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colorseeingchick · 4 years

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Extremities

Summary: A fire alarm kicks you and your classmates outside in the middle of a chilly winter- and all your luck has just about run out. But in the midst of the icy situation, your best friend Kuroo manages to warm your heart.

Warnings: Swearing, fluff, “unrequited” pining

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: based off something that my good friend used to do in high school, but upon further reflection, was probably MAD sus to everyone else. Anyways hope y’all like it hehe. <3

Why is it that people only manage to start chemical fires in the winter? The blaring of the fire alarm rings in your ears as you carefully hop in the deep footsteps pressed into the snow beneath you- trying very hard to ensure that the snow doesn’t accidentally hit your socks or sink into the soles of your sneakers. The cold was already seeping into your exposed skin, slowly pricking and biting at your arms and cheeks.

Of all the times for a fire alarm, it just had to be during gym. While everyone else had their winter uniforms on, you were stuck in your gym shirt and shorts. Just your luck. You bury your hands into your underarms, attempting to cling onto any remaining warmth your body could generate.

If you were going to be stuck out here, might as well be with any friend you could find. Looking for Yaku amidst the herd of tall 3rd years felt like a lost cause, so instead, you look for the beheaded giant that you call your best friend. Finding him never really seemed to be a problem for you. He stuck out for a variety of reasons, but at the moment, his wack hair was the most prominent.

You hop in footsteps as you make your way towards the spikes of raven black hair, weaving through the other students. Once you’re finally by him, you tug on his sleeve as a form of acknowledgement. He responds by looking at you and smirking (it was supposed to be a smile, but with Kuroo it always ended up looking like a smirk.)

Before you can say anything you hear a teacher say, “We could be out here for anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes class, so try and hold out until then,” while slipping mittens onto her stiff fingers.

“Yaku says most of the team is on the other side of the building with him. So I think it’s just gonna be us over here,” Kuroo types away at his phone while informing you.

You shiver and nod, the skin on the back of your neck begins to tingle as another gush of wind blows in your direction. You let out a deep breath, focusing on the crystallizing vapor that appears like smoke in front of your mouth- trying to distract yourself from the aggravating cold.

I really struck out in terms of luck, huh. You feel the cold start to climb your exposed legs, making your skin feel hypersensitive. You tried to move around in circles, doing an awkward lil shuffle, to try and keep the cold away.

“Are you waddling in a circle because you wanna be a penguin, or because you enjoy looking dumb?” Kuroo’s snarky voice pulls you out of your own head.

“Bold of you to assume penguins don’t enjoy looking dumb,” you retort, rolling your eyes.

“Well yeah, when they do it it’s cute,” he shoves his hands deeper into his pockets.

Are you saying I’m not cute? You don’t ask it. Not out loud.

“Listen, it’s not my fault there was a fire right when I was in the gym.”

“Aren’t we required to bring our track jackets to gym though?”

“I left it in my locker because I thought I would get too hot…” you know how it sounded as it left your mouth.

“So you didn’t listen to instructions?”

“...”

“This is your fault then.”

You scoff, visibly annoyed, which only causes Kuroo’s smirk to widen. That, of course, pisses you off more. He’s right, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying.

“What class were you in? Chemistry?” you change the subject, still slowly waddling while hugging yourself.

“Yeah. The fire was from our room.”

“What even happened?”

“Someone didn’t clean their beaker correctly so there were remnants of previous chemicals. When we were doing our experiments today, it just so happened to be the wrong combination- so it started the fire.”

“Don’t be shy, Kuroo. You can tell me you’re the one who started the fire, I won’t judge too hard,” you tease.

“Tsk, please. I may be an idiot but I’m not that irresponsible…” the faintest of pouts pulls at his lips.

You hum softly, and quietly say, “I know.” Considering everything that Kuroo was- clumsy and irresponsible wasn’t him. He was one of the most chaotic people you knew- only outdone by Bokuto- but he always took good care of the people around him. You usually witnessed this firsthand as the manager for your school’s volleyball team, watching him in all his captaining glory. He kept it together when they couldn’t. And he definitely kept it together when you couldn’t. Kuroo may not have been clumsy, but you definitely were.

While you’re lost in your own head, Kuroo hears his name being called out. “Oi, Y/N, I’ll be right back. One of my lab members is calling me over. Don’t freeze to death in that time”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” You dismiss him.

But now in this moment alone with no annoying cat to distract you, the cold starts to overtake you at a faster pace.

Dizzy from walking in circles, you attempt to shuffle side to side. You did little to pay attention to where you were going, though. Without realizing, you misstep, tripping over your own shoe, left foot digging into a fresh pile of snow when trying to catch yourself- the soft white fluff encasing everything below your ankle.

Shit.

The cold that had been nipping at your exterior had suddenly soaked your entire shoe and sock through- permeating through your skin and now racking your entire body with an aggressive wave of iciness.

********************************4ish minutes later***************************************

Kuroo doesn’t know about this catastrophe on his walk back over. Instead, he’s internally planning on how to continue your teasing banter, his demeanor annoying (it was supposed to be a playful one, but with Kuroo it always just ended up being annoying).

“Oya, did the cold freeze you stiff or what.”

Any patience and energy you had left has frozen over.

“I’m fine,” you deadpan.

Kuroo pauses. ...Oh no, he thinks.

If Bokuto has his emo mode, you have your moody mode. It’s a lot less predictable in comparison to Bokuto, but just as easy to remedy. A little bit of attention or a nice distraction usually does the trick.

“You’re cold,” Kuroo blatantly states.

“I'm not.” Lie of the century and a dumb answer. But on instinct, you just felt like arguing.

“I can see you shaking.” You’re indeed shaking like a leaf.

“Then there’s something wrong with your eyes then...go see an eye doctor or something.” l a m e comeback- but your brain is now freezing up, too. You don’t want to agree with him. If you do, he’d probably just lecture you for not following directions and tell you to own up to it rather than sulk. He would be absolutely correct in saying so, but you really don’t care for logic right now.

Kuroo huffs, taking a broad step into your little waddle circle and grabbing your shoulders to turn you around so you’re facing him. You shuffle back a bit at the sudden closeness, not that it did much to create distance between you two. It’s at that moment that you also realize the wind is no longer hitting your face- Kuroo’s blocking off the breeze with his back.

“Give me your hands.” Kuroo gently grabs your wrists, which were tucked under your arms. He pulls your hands up to his chest level and then proceeds to wrap his hands around your fingers.

“Kuroo wh-what are you--”

“Warming your extremities.”

“Hah?”

“Your extremities, your fingers.”

“My… what?”

“When you get cold, most of the heat in your body centralizes to your core to keep your internal organs warm. So that means the extremities of your body, such as your fingers and toes, get the coldest the fastest. They become prone to frostbite as a result and…”

Everything Kuroo says made perfect sense. Probably. You couldn’t really tell because everything also happened to be going in one ear and out the other. Even the sudden bout of irritation you had felt had suddenly disappeared. You can’t focus on anything but his hands.

They’re markedly bigger than yours. Your fingers feel so tiny in his grasp. They’re calloused from all the volleyball. His grip is strong, unmoving, but it isn’t crushing or tight. Above all, they radiate warmth. Your stiff and numb fingers regain feeling, soothed by the heat of your best friend’s hands.

You want nothing more than to look at them. You want to just see his hands wrapped around your fingers. But there was no way you were going to let Kuroo in on the fact that the physical contact stole every bit of attention you had. So instead, you just opt to blankly stare at him, pretending to listen to him nerd out.

“... it’s the most effective way to mitigate the most harmful effects of the cold. We learned all this in biology, don’t you remember?”

Still completely clueless about what Kuroo's saying, you just hum in agreement.

He lets out an exasperated sigh. “You didn’t listen to a word I said did you.” He squeezes your fingers slightly to refocus your mind on him speaking, rather than… whatever you were daydreaming about.

“Oh- uh… yeah. Sorry for spacing out…” you turn your face away from him. Spacing out was a usual occurrence for you, but for some reason when Kuroo brought attention to it this time, it had you feeling a lot more embarrassed.

He scoffs a little bit, but his voice softens as he says, “You can space out, that’s fine, no need to feel weird about it, y/n.” He squeezes your fingers again while gently stroking the pad of your pointer finger with his thumb. Flustered as it makes you, it's also very calming. Calming enough that you’re able to make stable eye contact again.

“I’m sorry for getting moody with you, Kuroo…” you murmur, sheepishly gazing up at him.

His eyes are unreadable. “You don’t have to apologize for everything, y/n. It makes me feel a little weird... Just, like- say thank you instead.”

You cock your head to the side, confused by his comment.

He takes a deep breath, the condensation thick in front of his mouth. “You saying sorry all the time, it makes it seem like you think you’re a bother or something. You’re not.” This is getting too serious for his liking. A heart to heart in the middle of a fire drill? Not happening. He has to lighten it up. “ So...instead of putting yourself down, just praise me instead. Trust me, I love every ego boost I can get.” His signature Cheshire grin slowly emerges, prompting you to roll your eyes. “So don’t say, ‘sorry I wasn’t paying attention in biology 2 years ago-’ say, ‘thank you for re-educating me like the great tutor you are, Kuroo-kun~~’”

He was a great tutor. He’s been helping you with science for 3 years.

“Or! Or- ‘sorry for letting a volleyball smash into your face,’ you can say, ‘I’m thankful I didn’t damage your gorgeous face-’”

That incident was completely accidental but hilarious anyways.

Kuroo’s nonsensical yet insightful rambling continues, and it helps the embarrassment dissipate from within your chest, amusement taking its place.

“Oi! You narcissistic cat.” Kuroo stops his rambling and just stares at you. “Thanks for being there for me… and putting up with me no matter how emotional I can be..”

Kuroo’s face twists into a smile (yes- a smile! Not a smirk this time) filled with genuine happiness. “No problem. Anything for you.”

Anything, huh.

“Do you not feel cold anymore?” Kuroo quickly realizes his hands are still enclosed around your fingers, now gently resting against his chest.

To be honest, your upper body feels like its on fire. Your face is hot and your heart is pounding like you had run 5 miles. By contrast, your lower body is frozen solid. Your skin is probably extremely cracked, and its stinging. Your feet are also blocks of ice, the revolting feeling of soaked sock ever-present. The two extreme sensations leave you feeling really uncomfortable. But your hands don’t feel hot, though. There was just the perfect amount of warmth- a tingly sensation buzzing through them and faintly running up to your heart.

“Uh, not as much. My feet are messed up but my upper body isn’t as bad.”

“Your feet? You mean your legs?” “No, my feet.”

“Heh? I get your legs- ‘cause of your shorts. But what happened to your feet? I thought you were stepping in other footsteps to avoid getting snow in them.”

“I was but uh I- kinda tripped and stepped right into the snow.”

“...”

A snort. “Dumbass. How do you even trip over your own feet?”

“...oh shut up, nerd.”

The beeps of a loudspeaker cut off your banter, indicating you could all go back inside.

“Finally!” You sigh in relief. Although you would never admit it, a part of you didn’t wanna go back in yet. Which is stupid because HELLO you’re gonna get frostbite at this point. But you really didn’t wanna pull your hands away from Kuroo. Not yet.

Physical contact had always been pretty limited to slaps on the backs during the good games and pats on the shoulders during the bad. This type of closeness was a first, but was it also going to be the last?

Regardless, you knew it would be sus if you, the person who was now essentially a walking ice cube, lingered outside longer than literally anyone else.

So you pull your hands out of his strong, warm, welcoming hold.

“I’m gonna go pour some hot water on my legs and change my shoes… I’ll see you during practice, yeah?”

Before he could respond, you turn around and hop away in the deepest footprints you can find.

You don’t seem as off as you were earlier, but now you were acting weird in a different way. Kuroo stands there for a second, but once he realizes that he can’t figure you out, he just sighs. Clueless as ever, he shrugs, stuffs his hands into his pockets, and then heads in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As you situate yourself in the bathroom and wipe down your legs with a towel soaked in hot water, you let the series of events finally sink into your slowly dethawing head. You aren’t sure if your face is warm to fight the cold or because of embarrassment.

Pleasant as it was, you knew you couldn’t dwell on the things that just happened with Kuroo. Not for too long, at least. He was one of your closest friends- but just that. So you would have to freeze away whatever wack feelings that were dancing in your chest. It would be better that way for now.

That’s what you’re gonna tell yourself, at least.

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #haikyu #haikyu oneshot #haikyu fluff #tetsurou kuroo #kuroo tetsurou #kuroo #kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo oneshot #haikyu imagines #haikyu oneshots #haikyuu fluff #nerdy kuroo #should i make a part 2?#haikyu pining #colorseeingchick writes

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espship18 · 4 years

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Kpop ship for angellus

Hey y’all heyyyyy :3 How are y’all? It’s not even 10 am yet as I’m writing this and I’ve had one heck of a day~ I am here with a ship for @angellus ! I’m excited for this ship, so let’s do this!

Based off of your request, I learned these things about you:

You’re 5′2 with curly brown hair and green eyes

You’re quiet but you can get very quirky and lovable

A joke crakcer omg hit me up I got some good ones!

A big ol’ softie

Interest/hobbies include: watching movies, reading, drawing, and cooking

In uni, studying film

And you’re also family oriented

And in your request, you asked to be shipped with EXO, Got7, iKon, and NCT! I am hekka excited for this ship so sit down, buckle up, and here we go!

EXO: Chanyeol

Okay so this is only group one, but I am already so smitten over you and Chan. I don’t wanna do the normal tall or short ordeal but come on, the height difference is so stinking cute and it’s the cherry on top as to why I love you two so much. You also get a gentle giant all to yourself, what is there not to love?! You two combined as a couple, you two would be so proactive. Like, you’re in school, learning new languages, going around the world for internships, Chanyeol has his career in full swing, and you two are heavily involved in each others career paths. Your career hopes is just an add in to Chanyeol’s career, so like, there wouldn’t be a doubt in my mind that you’re with Chanyeol at his work whenever you can be, and it’s just a great learning opportunity! You’re literally getting so much experience in different parts of film and producing, and Chanyeol would literally show you and every opportunity he could! And our Channie is a smart boy, and he loves to learn as well, so there is no doubt in my mind that Chanyeol would like to dabble into your interests as well and see you take charge in an area he’s not very good in. And I think a really cute example of Chanyeol taking you along to work with him would be taking you to a variety show filming. Chanyeol would be an even extra crackhead that day too, so on top of seeing the industry and Chanyeol, it was a perfect day. And I will be the first to say that Chanyeol is going to treat you like a queen, he’ll even get you a staff and crown, and that’s a big ol’ truth bomb right there. He’s needy, he’s respectful, he’s gentle, lovable, he’s just everything anymore that you could’ve asked for. He would be thinking about you always, and if he was out or you were away, he would get little trinkets of things that reminded him of you. Whether it’s from your birthstone to a little camera key chain, you would have this big collection of bit and bobs from your special man. Another reason that Chanyeol is a king is because he makes time for you every week, at least once a week. For a good like, five or six hours, it’s you and Chanyeol time, and you can either go out, stay home, hang out in his studio, the world is literally your oyster. Hell, sometimes you two will literally stay home and sleep and get tangled up in each others limbs you’re so cuddled in with each other. PDA wise with Chan is all about height. He loves how there’s almost a whole 12 inch difference between you, and he would love to rest his chin on your head, playfully use your shoulders as an arm rest, or he would hug you and lift you up so he could give you kisses.

Got7: Jaebum

Moving right along, I can already tell that you two are more mild when compared to you and Chanyeol, but your bond gets even closer the more you stay in. Although you would be more than comfortable with Jaebum, your quieter side would come out more with him, and your chill vibes would work in unison with Jaebum’s perfectly! And of course, you and Jae would have the same ol’ super sweet puppy love that we all know when it comes to my blog. Omg, imagine if you two were like a business couple. Like you and Jae would work together with his Def Soul projects, whether it would be you two choosing the album or you filming some behind the scenes of really candid moments of Jae writing lyrics and recording, you two would do it all! And omg imagine making merch! That would be so stinking fun OMG! Jae would make all kinds of different bucket hats and you would make fun t-shirts and then you two would make the campaigns and do the merch shots for the website and you two would be completely self made and it’s such a badass moment for you two! Like you two would be absolute couples goals and I am living for you two. When it comes to being social, I can see you two being more of an introverted couple. You two would enjoy staying home and watching crime shows on Netflix, but that doesn’t mean that you’re completely hermits. You two would go on museum trips and go on double dates with your friends. Jaebum would also like to take you on little shopping trips, just one way he would show you his appreciation. Okay listen, imagine if he got you a pair of pearl earrings omg. I think that would be the most expensive thing you would allow him to buy because you’re not materialistic, and a pair of pearls is like a HUGE investment, and you’d wear them practically every day. Another detail I would like to add, is that I think you two would have that teacher/learner type of relationship. I think it would be sweet if Jae would want you to teach him how to draw. He would like to watch you doodle and HOLY CRAP, IMAGINE GIVING HIM SHARPIE TATTOOS!!! You would put them on his hands or arms and I can grantee your little tattoos would have iGot7′s losing their shits. I promise I’m not trying to be all over the place, I’m just so excited about you two! You’re also Jae’s #1 mullet supporter. Like, Jae would keep his mullet for as long as he did because of you. You would give JAe so much confidence and he would keep his mullet. PDA wise, the softest knuckle kisses, soft and secure hugging, and he would always would keep you close because you are tiny. I love you two so much I gotta stop~~~

iKon: Donghyuk

Okay, family, children, Donghyuk, ohhh girl, you’re getting it all- this man has everything you could ever need! As a couple, you and Hyuk would be a good balance of wild and mild and your aesthetics would work well together in my professional opinion. When it comes to you and Donghyuk, all I can think of is family. Whether it’s your family, Donghyuk’s family, and even iKon, you two are such a family oriented couple that I wanna sob it’s so sweet. Once your family would fall in love with Donghyuk imagine your little cousins asking if Dongjyuk is coming. I can definitely see your little cousins falling in love with Hyuk because at family gatherings, you and Hyuk would play tag with the kids and let the kids climb all over you two, and they would like to play pirates or something super cute, and you two would play along so well and the kids just love you two. OO OO! This is the best part, imagine Donghyuk’s mom sending you care packages, and she would always ask you to take care of her son while he’s working, and you two would be best friends. She would also give you some of Donghyuk’s favorite recipes that his mom makes so you can comfort him when he feels homesick. Hehe, and imagine you and his mom getting lunch together and getting pedicures together, so cute! Then you have iKon to take care of, which to be honest you really become a second mom with Hanbin around and you take care of all seven of those crack heads, but they love you to death and you love them back. Moving onto another part of your ship for Donghyuk, I think it would be really cute if you two were big jokesters with each other. Like the king and queen of puns and jokes. And heck, since there is a family theme to this ship.. DAD JOKES! Imagine Donghyuk having a daily subscription to some website where they send him jokes throughout the day, Hyuk would spitting out those jokes like no bodies business. Keeping you smiling is always on the agenda~ Date nights I feel like would be at home and private. Date night would be reserved for you and Hyuk time, mostly because of where you two are out so much. Movie nights would be a perfect type of date night, simply because it’s chill and a good building block for a great date night. Get some good take out and blankets, boom, you have a great date night! Lastly PDA, he’s so gentle and soft with you. He loves to hug you close and sway you side to side, telling you how much he loves you. Then he would have this lil habit of twirling you, so sweeeeet~

NCT: Taeyong

Last but certainly not least, we have NCT. Once again I am in love with this ship so much. And I will go on a whim here and say that you and Tae have more than puppy love, you have smitten kitten love. You would be the rock that holds Taeyong down. You would be one of the few non-work related things that would help Taeyong relax and we all know that Taeyong needs some real relaxation time. Straight up be prepared for some major snuggle time with Tae. I’m not saying Taeyong is submissive or anything, this is not the blog for that conversation lol, but, Taeyong would be more needy for your affection and your touch, because where he’s real emotionally dependent on you. Which like it’s Taeyong we’re talking about, it’s an honor to have him want to snuggle on you. You would have that magic that Tae would crave to help him relax, and he would always want to come back for more. When it comes to couple activities, I think it would be really sweet if you and Tae had a little bit of an old school type of love aesthetic going on. Tae’s the sweet gentleman who gives you his jacket on warm nights and sometimes date night would be playing monopoly til three am and you two pass out on the floor. And omg it would be hecca cute if Tae would have to get one of the other NCT members to watch the Dreamies so you two couple be alone on date night. Moving right along, when I say this, I don’t mean this to sound negative or anything, but I can imagine Taeyong would sleepy for the first couple days or hours when you two would be together. His adrenaline and stress would diminish dramatically and he would be exhausted. You would come to the rescue though because you would be the pillow for Taeyong to sleep on, and you could relax while he rests. You could read a new book you got, or do homework on your laptop. And then when Taeyong wakes up, he’s refreshed and ready to go out. If you two aren’t having a game night, Taeyong would cook you two dinner. Him taking over date night would be like a sign of love he would show to you. Then he would make a dessert made to be shared for two, and you’d eat the dessert together. And for fun, let’s throw in some slow dancing because you it’s the most perfect classic old school love date activity. Lastly, PDA wise, Taeyong would not be able to keep his hands off of you! Tae would always love to have his arm wrapped around you tight, he would come up behind you and give you back hugs, and if you were walking and he wanted a hug, he wouldn’t let go of you til you hugged him, so you would be dragging Taeyong along you like a puppy, hehe. You two are adorable!

I used to do outro’s but I stopped and I wanna bring them back~ I had so much fun shipping you omg. I may or may not have guessed your biases, but I shall support your loves and these loves no matter what! Lemme know how I did, and I hope you have a wonderful day! <3

~STA

#angelus x idol ship #kpop #kpop writing #kpop ships #kpop ship blog #shipping blog #kpop reactions #exo #got7 #ikon #NCT #exo ships #got7 ships #nct ships #ikon ships #chanyeol #jaebum #Donghyuk #taeyong

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okashiras · 5 years

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Notes: Supplementary reading and a sequel of sorts. Enjoy.

KPOP AU PART 1

ao3 link

30 March 2014

If you had told me 4 years ago that Sasuke and Sakura would never officially confirm that they’re dating but would instead, out of nowhere, announce their engagement, I would have laughed my fucking ass off.

Anyway, I’m briefly back from my hiatus. Cheers to all of us! We did it. :’) (Or rather, they did it?)

tags: #CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!??!!, #I CAN’T BELIEVE ITT, #text post

cherry-shadow asked: you are a fandom high priestess!! ur blog is like my sasuke x sakura bible. i missed ur blog, thank u for bringing it back. bless you!!! have a nice day!! :-*

You’re very kind! Thank you!

tags: #cherry-shadow, #ask

sumuwu asked: sandy here, i’m not even that big on kage or kunoichi but i’m so glad for them and for you guys!! i support their mutual hotness. i’m sure they’ll have beautiful and talented babies in the future!!

Thank you so much for your support for our favorite couple!

PS: I love SuMu sibs, too. I just haven’t posted about them (because I’m always on a SS high). Looking forward to their comeback.

tags: #sumuwu, #ask

Anonymous asked: OH MY GOD YOU’RE BACK!!!!!1 will ur inbox be open for info/translation/general questions?? Asking for a friend. Lol ok bye!!! I love u ;A;

Haha, yes! For now. I just needed an outlet for all this excess energy and excitement. Thanks for still having me! I’ll try to reply as much as I can. But no promises that I can answer them all. ;;

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: now that they’re confirmed to have been dating for years (!!!!), i couldn’t help but want to review their interactions. do u recall moments in shows and such where it looks like their members are teasing them??

The members of Kage and Kunoichi have been kind of friends in varying capacities since before they even debuted so they’d always greet and bow to each other during shows and events. Nothing really special there. Unless we reach. Which, as you know, is exactly what this blog is for.

Since Anon specifically mentioned members (plural), I will only address moments where multiple members do the teasing.

(2007) Kiba and Naruto are rowdy hype men while the three members are more reserved, except when Sai does weird dances at select performances. Which is why when Kunoichi did their first performance ever at the KChart Music Awards, we can see Sasuke in this fancam (link) looking like he’s reprimanding Kiba, Naruto, and Sai because it distracts him from watching the girls (or just one girl?) perform.

(2010) This Kunoichi fancam from Konoha Music Awards in November (link) shows the girls standing while Rock Lee performs on stage. On Sakura’s side, you can see members of a boy group who keep moving and shuffling around. Another fancam (link) revealed that it was actually Kage members trying to switch places with each other.

So the member order was as follows: Tenten, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, Sai, Sasuke, Naruto, Neji. When Kiba realized who he was next to, he walked away and tried to get in between Sasuke and Naruto. The two finally budged after a while, but Kiba was still unsatisfied because Sai was still between Sasuke and Sakura. So he went back and whispered something to Sai who promptly moved away and followed Kiba to stand between Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke is now beside Sakura. Mission accomplished, guys.

(2011) In this Kunoichi fancam reaction to Kage’s stage on the KChart Music Awards (link), everyone was standing up. Unfortunately, the members were situated at the back, and Sakura, wearing combat boots, was at a height disadvantage. But the members came to her rescue when it was Sasuke’s turn in the spotlight. Ino who was the tallest member of the night thanks to her sky-high platforms, and Tenten the actual tallest member were whispering to Sakura, and looked like they were reporting and giving her a blow-by-blow account of what was happening on stage.

(2013) In this fancam of Kage’s reaction (link) to Sakura accepting the Best Female Solo for Courage at the Golden Leaf Awards, we see Naruto and Kiba who are smirking as they turn to a decidedly blank-faced Sasuke. Neji turns to their direction too, looking mildly exasperated.

tags: #masterpost, #Anonymous, #ask, #all of naruto’s teasing warrants a post of its own tbh

Anonymous asked: “#all of naruto’s teasing warrants a post of its own tbh” DUDE??!! please make that post a reality!! please!!!! i’ll give u my first born!! :)))

Haha! Okay, since there’s a bunch of you asking in my inbox: yes, the Naruto masterpost is underway. It’s gonna take a while but please look out for it if not by the end of this week then next week. Kinda swamped with work at the moment.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: love you’re blog! :) Just wondering, who’s you’re bias in Kage??

Thanks! My bias is Neji because he’s the most fabulous.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: hi!! do u have a link to the interview where they talk abt that line from shadows?? thanks

There were different articles with varying quotes from that interview (during SAGE album promotion, the one held in Konoha Mountain Villa back in March 2012) so I’m translating by combining the info from these articles: (x,x)

Q: Naruto, was the line “You are the sunshine in spring” from “Shadows” written for someone in particular?

Naruto: Uh, that’s— It’s not my place to say, sorry. Sasuke?

Sasuke: No comment.

Q: Is it perhaps about Hinata? She has the ‘sun’ character in her name.

Naruto: She does?

Sasuke: I wrote that line.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

SS movie date in Wave Country (2012)

I just needed to update this post in light of new information.

In the Kage Konoha Mountain Villa interview 2012 (the one I linked in the previous post), Sasuke was recorded saying: “I like classic action movies. The most recent one I saw was In a Grove (藪の中 Yabu no Naka).”

Two months prior, Sakura uploaded a video of the instrumental ‘Prologue’ originally from the soundtrack of a film Rokurota. Both In a Grove and Rokurota are films by the director Makino Chikao which led people to speculate if the connection ends there or if there’s more. So I did a little investigating.

Sakura posted the video on the evening of 31 January 2012. During that time, Sakura was in Wave Country where she was a guest performer for Kage’s show in Sector D District. I searched the cinemas around that area and found one that at the time was having a director Makino Chikao retrospective. (You can check out their site here: link) I wasn’t able to see the list of films exhibited to confirm but I have no doubts that both In a Grove and Rokurota were screened there, especially since both films are critically-acclaimed and universally loved. And it’s likely that Sakura and Sasuke went to these screenings together.

Furthermore, you know what’s in front of Kaiza Theatre? An Owson grocery mart, aka the same one where those pictures of Sasuke and Sakura were taken the same year (link). See the side by side comparison (link) and note the same shelves and wall paint. And of course, those photos led to Danzo’s damage control denial of the dating rumors, and then Sasuke’s infamous “[KGE] is just a workplace” statement. Y’all know the rest.

tags: #text post

Anonymous: any opinions on danzo? lol

None. Hope he enjoys retirement.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

yrzra asked: Hi! What’s your favorite Sakura era/hairstyle?

All Sakura is good Sakura to me! But if I have to pick one, I’d say when she came out with chin-length hair on her solo debut. It signified a new era, a new sound, and I was honestly blown away when I first saw it. That’s why it holds a special place in my heart.

tags: #yrzra, #ask, #little known fact: i prefer sakura’s solo songs, #but i still love kunoichi very much, #ino can step on my neck anytime

Anonymous asked: Wasn’t there an analysis of Heaven and Earth mv about Sakura’s romantic relationships? Or do you know the post I’m referring to?

Hm, sorry, I don’t remember that.

tags: #Anonymous, ask, #i personally don’t think it’s about her relationships at all?, #just about striving for self-improvement?, #which is a common theme in her lyrics

Masterpost of notable moments of Naruto being the SS fan club president

Note: As promised, here it is. If you have anything else to add, please don’t hesitate to reply/message me.

Let me preface this with a little background on Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto and Sasuke are the closest to each other in Kage not only because they are the two youngest members of the group, but also because they started training in KGE in the same year. The other trainee who started the same year they did was none other than Haruno Sakura. The three of them were said to be friendly even after they debuted in their respective groups. And it’s because of this that I believe they are privy to each other’s lives and relationships, and would, like any regular friends, every now and then tease the crap out of each other.

(2007) [VIDEO STAR] - Naruto talks about Kage members + colors 20070728

Naruto’s first solo guesting in Video Star variety talk show. There was a part where he was asked to describe the members of Kage via color association. (@ 2:11)

Izumu K: So black for Sai-kun, red for Kiba-kun, white for Neji-kun—

Naruto U: Yeah— Oh, no, not white. Ivory. Neji is very specific about this, you see.

Kotetsu H: Right, right.

Izumu K: What about Sasuke-kun?

Naruto U: Sasuke is... pink. Yeah. Pink. Pretty and memorable color. Lots of energy. (laughs)

Kotetsu H: Pink? For Uchiha Sasuke-kun? Really? Isn’t that a bit— (laughs)

Naruto U: Oh, you know what, scratch that. He’s gonna send me angry texts if he sees this. Okay, I’ll change it. Let’s see...

Kotetsu H: (laughs) Why would he?

Naruto U: Got it! Green. Nice, refreshing green.

Izumu K: Konoha green.

Naruto U: Yeah, yeah. Sure, green. (turns to the camera) I changed it, Sasuke! If you’re watching this, don’t be mad at me. (laughs)

Kotetsu H: Sasuke-kun, please take it easy on Naruto-kun.

Izumu K: Okay, what about you?

Naruto U: Orange, of course!

Pink is too obviously referring to Sakura/her signature hair color which is especially obvious since Kunoichi just debuted around the time of this interview, so Naruto changed it to green to prevent Sasuke’s wrath. But you know what else is green? Sakura’s eye color. Thanks, Naruto! Your subtlety is unparalleled.

(2007) KAGE reaction to KUNOICHI performance - MINDBLOWER + BLOOM @ Konoha Music Awards

Sasuke is a famously stoic cold city guy at award shows, especially when sat beside Naruto who dances exuberantly to every other performance. That is, until Kunoichi debuted. Sasuke would begin showing signs of life whenever Kunoichi performed, like foot tapping, some head bobbing here and there, and some stray finger flicking actions during the Mindblower chorus.

Anyway, in this particular performance, Naruto elbow nudges Sasuke on his side (pretty hardly, if Sasuke’s annoyed expression is anything to go by) just as Sakura’s verse is about to come on. (@ 1:32)

(2008) [FULL/ENG SUB] [HD] 080805 Idols Weekly EP 56 - KAGE Part 1

KAGE’s appearance in Idols Weekly where Naruto said he would join Kunoichi because his group kept betraying him, and then he said he would drag Sasuke along with him. He didn’t get to elaborate on why exactly because he was cut off by Sasuke’s glare.

Okay, this is kind of a reach but they were all just previously nailing the Bloom choreography, and then Naruto was dragging Sasuke specifically to join Kunoichi. Why just Sasuke? All of Kage are on friendly terms with Kunoichi members. That’s why I’m inclined to believe Naruto was teasing him because Sasuke has eyes on someone in Kunoichi. And we all know who.

(2009) [Music Bank K-Chart] 2nd Week of January - SN, Sound5

Sakura had the opportunity to host Music Bank for January. At the time, Sasuke and Naruto were promoting their subunit single “The Valley.” On the one episode that month where they performed, during the K-Chart announcement part, you can see Naruto subtly (not really) pushing Sasuke to his right. When the camera switches to wide shot, it appears that Sakura was on standby from hosting duties a few feet away over at Sasuke’s right side the whole time. (@9:42)

(2010) Sasuke was in Snow Country on a personal schedule and posted a rare picture of himself. Well, kind of. It was him looking like a hypebeast cryptid wearing multiple layers of winter clothes and scarves, against the backdrop of flower trees in Land of Spring (Snow Country’s capital). Captioned: ”wish you were here.” (My god he is so basic sometimes, I can’t.)

Anyway, on the said post, Naruto left a comment of around 15 cherry blossom emojis.

Cherry blossom = Sakura. King of subtlety…

Sasuke deletes this post five minutes later (which would have been suspect if he wasn’t such a serial post deleter). But luckily, we still have a screenshot which includes Naruto’s comment.

[IMAGE: @sasuke_deleted]

(Also note that a month prior to the announcement of their engagement, Sasuke and Sakura were reported to have had a rendezvous in Snow country. That place must be significant to them and Naruto being in their inner circle probably knows why this early on.)

(2010) [20102310] Naruto’s KLIVE Chat

Naruto was promoting his solo mini album and did a KLive broadcast where he called some Kage members. During his phone call with Sasuke, out of nowhere, Naruto mentioned Sakura. (@ 40:07)

N: Anyway, Sasuke, aren’t you preparing for your final show this week?

S: Mm.

N: All Kage members are supporting you. Not me, though. But the rest of them do, apparently.

S: Make yourself useful and promote my show.

N: I’ll do you one better. I’ll call Kunoichi and ask them to come to your concert.

S: What?

N: Yeah, I’ll personally pick Sakura-chan up and make sure she’s there.

S: [unintelligible]

N: Sasuke, what?

S: I said you’re an idiot.

(2011) Sakura was reported to have fainted from exhaustion after the last set at Kunoichi’s concert late October 2011. (This was the third time it had happened [that we know of!!!] and it honestly says a lot about what little regard KGE had for their artists.)

Meanwhile, Kage was doing their second to the last fanmeet scheduled in Earth Country. But on that night, Sasuke and Naruto took a red-eye from Iwa to Konoha. There are no pictures, only some K-netizens reports of Sasuke and Naruto entering Konoha General at around 8 am. (Some eyewitness accounts said that Sasuke appeared to be bringing a pillow.) At 10 am the same day, Naruto was spotted in his orange BMW convertible hanging around the KGE building, while Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

It can be surmised that Naruto, being a good friend, accompanied Sasuke so he can visit Sakura. But there’s more.

Konoha General to KGE building is a one-hour drive, but seeing how Naruto got his car and a new set of clothes, he most likely headed to his apartment first, which would add more or less 30 minutes to his journey. If he arrived at 8 am in Konoha General, but was already in KGE building by 10, that would mean he only stayed in the hospital for about 15 to 30 minutes at most.

I imagine what happened was: Naruto accompanied Sasuke from Iwa to Konoha, probably said hi to Sakura for a bit (if she was already conscious by then), and then promptly left them alone to have their moment. :’)

(2011) 30 October. Sasuke’s K-D Magazine photoshoot previews were released. Sakura liked one of the posts from the K-D account. Later, she posted a cute video selfie with heart eyes filter with ねぇ聞こえますか？(Can You Hear Me?) an old love song, playing in the background. Her timeline was probably filled with Sasuke’s pictures that she just had to post some kind of lovey-dovey reaction to it. A few hours later, Naruto commented with a (very knowing) smirking face emoji.

[IMAGE: @narukage_likes]

(2013) 8 August. Naruto posted a picture of two mochi (pink and blue) from Amaguriama, with the caption, “Look how sweet my friends are.” He tagged Sasuke in the blue one. Who else could the pink one be?

[IMAGE: @narukage]

That’s all I know for now. Naruto hasn’t updated his account with anything SS-related since the engagement was announced, which is really odd for him. (Maybe he’s still busy partying because his OTP is canon?) When he posts something, I’ll update this accordingly.

tags: #masterpost, #text post

bl00m asked: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT MASTERPOST!! My life is significantly better because of it! But just wondering, since Sakura and Ino refer to themselves as best friends, do we have an Ino-teasing-Sakura-about-Sasuke moment, too?

Seems to me like Ino is much too professional to tease so I only found a couple. Hope that’s okay.

(2007) K-D Kunoichi Feature (magazine issue published around the time after Kunoichi’s debut):

Q: Out of the four of you, Ino and Sakura were the first ones to sign under KG and become trainees. What were your first impressions of each other? Has it changed now?

Sakura: I thought Ino was full of confidence and charisma and that hasn’t changed until now.

Ino: Sakura used to be really shy and quiet but clearly she has bloomed since then.

Sakura: Having someone my own age really helped, I think. We pushed each other to work and get better. It was kind of a friendly rivalry.

Ino: Yeah, rivalry, not just in terms of work, though. I used to have a crush on another trainee at that time, and then one day, Sakura announced that she—

Sakura: Oh my god! Can we not?

They didn’t outright say that it was Sasuke whom Sakura and Ino were crushing on, but it’s kind of general knowledge that Sasuke was quite popular with the KGE trainees not only because he was the younger brother of Akatsuki’s Uchiha Itachi but because he is good-looking and talented, so it’s not a stretch to assume Ino was talking about Sasuke and was teasing Sakura about it.

(2009) [VIDEO STAR] - Kunoichi (FULL EP) (@14:23):

Izumu: Any music you’re currently listening to?

Tenten: Believe it or not, I’ve been listening to a lot of trot music recently, like Might Guy, and stuff. I like the joy in it and I would like to also bring that kind of energy on stage someday.

Sakura: Creation , the album by Tsunade. I’m interested in albums that have some sort of narrative or a theme that makes everything cohesive, as opposed to trying to make hits after hits and then just compiling them all in the end. She’s certainly not the first to do something like it, but I thought it was groundbreaking for a pop artist, so…

Ino: We like Kage, too, don’t we, Sakura?

Tenten: (laughs)

Sakura: I— Well, everyone likes Kage for sure.

Kotetsu: Right, you did collaborate with them on a song in their album last year.

Sakura: Yeah.

Ino: (quietly) Is that what the kids call it these days?

Tenten: (laughs)

That innuendo, though.

tags: #bl00m, #ask

Anonymous asked: it’s funny reading your posts now and realizing how much it all makes sense like how did no one else (but us) seE THIS COMING??? we’ve endured being called DELUSIONAL for years!!!! i feel so vindicated now so i’m literally never gonna shut up about this LMAO

RIGHT?! I’m sure I’m not the only one who has remained quiet and kept to myself when I’m with other fans because I’m in the minority for shipping Sasuke and Sakura while most of them shipped the boys with each other. I don’t really mind it, but, you know, when it’s real, IT’S REAL.

And it feels so good to be right.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: how’s life for a grown ass adult still projecting on other people’s relationships like ur 13 lmfao

How’s life for someone who has to type with only 2 brain cells?

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

kageyah asked: gawd, what a rude anon that was. don’t let those lowlifes bother you. i’ve been enjoying your recent posts a lot and it’s so fun to see you back again on my dashboard. i missed you sm. ^_^

Kags!! Thank you! I missed you, too! Nah, don’t worry. Sasuke and Sakura are getting married so I’m unfazed and unbothered by virtually anything. Haha!

tags: #kageyah, #ask

lildonut: i love your blog!!!! that masterpost gave me life!!! i was wondering if you have any fic recs?? Thanks <3

Thank you! I don’t really read fics, sorry. I have a very little scope of imagination so reality is enough to keep me interested. But maybe someone here can help you? Anyone?

edit: Thanks, @darliang!!

These, our bodies, possessed by light by RikkudoS — “‘Tell me we’ll never get used to it.’ Sasuke and Sakura through the years. Canon.”

Cherry Bombs by xXxFullMoonxXx — “Double dates are easy enough. That is, until you end up falling for the wrong person. High School AU.”

Of Demos and First Kisses by sugimura — "5 times Sasuke and Sakura wrote songs together and the 1 time they didn’t. Canon."

Under the Same Sky by msshkshmt — “Uchiha Sasuke expects to die in battle. But seeing this pink-haired girl cry for him (again and again), makes him wish that wasn’t the case. Ninjas AU.”

tags: #lildonut, #ask, #fic recs

Anonymous asked: Do you have any idea as to when and how exactly Sasuke and Sakura started dating? Other than the 5 years that Sasuke mentioned in his fan page message? Thanks! Love your blog!

Thanks!

By the way, I love how Sasuke is known to be very private with his personal life and relationships but would, intentionally or not, obliquely reveal details like how they’ve been dating for 5 years already.

Anyway. Well, I can’t really say anything with certainty but if I were to extrapolate and make an *educated guess*, I’d say they probably started dating officially mid to late 2009. As far as I can recall, that’s also when dating gossips about them started popping up. Also the fact that they started wearing matching white gold bands late ‘09-early ‘10 (I’ll make a separate post about this later) just solidified to me that they really did start dating in 2009.

Prior to my projected time, their collaborations have been frequent, starting with Sakura helping to write a song for Kage, and then both of them being featured on each other’s solo projects. And even before that, it’s kind of general knowledge that they’ve been fairly close as trainees (not to mention, Sakura has allegedly been crushing on him before), so they already had that foundation. There’s that mutual respect for each other and each other’s talents that, over the course of their collaborations, probably grew into something more.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous: re: how sasuke and sakura started dating, i would also like to add that since they are the most hardworking out of the members of their respective groups, they are probably the trainees who used to work overtime the most and got close because of it, probably helped and looked out for each other too. sakura used to say dancing wasn’t her strongest suit while it came naturally for sasuke so maybe he helped her with that. conversely, since sakura is reportedly an A+ student, she must’ve helped him with studies as well. they probs already have a mutual understanding but couldn’t be official cuz of the dating ban. ^_^

Ah, I’m actually not entirely sure if the dating ban is real, but what you’ve said is possible. Can’t say anything conclusively, though.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: wher do sassuke and saura have sex???

How tf would I know lol

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

List of alleged Sasuke x Sakura couple items

These are only the more important, more unique items. So don’t bother sending me pictures of them holding identical paper bags from Sannin. They aren’t the only idols who shop from that brand.

***

(2009-2010) White gold band

Sasuke is not that big on accessories. If we do see him fully accessorized, it’s because he is styled for promotional materials, and stage or music video looks. Otherwise, he doesn’t wear much accessories other than a standard watch, etc. That’s why it was so glaringly obvious when he started wearing a white gold band on his left pinky finger (note: pinky = pink = Sakura, lol!) in December 2009, which led fans to speculate if he is in a relationship. Everyone was suddenly on the lookout for a similar ring worn by idols and celebrities. Especially Sakura whom Sasuke was rumored to be dating that year.

Sakura accessorizes quite a bit but has never been seen wearing the said band. That is, until she had a fan meet in March of 2010. Sakura fansite First Love took HQ pictures of her in the event. In one of them, she leaned over while signing an autograph for a fan and consequently revealed the necklace she’s wearing inside her blouse, and behold, the white gold band hanging on it. It took quite a lot zooming in and adjusting the photograph which is why the legitimacy was contentious among fans, but you can see it for yourself here.

[IMAGE: White gold band]

[IMAGE: Sasuke Konoha airport pic white gold band]

[IMAGE: Sakura necklace zoom in]

***

(2011) Chair

Sakura posts a picture of her succulents by the window of her house, the chair from Sasuke’s Heavenly Hand music video is seen in the corner. It’s a one-of-a-kind modern chair by Konoha master carpenter Kanna, so it couldn’t have been a duplicate.

[IMAGE: MV screenshot]

[IMAGE: @sakurah]

***

(2012-2013) Ceramic vase

Sasuke posted a picture of a Hanasaki-style ceramic vase by Masho’s protégé ceramist, Kanyu, which was exhibited and auctioned at Leaf Gallery, and captioned it (now deleted) “Mine.”

[IMAGE: @sasuke_deleted]

The following year, Sakura posted a photo of her bed after a concert tour with the caption “Home Sweet Home.” On the bookshelf on the right side, the same vase is seen. Note the pure white color and cracks on the surface that resemble intertwining flowers.

[IMAGE: @sakurah]

Did he give it to her or was she able to procure an identical one? I’m inclined to believe in the former, but either way, cute.

***

(2013) Chambray shirt

Sakura was photographed at Konoha airport wearing a chambray shirt, which is similar to a shirt that Sasuke was wearing in the behind-the-scenes photo of his album back in 2009. The shirts have an identical tear at the left collar.

According to fashion fansite SakuraCloset, this shirt is from Sannin Men’s chambray shirt. This is how it originally looked on the runway. No tear.

[IMAGE: Sannin RTW F/W 2006]

So it’s either a huge coincidence that Sasuke and Sakura have identical tears on the same brand of shirt, or it’s just the same shirt that they share for some reason*.

*They were dating.

tags: #masterpost, #text post

Anonymous asked: you forgot the beanie that often sasuke wears at airports which was spotted worn by sakura.

You mean in the Road of Life webisode from last year? No, it’s the same color but they’re different. Sakura was wearing a fisherman beanie, while Sasuke usually wears a slouchy one.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

mindbl0wn: do you know what the strong 100 will be about? Love ur blog ^_^

Sorry, it took a while to answer this. According to these articles (x,x), it’s gonna be a heist film with an all-female cast. Sakura’s appearance will be brief (a cameo maybe?) but apparently she does her own stunts.

tags: #that’s my girl, #mindbl0wn, #ask

Anonymous asked: lol i still keep seeing antis tryna say sakura might be doing it for attention and sasuke is just pity marrying her or using her as a beard to cover up another relationship or sth man i can’t with them anymore

I really worry about people who spread stuff like this. Like, please give your faves the credit they deserve!

Sasuke “ I-take-relationships-very-seriously” Uchiha marrying someone for shits? They can’t even make him forego his IG feed aesthetic to promote his group/members’ stuff, let alone force him to marry someone out of pity or publicity or whatever.

And Sakura. Why would she marry for publicity? She’s already famous and influential on her own, and not to mention, rich from all the songwriting royalties among other things. She doesn’t need clout. Least of all from Sasuke or the Uchiha. Like 90% of the hate directed towards her come from ugly Sasuke/Hoekage stans and weirdos who have conglomerate boners. She need not subject herself to all that.

They are also, by the way, at the height of their respective careers. If they cared all that much about their image, wouldn’t they wait until they’re in their early 30s to marry like most idols? They could potentially be throwing away endorsement deals from brands who prefer celebrities who are single to appease the fans who feel like they have some sort of ownership towards idols.

And yet! And yet despite everything, they chose to make their relationship public in their own terms.

(Also, note the timing of their announcement. It’s a few months after Hatake Kakashi became the new CEO. It’s like the management up until then has been the main reason that has kept them from coming out with their relationship, which is why the ‘secrecy’ of it felt kinda half-hearted and they’ve been [knowingly or not] dropping hints.)

Clearly, they just didn’t care and they couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their lives married to each other. It’s not that deep. You don’t have to like it. But if you love them as you claim, then respect their decision and stop spreading rumors like that.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

WAIT WHAT

tags: #text post

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

tags: #IS THIS REAL, #AM I DREAMING, #GUYS!!!!!!!!!!, #text post

THEY REALL YDID IT OH MY GODD!!!!11 ;;;

tags: #text post

Un-Follow Me Now, This Is Gonna Be the Only Thing I Post About For The Next Week. Ive Wanted This For Years Fuck. What The Fuck.

tags: #text post

Anonymous: Lol theres still a few months before the wedding date so they might still cancel it and break up lmfao xD

I delayed answering this to avoid jinxing it but guess what, babe:

BREAKING: UCHIHA SASUKE AND HARUNO SAKURA OFFICIALLY GET MARRIED

July 17, 2014

Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura have made it official!

Yesterday, the two were reportedly spotted at the Konoha offices to file for their marriage registration. On July 17, the two officially got married in a private ceremony.

The couple initially announced their engagement last March, with the wedding that was supposed to be held November 5 later this year.

Representatives say that the newlywed couple “opted for a small and private wedding along with their loved ones, in favor of donating the expenses that was supposed to be for their ceremony to the pediatric ward of Konoha General Hospital.”

Uchiha Sasuke is best known as a member and the primary lyricist of boy group Kage under KG Entertainment. Haruno Sakura is known as a member of girl group Kunoichi under the same company. Both have gone on to have successful solo careers.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

source: knewsdaily

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Sasuke and Sakura: We will get married on November 5 this year.

Also, Sasuke and Sakura: sothatwasafuckinglie.jpg

tags: #WHEN WILL THEY LET ME LIVE!!!!!, #text post

I’M SHAKINGG;;

tags: #REFRESHING EVERY 30 SECS FOR UPDATES, #text post

SAKURA IS SO BEAUTIFUL

tags: #THAT’S IT, #THAT’S THE POST, #text post

Attendees’ social media posts (so far)

Kakashi: posted a photo of the still empty venue, but everything is prepared already. The flower ceiling is especially striking. (There appears to be not more than 30 chairs for the guests. I guess it really is a small wedding.)

“I’m on time for once. #SasuSakuCouple #AmIDoingThisRight #lol”

[IMAGE: @kh_tactics]

Ino: posted picture of Sakura holding a bouquet of Baby’s Breath flowers, smiling contently.

“My baby girl is married! I’m so emotional right now and can’t even form a proper message. I’m proud to have seen you blossom right before my eyes, and I feel lucky to get to call you my best friend. I wish you all the happiness in the world. I love you!”

[IMAGE: @xxinoxx]

Sai: posted a video of Naruto and Kiba having a dance showdown at the reception.

“#lit”

[IMAGE: @sai_00]

Hinata: posted a picture of the flower arrangement at the table.

“Congrats”

[IMAGE: @hinata_hyuuga_official]

Kiba: posted a group selfie of the Kage boys being rowdy, Sasuke and Neji looking unimpressed in the back.

[IMAGE: @kibakage]

Tenten: posted a group selfie of Kunoichi being cute.

[IMAGE: @10ten]

Neji: posted a photoset of miscellaneous aesthetics of the wedding (floral ceiling, the food, the lights, details of Sakura’s veil), and a selfie.

“S/S 2014”

[IMAGE: @neji_]

Itachi : posted (1) a photoset of the groom’s and bride’s parents—first photo is a formal one, on the second one, they’re doing finger hearts.

“#familyphoto”

(2) a picture of the silhouettes of Sasuke and Sakura facing each other, seemingly in a happy conversation.

[IMAGE: @itachiuchiha]

tags: #no update from naruto yet, #king of being late, #masterpost, #text post

I know it’s a private affair and I respect that but...

But would it seriously be too much to ask for a proper picture of the newlyweds??

tags: #i love you itachi-nii but what the heck was that??, #do you need your eyes checked perhaps?, #or am i too pedestrian to appreciate the high art-ness of it, #probably that, #in any case: i need the pics PLEASE, #i’ve been a good person, #i deserve this, #text post

Anonymous: do think it’s possibel that sakura is pregnant that’s why they were so quick to marry. Pls reply

Highly unlikely. She would’ve been showing by now and looking at the photos we’ve seen, her stomach is very much flat. Moreover, she was just shooting an action movie where she does her own stunts. You think they’d allow a pregnant woman to do that?

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous: YO DID YOU SEE SAKURA’S UPDATE JUST NOW?!?!??!!111

YES!!!! I’m translating it but I’m trying to wait if Sasuke posts something so I can translate that too and (rightfully) post them together.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

SASUKE

tags: #text post

Sakura and Sasuke post-wedding social media updates

Sakura posted a pic of their hands with the rings, a bouquet of flowers visible on the side, with the caption:

“Today we got married.

We had deviated from our original plan because we wanted to do something meaningful and more like us. As a result, we have decided to just keep the ceremony quiet but, rest assured, full of love.

I’ve never felt so loved as I do at this moment and that’s in huge part because of all of you who have been congratulating us warmly, and have been so patient and understanding of our decisions every step of the way.

Please continue to look kindly upon us as husband and wife. Thank you.

- Sakura“

[IMAGE: @sakurah]

Sasuke, of course, never does what you expect so he didn’t post a message. Instead, he cleared out three rows of his feed with plain white tiles to have a single picture of Sakura looking beautiful in her wedding dress in the middle. The colored picture especially stands out in his generally grayscale feed.

Moreover, he is now following 1 account: @sakurah.

[IMAGE: @sasuke]

tags: #text post

Masterpost of notable moments of Naruto being the SS fan club president

Note: As promised, here it is. If you have anything else to add, please don’t hesitate to reply/message me.

EDIT: Naruto posted a photoset: (1) the newlyweds smiling arm in arm, Sasuke gazing warmly at Sakura, (2) same as the first but they’re looking at each other and smiling, (3) Naruto gets in the picture to pose with the two.

“Why I believe in love”

[IMAGE: @narukage]

Tags: #MY JOB HERE IS DONE, #update, #masterpost, #text post

END

#apparently u can't underline on tumbl......#so maybe reading on ao3 is cuter but do whatever u please #fic poop #kpop au #this is uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #sasusaku

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elizabethtarington · 5 years

Text

The Broken Pieces

Pairing: Male Human x Ace Male Incubus Warning:SFW (Angst, Depression, Mention of Death and Past Abuse) Word Count: 4328 Note: OkCryptid Collab Prompt from @thetravelerwrites. Here’s my humble contribution. I had an idea in my ‘idea book’ for a while and was happy to knock this out as a combo piece. I really wanted to create something like this and I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. I hope y’all enjoy! Ao3 Version | My Website Version

“Alright, bud. Your profile is all set up.”

Mason poked his head out from the kitchen to give Jeremy, longtime friend and class of 2011 survivor, a quizzical frown, “What profile?”

Jeremy shook his head at Mason “I’ll give you three guesses. It’s been two years since you broke up with Maria. What kind of profile do you think it is?”

Mason went back to putting popcorn in the microwave, frowning slightly at the rotating bag of kernels. While it popped, he leaned against the doorway and watched Jeremy. The man with his furrowed brow was finger deep in some dating app as he swiped his finger across the screen. Mason knew his friend meant well, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for this kind of thing.

“I’m not sure the dating scene is my thing. It’s been the same song and dance. I meet some gal or guy and I end up dating them and then they hurt me and leave a pile of ash behind—I’m just not interested.”

“I totally respect that you don’t want to date, but you should at least get out there. Maybe meet new people.”

Mason sighed, “Is this because you’re leaving next month and you’re worried about me?”

Glancing up from the phone Jeremy met Mason’s gaze, “Can you blame me? You don’t really have anyone else, Mason. Maria kind of made sure of that.”

Mason was the first to break eye contact as pain flared up in his chest. Maria. Everything about her still caused bitterness and regret to burn in his veins and bile to well up in his throat. What had been so fun in the beginning had become toxic and abusive. A dull throb started in his head as he began thinking about it.

“That she did.”

There was a silence between the two friends. An understanding of the damage combined with a quiet desperation to fix it.

“I’m not going to pressure you, Mason—but I can’t help but worry that you’re going to disappear into yourself.”

Mason was worried too. He was worried that he was never going to be able to connect with a person ever again and that Jeremy really was his last and only friend. It was enough to make Mason outstretch his hand for his phone.

“Alright, explain this thing to me.”

A hopeful grin spread across Jeremy’s face as he shot up from the couch and practically danced into the kitchen beside Mason. Glancing away from the popcorn, Mason raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the dating app.

“OkCryptid? Seriously, dude?”

“What? You never thought about going on a date with a different creature? Are you speciesist?” Jeremy teased, playfully cocking his hand onto his hip.

“That’s not it, I guess I just never really thought about dating someone that wasn’t a human.”

“Well, time to get your feet wet my friend, maybe literally.”

Mason inwardly winced at his friends over-exuberance as he began showing Mason how to use the app. It seemed easy enough to navigate, but Mason didn’t want to look at it any longer once the microwave alerted him that the popcorn was ready. The monster dating app was definitely a far second to horrible movie night and snacks.

After the movie, Jeremy went home and Mason began flipping through profiles on the app and cringed repeatedly. Mason himself wouldn’t be bragging about his profile. Jeremy had chosen a picture he had snapped while Mason was driving. But the worst part about it was what Jeremy had written on his behalf. While the self-summary was spot on, Mason was a florist that liked to garden in his spare time, or play video games and movie nights, it was how Jeremy had made him sound like a quirky weirdo.

I love plants so much that I can tell you what each individual flower means and how to arrange them in a perfect bouquet for when I meet your parents.

“Jeremy, you asshole,” Mason muttered as he edited his description, removing that line completely.

He tweaked it seven times and reread it only to find he’d gone from random freak to completely uninteresting. If he were trying to find someone to date and they had this profile description it would be a pass for Mason. With that thought, Mason got ready for bed, fighting the feeling of oncoming depression and the stinging sensation of tears. As his head hit the pillow he hoped sleep would give him a moment of peace.

For three weeks, the app stayed on Mason’s phone, forgotten until a notification beeped while Mason was at work. He almost ignored it as he began trimming up some calla lilies for a wedding bouquet that needed to be finished by the end of the week.

“You got pinged, Mason.” Came a small voice from a pot of soil on Mason’s workbench.

Mason glanced at the alraune, Delpha. She was a small floral creature, that could easily be mistaken for a sunflower with a small face. She had come into his store, nearly getting stepped on in the process, to ask for a job. It had been a couple of years since then, but Mason had accommodated her in many ways so that she could walk from table to table, helping the plants grow and stay healthy with her magic.

Now she was helping him grow a new kind of flower hybrid that would be special to only his store. She was carefully placing seeds into the soil with her as sparkling green magic spread from her leafy hands, “I guess there’s no harm in checking it.”

Swiping the phone on, Mason stared down at the app’s notification with surprise. Someone had messaged him. Not just any someone, an incubus someone.

“What is it, Mason?”

A sudden onset of dry mouth caused Mason to struggle as he opened the app to look at the message and the incubus in question, “It’s a message from someone on the dating app my friend installed.”

“Oh? Which app? I’m partial to Monstr myself. I once went on a date with a mandrake root and you would not believe the night we had together.” Delpha jumped out of the pot, scattering dirt across the table as she moved to look at Mason’s phone. “Ohh! OkCryptid! Mason, I didn’t know you swung our way, towards us otherworldly creatures.”

“I-uh, I’ve always thought about it but then I met Maria and—”

Mason cut himself off, he didn’t want to discuss personal stuff with Delpha. Not about Maria at least. This incubus, however, was a different story.

His name was Vylixar but went by Vyl. He looked like a Vyl, Mason decided looking at the imposing creature. Mason had met several incubi and succubi over the years and their appearances weren’t exactly what most humans would consider the epitome of beauty. They often had scale-like skin with little horns protruding from their shoulders and elbows, but they came in a variety of colors. Vyl was a deep mauve with large spikes. His horns on his head looked sharp and pointed, curling from his head down to his pointed ears. In his profile picture was him revealing sharp fangs with what Mason assumed was a friendly smile on his short snout.

Mason turned the phone so Delpha could see, “What do you think?”

“Oh, he looks big and strong, although you might want to be careful, incubi often like to feast on energy.”

“I’ve heard of it, but never really educated myself on it.” Mason pulled his phone back to look at what Vyl had messaged. “Is it sexual energy? I don’t really have any of that right now.”

“It can be. I’ve heard that it feels good for humans when they feast on you. It can get addictive.”

It had been a while since Mason had felt good in any respects. Every day felt like he was just struggling to hold on to what little he had left. Maybe this is a risk he should take.

Quickly glancing over the text, Mason wrote back his response, double and triple checking his words trying to not sound like an idiot. He hesitated to hit the send button but finally pressed send after rereading his message one more time. After he did so he put his phone down, anxiously waiting to hear back as he went back to preparing the wedding bouquet.

Another notification made Mason’s phone beep as he was about to wrap and pin the ribbon onto the bouquet.

“Would you like to have dinner with me?”

Mason could feel his palms start to sweat, but his reply was instant ‘Yes’. ‘Vyl is typing’ quickly turned into another message back asking if tonight would work for him. Mason was astonished at how much Vyl wanted to meet him. Despite himself, Mason was getting excited, the sooner he met Vyl, the better.

He messaged back that he was available and no sooner had he sent the message did Vyl respond with a date and time. Confusion at the location made Mason raise his eyebrow. It was a bakery just down the street from where Mason worked, he had even been there to help with a cake order that required several rose heads that a bride had specifically wanted. Had Mason already met Vyl before? He didn’t recognize him at all.

After work was finished, Mason headed home to clean himself up a bit and put on a button up shirt that he always liked. Maria hated it. It was blue plaid that made Mason look like a lanky roadie is what she had said, usually wrinkling her nose in disgust. She would then suggest a plain and professional button-up shirt.

“Fuck her,” Mason growled, buttoning the shirt up a little more fiercely. “I look good.”

Mason had finished inspecting himself before he was out the door and arrived at the bakery. Vyl had said 7:30 but as Mason stood outside the bakery he frowned up at the closed sign. The bakery had already closed and had been for nearly an hour. Mason was ready to believe that he got tricked when he saw a hulking incubus with large clawed feet walk towards the door.

He unlocked it and smiled, his yellow glowing eyes looked Mason up and down as he opened the door, “Mason?”

“Uh—yeah. That’s me.”

“Hi, please come in.” Vyl moved to the side, keeping the door wide as Mason shuffled into the bakery. “Sorry, I was running a little bit late with the cleanup in the bakery and preparing dinner. I hope you don’t mind.”

Mason glanced back to see Vyl locking up before he walked past him into the back, “Come on back, I’m just starting to finish up cooking.”

Uncertain and a little concerned, Mason gave pause at the situation. Vyl owned the bakery? And was cooking dinner for Mason?

“Uh, Vyl?” Mason asked wandering into the back to see an expansive setup. Several tables were placed throughout the expansive space, where little fairies were sprinkling sugar on cookies while others were turning cakes as they were being decorated with colorful icing and decadent chocolate.

“Don’t mind the sugar plum fairies, they do a lot of the work at night. We won’t be eating down here though, my little flat is just above the shop.”

Mason continued to follow behind, taking one last peek at the fairies and the massive kitchen. It had several silver machines that Mason assumed were for mixing and preparing the pastries and cakes. He also had never seen sugar plum fairies before and was fascinated at how they seemed to really enjoy rolling out fondant together.

Up a set of spiral stairs, Mason finally followed Vyl up to a different floor that had a large red door propped open. The enticing scent of food made Mason’s stomach growl loudly enough that Vyl glanced back and chuckle.

“Feeling hungry?”

“I am, actually.”

“Good, I’m glad you brought your appetite. I should have asked beforehand, but are you allergic to anything?”

“Uh, no. I’ll pretty much eat everything. My friend says my stomach is made out of lead.”

Vyl smirked, “Well, my cooking isn’t atrocious, so hopefully you won’t have to put that theory to the test.”

Vyl opened the door again, ushering Mason forward into the flat. It was spacious and well decorated much to Mason’s surprise. He didn’t know what to expect but he certainly didn’t think Vyl’s place would be so homey. Vinyl records decorated the walls, mixed in was some jazz posters in thick black frames. A flat-screen was bolted into the wall above a small white painted fireplace and sitting across from it was a couch with two other chairs surrounding a glass coffee table.

“Can I get you a glass of wine or maybe a beer?”

“I won’t say no to a beer.” Mason nodded as he took off his shoes before he followed Vyl into the kitchen.

The kitchen was similar to the one in the bakery, stainless steel appliances that were polished and cleaned to a pristine shine like no one had been using them. He watched as Vyl opened the fridge and pulled out a beer and popped the cap off easily before handing it to Mason. With his nerves starting to make him want to bail, Mason gratefully took the beer and took a sip, surprised at how smooth the dark liquor went down.

“Wow, what is this?”

“Ah, that is a St. Bernardus Abt 12. It’s good right?”

“It really is, I don’t think I’ve tasted anything like this before.”

“Well, don’t drink that one down too fast, it’s got a high alcohol content and on an empty stomach that beer will go straight to your head.”

Vyl smiled at his comment as he washed his hands. His hands quickly found their way to a blade as he began to chop some vegetables and throwing them into a large bowl with some leafy greens.

“Can I help with anything?”

“No thank you, I should be fine. But if you don’t mind, I could use the company.”

Mason nodded, “Sure thing.”

Silence had filled the air with only Vyl’s chopping to compensate for it before Mason took one more swig of beer before trying to talk, “So, do you own the bakery? I’ve actually worked with you guys before for that rose cake for a wedding about a year ago.”

“Oh! Are you the gentleman from the flower store down the street?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Well, fancy that. I had no idea. I’m usually in the back downstairs making the cakes.” Vyl stopped as the smile that had appeared, faded quickly. “My late partner used to deal with the customers so you probably saw him.”

Mason’s eyes went wide as he watched the large incubus pause as he threw the remaining vegetables into the bowl before turning to wash the cutting board in the sink.

“Your late partner.” Mason murmured as he tried to remember the person he met. A picture of a young man with long hair tied into a long braid came to mind. He had glasses and a soft kind smile as he had greeted Mason and discussed business with. Lucas. That was his name. “Lucas.”

“Yes. Lucas. My wonderful partner.”

“When did he pass?” Mason asked, carefully watching Vyl as he walked to the oven to check on a large roast.

“It was a year ago—on this day actually. A heart attack of all things. The man was fit as a fiddle, yet his heart had a blockage.” Vyl stared intently at the roast, sticking it with a thermometer, “I hope you don’t mind—it’s just that I really needed someone tonight. I needed to feel like this place was a home again with a cooked meal and with someone to share it with.”

Vyl paused, “I’m sorry if you’re disappointed or you were hoping for something more than just a meal.”

“No. No. Vyl, don’t apologize.” Mason’s brow furrowed, his heart ached for the incubus in front of him. He understood the pain and he understood the need for companionship even if it meant this wasn’t actually a date. Whatever preconceived ideas Mason had about Vyl feeding on him just so he could feel good was gone. “I get it. I really do.”

“You do?”

Those glowing eyes turned to Mason with shock and lingering sadness as tears had been forming in the corner of his eyes.

“I do. Honestly, I’m not ready to date anyways. I got out of a bad relationship two years ago and I haven’t really been the same since. My friend Jeremy put the app on my phone because he’s worried that I don’t have any friends and he’s concerned that I’ll be lonely since he’s leaving in a week.”

Vyl let out a small breath of relief, “Lucas would have done the same which is the only reason I installed the app myself. I can hear him in the back of my mind, pushing me to move on, but it’s hard. Even harder is to find someone who would want to date me anyway.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I’m-uh, not like other incubi. I don’t really do the sex thing. Ever. I just don’t have an interest in it, I’d much rather have a companion who doesn’t mind snuggling on the couch to watch some movies or maybe will go on walks with me while we indulge in ice cream. I still need to feed occasionally, but it’s very rare for me since I’ve gone what most of my kind consider ‘vegan’. I eat human food for sustenance.”

Vyl stood up, closing the oven door, reaching for his own glass of wine as he took a sip.

“That—honestly sounds what I want right now.” Mason shuffled from side to side, inwardly admiring Vyl’s bravery for being honest with him, all while feeling a little guilty that he had come here without thinking that perhaps Vyl was a person and not an object to magically make Mason happy. He didn’t want sex, but he wanted to feel good. He wanted to feel happy again. “I don’t have much interest in anyone sexually either. Not after my ex. Honestly, I just feel—”

Mason stopped himself. There he was, bringing up that woman again.

“Did you want to talk about it? I mean, I’m a stranger or a potential friend, should we enjoy each other’s company—but sometimes talking to a stranger about your problems is easier than talking to your friends. I’m less involved in what happened.”

Taking a deep swig from the bottle, Mason struggled until it spilled out, “I’ve always been a bit more reclusive than most people, so I figured dating someone who was the opposite of me would help me to come out of my shell a bit more. Maria was my opposite. In every way. She wasn’t very good for me and really enjoyed hurting me by putting me down. Near the end of our relationship, I questioned whether it was just in my head or maybe I was emotionally fragile and just sensitive. Maybe I was just not good enough for her. But what broke everything was when I found out that she had been cheating—as if the verbal abuse wasn’t enough. I really wasn’t enough for her. She even blamed me when I confronted her about it. It was—bad. ”

Another profound silence settled between them as Mason did his best to keep his eyes on the floor. He was struggling to reign it all in.

“Oh—Mason.” Vyl said softly. “Can I give you a hug?”

Mason nodded immediately as he felt the welling of emotions inside of him. She had cut him up into tiny pieces and he just didn’t know how to put himself back together again. For a moment as Vyl wrapped his arms around Mason, he felt as if he might just be able to do it. He might become whole again, one day.

Unexpected tears and sniffles began to plague Vyl as he held Mason tightly. It only made Mason respond in kind, burying his face into Vyl’s chest to hide his own tears. They both stood in that kitchen, clinging for their own reason to continue on as the fresh home cooked meal reminded them of care and warmth. Tonight it was enough to share a meal together. It was enough to share each others company.

They pulled apart, both quickly wiping their own tears away before Vyl laughed, “Look at us. What a horrible meeting this is.”

Mason sniffed, letting out a chuckle, “No, it’s actually pretty great.”

“I’m sorry that she hurt you so deeply.”

“Yeah, me too.” Mason nodded, “Honestly, I’m pretty sure I should go see a therapist. This kind of baggage is heavy and I don’t want to burden anyone with it.”

“That’s understandable and probably the healthiest solution.” Vyl turned to open the oven and check the roast once more, “Ah, I believe that dinner is ready.”

“Great, I think all the crying made me hungrier than I was before.”

Vyl laughed, “Crying can be good for the soul, but I can relate. I think I’m hungry after I blubber—at the very least, I’m thirsty.”

Mason felt a wave of relief as he watched Vyl grab two sets of plates, handing one to Mason before setting the other one down. He picked up a carving knife and fork, cutting large slices of steaming roast and plopping two onto Mason’s plate.

His mouth watered as he stared at the hot beef, his stomach also letting out a resounding grumble of approval, “Wow, this looks delicious. Where did you learn to cook or bake?”

“I went to a culinary school a long time ago. Since we incubi have long lives, I’ve been in and out of school for centuries, picking up new things and recreating the old.”

Vyl handed Mason cutlery as he ushered him into the dining room across from the living room. The table was small with four chairs and four placemats already set on the surface. Mason had wondered if perhaps Vyl was the one who placed the little vase of fake flowers in the middle or if it was Lucas.

Setting down his plate, Vyl walked to the kitchen, coming back with the bowl of salad and several dressings pressed to his chest before he set them all down.

“I didn’t even think about how long you live. So, have you been vegan for long then?”

“Yes, actually. I just never enjoyed it like others of my kind did. So, I just didn’t do it. Occasionally the mood strikes where I wouldn’t mind feeding on a person, but it’s very rare. Because of that, I learned to cook and get nutrition from food. It only made sense to learn to cook or bake to earn money while I eat to survive.”

“Makes sense to me.” Mason smiled, cutting into his roast before taking the first bite.

It was glorious as the savory flavor hit Mason’s taste buds, “Wow. This is really good.”

Vyl’s smile grew large as he watched as Mason began cutting up his food more to get another piece into his mouth, “I’m glad—Lucas definitely appreciated my cooking as well.”

“Was this his favorite meal?”

“It was.” Vyl paused, “I’m sorry, I just feel really guilty about this ‘date’. Like I’m using you.”

“Well, join the club. I feel like an ass because I originally came here thinking that I might feel good if you fed off me. “

Vyl let out a hearty laugh, “A date where both parties were looking to ease their own pain and suffering by using the other. How romantic. This could only lead to good things.”

“From the looks of it, we might become ‘cry buddies’.”

“Cry buddies,” Vyl chuckled again, “I like it. It really brings out a softer side.”

Dinner had turned into a late gabfest with Vyl showing Mason how to make a cupcake with buttercream icing. They talked about everything from their past relationships, to video games, books, and movies. Mason even was pleased to discover that Vyl was interested in incorporating more real flowers into his baking displays. They had a lot in common and when the evening drew to a close they exchanged numbers before Vyl showed Mason out of the bakery with a box of cookies and their cupcake creations.

“I really enjoyed tonight. It’s not what I thought it would be.” Mason spoke first, pausing at the door as Vyl unlocked and opened it.

“I did too. I’m probably as surprised as you are.”

A silent pause descended on Mason as he stared down at the box in hand before meeting Vyl’s gaze, “I know I sound like a broken record, but I’m not ready to date. I’m still not really in a healthy place where I should be dating, but I want to see you again as a friend. Is that okay?”

Vyl nodded, a small smile toying at the corners of his snout, “I would like that very much, Mason. Do you think we could meet up on Sunday? I could show you how to make cookies.”

Vyl ruffled Mason’s hair playfully as Mason felt relief flood through his body.

“I’d like that.”

“Cool. I’ll text you later then. Have a good night and please get home safely.”

Mason nodded as he stepped outside, “I will—oh and Vyl?”

“Yeah?” Vyl paused before closing the door.

“Thank you. Truly.”

“Thank you too, Mason.”

Mason began walking away with goodies in hand as he heard Vyl lock up. He felt lighter than he had in a while and decided to text Jeremy about how his evening went. He ended the message with a quick note that he was going to be just fine. For the first time, Mason knew it to be true.

Like my work? Want to support what I do?

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Also if anyone wanted to use this for the collab, feel free. It’s super dorky, but I spliced it together with this person’s creation from Pixabay.

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justwhumpythings · 6 years

Text

2,000 followers and time for a change

Strap in peeps, this is a long one. I’ve been working up to it for a while but with my 2,000 followers milestone I thought it was a nice time to do it. Also I’m away for a week from Tuesday so I might not be posting.

When I started this blog, there were only around six active bloggers in the whump community (shout out to my OG whumpers, you rock). I had found my people, and - after some time to work up the courage - I decided to make my own account for a website I hardly knew anything about just to join in the fun. Mostly, I did so because I wanted to give back to this wonderful community and see if I could be a part of helping it to flourish. And hoo boy has it. By my reckoning, there are now maybe around 200 active or semi-active whump blogs in the community, with approximately 400 that have been around at some point or other throughout my two and a bit years here (don’t hold me to this, I’m just estimating!). I love you all, and I’m so happy that we have created such a welcoming and buzzing community (and maybe a little bit proud that my blog might have helped in doing so).

But while the growth of the community is a huge achievement for all of us, it presents me a problem.

My original goals for justwhumpythings were broadly:

1) To share all types of non-fandom-specific whumpy content - anything that is relevant, regardless of my personal whump interests (within reason); to be a ‘whump hub’ of sorts

2) To act as a ‘megaphone’ for the growing community, by seeking out new whump blogs and signal boosting them and their content for other whumpers to see

3) To create original whump-related content along the lines of macgyvermedical’s original #justwhumpythings posts

When we were just six or so whumpers chilling, I could easily spare 15 mins a day to come up with my own posts and reblog what the others had made. Now? Yeah.

To achieve points 1) and 2), I follow, well, basically everyone. I scroll through my entire dash every day. I save to my drafts all of the non-fandom-specific whump content. Then every few days, I go to my drafts, tag it all up, and queue it in what I judge to be an order that provides variety but also prioritises posts that need to be shared more urgently.

Pros of the current situation: my dash is full to bursting with exciting new whumpy content, and I get to see some great posts that might otherwise go unnoticed, and share them so they can be appreciated by more people. I feel proud of my blog and that other people enjoy it.

Cons, though: my dash is becoming unmanageable. Some days it feels like an urgent chore that I get to the bottom and save every post that might be relevant to justwhumpythings. Then some days I get to the bottom and want more, impatiently pressing the refresh button in the hopes that it will somehow make another ten posts appear for me to voraciously consume. But the former days are more common. And all of this often feels like it’s sapping my own creative energy - I barely make an original post once a month nowadays. My post schedule is becoming more and more erratic as the energy required to tag, organise and fill the queue grows. My drafts are overflowing with posts, some of which are months old. And importantly, I’m no longer fulfilling my original goals as well as I want to.

All of this, combined with the fact that I’m starting a Masters degree in a month’s time, means the time has come for this blog to change. That pains me, but life is full of compromises I suppose. I’m also confident that this blog as originally envisaged is no longer needed when so much has changed in the community. Other blogs have appeared that do similar things to me. New members are joining us all the time and forging their own way. The community is self-sustaining. If I drop my particular torch, someone else will come along and run with it (I swear I don’t mean this to sound as egotistical as it’s coming out lol).

So, this blog is going to change (slowly, as I clear out my drafts) from the audience-facing content-sharing blog I created it as to more of a personal whump blog. I’ll reblog the whump content that I enjoy the most and, regrettably, let the rest go by the wayside. I’m still keeping goal 2) to welcome new members to the community so blog rec posts etc. will remain, though I imagine the audience they’re broadcasting to will get smaller when I post less. Things like ‘defining whump’ and ‘why we like whump’ will stay too as I feel they’re very useful and don’t take much to maintain. If I have time/energy, I want to start making more of my own posts again.

[This is probably a good time to mention that I’ve set up a personal sideblog at @arcadian-asgardian if anyone wants to give it a follow. Once it gets going there’ll be some whump stuff like my writing (when I do some lmao) but also my fandom interests, hobbies and pretty stuff. I’ll try to tag it all by content so if you just want the whump or whatever you can block the rest.]

I also want to hang out more with y’all on the discord which this change will give me more time to do.

To conclude!

It’s been a good run. I’m sad that it’s time to move on, but I’m also confident that it’s the right decision, proud of what the community has become, and tentatively excited about having more energy to create some of my own content again.

I love you all xx <3 <3

Sarah

#important #changes to blog #long post #blog maintenance #sarah rambles about shit #this is so melodramatic lol #it sounds like i'm dying or quitting tumblr or something #i'm not btw #i'm just becoming a different blog #tbh i doubt anyone cares as much about what this blog does as i do #which makes the whole thing sound very self-important but i wanted to say it #if you want to unfollow me #i mean obviously i'd like it if you stayed #but never feel you're obligated to #if the content ain't working for you #also sorry about this massive tag cloud #i will be reblogging this to make sure its seen

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forever-rogue · 6 years

Text

Rooftop Sessions

A/N: Hey y’all! I hope you enjoy this part 1 of 2 (3 maybe?) little mini series that was requested/prompted! If you have any ideas/requests/prompts, feel free to send them in, my inbox is open! If you wanted to be tagged, or added to my general taglist, please let me know :D

Summary: Y/N is a therapist that works with war veterans that ends up meeting a mysterious stranger who asks for her help.

Word Count: 2.1k

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: mentions of war / mental health

PART II | PART III

“I think that’ll be enough for today, Kevin,” Y/N gave the man sitting across from her a big smile as she finished jotting down notes from their session. Kevin was a vet from Iraq that had been dealing with a variety of different issues that Y/N had been meeting with for several years now.

“Thanks, Dr. Y/L/N,” he gave her a small smile in return, happy with how today’s session went, “I really appreciate all your help, especially with the things that have happened recently. It’s been difficult.”

“And you’ve been handling everything really well. I’m very impressed, I know you can handle anything that’s thrown at you. And remember, I’ll always be here for you if you need anything,” she stood up and opened the door to her office. He followed her out and gave her a small side hug as he went. She was taken aback for a moment, but was happy to see he was getting comfortable with people again; she knew it was something he had struggled with.

“Thanks, Doc! I’ll see you next week!” She gave him a wave as he went along his way and slowly shut the door behind her, a content smile on her face.

Y/N let out a long, tired sigh as she flopped down onto the big couch she normally reserved for clients. She had had a long day, year really, as she had grown in popularity and gotten more people wanting her to help them. She wasn’t just like every other therapist, she specialized in working with war veterans. After she had witnessed her own father worsen and decline in mental health after he had returned from combat, she had made it her mission to help people like him. Many people chose not to understand their needs but she couldn’t stand seeing veterans get left by the wayside to suffer.

She put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes for a few moments, deciding a break was much deserved before she launched into her afternoon sessions. This afternoon she was meeting a newer client at the history museum, which is where he requested to have their sessions. One of the things she did that most other therapists wouldn’t dream of doing was meeting her clients where they requested so they would feel more comfortable and at ease.

Y/N felt herself slowly start to drift off as her eyelids grew heavier, when she heard her phone buzzing over on her desk. She groaned and dragged herself up and over to it and looked at the screen. To her surprise it was just flashing with anonymous. She debated if she should even answer it for a few moments before deciding it wouldn’t hurt anything, even if it wasted a few moments of her time. She picked up the call and curiously asked, “hello?”

“Hello, Dr. Y/L/N,” a warm male voice was at the other end of the line. It held a hint of familiarity, but she couldn’t quite place it. She dealt with a lot of people, it was probably someone she had encountered at some point.

“Hi...may I ask who is calling? Do you know me?”

“You could, but it wouldn’t really make me tell you who I am,” he laughed a little and Y/N could feel herself getting slightly irritated, “I’m sorry I woke you up, by the way. It looked like you were finally getting some rest.”

“Who are you? Why are you watching me?” She turned around and tried to find who was watching her. Her office was largely windows, which she preferred open for the natural light, so it wouldn’t have been too hard for someone to see in. The idea that someone was just observing her was a little unnerving though.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a stalker-”

“Really? Because that’s a little what this sounds like,” she peeked through her blinds, trying to see if she could spot anybody.

“You can keep looking for me, Y/N, but you won’t see me,”

“Where are you? How did you get this number?””

“I have my ways,” again with his soft laugh, “I have a question for you.”

“Oh?” Her curiosity was peaked, to say the least.

“I wanted to schedule a session with you, if that’s possible,” suddenly he sounded less confident. Y/N paused for a few moments as she realized this was just someone who wanted her help. That wasn’t exactly what she was expecting.

“Oh, I see. Yeah,of course. I can make some time this week,” she sat down at her desk and pulled out her planner, “how does tomorrow evening sound?”

“I’ve got all the time in the world,” he sucked in his breath for a moment, “can I ask you to meet somewhere?”

“Yes, that’s what I do a lot of times,”

“I know. I’ve been observing. How about on the rooftop? Of your building?”

“Yes, if that’s where you’d like to meet, that’s fine by me,” she’d had had some weird requests in the past, but a rooftop was a first. As long as she felt she could actually be productive, she usually agreed to their requests.

“Thank you,” she could hear a note of relief in his voice.

“Now can I ask you something?”

“Yes,”

“Are you actually a veteran?”

There was a moment of silence and Y/N wondered if he had hung up on her. He cleared his throat before continuing, “I am...it’s been a while but I am. I’ve seen a lot of war and atrocity.”

“Well, I hope I can help you. I’ll see you tomorrow at 5?”

“Thank you, Y/N,” he ended the call before she could ask for his name. Y/N locked her phone and tapped it against her chin for a few moments. She wondered who he could possibly be. Obviously he wanted to keep some sort of anonymity if he was going to these lengths just to meet with her. Even if he wouldn’t give her more answers, she was going to do her best to help him.

The next day almost didn’t come fast enough for Y/N. She was morbidly curious as to who the mysterious stranger was, she almost couldn’t focus on anything else. She paced around her office as she waited for it to get closer to five, the tick of her office clock in the marking the time. After walking back and forth a few times, she sighed and pulled out her phone and scrolled through the news. Nothing of interest caught her eye, until she saw a small blurb about the man they called the Winter Soldier and his upcoming trial. She clicked the link and scanned the article quickly when her phone popped with an alert - it was finally time to go and meet with her mysterious new client.

Y/N climbed the stairs for the few floors that separated her office from the roof. She was a little out of breath when she got to the top and inhaled deeply a few times to try and even her breathing.

“Out of breath from that?” She heard his voice ask. She quickly turned on high alert and tried to see where he was at. The dying light of day made it hard to see him clearly, but then again maybe that was his plan all along.

“What? No, I’m fine,” she lied as she spotted his figure sitting on the edge of the roof, face hidden underneath a hoodie and behind sunglasses. She wasn’t sure if she should approach so she stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

“You can come and sit, I won’t bite,” he gestured next to himself, as she walked over and took a seat, leaving just enough of a distance between them.

“So, you already know who I am, obviously,” she squinted and tried to get a better look at him, “but who are you? I mean you don’t have to tell me, but it makes things a little easier.”

“My name’s James,” he shrugged lightly and kept his gaze pointed away from her, “I’ve been listening to you for a while now. I like your style.”

“My style?”

“Yes. You’re very honest and blunt, but you’re also kind. A rare combination,” she could feel a slight blush creeping into her cheeks, “plus the sarcasm? A nice touch.”

“Hey, I can’t help that...it just sort of...happens” she had always been told her sarcastic nature would be the death of her. But that was just who she was, and she wasn’t about to change that.

“I figured, and your face, it gives you away every time,” she could see he had a small smirk on his face.

“You know, you’re sounding a little creepy, should I be worried I have a stalker? Do you just sit and watch me?” It was only a half joke at this point. She wondered how long he had been observing her.

“No, don’t worry. I just wanted to make sure you could help,” he admitted, “I didn’t want to open up to just anyone. It’s a very...hard thing to do.”

“I understand,” she agreed, “even I have a hard time opening to people. People can suck.”

“Trust me, I totally agree,” he let out a hearty laugh before pausing and pulling himself back in, and putting up a wall again, “so how does this work? For us?”

“Well, you tell me about yourself, your experiences and what you’d like to work on. Issues, such as PTSD and such,” she stretched out her legs in front of her and crossed them.

“Yeah, okay. Shouldn’t you be taking notes?”

“Oh don’t worry James, you’ve got my full attention,”

He gave her a heartwarming smile and wrung his hands nervously, trying to figure out where to start, “Well...let’s see. When the war started, I was eager to do; it felt like the right thing to do. But I realized pretty quickly I was very wrong…”

Y/N watched him closely has he launched into his tale. She could tell he was handsome underneath his disguise, and he seemed genuine. He was just someone who had been through a lot. The unease she had first felt around him was quickly dissipating as he talked more and more. Whoever he was, she was determined to help however she could.

She let him talk for a while, not interrupting as she listened to his story. She could tell he was a good person, just someone who got unlucky and handed some terrible situations.

“James?”

“Hmm?” He was quieter now, almost as though he was unsure what she would think after he had told her mostly what happened to him.

“I think you’ve Been through a lot and somehow you ended up here. If you’ve been able to survive what you’ve seen and had to do, you can take on anything,”

“I have a trial coming up,” he admitted quietly and let out a sigh.

“You have a trial?” Y/N’s voice faltered as she tried to hide her shock.

“Yes...it’s for war crimes...amongst other things,”

“I...wouldn’t have thought that you would-” “You don’t have to keep working with me, Y/N. I know most people think of me as a monster,”

His voice was cold and distant as he kept gaze pointed away from her.

“I don’t think you’re a monster, James,” she disagreed, “I think things have just..not been in your favor. I’d like to keep meeting with you, if you’re agreeable to it.”

“Really?”

“Really,”

“I would like that, Y/N,” he stood up slowly as he faced her. He took off the sunglasses he had been sporting, but it didn’t make much of a difference, the day had turned to night long along and there were only the streetlights giving everything a soft glow. She squinted and tried to make out his features to no avail, “when can I see you again?”

“I, ugh, I have the time this weekend? Whenever really,” she usually didn’t work on weekends but was willing to make an exception for him.

“Since when do you do weekends?’ She wondered how long he had been watching her.

“I do..sometimes,” she lied.

“Well, thank you for the exception,” he turned on his heel to start walking away, “I’ll be in touch,”

“But-” it was too late and he had already starting heading down the stairwell on the side of the building, “okay then.”

She stood up and stretched. She wondered if she was making a mistake with him. Even if he was going on trial, she didn’t think he was actually a bad person. She would just have to wait and see who this mysterious James really was.

Taglist: @ruinerofcheese @supernatural508

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #marvel #mcu #captain america #avengers #sebastian stan #mental health #imagine #request #captain america civil war #captain america winter soldier #oc #infinity war #chris evans

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crasherfly · 3 years

Text

Weekly Update

Nothing to report.

I had a big ol’ ripper of a rant, but it was pretty much everything I’d already said in therapy. Y’all don’t gotta take that on. So I’m gonna let it lie where it ought- with a professional.

I’ll just say I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. I miss everyone a lot and I hope we can game together soon.

Video Games

Holy smokes did I play some games or did I play some GAMES. (I played some games). Gonna do my best to recap everything I did below.

Crusader Kings 3 (PC)

Crusader Kings 3 is a grand strategy game about facilitating a royal line in the medieval world and leading it to ever greater heights of fame and power. Eventually, you’ll see your humble bloodline climb to the highest echelons of the lite.

Crusader Kings 3 is a grand strategy game about overseeing a perpetual house fire of family turmoil in the medieval world and watching over the course of hours and days as it burns itself straight to the ground.

Both of these things are equally true. And shockingly, both are equally fun.

I played about 30 hours of this game over Thanksgiving break. And although my first royal family was more of the house fire variety, I can’t deny that my experience was memorable and deeply enjoyable.

In Crusader Kings 3 you play as a king- not a kingdom, but the actual ruler. You have stats and abilities and traits, and the decisions you make throughout your reign affect them in dramatic ways. You also oversee an entire family of individuals who you can similarly affect with your actions.

While the game itself also has traditional strategy concepts such as war and economy, the real meat and bones are in the simply click to choose narrative bubbles that pop up throughout your playthrough. Will you attend the ball, or slink away into the night? Will you charge the rampart or let your knights serve as your shield? Will you marry the unskilled heir of a powerful ally, or commoner with the brilliant stewardship abilities? Every decision ensures that your playthrough will be nothing like anyone else’s.

It is a complex and robust system, demanding you take on an encyclopedia’s worth of terms and vocabulary to fully understand what is happening. Everything- and I mean EVERYTHING- has a stat modifier attached to it. War is unforgiving and often devastating, and economic buildup is fragile and requires immense patience. This is a slow experience, to be sure, one that makes games like Civ or even Endless Space seem lightning paced in comparison.

There aren’t many folks I could recommend this game to. The few I know who have tried it have given up after a couple hours, discouraged by the obtuse volume of systems and intricacies that I won’t even pretend to have a full grasp of as of this writing.

But what I will say is that it is rare for a strategy game to be so accepting of ignorance and mistakes- and if you’re willing to give Crusader Kings 3 the time to open up, it will reward you.

My first king after the starter king died at 33, half-insane, wounded and tortured to death after an ill-fated war against a neighboring county who happened to be best buds with the King of England- a much, much stronger kingdom than I. But I kept going, and by the time I’d hit the 5th and 6th kings in my succession, my rulers were regularly living well past 55 years of age, occasionally winning wars, but more importantly, staying out of unnecessary ones, and making plenty of gold for kingdom improvements.

Granted, this all came crashing down after an opportunistic neighbor declared war on me as I was in the midst of my own expansion. They captured an incredibly valuable county from me, and my kingdom never recovered. I watched as my territory disappeared claim by claim until at last my army of less than 100 was wiped out, my last city captured, and my bloodline swiftly ended via jailing and executions.

But...it was a thrilling end to over 200 years of royal drama, and I was immediately plotting how I’d do better next game.

Hitman 2 (PS4)

So when I said I played some GAMES, I mostly meant I got deep into a couple of games that require a lot of investment and focus. I’ve put in over 150 hours with Hitman 1 and 2 combined. I maxed out the mastery level of every mission in the first game- twice, so I could unlock the old equipment for the new game- and have been working my way through total mastery on the second game ever since.

If someone were to ask me what I think the best game of the PS4/XBONE gen is, I’d say, without hesitation, Hitman. It’s rare to find a game that is so rewarding of your time, so dedicated to presenting you with a thoughtful and clever world as this. Every level is a perfect puzzle. Every solution is both humorous and karmic and deeply satisfying. The rewards are many and you earn them often enough to keep you coming back. There are more side-contracts than I could ever possibly play. There’s even a co-op mode that I haven’t touched, not to mention the custom contracts. There’s even more than that, but if I go on I’ll start to sound like a back of box summary.

I finally finished the Isle of Sgail this week. A massive, sprawling castle with multiple layers of security and triggered events, it took FOREVER to learn. In fact, it was so massive that I gave up on it several times before finally resolving to finish it.

Now, I’m a deeply obsessive Hitman player. I don’t move on from a level until I’ve maxed out its mastery rating and unlocked all of its items for my inventory. But had I not wanted to do that? I could have moved forward at any time. And that’s the joy of Hitman. It doesn’t force you to stick around longer than you’d want to. If you want to play every single hit the same way, you can! If you want to just walk into every single level, shoot your target in the head, and leave- it might be a bit tricky, but it isn’t impossible, and you could do that and conceivably play every single level in the course of maybe a week.

But if you want to take your time and really memorize these brilliant layouts over the course of weeks, months, or in my case- years? You can do that too. Either way can be the right way to enjoy Hitman.

I’m guessing these games will go on sale a few more times before 3 drops. If you can pick up 2′s premium edition, which includes 1, I’d highly recommend it. It is rare that you will find a title with so much pure single player content. Years worth, if you want it.

Depending on how the devs handle inventory and progress crossover for 3, I’ll have a big decision to make on what console I choose to play. I couldn’t care less where the story is going, but then, has anyone ever? These games have been an absolute joy to play, and that’s what matters.

Also...a Bond game from the same devs?

Sign me up!

Link’s Awakening (Switch)

I always told myself I’d never pay full price for this. Because Nintendo’s gonna Nintendo, I had to wait a full year before I could catch any sort of break on this price.

Eventually picked up Link’s Awakening and so far it’s pretty much been exactly what I expected. My muscle memory carried me through 2 dungeons in less than 90 minutes. The visuals were gorgeous, the music delightful, and my continual nostalgic recall at times overwhelming. This really is the same game we all played on our Gameboys, brought back to life for a new gen.

There’s nothing new here to go over. However, if you have a child or a partner who didn’t grow up with this? I’d recommend picking it up for them. Link’s Awakening has always been one of the least intimidating and most accessible Zelda games out there, and this reboot (or remaster? idk!) is an absolute charmer.

Premium Bowling (Oculus Quest 2)

So it’s come to this. Bowling. The more things have changed since the Wii, the more they stay the same. Bowling is still the most satisfying motion activity you can do, it seems.

Premium Bowling is exactly what it sounds like- a game about bowling. You have a few different alleys to choose and no shortage of pin set ups. The added ability to track not just your hand motions but your steps is really cool- and I like to hope my actual bowling form has improved as I play this. I get a good light workout in and the ball and pins tend to behave the way I feel like they should.

Not much else to say here. The price tag is a bit steep for a bowling experience, but far as I can tell this seems to be the main, if not only, one out there, and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive, even as I have to admit the announcer bugs the daylights out of me.

Anime

Folks- I did the damn thing. I got out there and I watched some anime! FINALLY.

I don’t know what I keep avoiding this stuff. There are so many good and interesting stories out there at my fingertips, and I just keep ignoring them to go watch wrestling or bet on Spriteclub. It’s awful!

Well, no more. This week, I got to catch up on some stories. Here’s what I got so far.

Note: For titles I haven’t written about previously, I’ll provide a short summary. For others, not so much. For my more critical thoughts- my experiences are my own and not a judgement of others. Maybe you loved one series or hated another. That’s totally fine! Everyone should love what they love without reservation. As always, I love hearing about what you love. If you think I missed something, or just want to share something about your experience that really made an anime click? Hit me up! Also, I am ALWAYS taking recommendations- and I will almost always follow up if I give something you send my way a shot :)

Fire Force

Fire Force’s season 2 is finally, after what feels like an eternity, winding down. It’s still a gorgeous show and certainly one of the most on-brand shonen out there. It’s also, for me, one of the most uneven.

Season 2 has been all over the damn place this year, introducing countless characters and following no small number of random threads before finally coming back to Shinra and the 8th’s mission to determine the cause of human combustion.

The past couple of eps in particular have been brutal, with actual character death and mutilation taking a front seat- things I was not necessarily expecting from a fairly gung-ho shonen.

I still enjoy the world that Fire Force has built. It’s an undeniably cool aesthetic. I’ll be curious to see what, if any, cliff-hangers the writers leave us as the heroes close in on the evil Evangelist.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Speaking of shonens, this particular title about a possessed teenager with a death sentence has really come into its own in its first season. Its lore is absolutely lovely, and the more I learn about curses and those who hunt them, the more I want to know.

I’ll spare the rundown on what this show’s about- I’ve gone over it in previous blogs. Suffice to say those who are after a more mature shonen with a darker plot will dig this one a lot.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?

A young adventurer named Bell becomes an adventurer- not to kill monsters or earn glory, but to find true love. Eventually, he finds it, but not in the way he expects. After getting cornered by a monster way above his level, he is rescued by a beautiful warrior named Ais. The story follows Bell’s quest to get stronger so that he can impress Ais- and stand with confidence amongst other adventurers.

Only watched the first ep of this. It was charming, well animated. I hear it’s picked up a lot of steam in its third season. I don’t know that I can say the hook really grabbed me, but it’s a very cute show.

One-Punch Man

Saitama has a problem- he’s trained so hard that he’s now TOO strong, and can finish every fight with just one punch. He’s now bored and despondent, as the hobby he took up for fun now lacks the spark that he once felt before. Dealing with these feelings and seeking a challenge that shakes up his low-stakes, humdrum day to day life- that is the story we follow in One-Punch Man.

So I’ve read the manga for OPM. I loved it. I thought, and still think, its animation is superior to the anime. When I first tried OPM I couldn’t get past that, and I eventually gave up.

I also thought that a lot of OPM stories had kind of a weird tone- it’s definitely a loner/outsider story, and a lot of the villains and antagonists that get set up are absolutely poking fun at the typical things you’d expect an angry loner story to poke fun at. I won’t get too into it, but when I first tried OPM that weird undercurrent really made it hard for me to get into it the way a lot of other guys I knew were.

A few years later, I’m giving it a shot again. And overall?

I don’t hate it.

I think I’m looking at the protagonist, Saitama, in a different light. His boredom, his lackluster deference and his blank stares all play to a place that I find more familiar than I’d like to admit.

But also- the animation is fine and I’m a dummy for giving it grief. And the music is just super rad as well.

I think I’ll eventually finish OPM now that I have both more distance between the manga now and now that I’ve kinda settled down on what throws me off, content-wise, in a story. I’m going to give OPM the benefit of the doubt and keep watching. I’ll report back when I finish.

Mob Psycho 100

A lot of folks I know have ranted that Mob Psycho 100 is the best darn thing to happen to anime in ages. I guess the visuals, much as they did for One-Punch Man, sorta dissuaded me from seeing what all the hype was about.

And I guess they still kinda do. I...I guess Mob Psycho is pretty in its own way. It’s definitely not the visual aesthetic I go searching for in an anime, but I’m trying to do a better job of not judging that too harshly.

Anyway, Mob Psycho 100 is about a kid named Mob who acts as a powerful exorcist on behalf of his bumbling and powerless teacher. Together they take on demons as a for-hire service.

I feel like I’ve heard this show is hilarious? I don’t know. I didn’t find too much to chuckle about, but it was well-done and it certainly had no shortage of chaotic energy and visuals.

I’ll probably finish it, if only ‘cuz I’m mildly intrigued about just what so many others see in Mob as a protag, and ‘cuz I’m also curious what so many folks are drawing from the series as a whole. But so far, I haven’t found myself hooked.

No Guns Life

The main character has a gun for a head. Honestly? That was weird enough to make me pass over the thumbnail for months.

Recently though, I’ve been rewatching Solty Rei, and it got me in the mood for weird sci-fi noir stories. So I thought what the hell, I’ll give the gunhead a try.

I’m so, so glad I did.

Of all the titles I tried out this week, No Guns Life is the best. It is dark, brooding, gorgeous, but also knows when to have fun.

In a future world where prosthetic replacement has been normalized- if not popularized, a mercenary named Juzo is handed a case by a desperate “Extended” (the term used for more advanced cyborgs) who asks him to look after a boy that was just rescued from a corporate lab. Juzo takes the case, and his life immediately becomes more complicated- and dangerous.

It’s a classic noir hook that feels both familiar yet fresh in thanks to the series’ inventive visuals and intricate lore. Further, the voice acting is just pure hard-boiled goodness, whether you watch it in English or the original Japanese.

Do yourself a favor and give the first episode a try. You might just love it.

The Millionaire Detective Balance: Unlimited

An honest and earnest blue-collar detective is paired up with a new recruit at his precinct- a recruit who turns out to be the richest man on the planet!

That’s it. That’s the show. It is not trying to hide anything- that’s its premise and it’s sticking by it.

And a few times, I even laughed at its brazenness.

At one point during a high speed chase, the millionaire successfully resolves the chase by...telling his butler to pay everyone to get out of the way- at “twice the market value”. Which. What even...

The Millionaire Detective’s power is literally that he is rich and can afford anything. When he accesses his balances, they are listed as “unlimited”. He buys everyone off. Pays for every damage he causes. He can make city utilities such as traffic lights and draw bridges do anything he likes. At one point, the Millionaire Detective stops a foreign dignitary in the middle of the street and buys the dignitary’s vehicle on the spot so he can continue his chase. It’s...well. It’s the logical conclusion of the series title. I’ll give it that much.

No idea if I’d finish this. It has some funny ideas. I like that the eps end with a balance sheet that tells you how much was spent.

Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out

A loner in college is constantly shadowed and harassed by an indomitable girl named Uzaki who, true to the name of the series, wants to hang out.

I watched one ep of this show. I didn’t dislike it! I’m a sucker for low stakes slice of life comedies like this where the biggest conflict is whether or not the protag gets to go to the movies alone.

It’s not as clever as other slice of life anime I’ve seen, but it’s not abrasive. The namesake character Uzaki is a bit manic, and the loner is a bit of a bore, but there’s chemistry I could see following for a few more eps. I also just enjoy observing Japanese culture as it unfolds in stories like these. There’s so much to pick up in these kinds of stories, so I may continue on with it, if only out of curiosity.

The Rising of Shield Hero

A guy gets transported to a world in dire need of heroes. Everyone who is brought to the world is assigned a weapon which they will use to save the kingdom. Our protagonist gets the Shield- considered the weakest assignment. Derided by his allies and cast out after no small number of misunderstandings, Rising of Shield Hero is the story of one man’s drive to do the right thing and save the kingdom that never wanted him in the first place.

This is my second try with Shield Hero. I gave up once before. But now...I’m giving Shield Hero another shot.

I tried this title about a year ago. I was really harsh on its opening ep’, which hinges on a false rape accusation and a typical loner outsider isekai protagonist. Its “best girl” is a character who is introduced by way of being literally purchased from a slaver. None of this was presented in an especially egregious or even disrespectful format, but at the time I was watching it, I just lacked patience for it.

But time is a funny thing. We grow, we re-evaluate, and we make ourselves open to change.

I think I’ve had time to chill out since my first experience with Shield Hero and not be so bothered by the particulars (that, and...well, my experience with Goblin Slayer really put some shit in perspective, ugh). Did I think some of ep 1 was unimaginative? Yes. But was any of it actually a dealbreaker? Nah.I know a lot of good folks who I trust that have really resonated with Shield Hero as it has unfolded. It’s worth giving it another try.

Shield Hero’s setting is beautiful and its characters are certainly drawn to create an emotional investment. We want to root for the the Shield Hero, because he is quietly determined and righteous. We want to protect Raphtalia be cause she is vulnerable and kind. We want to see the antagonists fail because they’re all huge jerks. This aint rocket science, but I’ll grant it is effective and I want to be a part of the ride like so many others are.

I’m going to keep working through this, if only because I know season 2 is a damn event in anime and I don’t want to miss out. I’ll let you know if things keep improving. I’ve done episode 2 thus far, and I liked it more than ep 1. So we’ll see if that trend keeps up.

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mcwriting · 7 years

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Winner Winner... (AFTR Pt. 3)

Hahahaha finally... I’ve literally had ZERO time to write soooo... sincerely, my bad. This will probably actually have a part 4, even though I said it would end with a part 3 (of course I also said it would be a one-shot so we already know I’m a liar)

Y’all know how it goes:

Fandom: Marvel-ish

Ship: Tom Holland x Reader (Tommy-boi is back, baby!)

Setting: Unnamed smallish U.S. city from the first part of this

Word Count: 1,210

Warnings: None? Flirting?

Rating: K+ I guess

Background: So I’ve decided that the reader is for sure 19 in this, just to give a nice little age gap. Basically we’re at the point that the reader is having dinner with the boys and the nice fun that ensues. So yeah! Enjoy!

You stood nervously under the awning outside, swishing your legs back and forth to keep yourself busy. No longer were there butterflies in your stomach, it felt instead like birds were trying to flap their way out, and sometimes it felt like they were going to succeed.

You checked your watch: 6:58

As if by magic, a white van pulled into the parking lot, the name of the boys’ hotel painted onto the side. You could make out three figures in the back and smiled to yourself. The van pulled up and sat idle for a moment, and you noticed one figure lean forward, probably to hand the driver a tip, before the doors slid open and you could suddenly hear the laughter of all three boys.

Once they stepped out, your eyes caught Tom’s and the world seemed to slow down for a moment as you savored the look on his face. His eyes widened and the smile already on his face grew even more. He quickened his steps and opened his arms, engulfing you in a hug when he was close enough.

“Y/n! It’s so nice to see you again!”

You paused a moment in shock before wrapping your own arms around his thin waist.

“Glad to see you all as well,” you returned once the two of you pulled away.

You gave Harrison and Harry quick squeezes as well before stepping back to admire what everyone looked like for the evening. All three boys wore jeans, Harry in light wash relaxed fit jeans and the other two in darker, more fitted pants. Harry had chosen to don a plain white t-shirt and a red jacket with his black baseball cap, and outfit you felt you'd seen before online. Harrison went with a white tee that sported a red rose with the letter ‘W’ over the pocket, a shirt that you were also familiar with.

And Tom. Tom wore what to some would be a simple black tee and tan jacket, but to you was oh so perfect.

“Y/n, dear, you look quite beautiful,” Harrison mentioned, elbowing Tom a little too obviously.

Tom’s eyes widened quickly before he blurted,

“Oh! Yes, y/n. You look amazing, actually. That dress compliments your eyes gorgeously.”

You felt your cheeks heat up as you thanked them both.

“Shall we?” you asked, gesturing towards the door.

Tom stepped forward, grabbing the door for you as you made your way in, the others following close behind.

You walked towards the hostess stand, where a girl who couldn't be any older than you asked,

“How many?”

You smiled and told her four, a hand waving towards the three others behind you. The girl looked past you at the boys, then back at you, probably wondering where you found such beautiful boys and how she could acquire some of her own.

You looked into the restaurant, noticing it wasn't particularly full (probably since it was a Thursday night and no one goes out to dinner on Thursdays), and stopped her a moment before she led you in.

“Um, is there any way we could sit over there?” you pointed towards a table by the wall on the opposite end of the restaurant where there weren't currently any other patrons seated nearby. You hoped the location would allow you to keep Tom somewhat hidden and allow all of you to have a quiet dinner.

She looked that way and nodded, marking an “x” over that spot on the seating chart and leading your group that way.

You stepped aside to let Tom into the booth next to you, figuring that if you sat on his outside and the both of you sat on the bench facing away from the interior of the restaurant, your group would have at least some privacy. Harry slid in on the other side, leaving Harrison across from you. The hostess set down your menus and said “Your server will be right with you,” before making her way back to her post.

Tom immediately reached for the drink menu, eyes scanning the beer listings.

“What’s your favorite ale here, y/n?” he asked innocently, turning to look at your face.

You turned your face away in thought, unsure of what to say.

“Welllll... I’m only 19 so...”

“Oh my God, y/n! I had no idea!” Tom exclaimed, looking to Has and Harry.

“Well, y/n, looks like you and I are in the same boat. We had ought to bring you out to England so you can and I can drink legally,” Harry commented, earning a chuckle from the rest of you.

The waitress came by and took your drink orders, and the two boys that were of age thankfully abstained from alcohol for the night, leaving you all drinking dry sodas and teas instead.

“So you mentioned something about cheese fries,” Harrison began, eyebrows raised in interest while the other two looked at you expectantly. You smiled slyly, happy that they were interested in the foods you liked.

“Haha well its true, this place has the best cheese fries in the states, and I am totally not biased on my completely subjective opinion about these amazing little food orgasms.”

“Did you just say what I think you said?” Harry questioned, probably wondering how many Americans actually talked like this.

You grinned like an idiot, ready to give back a witty remark when the waitress came by, ready to take your orders. The four of you settled on items that looked best, you choosing your usual and the others ordering from a variety of American-style foods.

And of course you ordered a plate of cheese fries to share.

The evening went on well, all of you laughing and discussing your interests with each other and growing a nice friendship over your delicious dinners. You couldn't help but notice the way Tom’s eyes often glanced over you, focusing mostly on your eyes and lips. Throughout the night you had scooted closer together, bodies pressed against one another by the end of your dinner. His warmth combined with yours in a comfortable way, one that you hadn't actually experienced before, even with the people you had dated throughout high school and now college.

When dinner came to a close, you began to pull our your wallet, fully intending on paying for yourself, when Tom reached over your arm to give your waitress his card.

“It’s on me, darling. Don’t worry about it,” Tom explained as the woman took his credit card to the register. You looked at him, jaw dropped, wondering how a man could be more perfect.

“You really didn't have to do that you know.”

“Of course, but I quite enjoyed our time together tonight and hope to see you again before we leave this Sunday.”

Your eyes widened; you were at a loss for words.

“I- uh- I mean... yeah I would love to hang out again... I mean, I know you have that Comic-con tomorrow night but, uh, my house is currently empty, aside from me and my cats. So... you could all come over and hang I guess?”

You didn't know what cam over you in that moment, but was glad when Tom depended with an immediate and resounding

“I’d love that”

A/N: Whoops I did it again... My bad... Pt 4 (hopefully last part) eventually, after the other 2 stories I ve been planning get written. Both are one shots and I’m rlly excited for them. Thanks, y'all!

#winner winner #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland x you #marvel #harrison osterfield #harry holland #spider-man #Spider Man: Homecoming #peter parker x reader #MARVEL FANDOM #A Flight to Remember #part 3

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sharingisbeauty-blog · 7 years

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[Review] Catrice Cosmetics on Full Face Makeup

First of all, welcome to this blog~ And this embarked my first post ever on this blog, which will be about make-up products by Catrice Cosmetics. Now for those who haven’t been familiar with this brand, it is a German brand under Cosnova Beauty which is also a home of other brands such as essence and L.O.V.

This is my first (how many times have I mentioned the ‘first’ word here umm) time trying out this brand as well so why did I decide to do this as my first(dammit) post? Because they’re not pricey (YASSS! bought everything for less than IDR 647k / $49 USD) and they seem okay (yup what a convincing reason). Although this post is made by me, but my sister was doing the favor for the whole makeup and review.

Well, without further ado... Let’s jump onto the makeup!

FACE

~> FOUNDATION ( HD Liquid Coverage Foundation )

claims to give 2nd skin effect with high coverage & texture giving off natural finish with 24 hours lasting power, has a total of 4 different shades

Mine was in shade 010 / light beige and bought it for IDR 108k (~$8) which was quite an okay price for a liquid foundation. My sister and I both have oily-combination skin type so this foundation pretty much does its job by giving off matte finish.

Pros

suitable for oily skin (matte finish)

easy to blend

natural finish

doesn’t feel heavy on the skin

nice packaging (pump is luv)

for super dry skin, no need to layer with finishing powder

long-lasting (but definitely not for 24 hours as they claimed to be)

Cons

doesn’t cover as well as it was claimed

offers narrow range of shades (only 4)

Do we recommend this foundation? If you have oily-combination skin like us and on a low budget, then yes.

***

~> CONCEALER ( Re-Touch Light-Reflecting Concealer )

for radiant eyes and a fresh looking appearance with light & creamy texture as well as light-reflecting pigments

Targeting for eliminating them dark circles and brighten up the under eye, we’d say this also does its job quite well. However, we found it a little difficult to blend as it has a creamy texture.

Ours was in shade 005 / light nude and the price was IDR 63,5k (~$4,8)

Pros

doesn’t feel creasy (causing the fine-lines)

perfect for highlighting the features of the face

travel friendly packaging (stick tube makes it easy to carry everywhere)

Cons

its creamy texture takes more time to blend perfectly

~> POWDER ( Nude Illusion Loose Powder )

transparent, loose powder which gives velvety & matte finish suitable for every skin type and tone

Nothing much to say about this product, it acts as a finishing powder like they’re supposed to. BUT! What we hate about it was they didn’t provide puffs which was a shame... Price IDR 88k (~$6,7)

Pros

does give a matte finish

fits oily & combination skin

Cons

doesn’t come with puff!!!! (wAt is this sorcery)

~> BLUSH ( Multi Matt Blush )

for a unique and fresh look with 4-in-1 matt blush shades with light & soft texture

Apply this with brush for better application. We got ours in 010 / love, rosie! for IDR 63,5k (~$4,8)

Pros

pretty colors

suitable for natural look

travel friendly packaging (small & light)

Cons

low pigmentation

not suitable for dramatic look

~> CONTOUR & HIGHLIGHT ( Prime And Fine Professional Contouring Palette )

professional set for shaping the contours of your face

Umm how do we start about this product..

...We DO NOT recommend this product at all! It doesn’t pick up properly on the brush nor finger, doesn’t transfer onto the face at all. Just.. no. And just in time to find out that this product was already discontinued but still sold in the store.. Yup. Bye IDR 72k (~$5,5)

In case you’re curious, this was in shade 010 / ashy radiance. I’ll still state the pros & cons tho:

Pros

suitable for natural look

travel friendly packaging (small & light)

^ a soft way in saying that they’re not pigmented at all

Cons

extremely low pigmented

the highlighter is not glowing at all

in conclusion, doesn’t worth the money even if it’s not that pricey (we understand why it is discontinued)

***

Done with the face makeup! In conclusion, they’re pretty good and affordable EXCEPT the contouring palette, could have gotten different and better one with the same/lower price (or we don’t mind paying a lil extra for nice stuffs)

And nope, this is not over yet as we still have eyes and lips parts to cover so scroll more for those!

EYES

~> Eyeshadow ( The Precious Copper Collection Eyeshadow Palette )

eyeshadow palette with a powder texture consists of highly pigmented and long-lasting power with a matt contouring shade as well as a highlighting shade

One of my favorite step... applying them eyeshadow. First off pretty warm tone, shimmery copper colors. Honestly this palette’s our style! Really suit the natural look.

Have we mentioned how nice and pigmented this pallete is!

This was in shade 010 / metallux ( IDR 85k / ~$6,5)

Pros

pretty shimmery colors

high pigmentation

quite long-lasting

wide range of bright and dark color options

Cons

cause fallouts while applying with brush

~> EYELINER ( Eyeliner Pen Waterproof )

felt-tip pen with intensive black texture, fast-drying & longlasting

RECOMMENDED! Glides very smoothly, the tip isn’t shaky at all which is so good for such a noob at drawing eyeliner like me, luv luv luv it!!! Plus, it’s freaking waterproof so it doesn’t melt easily. In 010 / black waterproof (IDR 50k / ~$3,8)

Pros

very easy to apply because of the stiff tip & the ideal tip shape

can create any kind of eyeliner shape (the variety of the thickness)

perfect for beginner

waterproof

Cons

Honestly can’t find any flaw in this product, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

~> EYEBROW ( Eye Brow Stylist )

naturally accentuates the brows with powdery texture in creating a simple and accurate application

This one’s in darkest shade which was 040 / don’t let me brown’n (IDR 42 / ~$3,2)

Pros

high pigmentation

easy to apply

good for everyday usage

Cons

the brush is quite uncomfortable to use as it was rough

easily get smudged (when accidentally rubbed it or something)

***

Done with eye makeup! Oh wait, we actually forgot something. Yup, mascara! Well, we didn’t exactly forget to get one.. but we still have a lot in our vanity, which is why we decided not to add more as we’re afraid we won’t be able to finish them all in time or dried them up.

So as y’all probably have predicted which product we recommend the most... Definitely the eyeliner! As for the eyeshadow and eyebrow, they’re still okay to get as well.

Finally to the last step of our makeup... the lips! Let’s get to it~~~

LIPS

( Ombré Two Tone Lipstick )

lipsticks with two colours each for an ombré finish, contains argan oil

If you want to achieve a moisturizing ombre look on your lips, then we’d say this is the product! But if you want something with more lasting power, this is a weak product for you. Has a total of 6 different shades (ours was 010 / rockabily rosewood) which costs IDR 75k / ~$5,7)

Pros

contains argan oil, which is good for moisturizing the lips

pretty colors

soft finish

Cons

doesn’t last for long (not a big deal tho, can always retouch after meals)

Finally we are reaching the end of this post... What I forgot to mention since the beginning was before we bought all the products, we didn’t rely on any single sampling because they didn’t provide samples. So our lesson here is, let’s not be afraid to try something new (pffft)

Hope you guys enjoy this long post and find this useful!

Ask me away here.

Catrice Cosmetics’ website: http://www.catrice.eu

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anythingstephenking · 5 years

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We’re All Just Bags of Bones (& More Uplifting Realizations)

GHOSTS! FUCK YEAH! We got ourselves a ghost story, y’all and even tho I’m not a relligo and don’t really believe in “spirits” (other than good tequila), I friggin’ love ghost stories. I blame my early childhood obsession with Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and Saturday nights staying up late to watch Are You Afraid Of The Dark. Is someone still making scary content for kids? I mean, not Creepypasta, I saw that Slenderman doc on HBO, please don’t make that content. I feel like I read that RL Stine is still publishing books? You go, RL Stine.

Before we get started on vengeful ghosts, I’m gunna talk about myself for a bit. Since I’m the only one who ever looks at this blog, whatever, I do what I want.

I’ve been a little down on my King-Marathon lately, mostly because I started in 2016 with grand plans and 3 years later I’m only just past the halfway point. Even if I manage a book a month, it’ll be another 3+ years before I finish (nevermind that King keeps publishing 2 books a year. Slow your role bro!) I’m also headed into King’s not-so-great years (I hate saying that, but I think it’s true. Sorry Steve, I still love you). It’s really not even the quality but the quantity - have you seen how long Dreamcatcher and Duma Key and Lisey’s Story and Under The Dome are? I’ll tell ya - 2,100 pages. UTD is 1,000+ itself. It’ll be like reading The Stand except it’s about aliens and I’ll hate it like I hated The Tommyknockers.

Hey Negative Nancy, why don’t you just quit then? Quitting is for losers, duh. But really, it’s because every once in a while, I get to read a book like Bag of Bones and I remember why I lurve King so much. And that folks, is how you circle back from bitching to the true topic.

I really enjoyed Bag of Bones. We already covered why. Ghosts motherfuckah. More than ghosts though, it felt like a return to true King storytelling with all the core players - the woods of Maine, a writer protagonist (obvs), horrors of both the supernatural and human varieties. Cause the ghosts are vengeful but the humans are the real monsters. Lets get on the astral plane and uncover some secrets.

I’m so basic but I literally can’t with this jacket photo.

Bag of Bones was King’s first book in a new contract with Scribner. King upped the ante on what he wanted from his publisher (take a guess - ayup more dinero) and when Viking wouldn’t bite he waved bye bye and plopped on down the road to Scribner. I guess it worked out cause he still publishes with them today. You get that 50% profit share bud, I know you and Tabs give a lot to charity so it’s ok.

This new contract covered what would be 3 books - Bag of Bones, On Writing and a novella collection originally meant to be called “One Headlight” that morphed into my next read, Hearts in Atlantis. In the author’s afterward, King laments about On Writing, saying “I doubt they’ll ever teach this book in writing school.” Sometimes I can’t tell if King is being honest, humble, modest, ironic, pretentious or some combination of all these things, but On Writing is indeed taught in writing schools. Like a lot of them. I’m not reading his non-fiction but if I’m not dead before I finish this thing, maybe I’ll read it on a beach somewhere. Lord knows I need help in the writing department.

So I’m going to get a little contemplative on this book because this is the last King I’ll read chronologically before his car accident. Technically his last book published before the accident was The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, but my vacation brain caused me to read these out of order. In hindsight, it makes more sense this way.

I’ve been researching the car wreck and will do a separate Commercial Break post about the accident itself, but the jist is some distracted driver plowed into King walking along the side of the road in June 1999 and he could have died. He also could have never written again.

Navigating the subject matter of Bag of Bones, knowing the real accident was just around the corner made the book even creepier. Our main character, Mike Noonan, is a writer whose healthy wife drops dead and all of a sudden he can’t write anymore. Meanwhile, in King’s world, he himself almost dies and, trying to overcome his injuries, thinks he’ll never write again. Am I stretching? Uh yah. King’s had his fair share of writers block before, so this is a story of hindsight not foresight. But I seriously lost sleep over this story (which I haven’t since Cujo) with restless dreams about Mike Noonan and Stephen King being haunted by ghosts keeping them from practicing their craft.

I speculate that his new contract with Scribner is what got King back at the keyboard. Having only fulfilled on 1 of 3 novels must have been a solid motivation to recover and restart the engines. Only a coincidence but (Carrie Bradshaw voice) I couldn’t help but wonder if King would have quit writing for longer if he was still with Viking. King’s been writing for almost 50 years and only been with three publishing houses in all those years. The timing of the signing with Scribner just makes me wonder about fate. Oh universe, you crazy.

Back to book-world. Mike Noonan, mourning his wife four years after he passing, decides to spend the summer at their lakehouse in Maine. These writers and their multiple homes, amirite? He meets a young mother named Mattie and they fall in love. See, Mattie lost her husband tragically too. But Mattie’s in a custody battle, and her dead husband’s evil family wants her daughter.

Ok, another bitch break - my only gripe with this book. Mike is 40 and Mattie is 21. They do fall in love in a really genuine way, but still, yuck. Mike is powerful and rich, Mattie is helpless and poor. Mike swoops in and saves the day and Mattie’s all “Aw shucks, you’re my hero! You can totally bang me now!”. Mike’s our narrator so we spend all our time in his head - and we hear alllllll about his wife Jo, Mike’s sadness and his longing. Mattie hardly ever talks about her dead husband Lance and spends her time pining away over Mike. This power dynamic really rubbed me the wrong way. That said, I was rooting for them, because ya know, I’m not dead inside and they really cared for each other.

This book twists and turns and pivots and has a new bonkers revelation around every corner. We’ve got a small town of well-developed characters with unknown motives. The supernatural is writing cryptic messages with fridge magnets. Is it Jo? Is it something more sinister? Is it Pennywise? Who knows! (Just kidding, it’s not Pennywise). I pride myself of guessing the plot of these rollercoaster stories, but I was surprised by the twists many times. Although I did just watch Scream 4 for the first time and guessed the killer wrong so maybe I’m losing my touch.

Of course there are evil people too, and there’s a gunfight sandwiched between all the ghostly revelations that felt more than a little out of place, but at the end of it all, I was satisfied and smiling.

At its core it’s story of love, loss, death and morality. Even with all of its insane plotting, it comes back around to a study of grief and pain and protecting the ones you love. All my favorite King themes, combined with an actual page turning story about solving a ghost mystery? Winner winner.

Bag of Bones seems like one of those King books that fades from his most well remembered cannon, but it deserves much more. It’s got love. It’s got ghosts. It’s got evil old men. It’s got Maine! What’s not to love?

8/10

First Line: On a very hot day in August 1994, my wife told me she was going down to the Derry Rite Aid to pick up a refill on her sinus prescription - this is stuff you can get over the counter these days, I believe.

Last Line: These days I prefer not to.

Adaptations:

OH GOODY ANOTHER MINISERIES. This one was so bad even ABC passed on it, which like, they made The Langoliers, so yeah, it’s bad.

I’m not even going to go there. Pierce Brosnan plays 40-year-old Mike Noonan, except he’s 60 and also HAS A BRITISH ACCENT. Y’all, the entire plot revolves around Mike’s family being from Maine for generations. IT IS WHAT THE CLIMAX OF THE STORY IS BASED ON! Where did he get a fucking British accent from? JESUS CHRIST I HOPE THAT CASTING DIRECTOR NEVER WORKED AGAIN.

Sorry for yelling so much, seriously, it made me so angry. This movie was nonsense. They reveal the “big twist” in the opening credits. Never ever watch this.

#book review #movie review #bag of bones #stephen king

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