger sister.

Extra: After her brother got kidnapped, she ran away from home in search of him. She began attending a high school under the guise of a foreign exchange student from her brother's co-worker's help. She started cheerleading as a hobby and began to like it a lot.

Shuro Kakeru

Ultimate: Actor

Backstory: No idea yet ;-; Maybe something like he constantly had to hide his emotions for a reason and he got used to acting happy?

Extra: He is super rude and non-chalant. He acts like he would only want to profit himself but actually finds that he's unworthy of everything-

Ayuki Sasuka

Ultimate: Jester

Backstory: N/A

Extra: She's super bubbly and bright. She loves hanging out with Hibiki and really wants to break Hibiki out of her shell.

Hibiki Hanase

Ultimate: Florist

Backstory: Her parents owned a flower shop together and she adored flowers because of how pretty they were. She's always been timid and shy because she's not completely sure how to approach others.

Extra: She's my first canonly demiromantic character! She is also Ace!

IM SOBBING OMGGGGG

I NEED TO KNOW HOW HE DIED FOR IKEI AND I JUST- I LOVE HOW THOUGHT OUT YOUR CHARACTERS ARE!!! THEYRE SO GOOD CRIESSSSS - MOD IBUKI

[laisaxrem]

Chapters: 11/31 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto & Hatake Megumi (OC), Uzumaki Naruto & Hatake Aki (OC), Haruno Sakura / Hatake Kakashi Characters: Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Megumi (OC), Hatake Aki (OC) Additional Tags: Haruno Sakura-centric, One Shot Collection, they are all about the same AU, Sakura Month 2021. Day 11: Candy Floss, Naruto makes candy floss with Rasengan, yeah I don't know why, I wasn’t drunk I swear Summary:

Sakura entrusts her two children to Naruto for an afternoon.

@harunosakuraserver

.

.

I Am the Candyman

Sakura was slightly worried.

That afternoon she had been called to the hospital for an emergency surgery on some ANBUs and since Kakashi was on a diplomatic mission to Suna with Gai and their other regular babysitters were somehow busy or out of the Village, Sakura had left her five-years-old daughter and three-year-old son in Naruto cares. And that wasn’t why she was worried, really: Naruto was wonderful with her children and Megumi and Aki loved him. The Hokage had also kept her informed all afternoon about their movements and activities: first they had stayed in the office to work (aka: painting) and after a couple of hours Naruto had brought the children to the festival through the streets of the Village.

And that was what worried her. She knew her children and she knew Naruto and she knew that leaving them free to roam unsupervised in a matsuri was an insured disaster. And indeed there was no way to find them. What the hell, it was the Hokage and two three-foot-tall children, how was it possible that no one knew where they were?

In the end Sakura decided that there were only two places they could have gone, her house or Naruto’s house, and she decided to try both.

When she walked through the front door of her house, Sakura knew she had found them… and immediately knew that something was wrong. Leaving her sandals badly in the genkan, the woman hurried to the kitchen following a strange smell, like something burned, and she stopped at the door.

Her two children were standing on the peninsula stools, both held steady by Naruto behind them, both with wooden sticks in their hands that fluttered in the air as they hopped decidedly overexcited. The worrying thing, however, were the three Naruto clones next to the oven, one with a Rasengan swirling on his hand, the second blowing fire into it and the other dropping a pink powder on it.

«What’s going on in here?!» she asked in a very loud voice and instantly six pairs of wide eyes stared at her.

«Err… Sakura-chan… You’re back early», Naruto stammered.

«Yeah, and you forgot to tell me you weren’t at the matsuri anymore», she scolded, crossing her arms over her chest.

«Err…»

«Again, what’s going on here?» she repeated as she took a couple of steps forward. «Why did you create a Rasengan in my kitchen?»

«Err…»

«Kāchan, kāchan!» Megumi intervened as she jumped off the stool gracefully and walked towards her in a swirl of pink. «Naruto-ojiji is making candy floss for us!» she exclaimed excitedly, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the island.

«He what?»

«Aki-chan wanted candy floss but it was finished and Naruto-ojiji said we could do it ourselves», her daughter continued, pointing excitedly at the three clones who had petrified since her arrival. Well, that Rasengan made sense, at least. It remained a tremendously stupid thing to do indoors, but it made sense.

«Ah is that so?»

«Yes, okāsan. Are you angry?» Aki intervened, green eyes wide open.

Ah, damn, that kid was able to make her do anything.

«It depends», she began slowly, her voice still menacing. «I hope you have enough sugar to make me one too».

The children jumped for joy and Naruto smiled radiantly.

«Obviously, Sakura-chan».

[sugaandyams]

What are Koba senpai's opinions on his teammates and managers? (Opinions on personalities, skills whatever, just go wild winks winks)

This took a while hahahaha, thanks for the ask!!! :D

Third years:

Aki, captain, @starbubs -Koba had strong feelings for him even before his crush started. I mean, who wouldn’t? Aki is a cinnamon roll that must be protected (even though he’s a secret sinnamon roll); he first spot Aki and went “I must protect.” Koba admires how caring Aki is, and how he can let loose a lot (which is something Koba sometimes has trouble with unless it’s at a function like team sleepovers). Koba started crushing on him in second year, and has become the famous gay disaster we all know and love. Aki and the other third years are really the only ones who can get him to reel back if he’s ever being a troublemaker or too sassy.

“Don’t fucking curse in front of Aki-kun” -Koba to Sango

Tatsuo, ace, @tetsuyaku -Koba’s crush on Tatsuo hit him like a truck during third year. Much like with Tatsuo, Koba has protective instincts for the ace even before his crush. Whenever Tatsuo is directly sassy or sarcastic, Koba is a little taken aback because usually Tatsuo isn’t like that around the team, but he finds all Tatsuo’s remarks funny. When he starts crushing on Tatsuo, Koba notices Tatsuo’s quirks more and has to try not to stand too close to him, for fear of stuttering and blushing madly.

“Even though he can kick my ass, I must protect him”

Chihiro, manager- Koba has always liked Chihiro, she’s sassy so they get along well. Koba likes to help her with anything because she does a lot for the team. They sometimes gossip about the team, even though Koba is one of those people that claims, “I hate gossip.” He knows how to braid hair and how to do other hairstyles since he does them for his little sister’s hair whenever she has a dance recital, so many times people catch him doing Chihiro’s hair. Sometimes she’s the guinea pig for styles he wants to surprise Kotoe with.

“if I wasn’t gay, she’s the kind of girl I’d go for, because I know she’s out of my league”

Second years:

Sango, libero-, @celestisnothere -Koba thinks of them as the team’s most chaotic little shit. After the incident where they were both cleaning banners and got in touch with their emotions and serious issues, Koba feels more in touch with Sango. Even though they have a weird relationship that is half-bickering, quarter-flirting, quarter- “what the fuck are you doing, Sango,” Koba really appreciates everything that the libero has done for him.

“You thirsty hoe” -Koba whenever Sango mentions someone they find attractive

Hikari, middle blocker, @brokurooo -whenever a crash happens, Koba automatically assumes Hikari (as well as the other second years) were involved with it. And he’s usually right. He has a similar relationship with Hikari as he does with Sango, though a little more lowkey (as in, Hikari and Koba don’t bicker as much, and they don’t flirt). Thinks his hair is cool.

“Chaotic gecko with great snack tastes”

Kouki, setter, @kunimiiakiraa / @yellowwclouds -Koba finds Kouki’s humor funny, since a lot of times it’s dry and witty. Kouki is probably his favorite setter he’s had, including the team’s old setter and his middle school setters, because Kouki knows how to set really well for each person. He always makes sure Kouki (and all the kouhai) to come to him if they need anything. Whenever the second years do something really dumb, Koba will sighs and ask why Kouki didn’t stop them (but he always knows the answer). Also glasses squad for the win.

“The reasonable one of the chaotic trifecta, which doesn’t say much” -Koba about Kouki

which translates to “kinda like being the tallest dwarf” -Veronica Sawyer, Heathers musical

First years:

Duda, middle blocker, @bia-trees -a pure bean that must be protected. He melts whenever he sees Duda crafting something. Totally teared up when Duda gave the team gecko charms. Duda is pretty quiet but Koba still tries to get to know them and be a good senpai. He’s asked Duda if they’d teach him how to fold some animals to surprise Kotoe (and two other certain people later, hint hint). Also likes his dyed hair.

“I don’t know how they ended up with our mess of a team, but godspeed”

Saru, middle blocker, @ennobaka -another pure bean that must be protected. Koba finds it adorable that Saru is always scribbling about the team and when he finds out that Saru does it to help with anxiety, he makes a point of finding really cute notepads and pens/pencils to give him (gecko stationary, anyone?). After being sassed-out by Saru concerning cursing, he tries not to curse too much in front of him. Generally finds Saru adorable.

“The cutest monkey I’ve ever seen”

Yuki, manager- the third bean that must be protected. Koba smiles to himself whenever he sees Yuki’s fun socks (and totally asks where to get some because he secretly wants some). Loves Yuki’s baking because Yuki is really good at it but even if he wasn’t, Koba would still eat it because he’s a good senpai, even if he’s a tsunderes. Because Yuki looks so pure, he’s surprised whenever Yuki roasts anyone, but finds it hilarious.

“And here I thought Yuki couldn’t get any cuter” -Koba after Yuki does pretty much anything            

[victorian-mlm]

📚- it’s a modern fantasy and there is one (1) cishet character, magic, and sage and aki are shapeshifters, sage’s family can turn into european wildcats and he doesn’t have the best handle on it so sometimes leo will wake up next to a cat instead of a sage. aki’s family can turn into tanuki and i love them. sage and leo meet on a ski lift and get stuck in mutual pining hell until aki makes sage ask him out. aki’s the only non-disaster aside from my main character olive to be honest

i trust aki with my life!! it sounds fun and i need a rundown of the entire plot tbh. it's very good that you've got queer characters in it, especially if it's all original, because even if it reaches a small audience, it's great to feel represented. the more mainstream we can make gay and trans characters, the more likely they'll be in the mainstream. writing is a great outlet and i am so very proud of you

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews… Blood Drive (S01E02) Welcome to Pixie Swallow Airdate: June 21, 2017 @syfy Ratings: 0.627 Million :: 0.18 18-49 Demo Share Score: 3.5/10 @blooddrivesource

**********SPOILERS BELOW**********

It’s not that ‘Blood Drive’ is completely unwatchable, because it isn’t, there is certainly an undeniable improvement from E1 to E2. It’s just that as far as options go, particularly within this genre, and television as a whole… SyFy needs to do more than push the boundaries of censorship to keep viewers. The bloody, 'fuck-bomb’, Soska Sisters-wannabe series has already seen a 25% drop in overall viewers as well as that coveted 18-49 Demo Share they need for advertising income from just E1 to E2. No doubt that SyFy has some sort of deal with Amazon Prime & Netflix in place, but they’ll need more than that to secure a renewal. The last two SyFy series we’ve covered were both cancelled after 1 season, and the show we always rushed back to watch (Defiance) was mysteriously cancelled as well despite being SyFy’s too rated show… Marking the last remaining show left over from the tail end of the SyFy Network’s 'Golden Age’. 'The Magicians’ is the only series in the past several years that has actually shown an increase in interest and overall viewership as well as that coveted demo. Just for comparison sake, the universally panned 'Olympus’ averaged 0.551 Million viewers & a paltry 0.14 18-49 Demo Share. SyFy’s 'Wynona Earp’, which is now in its 2nd season is averaging below that, at 0.508 Million & an 0.12 18-49 Demo Share. We assure you, Olympus was at least cheaper to make.

Everyone knows Preacher is back on A&E, right? 'Blood Drive’s core audience seems to be those that are simply impressed with boundary pushing and had big brothers in the 80s who lined their bedroom walls with posters with models like Christie Brinkley, Tawney Kitaen, & Cindy Crawford in skimpy bathing suits with big hair and butt floss. Entering Blood Drive’s 2nd episode, the only character that seems to be of any note is Julian Slink (Colin Cunningham), his motivations besides being a blood thirsty bad ass with a scary demon/deep voiced/possible woman robot boss with multiple copies, Aki (Marama Corbett), who may or may not kill him depending on whatever she feels like doing at the time for no reason whatsoever, are vague and unclear. She loves that Slink showed initiative and killed the over-eager new head of maintenance with the bottom side of a briefcase in the public view of the Heart Enterprises waiting room, so that will buy him time to take the 'Blood Drive’ race on the air to see if they can register better numbers than the SyFy channel. He better hope that he does, though honestly he doesn’t look to thrilled about the idea. Lucky for him, SyFy numbers aren’t hard to beat.

While the race is without its host and partially unsupervised, Good Cop Arthur Bailey (Alan Ritchson) and Bad Ass Female Driver w/little to no character motivation, Grace Argento (Christina Ochoa) take a break from fucking in the front seat of their blood thirsty car that records everything they do and head to 'Pixie Swallow’. Charming, I know. While the 15 year old boys in the audience are stuffing their stiff socks from last week under their bed with an old pizza box, they ready another pair from the dirty pair as the pair checks into a creepy hotel after stealing an Elvis impersonator’s room key. Unfortunately for them, it’s not Arthur & Grace having hot car sex this week (Anyone remember that one movie 'Crash’, the NC-17 one where there was a group of ppl that were obsessed with fucking while crashing cars? Sorry 🚨 ADHD thought alert 🚨).

This week on the 'Blood Drive’ menu, our sex scene is a gay anal scene between a very frail, unkempt and dirty looking 'The Scholar’ (Darren Kent) and a very old, crusty creeper that looks like he could be the cousin of 'The Tallman’ from a parallel universe in 'Phantasm’, but dystopian damaged, and possibly inbred. Yup, I’m talking about 'The Gentleman’ (Andrew Hall). The Scholar professes his love to The Gentleman, but The Gentleman turns his love and affection into hard pumps into The Scholar’s ass. I have a sneaking suspicion that this dude didn’t even spit on it for Christ’s Sake. The Gentleman tells The Scholar tells him that once they win that he can basically fuck off, no going to Bjork’s unpronounceable hometown for him! This makes zero sense for 'The Gentleman’s character. If you want yo get ahead, you wait to screw people over. 2nd episode admittance is kind of like signing your on death warrant in the least original or interesting way possible.

The most revolting two people two have ever starred in a gay sex scene on cable television (is there an award for that? MTV maybe? Possibly the European MTV Awards?) isn’t all that’s on the menu for this round of 'Blood Drive’. The diner connected to the hotel is run by a family of possibly incestual rednecks who are using human meat to make steaks and burgers. This whole schtick has been done to death, nothing new to see here. Anyone remember that bad ass Horror/Exploitation film from 1980 called 'Motel Hell’ or the 80’s film 'Blood Diner’? Well combining two films that are both 30-35 years old doesn’t exactly scream originality. Slightly entertaining? Not really, possibly, sort-of. It’s hard to care. I did mention that 'Preacher’ just started S2 on AMC right! 🚨ADHD thought alert! 🚨 There went another one.

Somewhere along the line, Arthur and The Scholar end up in the diner together, connecting over their disconnection with their driving partners. Arthur is eating his rare burger (ewe, steak ok, tuna ok, but rare human burgers? At least Mid-Well, dawg) and while he’s chewing down he finds one of the fingers from one of the women from the cast of TNT’s 'Claws’. Arthur, of course, investigates and for a reason that wasn’t exactly crystal clear, the owners freak out and a bunch of cannibals take over the hotel. Meanwhile, Arthur’s partner Chris (Thomas Dominique), wakes up at Heart Enterprises and they let him roam around the building, but first they tell him he had 9 erections while he was sleeping. No news as to whether those erections were resituated or grabbed, pulled forward, then let go to smack Chris’ stomach and make a fun noise. Unfortunately, we never find out what happened with those 9 erections and now I’ll forever be haunted by the mystery. In what is the most entertaining scene of the entire episode, Chris goes through Heart Enterprises’ 'Orientation’ and the Aki copy show’s a deep appreciation for her part in the orientation video. The lines are on par, proving that once again, surrounded by total muck and poorly executed ideas, there are some fun moments to be had in 'Blood Drive’.

Apparently great earthquakes created a great scar in the middle of the United States and instead of running from it like everyone else, Heart Enterprises ran toward it… Finding incredible resources in 'The Scar’, such as; “unstable minerals, morally questionable fuel alternatives, unnatural gasses, and deep wells of unidentifiable glowing goo with properties far beyond the realm of modern science. The world ecological disaster was our economical windfall. And now we share with you, the newest member of Heart, the fruits of our labor… We Heart You.” Aki even mouths the words to 'her part’ and makes a heart with her hands as she repeats, “We Heart You.” The scene gets better… Apparently Chris is what this show has been missing. His back and forth with Aki embodies the exact type of silliness, dark undertones, and comedic timing that the Exploitation genre calls for. Chris even calls the Aki copy 'Small Wonder’… Vicky The Robot, anyone?! Aki tells Chris he’s free to roam the building and can leave anytime, but she’s pretty confident that he will stay and join them… So he’s free, but he’s not to contact his partner or anyone else for that matter or he’ll be 'modified’… Behaviorally. Ok. This entire scene just made the rest of this episode completely worthwhile.

There’s some seriously weird shit that goes down in the hallways of Heart Enterprises and again I’d much rather follow Chris, Aki (the many versions), and Slink. These three outweigh our main protagonists by a landslide. That’s not how 'Blood Drive’ is going to work though… And while Arthur, Grace, and The Gentleman search for The Scholar to fix their cars, Chris is returning Arthur’s message and filling him in on the drama going on at Heart… Probably not such a great move, but hey… Blood Drive! There’s a convenient sob story about Grace’s sister and I just thought of how much laundry I have to do… Seriously. 🚨 ADHD thought alert #3! 🚨 Heart and the asylum that Grace’s sister happen to be in are connected. Apparently instead of getting on with the race, they’ll be stopping in that very asylum in the next episode. Back to Chris! I’ve suddenly forgot all about my laundry! Chris is going to stay at Heart and work with them and pledges to one of the Aki Copies his obviously fake as shit loyalty. She accepts. She also delivers on her promise to 'modify’ him as she’s quite aware that he contacted his partner… Former partner, now as behavior modifications are underway. More Chris. More Aki. More Slink. Less everything else.