#Shinko’s start up series

[yuzukahibiscus]

のせ様’s (No-se-sama) Documented Events (February 2023)

(Note: This was taken from “Eto-Bun” (えと文) section in February Kageki 2023. Eto-Bun is a section written by a particular sienne in each troupe to share some little stories about them or about their troupe every three months. In this cycle of January-March, Ichinose Kouki is the one writing for Flower Troupe. And I thought, why not drabble and translate a little to see what Hanako* has for us!) *Hanako is her nickname as mentioned in OTOME, a biography of all siennes in Takarazuka.

A little introduction to Ichinose Kouki for those who are unfamiliar with her.

Ichinose Kouki・一之瀬航季

Entered the Revue in 2014 as the 100th class. Her favourite roles include Oswald Vickers for "A Fairy Tale” newcomers’ performance. She was originally going to have a newcomers’ performance lead for “Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern” in 2020 but it was cancelled due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, she went on Yuzuka Rei’s “Lock-On” Episode as a guest to talk about what she learnt from Rei, being Rei’s first “shinko kid” since she became Top Star. Later on in 2022, she starred in the Bow Workshop “Junjou” (or Complete Devotion) alongside with Mihane Ai as her partner. She also previously joined Minami Maito in her CAST side-A and was one of the members of Flor5. She will be performing with Minami Maito in her “One and Only” dinner show, also the final performance for Minami Maito as a Flower Troupe member before transferring to Senka.

Before you read February Issue, feel free to check the first of three series in January issue here.

Everyone, how are you all doing!?

This month is February. Very quickly, we’re at Valentine’s. Speaking of which I am Ichinose Kouki wearing an apron style fashion, pretending to be a chocolatier for taking the photo♪ In this season, streets are surrounded by heart-shaped objects and sweet smells, and it’s really a heart-fluttering feeling ✨

In this month, I’ll start by talking about Tsubasa Anju-kun who’s responsible for the drawing!

“のせ様’s Documented Events" Please enjoy reading for this month✨

🌻 Strange fish 🐟

“Can you help me with the illustration since I’m going to be working on ‘Eto-Bun’”? The first person I thought of handing this task is to Anju (Tsubasa) who’s a class lower than me (101th class). In Takarazuka Music School times, I received a letter from Anju who was still a primary course student (Yokasei)...The envelope had an illustration of a “very realistic but strange fish” wearing a mushroom T-shirt (She drew a fish with its mouth wide open and had sharp teeth, its lips were plump and its gaze was unusually strange...)

...THE STRANGE (LOL).

At that time, I asked Anju why she drew a fish...and she answered with a flashing smile, “There’s no particular reason~🥺✨” And that ended our little story and from then onwards, I love Anju’s art. This time, the title illustration is about waking up in the morning and immediately drinking red tea. It’s fancy! (LOL) She’s just a loveable underclassman. Anju, thank you for your best drawings. (*Okay somehow that illustration was not in the scanned copy? Haha sorry for those who are interested, here’s another illustration instead.)

🌻 How are you so cute!

And now, now. The next story is about what I didn’t document about in the last month’s issue, and that’s an episode about our Flower Troupe Top Star Yuzuka Rei-san✨ One day during rest time, I told her...

“Yuzuka-san! I’m responsible for writing ‘Eto-Bun’ this time, I’m definitely going to write something about Yuzuka-san!”

“Let me see what kind of story I can tell you 😊” she replied kindly and left but then at that time...! Madoka-chan (Hoshikaze) was close to her and thought of something, “Yuzuka-san!! Hey...the story of your sleep talking...” and whispered to her. Huh, sleep talking!? What is that, I feel like it’s something good to record about! So immediately I went to hear from Yuzuka-san and she was a little embarrassed and said, “Eh~Wanna hear?” and took her iPhone out. Yuzuka-san opened from her iPhone an app and in a tempo of Winnie the Pooh I heard,

Ka..Kawaii~...(Cute)

Kawaii~...

(A short pause)

How are you so cute~ huh~

Isn’t that Yuzuka-san’s voice when she was briefly sleeping! OMG!!

Right. The voice that I heard was Yuzuka-san’s sleep talking! When I asked Yuzuka-san about this more in detail, she said she used a sleeping app that could ensure better sleeping quality✨ Sometimes, there would be some interesting sleep talking recorded 😁

I wonder what she was dreaming about. I’m curious about the other sleep talking moments 🥺✨ Anyway, anyway, this is Ichinose whose lifespan increased because I heard Yuzuka-san’s precious sleep talking. I’m content.

Thank you for doing this...for “Eto-Bun”.

🌻 A perfume bottle full of love✨

And now, now, to our next topic... It’s about the show this time which is “ENCHANTEMENT–A Luxurious Perfume–”✨

There are numerous songs that are so Takarazuka-styled, so gorgeous that just by hearing it you would feel excited. From the start of the rehearsals I already felt that I love this show and this is Ichinose who continues to listen to the show songs even at home😁. Especially, I’ve been infinitely looping the Irish song from the “Sea Salt” scene led by Hito-san (Towaki)!! I want to join in this scene even if I’m going to playing a wood (from the wooden oar) or just a boat (LOL). Okay, maybe not that’s dangerous. There are so many points I like that I hope there wasn’t a word limit! But still I’ll start writing about it!😁

The perfume is the theme of this performance. Everyone, did you all look at the perfume props!? (the front panel at the stage sides) Because if you look closely, those are some cute perfume bottles✨ But it’d probably require a more condensed focus to realise the labels that...What! There’s actually all the names of the staff members and the Flower Troupe members names’ printed😊🌟 Besides, all those designs are only one (and unique to each other)! Isn’t that the greatest thing!? This idea was originally not proposed, but after Noguchi-sensei looked at the stage venue again, he told (the staff), “Later, let’s print all of our names (into perfume bottles).” Love! So much love!!✨ When there were performance suspensions in January, Kido-sensei responsible for stage setup said, “I hope you could take a look at this label and hope you like it!” and with that, they gifted us the design of the labels and we were so touched by it😌💓

It’s a perfume bottle full of love by our senseis. I hope that everyone could at least see a little of those labels.

And now, now, I’ve finished documenting the 3 episodes for this month and we’re at 2 pages. The backstage of Flower Troupe is often so lively and there are plentiful of episodes that I still have yet to document. For example my douki Izumi Maira did a “Mary Vestera-themed skit” and there was a big failure I did in my underclassmen times…there are numerous episodes I have them written in my Stuck Memo (app).

It’s suddenly getting terribly cold and it’s probably more likely to catch a cold in these days, I hope everyone would laugh a lot, and have the greatest fun!!

We will also be in one heart together with this!

Toi toi toi!!

[shineoko]

CACTUS OR ME?

Part of ‘START UP’ series

↳ "That cactus is stealing you away from me."

↳ Fluff, bff2l, crack

↳ You've been spending alot more time around your new cactus more then your no.1 bestie until he thinks it's a good idea to set up some important bestie vs cactus business meeting.

Shinko's note: This was... interesting.

9am on a Sunday morning and someone's already trying to break down your door.

You reluctantly opened the curtains of your apartment, not even caring about the blinds underneath, and made your way towards the front entrance making sure to pick up the pot that heald your heart and soul.

Once you opened the door you were disappointed but not surprised. Your no.1 tree-sized bestie was standing outside your apartment at 9am on a Sunday in a green and white checkered cardigan with the most serious face you've ever seen.

"What's wrong." You asked petting your cactus while leaning on your small kitchen counter.

"That green fuzzy thing with the mini pink flowers is wrong."

Your jaw dropped at his statement and you slowly place your free hand on your heart to express your pain. "How dare you insult Baby Angel Carolina like that."

"YOU GAVE A CACTUS THAT SMALL A NAME."

"Yes and what's your deal with Baby Angel Carolina." You said holding the plant in your arms as if it was a fragile baby.

"That cactus has been invading your free time. And now I'm lonely." He said a pout forming on his face. For a second you thought that he was just as cute a Baby Angel Carolina until he opened his mouth again. "I know you're gonna say that I have Yeonjun and Taehyun but they aren't as easy to be around or as chill yet humorous as you are and I think their shitty sense of humour is slowly spreading in my brain like a bubonic plague."

You still stood there petting Baby Angel Carolina but your facial expression had changed from 'Spit it out, it's too early for this' to 'What... tell me more'.

"What do you mean?" You asked slightly softening but you don't know if it's because of Beomgyu's sudden outburst or you getting used to being awake.

"I mean that I've just realised after being away from you so long is that I like you more than a friend." Beomgyu abruptly spat out.

It took you a moment for his words to sink in and he was looking quite scared that you may just straight up reject him but instead you smiled. Beomgyu couldn't help but smile back at you, he hadn't seen you smile at him for so long that he may just take a picture of you now, put it in a frame and worship it daily.

"Beomgyu, would you like to raise Baby Angel Carolina with me?" You said just above a whisper so that Beomgyu could hear your every word. "You know. As like a father figure. I don't want Baby Angel Carolina to grow up fatherless."

"Well duh." He deadpanned "If it means I can spend more time with the cutest being that ever graced this planet. Of course I will."

The smile on your face grew and now you weren't to sure if you liked Baby Angel Carolina or Beomgyu more.

[hiagainyou]

I'd like to hear about an OC that means a lot to you. Maybe you've had them a while, maybe they've got the most fleshed out backstory, or maybe they speak to you, they encapsulate a part of you, anything :3

Oh my god thank you!!! You're so kind🥺🥺

Ahhh an oc that means a lot to me

I'd honestly have to give it to Midas my bnha oc, I know I talk about them a lot but he's just I've worked on him for so long and whenever I tell people his story they always end up falling for him.

Shinko Yoichi is a tragic character, let's get this out first.

Born without a father, or more like a deadbeat father, his mother took care of him and loved him dearly.

Until the incident.

You see, Yoichi's quirk is gold, an ability that allows him to turn anything in gold with the touch of all five fingers, and it decided to manifest while he was playing with his friend at the tender age of five (5) years old.

And if you're following along, that means you know what happens next.

He turned his friend into solid gold.

Now I haven't dug into the trauma and the court case and all that good stuff but I'll get to that eventually.

As a result though, his mother was TERRIFIED of touching him now, she still supported him but whenever he would reach out for her or just get a little too close she would flinch or push him away.

Yoichi didn't feel like he belonged anymore, his mother was slowly closing herself off and people looked at him different, so at 13/14 he ventured off on his own, he started off small of course with selling small objects he had turned into gold and slowly he started to associate himself with petty villains and minor heroes.

You see, Yoichi had a vision.

He knew he could be so much more if he just climbed that ladder, so he kept at it.

Gaining more and more money by selling information to each side, heroes and villains, about what they were doing and became known as his alias Midas.

At the age of 17 he was one of the, if not the most, wealthy people in the world, being branded as the "universal bank" with how his connections span and how he loans money to those that can pay him back.

Diving into that a little bit, midas became an info broker and also a loaner like he would make deals with heroes and villains and just anyone off the street as long as they could pay him back within a certain amount of time. Midas has intel on everyone that has a name to themselves, from the biggest hero to the humblest lawyer or even the worse villain, he knows who you are and what information he can sell to make a profit.

Midas also acquired a handful of "followers", groups of people from many backgrounds that flocked to him for money or just a new life under his reign.

I just love midas a lot, I've had him ever since I entered the fandom in like what 2017 or so?

He just he goes through and has gone through a lot.

He comes off as like a sort of arrogant/confident 17 year old who knows what he wants and can get what he wants, he takes no shit and intimidation of any form doesn't phase him.

He's been in this business for a while, he knows when people are all talk.

But he's also so soft like he's a touch starved baby who is soooo heavily guarded both literally and metaphorically like how I inserted him in the series is when the first years got attacked by the league for the first time nedzu, the principal, made a deal with midas so he could keep and eye on the first years and tell them about all the villains associated with that attack, and so he goes to UA as a second year and runs into my self insert and her friend group and after a while he just kinda melts like we teach him to like open up and not be so guarded and like kinda afraid of people like abandoning or like using him for stuff and he just becomes this like silly asshole of a guy and I love him for it.

And he treats his followers like family like he buys them they're own little neighborhood area and provides for them, in return he only asks for loyalty which he gets like 10 fold, like they look up to him and will give up their lives for him but he just it would ruin him like they're his found family when his own family didn't care much for him anymore.

Midas is a gift and I love him absolutely and wholeheartedly.

Thanks for the ask! Sorry if this isn't very coherent it's 1:30 am and I'm literally exhausted

Also!!! If you ever wanna talk about your selfships please please PLEASE don't hesitate!!!!

@thatslikesometaldude

[askthedespairkids]

Chapter 2: Lost in Sacrificial Fate ~Daily Life, Part 2~

//Here it is! The second part and the conclusion to the daily life of chapter 2, hope you guys continue to enjoy this little series. Not much to say this time around so I’ll just let you read.

-Chapter 2 Daily Life, Preparations Begin!-

 “Alrighty everyone! Welcome to the first meeting of our amazingly awesome talent show! I’ve already written up a schedule and posted it around the campus, so make sure you read it when you get the chance!” Irunami-san announced.

 “The important thing right now is that we all divide up the workload. There’s a lot of set-up that’ll be important to the success of the talent show, and I expect everyone to take it seriously. There are three job groups we’re gonna focus on. Tech Crew, Costume & Props, and Special Effects.” Shinko-san pulled out a clipboard with a piece of paper stuck to it.

 “Listen up, the tech crew will consist of Graves, Okanaya, Kurohiko, Kurosaki, and Yokozawa. Costume and props will be Ram, Asano, Kurohiko, and Nagata. Special Effects will be Hachi, Ishikawa, Sly, Okanaya, and myself.” Shinko-san read the names off.

 “H-hold on, why am I in two groups?! And why was Irunami-san not included?!” Kurohiko-san complained.

 “I have to focus on my performance. I got a lot of super dangerous stuff lined up so if I don’t keep practicing, I’ll probably screw it up!” Irunami-san explained.

 “Plus, Okanaya-kun is also taking two roles. You shouldn’t complain so much.” Yokozawa-san said. “More importantly, would special effects usually come under the tech crew?”

 “Some things are gonna be very lighting-based. So, we decided to split up the lighting team from the special effects team, but I’ll go into detail with that group myself. Leave it to me!” Hachi-san gave a thumbs up.

 “Then for now let’s begin working on the show. Good luck to everyone, let’s do our best!” Irunami-san said.

 We all split into our groups and began working on our different tasks. Irunami-san stopped by to tell our group what we would need to make for the talent show. Asano-san and Ram-san both have experience with sewing so that certainly makes them the costume heads. Whilst Kurohiko-san and I were left with creating and gathering props.

 As we worked throughout the day, I managed to find myself enjoying this odd sense of unity among the group. Even though we all barely knew each other, we were working to one goal together. Hopefully we can continue to stay like this until we find a way to escape.

 -Chapter 2 Daily Life, Bonus: The secrets of the pool-

 “Haaaaah…” Amaterasu-san sighed deeply. Huh? It wasn’t like her to look so down…I wonder if something happened?

 “Amaterasu-san, are you okay? It’s not like you to look so down.” Or look anything other than bored. Amaterasu-san pouted a little before she spoke.

 “Toson-chan’s really been working the performers to their limits…I don’t know how much more of this I can take before I snap. I can’t just drop out the talent show though…I think I just need to find a way to relax.”

 “That might be hard. There isn’t much to do around here.” I murmured.

 “Yeah. That’s the big issue. I suppose there’s that swimming pool in the leisure building, but I dunno…”

 “What if you invited a bunch of other people to join you? You could go swimming as a group?” I suggested. Amaterasu-san stared at me for a few moments before nodding slightly.

 “Yeah okay. I’ll see you there then.”

 “H-huh? Me?”

 “Yeah. You came up with the idea, so you should be one of the people there. I’ll figure out who else to invite, so I’ll meet you there later.” Without listening to any reply, Amaterasu-san walked away. Geez, I just can’t get a word in when it matters most…

 -----

 “Nagata-san, you got invited too, huh…?” When I arrived at the pool, Kurohiko-san was already by the poolside, kicking his legs in the water. He was in his swimming trunks, and he kind of proved just how scrawny he actually is. Not that I can really say anything.

 “Yeah, I was the one who came up with the idea. How did you manage to get here first?” I asked. Kurohiko-san’s expression seemed to darken.

 “When Amaterasu-san gave me the invitation, I think I blacked out from shock. By the time I came around I was already changed and here. I don’t really know what happened in between then and now.” Geez, this guy is something else. “B-but it’s cool that I’m not the only guy here. Who else was invited, do you think?”

 “No clue. It’s hard to understand Amaterasu-san’s thought process. The only we’ll find out if seeing who’ll turn up.” I said, sitting down next to Kurohiko-san. The pool was kind of cold, but not so bad that anyone would recoil from the first touch.

 “Ah…I’m so nervous. D-do you think Amaterasu-san’s the type to wear a bikini? Or a one-piece?” Kurohiko-san asked, his face slightly flushed.

 “Does it matter…?” I raised an eyebrow.

 “N-no, I guess not. Amaterasu-san has the type of figure that allows her to look good in whatever, not to say the other girls have bad figures or anything, they all look really pretty but they’re all different kinds of pretty, y’know? Like how Ishikawa-san is very gothic in her look, but it suits her, y’know? That kind of vibe works for her-“

 Kurohiko-san finally stopped rambling when the door to one of the changing rooms opened up. “Uwah! I wasn’t the first one!” Graves-san whined. She was dressed in a pair of neon blue swimming shorts and a black baggy t-shirt, her hat still atop her head.

 “So, Graves-san was invited too, huh? I suppose Amaterasu-san is really hoping for a party.” Kurohiko-san laughed awkwardly.

 “When Ammy told me about the swimming thingy, I couldn’t help but get excited! I’ve never went swimming with people my age…well, outside of training, anyway.” Graves-san said. Man…being a secret agent must have seriously been tough.

 “Um, Graves-san…what’s with that outfit? Are you planning to swim in that?” I asked. Graves-san blinked and looked at her outfit.

 “Were you expecting a bikini? Are you a pervert, Ryuu? I just find this more comfortable to wear, it might be weird here but plenty of people wear this to swim in Canada.” Right. Graves-san isn’t Japanese. I don’t know how I keep forgetting that.

 “That’s not it. Never mind, it doesn’t matter.” I sighed. Arguing with Graves-san is probably a losing fight anyway. Quickly after, the door opened, this time it was the boy’s changing room.

 “Yo! Nice to see some others here!” Okanaya-san grinned.

 “S-seriously, what’s with that outfit?!” Kurohiko-san said with surprise. I have to admire Okanaya-san’s confidence to come here only wearing a dark blue speedo. This guy is full of surprises, I can’t believe it sometimes.

 “Eh? What’s wrong with it? It’s got speed in the name, and we’re racing today so I wanna go as fast as possible.” Racing? What? Is he seriously so simple? “Plus, you can’t say I don’t look good.”

 “Dude, you’re ripped as fuck!” Graves-san exclaimed. Yeah, it was true. Okanaya-san was pretty muscular, though his usual outfit made him look pretty average. No wonder he’s got confidence in his looks.

 “You know we haven’t been invited to race, right? It’s just, like…a pool party.” Kurohiko-san said. Okanaya-san frowned with disappointment. “Geez, you’re something else. You hear one thing and assume the other half.”

 “I-is there something wrong with that?! I’ll beat the crap outta you if you got a problem with me!” Okanaya-san cracked his knuckles.

 “H-hey now!” I calmed him down quickly before anything got out of hand. A few moments later, the door opened from the female changing room.

 “Oh, what a wonderful gathering. Amaterasu-sama has picked a rather interesting group for this event.” By the words alone it was obvious that Ishikawa-san had arrived. Though her outfit…a black bikini with a bow and ruffled skirt. I was a little taken aback with the difference between her usual gothic attire.

 “H-hey, Nagata-san…Ishikawa-san…she’s, um…her body is a lot different than I expected.” Kurohiko-san mumbled.

 “Oh? Do I appear odd in this outfit? It was the only swimming outfit that was in my size.” Ishikawa-san explained.

 “No, you look fine. He’s just being a dork.” Graves-san assured her.

 “Do not worry, Kurohiko-sama. You are a teenaged male, if you are embarrassed by girls in swimsuits, you are not alone. You should enjoy your life before the eternal slumber comes for you.” Ishikawa-san smiled.

 “Wh-why am I being called out like that?!” Kurohiko-san’s face flushed.

 “You make it way too easy, dude.” Okanaya-san snickered.

 “Oh, has the event started already?” We all looked over at Asano-san who was approaching us. Instead of being in a swimsuit though, she was in a pastel pink Lolita dress and was carrying a matching parasol.

 “Asano-sama? You do not plan on swimming?” Ishikawa-san frowned.

 “I am not allowed to get wet. Strict instructions from my parents that I cannot go against, I am afraid.” Asano-san explained. Seriously? Why did she even bother coming if that’s the case…? No, that’s a little harsh. “I will happily watch the rest of you though. I’m sure it will still be an enjoyable time.”

 “It’s a little hard to believe that, but if you say so.” Kurohiko-san sighed.

 “Is this everyone, aside from Amaterasu-sama?” Ishikawa-san asked. There was a good number here, so Amaterasu-san will probably appear soon.

 “Once she’s here, I’m gonna challenge her to a race! I’ll definitely beat Amaterasu!” Okanaya-san hit his knuckles together and grinned. “Nagata, you’ll race too, right?”

 “H-huh, me?!”

 “You could use the exercise, by the looks of it.” Gee, thanks. You shouldn’t be saying that with such a carefree smile.

 “Cool. Everyone’s here.” Amaterasu-san’s voice echoed into the room.

 “Ah, Amaterasu-san glad you’re he-GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! A-Amaterasu-san!?” Kurohiko-san’s face went beet red, not that I can blame him. Amaterasu-san was standing there with her usual neutral expression though she wasn’t wearing a swimsuit. In fact, she wasn’t wearing…anything. “C-cover up! Cover yourself up right now!” Kurohiko-san covered his eyes.

 “Ryuu, look away!” Graves-san suddenly turned and pushed me away, I felt my footing disappear and hearing the sound of a splash. Did Graves-san really need to push me in the pool?! “Crap, sorry about that!”

 “What’s the big deal?” Okanaya-san raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t wanna go fast, I would’a came in the buff too.”

 “Th-that’s a completely separate issue in itself…” Kurohiko-san side-glared him.

 “Ah, are we all wearing swimsuits? Sorry, didn’t realise it was that kind of party.” Amaterasu-san said. Thank god for her hair being as long as it is.  “I’ll go find a swimsuit. I’m sure there’s one in the changing room somewhere.” Amaterasu-san turned and walked back into the changing rooms.

 “S-seriously…! Is anyone normal in this place?!” Kurohiko-san cried. “N-not to say deviation from the norm is bad, but, y’know-“

 “I’m just gonna stop you before you go any further.” Graves-san cut him off. When Amaterasu-san came back, now dressed for swimming, we all began to enjoy our time at the pool. Amaterasu-san and Okanaya-san had their swimming matches though Amaterasu-san would come out on top each time, much to Okanaya-san’s annoyance.

 Ishikawa-san and Asano-san sat on the bleachers at the side. Ishikawa-san said she didn’t want to risk her flesh peeling or something grotesque like that, but I think she just didn’t want Asano-san to be sitting by herself the whole time.

 Kurohiko-san mostly stayed on the pool’s perimeter acting almost like a lifeguard. Amaterasu-san was pretty rowdy in the pool, so he had to act like animal control for her. Though the bright atmosphere even made me smile and I even raced Okanaya-san once, though it’s obvious I lost.

 I forgot how much I actually loved swimming with friends.

 -Chapter 2 Daily Life, The Talent Show-

 After the days of work, we finally managed to finish off the preparations for the talent show. The lighting was set up and majority of the group was sat in the audience. Though because some of the stunts are a little dangerous, a first few rows were left empty. It was a little harder to see the stage, but it was fine overall.

 “Alrighty everybody! Welcome to the talent show!” Hachi-san announced. I looked around the audience and saw that not quite everyone was present yet. The performers were probably backstage getting ready, but Okanaya-san was missing too. Kurohiko-san too. “I just want to thank everybody for helping make this whole thing a reality, we couldn’t have done it without all of you! Without any further ado, let’s enjoy the show!”

 There were a few cheers from the audience.

 “Let’s kick this off with our talented death-defying duo! Yuuki Kurosaki, and Doi Kurohiko!” We clapped as Hachi-san skipped off stage. Kurosaki-san walked on stage first, a paled Kurohiko-san following hesitantly behind.

 “For our act, get ready for…” Yuuki produced a selection of different sized daggers, “my amazing knife-throwing skills!”

 “Wh-why am I still being forced into this?!” Kurohiko-san complained.

 “Hush now, if you die then they’ll all know I’m the killer so there’s nothing to worry about~!” Kurosaki-san clapped, pushing Kurohiko-san against a wooden board and position him to stand straight.

 “There’s a bigger issue than that!” Kurohiko-san said.

 Luckily for everybody, the knife throwing act went without any problems. Thank god. Kurosaki-san bowed and thanked the audience and carried off a wobbly Kurohiko-san. Poor guy is always getting dragged into this sort of stuff.

 Next on was Shinko-san who was showing off a short film he shot the past few days. It was about a young girl played by Ishikawa-san who was best friends with this girl, played by Asano-san. Her friend would go about killing other students in her school though at the end it’s revealed that Ishikawa-san’s character was actually the killer and she killed everyone who tried to break her fantasy world that she created Asano-san’s character in. Though the suspense made it hard for me stomach, yet I couldn’t turn away. Shinko-san really deserved his title, there’s no doubt in my mind.

 Next was Irunami-san’s routine. From the wings, fog started to fill the stage on both sides. A lot of fog, actually. I guess Irunami-san was gonna do a bit more than a typical hypnosis routine.

 “Man, it’s kinda hard to see.” Graves-san commented.

 “Herr Okanaya must’ve turned the fog machines on early.” Kurosaki-san sighed. He and Shinko-san had joined the audience after their sets were finished. So Okanaya-san is helping backstage? I was wondering where he was.

 “Hopefully it won’t throw off Irunami-kun.” Ram-san said with a frown. A few moments later, Irunami-san walked on stage and faced the audience.

 “Alrighty, let’s see what we’ve got! Hmm…okay, I guess I should start it off like this, shouldn’t I?” Irunami-san began talking to himself. Geez, is this guy even prepared? “Oh, I’ll start like that! Then I’ll need a volunteer…hmm…Shin-chan! You come here and help me out!”

 “Ehhh? Again?” Shinko-san growled, getting up from his seat.

 “Ah, where is he?” Irunami-san asked, probably trying to peer through the fog.

 “Yeah yeah! I’m right here, keep your head on!” Shinko-san made his way towards the stage.

 That’s when it happened.

 There was the sound of something snapping and before you could even blink, the lighting rig above the stage came crashing down onto the stage. It was so unexpected, Shinko-san fell back into his backside. We all stood up from the audience in shock. “H-holy shit, what the fuck?!” Shinko-san exclaimed. “Th-that c-could’ve hit me…!”

 “Hit you…?” Ishikawa-san repeated slowly, her expression became grave. The fog had been cleared a little because of the lighting rig falling, so the stage was slightly clearer. “I-Irunami-sama?!” Ishikawa-san ran towards the stage. When she called out his name, it all dawned on the rest of us.

 “Irunami-kun!” Hachi-san’s voice came from behind me, as they darted past me and towards the stage. Shouldn’t they have been backstage getting ready?! I couldn’t think straight right now, I just felt my legs move automatically as I ran up the steps to the stage. Standing in the wing I saw Okanaya-san staring at the stage, completely pale, his fists balled up at his side.

 Then I saw the scene. The world came to a sudden halt.

 As the fog continued to clear further, the body of Sadao Irunami, the Ultimate Hypnotist became visible to the rest of us. He was laying on his stomach, blood was sticky in his hair and matting it, a broken stage light cracked next to his body.

 “Wh…o-oh my god…” Yokozawa-san covered his mouth, looking ready to vomit. “H-how could this happen…? A-an accident…?” An accident? The lighting rig just fell without warning, was this really a freak accident?

 ~Ding Dong, Bing bong~

 The monitors turned on and displayed Monokuma sitting on his throne. “A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time, a class trial shall be held! Better get investigating!” The monitors turned off.

 “The body discovery announcement…?” I murmured. If that’s the case…

 “Accident or not, if the body discovery announcement played then one of us is accountable for Irunami’s death.” Sly-san said, a piercing glare focused on Kurosaki-san. Kurosaki-san’s face was completely blank though.

 “Th…that can’t be right though…” Hachi-san spoke weakly. “Wh-why…? This is just a big trick. Part of the show…right? So, get up Irunami-kun…because there’s no way he could be dead.” Hachi-san gripped the sides of their head and let out a scream. “WHY IS IRUNAMI-KUN DEAD?!!”

[zukadiary]

Hustle Mates ~ Cosmos Troupe 2018

I know I'm here so often it's hardly special anymore… but this trip had the distinction of being my first VACATION in Japan in 5 years. I'd forgotten what mornings look like in this country (and as I'm now back at work for the remaining few days, I already miss them).

It also had the distinction of being Kazuki Sora's first lead. Of my standout favorites in my life thus far as a Takarazuka fan, Sora is the only one who, by some witch magic, grabbed me when she was a tiny child—before I ever set foot in a theater here, before she even got a shinko lead. After growing quite used to following her around the edges of the stage with my opera glasses and mentally cursing camera operators for not panning two inches to the left to get more than a sliver of her arm in some great dance scene, this year brought first an absolute dream role in Anita, followed by the center spotlight that I honestly wasn't convinced she'd ever get. It's been vindicating seeing her immense talents displayed so prominently, and deeply moving in ways utterly different from any of the other cyclones of emotion Takarazuka fandom has thrown upon me. A very non-Soragumi friend had a chance to see the show, and I felt nervous and wary like I was taking an acquaintance to my own child's recital (someone please tell me when I got old enough to experience THAT feeling). And much like a mom, I plan to throw out any attempt at objectivity and rave about my girl until you don't want to listen anymore.

Hustle Mates was primarily a collection of songs and dances from Soragumi history, with a few non-Takarazuka songs, MC sections, and mini skits thrown in. It's a tiny cast of 16, so if you like anyone in it you have a good chance of seeing her featured. Long-time Soragumi fans will likely find it very fun and nostalgic regardless. Sora leading a show about the history of Soragumi which contains a great number of songs with the word sora in them made it kind of sound like she was singing about herself for two hours, which greatly amused me (and apparently tickled Ishida-sensei too).

Act 1 opens with two original songs—the very upbeat Hustle Mates theme, and then more of a ballad (also with ample use of the word SORA)—followed by a selection of songs from some of the most well-known Soragumi musicals: Copacabana, Phantom, Top Hat, Singin' in the Rain, and an Elisabeth medley, which despite the general overuse of Elisabeth songs was still my favorite. Watashi Dake Ni was a group musumeyaku number, Mikaze Maira got to unleash her very impressive pipes on that last note. Saigo no Dance also started as a group otokoyaku number. Moeko entered partway through for a solo line, and I know she has the shinko Tod experience under her, but since I've never seen that, it was maybe the most surprising and powerful few seconds of Moeko I've ever witnessed. Then Sora came in to finish the song, and in some alternate universe where she's in a different class and tall enough to be a top star I'd sell both of my kidneys to see her Elisabeth every single day of the run. Sora solo Kitsch came next and was likewise flawless, so I guess I'll be satisfied with keeping my kidneys if they finally air that dang shinko in the next couple of months while Tsukigumi is playing.

Then we have a skit… I'm a bit fuzzy on exactly what went on in it, but I suspect I might be looking for sense where there was none. Setohana Mari enters dressed like a dominatrix, loudly cracking whip and all, with two other musumeyaku guards of Partial Time Prison. They do a roll call of past Soragumi characters who come out one by one and make meta jokes about themselves (discussing their offenses?) while the three guards smack them around. Sora is brought out last, as Lucheni, and gives a long speech, the punchline of which is he's on the path to reform thanks to his new life selling green juice mix in what is probably a pyramid scheme. Each performance she ad-libbed Louis and Marie Antoinette off the stage.

Moeko and Mineri who were playing Jose and Carmen in prison stick around to sing Temptation (GREAT song, I wanted a little more from these two) while the underclassmen get ready to sing Amapola a cappella conducted by Homare Seri. This was QUITE impressive, and I love it when they use Bow to give underclassmen little challenges like this. Act 1 ends with a medley of the Soragumi revue songs that got the most votes in the internet poll they ran a few months ago. They aren't listed individually in the program and I'm probably missing something, but off the top of my head I remember Millennium Challenger, Dancing For You, Funky Sunshine, Nice Guy, Phoenix Takarazuka, and Hot Eyes. Sora singing Funky Sunshine (SO—RA— POWER) was HIGHLY satisfying. They finish on Asu e no Energy, which still made me cry even though I JUST saw Citrus Breeze… but put my kid in the center of a song that always makes me cry anyway and I guess that's what you get.

Act 2 was less nostalgic and more interesting to me, probably because Sora's dance scenes multiplied significantly. They opened with a nihonmono medley, beginning with a Soran dance which I LOVED (the one from Viva Festa always gets me hyped too). Sora entered Takarazuka with a background in hip hop dance which I think always gives her movements a particular dynamic energy and a sharpness that sets her apart even from the other great Takarazuka dancers, but it stood out to me even more than usual in the Soran scene, probably in contrast to the traditional Japanese garb. I REALLY LOVED IT (even if I can imagine nichibu purists cringing). During my first two viewings of the show I was mostly overwhelmed and ecstatic that Sora had gotten a lead at all, but the last one, particularly in the Soran scene for whatever reason, it hit me HARD how much she's grown and how commanding and enthralling she is on stage.

After we spend a bit more time reliving Soragumi's very brief nihonmono history through song, there's a "rain corner" featuring a folk song that I rather like and a skit that made me feel COMPLEX THINGS. Mappu (Matsukaze Akira) plays some kind of rain god/wizard/???, in a whimsically decorated raincoat with two cute little ghosts hanging off her umbrella. Sora enters playing a guy out for a walk in the park in the rain where he meets a girl (Mineri) who lets him share her umbrella, and when the rain stops she asks him what he's doing in the park in the rain without one. BEAR WITH ME HERE: he explains he felt like coming to visit the spot where his dog Liza died, on a rainy day just like this one, after running away from their car (side note, I hope they named the dog Liza because Mineri's name is a play on Minelli?? Is it even?? There's a good ochakai question 6 days too late). He reminisces about all the tricks Liza could do, and Mineri imitates them. He shows her a picture of Liza, and surprisingly they're wearing the same dress?! It becomes evident that Mineri is actually the human form spirit of Sora's late pet, granted a few precious moments on earth by Rain Wizard Mappu to talk to her former owner, thank him, and say goodbye… she disappears with Mappu before Sora fully figures it out. HERE'S THE THING: As WTF?? as this entire concept is, Sora's acting was so damn heartbreaking I TEARED UP on the THIRD VIEWING even though I TOTALLY KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT?? I'm GENUINELY ANGRY that she took THIS SKIT and managed to MAKE ME CRY, and now I'm also praying to all the gods that this isn't her last lead, because I NEED to see her in a proper play with a proper partner. Where do I sacrifice the goats?

Next the whole team sings a song from Never Say Goodbye, leading up to Sora coming out for a solo barefoot dance, custom engineered to wound me as gravely as possible. Setohana Mari follows this up with an attempt at If I Were a Bell from Guys & Dolls, with brilliant all-in drunk acting but barely recognizable English (A for effort given the speed of the song though).

AND THEN

Okay. There's a rare special thing that I've now had the… fortune? I guess? of experiencing twice, that I hope you all get to experience someday, not because it's good or fun but just because it's An Experience. Sometimes there are secret little treats hidden in Takarazuka shows just for the foreigners. They're secret because I am pretty sure the directors have no idea what treats they are. And sometimes, through a combination of luck and the kindest friends, you make it to your first viewing with no spoilers, and a song starts playing that you recognize within half a note, and you begin having an experience so separate from every other person in the theater you feel as though you might as well be floating above the audience with all their disapproving gazes drilling into you, wondering what the heck you're doing up there when clearly the place for you is down here. The first time was when I waltzed unassuming into HOT EYES!! in an era when my feelings re: Soragumi were "I guess I have to watch them if I want to see Sora," and in my heart-pounding state of shock brought about by the first however many scenes Eye of the Tiger began to play, and out came involuntarily a VERY noticeable raspberry spit of quickly stifled laughter (before Makaze's everything shut me right the heck up).

The second was when amidst the polite applause following Secchan's Ding Dong Ding, the curtain rose on the remainder of the cast beginning a fiercely literal staging of the entirety of Bohemian Rhapsody in English. There are so many things to unpack:

Mikaze Maira, playing a literal mother, opens the number by emotionally reading a literal letter from her literal son who has literally gone off to war

The others, with Sora in the center, are playing soldiers armed with sizable rifles, portraying the horrors of war via aggressive interpretive dance

Sora's English, while certainly not flawless, was SO PASSABLE, especially when compared to a) history in general and b) specifically Can't Take My Eyes Off of You from 2 years ago, I was FULLY SHOOK

Her dancing and acting in this number were SO FRIGGIN GOOD I could DIE

The performance overall was SO PASSIONATELY ACTED and thus SO DISTRESSING that people in the audience were CRYING from BEING MOVED to the point where later in the run they BEGAN SNIFFLING BEFORE THE NUMBER EVEN STARTED

It forced me for the first time in my life to sit down and hella contemplate the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody, the conclusion of which was a) yeah that sure was a 500% valid interpretation of the lyrics and b) there is absolutely no way I could ever begin to explain to a Japanese person why in my culture it's a FUNNY SONG

I was EXTRA TICKLED that Kotti, who can't speak above a whisper off stage, was the one who got to run up onto a box and scream SO YOU THINK YOU CAN STONE ME AND SPIT IN MY EYE

Every viewing my body shook so hard from the effort it took to keep myself from making any sort of noise I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in my row could feel the tremors and I am honestly still tired just thinking about it

If this is cut I’m making a GoFundMe for the rights. Everyone start saving now please.

As a palate cleanser, Mineri sings a pop ballad in a gorgeous gown before the proper kuroenbi to Ai, which is a song that has a lot of nostalgic value for me personally, making it a very emotional backdrop to Sora leading an otokoyaku dance with the top star sparkles on her tailcoat and hitting that final pose with a heart-shattering bang. They reprise the two original theme songs for the parade, and that's Hustle Mates.

Additional notes from my particular viewings: I had a lucky aisle seat where Hanaki Maia, who I'm pretty obsessed with, serenaded me, and Mappu gave me a great smile and a little hand squeeze in lieu of a high five. I am completely charmed by Kotti, she's like a Great Dane that grew up and still thinks it's a lap dog—striking otokoyaku on the outside and a sweet shy earnest inside that hasn't quite caught up yet. Senshuuraku should be the day that shows up on Sky Stage eventually, but in the Partial Time Prison scene Homare Seri (playing Rhett Butler) started a really awkward slow clap with the audience in an attempt to ad lib, then had no idea where she wanted to go with it so she just gave SoraLucheni a big hug, and Moeko got flustered, decided that was enough, and cut off everyone’s laughter and applause by stepping in front of the action and saying her next line as loudly as possible.

My raku seat was close range, and after watching Sora’s perfectly calculated facial expressions, and the tiny backlit beads of sweat flying off her brow as she danced her heart out in HER SHOW, I'd sit in lava for her I love her so deeply.

[dmgrundy]

[54] Akitsu Onsen/ Akitsu Springs (1962, dir. Yoshishige Yoshida)

At the very end of the Second World War, Shusaku Kawamoto (Hiroyuki Nagato), a traumatised, tubercular soldier is nursed back to health by innkeeper’s daughter Shinko (Mariko Okada), in rural Akitsu Springs. One failed suicidal pact later and he’s left, thus beginning a futile process of recreation, as he periodically revisits the Inn, now managed by Shinko after her mother’s death and living in hope of his never-to-be-permanent return. This is melodrama taken to its zenith, as an endless series of (anti)climaxes, each time accompanied by the three main themes of Hikaru Hayashi’s score associated respectively with the stirrings of mutual passion, the dread of the suicide pact, and the strains of yearning and waiting. It’s a kind of paradoxically minimalist maximalism: melodrama as a ritual of repetition, of the same overblown gestures, from the lovers fleeing and chasing each other, literally striking poses as if in theatre, opera, ballet, to the more banal rituals of renting a room, drinking sake, smoking a cigarette, going away without saying goodbye. The film turns the melodramatic ritual of parting into a kind of repeated tic, ‘you hate to see me leave’, ‘let me see you leave this time’, as Shisaku’s repeated avowals that this will be the last time ring more and more hollow and the relationship itself becomes more and more a cipher for a lost moment of possibility that was, in actuality, the encounter of a traumatised, suicidal soldier caught in the thick of war and a teenage girl saddled with a kind of empty mythology less about the specific love object—whose qualities can hardly have been revealed in much detail over the space of a few days (or 20 minutes of film)—as the about the idea of feminine waiting and masculine arrival. ‘I’ve done something! I’ve saved a life’ becomes ‘I’ve done nothing’. In the merest fragments of carefully off-kilter composition, Yoshida at times anticipates the deliriously off-centre framings of the later radicalism trilogy (perhaps most notably, ‘Heroic Purgatory’): we see Okada between window panes as a in a prison, shot in profile from the side at odd angle, faces crammed just too high or too low onto the screen, the close-ups suddenly too close, the familiar settings of the film suddenly too claustrophobic. But that’s not where the real subversion lies: rather, even in this exercise in high budget repertory film making, the contradictions within the form itself are stretched to their limit precisely by being inhabited so fully, while also remaining palatable as a mere exercise in following the demands of the genre to the letter. And thus, by flattening out and removing narrative motivation, by not developing the romance, by rendering the narrative a series of performances, gestures and affects rather than any sort of theory of love—all while sticking to the conventions of rich costume, colour, music, grand event and grand feeling—the melodrama starts to collapse from within.

(Longer write-up here: http://streamsofexpression.blogspot.com/2020/10/ive-saved-life-ive-done-nothing-akitsu.html)

[lostinthewinterwood]

Hetswap 2020

Hey there friend!  Thanks for creating for me. 

Sorry this letter’s late—it includes the general likes and fandom-specific notes that my signup is tragically lacking.

My other exchange letters can be found here, and all the fandoms I’ve linked have fandom-specific request tags too.  I’d be happy to get treats in any medium.

 General DNW non/dub-con; non-canonical major character death; heavy angst; hurt no comfort; on-page deliberate self-harm*; on-page suicide; smut; gore; grimdark; complete downer endings; character bashing; incest; cringe comedy; a/b/o; mpreg; graphic eye trauma; graphic hand trauma; issuefic; unrequested full-setting aus; unrequested identity headcanons; a focus on unrequested romantic relationships**. *I don’t include things like, say, punching a wall in a fit of emotion under this. however, something like cutting would not be appreciated. **canonical levels of canonical ships are perfectly fine; background non-canon ships that I haven’t dnw’d are okay too.

  General Likes

– I really like plotty fics

– Secret identity and disguise shenanigans, the more layers to them and more absurdity the better.

– Crossdressing for whatever reason and gender disguises, also for whatever reason, though not as a kink—that I enjoy less.

– A focus on family and/or friendship, especially characters realizing they’re not nearly as alone as they think they are, and just generally characters who like each other and enjoy spending time together

– Found family; families of choice

– Character studies

– Worldbuilding

– Canon-divergence AUs and missing scenes; things set pre- or post-canon; wriggling into canon and poking at it to see what it spits back at you, if that description makes any sense at all.

  Art Things(??)

I’ll be real here, I’ve never requested art before; I don’t really know how best to prompt for it.  I like a lot of different styles, though, so—if you matched on art or want to make art, just, do your style?  I’m sure I’ll like it!  For the visual media, definitely don’t feel pressured to stick to the canonical art style if you don’t want to.  Seriously—digital, traditional, some combination—you do you.

As I, again, don’t really know how to prompt well for art, I haven’t given art prompts even where I’ve requested art.  Don’t feel pressured to try to work any of the proposed scenarios into your art, though if you feel inspired by them that’s great; just give me the characters together, however you think best—that will be enough.

  Podfic

My only podfic-specific comment is that I do generally appreciate not having very sudden volume shifts, especially from quiet to loud, as I like to listen on headphones.  Apart from that, again, go with your style :D

   Original Work

·        Male reforester who's planted thousands of trees/Female dryad of the new forest

·        Male Student Mage Disguised as a Girl/Female Student Warrior Disiguised as a Boy

·        Male Student Mage Disguised as a Girl/Female Fellow Student Mage

·        Runaway Princess/King of Thieves

·        Sheltered Prince/Roguish Female Thief

·        Teen Girl Medium/Ghost of a Murdered Detective Helping her Solve the Case (OW)

·        Teenage Supervillainess with a Secret Identity/Teenage Superhero with a Secret Identity

·        Teenage Supervillain with a Secret Identity/Teenage Superheroine with a Secret Identity

·        Fanfiction

 This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, but I'd rather all the human characters in relationships be at least fifteen, and I'd rather not have a very large age gap (say, >5 years) if one of the characters is underage. (For the medium/ghost, you don't need to keep it that small; just maybe don't draw too much attention to it and/or make her an older teenager lol).

fandom-specific dnw: predatory manipulation between characters in the relationship in service of the relationship--if, for example, the superheroes/villains are manipulating each other for non-relationship things and such that's okay, but i'd rather both parties in any of the ships be interested in the romance of their own accord.  Additionally—this isn’t in my signup—please don’t have characters react to any gender-disguised characters (or characters in general, but it’s most relevant to them) in transphobic or transphobic-adjacent ways (i.e. none of the characters are requested as trans, but I still wouldn’t want to see the kinds of comments people make about trans people aimed at them).

  Reforester/Dryad—I really like, idk, the vibe I get off this one—it’s got a very nice atmosphere?  I don’t really know how better to say it, I’m sorry.

 Student Mage/Student Warrior; Student Mage/Student Mage—obviously I love identity and disguise shenanigans; it always struck me as tragic when I was younger that there were all these stories about girls disguised as boys, but no one ever seemed to do the reverse?  Hence prompts such as these.  I’d love an identity/gender reveal, or maybe a post-reveal setting; I’d really rather not see them engage in any kind of serious romance without both of their genders being accurately known to the other, though flirting is definitely okay, as would be a date or two.  It’d be fun to go with some variety of mutual pining pre-reveal though, that could make the reveal all the sweeter.

 Runaway Princess/King of Thieves; Sheltered Prince/Roguish Thief—these seem to be mirrors of each other, somewhat at least; how does a royal meet a thief?  Does our princess find herself in the criminal underworld when she runs away?  Does our prince have a burglar appear on his balcony, or does he perhaps meet a girl at a masquerade who’s no noble and instead a thief?

 Medium/Ghost—lots of fun shenanigans you can go into here! What kind of case are they working on? How does a relationship work, when one of you is alive and the other isn’t?

 Supervillain(ess)/Superhero(ine)—love me some superhero identity shenanigans. Do they know each other in their normal lives?  Are their identities secret from each other, or only the world?  How do they first fall for each other—were they friends in their normal lives and enemies in masks?  Is this enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, or maybe something in-between?  How do they reconcile a romantic relationship with one being a hero and the other a villain?

    Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

·        Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel (Cartoon)

·        Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Stalyan (Cartoon)

·        Fanfiction

 Eugene/Rapunzel—they’re adorable.  I love them.  Give me more—a moment in their lives?  Something in the year before the series starts; something post-canon?  Or maybe glimpses of them on the road?

 Eugene/Stalyan—I will admit that this certainly isn’t my endgame ship for this canon, but I’d really love something pre-canon, when they were engaged or dating—what was their relationship like?  How did they interact with each other and the world?  Maybe a heist fic; that could be fun.  My interpretation from what we get in canon is that their relationship wasn’t necessarily the healthiest (healthy relationships don’t usually lead to one getting left at the altar, after all) but it didn’t seem to me that it was necessarily abusive; I’d appreciate it if it was kept out of the actually abusive zone.

    Hanging Out with a Gamer Girl (Manga)

·        Terazaki Kaoru/Takekawa Izumi (HOwaGG)

·        Terazaki Kaoru/Ousaka Nanami (HOwaGG)

·        Fanart

·        Fanfiction

·        Podfic

 Fandom-specific dnw: sexualization of Kaoru’s crossdressing, full justification of Kaoru’s fears re: Nanami’s dad

 Kaoru/Izumi—they’re both cute; they have cute interactions; give me more of that?

 Kaoru/Nanami—I, admittedly, don’t usually ship these two—but I love their friendship.  Give me more of that, show me how it becomes a romance?

 My typical DNW for unrequested setting aus does not apply here; if you want to write an au and want some ideas, I requested several in my AUEx letter.

    Tortall – Tamora Pierce

·        Stiloit Tasikhe/Varice Kingsford

·        Kaddar Iliniat/Kalasin of Conté

·        Roald II of Conté/Shinkokami of Conté

·        Fanfiction

 fandom-specific dnw: characters in the political marriages hating being married to their spouse throughout the fic--they can start off with reservations or not liking it but i'd really rather end with them at the very least liking their spouse.

 Stiloit/Varice—they had quite interesting interactions, the few times they got the chance; Varice is a bit young for him in Tempests and Slaughter, but say he didn’t die—say he was alive still when she grew up a bit more—what does their relationship look like?  What changes in the wider story, if Stiloit doesn’t die, if Ozorne doesn’t become quite so close to the throne as young as he does?

 Kaddar/Kalasin; Roald/Shinko—these are both political marriages between characters who either seem to like each other or like they’d have a reasonable chance to like each other; what does marriage look like when you came into it as a diplomatic thing rather than falling in love?  How do they learn about and come to care for each other?

     Revolutionary Arc – kitsunerei88

·        Aldon Rosier/Francesca Lam (Revolutionary Arc)

·        Aleksandr Willoughby Dragic/Fei Long Lin (Revolutionary Arc)

·        Fanart

·        Fanfiction

 Aldon/Chess—they do not have enough fluff or gentleness in the story right now; I’d like some more, please.  Maybe post-war, with Chess off at muggle university—how does Aldon do with living properly in the muggle world?  What do Chess’s classmates/friends think of him?  I would also happily accept fluff/soft things set in the universe of Blake.

 Alex/Fei—they haven’t ah, interacted ever in canon that I recall, but they seem like they’d fit together well, if only for a little while—is this a wartime friends-with-benefits?  Maybe post-war?  If you go with the friends-with-benefits take here I wouldn’t necessarily mind a bit of smut, as long as it’s not only smut—please no PWP.

    Rigel Black Chronicles – murkybluematter

·        Arcturus Rigel Black/Pansy Parkinson (Rigel Black Series)

·        Remus Lupin/Rispah Cooper (Rigel Black Series)

·        Fanart

·        Fanfiction

 Archie/Pansy—so.  Archie’s quite attached to Hermione right now; but he’s also fourteen.  Not all romantic interests people have at age fourteen stay strong; I’d rather not have a hard break or too many hard feelings between him and Hermione, and I think he’d be interesting to see with Pansy.  As for Pansy herself—she seems to be too close to Rigel as a friend to seriously consider him as a partner, but she did seem potentially interested in Harry at the Gala—perhaps she’d also be interested in Archie, when she gets to meet him properly.  Maybe this is a post-reveal thing; perhaps in trying to get to know the real Black heir she falls for him?  I don’t know.

 Remus/Rispah—this is admittedly partly my inner Song of the Lioness fan coming out, but I’d love to see Remus learning more about the Lower Alleys and what goes on there, and conversely bringing Rispah more into his world too.

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[olivereliott]

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 6 September, 2020

A sweet Yamaha SR500 bobber from Sweden, a bright orange Honda CBR600 from the Netherlands, a Kawasaki KZ750 cafe racer from Argentina, and a stylish BMW R65 street tracker from France. We’re racking up the (virtual) air miles this week.

Honda CBR600 F2 by WiMoto The Dutch flag is a tricolor of red, white, and blue but if there’s a color associated with the country, it’s orange. Most sports teams in the Netherlands are kitted out in oranje, and so is this punchy little CBR600 from builder Wido Veldkamp.

The CBR600 is an excellent choice for a donor. As Wido points out, we see a lot of older donor bikes—like the Honda CB750, Suzuki GS550, and BMW airheads. “But these bikes don’t have a lot of power, do not have the best brakes, and the handling is not so good either.

“So we thought why not take a donor that has already proven itself? The CBR600 F2 is still used for track day racing, its engine is indestructible, it has approximately 90 hp, and handles and stops as it should.”

Wido started by ditching the fairings (and the multitude of mounting points), and built a slim new subframe and a chromoly tube swingarm—which he’ll soon be offering in his online store.

He’s also shortened the forks, scrapped the clip-ons, and modified the top yoke so he could install conventional bars. There’s also a new 4-into-1 exhaust system, the carbs are retuned to suit K&N filters, and the new wiring loom is plugged into modern LED lighting all round. The acid orange paint job is the icing on a very tasty cake indeed. [Via]

Yamaha SR500 by Black Lanes Motor Yamaha’s SR series is still a rock solid choice for a custom build, with a staggering number of aftermarket parts available—especially in the Japanese online stores.

We’ve seen just about every permutation of the SR400 and SR500, but there’s a fresh vibe to this snappy little bobber from Andreas Jönsson of Black Lanes Motor in Sweden.

The woodcraft teacher wanted something different to the usual café racer or Brat Style SR build, so he went for the old school bobber look—complete with springer fork from DNA Specialty.

The back end has been slammed to match, with shorter Honda shocks hooked up to an abbreviated rear frame. And the attention to detail is admirable, from the smoothed-out and refinished frame to the thicker spokes on the rechromed wire wheels.

Andreas has modified the tank to sit lower on the top tube, and added a steel plate to support the classic bobber-style seat. Right underneath, the polished covers of the engine gleam almost as much as the elegant twin-pipe exhaust system.

Andreas has steered away from the traditional with the paint though, going for a mostly white look that was shot by Loen from Lucky Boy Customs. With a pair of whitewall Shinko tires spooned over the sparkling rims, this SR500 is set to turn heads like no other. [Via | Images by Johan Rydberg]

Kawasaki KZ750 by STG Tracker In Argentina, Marcelo Obarrio has made a name for himself building street trackers. But for his latest custom, he wanted to try something different—so he delivered this very sharp-looking KZ750 café racer.

The bike is called ‘Jarvis’ and it was a finalist at one of the largest custom shows in Latin America. Marcelo has taken Kawasaki’s unassuming, late 70s parallel twin and given it a dash of subtle style—something that many of the other show finalists unfortunately lacked.

Marcelo has taken a restomod approach to this build, but the ‘mod’ side of it is significant. He’s installed Yamaha R1 forks using custom yokes, and integrated a Motogadget speedo into the top yoke. Marchesini wheels complete the suspension upgrade and new stainless steel pipes are terminated with a titanium Akrapovič muffler.

New carbs improve fuel flow, but the trickiest job was grafting on the single-sided swingarm from an early 90s Honda VFR400 NC30—and making it look stock. Marcelo has even hidden most of the new wiring loom inside the frame for a super clean look, and added a touch of practicality with custom carbon fenders front and back. [Via | Images by Marcos Ludevid]

BMW R65 street tracker by Pépito The BMW R-series has been twisted and turned into every style of custom you can imagine. But this slender R65 from France is one of the best we’ve seen, and shows a light touch from 24-year-old builder Julien—known to his friends as Pépito.

Julien followed the typical Euro route of messing around on minibikes and small capacity machines before getting into heavier machinery. This 1983 R65 was a half-finished custom based on an old gendarmerie bike when Julien picked it up for a song and finished it off brilliantly.

He dismantled the entire machine, blasted the frame, and installed a Honda CB360 tank. He’s also trimmed the rear frame, lowered the forks, added a pair of YSS shocks, and built a seat with the help of upholstery specialists Cuir Concept.

The wiring is now hidden, cabling is run through the bars, and juice comes from a compact lithium ion battery. DNA air filters and a stainless exhaust give the boxer engine a little more pep to suit the ‘Hot Wheels’ badging. Très stylé! [Via | Images by Sophie Mara]

[lavadog]

SRMTHFG 20 Day Challenge: Day 3: Least Favorite Character

Okay, so here's the thing. When I saw today's challenge, I thought "Oh! That's easy. I've always disliked Jinmay and hated it when she showed up." But I wasn't just going to say so without explaining why, and I hadn't seen Chiro's Girl since a year or so after the show was canceled when Disney still had reruns of the episodes playing. So I rewatched it to refresh my memory.

But watching it again some ten years later, I found that the episode wasn't as bad as I remembered it being. The episode still has several things wrong with it, of course. But most of those mistakes can be attributed to the fact that it’s the first episode, and as with any show, it’s marked by the Characterization Marches On/Early Installment Weirdness tropes. We have "We can't activate the robot without Chiro" even though it is later established the whole team doesn't need to be there to pilot the robot (They can, just with suboptimal results), and "We don't keep secrets from the team" even though nobody told Chiro about Mandarin or Antauri's masters (And so on). We also have the first instance of the writers trying to balance Chiro the hero, and Chiro the teenage boy, and what better way to distract at teenage boy than a pretty girl? Chiro comes off as uncharacteristically dismissive of the monkeys in this episode, which is honestly pretty jarring compared to later episodes (Hence the Characterization Marches On trope), but also carries the tone of stereotypical teenage rebellion that the writers thankfully moved on from. We also have the the beginning of the off and on again weirdness of just how necessary each member of the team is at any given point in time. The monkeys are shown to be in trouble in this episode without Chiro there to help them out, and this is later reinforced by episodes like Magnetic Menace where Sprx not being there put the team off their game. But then we have episodes like Pit of Doom where the team apparently works just fine without Chiro there to help them out (Granted, there weren't as many formless in Pit of Doom for them to fight at once, but the point still stands).    

Chiro and Jinmay's romance in this episode is filled with almost painfully cliche dialogue, and we have that horribly contrived moment where Chiro is apparently so absorbed in staring at her that he can't hear Antauri calling him for help or see the formless driving by outside of the window, but it isn't as bad as it could have been. Chiro meeting Jinmay is a pretty cute scene, and so is their subsequent shyness when they first start hanging out with each other directly afterwards. The betrayal on Chiro's face when he thinks Jinmay was only hanging out with him to get into the robot hit me pretty hard too. Overall, Jinmay is pretty harmless in this episode, and there isn't really all that much to dislike about her.

But here's the thing. Chiro and Jinmay's romance doesn't age well. Their relationship starts off as a cliche. Chiro sees Jinmay and is instantly in love because Jinmay is a cute girl his age. They hang out for maybe an afternoon or so, and then have no truly significant interactions until perhaps Ghosts of Shuggazoom. And even then, they spend what little time they have together fighting Valina. Afterwards, we have the Hills have 5, but that's ruined by Jinmay being brainwashed for the majority of the episode and the two of them only interacting with each other for less than 30 seconds in the entire episode (When she's not brainwashed). Chiro and Jinmay obviously care about one another, but the majority of their relationship seems to operate on tell rather than show. We get the implication that Chiro and Jinmay hang out a lot off screen, but we don't personally get to see any real relationship form between them. And as such, none of it really counts. How am I supposed to believe in their relationship if I barely see them spend any time together?

Because they don't show it, a lot of the writers attempts to prove to us just how much Chiro and Jinmay care about each other feels presumptuous, especially when the monkeys are on hand. Two specific examples that come to mind are in Savage Lands and Ghosts of Shuggazoom. In Savage Lands, the monkeys finally catch up to Chiro as he is trying to rebuild Antauri, and try to get him to come home because in their minds Antauri is gone and Chiro isn't in his right mind. When they initially fail to convince him, they try to contact Jinmay, like just seeing her is going to make him abandon Antauri and go with them because hormones or something. In Ghosts of Shuggazoom, Jinmay is the one to get through to him once he is turned into a wraith, and it's treated like she was perhaps the only one that could have done it because true love or something (Yes, I'm aware that the monkeys were all passed out at the time, but we've seen them power though this when the situation has called for it in the past). Never mind that the monkeys are there. Never mind that the monkeys are his family and that it’s been repeatedly shown just how much they love each other. Never mind that Chiro would literally move mountains for them and what we've seen them go through time and time again for each other. No, clearly only Jinmay could do it because of that one afternoon they shared with each other that one time.

Back to the matter at hand though. Is Jinmay my least favorite character? Ultimately, no. I think they could have done a way better job developing her relationship with Chiro and her as a character (Like Chiro, we know nothing of her past), and I think she mostly exists to be a plot device (I've gone into this in a previous post), but I don't think she's the worst the show has to offer. I can't even really find it in myself to dislike her all that much.

So who is my least favorite character, then? After thinking about it for some time, I'd have to say that it's Valina, and perhaps Ma and Pa Shinko by extension. Ma and Pa Shinko have to be the most contrived villains the show has ever offered us. I mean really. A cult in Shuggazoom City that worships the Skeleton King, the same guy who has repeatedly tried to wipe them from existence in some way or another? Who did horrible things to them like make them dig the Pit of Doom or turned them into mindless zombies? It doesn't make any sense. The best motivation the writers offer us is that Ma and Pa Shinko want power for some reason. Which, again, they wouldn't have gotten if the Skeleton King had managed to succeed in his plans at any point in time. At best, the only excuse I can think of for this so called Secret Society to exist is to inform the Hyper Force about plans to resurrect the Skeleton King, which kicks off the plot of the last three episodes. But the writers could have done this a number of other ways that didn't involve something this ridiculous.

Valina herself isn't that bad of a character or villain. But she makes for a very weak main villain compared to what we've had in previous seasons. In Seasons 1 & 2, we had the Skeleton King. He has an interesting backstory as the once good Alchemist who created the monkeys to stop the evil being that he was becoming, and is clever/dangerous enough to actually succeed in his ultimate plan despite our heroes best efforts. Said plan is to awaken a Dark One, a member of the same ancient evil race that corrupted him to begin with, and although he ultimately dies in the process of doing so (Or at least, loses his individuality), his success gives us the awakened Dark One as the new main villain of the series for Season 3. After Season 3, I couldn't help but wonder how they were going to top having an ancient evil as the main villain. I imagined something even worse happening, like a portal to the Dark One Dimension being opened and multiplying last season's problem 1000x fold. But instead, we got the seemingly one-shot villain from Savage Lands, and despite being the main villain, she seems to almost be an after thought in her own season. She only appears in 5/13 episodes, and she's only a legitimate threat in 4/5 of those episodes (Mandarin is the one using her powers in Night of Fear). Of these remaining four episodes, only 1/4 has her enacting some evil plan that isn't directly related to her ultimate goal of resurrecting the Skeleton King. When we do finally get to resurrecting the Skeleton King (Which was foreshadowed back when Mandarin managed to save the skull in Season 3), she can't even actually accomplish it on her own without the BS that is Sprx turning evil and basically doing it for her (Which by itself is jarring because it's suddenly as if Sprx is stronger than the rest of the team combined).

As a whole, Valina is a villain that is built up as being very threatening, but in practice is easily defeated when it comes down to a direct confrontation, usually by Chiro. This can be seen in both Savage Lands and Ghosts of Shuggazoom, where Chiro basically has enough of her shit and beats her in one or two shots (Heck, in Night of Fear she's still trapped in her medallion from Ghosts of Shuggazoom). In the end, she was apparently so insignificant that the Skeleton King killed her off, supposedly never to appear in Season 5.

If she wasn't the main villain of the season, I think she would have made for a good regular villain. But as the main villain she's disappointing and leads to a lack of focus in Season 4. Being connected to the most contrived villains of the series doesn't help her, and I can't help but wonder if the lack of focus she brought was what helped get the show canceled before we could get a satisfying conclusion.

[shineoko]

Round & Round | n.jm

Part of ‘START UP’ series

↳ "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

↳ Round & Round - NCT U

↳ Strangers to lovers, crack, fluff, cheesy af.

↳ You and Jaemin met in the collage library while reaching for the same novel little did you know somewhere along the line he gets close enough to share a kiss but doesn't yet this isn't the only Jaemin does to make your heart go round & round.

↳ shinko's note: I remembered how close it is to September and how much I wanted to upload an enemies to lovers drabble for this series so I persevered to finish this and I hope it doesn't seem that rushed or British.

The warmth emitting from the sun accompanies you on your walk to the collage library. Despite being a resident of the campus dorms, the walk is still long enough for you to harvest a layer of sweat on you forehead. Not only that but you think your insides are slowly becoming raisins by the minute.

Eventually after 3 minutes of walking in the scorching sun, you reached the library. The air conditioning boosted by the large number of fans was pure relief but you eventually had you put it to an end because you came here for reading a novel, not basking in cold air.

You made your way to the isle where the whole book series was but as you reached for the book you're on you felt another arm brush against your own. You turned to look at the person who's arm touched yours but before you could apologize you completely froze.

The boy you were about to apologize to 1, was wearing a long woolly cardigan, 2 was incredibly handsome.

Bear in mind you had no idea if he was older or younger but one thing you did know is that he shouldn't have a cardigan in if it's hot outside.

"Umm...Hello" At his words you snapped you of your little daydream.

"Sorry. Do you want the book?" You asked him internally crying at the fact he knew you were staring.

"Did you want it too?" He paused for a bit and looked up, presumably thinking "Should we read the book together?"

"Sure." A few seconds after you spoke he was dragging you across the library, book in hand, with eyes shaped like crescents and a Cheshire cat's grin plastered on his face.

"What's your name by the way?" You ask the two of you slowing down as you near your destination.

"Na Jaemin. And yours?"

"L/N Y/N"

"Have you read the book before?" He asks motioning for you to sit next to him on one of the library chairs. You hesitantly sat down next to him as he moved closer to you to hold the book so both of you could see it.

Half an hour in, you feel something brush against your neck you moved your attention from the book to Jaemin who has somehow gotten closer to you in the short duration of time. You were about to shrug it off and get into the book again but you soon realised that Jaemin's elbow had found a home near your knee to hold the book up.

You could feel heat climbing up your neck but ignored it. You just met Jaemin, how could you already be this flustered by something so small? You decide to turn your head the slightest bit to get a better look at Jaemin and almost all signs of him being innocent have just flown away. Maybe he was just concentrating on the book.

"Is something wrong, Y/N?" He asks and you flinch slightly at both his proximity and his voice. Gentle yet not, a whisper but it's clear. You can feel heat settling in your cheeks tainting them a peachy red, scratch that you were identical to a tomato.

"Umm... How did we get so close so quick" you ask noticing Jaemin's cheek turn slightly pink but he chose to ignore it.

"You didn't move a muscle. I just positioned myself on you. So that we could both see the book." He said moving closer to your face stopping when you two are basically breathing in eachother's air.

The atmosphere in that part of the library was thick enough that you could cut it with a knife.

You were holding yourself back from completely melting so you decided on going along with his game and tease him.

"Is my knee that good of a table? Do you usually wear prescribed glasses?"

"Yes and Yes" he answered back moving in even closer that your noses brush but just for a second until he completely pulls back. For a second you were disappointed. You got comfortable with him that close to you.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" He asked, one eyebrow perking up and a smug smirk on his face. You couldn't tell if he was being serious or he was just joking but it took you a second to process what he said and answer back.

"No, but it hurt when I scratched my knees climbing out of hell." For a second he was shook but his expression changed back to the smug one the frat boys have when they're hitting on a girl at a party but they're drunk.

"No wonder you're so hot" He said as he abruptly put his face in front of yours where it was before. You thought about what you could say back to him but he had other plans.

Other plans meant closing the thin gap between you two with a quick peck.

"So will you go on a date with me?" He asked slowly putting away his smug smile.

"I haven't backed away yet so I guess you got your answer." You said smiling at his sudden wave of shyness.

"Here's my number. We can meet at the new cafe just across the front entrance of campus. Call me." He said as he winked and walked away. In the distance you could hear him say a little yes to himself which means he may have been planning this for a while.

[shineoko]

PROM DRESS | j.sc

Part of ‘START UP’ series

"i'd be the prom queen if crying was a contest"

↳ prom dress - mxmtoon

↳ angst, fluff, strangers to friends to enemies to friends to lovers, crack, highschool au

↳ warnings : rude humour, straightforward sex references, swearing

↳ featuring : Karina, Yuna, Lisa as y/n's friends. Jisung, Jeongin (i.n), chenle as friends dates and sungchan's friends.

↳ the first few days of a new highschool are just as bad as the last ones of your old school but the one thing or should I say person that got you through it was Jung sungchan. you two were friends until he started acting off in your second year there. now you're on your final year of highschool, prom is your next problem and it's right around the corner yet things take a turn when you have a wholesome interaction with the boy that abandoned you in your second year.

↳ Shinko's note : Oop. I got a lil carried away of the end on this one.

↳ estimated wc : >3k

packing up your bags, sliding into to your clothes, bursting out the door to catch the bus, nothing off about this school day yet. as you get of the bus your palm begin to get sweaty, your heart beats faster and your legs start trembling. your alien behaviour is spotted by a boy roughly your age maybe a month older or so.

"hey, are you alright." he asks with a bubble of concern floating in his tone. before you could respond, you looked up and the words meant to escape your mouth halted at his proximity. your noses were mere inches away from eachother but since the concerned bubble started growing you answered.

"not really, it's my first day here and the school is pretty big so I may get lost"

once you said that his eyes started sparkling. all you could do at that was stare and wonder what had got him so worked up.

"so you must be then transfer student in my class. y/n l/n right!"

"yeah, that's my name. may i ask your name."

"oh , did I forget to introduce myself." he took a pause to clear his throat before he began "my name is jung sungchan but you can just call me sungchan and we're in the same classes so if i'm with you you'll be just fine."

the bell rang next to you two, loud and clear.

"come on y/n. I promise you that being late isn't a good thing wether your new or not."

the rest of that day and week was literally just sungchan dragging you around and introducing you to people. it seemed that he was pretty popular across the school because everyone knew his name and now everyome knows your name.

the following weeks were the same until it was the last day before summer break. sungchan wasn't standing at your doorstep which was odd but you assumed he was just a bit ill. walking through the hallway you saw him by his locker so you decided to walk over to him.

"hi sungcha-" before you could even finish saying his name he had already slipped away.

the rest of the day was like that but you had a little group of your own friends you could hangout with. yuna, karina and lisa have been your friends since the second week you started. you four could ever only text and hangout after school because sungchan would usually be dragging you around or stealing you for himself they say so they were a bit stunned to see you two separated.

throughout the whole summer break not a single text or call came from sungchan and you didn't want to disturb him with so you two just never Interacted after that. days became weeks and weeks became years and not a single word.

nearing the end of your final year and prom is right around the corner all three of your friends already have a date, you don't but it doesn't bother you that much. all you've learnt these few years is that the 'b' in boys means betrayal.

once you get out of your car you see the tree girls huddled together awaiting your arrival in an outdoor part of the diner. you try and run towards them but it's quite hard when your inexperienced with heels and you have an unnecessarily long dress so you fall but just as you expect to be hit by the cold pavement you feel the warm embrace of a taller figure. your eyes flicker open and jung sungchan is bestowed upon you, less than an inch of space between your noses.

"uh, thanks." you say as you look into the eyes of your prince charming

"no problem y/n" he says with a seemingly uncontrollable forming grin.

it takes a moment for you to realise your prom dress matches his suit even in the colours are slightly different up close , probably because of the material. once sungchan settles you down you wave and walk over to your friends who are still huddling together.

"hey girls!"

"oh my god, you really took your time getting here." karina comments while rolling her eyes

"we've been waiting for 5 whole minutes like this." yuna says beside her ,slightly shivering.

"it's not that cold out here. it's literally spring." you bite back at the three shivering girls "anyways, where are your dates, they should give you their jacket or something, cheesy drama style."

"our dates are over there talking with your date" lisa bites pointing at a group of boys and sungchan who are currently approaching you four.

"what do you mean my date. I told you I didn't need one." you tell her in a tone of pure attitude.

"calm down girl. it's not my fault you and sungchan's outfits are matching." Lisa says in defence putting a strand of hair behind her ear and looking up at you with a cheesy smirk. "ooo here they are. i'll just have to ask sungchan myself."

"you actually thought sungchan was my date?" you suddenly blurted out at her a bit too loud which may or may not have enabled the nearing boy in question hear you.

"he isn't?" one of the boys beside sungchan chipped in. you know him as the boy that helped you pay for lunch when sungchan forgot his money but you were beyond starving, from yuna's speed talking outbursts recently you've learnt his name was Chenle.

"yes, i told you that before." sungchan bites back at Chenle while giving a playful, light hit to another beside him.

"but your outfits are like..." another friend, which your guessing is Jisung because of his and karina's matching outfits, pitches in and pauses to think of what idioms or phrases he could use.

"...married to eachother" the final boy in the group ends Jisung's suffering - jeongin, you assumed again from lisa and his matching outfits as well as lisa's date rants.

"nope." you and sungchan say in unison which earns a few oooos from your mutual friends.

"you see what i mean. i'm actually surprised you people haven't talked to eachother for so long. you two were just inseparable." chenle says loud enough for the world to hear for no apparent reason.

hearing that made you question why sungchan and you split up in the second year. was he mad at you for some reason? did a dating rumors spread without you knowing? did he just loose interest in you? is he a fuckboy? you held in a gasp at the last theory you could think of. did he get a girlfriend? the thoughts spiralling in your head was enough to make you visibly stressed to the point of crying. so you did the one thing you could think of. you ran as deep into that diner as far as your aching legs could take you, which was indeed pretty far.

when you finally stopped before your legs could give into the pain, you were bewildered at how far you ran. your teachers and friends said that the diner was close to the ocean but it was quite a walk.

the sea was the same colour as the sky both shades of a tropical pink met at the half visible, half invisible, sun. there was a large dock which was a perfect height for you to sit and not get your dress wet so you discarded of your heels and dipped your feet in the ocean water. it was cold but it was refreshing. all the complicated thoughts swam away at the sound of the waves but before you could register, tears started falling down your cheeks carrying the mascara and little eyeliner with it making your tears a depressing black colour. lifting you had up to your face so that you can wipe your tears with your hand, another hand catches your wrist at your cheek and uses the other to grab the bottom half of your face and turing it towards his own and wiping your tear with a handkerchief.

"what are you doing here? sungchan. did you follow me all the way here?" you barely say above a whisper because his hand is squishing your cheeks pretty tight.

"you didn't hear me calling you? i was literally screaming at you y/n." he says but you're not sure if he was being dramatic or he was legit.

"I guess i was lost in my thoughts of getting as far away as possible."

"yeah, no shit. y/n, you became a long distance 10000m olympics gold medalist back there." he explained making sure you heard his attitude in every single word which made you start giggling. "c'mon let's get back to the diner. prom queen and prom king are gonna be announced soon."

"soon is an hour, sungchan." mocking him.

"y/n, do you know how far you ran?" sungchan asks with the same time of attitude he had a minute ago

"nope, but I know it's certainly not 10000m like in the olympics." you say as you scoot back to get up only realising that your only shoe option is painful, agonising 4.5 inch heels. "no way in hell am I walking back in those heels."

"don't worry, i'll carry you." positioning himself so that your heels were in his hand and a space where you would be comfortable on his back. at the thought you kind of blushed but it's no big deal. you and sungchan may have not spoken or texted for more than a year but your friendship rekindled in the blink of an eye.

once you got on his back was warm and that only just made you realise how cold you really were.

the way back consisted of sungchan complaining, sungchan complaining and finally sungchan complaining. the moment the diner doors were in veiw you prepared for landing but sungchan didn't let go. "sungchan. you can let go now. people are in field of vision." you whisper-shouted into his ear.

"yup. and the people in veiw are going to see that our friendship is back in business and i'll be clinging onto you for the rest of your life." sungchan pauses for a bit then sets you down and directly faces you with a look that a business ceo would have in an important meeting. "y/n, i know this may sound absolutely fucking bonkers after not speaking to you for over a year but i think I've fallen for you. and i know this is a bit late and a bit rushed but can you please be my date but not as just a friend."

your mouth was forming a perfect circle, you didn't have to look in the mirror to even know that but once the words that came out of sungchan's mouth drilled their way into you head and found their way to you heart you found yourself staring at his lips not knowing that the words "can i kiss you" left your own.

a single nod, not even a word is all it took for you to pull him into a passionate desire filled kiss. it wasn't long but you felt as if you had the world and more by your side after that.

"now, get your heels on y/n. prom king and queen are gonna be announced really soon." sungchan says and he props your heels down signalling for you to wear them.

sungchan was right. prom queen and king were being announced as you two entered the hall hand in hand walking over to your group of friends.

"so..." yuna starts "are you two dense idiots fucking dating now."

"not fucking, just dating." sungchan says untangling your hands and pulling you in by your waist, you don't mind it at all, in fact it felt natural to be this close with sungchan.

"i told you it would happen today." jisung says as he nudges jeongin.

"i said it would happen soon so technically we both win." jeongin bites back a jisung.

"nevermind that. the votes are rigged. i swear we convinced everyone that sungchan and y/n should be voted as prom king and queen." lisa commented staring daggers through the current prom king and queen on stage.

"not really. i think i'd be the prom queen if crying was a contest." you reply with an eye smile facing towards lisa.

"nope, you'd be the prom queen if running was a contest." sungchan suggests looking down at his suit and your matching prom dress.

[shineoko]

How fast can we go?

Part of ‘START UP’ series

↳ "shall i or shall i not, it's your decision after all"

↳ Shinko's note : to be honest this fic looks best when it's in goth rave mode and it's really short because this just ticks off one of the 39 oneshots/imagines in this start up series.

↳ racer!taeyong reader

↳ 0.15k words

↳ fluff, suggestive. {intended lowercase}

speeding, flying, zooming or whatever you call it you were going places, not sure what places but your speed said you had somewhere to be. never have you ever been this thrilled your whole life and never have you ever imagined it to be given to you by the love of your life , your soulmate , your other half, Lee Taeyong.

It was midnight and the clouds were shielding the stars from view meaning that the neon purple lights of Seoul can be seen just the slightest bit better. The man next to you had his eyes on the road with one hand on the wheel, his right hand was on your thighs caressing the soft skin making you let out an occasional squirm or whimper every now and then. You wondered how his hands can do not one but 2 things that would attract any girl, so effortless yet flawless in his every movement.

[olivereliott]

Baltic Brawler: A BMW K1100 from Vilnius Moto House

We don’t see much custom work from the Baltic state of Lithuania. But judging by what we have seen, we suspect that the Lithuanian scene is underground rather than small. Case in point: this brutal BMW K1100 cafe racer.

It’s the work of Vilnius Moto House, who are based in, you guessed it, Vilnius—the beautiful old capital city, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (That’s also where this sharp Honda Dominator scrambler is from.)

Vilnius Moto House (VMH) have been operating under that name for the past six years, but their experience customizing bikes stretches back to 1999. And their clients come not only from Lithuania, but also further afield.

The story of this transformation, dubbed ‘Project #01,’ started with a simple phone call. “I have a motorcycle,” the client said, “and I want you to remodel it for me—a 1989 BMW K1100. Can we meet?”

A few days later, the customer and his K were in VMH’s shop. “We discussed everything he wanted,” VMH boss Darius Krasauskas tells us, “and reviewed various already made projects—not just ours. We came up with an agreement.”

“In a few days, we drew a sketch of what the finished BMW should look like: angry, but exceptional.”

Step one was to dismantle everything, a process that VMH say is “very fast and without scruples.” Then they tackled the biggest task: modifying the K-series frame to even out its erratic lines.

They refined the back end with a sharp, all-new subframe. Then they grafted in the rear shock from a Yamaha R6, modifying the shock mounts in the process. Some tweaking and lowering happened up front too.

The final change to the K1100’s stance came in the form of a pair of 19” Harley-Davidson V-Rod front wheels. VMH picked them because their client specifically wanted solid wheels on his bike.

They took some fettling to fit—particularly the rear, which was widened and adapted to match the BMW’s single-sided swing arm.

The tires are vintage Shinko 270 Super Classic whitewalls, and the brakes are the stock K units (with fresh discs and upgraded lines). But just as VMH had sorted the rolling chassis, the project stalled. They’re hush on the particulars, but six months later fresh inspiration hit and the BMW went back onto the bench.

Now VMH’s attention turned to the fuel tank. After some unsuccessful attempts to modify the OEM tank to suit their ideas, the team figured they needed to start over. So they poked around their warehouse and dug out a Kawasaki KZ550 unit.

With a little cutting and narrowing, the KZ tank turned out to be the perfect match. But there was more fabrication ahead—notably a new, one-into-four stainless steel intake manifold, running off a single filter.

It’s designed to snake across to the opposite side of the bike, and there’s a correspondingly serpentine exhaust system that runs under the motor.

Lighting turned out to be point of contention.

After much deliberation, it was decided to install two long LEDs alongside the radiator, with a hand-made nacelle filling the space up front.

Not actually wanting to install turn signals (“they’re not beautiful, and the signal can also be displayed by hand”), but needing to keep the bike street legal, VMH installed the most discreet Kellermann LEDs they could get.

The cockpit was finished off with a digital speedo and new clip-ons, grips and switches. A set of hand-made foot pegs finished off the controls.

And then the project stalled for a second time…until VMH got wind of the upcoming Custombike Show in Bad Salzuflen, Germany, which attracts over 30,000 visitors every December. With three weeks to go, they sprung into action to finalize the K-series and enter it into the show.

There was a fair whack of work ahead still: there was no seat, the rear wheel needed a bit more work, wiring had to be done, and the bike was unpainted (and still partially disassembled). But they managed to button it up just in time, and with an interesting livery too.

It’s a spin on BMW’s traditional tricolor motorsports scheme, but executed in monochrome and with a hand-painted feel. Together with a little contrast stitching on the seat, it’s a subtle but effective approach.

VMH entered the bike into the show and took top honors in the Roadster category.

We’re not surprised—and we’ll be keeping a closer eye on VMH to catch the next build as it rolls out their shop.

Vilnius Moto House Facebook | Images by Mantas Repecka

[olivereliott]

Put up your dukes! A KTM 390 custom from Ellaspede

Since its release in 2013, KTM’s 390 Duke has become a staple in the entry-level segment. It’s amassed a slew of awards but despite its plus points—a sub-330lb dry weight, modern reliability and high-end suspension—the little Duke is one of the most commonly-overlooked platforms for customization.

One of the handful of shops that have recognized the merits of the Austrian single is Australia’s Ellaspede. The Brisbane outfit has given the Duke 390 a blacked-out, off-road-oriented makeover—and provided an alternative to the newly unveiled KTM 390 Adventure.

The build started life as a low-mile 2017 390 Duke, and was commissioned by a client who already owns a one-off Honda CT110 from Ellespede. He was looking for something a little more powerful and contemporary, which would also be capable of some light trail duties.

“The intent was to make the stock 390 Duke look a little less futuristic, reduce some of the ‘forward’ angles, and create a bike that looks like it could be a factory KTM concept,” explains Ellespede’s Hughan Seary.

The team began by tearing the 390 down to the chassis, before looping off the stock subframe and replacing it with a bespoke structure that was reportedly the result of no less than 16 hours of work.

A custom ribbed, tucked and rolled saddle was fashioned for the new framework, hiding a one-off electronics tray underneath. An LED taillight, Motogadget m.blaze pin indicators, and Ellaspede’s own ‘Ninja Star’ tail tidy keep the back of the build clutter-free.

The original tank remains in play, though it’s been modified to give a cleaner, more timeless aesthetic that almost borders on an ADV vibe.

“The 2017 390 Duke got bigger tank shrouds in the factory redesign, but it was the previous model’s smaller shrouds that we ended up sourcing, modifying, and custom mounting,” Seary tells us.

The Duke’s sharp and futuristic front-end was binned and in its place is now an LED Koso unit capped off with a Dart flyscreen. The 390’s 5.2” TFT display has also been relocated to in front of the top triple, just behind said flyscreen, allowing it to blend in markedly better.

Below, the guys have crafted a one-off steel front fender that tightly hugs the tire. Changes to the cockpit include new grips, LSL bar-end mirrors, and adjustable aftermarket shorty-levers shrouded behind a set of Barkbusters.

In an effort to squeeze a bit more power out of the 373cc engine, its respiratory bits were upgraded and a low-slung SuperTrapp is now suspended from a bespoke hanger.

“A Power Commander unit was wired in to take care of the new air filter and airbox mods, plus there’s the custom exhaust which wakes up the package a little more. It was impressive before, but who doesn’t like more power and sound right?” jokes Seary.

To bolster the Duke’s off-road prowess, a beefy one-off skid-plate was whipped up and tacked to the power plant, and sliders were installed on the frame and front and rear axles.

The KTM now rides on a set of Shinko 705 tires, too. At the request of the client, a bevy of bespoke and aftermarket racks and luggage were also added to the mix.

“One of the requirements was a removable pannier system that not only looked the part but would allow sufficient storage for future ‘back road’ weekender camping trips. So a series of laser cut plates were designed, CAD’d and welded up to hold the RotoPax fuel and water (cells) with a soft Kriega pannier on each side. A spare rack can also be bolted over the top of the pillion seat should more storage be needed,” relays Seary.

With the Duke fully sorted, the Ellaspede tore everything down again and began prepping the KTM for paint. It was decided that the white and orange scheme would be replaced with a murdered-out livery comprised of multiple shades of black in varying finishes.

This not only included painting the frame and bodywork, but also the new subframe, the wheels, skid-plate, exhaust, electronics bay, the mono-shock, and even the orange lettering on the engine was overlaid in black.

“This KTM is now a great all-rounder that’s an absolute hoot to ride and looks the business in a compact package,” says Seary.

“If you own a 2017-onwards 390 Duke then you’ll probably notice lots of other little changes and details. If you don’t, then you probably won’t—and that’s the intent when you’re going for a ‘factory concept’ style build.”

Ellaspede | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Aj Moller

[olivereliott]

Achilles: BMW’s new R1250RS gets the drag bike treatment

In Europe, the Sultans of Sprint competition produces some of the wackiest drag bikes, year on year. It’s written in the rules: contestants vie for gold over an eighth-mile track, but points are also awarded for imagination and creativity.

It means we end up with some very eccentric motorcycles, like this BMW-powered race bike.

‘Achilles’ is entered into the ‘Factory’ class at Sultans of Sprint, and was built as a side project by an engineer and a designer who both work on the car side of BMW. And it’s completely bonkers.

To kick off the project, BMW themselves donated a box fresh R1250RS. We’ve sampled the 1,254 cc boxer motor in the RS and it’s sweet, offering up 136 hp and 143 Nm. It also features BMW’s new ‘ShiftCam’ tech, which is effectively a variable valve timing system that turns the 1250 ballistic at full tilt.

Philipp Ludwig works on bikes under the Kraftstoffschmiede moniker, and he’s a Sultans of Sprint veteran. He’s been racing in the series since its early days, and nabbed a few ‘Freak’ class podiums last year with his heavily modified 1998-model BMW R850R.

But for this project, he called in reinforcements—teaming up with designer Krzysztof Szews from Man & the Machines.

Philipp would do the heavy lifting, with Kris taking point on design. “Designing a piece of motorsport equipment requires industrial design in its purest form,” he says. “There is no need for it to be pretty as long as it performs, right?”

“But this isn’t the case at the Sultans. This race bike had to be an absolute eye catcher: an extrovert, one-off rocket ship, and an ambassador for BMW Motorrad’s sporty brand identity.”

For an engineer, Phil laid some zany ideas on the table. Good weight distribution and straight-line ergonomics were mandatory, but what about a land speeder-style fairing, a hint of bagger flavor, and a 21-inch front wheel?

“Not your usual setup for a sprint bike,” says designer Kris.

Achilles had to be fast and look fast—so Kris started sketching. The design called for a monocoque body that would work in harmony with the boxer motor, and still be aerodynamic. He moved all the visual weight forward to hug that big front wheel, and shortened the tail to give the impression of a lengthened swing arm.

“Not exactly the style Phil had envisioned at the beginning of the project,” says Kris, “but it brought a sparkle to his eye straight away, and he fell in love with the design.”

Wilbers Suspension sent over custom made, fully adjustable front and rear suspension components. The forks are held in place by CNC-machined triples of Phil’s design, with a 50 mm offset for a longer wheelbase and ideal weight distribution. The wheels are custom-built 19F/17R spoked items from Kineo, wrapped in Shinko rubber.

While that was going on, the Kraftstoffschmiede crew stripped the R1250RS down to its bare bones. Phil and his metal shaper, Franz, fabricated a new aluminum fuel cell and tail section. The latter was designed to host the BMW’s engine management system, and a NOS bottle.

Other upgrades include K&N filters, new side air ducts, and a quick release fuel cap. The RS came from BMW with a set of their beautifully machined Option 719 parts; dress-up bits like the engine valve covers and fluid reservoir caps.

The rearsets are custom, placed as far back as possible and lined up for maximum weight transfer to the back wheel (and therefore more traction) off the start line.

The exhaust system is a custom stainless steel setup from German outfit Hattech, who whipped it up in just a day. But if you’d like more insight into the NOS setup, you’re out of luck: Phil’s lips are sealed on that topic.

Once Phil and Kris agreed on the final design direction—and the rolling chassis was mostly done—the bike was 3D scanned from top to tail. Kris then worked with KKN Engineering, who transferred his design to form-fitted digital renders.

The initial plan was to shape the bodywork with basalt fibers—but that would have blown the budget. So the bodywork was 3D printed from a polyamide material by specialists Creabis. It was produced in multiple sections, which were then joined together and reinforced with carbon fiber in key areas.

On the engineering side, Phil had to contend with the Euro5 standard that the stock R1250RS conforms to. It meant many sleepless nights optimizing the setup on the dyno, and a switch to R1250GS gear ratios.

But it wasn’t without setbacks: in initial tests, the onboard electronics kept freaking out under hard acceleration. Phil finally smoothed out all the kinks, just one day before the first race.

It took Kraftstoffschmiede and Man & the Machines just six months to finish the race bike. “It was a huge challenge,” says Kris. “A complete one-off racing prototype with a perfect finish, built at night while trying to maintain a healthy work/life balance.”

“Phil gave very valuable design input, and learned about industrial design and the motorcycle design process,” says Kris, “while I learned all about race bike requirements and hard business calculations.”

Since the collaboration worked so well, Phil and Kris will be teaming up for more projects, under the banner of Rennstall Moto. Their first build—a K75—is already on the bench, and we can’t wait to see it finished.

Kraftstoffschmiede Instagram | Man & the Machines | Facebook | Instagram | Photos: Philipp Wulk

Sponsors: BMW Motorrad, KKN Engineering, Wilbers Suspension, Hattech Exhausts, Creabis, Ilmberger Carbon Parts and Nitrous Express.