#and i know that all of my akafuri fics are for myself but some of them...

[geometricalien]

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 ❤

awww thank you for including me. this has just been sitting in my box for the past couple of days but HERE I AM- in no particular order:

This doesn't really have a name... It's just called Merman AU

and it's not a 'fanfic' it's half a collection of headcannons for this AU and half snippets from this idea that I posted on tumblr at @haikyuu-aus-cuz-i-cant-write (oops look who has actually written now jfdksalf) basically this is a cross between the little mermaid and the monkey's paw. I really liked this but it was wayyy too big of an idea for me to write and you can see that I stopped after writing Suga's wish which is reallly funny considering this whole idea spawned from wanting a mermaid/human bokuaka AU and i was not near to getting to the meat of the story at all

Things That Hold Us Together: Steel Bolts and Tender Hearts

yes i just recently posted this, yes i've had this in my folders for like 3 years. this one... this was spawned from an old friend - who i don't speak with anymore - offhand comment that a fanart looked like akashi was an android. four hours after they said that i had half of this fic, and they said it was the best writing i ever shared with them. they encouraged me to expand it but i kept hitting a wall and then we had a falling out and through out the years ive been coming back to this trying to add and edit and i decided to reclaim it as my own and publish it. the idea is that it's an introduction to a lighthearted sitcom/romcom between decommissioned war android akashi and engineer who fixed him up furihata

Language Barriers

i cyclically get star trek brainrot and this time it had a dash of akafuri, i really like how i described things in this one since furihata doesn't think in words but emotions and images instead, idk it was a good writing exercise

Horror wip

ive been hemming and hawing at it for literal months now because i have one central driving image behind my eyelids that i want to get to. its just been... harder than usual to get to it. i've rewritten like 3 times trying to get it write. i've currently landed on 2nd person narration with some thrown in spices of 1st person to signify that we are in the being- akashi's- point of view haunting furihata (the you) and its giving me an opportunity to make the reader feel akashi's destroying love from the front seat. my other goal with this is to write some surrealistic imagery soooo yeP

I Will Follow You Down Through The Gates of Hell

i cant not include this. this damn fic/series/idea has been brewing in the back of my mind for so damn long if it was a human child it could hold a fucking conversation. the imagery. the themes. the depth of emotion- AND WE ARE BARELY GETTING INTO THE WAR!? ITS BEEN 50K+ WORDS AND ITS JUST GETTING STARTED (or ending, if you wanna look at it that way) idk its... its been so long since i wrote part 1 that that fic doesn't feel like "mine" anymore? idk but it always makes me smile seeing an email saying that someone else liked the fics too.

[ultfreakme]

when I tell you I DEVOURED your "Veer the Tides" fic and omfgfgfgf I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!! I swear to god that fic is literally MADE FOR ME LMAOO because every single thing that you put into it (the arranged marriage, political intrigue, SLOWBUNR) is everything I look for when i read something ajskldjaskldjs tooo goood damn, I just wanna express that I absolutely loved every single moment of that fic and am very grateful that you wrote and shared such an amazing piece of work!! akafuri has such a special place in my heart and i loved how they interacted in your fic!! I did see that you discontinued it and I also found the post where you explained why you discontinued it, but if it's not too much to ask then I'd love to know how you planned to finish the fic (like maybe bullet points of plotlines or literally some scribbled notes, anything and any little crumbb would be amazinggg) 🙏🙏 as someone who never used to read incomplete works because I can't live without knowing the endings, i finally got over my stubbornness and started reading in-progress works because i realized so many hidden gems are just in-progress (like this fic of yours frfr) but i can't help but ask to know how things would've gone if you were to finish the fic 👉👈 as a budding fic writer myself, i have so many ideas of my own of how akafuri will go through this journey but i'll definietely regret it if i didn't at least ask how u planned to originially end it, sooo if you're comfy with it then i'd love it if you shared!! all in all, "Veer the Tides" is an absolute banger of a fic and I remember reading in your chapter notes how u were worried that the things may be too taxing or draining or that the content was too dense but i literally went through that fic being able to literally picture everything so clearly like the words were literally playing out in front of my eyes like a damn movie, it was soo good!! so thank you so so so much for that!!!

Oh my god ;_; A "To Veer The Tides" ask!! Thank you so much, I am so glad you enjoyed it Ziddy! I still consider it one of my peak fics and I wish I could finish it all the time, but I don't want to overstep and right about dissociative disorders without proper research or consultation. Akashi's gone through enough already.

I did have the entire fic plotted out beat-for-beat in one of my old notebooks and even a spinoff with NijiHai!

I understand what you mean about not reading incomplete fics, but I too have begun reading them(can't complain when like, 70% of the fandoms I'm really into have about 1k fics if I'm lucky). I am thankful you gave it a shot even if it's not done!

Now, I am sorry to ask this, but if you can do me a favour, and sit through a large wall of text just on last time with me, I'd be grateful and hopefully I can give proper closure.

To Veer The Tides- Summarized ending

Before we get into the plot details, I think it’d be best to explain what was happening with the Generation of Miracles.

The Generation of Miracles are vessels of elemental gods of this world, and it’s because all of their parents messed up very, very bad. Before the birth of all of the Generation of Miracles, the Setharno Kingdom (our GOM lads) was at war with what is essentially, Fantasy Jabberwock’s kingdom.

Setharno was losing, badly.

Kagami, Akashi, and Kuroko’s parents + Uncle decide they have to do this super forbidden and unethical rituals to borrow the power of their land’s gods so they can win the war. They vote on it and decide to go ahead with the summoning. The gods are not benevolent nor are they evil, they serve their own purposes but no one knows of this because, they’re their gods, they worship them, they have always been helpful to them.

The sacrifices are done and they each get a weapon blessed by their respective gods which they use to defeat everyone, on the condition that no one uses them ever again. The kicker is after the war ended, nobody could use it even if they wanted to.

The ParentsTM leave it be. Fast forward and all of the kingdoms suspiciously have their heirs born in the same year and close to the same time. They grow up to be extremely powerful, and The ParentsTM don’t think too much of it and leave it be.

Little do they know, the gods never left, they’ve made vessels through these children and plan to return to the mortal plane.

The gods are kinda brewing and chilling in the background waiting for their vessels to grow more powerful as they watch the world from a realm separated from the mortals, they're kinda stuck there. Meanwhile, all the political House and Council stuff happens!

As said before, Akashi's Family try to overthrow all the other families to unite power solely under Rakuzan. They are thwarted by the families, and Akashi….was imprisoned in an isolated cottage on top of this HUGE mountain for about 3-4 years by Kuroko’s Uncle(Mayuzumi’s dad) because he holds a grudge against the Akashi family for abusing his sister(Akashi’s mom).

He’s been wanting to take down Rakuzan forever and he’s super conniving and smart, so he perpetuated rumors about Akashi being “insane” and “dangerous” to ensure he will never be allowed to inherit. This leaves himself, Kuroko and Mayuzumi as the closest blood heirs to Rakuzan. Akashi's marriage to Furihata undermines Akashi's ability to inherit by removing his family name.

Akashi obviously has other plans, as we saw in the parts of the fic I did upload.

He slowly works his way up the ladder in the Kagami Family by manipulating Furihata and becoming someone important in the Seirin Council.

Now Furihata’s powers actually are important—he can basically drain people of life. He touches them, they die, zero evidence. Seichii(Oreshi, the rude one who doesn’t care about Furihata) and Seijuurou(Bokushi, likes Furi) realize they can use Furihata to assassinate Akashi’s Uncle while finding evidence to expose sabotage against their family! And the killing would leave no evidence! Yay!

The Tournament Arc is meant to create trust and credence in Akashi. He needs to clean up his image and that is exactly what he does during this arc.

He is noble, he is nice to his husband, and when he places second below Kagami’s House, he makes an extremely elegant and graceful speech and rallies support for himself by being basically the most polite and articulate dude around (while making subtle and irrefutable digs at Seirin). Furi's super proud! His hubby's getting approval!

Furihata does not initially know that: a) His powers can kill people b) Akashi’s planning on using it to kill.

But he does like Seijuurou, he wants to help him because it genuinely was unfair that his own family turned against him. All for power. So he’s being slowly convinced to do more and more extreme things till he betrays the Kagami Family(the people who took him in) by finding evidence of their involvement with Akashi’s Uncle in destroying Akashi's family and killing Masaomi.

Furihata also finds that the Kagami Family basically gave up the Furihata Fam’s land and people to the war all those years ago so he’s hurt and feels betrayed. This gives him the final push to comply with the plan of killing Akashi’s Uncle.

Seijuurou likes Furihata. They grow closer after this betrayal revelation and bond over their love for their(Akashi with his mom, Furi with his parents and brother), and how it feels to be powerless, and to be used. Seichii’s like “fine, if my brother likes him whatever I’ll deal.”

A bi-yearly Council Meeting happens a few months after the Tournament, where Akashi’s bargaining for more of Rakuzan’s land back from Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi(Akashi’s Uncle’s land).

Akafuri give Rakuzan Gang (Mibuchi, Nebuya, etc) the evidence regarding Kagami family + Akashi’s Uncle’s involvement in killing Masaomi and staging what is basically a coup against Rakuzan. Rakuzan Gang present this at the meeting, they say that the accusation thrown against the Akashi family—of being power hungry—was false(they’re lying right outta their asses on the latter, Masaomi was 100% gonna do it but making the Kagami family and Akashi’s Uncle look BAD is the goal here).

Akashi is suddenly not an “insane” prince but an innocent and noble victim of a plot where his own family had planned to ruin him. The rest of the council, based on the Generation of Miracles’ lead, vote in favour of reinstating Akashi as the Lord of Rakuzan.

THE LORD OF THE COURT IS BACK BABY!!!

Furihata then kills Akashi’s Uncle a couple of months later when he goes to visit him alone and they chalk up the death to old age.

Furihata now….feels weird. Because yes the Kagami family betrayed Akashi but they raised him. He was involved in ruining Kagami and Kiyoshi’s life and he doesn’t know how to live with the guilt. Seijuurou helps him cope. Bloodied hands, bloodied history, all to avenge their families.

The gods are still here btw, and they decided “okay that’s enough. time to take over!”

Seichii has been keeping off the God of Blood, the Rakuzan Land’s god, from basically destroying Akashi’s brain for about three years now and he is losing. If Seichii loses, the God of Blood takes over and it’s OVER.

The God of Blood is the most powerful and dangerous of all of them because he is….technically a god of life, and his allowance into Akashi’s brain and his presence in the mortal realm without any restriction will be what unlocks the rest of the vessels. So THEY CANNOT LET AKASHI BE TAKEN OVER.

Seijuurou realizes his brother has been battling a whole GOD for years and is slowly dying away, and so he decides to switch with his brother and give Seichii a break(against Seichii’s wishes, Seijuurou basically forces him to do this and just asks Seichii to promise he’ll take care of Furi).

Furihata notices immediately something ain’t right. Something’s weird.

Seijuurou and Seichii both fronted and switched often enough, he saw both of them.

BTW, These three came to an agreement of sorts over the course of the plot that Seijuurou and Furi are in love, and Seichii is also there as their unfortunate third wheel. Like, Furi’s chill with the alters and system situation. He isn't in love with Seichii, they're reluctant friends.

Furihata’s asking “Seichii why have I not seen your brother lately?” and Seichii tries to act all cold and distant. But unfortunately for him, Furihata has spent the past year being involved in assassination plots and sabotaging people and is afraid of nothing. He is also the consort of the Lord of Rakuzan rn so...... he does as one does and confronts Seichii.

Seichii fesses up about the whole “ummm the gods of all our lands want to destroy everything as it is right now because they think the current world sucks ass and they want to start over a little.” They gather the Generation of Miracles to inform them and be on guard.

Turns out, Kuroko’s god, God of Darkness/Death, has been in touch with Kuroko and is rather chill about things. He doesn’t really care for this whole “restarting the world” plan. The God of Blood/Life and Darkness are balanced opposites, and the God of Blood/Life is disturbing the equilibrium right now. God of Darkness/Death agrees to help Kuroko deal with this whole “unlocking Vessels business”.

Furihata is unintentionally important to this—because the whole siphoning life thing? Kuroko accidentally gave him those powers through the God of Darkness/Death(hence the “who are you?” repetition in the final update-- it’s a whole thing I plotted about how Darkness isn’t really a lack of things but a potential for creation and light, and the god asking Furi that question was not a threat but a question of genuine interest so he may find himself).

They need to perform a ritual to close the gates between the gods’ realm and the mortal realm, and this requires the effort of all the vessels. So they plan it, it gets a little chaotic because the God of Blood/Life’s angry that they’d even try this. Also the God of Blood/Life’s feeling betrayed about God of Darkness/Death betraying him so he speeds up Akashi’s corruption.

Seichii switches out with Seijuurou last minute against the god and kinda gets super severely injured mentally/spiritually. Seijuurou’s lost to the God of Blood/Life. Kuroko’s the only one who could hope to counter the God of Blood because he’s got the God of Darkness in him but he’s necessary for the gate-closing ritual.

THIS is when Furihata matters- because of his powers from the God of Darkness, he CAN enter the space where Seichii and Seijuurou have been keeping the God of Blood away—this in-between place where the gates between realms are. The God of Darkness aids him to get there.

Furi has to find Seijuurou in this realm though, and God of Blood has not made it easy. There was this whole sequence where Seijuurou’s mind is a forest which Furi must navigate to find the center where Seijuurou is asleep and losing himself to all his deep-seated insecurities which the god is replaying in his mind. Point is, Furi gives him a Power of Love and Friendship speech and gets him out.

Furi acts as a sort of medium for the God of Darkness, Seijuurou’s back at full strength, and these two fight of God of Blood long enough for the ritual to finish and AT LAST, they can all rest easy knowing the gods won’t be coming back for a long, long time.

Seichii’s fine, he just needs a lot of rest and recovery time. The story ends with Nijimura taking over the seat as Lord of Rakuzan because Akashi’s kinda fucking done with this mess. Nijimura was always the better candidate. I was planning on building up the Nijimura side of things too (he too was kept prisoner kinda in Kirisaki Daiichi but with far more access and freedom than Akashi, and he falls in love with Haizaki). Nijimura also just has better rep, like he is THE Golden Boy of this kingdom and he's always wanted to rule anyways.

Akashi and Furihata return to Furihata’s family land, rebuild the old manor where Furi’s family was and they take a nice long well-deserved break.

THE END!

Side note: All of Seirin ended up hating Furihata for a while and there was supposed to be a GIANT plot about Furihata reconciling with Seirin members and resolving his grief and guilt. There were supposed to be a couple of big character plots tbh, but if I went into that, this three-page word doc summary will become 12 and I don’t think you want that on TUMBLR.

I hope that explains…..some things? Does this even make sense? I am sorry for subjecting you to this. If I actually wrote this, the fic would be about 700 to 900k words long.

I am so glad to hear that you’re on your writing journey!!! I am also on mine and looking to improve, and I’d love to chat with you or just communicate with you like this on tumblr so we can both grow! Feel free to DM!! Best of luck for your fic writing! Let me know if it’s Akafuri I’d love to read <3 <3

[evelhak]

Akashi for the ships tier list ? :D I thought about asking for Kuroko but i assumed you only ship him with Kagami

I'm going to give you both. : D I know my shipping capabilities are probably annoyingly limited, but it's like... Yes, I don't really truly ship Kuroko or Akashi with more than one person because I have a story brain, like one-linear-chain-of-events brain, and yes, I could expand, and yes I've tried, but I'm just the happiest this way, it's the most natural way for me, so even though it's frowned upon by fandom generally, it's just me and that's how it is. It's not satisfying for me to simultaneously entertain multiple possible storylines, I just need to be on one track until the end.

So in that chain of events in my head both Akashi and Kuroko are in a commited monogamous relationship. So basically the only way I ship more than one ship is if characters break up and have another relationship during the course of my head story, or if they are polyamorous, which neither Kuroko nor Akashi have been at least so far.

But also that doesn't mean there's nothing else going on besides who they date. People's feelings are hardly ever black and white, and I do give space to complexity and general human nature, that's kind of the whole point.

I realise this intro was probably not necessary, I just wanted to express myself better about the "only ships KagaKuro" thing, because it's like... Yes, but also not really? Because do I see them having another significant other for the rest of their life? No. Do I actually root for and actively want to see them with other characters? No. But do I think their feelings and relationships with other characters are also complex and have multiple layers and phases through time? Absolutely.

Also, I felt really self-conscious about this, debating whether I should include my OC in this, because it still feels obnoxious to me, no matter how much I try to express love for OCs. But there's no denying that my only long-term ship for Akashi is my (and my ex's) OC Azumi, so the list would be kind of meh without her.

So, here we go. I felt like getting creative with the tiers to express my thoughts.

Akashi

*So, yeah... I ship Akashi with an OC. She's a collaboration of several years of exchanging elaborate headcanons with my ex about what kind of person we saw for Akashi. This is the only time I've actually created an original character for the purpose of being with a canon character, and it happened almost by accident because it wasn't my thing at first, it was for my girlfriend who loved Akashi. Not in the way that she would have wanted to date him herself, it's more that she related to him in some ways, and just wanted to imagine him with someone who was good for him and would grow with him and be a positive force in his life, and so we kept developing this relationship over the course of a long time, and I merged it into my headcanon about the rest of the story. A lot of the inspiration was also what we didn't like seeing in Akashi fics, such as sadistic Akashi and a meek poor girlfriend. We wanted someone who could be an actual power couple with him, and most of all, someone who could give him security, and the feeling that he doesn't need to be in control of everything and take care of everyone.

*I don't see long-term potential in AkaFuri but it's too funny to ignore completely. The idea of Akashi being Furi's bi awakening was too juicy for me to ignore, it makes for good comedy and sweet and heartwarming growth on Furi's part when he struggles with his feelings. It's all been one-sided in my headcanon so far and Akashi has no clue. Whether or not their paths actually cross later much at all remains to be seen but I have some ideas how that might be relevant and, well, cathartic.

*Azumi slightly resembles Aomine in some ways, which lead to a comedic dream Akashi had about Aomine in my head... Also I don't really see Midorima and Akashi being attracted to each other, but I bet they have wondered.

*The last row just looks aesthetically cute with Akashi but I don't really see anything there. Their relationships mean more to me as platonic friendships.

Kuroko

*Yeah... you know my feelings about KagaKuro. It's the truest love ever.

*There's something deliciously tragic about an almost, isn't there? The person who you probably would have ended up with, had things gone another way? I wanted to explore that concept in my fics, so, there was Ogiwara.

*I think Kuroko enjoys Kise's attention more than he admits and Kise probably thinks all his friends are hot, but he's not actually interested in a relationship with any of them. But I do think when Kise manages to pull the right string to get Kuroko out of his shell and Kuroko manages to pull the right string to get Kise comfortable exploring the deeper meaning of life, they may sometimes get excitement out of it that isn't strictly platonic. It's just not strong enough to act on.

*I would be lying if I said I didn't see at all where people are coming from when they say Aomine and Kuroko have bitter exes energy. I don't think they were together, but that kind of makes it the more satisfying to explore. They definitely have grey-area feelings for each other. They would be terrible in a relationship, and they know it. All of that causes friction which feels awfully lot like chemistry, especially as long as none of this is ever voiced. But would they make out if someone smashed their faces together? Absolutely. Would they enjoy it? In a twisted way, probably at least a little. Would they regret it immediately and wish it had never happened? Definitely.

*Again, the last row means more to me if they are friends/found family. I totally get what you said about Kuroko and Momoi having that pastel aesthetic. I even have a scene in my fic where Kuroko's dad tells him he should date Momoi (instead of Kagami) because they look so good together, like a pastel coloured painting.

I hope that wasn't too long. I am actually very into exploring the different flavours of all kinds of relationships, so it's not always as easy as do I ship it. I hope you didn't get bored. 🙈

[geometricalien]

Hello, tis me, the akafuri shipping mutual aghsjd I've been shipping them since 2016: celebrating their ship day (4/12 btw), creating playlists, reading fanfic, writing my own fanfics, I even made a PowerPoint all about them for fun, so i am highly qualified to talk about them from a shipping perspective.

First thing to know, I'm pretty sure for most akafuri shippers this started as a crack ship. And i do agree that at first glance this ship comes from no where. That people wanted to write an ensemble cast fic and threw them together for shits and giggles. The first time I came across them was in this manner.

Naturally I thought to myself, "why?? why would someone ship this?!" At the time I was 16 years old fresh from finishing the anime and I was confused why someone would ship them especially since I only knew broad and insensitive impressions of their characters: psychopath and coward. I thought that Akashi was simply too complex and dangerous to be shipped, and Furihata was a mob character at best.

So, I googled this exact question, "why do you ship Akashi and Furihata", the answer was a blog post basically amounting to "they are cute and funny." Believe me or not, that indepth answer didn't really sell me on them. However, I am a firm advocate that you must read a ship's fanfiction before you judge it and through this I learned multiple things about akafuri:

Authors can write as many different versions of akashi and furihata as they like

These different portrayals create various dynamics

And because of this, akafuri is one of the most flexible ships I've ever come across

Now before I continue, we must address something. One person's interpretation of a character or a ship is as valid as another's. We don't shame or yuck anybodies yum, so while reading anything past this point we will keep this in mind even as I express my own personal opinions. Okay? Cool.

Let's talk about the characters independently.

Akashi. Saying Akashi is complex doesn't do him enough justice. It doesn't mention anything about his upbringing, his deceased mother, his strict father, the ungodly expectations placed upon him, or his DID. It doesn't mention the distinctions between the 2 main hosts (henceforth dubbed Oreshi (the core) and Bokushi (the protector)). Or their relationship with each other. An author has the right to write Akashi any way they would like; only Oreshi, only Bokushi, after they became one in Last Game, or some combination of both. As is the nature of fandom, characters get hit with the fandom stick and gain highly inaccurate fanon versions (in the worse case sadistic psychopath Bokushi). This itself creates 6 different versions of Akashi who will interact differently with the different versions of Furihata.

Furihata for his part as i mentioned above sometimes gets reduced to a stuttering coward. But with some deeper analysis you can see that he is a romantic (joined a sport for a girl), he is observant (at least half of the time during a match it will be Furihata who notices something off and will narrate what we are supposed to be seeing as well, and if it's not him telling us he has still noticed and had a reaction before Riko or someone else says it), he is thoughtful- he is careful (being put in the Seirin vs Kaijo match to slow down the pace), he is brave despite being scared (stepping on the court to guard against Akashi), he is passionate (declaring that he wants to play with Kagami and Kuroko on the court), he's fun and diligent (participating in the off court tournament), and he's just a guy. A dude if you will. As normal as one could be. (Sorry I love him and I'm used to thinking about him with complete adoration from writing my wip from Akashi's POV)

Great now that you have an idea of what I mean by different portrayals of Akashi and Furihata let's discuss the main two dynamics of Akafuri!

There is the crack ship- The Lion and The Chihuahua. This was The Ship Dynamic for them when the ship first spawned, you will find many fanarts and fanfictions using this motif of Akashi being a lion and Furihata being a chihuahua. This dynamic focuses mostly on the characterization that Akashi is controlling, serious, and lustful while Furihata is a cute stuttering boy toy. Of course this is a generalization, the dynamic can be cute, funny, hot, and sometimes fics of this dynamic float into the second (and superior) dynamic.

The Newlyweds dynamic named such because they disgust everyone around them with their love. In this both of their characterization deepens and they become equals, partners, best friends, and yes, lovers. More often than not it is in this dynamic that Akashi's "complexities" get the care they deserve and Furihata is an actual functioning person with the occasional bi-panic (who can blame him though). The name of the game is slowburn because there are alot of steps for them to become friends let alone something more.

So, now let's go over how they compliment each other and bring out the best of each other (which is what has made them my OTP for 6+ years).

Akashi is used to being held at a distance and being on a pedestal. His classmates view him as a Prince. His father's expectations have warped his perception of his teammates until he believed that the only way to keep his new found family together is to keep winning. While Kuroko and Seirin "woke him up" it takes a long time to break out of that thinking when it's the only way you've been thinking for years, and the GOM can only do so much since they are wrapped along with his trauma. Furihata is just a guy and that's what Akashi needs. He needs some safe stable ground to process everything and that's what Furihata offers. Akashi admired his bravery during their match and he chose to sit by him at Kuroko's birthday (he doesn't not like him, if anything they are strangers or a friends acquaintance. If he really didn't like him he would have just let Furihata be scared in his presence and ignored him. He does not dislike him nor is he indifferent to him.) In many fanfics from this scene they slowly become friends noticing each other's thoughtfulness and kindness. Their friendship is about respect, second chances, open-ness, and genuinity.

As for their romantic relationship, think Beauty and The Beast. It's their friendship, the warmth and safety they feel around each other. The kin ship of being strategists. How they inspire each other to grow and be better: for Akashi its learning to be more emotionally mature and for Furihata its about learning confidence. It's the fact that Furihata wants love and once attended Akashi has a well spring of it. Here are some more thoughts about them (1) (2) (3)

That's kinda it besides the general "they are cute!" I mean, i could explain to you how I relate to Akashi's crushing expectations, how I look to him for self confidence, how him finding love with Furihata mimics what I've longed for and dreamed of - a best friend, a partner that shows me a new world of possibilities - for myself. I could tell you about how I want to be like Furihata: how he treats others, and is brave despite everything. But that's all very personal, buy me dinner first goddamn agshjsshhs

I hope this helped explain some reasons why akafuri is appealing. I'll leave you with some links incase you are still curious:

- my akafuri PowerPoint (much of what I've said is already on here) but there are many fanfic recs that I thought were suitable to introduce the ship to someone

- my akafuri spotify playlist

- and because I am a narcissistic bastard who is not ashamed to self-promote, here is my ancient greek! Akafuri wip

And most importantly! Remember how I said, don't judge a ship unless you've read some of their fic? This is the fic I recommend for anyone wanting to explore Akafuri:

A Spark of Light series by @courtingstars. It has some of the best characterizations of Furihata and Akashi, it's canon complaint, the writing is beautiful, it's extremely detailed and researched, it's the slowest of slowburns, and even though it's not complete and this is the longest hiatus the author has done, it's still considered The Bible for Akafuri shippers. It's a masterpiece, a testament of love, and persistence. If there is one thing to take from this long-winded post: read A Spark of Light and see for yourself what akafuri has to offer.

i'm glad you were happy with the ask! i think akashi is very interesting and he surely has a lot of trauma, and that could be why i never shipped him with anyone. and really couldn't see him with furihata (but i do want to know more about why some like them together so much). i think the closest i had was midorima and that's because akashi actually seemed to respect him. i don't actually ship too many characters because their friendships are so interesting, especially the gom, but you're definitely right about kise and kasamatsu. though aomine and kise were kinda my favourite. funnily enough i really disliked aomine when i first watched the series, but now i literally lose my mind when i see him

yes absolutely!! the circle of people i talk about knb with is exactly three so you've now made it four SKNDKNKNDL it's very exciting for me genuinely

my best friend is an akashi Stan, so i've done a lot of character examination for him (he's like one of her fave characters of all time from Anything so we talk ab him a lot) and i totally agree with you!! i think he's really rooted in his arc, which is really intense and interesting (i don't think i've ever seen a sports anime do anything with mental illness like they did with akashi besides maybe like. free.), and it's almost a disservice to make that arc about anything else. i also don't think there's anyone who specifically complements him in a way that would like actually logically work romantically. for ME though like obviously anyone else can do what they want but idk i never... read him that way bc i was so busy reading into his character development on its own. so i never really naturally gravitated towards a ship for him. (but like i said i only have like. five ships total. four really if we come down to it.) i totally agree in that midorima seems like a logical jump in that they are the closest, but even then i don't see anything in that for midorima (i could do a whole essay on midorima but anyway) so idk not for me per say but yes i totally get where you're coming from!!

(i think rachel will heed the call and hopefully info dump in the replies of one of these asks about akafuri so keep coming back to see the takes of a TRUE akafuri stan)

i agree! a lot of the dynamics on the show hold up best as friendships imho, and while you're certainly able to read into them as romantic if you want to, it's just as easy (and perhaps better) to make it a story about friendship and i think that - especially for people like me, as someone single whose friends are really important to her - is a great story to tell too. the gom is the perfect example - they're friends from the start in a way, but the friendship changes and grows with them as the series goes on. they're not the same people in the beginning and their friendship, while just as strong if not stronger, isn't the same either and it's such a cool story to see told. so yes you get me exactly!!

oh don't get me started on kikasa i will literally never stop <3<3<3<3 i love them more than words can say those are my guys. i will spare you from the ramble but yes they def crack my top four. aomine and kise i was pretty anti on until i started my recent rewatch and like. still not for me but i def get it and respect it. i had no idea where it was coming from and now im like oh shit yeah i see it for sure.

i had a very similar experience with aomine and i think it's kind of hard not to bc i know my friends who watched the show did as well LKNDKNFKLNF like he showed up and i was like "this guy's all bark and no fuckin bite stan kuroko this guy sucks" and then over time we learned his backstory and eventually i was in love with that bitch. i am still in love with that bitch. he rearranged my brain cells. is he dumb? yeah. is he a bitch? yeah. is he my dumb bitch? yeah.

anyway sorry for this long as hell answer but! you've awakened the brain worms sorry to say <3

[humanitys-shortest-soldier]

Hi there! Hope you’re well! As always, I had such a hard time picking which ones to ask, lol!! 6. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?- For shizaya to be specific, but if this doesn’t apply to shizaya, any other ship! Or if you have multiple! 7. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment? (From any of your fics, I’m read and loved them all) 16. 3 favorite comments ever received on fanfic.

Hi friend! There were some pretty hard ones for sure, lol. And you picked a few of the harder ones! I hope I answered them okay!

6. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

Oh, Shizaya. These boys are always ruining my life lol. But, I don’t think I can I have an idea that I can’t make work, because I haven’t totally tried to make one work yet? I have three fics started, but I honestly have no clue if I’ll ever be happy enough with them to post them, or even finish them! (I’m really gonna try tho!). The longer idea I have is the one I’m most worried about. The other two involve them already being together in some way, or at least in a place where they don’t hate each other… quite as strongly (like high school). But the longer one, oh man. It’s gonna be them as how they are in canon, basically, and that’s always a rough start. They’re gonna have a lot of work and talking to do before they get anywhere close to a “relationship”, and that scares me a lot. Plus their characters (especially Izaya, I’m looking at you boy) are so complicated and complex that like… I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to handle it. So I’m hoping I can make it all work, but I’m doubtful lol. Cross your fingers for me!

7. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment?

Hmmm… this one is really hard. The first thing that comes to mind is the Emperor’s Weakness. I’ll always love it as the first thing I ever wrote, but god, it could have been so much better! I think the conversation went pretty okay, but the initial setup to get to the good stuff is… not great lol. If I could just rewrite the first like… 3 paragraphs I would be thrilled. 

16. 3 favorite comments ever received on fanfic.

This is from Absolutely Baked, and I love it because it’s a fic about STONED AKASHI of all things, and yet apparently I managed to keep him in character?

StockinSkye: Omg, this is perfect. I didn’t know I needed stoned!Akashi in my life until now… Damn, now I want to real a whole series about stoned Akashi and Mayuzumi in different scenarios. xD And somehow you managed to keep themall in-character and it’s amazingly written. Anyways, thank you for writing this piece of art!! 

This one is from Chapter 5 of Exactly My Type, and just... it’s the nicest thing ever? The end sentence really just... breaks my brain because holy crap people actually want my writing!

tsookiecookie:I AM SOOOO FRICKING HAPPY!!! You have no idea of how excited this update made me, this is one of the best akafuri fics I've ever read and it is just so perfect and wholesome it makes me so giddy inside. Thank you so so so much for working hard on this fic, I love you!! I was on edge this king that they were really gonna kiss and my heart just burst when then didn't, but they like each other so dang much I can't handle it, I just want the three of them to be happy as a family pls pls pls don't make me suffer any longer ;___; hahaha anyways, I'll be waiting for the next chapter, pls don't forget that there a people out there who support you and love your works!! 

And this one is from Practice Makes Perfect (It’s One Punch Man! Who knew I wrote things other than akafuri? lmao) But it was the third fic I had ever written, and while akafuri is popular, SaiGenos is like... SUPER popular, and to still get positive feedback like this one something so big... I’m still shook lol

Sardonyx: Reasons why this is now my new favorite fic:1. I'm a stickler for horrible movies myself2. Toaster is a cute little clueless bastard3. How totally REAL this fic was and how everything flowed perfectly4. You got the characters down spot. fucking. on.5. Your username is Shifu Hotman. I'm a big ass TLA fan (and LOK fan)I'm going to keep you on my favorites bar to bask in all your glory when your next fic comes out. I have much to learn from you, shifu.

[humanity-shortest-soldier]

Question tag for AO3 writers~~

I found the original questions on AFF a while back, and I thought since I’ve been tagged in so many meme things lately, I’d also tag a bunch more people in this one XD Since the questions were designed for AFF, I’ve reworked some of them to fit for AO3 writers. I also removed two questions rather than trying to translate them to AO3 terms. So, I’ll fill out my answers first, and then put the blank questions again at the bottom for you to easily copy and paste!

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

SIFU_HOTMAN because Zuko is one of my favorite characters and honestly Aang calling him “Sifu Hotman” is hilarious. 

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos)

Exactly My Type by a long shot, lol. 

3. What is your AO3 profile icon and why did you choose it?

It’s Izaya Orihara to represent the trash on my page. 

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

Yes! I’m shocked when I read through my comments and see how often the same people will comment on each chapter. And there are definitely one or two that I look forward to seeing. I recognize a ton of usernames on AO3 but I don’t know many of them on here.  

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

THIS fic by the super-talented @courtingstars! I swear I’ve reread this fic like 6 dozen times at this point, as well as the sequel! (For real tho, I could probably recite this fic word for word, I love it so much. AkaFuri fans, if you haven’t checked it out, I can’t recommend it enough!)

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

I’m guilty of not subbing or bookmarking that much, because it got to the point where I had so many that it kinda made it pointless, lol. But I’m subscribed to 2 users, and 5 fics, and I have 46 bookmarks. 

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

I don’t really write AU’s all that much? (I think I only have 2, the Nanny/Single Parent AU and a Red String of Fate AU). I definitly want to try doing more tho! I was super nervous about the Nanny/Single Parent one, but now it’s my hightest hitting fic! And it was from a prompt! lol

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

Total bookmarks: 311 Total subs: 337

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

The only thing I can think of right now is I want to get better/ more comfortable with writing smut lmao. I’ll conquer it one day! 

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

Updating better, for sure. It eats me alive that it’s been almost a year since I started Exactly My Type, and I’ve only written 5 chapters! It’s so hard to find time with all the overtime at work, and with everything else. BUT that’s something I definitely plan on changing. 

And maybe replying to comments? I generally don’t reply (I feel so bad about this, I’m so sorry. Comments just make me an incoherent mess and I’m never sure how to reply without rambling and making an idiot of myself)

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

Is AkaFuri a rarepair? I know it was more considered one a while ago, but I don’t know anymore. I guess whatever category they fall under, that’s it lol. 

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

Eight! Which is eight more than I thought I would write. 

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

I have 30 stories saved on Google Docs. (I’m shocked? lmao)

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

Everything in my head. My ten hour shifts at work mostly consist of me staring off into space and writing fan fiction in my head. 

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Other than bouncing ideas off of a friend, no. It sounds fun tho!

16. How did you discover AO3?

Searching for ATLA fanfiction like, 4 years ago. After reading everyting FanFiction.net had to offer, I found AO3 and immediately made the switch. 

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

God, no lmao. I think I’m IN the AkaFuri barrel, but far from the top of it.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

Not that I know of? I get comments about how much people like my username sometimes, so I’m cool with it if people just wanna call me Sifu Hotman lmao.

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

My inspiration mainly came from a desire for more AkaFuri fics, lmao. But there were a few amazing writers who reallllly made me want to try writing, and I was encouraged plenty by my best friend, so here I am lol. 

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

To just write. I worried for so long (and I still do) about not being good enough, or making a mistake, or failing. But the only way to get better at writing is to write! If someone doesn’t like you’re story, odds are you’ll either get some helpful advice, or feedback on the part they did like. Even if you don’t want to post it publicly, just write it out anyway. I think I’ve improved so much since the first thing I wrote, and I hope I get even better the more I do it. 

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Again, spending 10 hours a day, 5 days a week in my own head, I get most of my stories down to the tiniest details before I even get to a computer. Once I sit down, some things may change or come out different, but I rarely go to write without having any idea. 

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

Actually... no, I don’t think I have.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

Smut, for sure lol. 

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

Fucking chapter 6 of Exactly My Type! (I just broke 6K the other day, and it’s not even halfway done). After that, I’m on to Defying Fate, with a couple of prompts inbetween. 

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

Sorta...I guess. Exactly My Type happened because of a prompt request that got waaaay out of control, so that was poor planning on my part lmao. 

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Not at all. I just go for it whenever I get the chance. 

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

100% yes. I want to crawl into a hole whenever I think about my first fic, lol. 

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

I’m gonna shove the AkaFuri away for a second and go with Absolutely Baked. Mayuzumi is my favorite character to write for, and I think I got some pretty funny dialogue in that one. It makes me laugh, and the extra chuckles my friend and I got while discussing it were totally worth it. 

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

I don’t think I have a least favorite? If I had to pick probably my first fic, Emperor's Weakness. 

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

Hopefully still writing fanfiction, lol. I would like to try writing some original work, but I doubt it. 

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

Dialogue, I think. Once I get in a characters head, I find it very easy to write from their point of view. 

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Getting a full plot to run together. I’m pretty good at getting certain scenes down, but I have trouble piecing them all together sometimes. 

33. Why do you write?

Simply, because it’s fun. I know how happy it makes me when I read a super-awesome fic, and I like the feeling I get when someone tells me I gave them the same feeling. 

Anyways that’s all the questions, so I’ll put them here as well without the answers to easily c+p.

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean? 2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos) 3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it? 4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters? 5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again? 6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked? 7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most? 8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page) 9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!) 10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc. 11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often? 12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)? 13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program? 14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head? 15. Have you ever co-authored a story? 16. How did you discover AO3? 17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3? 18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers? 19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write? 20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author? 21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go? 22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do? 23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..) 24. What story(s) are you working on now? 25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)? 26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself? 27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started? 28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written? 29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written? 30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years? 31. What is the easiest thing about writing? 32. What is the hardest thing about writing? 33. Why do you write?

I was tagged by: @herdustisverypretty <333

People I’m tagging: @anime-saved-and-destroyed-me | @kaguneko | @shootmesenpai | @cerberosthehellguard | @jubesy

[justsimplyl]

Tag thingy

Tagged by @herdustisverypretty​, thank you very much.

I really wonder who on earth would even want to know about me lol

1. A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind? Akakuro. I fell in love with Akashi and was looking at fanfictions of Akashi when I came across some Akakuros. I thought nothing of it initially but as I read more of such fics (as well as going further into the anime), I came to fall in love with them. And I fell really hard.

2. What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom? What fandom was it? It was Naruto. But Kuroko no Basket is the strongest.    3. Your favourite fandom {for the people, not the thing you spazz over}? Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. Tells a story about how talents can crush someone. 4. Are there any fandom popular ships that you don’t like or just don’t get? Alternatively, are there any typically overlooked minor ships that you think are really underappreciated?  (hay this one i made up myself lol) I don’t really like Akafuri and KuroMomo. I don’t get AkaMomo too. Underappreciated? Hm..anything to do with Hayama. I like that guy. 5. What was the first thing you ever contributed to a fandom? My untalented art. 6. What’s a popular romantic/sexual ship that you can only ever see as a brotp? (also me!) Akashi and Midorima? 7. If you had the chance to make your OTP canon, and your NOTP very clearly stated as ‘definitely not canon eVER’, how would you express this in your ‘new canon’? (i’m on a roll) This tag has lots of hard questions... Make Akashi and Kuroko DATE. HOLD HANDS. KISS. Or at least have them together all the time. For NOTP, make them stay as far away from my sight as possible. 8. Which character is Daddy Material? (there’s always at least one, admit it) Kuroko. And Akashi maybe. But I can see Kuroko as a father. 9. Character you relate to and why? (please share all tragic similarities) Akashi... I was raised in a strict environment, I have to get As for all my subjects, and I don’t have moral or emotional support from either parents. Both aren’t nice to me emotionally, so I grew up detached to them. I have social anxiety, and I am afraid of being left behind, much like Akashi’s anxiety that the blooming GOM will leave him behind. I was also recently told that my diagnosis is Personality Disorder. I still have a hard time accepting that diagnosis. 10. As either a reader, writer, or both!, what’s your favourite fanfic genre and/or tropes? Are there any you always stay away from? I like all kinds of genre. Omegaverse and AUs are my favourite. I am very dense, so I tend not to understand cracks and find them boring. I avoid Major character death, and angst(unless with fluff or happy ending.) 11. Opinions on omegaverse (in any and all forms, ranging from early spn fics, to the surprising amount of BTS/kpop fics, or have you tried the Japanese manga take on omegaverse - or even…. Life From the Ashes)? Very... engaging. I like how their mating process and body functions is slightly different from real humans(I am always fascinated by such stuff.)

I am in one of my downtime now, feeling sad, hateful, suicidal and the usual depressing L. I am not gonna come up with any questions or tag anyone this time. My apologies.

[courtingstars]

Notes for Storming the Castle, Chapter 4

Hello again, my dear AkaFuri readers! These notes are kind of long since I rambled on and on about Disney movies because I’m me. (And now after this chapter everyone knows why I put Disney movies in the Ao3 tags! //laughs)

So we’ll start with the Disney stuff, then I mention a few things about Akashi’s sexuality in the fic, and then the usual cultural notes. (Plus the real-life inspiration for the last scene!) Also as a reminder, I have a Pinterest board with photos that helped inspire the first half of the story.

(Cut for me being an incurable Disney nerd, plus notes about sexuality, love hotels, Japanese convenience stores, and other things!)

On The Disney Movies

I should probably feel bad about putting so many Disney references in a fic. //laughs (I’ve been Disney obsessed since I was little, and I wish I could pretend I grew out of it, but I really, really didn’t). But it seemed like a fitting way to bring up the lighter side of fairy tales, since that’s a major theme in the story.

It’s also worth mentioning that Disney stuff is a popular obsession in Japan! There’s Tokyo Disneyland, tons of great Disney stores, you get the idea. I’ve also seen a few Japanese dubs of the movies, which are excellent. <3

I didn’t plan to go into so much detail, but I wanted to try to make the movie references as accessible as I could. And if you haven’t seen the films, I do recommend them because I am a sappy dork. I chose them to match the story, and hopefully to create some interesting parallels to both Akashi and Furihata.

So first, The Little Mermaid! Random fact: This was the first movie I ever saw in a theater. (Also one of my first memories! I was three.) The songs are great, and it’s an interesting take on the fairy tale. But mostly I just thought it would be kind of funny that Furihata would like a movie about a redhead who has issues with a super-strict father and a hard time fitting in with normal humans, because of course you would Furi. (I mean Ariel was basically the reason all of us 90’s kids were in love with supernaturally red hair, right...? No? Just me? //shutting up now)

(… I would absolutely read a fic about merman Akashi trying to comb his hair with a fork though, I don’t know how that would even be in character BUT I’D READ IT. XD)

And if you haven’t seen the film before or want a trip down memory lane, here are some YouTube clips of parts I mentioned in the fic! The opening, Fathoms Below, has beautiful atmosphere. Part of Your World is Ariel’s most famous song, and I pretty much ripped off the reprise of the song in Akashi’s dream sequence so let’s all crack up together about that visual, haha. I think Poor Unfortunate Souls is one of the best villain songs ever, and of course Kiss The Girl is famous and adorable (and you can see how it ends if you didn’t already know, or you forgot!).

As for Cinderella, it’s so iconic that I feel like I don’t really have to say much about it... I did briefly mention the scene with Cinderella getting ready in the morning, which is pretty well-known (also I want you all to really imagine Akashi and Furihata watching a movie where the mice all sing in those tiny high voices together), but the main thing I wanted to link is the fairy godmother’s song! It is precious and iconic and absolute NONSENSE and I will now always think of Akashi cracking up when I watch it. //laughs I also quoted the song with Cinderella and her prince, So This Is Love, which has gorgeous scenery.

And last but not least, Beauty and the Beast! For some reason I’ve had in mind for a VERY long time that Akashi only saw this Disney movie when he was a kid. (I wrote a really silly GoM fic about my headcanons for all their favorite Disney movies back in 2015, but never got around to posting it. //laughs). In any case, hopefully I made it obvious enough in the chapter why I think it’s an Akashi sort of story. (Because of course in an AkaFuri fic Akashi’s Disney crush would be a book-loving brunette who’s off in their own little world, right? Pfft.) Also, full warning, this chapter won’t be the last time I include a painfully obvious homage to this movie… I apologize in advance. xD

Anyway, one of my favorite parts is the prologue! That chiming music is so epic, and the art is breathtaking. And of course Belle’s opening song in the village is brilliant. Those two clips show off the scenery well, which ties in closely to why I referenced it in the fic. The song Something There is a great example of the way the romance develops. And I could ramble on and on, but those were the main things I referenced, so that’s probably sufficient. //laughs

… Okay and also can we just agree that all happy-ending kisses should end in a magical firework explosion? Yes? Yes. (I may or may not be planning to write a scene kind of like it for, um, a certain fic that isn’t this one… And now everyone will know my not-so-secret influences. //cough)

And if you happen to be in a Disney mood now, I’ll also link a countdown I found of the top 20 best Disney endings, which includes almost all of my favorite Disney films/some sadly underrated ones! (My personal favorites will always be #13 and #7, but I could not agree more about the top five rankings, because I am a Disney Renaissance kid. <3)

On Akashi’s Sexuality in the Series

I mentioned this a while ago, but now might be a good time to mention it again! In my AkaFuri series, Akashi is on the asexual spectrum, but I haven’t used the specific term for his identity in the fic. Partly because this fic takes place when those terms were even less commonly known (back in 2010, which is only a few years after I first came across AVEN, so the idea would have been even less familiar in Japan), and partly because he hasn’t fully discovered this about himself yet.

One of the reasons I started writing this series was that I wanted to try to capture how it feels when you haven’t completely figured out your sexuality yet. That was pretty normal among my friends and I when we were sixteen, for a lot of different reasons. (Furihata will be having a similar experience in the series too, which I’ll get into later!) Anyway, I’ll be exploring these issues in more detail in the next fic in the series, but since this chapter does mention some of the feelings Akashi has been struggling with, I thought it would be good to clarify.

On College Kids in Japan in Relationships

I had a lot of fun writing the scene where Furihata’s brother sneaks back into the house, and since it loosely references an aspect of modern Japanese culture, I should probably mention that here…

It’s not too uncommon for university students in Japan—and other young people in their twenties—to still live with their families. Which means that for the ones in relationships, it can be hard to find some (ahem) private time, especially since living spaces are often crowded and PDAs are discouraged. So it’s very normal for young people in Japan to go out to places like love hotels with their significant others…

… And that’s basically what I was implying, when it comes to where Furihata’s brother snuck off to. //laughs That’s also the context of Furihata’s mother’s lecture, and I tried to capture some of the Japanese norms about sex there as well. It’s tricky to explain how they differ from Western norms, because they’re not more “conservative” or “liberal” exactly, just different. (And they vary a lot depending on the person and what generation they’re from!)

But basically, to sum up, I was hoping to convey that Furihata’s mother isn’t upset about what Furihata’s brother is doing per se, it’s more that she’s worried about him being responsible and “appropriate” while he’s doing it. My impression is that it’s unusual that a parent would broach the subject like she does--but hopefully it’s clear that this is a part of her character. Similar to how she dealt with events in Chapter Three. (And that’s also why a character like Akashi is very embarrassed to have overheard it, poor kid. xD)

Also! For those of you who are 18+, if you want to learn more about the cultural context of love hotels in Asian countries, and what they’re like (answer: epic) I love this comic that sums it up. (The comic isn’t explicit, BUT it’s hosted on a webcomic site—that I personally love—that features 18+ comics about sex ed and sex toy reviews. So please be aware, the ads and some of the site’s illustrations are explicit! And very inclusive, sex-positive and awesome.)

On Elementary School Uniforms

I also wanted to briefly mention one of the cultural tropes in Furihata’s family photos! Japanese elementary students wear bright yellow hats when they walk to school, as a way to make them more visible to prevent accidents.

On Conbinis

This is basically just a note to say that I love Japanese convenience stores. //laughs They’re everywhere, everyone uses them, and the major chains are extremely competitive. So they’re often open around the clock, their services are amazing, and their food is delicious.

Also, here’s a random fact! Kit Kats are hugely popular in Japan, and they have all kinds of unusual and regional flavors, including green tea and wasabi and sweet potato. (Yes, really.) The trend started because of a pun in Japanese that made them a popular good-luck gift to give to exam students. Now they’re so well loved that they even have fancy chocolatier stores that sell ultra-fancy Kit Kats because… Because Japan, that’s why. XD

(Also when I post this chapter, I’m rewarding myself by ordering some hojicha Kit Kats from Amazon, because roasted tea flavored Kit Kats from Kyoto are you serious of course I want that in my mouth.)

On the Inspiration for the Walk with Furi’s Dad

I also wanted to make sure I mentioned one of my biggest inspirations for this fic! Which is that when my sister studied abroad in Japan, she stayed with an amazing host family near Hiroshima.

I’ll never forget all her stories about what it was like, but my #1 favorite is that she was awake one morning and her host dad invited her to come on a walk with him… At which point he put the family cat in a harness and they went out and walked the cat. (Maybe that’s more common in some countries, but at least in the U.S., I don’t know anyone who walks a cat? XD) She tells the story a million times better than I do, but the gist of it is that they wandered around this ultra-tiny parking lot for a few minutes and he showed her the strawberries in their garden and it was adorable and a little strange and the best thing ever. <3

I didn’t have Furihata’s dad walk a cat in the fic, sadly enough! (I decided it would be kind of distracting… Also, the Furihatas don’t technically have a cat in canon. //laughs) But I did put a cat in at the end. Partly because everything’s a metaphor, the metaphors are out of control, someone save me from myself. But mostly because I wanted to include a nod to my sister’s host dad and his family, and how much they influenced this story, by being so welcoming to her when she was so far from home. <3

[whitecometofakagi]

akafuri 19.

19 -  Kisses because I don’t want you to go and maybe I can convince you to stay just a few minutes longer

Apologies to anyone who sent me a kiss meme prompt for the delay, but as you can see this little fic (and a few of the others I am working on) didn’t want to stay a drabble! I hope you will enjoy!

The Race Is the Game (read on Ao3 - recommended) 

Warnings: Mentions of minor character death

Summary: “Tell me, why is it that you drive?”

That should be a simple enough question. But high-schoolstudent and tofu delivery driver, Furihata Kouki, has never thought of himselfas a driver, let alone a street racer. Now one of Japan’s fastest andwealthiest racers, Akashi Seijuurou, is eating tofu soup at his house andasking him personal questions, all in an attempt to lure him back out to themountain passes. Why should Furihata want to partake in such a dangerousactivity? And what was it that made Akashi so passionate about driving anyway?

Street Racing AU; loosely based on the anime/manga seriesInitial D

(No need to be familiar with the series to enjoy.)

Authors Notes can be found on Ao3

“So, can I plan on seeing you again?”

Furihata’s eyes widened, as he stared down into his bowl ofsoup, avoiding eye contact with Akashi.

“W-what do you mean?” Furihata asked, collectinghis breath and looking up, expecting to see red eyes trained on his tremblingfigure. Instead, he exhaled at the sight in front of him; Akashi was buryinghis face behind a large bowl of soup, leaning his head back to pour out everylast drop of its contents. When he finished, he let out a sigh and placed theempty bowl on the table with a small satisfied smile. It was the most relaxedFurihata had ever seen him. He looked almost casual, dressed in a blackbutton-down shirt, dark jeans, and the one silver chain he always wore, staringlongingly at the now empty bowl of tofu soup. The only thing contrasting fromhis relaxed image was the fact that he was sitting in formal seiza – yet, his inability to shake hisformality completely, even when relaxed, was oddly endearing.

“At the togue,”Akashi replied, looking up from the bowl, finally. “It would be my honorto race against you again one day.”

“I-I told you!” Furihara sputtered, looking backdown at his bowl. “Our battle was just one time! I’m not a s-street racer,or something. I don’t do that!”  

“Funny,” Akashi replied with a chuckle. “Icould have sworn your friend – Fukuda, was it? – said something about youdriving down the mountain every day.”

“To deliver my dad’s tofu that you’re so happilyconsuming,” Furihata quipped back. Where exactly he had suddenly found theconfidence to talk back to Akashi he wasn’t sure, but something about howrelaxed the atmosphere was could certainly have been part of it.

“So are you saying that unless I come watch you at fourAM, I’ll never see you again?” Akashi asked.

For some reason, the question made Furihata’s heart feel asthough it had slammed into his chest – like a fishtailing car crashing into aguardrail. “You could come to the tofu shop!?” he suggested.“You seemed to like the meal.”

Akashi chuckled to himself and shook his head. “I don’toften have a free evening during your father’s hours I’m afraid. But, perhaps,I will have to become a patron on my days off. It’s been some time since Itasted tofu soup so delicious. Yet, I do wish I could see you more often. Yourstyle of driving intrigues me.”

“I don’t think it’s anything special,” Furihatareplied, with a small nervous chuckle. Then, he quieted, suddenly realizing theimplications of what he had just said. “I-I’m sorry,” he apologizedquickly, “I’m not trying to insult you by saying you…you know…lost to aloser or something!  It’s just…I knowthis mountain really well, you know?! I’m sure I’d have lost anywhere else!It’s not like I know any racing techniques or anything.”

“Not by the book,” Akashi said. “That doesn’tmean you don’t know them instinctively.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. Really.”

“Furihata,” Akashi said, and then paused, the waya mother might call a child or a sensei might call a student before lecturingthem.

Furihata looked into Akashi’s eyes, surprised by the suddengravitas that the use of his name had brought to the conversation.

“Tell me, why is it that you drive?” he asked.

“To del–”

“And, please,” Akashi interrupted, “do notrespond with a half-witted answer about delivering tofu for your father.”

“B-but…”

“One of the things that impressed me the most aboutyour driving was how perfectly synchronized you seemed with your 86. Rarely aremy instincts wrong. You feel something when you drive. I am sure of it.”  

“I don’t know…”

“How did it feel, when you raced against me?”Akashi asked. “Can you describe what was going through your mind?”

“Well, at first I was horrified that I was doing it,because it’s dangerous, and illegal, and I could have killed myself. Did you know, the Truenodoesn’t have airbags like these fancy modern cars do? It doesn’t have anti-lockbrakes, either. Or power-assisted steer…”

“I assure you, I already know all of the specificationsof your car,” Akashi responded, “and not simply the stock ones,either.”

“H-how…?”

“My teammates call it the ‘Emperor Eye’,” Akashireplied, in a joking tone that Furihata hadn’t realized Akashi even knew how touse. “I won’t disclose the true secrets. But you’re getting off track.Your feelings while driving? Remember?”

“Aaah, yes. So, at first I was terrified. But…then itwas, kind of fun I guess? I wish I could answer your question, I really do. Butit’s more like I just kind of decided that driving wasn’t as bad as I thoughtit was. Racing would be kind of enjoyable if it wasn’t insane and dangerous.And, honestly, Akashi-san, have you ever considered that you might die…”

“I assure you, I have, Furihata-san,” Akashireplied, in a voice so stern that Furihata snapped his mouth shut. Akashi’seyes really were locked on him now. Furihata diverted his gaze. There wassilence.

When Furihata looked back up, he noticed Akashi fidgetingwith the chain he wore around his neck, and suddenly wondered if he’d saidsomething Akashi had taken offense to. Fidgeting was such a human response toawkward tension, it seemed unseemly for the 'Red Emperor of mountain pass’ todo such a thing. But, all evening, Akashi had hardly been the person Furihatakept expecting him to be. Part of him felt ashamed for making so manyassumptions.  

Furihata watched as Akashi continued to move his hand along thechain. He had always wondered if there was something on it – down below whereit was always tucked underneath his shirt. It had always been impossible totell. But, today, the buttons on Akashi’s shirt were undone just enough to giveFurihata a small peak. As Akashi moved the chain to the side, the object slidinto visibility for just a moment. And, if he wasn’t mistaken, it was anignition key. Was Akashi so obsessed with driving that he carried a spare keywith him everywhere? It made Furihata wonder about the very thing Akashi hadjust asked him. Maybe Furihata had no clue why he drove – but Akashi must havesome idea of his own motivation.

“Akashi-san…can I ask why you drive?” Furihataasked, hesitantly.

Akashi sighed, his fingers grasping the key around his neckand squeezing it tightly.

“It’s a personal matter,” he replied.

“Oh…” Furihata replied, looking back down at theground. “That’s ok.”

“But…between defeating me, providing me with thislovely meal, and the fact that I may not see you again, I suppose you haveearned the right to know.”

Furihata’s eyes widened his heart racing. “Y-you don’thave to!” he began to protest.

“I wish to,” Akashi replied.

Furihata nodded, and forced himself to make eye contact withAkashi once more.

“You see,” Akashi began, with a small sigh,“my father wasn’t always the dispassionate man he became. When he wasyounger, he used to brush off his responsibilities at times. He and a few ofhis classmates from his old boarding school would go out to the togue and smoke and watch theracers.”

“Did he race?” Furihata asked.

Akashi chuckled quietly and shook his head. “I doubt hehad the aptitude for it,” he replied. “My mother told me that hetried once, spun out, and never tried again. He’s difficult, like that.”

Akashi smiled, and Furihata took it as a cue that it was okto laugh. Akashi seemed to respond positively to that, his smile widening,though his eyes were distant and unfocused.

“No, he didn’t race. He simply loved to watch. And,more than anything, he loved to watch the best racer on the pass – 'the RedEmpress.’”

Furihata’s eyes widened. 'Red Empress?’ But that was justlike Akashi’s nickname….

“Racers across Kanto had trouble believing the fastestracer in Tokyo was a woman, but those who saw her race said her skill wasunparalled,” Akashi continued. “They say she could drift as well as aprofessional. That she could make a FR look like a 4-wheel drive. I never hadthe chance to see. I wasn’t old enough to be out so late, around so manystrangers. But I do remember that she was beautiful. She got her nickname fromher long, red hair, and her fondness for red vehicles. The last one she ownedwas an FC…” Akashi’s fingers wrapped around the key on his neck oncemore, and Furihata gasped.

“I’m not sure how my father seduced her,” Akashishook his head. “I wasn’t old enough to be curious, and father would nevertell me now. I’ll never get the chance to ask.”

Furihata’s palms felt sweaty and his throat heavy. His heartached for Akashi, and he hated the fact he had ever seen him as sounapproachable, when all this time Akashi was carrying a heavy loss in hisheart. Could it be that the reason Akashi was begging him to come back to the togue was not merely for a revengematch, or to test Furihata’s skills, but because he was lonely?

“No one is sure of the details, but she crashed the FCoff of the third hairpin,” Akashi said quietly, his eyes cold and lost tospace behind Furihata’s head. “If I hadn’t been old enough to know, myfather probably would have tried to hide his knowledge of cars. He spent therest of my childhood begging me not to race.”

“So why do you do it?” Furihata asked, wincing athis own question, hoping it wasn’t too insensitive. But he didn’t even knowanyone who had died in an accident, and, still, the entire prospect of racinghad always scared him. How was Akashi not afraid?

“I never got to see my mother race, but she told mestories” Akashi replied, fortunately seeming to take the question with nooffense. “I never saw her smile brighter than when we talked about cars.She’d buy me toy models, and sometimes, if she saw me playing with a car shehad raced again, she’d take the toys and recreate the stories of her ownbattles. Until that final race, she had never lost.” He shook his head,but carried on.

“She told me that it was her dream to become thefastest racer in Japan. She had hoped to travel to other prefectures when I wasa bit older. My father used to think she could even go pro. But she never hadthat chance.”

“I know I’m supposed to carry on my father’s legacy –to run the family business. And it’s not even that I don’t want to. In manyways, I do. But I owe her the same respect I owe my father.  I will become the fastest in Japan.” Hiseyes shown with pure determination, sending a shiver down Furihata’s spine.

“So…the key you wear around your neck…?” Furihataasked.

“The spare key to her FC,” Akashi replied. “Ialways keep it with me as a reminder. She’s the reason I drive a red RX-7 aswell – though, I drive the FD, as you know.”

Furihata nodded. “Sorry if I judged you,” he said.He felt sad, for what had happened in Akashi’s past, but mostly he felt guilt.Guilt for having judged Akashi for street racing, for telling him it wasdangerous, for not being able to share as good of a reason for why he drove.

“You needn’t apologize, Furihata,” Akashi replied.“I did not tell this to shame you. I told you this because I trust you.And, perhaps, because I wish you would come back. No two racers have the samemotivation. Racing is deeply personal, and that’s what draws me to it. Even infollowing my mother’s dream I have discovered passions that are truly my own.You seem so convinced that you are nothing more than average, Furihata. But Ithink, if you hone your racing ability, you’d realize that I am right aboutyou. There’s something special about you.”

“I’ll think about it,” Furihata said, with a smallnod of the head.

“Not good enough,” Akashi replied, shaking hishead.

“Seriously?” Furihata whined.

“Perhaps this will give you something else to thinkabout,” Akashi retorted, reaching across the table and taking Furihata’shand in his own.

Furihata felt his cheeks flush.

Akashi pressed a small kiss to the back of Furihata’s hand,before letting go. “I’ll see you Saturday night,” he said with agrin.

[evelhak]

Reply to @myndless88 who filled this ask, being so wise to know that I wanted to see the KnB version even though I asked for Sailor Moon, because I was getting self-conscious about never asking about anything but KnB! Thank you so much. Here’s my version. <3

My OTP: KagaKuro (duh)

My NOTP: You know what, kinda same: Any other ship involving Kuroko, but also Kagami, and it’s not that I can’t see any potential in other ships, it’s just that I want KagaKuro to be forever. And I guess the Kuroko ships bother me a bit more too, because it’s Kuroko who always gets the harem treatment and there’s just something about it that I dislike. I don’t like the idea that everyone is into Kuroko over anyone else. I guess Momoi, Nash and Hanamiya make my blood boil the most, though.

MY OT3: I don’t think I have one... I have plans to explore polyamory in my fics but that might be happening between characters who all just happen to be my OCs. :’D So, that doesn’t count.

A currently canon ship I’m okay with but don’t prefer: It’s true practically no ship is canon, except Riko and Kiyoshi being exes... or like Tsuchida and his nameless girlfriend. But I do consider Riko x Hyuuga (is there a ship name for that, I’ve never seen one?) and AoMomo being sort of canon because it has been so heavily implied. But they still don’t count for this, because they are my preferred ships. So, really can’t think of anything.

A ship that would only work in an AU but would be awesome: I also can’t think of anything, because my brain just doesn’t work in AUs... if something needs an AU to work, then to me it kind of doesn’t have a point. (My exception is dreamworld fics that contribute to my huge canonverse story. I’m not opposed to reading other people’s AUs though, I’m quite intrigued about yours!) But no, I can’t think of any ship that would be inherently interesting. Not that I couldn’t be convinced.

A ship I’d like to see explored but not stick around: Sometimes when I’m half-asleep, my brain is like... If KagaKuro broke up for a while in adulthood, I could see Kise and Kuroko having a one-night stand... but when I’m all there, I’m like, no, I’m not going to write that. (Everything that it would thematically bring to my story has been explored already, so I’m not going to repeat myself just so Kise can fulfil some teenage fantasy). So, that’s a bad answer, actually. Hmm, well, I kind of see AkaFuri as something that could happen (way in the future) but wouldn’t last. So that’s a better one.

A ship that may as well be canon:  Well, same as you, KagaKuro and MidoTaka. But also Riko x Hyuuga and AoMomo.

The ships I’d give my OTP pair if the other died: I really don’t want to think about this, but if I’m honest, yeah, if both Aomine and Kuroko ended up alone, I feel like they might end up together. Interestingly enough, I feel like the same could happen with Momoi and Kagami. I know that’s a rare pair for sure, but I’ve discovered the potential of their friendship in my fics. Under no other circumstances could I see either of these ships happening, but in these particular cases I think it would eventually happen, because in my headcanon these four keep becoming closer friends as they get older, so the pull of the person who understands your loss would probably be irresistible in the end... dear lord, I don’t want to think about this further.

A crossover ship I’d dig: This is too much for me.

A ship that would work great in a Coffee Shop AU: I don’t think I can do better than your AkaFuri idea. I'm embarrassingly ignorant of popular fanfiction tropes, to be honest.

A ship that would work great in a sitcom AU: I know this doesn’t say much, but I’ve been kind of shipping Yagi with an OC lately, I’m not sure yet, but I do think they would be funny enough together for this.

I'm happy to do this for another fandom too if anyone wants to know.

[humanity-shortest-soldier]

For the author ask: 1, 4, 8, 9, 14, 21 and 25?

Author Ask Here

1) Is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason? I guess I’m sort of holding off on finishing the next chapter of ‘Exactly My Type’. I’m not intending too, but I’m hella writer-blocked on it, and like… I’m super worried about screwing it up? A lot of big stuff is suppose to happen in this chapter, and I’m paranoid about not doing it right, and disappointing everyone who is looking forward to it. But putting it off makes me feel even worse, because I know people are waiting for it, so it’s like this endless cycle that’s driving me crazy. (I have a few days off this week tho, so maaaaybe I can get more of it done soon!

4) Favorite character you’ve written? I haven’t written for many characters so far, but my first favorite has got to be Mayuzumi. I live for his salty personality and snarky remarks, and he’s just way too fun to write for! Furihata is definitely my favorite that I’ve written the most for. I relate to him so much, but he’s so much braver and determined than I could ever be. He’s just an all around sweet little nugget, and I want to protect him forever. I also like writing for Akashi in theory, but I have a really hard time conveying his character, I think. (Bonus points to writing for Bokushi because again, I love snark.)

8) Favorite genre to write? Does fluff count as a genre? Because it’s fluff. Other than that, I don’t think I really have a preference? I’m definitly wary about more unfamiliar territory, but I’d be open to anything!

9) What, if anything, do you do for inspiration? I read a shit ton of other fics. It sort of works for inspiration, but it also lowkey makes me never want to write again, because everyone is so talented and I feel like I can never live up to the amazing things other people have written. Other than that, I don’t really do much. Occasionally conversations with friends will inspire a fic idea, and I love it when that happens, but that’s about it.

14) Do you make playlists for your current wips? I do not, but I really like the idea of it! I think it’s mainly because all I really listen to is like… heavy metal and hard rock, which doesn’t really go with the fluffy garbage that I write, lol. I would need someone who is actually musically educated to make one for me, haha!

21) What do you think when you read over your older work? Like I never want to write again, lol! For that reason, I generally don’t read over anything I’ve already posted. I triple check before I post it, and I’ll give it one more once-over after I post it, and then I never look at it again. (I did recently re-read ‘Exactly My Type’, to refresh myself, and I hated every second of it, haha) I know I’m not going to like reading my older stuff, so I save myself the despair and just don’t do it if I can avoid it. 

25) Copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of: Oh god, lmao! I want to answer with “I’m not proud of anything I’ve written!” but that would be taking the easy way out, and I’m not a bitch, lol. (This took me forever to decide on, by the way! haha)

Akashi pushed to his feet in one fluid movement. He turned and, without thinking about it, extended his hand to Furihata, intending to help him to his feet.

 Furihata stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. Seconds passed, and Akashi was almost convinced that Furihata would refuse his assistance. It was only when he noticed the red on Furihata’s cheeks that he realized why the gesture might seem odd.

 Akashi looked at his extended hand, following Furihata’s line of sight, suddenly becoming aware of the red string knotted around his pinky finger.

 Before he could retract his hand, however, Furihata reached out. Akashi watched as Furihata’s trembling hand came closer, before carefully grasping his.

 Akashi pushed the sudden reminder of the string away. They had both agreed it was meaningless, after all. There was no reason for it to bother him now, and clearly Furihata had similar thoughts on the matter, if he accepted Akashi’s hand.

**This is from my other multi-chaptered AkaFuri fic, ‘Defying Fate’. I haven’t updated in a while, because work picked up and I got distracted with other things, but it will be finished at some point, I swear! It’s going to be long as shit, and the dumbest, slowest burn, but it’ll be there!

[courtingstars]

New Year’s Fic Resolutions! (Plus Last Miracle preview)

The next chapter of Storming the Castle is going up tomorrow! It’s all ready to post, I just need to write the notes for it. (This chapter in particular has some Japanese cultural stuff that might need some explaining, so I figured I should make sure I don’t procrastinate on that!) I’m hoping I can respond to comments on the first chapter tonight, before the second one goes up.

On that note, I wanted to share my fic resolutions for 2017, mostly so I can hold myself more accountable. (And because I’m posting a preview for one of them tonight!) For 2017, I would like to:

Respond more consistently to comments because I FAIL AT THIS. Mostly because I get so happy and excited and then I don’t actually know what to say? OTL Anyway, I’m going to try to be better about it this year!

Post the rest of Storming the Castle as soon as I can. I’m going to try to finish it this month, in fact! (This... might sound laughable coming from the person who took a year to write Fast Train. XD But the draft is pretty close to half complete! IN ANY CASE, I’M HOPEFUL.)

Finish the kiss meme requests I took in the fall.

I’m hoping I can also finish a few more of my shorter projects! And I’m going to keep posting my AkaFuri series A Spark of Light, of course, because I REALLY can’t wait to write the third fic. But starting in February I will also be focusing on...

WRITE THE LAST MIRACLE, FINALLY. This is my main goal for 2017.❤️

For those who are unfamiliar with The Last Miracle, this is the mother of all my future fics! It’s set in a future verse that ties into a lot of other my KnB stories. It will be a novel-length multi-chapter story about all of the Generation of Miracles when they’re in their mid-twenties, and what happens when their old friends want them to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

So in celebration of the new year, I’m posting the summary and prologue, which you can read on Ao3 here! (I’ll also put it in a separate post for tagging. My tag for all my posts related to the fic so far is here.)

(Cut for me being an excited dork and explaining a little about the narrator and the fic tags and pairings, etc...)

I had too much fun with the prologue, and it probably shows. XD I’m especially excited to reveal who the main narrator of the story is (hopefully you’ll recognize him!) and JUST HOW FAR INTO THE FUTURE this fic goes? //laughs I also really need to give a shoutout to the awesome @memedoritos for calling who the narrator is based on a post I wrote about that KagaKuro wedding fic in November. (Which is kind of a prologue to The Last Miracle in its own right!)

... I’m also beyond happy that I fit the ’92 Dream Team into a KnB fic for various reasons. XD I won’t ramble too much about it here, but the 1992 Olympics were the first ones I can remember watching (I was six!), and my dad was obsessed with basketball at the time (pretty much everyone was in the 90′s) and I’m ETERNALLY AMUSED that no matter what date you go with for Kuroko no Basuke, the characters were all born during this golden era of basketball.

Anyway, now you can check out the tags for the fic over on Ao3 and get a rough idea of some of the VERY MEAN THINGS I have planned for the story (I’m sorry in advance, there will be a lot of angst in this one). I may change the rating and add tags once I start posting, because it’s possible there may be changes, and as for pairings... Well. //laughs I tried to tag all pairings that have a significant story arc in the fic. This does not include one-sided pining or minor pairings or, say, past one-night stands, because... There would be too many tags? //tries to look innocent, completely fails

(... Did I mention this fic will have sex scenes? Like, a lot of them? I know, the world is ending. XD)

Anyway, enjoy! I’m hoping to start posting concept art from The Last Miracle this month too, because apparently that’s a thing. //eyes sketch pile