#also langa’s here i guess

[gayngar14]

saw some pretty clouds :]

[reki-of-the-valley]

My best friend thinks I'm insane so

[b4kuch1n]

blood loss edition

[neonscandal]

This week is Sk8 3rd anniversary.... So for celebrating, can I ask a few things :

-Who are your fav character from this series? Why?

-What are your fav moments from this series? -What are your opinions on this fandom's famous ships : Reki/ Langa, Cherry/ Joe, Adam/ Tadashi?

Season 2 and an OVA are coming (eventually)! Which is more than we can say for other series' so I'm going to remain delusionally hopeful. I think it'd be nice if, instead of announcing long awaited continuations, new seasons dropped like Beyonce albums. Without warning and like an unexpected blessing. Just like this ask so thank you for reaching out!

FAVORITE CHARACTER

Sk8 has a wonderful band of idiots who I adore but Cherry is, by far, my favorite. Most specifically through the interactions he has with Joe because they are just so catty and mean to one another but you just know it belies an affection from their entrenched history together whether you consider them a ship them or not.

I love that Cherry had this rebellious era and continues to do so as a respectable adult while juggling such a disciplined craft and career. Like, that dichotomy is just 😘👌🏾. Goals, honestly. He maintains this split by ensuring that his S persona and his everyday persona remain mutually exclusive similar to how Adam conducts himself. Which, now that I'm thinking about it, might be kind of sad but he is, somewhat, of a man of contrasts.

Like, the way his talents splinter is so interesting. He is a founding member of S wherein he remains a threat, an established and respected calligrapher... plus, I feel like he customized Carla himself. What a nerd! Plus, Cherry is so gender. ✨

THOUGHTS ON SHIPS

Reki & Langa - idiot x idiot, I love it? But also, how silly to show someone something you love so intensely only for that love to envelope them so completely. Both in how they receive your hobby but also in how they just become a part of your life. Plus, Langa sees Reki's strengths that he takes for granted and its so necessary because they both think the sun shines out of each others' ass. Also, I see them as a reincarnation of AshEiji from Banana Fish.

Cherry & Joe - Yes. Was that not evident from above? Yes. They fight like an old (and sassy) married couple and then will have a moment of saccharine sweetness that's just... too much. There's also a hilarious sense of patience Joe must have to adapt to Cherry vs. Kaoru and its more evident because there's who the pair are when they are around others, regardless of who the others are, and then who they are when they're alone. Like, why put on the act, guys? Just kiss already.

Adam & Tadashi - As long as it's consensual, I guess, but I'm sure Tadashi could do better.

Oka & Shadow - Okay, but go with me here. Please thank the chokehold umikochannart had on keeping this ship sailing before they wiped their IG of all evidence.

Adding a few other artists guaranteed to give you the brainrot because I fell down a rabbit hole while looking for umikochann and fan artists deserve so much appreciation for covering the spread when we are awaiting new content so go follow them and join their patreons, buy them a kofi and bark on all their posts because we are not deserving of their labor: angrymorilas, bunbun.ji, @pochiikou and @ratcarney IG.

These artists are my gift to you. As a gift, that means that we should love and appreciate the people whose talents enable us to experience the characters we love even more and be thankful for, however long the stretch, the time that our favorite characters and ships were their muses. And to subsequently not be a prick when their muse changes.

⚠️ Spoiler warning for S1 of SK8 the Infinity anime.

FAVORITE MOMENTS

"Push me, Reki." - needs no explanation.

Reki defending Miya's honor - When you see Miya's backstory, his isolation is really sad and makes him vulnerable to Adam's predation but Reki punched well above his weight to defend Miya and it effectively brought the kid into the fold and I loved that. And that's on the power of friendship. ✨ Reki really subjugated everyone in that friend group and is not appreciated enough for it.

When everyone cockblocked Joe - Not every show needs a beach episode. This one does.

Sia La Luce after hours - the fact that Kaoru, after being bride carried by Joe, broke out of the hospital just to go running back to Joe is just so... beautifully chaotic and unexpected. Add a zest of Jonah Scott murmuring "We're not alone, right, Kaoru?" and I am undone.

When the might of Reki's rain wheels kicked in - Overcame insecurity by utilizing the gift he'd had all along? AGH. So perfect, so proud.

When Reki's laughter melts into that of young Adam's - only because that was really sweet

Not in the show but: sharing this series with my niece and nephew and them loving it just as much as I do. They're pretty young so the Venn Diagram of "Shows I Love" vs "Shows I Can Share With Them As A Discerning Adult" has a pretty narrow overlap. So imagine my surprise when my nephew randomly makes a SK8 joke or observation or when my niece drew fan art of Carla? We also sing and dance and laugh during the intro and outtro so I hope they remember the series affectionately when they're older.

[fizzledtaste]

You think you know someone - KINK CONTENT

An idea that I've had for a while. The other skaters finding out how good Cherry is at burping.

The restaurant was empty except for Cherry and the other skaters, but Joe would hardly call them clients. The teenagers and Shadow had been engaged in light conversation for some time now and both Cherry and Joe were barely listening, Cherry because he found it uninteresting and Joe because he was too busy closing the restaurant, but he came to them when he was done, to kick them out and also see what they were talking about that was keeping them so entertained.

“That's gross, Slime” Miya wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“But It's cool, isn't it?”

“Maybe, if you knew how to do it” Shadow said.

“Do you, old man?” Reki challenged.

“Don't call me that! And knowing how to burp the alphabet isn't exactly a top priority at my age”

“He says, like an old man”

“I know how to burp the alphabet” Joe said suddenly, surprising everyone, they haven't even notice him. “It's not so hard. I'm done closing the store, so” he made a gestured like he was shooing a dog.

“Wait, you do? Can you teach me?” Reki looked at him full of expectation.

“Only if you guys leave after that”

“That's fine by me!”

“Ok then.” Joe sat down. He saw from the corner of his vision Cherry rolling his eyes. “It really helps if you know how to do it on command. Do you?”

“I'm working on that”

“That's fine, I can show you, it's simple, you just have to swallow some air until you feel an air bubble form in yout throat…” Joe did as described and Reki followed. After some effort, Joe let out a pretty average burp, not bad, but not too long or deep. “And then you just let it out.”

Reki tried to copy, releasing a burp so small it wasn't much better than a hiccup, but that enough for him, at least for his first time.

“Cool!”

“You’ll get better at it with some practice”

“You're as disgusting as you're pathetic. Don't go around teaching others when you don't even know what you're doing” Cherry snickered from where he was drinking his tea.

Everyone turned to Cherry, they also forgot that he was there. Joe raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“Feel free to show how it's done if it bothers you so much”

Cherry scoffed.

“No, thank you, unlike you I'm not a savage.” If they were alone he would not hesitate to put that man in his place, but here, in front of everyone, he had an image to uphold. Joe would need much more than some childish provocation to get to him.

“Then don't go around complaining when you can't do better.”

“I don't have to know how to do it to criticize you, just like I don't have to know how to cook to say that your cooking sucks.”

“You can criticize, yeah, but you can't win the argument.”

“Sure I can”

“I think you’re just making excuses cause you'll never be better at burping than me. And a bunch of other things.”

Fuck the image he had to uphold.

Cherry turned silent and it took Joe a little too long to realize he was swallowing air. Then, Cherry opened his mouth and released a deep belch that did not look like it came from someone as delicate and dignified as him.

“That's how you do it” he said at the end of it, keeping direct eye contact with Joe “So I guess I win the argument”

“Yeah, but I win the war” Joe said with a satisfied smirk and that's when Cherry understood that he fell for his trap.

“Good one, Cherry!” Reki complimented, very impressed.

“I didn't expect that from you” Miya, on the other hand, was utterly shocked.

“That was loud.” Langa stated and it was hard to tell how he felt about it from his neutral tone and expression.

“You think you know people…” Shadow said more to himself in a mix of awe and shock.

“You wanted that, didn't you? Satisfied?” Cherry turned to Joe, trying to keep his composture after being defeated.

“What's wrong, don't you wanna show off your talents? Lemme tell you guys, our delicate flower here never lost a single burping contest he was on.” Joe turned to the others and pointed to Cherry, covering his mouth with his hand like he was telling a secret.

“That's so freaking awesome!” Cherry liked Reki, he did, he was a good kid, but he didn't want his approval with something like this.

“How did you learn it?” Langa asked the question his boyfriend was too excited to ask.

“I didn't really learn it, I just always knew how to do it.”

“He's a natural!” Joe raised his arms in celebration

“Shut up, you idiot. This is all your fault.”

“Oh, I'm sorry, am I supposed to cover for the guy whose idea of fun is burping in my ear?”

“I don't do that anymore!” at least not very often.

“Cherry, teach me, please, please!” Reki begged, giving the older skater one of those abandoned puppy eyes.

“No, that's beneath me. Why don't you ask Joe? I'm sure a savage like him would be glad to help you with that.”

“But you're so good, I don't think I've seen anyone as good as you! Please” Cherry wasn't sure if the boy's flattery was on purpose, but it was working.

“I can think about it”

[giggly-squiggily]

Grusha Headcanons (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)

So guess who got to Grusha? This girl! To absolutely no one’s surprise, this is my favorite gym leader. He’s so freaking cute akjaerjaejajker. Naturally I have to make headcanons for Pokemon Langa and here we are!

Tickly headcanons below the cut (Also light spoilers for Grusha’s backstory- kinda)

- Where to begin with this snowman? First things first: His worst spot is his armpits. Like- even the threat of tickles there will make him squirm. You know how in his losing animation he puts his arms up behind his head unbothered? If you run up to him with wiggling fingers he’ll squeak and flail backwards- sometimes falling flat on his ass in the snow.

- Also really ticklish belly; It’s kinda hard to get to it with all his layers, but if you get him when he’s not wearing his coat or use enough pressure, he’s a goner. He’s also got a tickly neck that if you were to press a cold hand against, he’d make “distressed Grusha noises” (AKA  High pitched giggles)

- Only his left knee is ticklish- the right has too much nerve damage from his injury Pre-Gymleadership. It’s healed up enough that it doesn’t hurt to touch, but it’s the knee people always go for when they’re trying to tickle him there- making him seem immune. It wasn’t until Iono squeezed his left knee that she realized just how effective of a tickle spot it was on him.

- Is super embarrassed about his smile and will cover his mouth with his scarf even when tickled. (shoutout to @/helloitsghost for this one!) This opens himself up for all kinds of tickle attacks, so you get this rather adorable sight of Grusha holding his scarf up with one hand while the other swats at whomever’s tickling him. If you find a good spot to tickle and make him drop his arms, you’re in for a sight; his smile is absolutely radiant.

- An absolute giggle feast! It contrasts greatly with his cool, unaffected personality and he lowkey hates it, even when everyone tells him it’s adorable. (This actually makes it worse- he cannot handle compliments at all when tickled. Really- he can’t handle them period- he always hides in his scarf). It warms even the frostiest of Frosslasses and never fails to put a smile on his Ler’s face.

- Curls up on himself like a Donphan- it’s his main defense against tickles. Rhyme likes to jokingly call it “Grusha used Defense Curl” whenever he does, much to his embarrassment. This works for the most part until someone goes for his tickly knee or the back of his neck. He kinda momentarily flaps before retreating to curling up, but that brief flap gives an opening for more tickles.

- Much like his passion for battling, you have to prod at it through tickles to get him to take revenge. If so, be prepared- Grusha isn’t taking any prisoners. He’ll tickle you in all the worst spots right off the bat (and if your outside, he’ll make his gloves extra cold by coating them in snow, adding to the whole ordeal). He doesn’t really tease or coo- it’s more a deadpanned “Does it tickle? Does it tickle? I bet it tickles huh? Tickle tickle, hehe.” It’s even funnier to listen to when your getting wrecked, so prepare to be laughing for a long time.

-Despite being such a sour ler, he’s rather sweet post-tickles (like a sour patch kid lols) He’ll bring you a hot drink and a warm blanket, sitting with you by the fireplace while you warm up side by side.  He won’t tease you too much about your red cheeks or how you snort-squealed after he shoved snow down your shirt (mainly because he’s now de-coated and more tickle spots are accessible.) He’ll even offer a good portion of his famous scarf to wrap around your neck, keeping you both warm. He’s just a good soul, I tell ya!

Thanks for reading!

[epickiya722]

Random ask....Do you think anime like Free, Sk8, Jeweler Richard and Yuri on Ice are queerbaiting or at least have semi canon couples? I mean I love those anime series and my fav otps are from those series, but what do you think? Also, why do you think shounen series like bnha, haikyuu, and naruto has the largest shipping fandom compare to canon romantic BL series?

Hmmm...

Okay, off bat, I'll say that "queerbaiting" is a lose term to me. People use it so much that most of the time I feel like they say it just to say it. (Not directed at you, Anon.)

And I actually never watched Jeweler Richard. I've heard of it, but I didn't watch it... because I forgot about it. I also, never watched all of Free!

Now to answer the first bit... I'm leaning towards "no" here.

Queerbaiting to me is if the promise of some queer rep happening is marketed just to draw in the audience and then the people who made said show switches it up at the end like "oops sorry, actually these characters are totally straight and they're dating people of the opposite sex" and erase all that rep or just never touched on it.

Yuri On Ice, I wouldn't consider it queerbaiting because we get some same-sex romance. It happened. Even if the gay romance in there was used in marketing, it still happened. Sure, it did lure in the audience, but promises were not broken. Yuri and Viktor are a thing.

Same for SK8, I don't consider it queerbaiting either.

BONES never promised us that Reki and Langa were going to be a thing by the end of season 1. We also gotta remember that SK8 isn't a strictly romance. It's a SPORTS anime just like YOI. So the show focused more on skateboarding and the purpose of it for the characters than actual romance because it's not necessary.

It's why I really disliked how some people treated the ending as if it was the worse thing in the world. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't get mad at it because I just wanted my boys happy and skating together again.

Just because Reki and Langa didn't kiss, it didn't mean that we were queerbaited. They weren't promised to be a couple. Surely implied, maybe yeah, but explicitly promised? No.

Also, just because a couple doesn't kiss at the end doesn't mean they're not canon. A ship doesn't have to kiss to be canon!

Kida and Milo didn't kiss at the end of Atlantis: the Lost Empire, but guess what? People were aware they're a couple by the end of it. They held hands and that was it.

Kissing isn't the only romantic gesture. There's hugging, cuddling, holding hands, words and even jumping in front of someone to protect them.

And just like how all that can be romantic, it also can be platonic, too. It depends on the context of how that action or those words are being used to show romance or just platonic feelings.

We really don't know if a relationship is a canon romantic one unless it's confirmed.

Back to SK8, at best, the relationship between Reki and Langa is an explicit close one. They trust each other, they want to skate together, they're comfortable around each other, they are friends.

And with a season 2 apparently coming, Reki and Langa may just happen. It was probably built up the way it was for a chance to make it canon, just in case they could do a second season. But just in case they couldn't, they ended it on a safe note, let the audience interpret how Reki and Langa feel about each other but made it clear that they are indeed close.

Now for the second part!

I think those animes have the largest shipping fandoms over BL series because they are some of the most popular animes. A lot of romantic series slide over the radar because series like BNHA and Naruto have a wider reach. There's games, cons where the VAs show up, movies, collabs, etc. They're also the "less risky" series.

People wouldn't clutch their pearls if someone says "Oh this anime is about superheroes" or "this anime is about ninjas".

However, if you say "Oh, this is about a romance between two boys", you're probably going to get someone homophobic.

I also figure because even without gender or sexuality involved, people don't care for an actual romance anime. With a romance, it's like... because it is a romance you know who is going to be with who. You can be happy with the choices, but maybe the thrill isn't there. You know the clichés and whatnot. The characters are the same characters you see in any romance.

However, let's say with BNHA. There's a thrill to shipping... I'll take DabiHawks off the shelf for this. There's a thrill because DabiHawks, it's a variety to it. You don't get the "boy next door" or "the better guy but not the choice". You get two enemies that fans turn into lovers in their fics. People dig the enemies to lovers trope and characters like Hawks and Dabi have fans drawn into the series. They're "cooler" than the male love interest of a romance.

And fanworks are there to create something that you can't possibly get in canon.

Some people may feel this: what's the point of writing a fic of a ship that is already canon?

[animebw]

The Anime Binge-Watcher's Queer Anime Ship Tournament: Round 1 Results!

The first round has come to an end, and what a round it was! Huge blowouts, shocking reversals, hard choices, and many worthy opponents struck down by even worthier ones before they even got a chance to shine. This is already proving exactly as chaotic as I'd hoped, and I couldn't be more proud of y'all for it. So before we head on to round 2, here's a breakdown of how all the match-ups went and the most dramatic moments!

Most Voted Poll: Far and away the poll with the most votes was Bumbleby vs ToukoYuu, with a staggering 797 votes! No surprises there; both these ships are true all-timers with incredibly passionate fanbases who battled back and forth until the Bloomers pulled into a lead the RWBYheads just couldn't make up. But it was a well-fought battle! Second place goes to ChisaTaki vs MadoHomu with an equally impressive 698 votes, and NanoFate vs KobaTohru pulled an impressive third place with 497 votes.

Least Voted Poll: In a shock I didn't see coming, KukuFuuka vs KumiRei came in last with a measly 164 votes. I guess it's no surprise more people haven't heard of the criminally underrated Aquatope, but Kumirei??? One of the beloved gay ships in all of 2010s anime and so few people turned out for it? The mind just boggles, I tell ya. Second place goes to CocoPapi vs The Doukyuusei Boys with just 183, with AoiHina vs YukiTouya coming just behind with a 188 vote third place.

Biggest Blowout: Meanwhile, in the complete opposite of a shock, UtenAnthy absolutely demolished Ymir x Historia with a staggering 90.2% to 9.8% victory. Listen, I love my Attack on Titan girls, but they never stood a chance against one of the founding titans of queer anime love stories. Ditto poor ShamiMomo who went up against the newly crowned patron saint of anime lesbians SuleMio and got stomped 87.1% to 12.9% in second place. Compared to them, YukiTouya's third place finish against AoiHina with 74.5% to 25.5% doesn't seem like much, does it?

Closest Nail-Biter: In another big shock for me, the blowout victory I expected for NanoFate turned into the narrowest of losses against Kobayashi x Tohru, 50.5% to 49.5%- only a single percentage apart! Clearly, I underestimated how powerful the dragon lesbians have become in the years since their arrival. Kase x Yamada also just barely eked out a win against ReoMabu with a 51.2% to 48.8% second place finish. Third place went to Aoi Hana vs RekiLanga with a narrow 54.8% to 45.2% victory for RekiLanga.

As for me personally? Believe it or not, it was almost a perfect split! 9 of my picks made it through while the other 7 fell short. I'm shocked how close that ended up! Hopefully I'll have better luck in round 2, yeah? So gird your loins, everyone, cause the next round of voting will start very shortly!

COMPLETE STATS

1-A: Wei Wuxian x Lan Wangji (44.9%) vs Adachi x Shimamura (55.1%), 243 votes

1-B: Chisato x Takina (27.8%) vs Madoka x Homura (72.2%), 698 votes

1-C: Kase x Yamada (51.2%) vs Reo x Mabu (48.8%), 426 votes

1-D: Eiji x Ash (58.7%) vs Malori x Velverosa (41.3%), 283 votes

1-E: Suletta x Miorine (87.1%) vs Shamiko x Momo (12.9%) 325 votes

1-F: Anis x Euphie (29.7%) vs Claudine x Maya (70.3%) 316 votes

1-G: Aoi x Hinata (25.5%) vs Yukito x Touya (74.5%) 188 votes

1-H: Nanoha x Fate (49.5%) vs Tohru x Kobayashi (50.5%) 497 votes

1-I: Nozomi x Mizore (37.6%) vs Shinji x Kaworu (62.4%) 242 votes

1-J: Kukuru x Fuuka (29.9%) vs Kumiko x Reina (70.1%) 164 votes

1-K: Hibiki x Miku (72.2%) vs Mafuyu x Ritsuka (27.8%) 288 votes

1-L: Sasaki x Miyano (32.3%) vs Victor x Yuri (67.7%) 436 votes

1-M: Yang x Blake (61.7%) vs Yuu x Touko (38.3%) 797 votes

1-N: Cocona x Papika (65.6%) vs Hikaru x Rihito (34.4) 183 votes

1-O: Fumi x Akira (45.2%) vs Reki x Langa (54.8%) 241 votes

1-P: Utena x Anthy (90.2%) vs Ymir x Historia (9.8%) 378 votes

[abyssalpeach]

up against the ropes (a matcha blossom fic). rated e. also on ao3.

"Are you sure you don't have a concussion?" Kojiro's voice lowered to a hoarse whisper.

"Positive."

a/n: i promise this started out totally normal and achingly tender before the brain worms whispered The Unholy Headcanon to me. pls forward this to my lawyer for when they come to take me away to horny jail.

anyway cheers to posting fic on tumblr again because somebody around here needs to start clogging the mb tag

Life was slowly returning to normal after the fateful S tournament where Langa had thoroughly whooped Ainosuke’s ass at his own game and Kaoru came out the other end seriously injured.

He had sustained a sprained ankle, a minor concussion, and the big one: a hairline fracture to his wrist.

He’d been lucky enough through the years to be a skilled and precise enough skater to avoid most injuries that would impede his work, but his luck had to run out eventually. Kaoru was honestly surprised it took even this long. He was not immune to bailing every once in a while.

But now his skating had massively affected his income for the first time in his entire adult life. It was a good thing he was self-employed and in an artistic profession where he could make his own rules and use art block as an excuse to push a deadline a little, but it didn’t stop him from feeling uncomfortable with it.

His injuries on the other hand, were harder to explain away when they were so visible. He had to come up with an excuse at some point, and for someone with as much pride and poise as Kaoru, a nasty spill down the stairs was simply not a believable reason.

So, he told the truth. At least, as much of it as he was comfortable telling. He fell off a skateboard. Whether they inferred that he was a novice and simply trying to entertain one of his young relatives was none of his concern. They could think what they like.

He would’ve rather said that he’d gotten hit by a car, but it would surely look suspicious if he wasn’t involved in any kind of investigation or trial afterwards. Best to stick as close to the real story as possible and let people draw their own conclusions.

People were surprisingly generous with him during his time of injury. Maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised, but his clientele always struck him as being fairly rigid. That’s why he took out all of his piercings and did his best to compartmentalize the different areas of his life. The resistance he was expecting to be met with when he was forced to push back dates for demonstrations and signing events was practically non-existent.

These things happen, they would say, as if he wasn’t a twenty-something year old professional admitting to falling off a skateboard. The reactions had him questioning whether or not he needed to be so cautious with his presentation and reputation after all.

There were too many things going on in his life that he was second-guessing now. Nothing was what it seemed to be anymore and he’s not entirely sure what to make of it. Kaoru spent so much time doing calculations, statistics, risk assessments, and not even the data could support the litany of weird shit he was enduring the past few months.

He really had come to terms with the fact that he was always going to be a little bit in love with Kojiro. He was always the nurturing sort, but he’d never gotten to experience it to that degree before. They spent every waking hour together for three whole weeks and somehow hadn’t killed each other yet.

Kaoru knew he was a needy person, and a jealous one at that. If he took it out on Kojiro unnecessarily sometimes, he was met with retaliation, and rightly so. He just couldn’t help himself. Kojiro could slut himself out to whoever he chose, but Kaoru would be damned if any of those women received the five-star treatment from Kojiro that he got.

No one could rile Kojiro up like he could. No one could critique Kojiro’s cooking like he could. No one could understand Kojiro like he could. Sure, they may have his bed for a night if they were lucky, but Kaoru held onto Kojiro’s heart with a vice grip and wouldn’t relinquish it for anything.

If Kaoru was going to be forced to live a life without enduring romance or marriage, he would make sure Kojiro was too. They were in this together, god dammit, they had been since they were in fucking kindergarden. They’ve done everything together for decades, that wasn’t about to change.

Maybe it wasn’t the best mentality for him to have, actually he knew it wasn’t, but he couldn’t exactly talk himself out of his own feelings. Lord knows he’s tried to do that enough times over the years. A crush on his straight best friend and the biggest fuckboy in town. It was so embarrassing.

It was honestly kind of sick, this game that he’s been playing with Kojiro in his own mind. Maybe he just liked the thrill of the chase or always wanted things he couldn’t have and wouldn’t even know what to do if he got what he wanted, but these thoughts remained in the back of his mind throughout the years and all their petty squabbles. Life changes, but Kojiro never does.

He really needed to be less selfish. It’s not as though he deserved Kojiro’s kindness. The man has surely spent an ungodly amount of money throughout the years just to feed him. He probably writes it off as a business expense on his taxes, the damned fool.

“You’re my taste tester,” Kojiro rationalized. “I shamelessly use your discerning palette and instead of paying you in money, you would rather be paid in carbonara. You’re doing me a service.”

He’d do him a service alright. Glorious idiot.

It was a special kind of torture sharing space with him for so long. Waking up to breakfast in bed, afternoons spent doing nostalgia rewatches of their favorite stupid childhood shows, elaborate dinners, being bathed by him. It was… intimate. There really was no other word for it. Every night they parted ways after Kojiro had diligently washed his hair and dragged a soapy cloth across his back, every night he expected the tension to get the better of them, and every night Kojiro eased Kaoru into bed and excused himself to the couch.

And that was it. The cast and splint came off and Kojiro went home. His entire routine had been disrupted now. He had gotten used to all of the attention and care. And they still hadn’t killed each other. That part continued to baffle him. He didn’t feel smothered. Kojiro wasn’t sick to death of his neurotic behavior. If anything, he felt closer to Kojiro than ever before. It was like there was a seismic shift in the earth under him and he was, what? Expected to go back to how things were before? Fat chance.

He was able to repeat the same movements as before, going to Sia la Luce after he finished up with clients for the day, going to S together, working on improvements for Carla well into the night before passing out under the kotatsu. But something was missing. Big surprise, it was Kojiro. He hardly needed Carla to spell that one out for him.

It’s later than usual by the time he arrives at Sia la Luce, the lights in the dining room are already off, save for the ones above the counter he’s claimed as his own. The door is unlocked, but Kojiro is nowhere in sight.

He wanders into the kitchen to see if there’s something in the cooler worth raiding, but he finds his best friend casually sitting on the floor.

“Oh, hey. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” Kojiro brings the bottle of whatever he’s drinking up to his mouth.

“That’s alright, I was overstepping my boundaries anyway.”

Kojiro lets out a thunderous laugh. “I hardly have boundaries when it comes to you, but good of you to own up to it.”

“Shut up, asshole,” he laughs. It’s a bit awkward. They need to have a serious conversation for once, and they both know it. “By the way, I... wanted to thank you.” Kaoru avoided his gaze, weight shifting between his feet.

Kojiro simply stared, not sure he was hearing that correctly. Kaoru continued, “For taking care of me.”

That seems to please him. “Somebody’s gotta do it. Not like Carla can carry you to bed.”

“Oh, fuck off. I’m trying to be nice.”

“You could certainly stand to do it more often, considering how much I feed you.”

Kaoru smiles softly, gaze dropping to his feet. “What are you doing on the floor anyway?”

“Having a beer, obviously. Want one?” Kaoru shook his head, moving to join him on the floor. He continued, “It was just a long day. Feet hurt.”

“Chairs too sophisticated for neanderthals now?” It almost sounded like a pet name.

“Is work going alright? How’s your wrist?”

“I’m fine, Kojiro. You don’t need to worry after me, you know.”

“Somebody should.” His answering smile is almost sad.

Silence fell heavily between them. Carla could never give him this. Ainosuke certainly never did. It was just Kojiro. Always Kojiro. “Would it be weird to say that I miss you?”

“I hope not, because I miss you too.”

“We should do something. See a movie, maybe.”

“We should. A movie sounds great actually, there’s one I was kinda wanting to see.” Kojiro pulls his phone out and is looking up showtimes, forwarding him a link to the trailer as he goes. It doesn’t look half bad for an action movie. It looks fun and fairly mindless, as they tend to be.

It’s a bit late and they’ve missed the last showing of the night, but they make a plan to go tomorrow. They settle back into their companionable, if slightly awkward, silence. Kojiro nurses his beer and Kaoru steals glances at his large hands, veiny and strong. His motions are not his own as he reaches for one and holds their palms up together, noting the difference in size.

Kojiro’s hands have always been a morbid fascination of his. He just likes to suffer, apparently. They’re large, but dextrous, with a couple prominent veins down the back. There’s some hair there now, not much, but it certainly wasn’t there when they were younger. What’s always been there is the smattering of freckles. Loathe as he is to admit it, he loves when Kojiro gets really tan and the freckles come out even more.

Kojiro’s hands have a couple burns on them and are a bit calloused from all the cooking and skating and working out. It almost makes him wish his own hands had half as much character. They’re soft and slender, not even particularly masculine, just generic. The only noteworthy thing about his hands is what they’re able to create.

Perhaps in this moment, he could use his hands to express the depth of his feelings to Kojiro. Something to avoid having to say it out loud.

Kojiro is watching their hands with rapt attention, his eyes soft but… pained? Before Kaoru can get the wrong idea about Kojiro rejecting him in that moment, he finds their fingers laced together. He’s never felt so warm.

“Kaoru…”

His face is so close. Kaoru can feel his warm breath on his cheek. He can feel his own blush. He dares a look into Kojiro’s eyes and finds everything he could’ve ever hoped for, but was too scared to imagine.

“Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?” Kojiro’s voice lowered to a hoarse whisper.

“Positive.”

Kojiro’s hand was in his hair, bringing him close to brush their lips together, breathing him in before sealing his mouth over his. A pathetic noise rose from Kaoru’s chest, barely escaping his throat. Kojiro wanted to swallow it. Their hands were everywhere, tangled in hair, tracing along faces, scrambling at arms and shoulders.

They kiss just long enough for reality to sink in, pulling back with startled gasps.

He supposes astonishment is the best adjective to describe the look Kojiro gives him now. His own expression surely isn’t much different. But Kojiro raises their entwined hands to his mouth and presses a soft kiss to the back of his hand.

“Are you hungry,” he asks, as if they haven’t just crossed a line they hadn’t dared tread in the twenty years they’ve known each other. Kaoru nods slowly before letting his forehead rest against Kojiro’s.

“I’ll make your favorite,” his voice is a low rumble, sending shivers down Kaoru’s spine. Kojiro’s knees give an ominous crack when he rises from the floor, making him groan and Kaoru chuckle quietly.

“We’ll see who’s laughing when you get carpal tunnel. Don’t forget you’re next, pinky,” his smile is more disarming than ever, with hand outstretched to assist him off the floor. Kaoru takes the proffered hand, but not without getting in a jibe of his own.

“Maybe if you spent a little less time doing squats…”

“Don’t pretend like you’re not checking out my ass.” Kojiro’s laugh is thunderous when he sees Kaoru floundering for a comeback, knowing he’s been busted.

The rest of the evening passes without any more shocking revelations. Mostly it’s just… normal. There might be marginally less bite to their bickering and the glances they exchange might be a bit more tender, but it’s far from unusual. It’s familiar, and he knows that he’s safe, no matter what that kiss will mean for their relationship when tomorrow comes.

He waits next to the front door while Kojiro finishes locking up. The night air is crisp, the breeze cool instead of warm – a sign that the weather is about to turn from scorching heat to mild and temperate. They may not have seasons in the traditional sense, but it’s not as though it can be hot all the time.

Kojiro walks him home, gentleman that he is. Kaoru would read into it if this wasn’t already part of their routine. A routine they’re so entrenched in that they part ways with a “see you tomorrow” and a friendly wave. No fanfare, no trepidatious kiss to the cheek, nothing.

It’s disappointing really.

He’s mostly on autopilot as he readies himself for bed, thoughts consumed by what tomorrow might bring, mixed in with visions of that tender kiss. His toothpaste foams at the corner of his mouth and the blush sits high on his cheeks. He looks insane.

What kind of giddy teenager has he turned into? He’s a grown man , he should not be so affected by a simple kiss that happened an hour and a half ago.

He hunkers down into his futon and tries to shake it off.

His dreams are of crimson eyes, so soft, and lips that are even softer.

*****

They decide to just meet up at the movie theater since Kojiro bought their seats ahead of time. He tried to pay him back, but Kojiro refused.

God, it was like a real date and they were fighting over the stupid check.

He’s wearing pants for a change. Well, they’re still hakama, he isn’t being too adventurous, but he did pair it with a black halter top. He really ought to wear these pants more. They’re a light sage green color and decorated with small white flowers. He knows they look good with his hair and the fabric feels downright sensual against his skin.

When Kojiro rounds the corner, he doesn’t spot Kaoru right away, giving him a chance to drink his fill of the sight of him. He’s got his black bomber on this time, the one with the leather sleeves that he typically only wears for special occasions.

He’s so fucked.

When they do finally lock eyes, Kojiro’s entire face lights up and strides over to meet him. He does not miss the appreciative way he looks Kaoru up and down. He shifts on his feet, unaccustomed to Kojiro being so brazen with him.

“You look great!” He’s honestly such a child, he’s so giddy. It’s charming as hell.

They head into the theater, making small talk along the way. It’s not often they have time off that lines up, but Kojiro closes early on Sundays and doesn’t reopen until Tuesday.

Kojiro spent his day tidying up around the house and planning menus. Kaoru mostly spent his day fussing over his hair and worrying about tonight, not that he would divulge that particular bit to Kojiro. Instead, he claims to have spent his afternoon tending to Carla’s operating system. If Kojiro sees through the lie, he doesn’t say anything.

They’re early enough that the trailers haven’t started yet, so Kojiro stands in line to get them snacks while Kaoru uses this opportunity to visit the restroom. When he emerges, he finds Kojiro leaning just a tad too far over the counter, talking conspiratorially to the snack counter girl. Before he has the chance to get upset though, Kojiro waves him over with a grin so dopey that it rivals one of the seven dwarves.

Kojiro hands him the sour candies he favors so much and pushes off from the counter. He’s got his own popcorn in one hand and the other draped casually over his shoulders as he walks them to their seats.

“Who was that,” Kaoru inquired, hopefully not sounding too jealous.

“Oh, that was one of Rini’s old friends! Haven’t seen her since she was like eleven years old!”

Rini was one of Kojiro’s younger sisters. He hopes his sigh of relief isn’t too noticeable.

They settle into their seats while Kojiro rambles on about Rini’s friend and how she’s getting ready to graduate and move to Tokyo, where Rini has been for the past year. The way Kojiro talks about the people in his family and their circle around them has always left Kaoru jealous. Not in the sense that he wants to be the only one in Kojiro’s life, but wishing he had something like that to call his own.

His parents weren’t exactly the warm and nurturing type, often keeping Kaoru at a distance. No matter how hard he rebelled as a teenager, nothing seemed to make them pay attention. They’d pay for anything else though: toys, skateboards, a car, tuition. Anything to get him off their back.

It had to be why he gravitated towards Kojiro so much. Just being in the Nanjo house, crowded and messy though it often was, there was love and family to be found there.

Kaoru really needed to get a grip. It’s not like Kojiro would be flirting with someone while they’re literally on a date. If that’s what this even is. Surely it must be. The movie plans predicated the kiss, but it was a pretty straight fucking line from A to B. There was definitely a charged undercurrent to this little outing.

Kaoru squirms in his seat, sneaking glances over at Kojiro’s form next to him. Don’t ask him what’s going on in the movie because all he knows is that Kojiro’s body language is open, but his hands are clutching his popcorn container. He offers it to Kaoru wordlessly, getting in his space and leaning over the armrest. He allows himself to indulge, but it’s not the popcorn he indulges in, it’s Kojiro’s proximity.

They remain close for the rest of the movie, still in their own seats and occasionally shifting to a more comfortable position, but their bodies lean towards each other like magnets. Sometimes Kojiro will whisper something to Kaoru and earn them a shush from someone behind them, making Kaoru outright giggle.

Everything is always funnier when you’re not supposed to be talking or laughing. It reminds him of high school, though usually he was the one getting Kojiro into trouble rather than the other way around.

Life has changed around them. They’re practically whole new people now, but through all their evolutions, they can’t shake each other. They always go together, balancing each other out perfectly.

He wonders if this new development of their relationship will throw a wrench into it all. Much as he wants this, he doesn’t know what he’d do without Kojiro. That’s his best friend. No one in the world knows him better. Maybe they’ll be okay.

In fact, he’s all but sure of it now.

The credits come sooner than either of them expects, and they slowly put themselves to rights and clean up their trash. They wander lazily towards the exit, probably holding up the people behind them.

It’s warmer outside than it was the previous night. The breeze blows through his hair, and it has Kaoru feeling wistful. He takes in a deep breath and looks up at the stars. Neither of them has anything left to say, really. They just stand there in companionable silence, wondering what comes next.

Kaoru looks over to Kojiro, and you’d think he never looked away from the sky for how starry his gaze looks. Kojiro steps close, gingerly tucking a loose hair back behind Kaoru’s ear. He has to take a steadying breath.

“Why don’t you stay at mine tonight,” Kojiro asks.

Unsure whether his voice will come out normal or not, he gives only a curt nod. “I brought the bike,” Kaoru gestures to the Carla motorcycle, trying to get his blush under control, “it’s right over there.”

Kojiro climbs on the back of the bike, legs spread wide and inviting. Kaoru slides between him and the handlebars, turning the ignition. Kojiro lets his hands fall to Kaoru’s waist and he scooches himself even further up. If he feels like he’s being smothered now, he has no idea how he’s going to make it through the rest of the night. The engine roars to life, creating encouraging vibrations beneath them.

Kaoru’s sense of urgency to get them back to Kojiro’s place is only heightened when his hands creep up his ribcage and back down to his hips. They get stopped by a light and Kojiro takes his opportunity to pull Kaoru’s hips even further into his own and drop a hot kiss to where his neck meets his shoulder.

The sound of the bike drowns out much of the obscene moan he lets out, for which he is grateful. They need to get home now.

They’re only a block or so away and Kojiro’s forehead is pressed between his shoulder blades as he tries to calm his breathing.

What feels like mere moments later, he pulls up outside Kojiro’s building and kills the engine. For all the build up, the two are frozen in place, still slotted against each other. This is it. Kojiro steps off the bike first, his hand coming into Kaoru’s line of vision. Their eyes connect and Kaoru can’t help but smirk. Kaoru puts his hand in Kojiro’s and lets himself be pulled from the bike. He doesn’t let go of Kojiro’s hand, even as he fishes through his pockets for his keys.

Once they finally make it into Kojiro’s apartment, they’re immediately reaching for each other. The kiss is explosive and they greedily paw at each other’s clothes. Kojiro’s jacket doesn’t even make it past the genkan. Kaoru’s hakama are hastily discarded so Kojiro can hoist him into the air, legs wrapping around his bulky frame. He sucks relentlessly on Kojiro’s lips and tongue, digging his fingers into his shoulders.

The pleased noises Kojiro makes are sure to haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. Kojiro steers them into his bedroom, dropping Kaoru gracelessly onto the bed. He wriggles out of his jeans and Kaoru grabs a fistful of his shirt, yanking him down on top of him.

They kiss and kiss and kiss, rolling and writhing together, not an inch of space between them.

Kaoru grabs two handfuls of his plump ass, grinding their hips together in a way so filthy that it has Kojiro practically choking for air. “Kaoru, fuck.” They’re both so hard, panting so heavily into each other’s mouths and they haven’t even gotten to the main event. Kojiro extracts himself from Kaoru long enough to grab the condoms and lube from his side table. Kaoru takes the moment to adjust his ponytail higher on his head and snatches the supplies right from Kojiro’s hands.

“Lay down,” his tone leaves no room for argument and Kojiro scrambles up to the headboard to heed him. “Good boy,” he praises before peeling him out of his boxer briefs and taking every impressive inch of him into his mouth.

He doesn’t even ease Kojiro into it, he’s too greedy. He’s immediately taking him all the way to the back of his throat and hollowing out his cheeks, groaning at the taste.

“Jesus fuck, Kaoru, take it easy,” he cries out, head thrown back. “I’m gonna blow my load before we even get to it.”

“Don’t tell me that your reputation is all bullshit.”

“Hey, give me a break! I’ve waited a long time for you, okay,” he runs his fingers through the ends of Kaoru’s ponytail.

“I’d hardly call that ‘waiting,’ you slept with everyone who fluttered their eyelashes in your direction.” Kaoru rips at the condom package and rolls it on, firmly placing the bottle of lube into Kojiro’s hand. He swings a leg over him, straddling his hips with another filthy grind.

“Of course you even wanna fight during sex,” he laughs into Kaoru’s mouth, pulling him down for a kiss, “can’t believe I expected anything less.”

“Yeah, shame on you,” Kaoru slips his tongue into Kojiro’s open mouth as he sinks a slick finger into his ass. The pressure punches a sharp moan from him, but he quickly relaxes into it, rocking his hips back into Kojiro’s hand.

Kaoru spends the next minutes sucking at every bit of skin he can get his mouth on. He wants to devour Kojiro, leave him without a shadow of a doubt who he belongs to. Kaoru drags the flat of his tongue over one of Kojiro’s nipples, keeping direct eye contact and giving it a few more kitten licks until Kojiro is a restless mess beneath him. He finally, finally sinks back onto Kojiro’s fat cock with a firm nip to his chin. He sits back on his haunches with a luxuriant roll of his neck. He can practically feel him in his throat. “Fuck, you’re huge.”

“God, Kaoru, you can’t say stuff like that,” he is clearly fighting for his life down there, “not if you want me to last.”

Kaoru can’t help but chuckle darkly, “Come on, big boy, I know you can do better than that.” Kojiro thrusts up harshly in retaliation. He takes that as an invitation to start moving, swiveling his hips, grinding down and getting used to the feeling of Kojiro inside of him. Kojiro presses his fingers into the meat of his thighs harshly as they sink into a rhythm.

“Fuck, baby, you feel so good,” Kojiro praises.

He wonders how many people he’s called that.

Maybe they should be going slower. Really relishing in the fact that they’re finally doing this after all this time.

Fuck that actually. They’ve waited long enough. They have all the time to go slow later. Now? Now they can be rabid and ravenous, biting and grabbing at each others’ flesh. That’s more their style anyway.

Kojiro throws his head back with a delicious groan. Kaoru only picks up the pace, riding him like it’s his fucking job.

“Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru…”

God, he could get used to this. He intends to get used to this, to Kojiro’s enormous body entwined with his, warming his bed, his moans, making his eyes roll back in his head just like that.

Kaoru whips his hair to the other shoulder and brings their mouths together again, panting heavily into each other’s mouths, touching foreheads damp with sweat.

“Kaoru… I’m not gonna last, Kaoru.”

He pours a kiss into his mouth. “Give it to me, Koji. Cum.”

He does what he’s told for a change. Liquid white heat runs through his body and seeps into his veins. Kaoru comes long and thick on Kojiro’s heaving chest, having an out-of-body experience or maybe ascending to a higher state of being.

He watches himself take one slender finger and drag it through his mess.

He marks Kojiro with a singular kanji, drawing it right there on his chest.

Mine.

Mine.

It’s so base of him. And certainly petty. He watches understanding dawn on Kojiro’s face and he worries he’s gone too far.

No. He needs to know.

“No one else.” He leaves no room for argument.

“There never was anyone who could live up to you anyway.” Kojiro agrees all the same, tucking a loose strand of pink hair back behind Kaoru’s ear.

He relaxes and drapes himself along Kojiro’s side, legs still tangled together. Their breathing slowly returns to normal and Kaoru can’t help but smell him. He needs to burn this into his memory in every conceivable way.

Kojiro shifts like he means to get up and start cleaning them off, but Kaoru grips his large bicep and effectively pins him with his gaze.

They can clean up in the morning. For now, they just let it sink in.

[chidoroki]

Hell’s Paradise EP2

aka: cornucopia bloodbath

Are we gonna start off each episode with the topic of beheading? We’re two for two.

So Sagiri actually wanted to become an executioner because she saw how perfectly her father made his cuts.. I don’t necessarily wanna call that cute but hurray for following in her father’s footsteps I guess?

Oh, good to see she’s not completely heartless about the whole process. Well, I imagine beheading others would instill fear, grief and other emotions into anyone and would probably take many attempts, or several years even, to not feel pain anymore while doing so.

Also, those lifeless bodies we saw in the OP/ED surrounding her now have context with them being her doubts, like right now as this red-haired man explains with the truth reflecting in her blade.

I shall never skip this OP by the way and yes I’m gonna comment about it each week. I heard the full version of it the other day and it’s just as lovely.

Ooohh finally getting little looks at some of our cast like Chobei, Yuzuriha, Nurugai and Tamiya. Same with some of the swordsmen with Shion, Fuchi, and Toma somewhere I’m sure.

All the criminals are throwing their rage at the shogun while Gabimaru is just over here complaining that he can’t breathe with that paper mask over his face.

This dude unrolls a certificate to show them the official pardon but it’s hilarious since none of the criminals can actually see it with their eyes covered.

Yuzuriha knows of our hollow man hm? & despite myself not knowing a thing a out her, I think her voice suits her.

SPEAKING OF VOICES, Gabimaru shares a va with Langa (sk8) and I dunno how it completely slipped my mind last week or how I didn’t pick up on it.

Eh so weird, that poor dude with the flowers blooming out of him is actually still alive?

I’m not entirely sure why, but Nurugai reminds me of Dororo? Maybe it’s the character design somehow.

Oh good lord, large tattoo man just got beheaded with no questions asked.

“Act out in the island, and you’ll be beheaded on the spot.” Yeah that checks out.

“Naturally, if your monitor dies, whether by accident or homocide, you’ll be beheaded.” Glad we mentioned that little bit. But if by some crazy chance they all die, then no one can behead the criminals, right?

“If your monitor isn’t with you, you won’t be allowed onto the return boat.” Oh good, I’m glad we’re answering all my questions right as they come up. So y’all can’t just kill them for funsies because I’m sure they were all just thinking that.

Ya know I was thinking that, there’s way too many criminals here right now and not enough asaemon to monitor them, of course they’re gonna fight for a spot. That and a lot of them just look like randomly placed characters.

Ahha, and looks like our bastard Chobei is gonna get a head start on reducing their numbers. And I know he doesn’t share a va with Bakugo, but that’s all I hear with him, just a little. I have heard him in other things but nothing I remember too clearly.

The fact they can all fight rather well with their hands tied is kinda impressive, I won’t lie about that.

Oh? I assume our main cast are those with these red seals. The special ones with great abilities.

Our man Gabimaru is actually quite the legend huh? Yet he hasn’t move an inch since coming here.. he’s so chill. I love it.

Not me somehow getting Nozel and Noelle vibes when this Eizen man tells Sagiri she isn’t suited for this kind of job. Go prove him wrong girl!

Not that I want her end Gabimaru’s life, but I hope our girl manages to get over her doubts..somehow.

Goddamn, slicing three of them one after another like that..

“Not killing people if you don’t have to is the most natural thing in the world.” Gabimaru you’re such a kind soul.

Holy shit man! You cut the dude’s throat with your bare hands how??

And now he’s just bit another guy’s throat apart.. Gabimaru is literally a beast.

Oohh the scene from the trailers! With him standing in the water with the bodies around him!

“Is it possible that what I needed wasn’t the strength not to fear killing but the resolve to take on the burden of that fear and the lives I took?” Ah perhaps, I’m sure Sagiri will find her answer eventually.

Like Gabimaru last ep, I didn’t expect her to actually have emotions like this. It just didn’t seem like something an executioner would show ya know? So I’m happy we got a look inside her mind and past this time.

Ah so aside from our cast there’s seems to be a couple more criminals joining the party that I’m not familiar with.

Same with the other executioners too, but I finally spotted Toma and got a clearer look at Tenza!

“There is no danger.” Well that’s a blatant lie if I ever saw one.

[unrivalling]

for the writing meme, 2, 6 for brush with death, 37

AH I can answer these

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

You know I’m just gonna throw them all up here because I feel like the list tells a Story.

Additional Tags:

Post-Canon (22)

Angst with a Happy Ending (13)

Additional Warnings In Author's Note (11)

Suicidal Thoughts (8)

Established Relationship (7)

Hurt/Comfort (7)

Angst (5)

Alcohol (5)

Polyamory (5)

Grief/Mourning (5)

I mean I guess my first reaction to this is “I didn’t think it was THAT bad”. Guess I’ve been going hard on some fictional characters for like three years. 😂

Post-Canon, Established, and Poly all make sense just because those are the kinds of relationships I like writing most. I like after canon-after getting together things so I can just get into the meat of it.

The alcohol tag is something I try to warn for but forget maybe half the time. I’m sober though so I feel weird about how many times I’ve needed to tag a fic with it.

All the sad tags…well I just like writing really emotional stuff, danger, h/c, grief, and just generally getting into the reeds.

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

OH this is good, and I love that you’re asking about Brush With Death.

The biggest thing that I could not find a place for is that some cameras did pick up a faint shadow (Grell) on the screen standing over Adam and Langa during the funeral beef. It’s the kind of thing that could easily be dismissed as pattern recognition or a trick of the light, but some of the S audience thinks a ghost was caught on camera. Tadashi banned talking about it on the app (which only made people want to talk about it MORE), but he does think it looks strange.

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

I had a hard time answering this one. For the last three years I’ve tended to write and move on because I’m chasing those real short fic expiration dates, to the point where I sometimes just fully forget things I’ve written. And I also try not to get too stuck on “I wish this fic had gotten more attention”, because I’m usually pushing ahead to the next one.

I think maybe the easy answer is my TadaAi fic, “When I See You Again”. It’s a very extreme version of Tadashi, I think, but it was a neat experiment. I kind of upset myself working on it so, hashtag winning.

Fun fact that this older!Eden fic is a stealth sequel to it. It doesn’t Have to be and they can be read independently, but it was in my mind.

[jackiewepps]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

Oh my! This is a hard one! I have so many works. How can I pick five?I guess I can list a few, and since I can't bring myself to rank them, let's do it in cronological order, the oldest first.

Free Parenting 2015 (AO3 2016)

The story just means a lot to me. I came up with it together with a friend, and it triggered a whole series. It is obvious that this story is eight years old at this point. My understanding of the English language and the Japanese culture has developed a lot since I wrote it, but I'm still proud of what I made, even if reading the mistakes now makes me cringe, it's only because I care. That I came up with that AU and all the conflicts that would come from this setting is still beyond me.

Hotel Room Fantasies 2017

This is still my most successful one-shot ever. Of course, it is BL, so that makes sense. Still, I once again managed to pull off exactly what I wanted. My intentions with the story was that the reader should not be able to tell whether what the boys do is actually happening or if it's just something going on in Serinuma's head, and I think I accomplished that really well. I really want to say I did it to perfection, but I also don't want to praise myself too much, but oh well. The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to this story.

Ace of Chatrooms 2017

My first chat-fic and my most successful one (of two). I remember that I only wrote this story because I wanted to try and write a chat-fic, and before I knew it, I had written half the story and it wasn't about to end anytime soon. I have no understanding of English chat-language and therefore did not use it. As a result, it probably feels less realistic, but everyone can follow it easily. It also has a lot of my humor in it and it is one of the fics I will sit down to read when I feel down and need something to laugh at. I've already read it more times than I can count, and the sequal too. When the Daiya anime continues, I'll probably write the third part of this series, but I definitely need the material to base the chaos off of before I can unfold it again.

Danger Zone 2021 (Title might change)

This story is probably the most complicated one I've ever written, and not because I find the plot too complicated. It's mainly the storylines. We follow quite a few characters throughout the story and their stories are all connected, not just because they know each other, but each minor plotline has an impact on the overall story. I'm proud of how it turned out. I still call it my masterpiece. I mean, it took me two years writing it and only half a year publishing it. That part is bittersweet, but I'm proud of my work and I enjoy going back to read it.

I Will Go With You 2021-2022

So much research went into this story. I did the same when I wrote Figure Swimming, but I still did more research here. I wanted to make the snowboarding seem realistic, and I wanted all facts about Canada to be as accurate as possible. There were a few problems, as it is not known exactly where in Canada Langa is from, except they don't speak French there. But I looked into how long it would take to travel to Canada, how to get in, what kind of food is traditionally Canadian, the school system, and of course everything worth knowing about snowboarding. On top of that, I feel like I managed to flesh out my original characters really well. I still have art of Louis and Lian that I don't think made it unto any website. I also think I managed to make Langa's grandparents into more than just some stick figures, and the same with Erica. I managed to include all the scenes I had in my head and make an interesting story. The only thing I'm sad about is that even in my story Reki can't win a race. Good thing I'm playing with the idea of making a sequel to this story too.

Honorable Mentions:

Imagination (2016) because I like that I managed to come up with it and execute the idea that well.

Figure Swimming (2017) because other people tell me I got the characters' personalities really well (and it was the first work I did a lot of research for).

Dumb Luck (2022) because it marks my "dark age" of realism. I also personally think it makes sense in spite of me not using the names of the main characters of the story.

Knights and Princesses (2022) because the scene on the bridge came out just as I had intended it to.

I know I was not supposed to list this many, but with a total of 88 works on AO3, there is quite a lot to choose from. I also would have liked to mention a few more, but I guess I'll really have to stop myself at this point.

[ao3feed-renga]

Operation Befriend Hasegawa Langa (OBHL 3000)

Operation Befriend Hasegawa Langa (OBHL 3000)

by curse_worm

Reki's university roommate is kind of weird. But also frustratingly attractive. It's all fine, though. He's got a plan in place - he will befriend Hasegawa Langa.

(or the time i wanted to write more autism + trans rep and accidentally made it smutty but also wholesome?? go figure.)

Words: 9367, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa, Chinen Miya

Relationships: Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki

Additional Tags: Uhhh I really don't know what happened here tbh, Smut, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Autistic Hasegawa Langa, because he is, author is autistic, Trans Kyan Reki, Trans Male Character, Roommates, Fluff and Humor, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Injury, self-injurious behaviors, Stimming, and they were ROOMMATES, Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - College/University, Aged-Up Character(s), Let's get into the smut tags i guess, Oral Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Grinding, uhhh what else, Drinking, Halloween Costumes, Kyan Reki is very chill about breaking his arm (again), First Kiss, First Time

From https://ift.tt/VeI9x1W https://archiveofourown.org/works/48832756

[neonscandal]

Hello, again, Neon...How are you? Sorry I have not log in tumblr for almost 2 month. I'm surprised you got quite a lot of interesting asks when I read your blog....

So, first thing first, now I'm in the middle of watching "Fushigi Yuugi", thanks to you. Now, I'm not really interested in the romance but I really love the story and worldbuilding. It's isekai but so good....Thanks for your rec, Neon....🌻🤩

I always love sorting characters to Hogwarts Houses, and because you said you don't mind, can I ask for : Miaka/Tamahome (classic trope done great), Narumi/Nifuji (cute couple), and Vash/Wolfwood (I'm depress after reading their story), Reki/Langa (just read BL that remind me of them)?

Last question (sorry for this long ask, feel free if you don't want to answer all), because you love Hermione, do you ship Hermione/Ron or Hermione/Draco or other? Why?

Hope you have a wonderful day, Neon. And sorry for late in saying this : Happy Belated Birthday, wish you all the good things in life 💐😄

Hello old friend, welcome back 🌻💛 Never a need to apologize! I dare say you and your many questions may have emboldened others to reach out haha so I suppose I should say thank you for that. And for your kind words always! 🥺❤️

For it to be an older series, I'm glad to hear the worldbuilding holds up! I always loved Tamahome, Chichiri and Nuriko because they were so funny to me when I was younger. I feel like I should revisit the series with you!

Of COURSE I'm gonna address your whole ask in one go. Just remember, fuck TERFs!

ROMIONE vs DRAMIONE

As a smooth brained child, I didn't really ship Hermione until there was more obvious signaling that she and Ron were end game. The books were coming out when I was literally the age of the characters and kids are easily influenced and don't think critically. Not even going into comphet shipping at that age. I also loved redheads or maybe just the Weasleys? As an adult, Ron kinda sucked as a partner for Hermione. He took Hermione for granted, wasn't really supportive of things that meant a lot to her (SPEW, though clearly she changed his mind based on his later concern for the elves), was generally harsh with his words regarding her until the cruft of their adolescence was really broken away but, in my opinion, Hermione outclassed Ron and Harry in a lot of ways. In this pairing, it feels like Hermione made Ron better but Ron didn't reciprocate that improvement where Hermione was concerned. We can say he made her more approachable but that was him and Harry and just general socialization. It's been awhile since I've read the books so I may be selling my boy Ron short here. But also, as an adult, I see brilliant, amazing women end up with mediocre (but somewhat earnest) men all the time so I guess we were adequately prepared in our childhood.

As an adult, I'm not going to say I ship Dramione but I definitely see the appeal more. Especially where fandom fills in the gap because, contextually, we see them at odds and how Hermione is bold enough to challenge Draco. She (similar to Ron in the above), isn't the only reason the Draco undergoes his necessary character development we see through the story but her audacity, I think, humbles him in a way that's different from Harry. This dynamic is also more aligned with ships I tend to gravitate toward where they're a little antagonistic with a soft underbelly. I'm not saying this question justifies sharing this beautiful animation by @lyrablack1883 but… an excuse is an excuse. 👀

Onto the neon Sorting Hat, I guess!

Bear in mind, I'm largely of the mind that where the other houses are fixed, Gryffindor is open to anyone brave enough to ask/insist so, if you don't agree, that's cool, too. I give the primary i think they'd be in otherwise.

Miaka Yuki (Fushigi Yuugi) - Gryffindor with Hufflepuff underpinnings. It's important to note that the tenderness that Miaka exhibits is not without an edge. She may not be strong but she isn't powerless. She is kind and accepting of others and fair with a sense of purpose when chosen to be a priestess and rises to the occasion. She's still stubborn and, in fact, the flaws that more prominently make her a Gryffindor is what endears her to others (and sets her at odds with Tamahome because she's a brat, let's be serious). Still, with the whole world on its head, Miaka doesn't shy away from her duty and grows a lot along the way.

Tamahome (Fushigi Yuugi) - okay this is a bit of a toss up but only because it's been so long since I've seen Fushigi Yuugi that I'm torn between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, for obvious reasons. Tamahome is loyal to a cause and is subsequently very logical about the means to satisfy that end. Character wise, I just can't determine (or recall, rather), whether he could justify any means to that end. I'm leaning toward Ravenclaw with the loyalty to his family and then the Suzaku Warriors but I'm open to your interpretation as someone who may have seen it more recently.

Narumi Momose (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku) - Ravenclaw. Intuitively, Narumi had a goal in mind and creatively deduced camouflage would be the best means to be successful socially and at work. It's a little dishonest but with earnest intentions. But Narumi is a Ravenclaw in the daffy way the Luna Lovegood is a Ravenclaw. That's not to suggest neither lack intelligence but their focus tends to be elsewhere. Whatever the special interest, they know it all, you know? Good luck trying to be a normie, Narumi.

Hirotaka Nifuji (Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku) - Bear in mind I have one season of Wotakoi under my belt. But the biggest indicator for my determination is that Hirotaka managed to hide his crush on Narumi for the full duration of the season. Cool, and nonchalant but the frenzy when his brother almost blew his cover? Slytherin. Mans had a goal all along and while Narumi seemed to fall in line with that out of convenience, it suited his purposes all along and we only see an aberration in his behavior when that was potentially jeopardized. Harmless as the circumstances were, it's giving Slytherin.

Vash the Stampede (Trigun) - Hufflepuff to a fault with sympathy for the devil. He will do what is right, damn the consequences and the risk of personal injury to himself. He was given a life and seeks to protect the lives of others at all cost. This sunshine boy isn't without shadow, driven to offset his brothers' misdeeds, for sure. But Rem, I think, is a stronger guide in how Vash lives his life. He doesn't do it for the glory, it's simply what must be done. He certainly doesn't go looking for trouble the way a Gryffindor might. It just finds him and he tries to resolve it as amicably as possible with a moral compass always pointing due North.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun) - SLYTHERIN. Hat's barely rested upon his head and definitively we know that Nicky D will do whatever's needed to get his desired end. Not saying Vash won't make him question himself but, ultimately, Nicholas will do what Vash can't. His morality rests upon a razor's edge and he's learned that the only way to protect the people he love's are by doing the dirty work necessary. With Vash's influence, he may be tortured about it, though.

Reki Kyan (SK8 the Infinity) - Gryffindor with a strong Hufflepuff alignment (is this why Miya warms up to him?). Not only is he earnestly hardworking and kind, the glue that brings everyone together. But he's also brave, punching well above his weight class to stand up to Adam and protect Miya and, ultimately, to triumph over him because of his own brilliance and ingenuity.

Langa Hasegawa (SK8 the Infinity) - Gryffindor with a spice of Ravenclaw. ✨ Naturally skilled and adept skater (after some serious hard work as a boarder), I think Langa wouldn't have wound up pursuing skating at all had he not gotten swept up into it through the series of events as outlined. But, in the new environment, he's able to leverage his previous expertise critically and playfully and ascend to awe inspiring heights. Doesn't mean he's not still a bit of a himbo. Affectionately, Reki and Langa at their core are idiot 🤝 idiot and we love them for it.

Anon, a BL that reminds you of Reki and Langa!? Drop the rec, bestie! How could you not include? Do I need to make a rules page? Pay the troll toll, guys!

[eemoo1o-kuroo]

I really like Adam as a character but me liking him doesn't mean I think he's done nothing wrong. He's the antagonist but not a one dimensional character. Reki, Langa, and Adam make up the main conflict of the show, and I love the show, so of course I'm thinking about Adam too. I don't know what circles you're in to think Adam fans just think he's a perfect guy

I’m not saying all the fans overlook his wrongdoings / rationalise his behaviour! So I apologise if it came across like that.

Though, I have seen it — perhaps “perfect guy” is the wrong phrasing. The anon from this post was my first encounter head-on with an “Adam apologist” (as I later found out that’s what they’re called — though I’ve also heard Adam kinnies are just as bad, but… god, I hope they are myths. Nobody’s really out here kinning Adam, are they? … I ask rhetorically).

And I agree with you! Adam is the antagonist and he’s interesting as one — a threat that’s a near-even blend of intimidating, creepy, and theatrical. If I was to ever write for him, it would be a challenge (especially if it was to unearth his trauma and what events exactly amounted to what in his abhorrent behaviour — because there’s that, aspect too!).

In the sense that I am interested to see how his role in season two plays out, with a slow redemption (because the main difference between the “aware fans” of Adam and the “unaware/Adam apologists” is that we do not apologise for Adam’s behaviour — remember: the only one who can apologise for Adam’s behaviour is Adam himself*.)

*That being said, that mantra is heavily flawed — the fact that he’s a fictional character aside but it works in correlation to people like Adam in real life. “The only one who can successfully apologise for your own actions is you”, and this fact needs to be taken into consideration when being put into a character like Adam who the viewers of the show will now be expected to forgive, as well.

I haven’t really thought to compile much examples of the “apologist” side of the Adam fanbase, but I know the aforementioned linked post is my first example interacting with one (though I got no response, I assume they’ve read it?). I mean, if you look under the TadaAi tag alone and the majority of those fics that overlook his misdeeds (he mistreats Tadashi, yes? As a romantic interest or no you’d assume some fics would at least cover this but… no, half the time he’s the “perfect partner”).

Need I get started on Edenshipping (which, despite my blog header, I do not ship)? That ship is, like, 99% of the time depicted as something okay or even romantic, and it’s not! It’s a ship between a crazy guy and a teenager / minor! (Same with Adeki(?) shipping, as well as that genre of shipping with characters beyond just Adam — but the ones with him seem the most popular, typically amongst the radical Adam fans / apologists.) There’s also the grooming implications in canon with Miya that are over looked by the more extreme proshippers, too… which isn’t the subject of the post, so I apologise, that’s just a whole other subgenre of gross and weird.

Need I get started on the Adam x Cherry shipping? Sure, most — when in correlation to Matchablossom — is depicted as wrong, and toxic (rightfully), though typically in the past, but there’s a few examples of the contrary where they’re together and they’re… well, together, and happy about it? Despite what Adam’s done? Anyway. Getting off track.

TL;DR, I guess: I expect an apology of Adam. I’m a fan of him in the sense that I want to see where season two goes with him and his gradual redemption and him trying (and failing) to make amends (though I’m wary to see if we’ll be handed that and not just an “instant redemption” that we, as readers, have to deal with and the other characters overlook unless, perhaps, it’s for a throwaway line/joke, which in and of itself is just foul and cheap) — and I also like him under the perspective of character study.

He’s interesting in his backstory and how he acts, having both highs and lows and sort of disconnecting his work/everyday self from his self as Adam, which I feel like is one of the main causes for his more irrational and brash behaviour at ‘S’. Though, that’s a different post for another day. It still doesn’t excuse his behaviour, just analyses it a bit.

Thanks for the ask! If you want me to cover anything more in specifics, don’t hesitate to ask as long as you’re nice about it, synonymous or no.

This turned out longer than expected 😅 I ramble a lot. Please inform me if you spot any unfinished sentences or crossed wires, on your end or mine, it is very early in the day for me.

That being said, have a lovely day, all who read! Thanks for reading, if you did.

[epickiya722]

Hello, can I ask from this ask game :

https://www.tumblr.com/threecheersforinking/677824836625694720/anime-ask-game?source=share

For anime/manga : Sk8, Demon Slayer, BNHA, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Thanks 🌻

I guess so, Anon! 😆

**

SK8 THE INFINITY 🛹

Favorite Character: Reki, hands down it's Reki. He's just such a great character to me, honestly a little bit of relatable (both as someone who isn't sure of themselves and having siblings).

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: The beach episode is definitely my favorite episode. But I gotta say the epilogue scene he has with his family is one of my favorite scenes because it's so damn cute!

Favorite Ship/Pairing: Reki/Langa is my favorite! They're just so cute!

Character I Think is Underrated: Oka is one, Sketchy is another. But a really underrated character? Miki. She's the green haired woman seen in the first episode. Made a post about how she should be a more major SK8 character. I like her design very much and I just think she should be a bigger part of the cast as a skater.

Character I Think is Overrated: Ooh, it's like most of the main cast... Reki is definitely one, Langa is one, too... Shadow is more underrated though... but it's definitely Joe and Cherry!

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: What mostly drawn me in to the show was the vibrant colors. I love colors and the aesthetic of the show is a bonus to me. Also, I love that Reki isn't like some big shot protagonist where he can outskate everyone and anybody. Really like it took an opposite approach, and hone in that he was the more creative type.

**

DEMON SLAYER 🗡

Favorite Character: Tanjiro! He is just so precious, kind and badass! (And it will always gets me how he got that hard ass forehead he got from his mom.)

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: Just any time he interacts with Nezuko will always touch my heart. One scene I adore a lot is from the Swordsmith Village arc when Tanjiro braids her hair to mimic Mitsuri's style. It was just too cute. Ooh, but overall my favorite arc so far has to be the Entertainment District arc. Gyutaro and Daki actually became my favorite antagonists because of that arc. And the opening for that arc in the anime is one of my favorite songs.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: I actually had to stop and think for this one. "Do I have a favorite ship here?" Okay, I gotta admit Tengen with his wives are cute. (Watching the anime in dub though becomes something else when you also watch JJK in dub and realize Sukuna and Uraume are married here.)

Character I Think is Underrated: Hmm... I wanna say Mitsuri for this one. Every since the Swordsmith Village arc came out, everywhere I turn there's some video on how Muichiro put in work in his fight scenes, and he did. I applaud that precious little misty guy. But I don't see a lot or even a little praise for Mitsuri and she was whipping that sword!! If anything, that is very impressive that she has a sword like that!!

Character I Think is Overrated: Ah... I gotta say it's tie between Uzui and Rengoku. But before anyone gets on my ass, I do adore both characters very much. (Remember seeing a post that had the absolute nerve to put Rengoku on the list of "frauds".)

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: That anime definitely deserved the animation award. But for me, it's definitely the character designs. The art style makes those designs pop and a lot of the way the characters look pleases me. Like the demons? They don't look like your average demons. One of the reasons why Tanjiro is my favorite is because of his character design.

**

MY HERO ACADEMIA ✨️

Favorite Character: If you have been following since forever, you already know I'm going to say my favorite two are Miruko and Midoriya. They're both my #1s.

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: The first half of Miruko's episode. I'll be honest... while I do like Kaminari, every time I rewatch that episode I just watch the Miruko parts. Another episode I really like is the dorm episode because it's mostly like a feel-good episode for me.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: It's Burnin/Miruko for me. "They haven't inter---" Ah! I am allowed to ship characters who haven't interacted and I adore them. Right now, they are my top ship.

Character I Think is Underrated: A lot of them. 😭 First person that comes to mind is Rock Lock. I would question, too, why kids are at a meeting about a dangerous situation. He's a husband and a dad and he loves his family! Of course, he would ask that!

Character I Think is Overrated: In-Universe, Hawks. I'm sorry, but every time there is a scene that showcases how he has many fans I just make this face 😐. He's like that famous gut almost everyone and their mama loves but you are just like "... what's so great about him". I mean, I get it, I do and I like Hawks. But... Also by the fandom, other than Hawks, Dabi and Bakugou. I feel like I don't have to explain here. Again, characters I like, but they are overrated. "But, Kiya, you like Midoriya!" I do! And I don't know if there is another popularity poll coming up, but if he doesn't get #1 on that I will scream. Come on, 9th poll? He is the 9th OFA user?

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: Definitely the range of quirks here. Some quirks, Horikoshi definitely got creative with. Also, say what you want, I like how some of the common tropes are here, but not exactly. Weird thing to be happy about, but I was happy I had to guess who the protagonist was because Midoriya didn't look like the typical one. (I didn't watch the first season first.)

**

JUJUTSU KAISEN 😈

Favorite Character: Yuji Itadori! He is my sunshine! Also a little feral and will take your kneecaps. Like Midoriya, I find he's not really the typical protagonist. He has some traits, but others you don't see too often in protagonists.

Favorite Arc/Episode/Scene: I do like the Shibuya Incident and Culling Game Arcs. Personally, for me, and yes I'm a little bias, my favorite scenes are those with Yuji. My favorite fight scene is his fight against Choso. Now, for the Culling Game Arc, I really enjoyed the fight between Uro, Ryu and Yuta. Mostly because Uro was the best character for me there. But fight scenes aside, I gotta say that other scenes I enjoy are those scenes Yuji has with Megumi and Nobara.

Favorite Ship/Pairing: ItaFushi is the first ship I got into! It's just... it makes me want to cry. Also, NobaMaki! Oh my gosh, that scene they have after the small confrontation with Mai? Love that scene!!

Character I Think is Underrated: The Kyoto students as a whole. My favorite out the bunch is Kasumi Miwa. She's just so silly, kind and come on. I know she says she's frightened at times, but she's also really brave to still fight. I admire that.

Character I Think is Overrated: Once season 2 came, I swear Toji has been a favorite almost overnight! Don't blame the fans, of course. And, no surprise, Gojo and Sukuna.

Something I Love About the Show/Movie: If I need a story to break my heart, I know I can just look to JJK! And I mean not in a dramatic way, I mean like "I'm watching a horror movie and the character I hot attached to too fast dies". Okay, for real though, one of the strongest points for me is the characters. I find a lot of the characters entertaining and intriguing. Even if it's a character I don't practically like. When it comes to the characters, I actually don't get bored of them. There's probably a couple I don't really care for. Also, unpopular opinion, I do like Akutami's art style from the beginning and to end. The style before has this charm to it I just like and it's the same for the style now.

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