#and if youre doing adventurous things and your phone goes through a lot its still a good idea

[good-beans]

how did you make the milgram phone covers?

Woo craft time! My original inspiration for the style was from searihart, and she wrote up a lovely reference post on doing the scrapbooking here! It definitely helped me a lot when planning and putting together these two

So, I started with the clear phone case and some scrap paper. I traced the inside as best I could and cut the little rectangle out. I stuck it inside, tested it on my phone, made some adjustments, and cut another one out. I did this a few times until I was satisfied with how it sat inside the case. (You can draw the middle hole to make sure it lines up, but you don't need to worry about cutting it out for all these test-shapes). Once I had one that fit well, I used it as a template to cut out my main piece of construction paper.

I had a fair amount of craft supplies already (the lace, sequins, little strawberries and stickers from Rokkucha), but other than that everything was printed out/drawn myself! I didn't have a ton of patterns for the bigger shapes, so I tried to print some from the mvs as well as finding the individual images. I glued everything down, purposefully dipping into the center holes.

Then I cut out those holes. If you have an exacto knife I would recommend that. If not, uhhh, a pocket knife and kitchen cutting board work just fine 😅 You may want to add some clear nail polish/modpodge right around it, since it'll be exposed to the elements more than the other parts. I still need to do that for mine, it sits juuust off enough that if I were to spill something it could get onto the edges...

I attached the paper with a single loop of tape onto the back of my phone while I put the clear case over it. This helps 1. if you have a textured design that's hard to attach right to the case, 2. if you plan on swapping out multiple designs like I am, and 3. makes it so there's no risk of glue or tape showing.

Now, the little strawberry at the bottom of Mappi's actually pushed the case up a bit, and made it impossible for my charging plug to connect all the way 😅 I was able to fiddle around with it so that it works fine -- it's still pretty thin, but if you've got thicker materials just be wary of that.

Good luck with yours, I hope it goes well :D

[kustas]

Do you have reccs for "ugly" art (manga, comics, movie, etc.)? Thanks for the Tekkon recs btw I really liked it

That really depends on your own personal media landscape and what your definition of "ugly" is! As a random example, I've seen many people call ONE's art ugly because of the wobbly linework when I think it's lovely. Ugly could also mean something a bit shocking/crass in its themes. Etc, etc... I'm going to go with the definition of "something that's a bit jarring to look at or go through" here :)

Disclaimer: a lot of these tackle sensitive topics, sometimes for fun and not always tastefully. If there's themes you really can't handle in media, do your research before looking into them.

Manga

I keep recommending yes because it rules but Dorohedoro and its scratchy messy art and gore galore. talking about the manga exclusively here the anime is too polished for my taste

God's Child (Kami no Kodomo): tbh this one is for the art only I hated the writing. very gruesome & unique looking short story

I hesitate to recommend this one because it's edgy as hell but I shan't lie I had a lot of fun with Hellsing. it's "bad" in the same areas as something like berserk but unlike that one it does not take itself seriously

if you liked Tekkon i strongly suggest trying out more stuff by its author (saying this with immense biais). the most ugly/messy thing i've read of his, which isn't a lot because i find his work very delicate, is No. 5 which i would less describe as "good" than "very compelling to me". i also recommend this wonderful essay tearing it down

Comics (non JP)

FLEEP: a short story about a man who wakes up in a phone cabin seemingly encased in concrete. one of the comics i always recommend for its length and storytelling. (link leads to the artist's website where you can read it for free!)

The Astonishing Exploits Of Lucien Brindavoine: a young artist gets drafted in the first world war and goes through a series of almost supernatural adventures. beyond the adventure book aspect, a harsh criticism of nationalism/patriotism that's still awfully relevant

Animation

Ruben Brandt: Collector: a psychiatrist suffers from strange art related nightmares ruining his life. his clients, a bunch of high profile criminals, decide to help him fight off his demons by organizing one long vacation where they steal every painting involved. extremely unique visually, a fun heist movie with thriller elements.

Junk Head: goofy post apocalyptic movie about a man on a quest to save, who keeps losing sight his goal because cartoony violence episodes have his head tumble into new lows, literally. this is, perhaps, one of my favorite animated films ever, it's earnest and fun and lovingly crafted. very unique of a watch

The Apostle: freshly escaped from prison, a thief is on a mission to find treasure hidden by his old cellmate, and finds himself stuck in an ancient village who's strange looking elderly inhabitants are way too insistent on his stay. classic spooky folktale with its millennial curses and foreboding warnings, it's also a nice peek into the culture of Galicia and old world medieval weirdass catholicism. you can buy a DVD on their website

MKFZ: dumb as hell high adrenaline animated B movie with excellent animation. there's a plot about alien living undercover in fantasy california but you don't watch this kind of film for the plot. fair warning this is adapted from a french comic so of course, it's crass and racist

Blow to the Head - Lightning bolt: awesome music video (YT link)(warning for flashing/strobing lights if you're sensitive to that!)

Canon Fodder: from the Memories omnibus film. little slice of the life of a fantasy war obsessed industrial nation

with its new movie on the horizon, it's a great time to get into Mononoke, despite traditionally pretty visuals its got a unique style and gets pretty offputting

Live action cinema

7:35 in the morning: short film about the fear in improvised musical numbers where you don't expect any. it's on youtube in bad quality

The Draughtsman's Contract: an artist is hired by a Lady to draw several vistas of her house, in exchange for money, good drawing condition, and the Lady. follows a good hour of cunts in powdery wigs being awful to each other for their own gain. if you're into dark humor it's a good test, otherwise it has a really satisfying murder mystery to follow too.

Three Kings: during the gulf war, a group of US soldiers decide to steal Hussein's gold for themselves under the mighty standard of kuwait's loot repatriation. extremely caustic take on good ol murican international politics. i was shocked at how far it goes and it's express, low budget treatment which i did not expect from a hollywood film. the movie tires itself fast and becomes less good in its second half but the it's opening acts are interesting

Delicatessen: a sliver of humanity survives in an old timey stone building in the middle of nothingness on top of a functional butcher's shop. gossip follows the arrival of a new roommate. how does one even maintain a butchery in a no man's land? weird film with a unique(ly goofy) take on the post apocalyptic genre

Other

For traditional artists, I like the works of Beksinski (<3), Schiele, Giger. For modern artists Oleg Vdovenko (heavy gore warning for that one), Jeff Simpson

I'm less a fan of the MV and live performances they got infamous for than their music proper but I really like the band Cardiacs, who's judged by many of my friends to be extremely hard to get into lol.

[pixelchills]

Not sure if you've been asked but have you read any good sun/moon or sun/moon/y-n fics lately or have any you recommend? I'm in the process of reading yours. So far so good!

Hi! Sorry it took me a couple of days to answer this, I had to actually think really hard of some of my favourite fics to recommend, as so many of the on-going ones have been abandoned for months, but I personally like multichapter fics over one-shots. So, anyways.

None of my recommendations are Sun/Moon/Reader fics, because I do not read reader-inserts. Besides one Solar/Reader fic based on my own AU, all the other fics are Sun/Moon (mostly romantic, but I have a couple of platonic ones I like as well!)

My current favourite on-going fic is "Yellow" by Haru1027: Moon gets a new human partner to do his nightly patrols with him, and Sun doesn't like how the girl acts around Moon. She is literally trying to steal Moon from Sun! Sun and Moon are in an established relationship here. I love this fic because Sun's anxiety, Moon's obliviousness, and the unnamed nightguard's character are so well written and I've been on the edge of my seat every time a new chapter gets posted because I'm so scared of what she will try to do next to mess with Sun's love. Moon is obviously a very adoring and loving boyfriend, but the girl keeps coming up with a lot of stuff that just stings right into poor Sunny's heart! (CW: Has smut in some chapters.)

The next fic I'm not completely sure if it's still continuing or not, since it hasn't been updated for a while, is "Runaway Robots" by Made_Of_Galaxies: Sun overhears that he and Moon are about to get decommissioned. Moon takes forcefully over their body, and runs away. The story focuses on their survival in the outside world; they need a place to stay, a way to hide, and a spot to charge. I love this fic because their relationship is so cute. Both of them are written in a way that I personally headcanon them to be, and they're just so sweet with each other my heart literally melts. The adventure and slight angst add nicely to the story.

The next fic is "Long Distance In The Same Body" by SplatteredRaccoon, though, I'm not sure if it has been abandoned. It has a short prequel, "I'll Be Waiting, When You Wake Up...". Sun and Moon lose their headlink connection due to their new body upgrades after the fire. Thankfully, the new staff is nice enough to gift them a phone! They start recording videos for each other. The fic is very cute and has that sort of silly miscommunication tease of both of them obviously pining over each other, but being too shy to admit it aloud. Some Sun-sided jealousy is added as well, which I always find interesting to read.

This one is not a ship-fic, but more of a parental/sibling relationship. "Big Brother Moon" by NightingaleWitch7: Moondrop is an advanced Daycare robot good at his job. But he starts to get stressed, and it ends up in an accident where the Daycare needs to be closed for a while, and his supervisor starts to look for another helping hand for him. Moondrop thinks he doesn't need it, but the higher-ups think the opposite. After sneaking around the Plex while being bored due to the Daycare being closed, Moondrop stumbles upon a small robot baby in his supervisor's workshop. He takes the baby to himself, eventually naming it Sundrop. Moondrop's caretaking code clearly was playing some tricks on him, as he tries to accompany himself with the new, adorable baby bot he literally stole while the Daycare goes through its renovations. Baby Sundrop is literally the most adorable thing in the world. This fic is very slow-paced, and I was actually struggling a little bit at first because of my short attention span, but now I'm waiting for the new chapters a lot because Moondrop is written in a very nice and funny way, and baby Sundrop really makes me want to get a baby robot on my own... XD

Another fic that can be read either romantic or platonic is a oneshot, "Be Still" by QueenEvac: Sun is ADHD and ASD coded, and can't sit still to appreciate the world around him. Moon helps him, and it is just so fricking cute.

Another oneshot recommendation is "Love of Mine" by RanniParty: This is literally in my bookmarks as "Re-read when u need fluff". After the fire destroys the Pizzaplex, Sun wakes up, but he is alone in his body, without Moon is his code. He grieves over his other half, only to see him walk through the door in his own, separate body. The fluff in this is so immaculately cute, this fic is my rainy-day saviour.

And here are some explicit/adult-content fics that I'd recommend for adult readers:

"Redeeming the Stinky Man" by quixotic_calamity: The Solar x Reader fic I mentioned. Now, as I am not a big fan of reader-inserts, nor am I into smelly mutants, but chapter 2 of this fic literally made me simp for my own stinky character. Quix did an amazing job writing him so well, and the story is set very nicely in the universe, even though it's mostly just going to be smut for the two last chapters. So far, Quix has only posted the first chapter, but I've already read the second one since she sent it to me privately, and it is very... interesting and Solar-like. Boy just needs a bath and a reward- I know this isn't Sun/Moon/Reader, but more of Eclipse/Reader.

Another smut fic from Quix is "Blackberries and Lavender", which I'll soon post separately as its own post too. This is also from my Animutant AU, and after reading it, I've decided to make it canon to the universe. It's a oneshot about Moondrop overcoming his trauma of 'being not pure' and hating his vagina due to the past he had with El Chip. Sunrise helps him to gain the trust and worth of his body back in a very Sun-typical way. The fic is absolutely adorable, and despite being a sex fic, it is so fluffy your teeth will rot worse than Solar. Sun and Moon are perfectly in-character, which makes it so perfect to fit the AU Canon.

The next, possibly still on-going(?) NSFW fic is "All's fair in Robo-Dicks and War" by LavalampGoldfish: This fic is, as the name suggests, technically about robot genitals. It's written from Monty's POV, but Sun and Moon play kind of an important role in this. Monty loses a bet and is forced to go to the weirdo-land (Daycare). When he sneaks in he sees Sun and Moon having sex. The fic follows Monty's inner and outer struggles of trying to understand WHY the Daycare attendants have dicks, who gave them to them, and can he have one too. The fic is so funny and well-written, I am in love how (to my own headcanons) accurately this fic describes the relationships between the characters. I would lie if I didn't say my own fic was inspired by some of the characteristics given to the characters in this fic. The parts where Sun and Moon show up are so adorable, Moon is SO overprotective of his precious Sunshine, and Sun just wants to be friends with everyone. I don't wanna spoil too much, but reading Sun and Moon from someone who dislikes them POV is a refreshing experience. The humour is really top-tier in this one as well.

----

Here's my recommendation list, I hope you like it! :>

[shiyorin]

A Random Collection

This is random things from the note app on my phone. Most of them are excerpts that I had to remove because they are not suit for fics anymore, but I still love those.

"Are you kidding?" She ticked points off on knuckles. "No relationship experience? Overbearing daddy issues? Probable performance problems downstairs? You're not red flag. You're red alert."

…

She pursed lips, as if divining some great mystery. "Hmm. Three possibilities come to mind. One - you weird religious cult type dudes, taken strict vows of celibacy?"

"Absolutely not!" Guilliman protested stiffly.

She ticked off a finger. "Two - dear old dad Big E raised you all to be socially inept man - children?"

Sanguinius cleared his throat delicately. "While Father emphasized scholarly pursuits, I'm certain matters of the heart suffered no neglect."

"Uh huh." She grinned like a fox scenting easy prey. "Which leaves option three - maybe the old family jewels just… don't work so good, if you know what I mean?"

An eruption of offended squawks answered, Angron leaping to defend primal functions in crass terms best left unquoted. She threw head back laughing at their discomfiture.

…

"Seriously though boys - this lifestyle screams more red flags than a Soviet parade. Maybe consider loosering up some? Live a little?" Her grin turned wry. "Unless you actually like being walking hormones with no outlets. Each to their own, I guess."

…

"A girl enjoys keeping royalty on their toes."

"You call that keeping him on his toes? More like knocking him senseless!"

…

"Come now, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Buried alongside our sense of self preservation."

…

"You lot look like the cryptkeeper after a bender. I resemble Cate Blanchett risen from some Classical goddess."

…

"As if any of you dullard men could compare. I am art, poetry, passion given form. You're just 'thank you, next'."

…

The moral? Never judge a book by its cover, or an ape by its goggles. The Jokaero may seem quaint and amusing in their orange fur, but their tech will ruin your day in a nanosecond.

So the next time you face a goggled chimp wielding a grenade ring, do yourself a favor: back away slowly and pray to whatever gods you worship that the chimp just wants a banana, not your fiery oblivion. Because when they says "Get the fucking fool, Mr. Muffin." you do not want to be the fool in question.

…

"Well, it seems your reckless merging of xeno and imperial has finally born fruit."

"Indeed. Fruit that twitches, hisses and tries to eat your face off."

…

She smiled in satisfaction. "That'll teach you to call me not cute." She examined her reflection, preening. "Who's the cutest assassin in the galaxy? That's right, me!"

…

"A woman's got to have hobbies."

"If your hobby is torturing us, you must be incredibly bored."

…

The soapy bubble will pop. The puddle will dry. But the Firstborn will remain, sleeping in the dust of stars, waiting to be reborn. For we lit the first spark in the cosmos. And even death cannot extinguish that light. Though the ending draws near, we greet it with open arms, for at the last, we return to begin once more.

…

They persisted. And slowly, an escape plan began to form. Two parts genius, one part madness and 100% unlikely to work. This will either fail spectacularly or turn they all into newtons. Either way….

…

"Someone who knew nothing of knowledge spoke."

"Someone who knew nothing but knowledge spoke!"

…

As the Imperium fell into twilight and decay, the cat lived on. When at last the Emperor's light dimmed to an ember glow, it was still there, curled up at His foot, the one constant in a changing universe.

The story goes that when at last the Imperium crumbles to dust, cats will roam through empty Palaces once more. They will nap in thrones meant for giants, bathing in sunlight still streaming through stained glass windows. They will rule the galaxy, not through duty or destiny, but by birthright of carefree whimsy that even gods cannot defy. And so it shall always be, when at last the Imperium's golden dream fades into memory, and stray cats wander freely through ruins.

[youllallriseintheink]

A Road Further, Chapter 2: A Champion's Trials

A Road Further is the story of the Paldea trio going on various adventures as life goes on for them after the events of Violet.

Sorry this took so long, everyone! I accidentally wrote two chapters for Nemona (I thought I could stuff more into one chapter than I managed to) instead of one. The next chapter of hers will be released tomorrow after I fix it up.

I hope you all enjoy this!

---

Nemona woke to the sound of blinds being pulled back and a sudden light falling on her.

“Time to get up, mi hija,” came Geeta’s voice

Nemona blearily opened her eyes. Geeta was already dressed in another of her suits- grey this time- and looked alert and alive. This didn’t strike Nemona as surprising until she turned to the alarm clock and saw that it was 5:30 AM.

Wow, how does she do it? Nemona wondered as she rolled out of bed.

“You have fifteen minutes to shower. After that, we’ll get you styled for the day and discuss your team options over breakfast,” Geeta explained.

Not much later, Geeta was braiding Nemona’s hair into a tight, low braid and explaining the day ahead.

“The first round consists of eight battles, starting at nine and ending at seven.”

“With a one-hour time limit for each, industry standard?”

“Yes. And your battle today is against Leon, scheduled for 1 pm,” Geeta explained, twisting the ponytail elastic around the braid.

Nemona took a look in the mirror. She liked what she saw- she looked so mature and professional, as Geeta’s protégé should.

“This morning we’ll find you something suitable to wear and prepare your team. Let’s go.”

Geeta waited patiently as Nemona sorted through her pc boxes at the hotel’s restaurant table. If only Geeta had told her about this before, she would have prepared by now. But her feelings of failure subsided as she went through the array of creatures she’d trained over the past two treasure hunts and scribbled down the names of any particularly good candidates that crossed her sight.

Nemona looked up to Geeta. “Alright! I’ve got a list of eight candidates for my ace, listed from best to least best. First is pawmot. What do you think?”

Geeta shook her head, the gentle smile still on her face. “A Pokémon from the pikachu family is a bit underwhelming, don’t you think?”

Nemona’s enthusiasm was slightly dampened. “Well, it knows two signature moves, but pawmi is really common… Okay. How’s about lycanrock?”

Geeta shook her head again. “Same problem as the last.”

“Okay, how’s about Skeledirge? It’s big and cool-looking.”

“A starter Pokémon doesn’t seem right for a champion.”

“But… Blue and Kukui use a starter Pokémon. Leon uses two. What makes this different?”

Geeta sighed. “The leagues of the other regions already have good reputations, but the Paldea league has a lot of damage to repair on its own. Everything we do must be perfect. That is why I adopted the image I have, and I expect you to adopt a fitting image as well. Understood?”

“Yes! Absolutely! So, what do you think my ace should be? I’ll go with whatever you say!”

“Very well. Let me see your pc box.”

Nemona handed Geeta her rotom phone. Geeta took her time looking through each box, seemingly quite impressed with Nemona’s work.

“Well, ceruledge would be a good choice,” Geeta said finally, putting the phone down on the table. “It’s strong, noble-looking and native to Paldea. And we don’t have a dark-type specialist in the Paldea league yet or a dark specialist champion anywhere. You could use lokix and borrow my kingambit, and we’ll use shards to turn ceruledge’s tera type to dark. How does that sound?”

Nemona smiled awkwardly. “Well.. okay. The thing is, I haven’t used either of those. Like, at all. They aren’t very well-leveled. And I’ve never really used any dark-type, and...” Nemona trailed off.

Just then, a text from Penny appeared. Nemona snatched up the phone, smiling awkwardly. Nemona loved Penny, but if any of her friends would be saying something La Primera wouldn't approve of, it would be her.

Geeta waited for her to finish.

“And... maybe I should use something I’m more familar with?”

“Sure. Let me see that list of yours.”

Nemona looked down at the list and was hit by a sudden feeling that Geeta wouldn’t like any of her choices. She stuffed it back in her pocket. “Actually, it’s fine."

“Good. And don’t worry about their level. I brought rare candy. For now, let’s worry about your outfit and their movesets. Ready to go?”

"You bet."

Geeta got up and Nemona followed her. As they went, Nemona checked the text.

Hey. Don't let Geeta step on you too much today, it read. Here's what some of her employees say about her. Don't become one of them.

It was followed by a screenshot that Nemona didn't have the time or honestly the care to read. It made sense that Penny didn't like Geeta- she didn't like any authority figures. And she didn't value the Paldea league like Nemona did.

Their next stop was the Lillycove Department Store to figure out her new champion costume. Geeta led her straight to a locally-owned clothing store that did custom designs. It wouldn’t have stood out to most, but Nemona recognized it instantly. This was where Wallace got all his costumes made. This really was the full champion treatment! Following behind Geeta, Nemona looked to the colourful outfits on the racks, searching for inspiration. Not that she hadn’t designed about six different champion outfits for herself in her head, but she needed to choose between them somehow!

“Hello,” Geeta said to the shopkeeper, a grey-haired woman who appeared to be in her sixties. “We’re here to order an outfit for an upcoming champion.”

The woman smiled. “Excellent. Age? Measurements? Gender? Do you have a general idea of what you would like it to look like?”

“It’s this one right here,” Geeta replied, gesturing to Nemona. “You’ll have to take her measurements. She’s a dark-type user, so I’m looking for something solid black. A floor-legnth dress, perhaps, with a jacket in a secondary colour of some sort and black accents. Do you have any suggestions for the second colour?”

The shopkeeper looked Nemona over. “Hmm... I’d say something dark mauve, to contrast her eyes."

Geeta looked to Nemona and examined her as though dressing her in her head. “Yes, I can see that. Well, let’s get the measurements done.”

Geeta put a hand around Nemona’s back and guided her to the back room, where Nemona was made to strip for measurements. It struck her that she hadn’t spoken once since getting there. But it was okay. La Primera knew best. She was sure of it.

As it turned out, because Geeta was looking for something so generic, they had something very similar to it on hand. Geeta got her to try it on. The dress, which was so long it dragged on the floor, said “funeral.” The purple suit jacket said “boardroom.” It wasn’t the friendly, energetic image Nemona had dreamed of having as champion, but if this really was wrong, La Primera would notice, and if she didn’t, well, then this was the image a Paldean champion needed and Nemona would learn to like it.

“Hmm... something about this just isn’t right,” Geeta mused, looking Nemona over.

Finally! Nemona thought, lighting up.

Geeta reached out and tugged a bit of Nemona’s bangs out of the ponytail elastic, letting it fall over one of her eyes. “There. A dark-type user should have a mysterious touch. Later we’ll get you a half-mask instead, but we’re short on time. Now, let’s go figure things out with your team.” With that, they left.

Soon, the two were heading to the arena. Geeta was right about them being short on time- it was eleven, which meant that she had two hours at best to make the connection with her new team, work out their movesets, and get on stage. Geeta led her to the practice fields behind the stadium and took a seat on the bleachers.

“There you are,” Geeta said, handing Nemona her kingambit’s pokéball, three labeled bags of rare candy and a thermos of soup laced with dark tera shards. “Now do your thing.”

Nemona had tried battling with every Pokémon type under the sun, and she loved most of them. It wasn’t that she didn’t like dark types, but, well, yeah, she didn’t like dark types. Poison types turned into total sweeties once they trusted you to respect their boundaries, most ghost types were goofballs that just looked scary, but dark types... once you broke through their aloofness, you were left with creatures whose sense of playfulness was always a bit sadistic and whose reaction to a new person was “how do I stay away” or “how do I take advantage.” And their battle tactics felt like cheating. 

But for the Paldea League, she could do this.

Nemona took a deep breath and started rummaging through her bag for the pokéballs containing ceruledge and lokix. She found them and released the trio. The lokix and kingambit glared at her briefly before respectively hopping and hair-gliding off to do their own thing as cerulege stood by and watched them.

“Wait,” Nemona called, trying not to sound desperate. The two creatures turned back to her. Just forget their type, she told herself, maybe it'll be like Arven's mabosstif or Clavel's meowscarada. “Us four are going to be a team the next few days, alright guys? We’re going to win the champion tournament together. Are you with me?”

The two returned to her side, which she took as a yes.

“Alright!” Nemona said, bolder now, “First thing’s first, we gotta get you guys up to the typical level of champion Pokémon, so eat up!” She handed out the bags of rare candy, each of which had been labelled with the Pokémon's name. To the cerulege, she also handed the thermos of dark shard soup. The cerulege observed it coolly, as though suspicious.

“To change your Tera type,” she explained.

Not without hesitation, it drank the soup. Nemona could swear she saw the light in its eyes lessen as it drank. Would it be crafty and aloof like its teammates now? If only it was that easy for humans.

“Alright. Now, why don’t you show me what you’ve got so I can come up with movesets that play to your strengths. You two!” she pointed to the kingambit and cerulege, “Show me what you’ve got!”

The two blade-users lined up about fifteen feet apart on the field. Cerulege’s fiery blades shot out from its hands, and kingambit finally stood up from its throne and drew its own blades. Nemona blinked and they were jousting.

Nemona whipped out her notebook and furiously jotted down notes. Cerulege seemed to have decent speed- more speed than kingambit anyhow- but kingambit was taking physical hits like they were nothing. They both seemed pretty good in physical attack.

Cerulege ran a few steps back and hit kingambit with a flamethrower. It wasn’t a very impressive flamethrower, but it knocked the kingambit to the ground, seemingly dealing a lot of damage. Nemona took a mental note not to send kingambit out against special attackers and to replace flamethrower with a physical fire move.

Enraged, the kingambit stood up again and delivered a sucker punch to cerulege. It then called upon lokix and they took turns kicking it while it was down- a move Nemona knew as “beat up.” Finally, kingambit flung its held item- a metal plate- at cerulege, knocking it out cold.

Nemona cringed. Maybe she could do away with those moves- they weren’t very versatile anyhow. It suddenly occurred to her that lokix was also a physical attacker. What if Leon used a physical wall? Dark-type moves were full of tricks. Maybe they had a trick for this. She could work with this. She had to.

It felt like no time at all before Geeta informed Nemona that she had five minutes left to choose movesets before they had to move into the stadium. They entered the changing room and Geeta began touching up her outfit and coaching her on her presentation while Nemona watched the broadcast screen.

Leon strode into the arena with his charizard flying overhead a few feet behind him. He took his place, struck his signature pose, and let his charizard fly over him, making his cape and long purple hair flow in the wind. The crowd went wild.

As Nemona watched the screen from the changing room, Geeta gave Nemona’s jacket a final tug. “Best of luck,” she said. Nemona nodded and stepped out.

[janarthanantumbl]

Kapaver End of Summer Sale is Live Best Mobile Phone Back Cover Cases and Accessories

Introduction: Mobile Back Cover Case

Hey, so I was looking at this Kapaver Brand that makes phone cases. They say your phone is more than just a device - it's something that connects you to your world. As you go through life having adventures, Kapaver wants to protect your phone with cases they make. They say they really focus on quality, new ideas, and style. People who love tech and fashion trust Kapaver cases. They started because they wanted to combine really good protection with nice, stylish designs. That way your phone stays safe from drops and bumps but also looks good and shows your own taste. Each Kapaver case shows how dedicated they are to doing a great job. They make them from nice materials and build them well so they are very durable and practical. Whether you like their slimmer, simpler cases or the tougher heavy-duty ones, Kapaver has a big selection to choose from. That way there is something for everyone and every lifestyle. They say you should celebrate taking your phone everywhere with a Kapaver case, since they focus on style and safety.

Kapaver Unique Style and Defense:

Hi there, today I'm going to inform you about some amazing phone case that Kapaver has to offer. They think maintaining a stylish appearance doesn't have to come at the expense of safeguarding your phone. Their cases come in a variety of designs and sizes, ranging from ultra-rugged to thin, but they all offer excellent protection and stylish looks. Every case, whether of your preference for thin and delicate or robust and durable, is designed to not only protect your phone from daily damage but also enhance its appearance. Also, you can choose from a wealth of alternatives for texture, color, and pattern to choose one that perfectly suits your style. Whichever style you want, they have you covered!

Crafted with Precision and Quality:

Just wanted to tell you a bit about the quality focus at Kapaver. Protection is their top priority when making those phone case things. They use really good materials like super strong and flexible TPU, tough polycarbonate, even hybrid combos. It all goes through intense inspections too to make sure it lasts and works right. From the molds they use down to putting it all together, they pay attention to every last detail. Not just so it looks good but so your phone is safe and you can still use it easily. Quality is what they're all about.

Personalization That Speaks a great deal:

Your phone says a lot about who you are, and Kapaver gets that customizing it is key. Whether you like clean and simple or really stand out, their huge selection of phone cases has you covered. You can find only protects your device but shows off your personal flair. Get a case that matches your distinctive tastes so when people see your phone, they'll know it's yours from across the space.

Ergonomic design for improved usability:

So I was looking at these Kapaver phone cases and man, they really have their act together. The way they designed it really puts comfort and functionality first. You've got raised edges all around to protect the screen and camera if you drop it. The button covers are super responsive so you don't have to press too hard. And everything is cut out just right so you can still plug in and listen to those sweet tunes without issues. Best of all, it looks great too! You really get the best of both worlds - a case that lets you use your phone without hassle wherever you are, but still looks good doing it. These Kapaver cases really have you covered!

Universal compatibility among leading brands:

No matter if you like iPhones, Galaxy, or another brand Kapaver got you covered. Their phone cases are made to fit tons of different models really well, making sure your device is held tight and safe. Don't worry about your phone getting damaged if you drop it or it gets banged around their covers will protect it from scratches or anything else. Your phone will stay looking perfect and be worth more if you ever sell it later on down the road.

Complete Your Setup with Essential Accessories:

Hi there, are you trying to improve the way you use your phone? I have the ideal add-ons for you. First things Kapaver tempered glass screen protectors. These will maintain the immaculate appearance of your screen. They are very clear and resistant to scratches even after being dropped heavily. Here are a few cable organizers. You know how cables always wind up in a messy get? Not with these infants. They'll make sure everything is organized so you won't have to spend ten minutes cleaning it all out. Finally, but just as importantly, have a look at the phone mounts and stands. Seeing videos or movies without using your hands? Not an issue. Need to hold your phone up to read recipes while cooking? Presented. They definitely complete the look of your setup and go well with any cases you may a little upgrade with Kapaver accessories! have.

Exclusive savings during our End-Of-Summer Sale:

Hello, I wanted to inform you about some amazing offers that Kapaver is running for their End Of Summer Sale. On all of their phone cases and accessories, they are offering fantastic bundles, steep discounts, and time-limited deals. With their sale, you can show off your style and protect your equipment for less money than normal, whether you're trying to locate gifts or just want to freshen up your current Mobile Back cover Case. Now is the ideal moment to restock without going over budget. Don't pass up these discounts!

Trust in Kapaver’s Dedication to Excellence:

Using a Kapaver case for your phone isn't just about protecting the device - it's about choosing quality and reliability too. Their phone Cover are built really well, made to withstand drops, bumps and scratches so your phone stays safe. They design their covers to look good and make your phone easy to use too. You can trust Kapaver cases - they'll keep your phone from getting damaged but also make it look its best.

continuing Innovation for Solutions Fit for the Future:

Hey, so Kapaver really likes to stay on the cutting edge with their mobile phone cases. They've got a team always coming up with new materials and designs to keep their cases up to date. Whether it's finding better ways to protect your phone from drops, or coming up with stylish looks that feel futuristic, Kapaver aims to lead the pack. Their covers evolve right along with how phones change over time. They want to give people cases that work really well now, but also seem like they'll still feel current even a few years down the line. Innovation is a top priority for them.

conclusion:

Alright, so in summary Kapaver makes really good phone covers. Choosing them isn't just about protection, but style too. Their summer sale has great deals on quality products. Each case is carefully made to last and fit different needs. By going with Kapaver, you're protecting your device. But you're also joining a community that cares about new ideas, helping the environment, and customer service. They get that our phones are a big part of everyday life. So Kapaver aims to give peace of mind and make your style stand out too. Trust them to deliver top protection and design. Let Kapaver be part of making your mobile life more secure and stylish. With their great customer support and drive to improve, Kapaver has your back every step of the way. That way you and your phone stay safe and sound.

[dritashoppe]

Subway surfers game download for mobile

#Subway surfers game download for mobile apk

#Subway surfers game download for mobile mod

#Subway surfers game download for mobile windows 10

#Subway surfers game download for mobile for android

#Subway surfers game download for mobile download

Those of us outside of those regions will have to wait for more news on a global release, but rest assured, it is certainly coming.

#Subway surfers game download for mobile download

If you’re looking to do so, you can download the early access client on Google Play and the App Store, if you’re in Indonesia or the Philippines. With a popular classic’s name on it, some pretty cool visuals and art style, and all of your favorite Subway Surfer characters, Subway Surfer Match is definitely one to try out if you’re a fan of match-3 puzzlers. Not that that is at all a bad thing, in fact this could be the next big match-3 hit.

#Subway surfers game download for mobile for android

Of course, you can expect some mixes to that gameplay like bombs or blockers, but again, you know what you’re in for with this one. Subway Surfers for Android 2.25.1 Download Subway Surfers (Android) 1/4 Collect coins and evade authority Jump, roll, hover, and fly The controls are familiar, but the game is still challenging. The premise of Subway Surfers Match is identical in nature, just themed around the idea that you’ll be using the classic characters from the original game to spray paint art onto walls around the city, and you’ll do so by matching 3 icons in a grid until you reach the proper score. Download for any Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola touchscreen and. If you’ve played titles like Bejeweled or Candy Crush, you know what you’re in for. Subway surfers are one of the most popular game that you can play on your java mobile phone. So, really, it’s no big surprise to see the developers want to take what is a very popular property and begin branching out a bit to appeal to other players who might enjoy different genres.Īnd that is exactly what they’ve done with Subway Surfers Match. Where those two mostly fell off of the pedestal once more expensive and big-budget mobile games began coming out, Subway Surfers has somehow remained the absolute king of endless runners. It’s been a mainstay on any mobile device since the old days of yore when games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja were topping the charts. This match-3 puzzler will see you working your way through various puzzle levels alongside characters from Subway Surfers, and is now available for early access in Indonesia and the Philippines.Įverybody knows Subway Surfers. You can play subway surfers game download with keyboard controls on.

#Subway surfers game download for mobile apk

The unlockable content goes a long way to improving the longevity of the gameplay, and giving the game lots more long term playability compared to similar games.The classic endless runner that has been being supported for over 10 years now, Subway Surfers, is looking to branch out into a new genre with the next title in the series Subway Surfers Match. Subway Surfers Game For Android v2.28.1 Best Endless Runner Mobile Game APK For.

#Subway surfers game download for mobile mod

Subway Surfers MOD allows you to be able to enjoy one of the most successful Android endless runner games with the great advantage of infinite money. Since its release over 100 characters have been added, so if you want a particular skill or ability, chances are there’s a character that has it. 7/10 (1722 votes) - Download Subway Surfers MOD Android Free. All the characters have different abilities and stats. One of the ways the game helps keep you coming back for more is through the huge number of unlockable characters available. Is there a better alternative Subway Surfers is probably one of the best endless runner games on mobile, but if you're a fan of the genre you might also check out Run Forrest Run, Alto's Adventure, Temple Run, or Temple Run 2, all of.

#Subway surfers game download for mobile windows 10

While there’s nothing game changing or overwhelmingly different from games like Temple Runner, it does have a few twists to make it more entertaining. Subway Surf can run on iOS, Mac OS, Android, Microsoft Windows, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8, and Kindle. Tour the world with Jake, Tricky and friends. The obstacles are also a step up from your average rock or bush, and include things like moving platforms and other mild challenges. The official website and home of the hit mobile game Subway Surfers. Kochi Police initiates one lakh Nirbhayam app download challenge. The power ups themselves are somewhat unique, and include things like a ‘no crash’ hoverboard you can snag. Subway Surfers, the hit game has come to Windows Phone 8 devices and is available for. Developed by SYBO Games, this casual game has still got the fun factor going for. Without any complicated controls, it’s much easier to try daring moves to grab that extra power up. Take the skills of surfing from waves to on top of trains in Subway Surfer. In order to move around you need to swipe left, right, up or down. One of the biggest areas is the simple navigation for Subway Surfers. Although there are many similarities, and some even call Subway Surfers a ripoff of it, it’s also clear that many areas of the game have been improved. Subway Surfers is often compared to Temple Run, a game that the developers, Kiloo, were inspired by.

[sardonic-the-writer]

Markiplier headcanon request: Chaos at the mall—What department stores are the blorbos going to look in to find gifts for their S/O? Who’d be searching through all the fancy candles for the perfect scent at the Yankee Candle shop? Interrogating the clerk at the chocolate shop for best possible quality items? Anyone now banned from the tech-store outlets? Who’d be causing mayhem at Build-A-Bear?

Anything goes! (Pls do not feel pressured to do this ask if you’re not vibing ’ w/ it.)

Oooh ideas ideas ideas. I love this prompt. But I changed it up a bit. Instead of just being limited to the mall, a lot of characters did their own thing

━MARKIPLIER ☆

Mark sent out a tweet on his alt account, asking people what he should get for you. Spent a couple minutes looking through the responses before closing his phone and deciding he would do it himself

Made you a build-a-bear! It looked like him, fake moustache and all, so that way when he was away from you you'd always have something to remind you of him <3

━DARKIPLIER ☆

Dark went to the finest jeweler he knew. Only the best for his darling after all

Got you a silver bracelet with the both of your initials engraved on the back, as well as a single rose he had picked from a garden himself

Presented them to you all charming like, reveling in the way your face lit up

━ANTISEPTICEYE ☆

Anti can't even get within five miles of the mall after your last visit. You really hope that man is recovering well from the incident-

So online shopping it was! The glitch searched for a bit before deciding on a pet scorpion. It's a strange gift, but its your strange gift <3

He let you name it Snappy

━WILFORD ☆

Wilford is ever the romantic. Just...in his own way.

He'll go out to almost every store and buy you multiple things. But the thing is, they're all pink

Pink balloons, pink chocolates, pink roses, s fuzzy pink blanket; you name it, and hes got it.

He even gets you a glittery pink microphone to use durring his annual karaoke nights that he drags you to

━YANCY ☆

This man. This sweet sweet man.

He would work so hard to get you something worthwhile. He can't go to the mall of course, so Yancy is limited to what he can muster up.

This inmate spent weeks chumming up to the guards and getting job after job so that was he could sneek into the wardens office. Once in there, Yancy grabbed a coil of old Christmas lights he'd had his eye on for a while

He had decided to decorate your cell in a more colorful way, knowing how much you hated the bland walls. And maybe he could even slow dance with you under the light show. If you allowed him to do so of course

━ENGINEER ☆

Built you a small contraption that dings a bell everytime he thinks of you. It's hooked up to a small button that he can press whenever he wants to, making the bell ring!

It's very sweet to come home while he's away to hear the small dinging of the bell. Although you might have to ask him to stop pressing it at three in the morning. You do need your sleep after all

━ACTOR ☆

For once in his life, the bastard decided maybe he should do something nice for you. Of course he'd denied ever doing such, but the thought is still there

He didn't even have to go to the mall. Just got you a 8×10 glossy of his heads hots with an autograph at the bottom.

But the i was dotted with a little heart, something that he didnt do for anyone else :>

━ILLINOIS ☆

He had been collecting small rocks for you every time he went on a different adventure. Each and everyone had reminded him of you in some way. Wether that be the texture, shape, or look. There were ones from all over the world! And stories that came along with them too

Illinois put them all in a small box that he would give to you that evening. The adventurer was looking forward to seeing your reaction to

[domainofnao]

When their foodie S/O just wants to stuff their face with food but their mouth is small.

Warnings: None

Tags: Suna, Sakusa, Fluff

A/N: The reader is smaller than Suna.

Prelude

-You’re both at a festival at night

-Both are wearing a yukata with comfy shoes or slippers

-You literally just want to stuff everything in your mouth but you can’t… unless you want to choke to death due to your stubbornness. (Now, that won’t be graceful, everyone, let’s die with grace.)

Suna

You stared at him unamused as he ate the large sized takoyaki in one bite; definitely trying to annoy you as he stared back with a hint of playfulness on his face.

“Do you find annoying me right now funny?”

He nodded, still chewing his food. His lips aren't definitely hiding the laughter that’s about to erupt as his smile grows wider.

You held his eye contact as you aggressively poked your regular sized takoyaki with a toothpick and popped them into your mouth to which he laughed at.

“Babe, it’s still takoyaki.” You chew your food fast to reply to him.

“IT’S A GIGANTIC TAKOYAKI.”

“Still a tokyaki.”

“It’s BIG.”

“Well, you can slice them in half.”

“Then I won’t be experiencing takoyaki in all their glory. They’re supposed to be eaten in one bite!”

You tried to reach his container with your toothpick hoping to snatch one only for his palm to meet your forehead stopping you from advancing forwards as he raised his other hand that’s holding the takoyaki.

“Let me try eating them again, Rinta.”

“No, you literally choked just five minutes ago.”

“Something was stuck in my throat five minutes ago, I’m totally fine now.” You tried to grab his arm that’s hindering you from your happiness.

He now grabbed the top of your head. He snickered. “Babe, eating a gigantic takoyaki won’t help you grow taller though.”

“UGHH! SUNA!”

“AHAHAHAH!”

The next day, you were updating your instagram when you saw his recent post. It was a video of you sulking while eating your regular sized takoyaki, his gigantic takoyaki can also be seen.

‘Eating a gigantic takoyaki won’t also help you run faster, sweetheart.’

“RINTARO!”

He immediately leaped from the couch and started running.

Sakusa

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Trying to eat my crepe?”

“I have eyes.” He rolled his eyes, which you returned. He stared at you as if judging your life choices. “Surely you don’t think that large spoonful will fit your mouth?”

“There’s nothing wrong with trying.” You stubbornly tried to fit 2 big slices of strawberry, ice cream, and a slice of banana in your mouth.

“I didn’t buy you that parfait to choke yourself with it, Y/N.” He watches you try to fit everything in your mouth. You look kinda dumb in Kiyoomi’s perspective right now, like a child who accidentally threw their favourite dessert due to being overly excited.

He knows stopping you right now will only fire up the child within you and try to challenge him. He has already gone through lots of spontaneous adventures since meeting you, messing up his schedule laid out for the day. Hence, he is just watching you right now, head on his hand as you both sit on the picnic blanket- staring at a person bearing an enormous cheek bulge due to the strawberries you shoved into your mouth.

“Are you happy right now, child?” He softly smiled and patted your head. You nod while you slowly chew.

He removed his hand on you and reached for his black tote bag. Kiyoomi formed a habit of bringing a small bag with him when he started dating you. The adventures you randomly dragged him into; the times where you needed things that can’t be found in the area irked him. Therefore, developing a habit of bringing everything he thinks might be in use whenever he goes out with you.

He unzipped the bag. Allowing you to view its contents: Tissues (both regular and wet), a water bottle, a hand sanitizer, a blue pouch containing both of your hygiene products, and lastly, the pocket of the bag holding both his wallet and phone.

You giggled. “Are you my mother?” You leaned closer to him and poked his chest. “Should I start calling you mom?”

He sighs, grabbing your hand that’s poking him, slapping a piece of tissue to wipe your mouth with. “And whose fault do you think it is that I’ve developed this motherly habit?”

Chuckling, “I guess it’s my fault huh?” You grabbed the water bottle he gave you. “Thank you, Mother Kiyo.”

He raised an eyebrow and the corner of his lips pointing downwards. “Try calling me that one more time and I’ll tell your mother to regress you into a fetus again. You’ll marry another man.”

“Heh.”

[blackbat05]

Period Shenanigans

Shangqi x Reader

A/N: Lol so my period came one week earlier than what my period tracker stated? But thank goodness I’m at home and I don’t have any schedules because I would be dead. I try not to arrange anything if I can help it especially on my first few days. What I write is what I experience and what helps me during my period but disclaimer, it may not work for everyone! Hope you liked this impromptu idea that came out of my head. I’m finally done with 10 weeks of placement! Just a little more~ Like and comment if you wish! 

Genre: PG-13

Warnings: Shangqi not being like most men and being so caring? Blood (but come on if you can see blood on action movies why not this?) and a whole load of fluff I guess? Oh an one explicit word too haha 

The two of you come back from your morning runs as usual. Shower and breakfast was next. But after thirty minutes you didn’t come out of your room.

Shangqi decides to make a visit to make sure that nothing happened to you. ‘Y/N?’ He knocks on your door first. ‘You ok?’ He pressed his ear against the door, straining his ears. All he heard was a few unintelligible muffles. ‘I’m coming in ok?’

He made sure that he received your acknowledgement before slowly opening the door. There you were, crawled up on your bed, a hot pack on your tummy.

‘Fuck…’ you groaned as you tried to find the best position. Couldn’t you just live like a normal human being during this time of the month? Evidently god had other plans.

Let’s face it, at this moment you would have been embarrassed for Shangqi to see you in this state. But first, you were too tired to even care. Second, Shangqi was best friends with Katy before he met you. Surely he had seen enough.

He knows the protocol at the back of his head. Giving you a few reassuring taps on the shoulder, he leaves your room to prepare the essentials.

Tea, painkillers, sliced bananas and your favorite chocolate biscuits. Oh, don’t forget your humongous stuffed penguin that laid at the corner of your room but you were unable to get because of the pain that had nearly paralyzed you.

‘And the portable phone charger because I know you’ll be watching Running Man non stop,’ he passes you the object in question. ‘Be careful not to burst you appendix while laughing ok?’

You punched his shoulder lightly as a form of thanks. ‘What the hell would I do without you Shangqi,’ you adjusted your position to achieve maximum comfort on the bed. ‘Come on, watch with me,’ gesturing for him to sit next to you.

For the next 3 hours or so, you spend a good time with Shangqi laughing at the antics that the show provided. It was a good way to ignore the pain that was slowly going away by the minute.

Having your period meant that you were more tired than usual. After sipping the last bit of tea, you eyes felt heavier by the minute, eventually nodding off on Shangqi’s shoulder.

He slowly cradles your head, bringing it down on the pillow. Making sure that the blanket covered you, he cleaned the remaining stuff before leaving your room.

Sleep definitely helped. You woke up about an hour later to the unmistakable smell of macaroni soup boiling. Still in Shangqi’s oversized hoodie, you carried the stuffed penguin out like a little kid, making your way towards the kitchen.

There he was, donning an apron that said ‘World’s Best Cook’.

‘That’s kind of an exaggeration don’t you think?’ You teased, causing him to turn around. ‘Well, I must have woke you up because of this wonderful smell,’ he jokes back, taking a sip of the soup to test its taste. Satisfied, he closes back the lid to let it boil a bit more.

You appreciated what he did for you whenever your first few days of Niagara Falls proved to be physically taxing on you. But you just had one question…

‘When did you learn to cook Macaroni soup?’

‘Uh well,’ he sheepishly scratches the back of his head. ‘I called your mom earlier while you were asleep. She was kind enough to give me a idiot proof recipe for a cooking newbie like me.’

Appreciated? Scratch that out. You were stunned that he actually went to such lengths to make you feel better. You remembered when you were younger, your mother would cook you a bowl of warm macaroni soup. The chicken broth was light and easy on the stomach but still very filling.

Shangqi notices that you’re just standing there, not saying a word. He worries that maybe he went too far. Should he apologize? Should he just tell you that he wanted to help? Should he-

You come forward to hug him. ‘Thank you Shangqi. I’m probably saying this too many times for my own good but this means a lot to me.’

Wanda and Vision just came back from their Sunday grocery shopping. As Vision was about to walk through the walls to get through the kitchen, Wanda stops him.

‘What is it dear?’

‘I think we can wait. We don’t have any cold things to put in the fridge right?’ Vision shakes his head as he followed her looking very puzzled.

Wanda could see you and Shangqi at the kitchen counter. He was standing across you, eagerly watching you take the first sip, as if waiting for a stamp of approval. Your genuine reaction brings a huge smile to his face as he starts telling you his adventures in the kitchen, you laughing at his exaggerated account multiple times.

The two of you were basically in your own world.

Wanda was like a big sister to you since you came here from Madripoor. She felt herself constantly needing to protect you as despite your abilities, your kind heart served as a danger out in the field.

But ever since you knew the Martial Arts master, Wanda felt like she did not have to worry anymore. She knew that you were surrounded by good friends who would have your back out on the field and for this instance - when you weren’t feeling your best.

She quickly makes her leave before you spot her.

But Shangqi did as he was facing the door. He sees the sorceress put a finger to her lips. So he naturally goes back to the conversation with you.

While you finish the last bit of soup, Shangqi takes a quick peek at the entrance again. Wanda was still there but this time it looked like she had something to say to him. She must have used her abilities as his brain suddenly felt strange.

‘Thank you Shangqi for being with her.’

A/N: Yo this was supposed to be a period headcanon? Or is it just my hormones speaking that makes me unusually emotional. Anyways, hope you enjoyed another Shangqi headcanon again!😂 You have my period to thank for that.

Also can I just say I think my standards have changed? Like if a guy’s really considerate to me on my period like hell I think that’s just really neat in my books because unfortunately I haven’t come across any in real life🥲

[stetervault]

Hiii! Been delving into Steter now, in the year of our lord 2021, even though I never really did when I was active in the fandom years ago and I was wondering if you'd have some longfic recs for the ship? Like, fics that are Classics(TM)? But happy endings! And I'm not super into those in which Stiles is still underage 😬 do u have any recs? Thanks!

Welcome to the Steter fandom! I definitely have some long fics to rec, some of them are super old lol, and I'll stick to ones around 20k or over, and most of them are finished. And hmm, considering the ship, and a lot of fics like to start off in season 1 where Stiles is still technically a teenager, I'll try to limit these to ones with Stiles being at least 16/17 before anything starts happening, and only 18+ if there's explicit content. I hope that's okay.

drowning in the sea of you by Corpium

Beacon Hills was perfect for Stiles growing up, but now, with werewolves, hunters, and an anxious best friend running around, it's turning into a place too chaotic for an empath like Stiles to handle alone. And pain killers can only go so far.

Wake Me Up by ToAStranger

Stiles has been in a coma for six years. Now he's awake.

Tremors by Corpium

(Stiles has a taste for him now. All Peter needs to do is wait.)

Surviving Peter and the Zombie Apocalypse by Nopennamesleft

Its the end of the world and Stiles has run out of luck. He saves a werewolf from certain death. Will they begin to rely on each other to survive or will the wolf just eat Stiles for a midnight snack?

Bite Down by EclipseWing

In which Stiles is forced to survive the zombie apocalypse with a sociopathic murdering werewolf for company.

as you are by veterization

Stiles runs straight into a tree and suddenly, things are... different. Namely, he's in a world where Peter Hale is his boyfriend.

Call My Name by KouriArashi

After moving to Beacon Hills, Stiles starts having recurring dreams of a man in some kind of prison, who needs his help. Things get so bad that he ends up in Eichen House, where he finds out that the man is real.

Devil of Mercy by KouriArashi

Peter's heard people talk about what it felt like when they saw their mate for the first time, from those who actually believe in the mystical bullshit. Like a magnet, like gravity. Peter just feels... sharply curious.

Whiskey is My Kind of Lullaby by taylorpotato

Peter is a simple saloon owner on one of the outer planets between the Aaru Belt and the Olympus Galaxy. He’s done with trouble. Done with adventure. So fucking done with rustlers. That is, until a cute young outlaw named Stiles wanders into his bar. Peter has this problem where he can’t seem to resist charming narcissists (perhaps because they remind him of himself). And when said narcissists turn his life upside-down, the worst part is he’s not even that upset about it.

Proposing To Strangers by moonstalker24

At the end of a strained relationship, crime novelist Stiles chooses to hide from the world inside a bar with far too many motorcycles outside it for comfort. Here he'll meet the man of his dreams, eat food and propose marriage, all within the first five minutes.

Peter doesn't know who this kid is, but he's cute and looks like he could use a break. So he feeds him. He's not expecting a marriage proposal, but with what comes after, he doesn't really mind.

Stiles Stilinski, Disaster Chef by Guede

The zombie apocalypse forces Stiles to learn how to cook.

The Will by Guede

We are gathered here today for the reading of Gerard Argent’s will.

On the Importance of Lunar Influences in Gardening by Guede

“Oh, it’s you again,” Stiles sighs. He puts down his basket and drops the bunch of onions into it, and then dusts off his hands. “Can’t you get your own strawberries? I mean, I have it on good authority that wild strawberries? They’re a thing. They exist. They’re out there.”

“But Stiles,” says the werewolf dangling by one foot from the tree, sticky red smears around his mouth and all over his fingers. “Your berries are so juicy, so ripe. Those ones in the woods are mere passing indulgences compared to the royal feast you have in your garden.”

Genii loci Stiles and his father run a community garden, and it’s all good, except for the werewolf who keeps sneaking over the fence to raid Stiles’ strawberry patch (and the hunter who’s constantly hanging around his father).

Runes and all kinds of things by FeelingsDusk (WIP)

Enough is enough. Stiles is tired of being always a last choice when he always tries to do his best for his precious people, so they better get their act together or face being left behind.

OR

The things in the Argent's basement get nearly fatal, the Sheriff finds about the supernatural, Allison can have a wicked, wicked mind and Peter Hale appears to be everywhere.

Oh, and Stiles can't seem to stop breaking the laws of physics with his magic.

Sanctuary by DiscontentedWinter

The Hale Wolf Sanctuary isn’t just for wolves.

It turns out it’s for Stilinskis as well.

Out Of The East, Never See The Sun Rise by neglectedtuesday

In the beginning, there are three absolutes.

One. Stiles is a god, forged of starlight and collapsing galaxies and he is eternal.

Two. Peter is human, fragile bone and viscous blood and he is temporary.

Three. Stiles and Peter are in love; love that claws its way inside one’s heart like fish hooks; all encompassing love that is beautiful but dangerous.

Stiles is a god. Peter is human. They love each other.

Three absolutes.

You Had Me at Canapes by LadyArinn

Stiles doesn't mean to sneak into the Hale wedding, and he certainly doesn't mean to have cliche coat-room sex with the bride's uncle, but what had happened, happened, and it wasn't like he could just leave. At least, not until he got to have some of that cake.

Infinite Space by DiscontentedWinter

Stiles needs Peter's expertise to help stop the latest threat to Beacon Hills. And, as the pack falls apart around him, he might even need Peter for more than that.

Hook, Yarn, Sinker by pprfaith

Stiles is happy with his store, his hobbies, his friends. Peter's just trying to figure out how to raise his nieces and nephew without fucking them up too badly.

Paths cross.

Open Wounds by Guede

Talia got out of the fire with Peter, but everyone else died. Years later, they’re still struggling with injuries, but they’ve at least settled in with oddball werewolf Stiles. And then other werewolves start showing up. Familiar ones.

Bittersweet Creek by Guede

When Stiles finally steps off the westward trail to California, he’s the last of his pack. He starts building a den, but then he finds a dying man next to a burnt-down house and it turns out he’s not really much of a settler, after all.

For Great Justice! by Green

Stiles is a vengeance demon, drawn to Peter just as he's waking from his catatonia.

"Whoever did this? We will make those fuckers suffer. I promise you."

Bone Deep by ShippersList

A body in the woods, a mate, and a long-awaited revenge.

Peter had no idea how his life would change when he followed the strange pull in his chest.

Love What is Behind You by KouriArashi

Basically what it says on the label. Hunger Games type fusion. Stiles doing way better than anyone anticipates. Peter finds him intriguing. Ruthless, devious assholes working together to ruin bad guys, as the Steter ship is meant to be.

Soothing the Burn by Therapeutic_Steter (WIP)

Peter is burnt out and breaking down. Stiles notices and offers him solace, along with the one thing he wants most: Pack.

Til Death by Bunnywest

“How long do we have to find him someone?” Stiles asks. “Two weeks,” says Derek, eyebrows pulling down even further. The fierceness of his expression tells Stiles just how concerned he is. “He marries, or he goes to the camps. And you know what your father told us,” Scott reminds her. The camps……aren’t camps. Peter either finds a wife, or he dies.

Ink Blossoms by Triangulum

"So, you're going to ruin your niece's baby shower with flowers in the wrong color?" the florist, Stiles, asks when they reach the counter. He pulls out a binder and starts flipping through it.

"Not ruin. Mildly inconvenience," Peter says.

"Right, messing with a hormonal pregnant woman seems like a great plan."

"To be fair, her fiance and the father of her baby is my ex-boyfriend," Peter says. "And we weren't broken up when they started 'dating'."

Stiles looks up at him in surprise. "And you're still getting her flowers?" he asks.

"It's under duress, I assure you," Peter says. He absolutely wouldn't be here if his alpha hadn't ordered it.

"Well, shit, yeah, let's get you some purple revenge flowers," Stiles says.

After You by FlyAwayMeow (rjaejoo)

It’s true that sometimes what you want the most, you can’t have and that you’ll miss what you once had all along when it’s finally gone.

After breaking his engagement to Chris, Peter heads to New York to start over. He meets Stiles, a young author at his publishing house who helps him piece his confidence back together. When tragedy strikes, he discovers how to finally let go of his past and have the family and future he's always wanted with the pieces already in his life.

love me lights out by veterization

Stiles and Peter get snowed in together. (Or: what happens when you accept phone calls from people you haven't spoken to in over five years.)

Uncle Peter Doesn't Date by Mellow (SweetCandy) (WIP)

“Oh don’t lie, you love it.” Peter purred and winked at his newest arm candy, who spluttered for a few seconds, before blushing like a 16 year old virgin. Considering how young he looked Laura wouldn’t be surprised if he was actually 16. “Shut up Peter!” Bambi squeaked, still flushing and averting Laura’s eyes. “Well, anyways, I’m,” ‘Bambi’. “Stiles. Stiles Stilinski, pleasure to meet you- again.” Stiles smiled sheepishly, obviously nervous. Stiles Stilinski. Definitely a stripper then.

-

Or: Laura was prepared for whatever piece of armcandy her uncle had decided to show up with, what she hadn't been prepared for was Stiles Stilinski...her uncle's boyfriend.

Under the Songbird’s Wing by mia6363

Captivity easily destroys the will of escape. It can break the fiercest of animal. It can strip the most regal man and woman down to nothing but animal needs.

Captivity can, if met with unwavering determination, shape a person into something unimaginable.

Stiles is sixteen when he's captured. Stiles's first thought is, "I won't die here."

Baby Whisperer by twothumbsandnostakeincanon (somanyofthekids)

“What. Is that.”

Scott looked up at him, apprehensive.

“Her name’s Lily.”

Stiles stared at the fuzzy head peeking out of the papoose.

“Her. Her name. That is a real live human baby. Oh my God-”

“Actually I don’t know if she’s human?” Scott said with a confused frown. “Becca didn’t say.”

“Who the fuck is Becca?!”

Sacrificial Lamb by Bunnywest

The Alpha has a scruffy beard, unkempt hair and dazzling blue eyes. The scar on his face is raised, running down his cheek like a twisting, gnarled rope. Stiles knows that it came from the blade of Kate Argent herself, and that the Alpha got it fighting in the battle where Kate killed his lover, cutting his head clean from his neck, if the stories are to be believed.

The Alpha lets Stiles look his fill, before indicating that Stiles should take the other couch, and Stiles does so, his father’s words echoing in his ears. He can do this, can be pleasant and amenable. The lives of his people may depend on it. The Alpha spends long moments surveying him, before saying, “I like you, Stiles.”

You don’t know me, Stiles wants to blurt out, but he bites his tongue.

The Various Triumphs of Mischief Bilinski by Whispering_Sumire (WIP)

"Hello, Chris," sings a honeyed voice from behind.

Chris' attention snaps toward the intruder, his gun already out of its' holster and aimed at whoever it is — a boy, apparently, with braided russet hair, a red jacket, and wise eyes. He's wearing a gas mask, but Chris can tell by the way his eyes crinkle around the edges, the way sun-burnt sand swirls in his irises, that he's smiling.

Chris cocks his gun.

"You killed my father," he says.

"No offence, but he totally deserved it," the stranger agrees with cheerful solemnity.

"What the hell are you doing in my home?" Chris demands. The kid is perched on a windowsill in Chris' office, as nonchalantly as if this were something he did every day, as if they were familiar.

"I was just wondering," the kid speaks softly, fond amusement sewn through with a peculiar resignation, "how you'd feel about putting down some nazis?"

[Or: The one where Stiles goes back in time and subsequently fucks with everything.]

A Curious Magic by Triangulum

Overall, Stiles is very well-known in the supernatural community. It’d be hard not to be, not with how his reputation has grown like wildfire. He knows and is on good terms with nearly all the fae that reside in the preserve, the asrai that live deep in the lake, the Ito pack, the vampire couple that lives over in Beacon Valley (they buy an ethically-sourced food supply from Stiles), as well as almost every other supernatural entity in the area. But Talia Hale doesn’t like him, and a werewolf pack tends to do what their alpha tells them to.

So it’s a definite surprise when the wards at the edge of his property trip, the tingling down his spine telling him it’s a werewolf, the lack of burning sensation letting him know there’s no hostile intent. Stiles, in his office in the second floor turret, sets down the amulet he’s packing up for Marin and moves to the large window overlooking the front of his property. He’s expecting to see an Ito packmember, even though they nearly always call in advance, and is surprised to see a man that he recognizes as Talia’s brother, Peter.

Light in the Dark by cywscross

It still surprises Stiles sometimes, how easily he’s adapted. Seven months in a world filled with train tracks and soul-sucking fae, and it feels like he’s never known anything else.

~~

Or, the one where diverting the Ghost Riders from Beacon Hills to prey on a different town only succeeded in setting them free.

Vengeance Looks Good On You, Sweetheart by cywscross

Just because Scott refuses to see the Argents for what they truly are - prejudiced serial killers sitting proudly on a mountain of innocent corpses - doesn't mean Stiles will. It's about time someone did something about the Argent Empire anyway, and what a coincidence - summer vacation is just around the corner.

--

Or, the one where Gerard Argent kidnapped the wrong fucking person to torture. Stiles has never subscribed to the policy of forgiving and forgetting anyway, not when razing the problem to the ground and salting the earth for good measure has always been a far better solution in the long run.

He doesn't expect to have company.

[wallflowerimagines]

Hi! if your not busy or backed up could you do the four lords( and possibly the dimitrescu daughters totally cool if you dont) helping a s/o who's stressed about starting college

I'm cracking my knuckles right now. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!

Warning: Some unhealthy behaviors? You call these dorks out on it though.

Alcina Dimitrescu

Initially, you're stoked! College is a big deal for anyone at any age, and you're thrilled to check off this box on your list of accomplishments. It's a big deal!

A...really, really big deal...

Your internal monologue becomes a mess of "Oh god, oh fuck, oh no", on loop, ad infinitum. There's a lot to consider here, and with every new thought you just get even more stressed.

The minute Alcina sees you in this state, she pulls you in for a hug, plays with your hair, and talks you through your feelings. Do you really want to go to college, or do you feel forced into it? Are you worried about the distance? The amount of work? Do you want her to hire tutors instead?

She very much takes a logical, structured approach to addressing your worries. If it's a problem with paperwork, she can have someone handle it for you. If it's general stress she very efficiently talks you through your feelings. If there's someone in particular that's making you feel this stressed, they'll just disappear. No muss, no fuss.

Alcina dissects any possible reasoning you might have to be pressured until it's such a non-issue you feel almost silly for being panicked at all.

Still, she promises to call you every day, if you need her. Honestly, she expects you to call as often as possible, because she's going to miss you like crazy. But she will always be there for you, Darling. Don't you ever worry about that.

Donna Beneviento

College? You're leaving? 🥺

Donna's not trying to guilt you, but the thought of being away from you for an extended period of time is extremely stressful. It's not quite separation anxiety, but it's close.

Something might happen to you if you're away from the Manor for too long! What if you need help and she can't get to you? What if someone tries to hurt you? Donna might be sheltered, but she's heard things about what happens at Colleges, and not all of it is good.

Considering the fact you're also stressed about this situation, it's not a great combination. Both of you are very emotional at the moment, so there's a likelihood that this might cause one or both of you to have a little breakdown.

Instead of your normal fun, relaxing nights together, the lead up to your departure gives your nights a different atmosphere. You're on the floor of the sitting room, sifting through paperwork with a devastated look on your face, while Donna is nearby and trying hard to pretend this isn't happening.

One of you is going to break first, and the confrontation is not going to be pretty or easy. It's a build up of a bunch of emotion, and both of you just sob while holding each other tightly. You vent your worries to Donna, and she explains her concerns to you, and while you guys might not solve all of those dilemmas in one night, both of you do feel better after having explained your anxieties to each other. Communication is key for this to work out, and both of you need comforting.

Donna winds up building you a brand new doll with a piece of her Cadou in it. It's a new member of the family, specifically crafted to keep an eye on you and help you two communicate over long distances. If something goes wrong, or you two miss each other so badly you can't stand it anymore, you two talk through this new friend and immediately feel connected. The distance doesn't feel so great anymore <3

Salvatore Moreau

HYPED! (Devastated)

Moreau adores you, and he is so, so happy you're going to go pursue your dreams. He can't wait to hear about all the things you've experienced, all the people you meet...

You're going to make tons of new friends, he just knows it!

(You're going to meet someone else, someone better, and you're going to leave him. He just knows it. )

Moreau will never tell you how he really feels about you leaving. You could have a full blown panic attack, and he will hold you close, comfort you, reassure you, and do his absolute best to make you feel better. Meanwhile he is absolutely trying to bury the fact that he thinks you're going to meet your perfect partner at college, abandon him, and live your own version of happily ever after.

It might sound silly to you, but it's a genuine concern for him. He's a monster, and you're about to leave to spend time with a bunch of normal people. As he holds you close and convinces you that the things you're stressed about are easily solvable and are tasks that he could help you with, internally he's absolutely convinced that once you leave, you're going to find your soulmate on campus.

The last thing he wants to do is add to your stress, so unless you can read him well, it's likely you'll never know how worried he is. He's so focused on comforting you and making sure you feel confident enough to handle your next adventure that his own worries take a backseat.

He'll be less concerned if you call him and tell him about your day. It reassures him that you love him, even from afar, and his own stress dissolves when you start to ramble about how much you miss him. 💕

Karl Heisenberg

It's cute that you think you're leaving him behind.

You two are a team, did you seriously expect that he'd be alright with you leaving? With you trying to go to a campus where he can't get to you if something goes wrong?

Heisenberg reacts like an upset pet or a clingy child when it comes to the idea of you leaving for college. He knows it's not forever, and he knows you're coming back--that's not his problem.

His problem is the fact that you're leaving at all.

You two are partners-- a perfect match. He's had this idea in his head ever since you both became a couple that the two of you would hardly ever be apart. Now that you're going to be out of his sight for longer than a week? It's preemptively triggering separation anxiety. He's not happy.

He genuinely tries to get you to take exclusively online courses if you aren't already, just so that you stay with him.

He's so consumed by the concept that you'll be away from him that it takes a while for it to click that, uh, this attitude of his? Not helpful.

You're twice as stressed as you were before, and now you're also angry at Heisenberg for pulling all of this childish nonsense. You love him, but he's being an incredibly insensitive dumbass, and you've got to call him on it.

Phones exist. Skype exists. Hell, the two of you can write letters to each other if you want. It's not like he won't ever get to talk to you! All he's doing is adding to your stress and making you feel worse about a big decision that you've already made, and that's not okay! If he's supposed to be your "perfect match", why isn't he being more supportive?

That snaps him right out of it. While Karl still sulks a bit, he puts on his big boy pants and gives you a proper apology.

Once he's got his head on straight, he's very good at helping you through your worries. Heisenberg will massage your shoulders, talk you through any paperwork you might be having trouble with, and helps you triple check your to-do list. He loves you, and always wants to help, but sometimes he gets carried away.

Just...promise to visit often, alright? He's gonna miss you. 💕

Bela Dimitrescu

Jealous. As. Hell.

She doesn't openly make it obvious, but you know her. You know Bela's little mannerisms and tells, and it's obvious to you that the eldest daughter of the Dimitrescu clan wants to go to college along with you. Unfortunately, due to the fact that she can't easily travel, she can't come along.

It's... not a great situation, considering you're so stressed. You're worried about admissions, being accepted into the classes you need, your curriculum, but Bela doesn't try to comfort you. Instead, she sulks in the background.

Eventually, this blows up between the both of you. You're upset and angry that Bela isn't being more supportive, and Bela is angry that you're the one who gets such an incredible opportunity to leave and explore the world while she's stuck in Dimitrescu Castle.

Why are you stressed? It's an amazing opportunity, it doesn't make sense that you're so worried!

...She's so harsh about it that you might start crying, at which point Bela realizes that she might have fucked up. The last thing she wants to do is hurt your feelings, so she'll pull you into a hug and immediately babble apologies until she's blue in the face.

Once you calm down, you're going to have to explain that just because it looks and sounds fun, College does have challenges of its own. The idea that you get to go learn all sorts of things isn't sunshine and roses--there's a lot of pressure to do well.

Bela is a little quiet after that, but you notice she's much more supportive. She starts to treat your worries more seriously, and even will go to Alcina to try to get some advice on how to help you.

She's still a little envious, but she hides it better now. The last thing that Bela wants to do is stress you out right before you leave. She loves you, and wants your last memories before you go to be positive and something happy that you can look back on when you're away.

Cassandra Dimitrescu

Thrilled for you!

College sounds so exciting! She honestly desperately wants to go with you, but due to the composition of her body, she can't exactly leave the Castle.

She winds up asking you all sorts of questions, following you through the hallways, wondering how you feel about leaving to a brand new place, with brand new people, all of the classes you're going to take....

...It really doesn't help with the anxiety. Cassandra won't leave you alone, and is so fixated on asking you all these questions that it actually makes you worry about things that you hadn't even considered before. What if you hate your Major? What if your professors turn out to be terrible?

Instead of your cheerful responses from before, you start to shut down at all of the questions. Cassandra quickly cues into the fact that something is wrong, and when she asks, all of your worries come pouring out.

Immediately, she pulls you into a hug and apologizes. She didn't mean to stress you out at all, she just wanted to share the experience with you!

Once the two of you clear the air, though? She cracks her knuckles and goes full bookworm.

Cassandra's...not great at staying focused, but she does have a few tips and tricks that she shares with you if it helps.

She also is really great at finding resources that might help you out. Despite her issues focusing on anything other than non-fiction, she does know her way around a library, and will pull any and all reference texts about what you might be studying while you're away.

By the time you're ready to leave Castle Dimitrescu, you've got two years worth of knowledge packed into your head, an optimally organized suitcase, and a lingering kiss from your girlfriend that makes it hard to worry about anything else 💕💕💕

Daniela Dimitrescu

...doesn't handle it well at all.

Daniela doesn't want you to leave. It doesn't matter the situation, it doesn't matter what the context is, you're her partner in crime and she refuses to let you go.

In fact, she tries to sabotage your efforts to leave.

It starts small. Your suitcases mysteriously unpack themselves in the middle of the night. Important papers keep going missing, and you have to reprint a lot of documentation. Your phone disappears for hours at a time.

When all you do is grumble and fix what she's messed with, she gets angrier and escalates. Your laptop goes missing. Your textbooks disappear. You start to question where you left your keys, because they seem to move around the room without your input.

Meanwhile, Daniela is being passive aggressive any time you bring up college. She refuses to talk about it at all with you, and acts like you're not even leaving.

It all comes to a head one day when you burst into tears from all the added stress. This is so, so important to you, and not only are you not getting any help or comfort from your partner, but all of your stuff is going missing!

Daniela immediately feels terrible. As much as she didn't want you to go, the last thing she ever wanted to do was make you cry.

She's not super emotionally mature, so while she comforts you, she has a group of flies separate from the rest and bring back all of your things. You figure it out an call her on it, but she actually looks on the verge of tears herself as she explains to you why she did it. She's so, so sorry, but she doesn't want you to go! She loves you!

You two have a long talk about why this isn't cute, funny or acceptable, no matter her feelings. You might even bring Alcina in on it, just in case. Still, the two of you do work through it, and while Daniela isn't the best with helping with general prep, puts 100% into keeping your mood high.

With time, she finds herself... well not okay with it, but she can now tolerate the idea. As long as you talk to her every day!

(And yes, she calls you multiple times a day when you're gone. Alcina eventually caves and gets her a phone, just so she isn't constantly using the line that Mother Miranda uses to check up on the Castle. The two of you talk so often you barely even have time to miss her💕)

[planetsano]

a family-friendly sleepover.

SYNOPSIS ☆ "can I request reki and his s/o having their first sleepover together :) nothin nsfw!! just fluff and the both of them being dorks"

WARNINGS ☆ gn!reader but reki's baby sisters dress you up in a princess outfit.

PAIRING ☆ reki kyan x gn!reader

A/N ☆ I made this into a bullet fic/headcanon sort of thing. I hope that's okay, it's just easier for me to convey ideas! ;(

I don't think it would be planned! It would just sort of happen.

The relationship was still new-ish, with it only being official for a month and a few days, but the two of you were inseparable.

One night after a skate date, you two decided to spend a little more time together back at his house. It was supposed to be an hour and thirty minutes max.

But there you two were cuddling and all pouty because you had to leave.

"It's late. I should go." Your voice is muffled from your face being buried into Reki's neck. His arm was loosely wrapped around your waist, rubbing on your back while. Your hand was on the other side of his neck, snuggling into him closer.

It was silent for a bit, the both of you unmoving because you didn't want to separate—puppy love.

A few more minutes passed, and you sighed. Now you had to get up. You sat on your knees, and you looked at Reki with a pout.

"C'mon, walk me out." You hit his chest gently. He groans and sits up, looking at you in your eyes.

"Do you really have to leave?" Reki asks.

You thought about it. You didn't necessarily have to leave, but you were supposed to, right?

"I mean, no but-" You stated but he cut you off.

"You can stay the night," He pauses, realizing what he just said. He was ready, but that's a significant milestone in any relationship, and maybe you weren't there yet. "Only if you want!" He gave you a nervous chuckle.

"Baby, are you sure?” Your hands found the sides of his face. “Will your mom mind?” Your thumbs rubbed his cheeks.

"I’m sure! She won't mind. I'll tell her it'll be a family-friendly sleepover."

“A family-friendly sleepover, babe?” You giggle and peck his lips.

"Yeah, it sounds PG, Ya know?”

Reki's mom and his sisters were so excited to have you over. His mother showed you some of his baby photos, and his sisters pulled you into one of their rooms. The oldest wanting boy advice, and the younger sisters just wanted to play dress up.

While you were occupied with his family, he took the time to get you everything you needed for the night. A toothbrush, a face towel, and pajamas (which consisted of one of his oversized shirts and baggy pajama pants)

Honestly, he was nervous the whole time he was preparing everything :(

He just wants everything to go well even though it was a last-minute thing, and there wasn't much he could do to plan.

Reki makes his bed and straightens up his room a bit even though it was already clean. Are there enough pillows??? Would you need more blankets??? Shit, he had to grab some extra drinks just in case you get thirsty!! He's a little ✨ frantic ✨

He folds your PJs in a neat square on his bed and even goes the extra mile to light a couple of sweetly scented candles and get more pillows

When he's satisfied, he'll go to his sister's room and knock on the door. He pokes his head in to see you wearing a tiara and an exceptionally poorly fitted princess dress. It was obviously made for a child the way it wouldn't close around your frame. Reki thought you looked adorable, but it was Reki-(Name) time now.

"Can I have my (Name) back?" He asks with a pout. His sisters shout a playful "no!"

"No? Let's fight then!" Reki comes into the room entirely fists raised.

Cue a fun sibling fight for your attention and love—spoiler alert. Reki wins, but only because they went easy on him. It was getting late anyway.

He takes you back to his room after you politely return your costume to his little twin sisters, and pinky promise you'll play again soon.

You smile when you see all the little things he's done and put out for you. You notice it all, from the candles to the couple bottles of water and snack sitting on his desk.

You guys brush your teeth and wash your face together. It's very much that scene from Bring It On. Lots of flirting through the mirror and hip bumps trying to fight for more mirror space.

He only gets "slightly" shy when he realizes you have to change.

"Uh, I'll let you change in here.." He says before he takes pajamas of his own out of his drawer. "I'll be right back!" He says and exits his room.

A few minutes will pass, and he's all dressed for bed. He knocks gently on his door, waiting on your response.

"Come in!"

He slides his door open to find you sitting crisscross applesauce on his bed. You look so sweet in PJs and a small smile on your face while you make grabby hands at him.

"Cuddle time, baby!" You say cutely.

Excited puppy Reki activated.

Reki takes so many candid pictures and videos of you. He makes one of the photographs his phone's lock screen. It's not a candid, but you're posing with two peace signs held up and a cute smile.

You guys are definitely making tiktoks too. (he's a surprisingly good dancer??????)

Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus? He has it all on his laptop.

You guys get in a comfy cuddle position and watch movies and cartoons for a while. The Scooby-Doo live-action movie? Watched. A few episodes of Regular Show and Adventure Time? Watched.

He notices when you're quieter than usual—your cute little giggles at funny scenes dying down to soft hums.

"Sleepy?" He asks with a soft smile, and you nod your head in response. Your eyes were getting heavier and heavier by the second.

Reki closes his laptop and starts to get up.

"Hnng- Where you are goin'?" You whine and ball his shirt in your fists.

"I gotta blow out the candles and put this up. I'll be back in no time, lovebug." He kisses your forehead, and you let him go.

You watch him get up and put his laptop on his desk, plugging it up to its charger. Before he blows out the candles, he turns to look at you.

"You don't need a nightlight, right? Because I have one if you need it, babe! I'm not judging!" Reki says

"Reki, I don't need a nightlight. Thank you, though, baby." You giggle softly, then pat the warm spot his body left next to you. "Hurry."

He blows out the candles quickly before sliding into bed with you. His body was resting on top of yours while your fingers massaged his hair.

"Goodnight, (Name). I..." He pauses. "I'm happy you stayed." Nice save.

"Night, baby. I'm happy too.."

Reki wants to save the L word for another time.

© all content belongs to rekiri 2021. do not modify or repost.

[fukurodaze]

tryhard

pairing: suna rintarou x fem!reader genre: flangst wc: 3.2k warnings: cursing!!, uncomfy vibes, it’s the ‘good friend but shitty boyfriend’ type beat synopsis: inarizaki high’s second year trip to kyoto is infamous for its many rendezvous. you just happen to want to follow the trend.

special thanks to kei @keistays​ for beta reading! ily <3

LISTEN TO: gimme love - joji; cool girl - dodie; bags - clairo

“hey.” your hands are shoved in your coat pockets, your boots hitting against the asphalt as a small puff of smoke escapes your mouth. you meet him at the back entrance of the inn. 

he looks up from his phone. “oh, hey. let’s go.”

his shoulders are lax, but his feet tell you otherwise. he scurries along the street, then stops to wait for your slower footsteps. the stoplight is green, but he doesn’t mind waiting for you.

you don’t say anything as he looks at you with tired eyes, a light red across his cheeks. you wish it wasn’t so cold - maybe then you’d know if it was you who had that effect on him.

the light is red now, and you feel your heart pound in your chest as you stand beside him, eyes flickering every now and then to check his blank face. 

“where are we going again?” you inhale a bit of the cold air, nuzzling your face into the thick scarf around your neck. 

“kamo river.” 

“can we walk along gion too?”

suna shrugs. he tells you, “sure. whatever you want.”

the cars are less at night. only the bright green-yellow-red of traffic lights and the faraway warm glow of street lamps stay behind. kyoto’s beautiful, you think. you wish you could hang around for hours here with suna without a care for anyone else.

as soon as you two cross the first road, he lets out a sigh of relief. you then see him chuckle, almost silently. the sight of it makes you smile.

“are you hungry?” he asks.

“we can get snacks, maybe.” you’re caught off-guard at his sudden change of demeanour. or maybe you just don’t know him enough yet.

you’ve had so many questions about this boy for so long, and now that you’re here in kyoto with him - when you’re not allowed to be out, nonetheless - you’re not sure where you stand with him. 

you were introduced to suna rintarou as osamu’s friend and the notorious middle blocker of the school volleyball team. you’re friends with the girls on the cheer squad - the same ones who would always teeter between the lines of friendship and romance with some of the boys on the school's sports teams. you only know the middle blocker by association. your interactions were limited to random glances as you brought your math paper down the room and the rare hello’s when you’d pass by his desk in the morning. 

there was also the one time when the volleyball club planned a birthday surprise for suna and just had to assign you the role of the “distraction” because you weren’t in any “important clubs.” firstly, ouch, and second, why you?

yet it seemed like suna didn’t have a problem as you awkwardly approached him on the morning of his seventeenth birthday, seeing as osamu had weirdly been absent on his best friend’s birthday. 

suna talked to you like a friend, and though he seemed uninterested in you at first, you made sure to spare him the purple chuupets from the canteen, telling him that you’d rather have the white ones instead.

you didn’t really think it was a coincidence when he left you three white chuupets on your desk on valentines day. so when you texted him about it, he gladly told you they were from him. since then, there always seemed to be an elephant that entered the room whenever you were with him.

it didn’t bother you at first, but as text conversations run late and a fluttering feeling in your chest arose, there’s a question that repeats itself in your head.

you heard it the most when he texted you tonight, telling you he couldn’t sleep, and judging from the way you had stayed up until the crack of dawn texting him on multiple occasions, it only felt right for him to ask you. you told him to meet you outside, discreetly, at half past midnight, when the teachers had stopped patrolling.

suna rintarou only texts you when nobody else is awake. suna rintarou only smiles at you after the first crosswalk, when you’re further away from the inn. 

but suna rintarou also follows your every word with a question. suna rintarou also gave you, only you, something for valentine’s.

the question still stands: what are we?

the convenience store is no different to any of the ones back in hyogo. bright saturated colours and white fluorescent lights make you squirm in your almost sleepy daze. but your heart beats so fast and your skin is so cold that you’ve convinced yourself that sleep is not an option. 

suna’s arm brushes yours as you two walk through the aisles, and he reaches for the warm drinks.

“we’re going to be walking some distance to the gion. better not have you fall asleep.”

you pick out a pack of chips from the shelf, and you raise your eyebrows at him, silently asking him if he wanted any. he nods, and you take four.

suna offers to carry the shopping bags as you two begin your little adventure through the city, wary of the closed shops and dark alleyways but enamoured by the old town nonetheless. you’re not surprised to be the one leading the conversation, seeing as he had always been the one to listen. but you notice how he hums with every interjection, how he laughs with every sarcastic remark, and how he makes sure to look at you whenever you tell him something about yourself that he didn’t know before. 

when he speaks, there’s always a quiet attentiveness to him, suddenly so interested in the most useless topics and rambles you would otherwise think he’d dismiss. you notice how he tries to prolong any and all dialogue, like silence was to be untouched. you like it.

“hey, y/n,” the two of you stop and what seems to be the umpteenth red light, the area lined with closed shops and a late market just around the corner. 

he turns to you, and you look at him “yeah?”

he hands you a can of coffee. you take it, confused, and he tells you, “it’s warm. could you just hold it for now?”

a shy smile creeps onto your face, and you nod slowly. he’s sweet, isn’t he?

you watch as puffs of cold air run out of his mouth, his voice low and mellow. when you think about it, you don’t really know him. you don’t know what he likes, you don’t know how he feels, you don’t know what makes him laugh or cry.

but you want to know. you want to know everything about him.

yet, there’s doubt tugging at your heartstrings that tells you he won’t let you. (you ignore it.)

"how was your trip?” suna asks.

‘you are my trip,’ you want to tell him, having secretly anticipated his asking you out. inarizaki’s second-year class trip to kyoto was infamous for its midnight rendezvous, where people would confess and go on dates in the freedom of an ancient city before the pressure of exams in the third year would temporarily keep everyone’s love lives on hold - at least that’s what you’ve heard. though you had told yourself they were only rumours, you can’t help but grin to yourself at the idea of a late night adventure with suna. 

now, as you look down at the little can of coffee in your hands, you find that they were never just rumours.

“my group went to so many shrines...” you say, “at some point it just became the same thing over and over again, and the souvenirs just had to get more and more expensive. it was pretty, though.”

suna exhales through his nose, “all my group did was eat.”

you chuckle, “that’s to be expected when you’re with miya osamu.”

“i got good pictures, though.”

“oh? can i see?” 

suna stops to shuffle his phone out of his coat pocket and hands it to you. he unlocks it in your hand, and you tell yourself to keep quiet at the brush of his large hands around yours. 

it’s between your shock and his photos that you’re given a glimpse of the rest of his phone before you’re scrolling through a gallery of photos. for a second, you’re close to complimenting him on their beauty - you take it back when you click on the first one you see.

“suna, these are all blurry.” you deadpan jokingly.

“wasn’t my fault we were running all the time.”

you giggle, “why were you running?”

“for some reason class two and class one have overlapping routes, so the twins met.”

you nod in acknowledgement, “they don’t ever stop, do they.”

you click away from the pictures app and instead go onto the camera. he’s off talking about something funny that happened today, and as you laugh along with him, you snap a few (many) low quality pictures of you both from below, and then a video, just barely tilting the phone so that the underside of his head is visible in frame. you hope he’ll see them later - maybe even keep them in his gallery, you know, for keepsake. 

you hand his phone back to him, “here.”

he sees your little grin and questions it, but he pockets his phone and continues speaking.

you start to wonder if you’re dreaming when he holds your hand.

the air is colder when you two are seated along the kamo river.

“do you think we’ll get caught sneaking out?” suna says. you reckon it’s the first time you’ve seen him talk so much and so enthusiastically all at once. 

you shrug, snickering, “i think we already have. they just don’t care because everyone goes out anyways.”

“nights of romantic rendezvous, they say.” he turns his head to you, a ghost of a smirk evident on his lips.

though you give a playful push to his shoulder, you scoot even closer.

“doesn’t that make us one of them?” you cringe at the question. you find your body turning to him, and it seems like he’s doing the same.

are we going too fast?

you don’t miss his mouth parting and his eyes staring at your lips. you can hear him breathe - he’s so close. 

you hesitate a little; a lot. you succumb to small looks over his shoulder and quick glances back at the water until your mind starts to wander off into uncertainties and questions you don’t even know how to answer - because you can’t. you ponder why you’ve never really heard him laugh before tonight; if he’s keeping close to you because he wants your warmth or just simply hates the cold; why you find yourself second-guessing the moment you’ve wanted to happen since valentine’s day.

although your head is loud, your surroundings are quiet. then it becomes a matter of head and heart.

so you listen to your heart. 

you want to kiss him, and that is what you know. the hunches and hesitations in your head aren’t concrete - at least not yet.

slowly, little by little, you let his lips collide with yours, closing the space in between. it’s cold and dry, yet the feeling is enough to enshroud you in a blanket of warmth. it’s short, as you expected, like a prolonged peck. you still feel a tingling sensation on your lips afterwards.

it’s then, for a fleeting moment, that you start to think that maybe you could find comfort in this fluttering feeling.

“have you seen anyone else going out?” suna asks like nothing happened.

you shake your head, “mina-chan snuck out with ayane-chan, and i think sakuragi-san with hirai-san... but that’s all i know.”

suna’s eyes widen at the mention of your friend, ayane. not that he cares about her, of course. he clears his throat.

“ayane? dating mina?”

“all the girls think they’re dating, but i guess it seems like a friendship for others.”

you inhale the cold air, and you feel yourself starting to regret the mention of her name. “i know ayane’s been out for a while. i’m glad that everyone’s been so accepting, too. she seems so lively all the time.”

suna’s eyes bottom into a sullen gaze, “yeah, ayane. i’m happy for her too.”

you snicker, “could’ve said that with more enthusiasm, no?”

suna shrugs, “we’re- yeah.”

perhaps he does care about her.

but suna stops himself as his eyes meet yours, “anyways, i bet sakuragi and hirai just wanna find a love hotel.”

you reply with a laugh.

“and i think akagi’s getting close to someone lately.”

you take a sip of your coffee, “really?”

“yeah,” suna zips up his coat tightly, “shit, it’s cold...”

you agree with him. 

despite suna’s conscious efforts, conversation dies out when it’s meant to die. whether it be the tens of questions swimming in your head, the hundreds of i-told-you-sos that play in your mind, or the biting wind, you know neither of you can’t stall anymore. 

it’s so pathetic, you think. you just kissed this boy and now you don’t know if it’s the coffee or his lips because the truth leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

“suna, what are we?”

he doesn’t answer. he doesn’t even do so much as to react to your words, like if he prayed your words away, you never said them. his eyes bear holes into the ground, skimming through a mental encyclopaedia of answers he could form without hurting your feelings.

it’s then that the distance between you and him feels as wide as the river. it’s two in the morning, and you find yourself hugging your own legs instead of hugging him.

it feels like betrayal, almost.

not that he betrayed you; more like you betrayed yourself. in truth, you were tired of chuupets, always fighting your sleepiness when he texted you late at night, willing to put up with his shit talk behind everyone else’s backs. 

yet you still worried that your legs wouldn’t look just right to him in the jeans you wore tonight.

you take a bag of chips from the shopping bag with snacks you two had splurged on earlier. it makes a quick pop as you open it, and suna hears a crunching sound beside him, away from his peripheral vision.

he’s frozen when you reach the bag out to him, offering him a chip. you’re relaxed, he thinks, even after asking that. it’s okay, he tells himself.

suna still shakes his head in decline and takes another sip from his convenience store coffee. he braces himself, because it’s only now that he’s realised the mess he’s put himself into.

“we’re-” he pauses.

you take another chip in your mouth, savouring its saltiness as you inwardly flinch at his hesitation. 

suna takes a deep breath, “i mean, not everyone who goes out is-”

you see it now; you should’ve listened to your head.

“it’s ayane, isn’t it?” you brush it off. all of it.

he’s unmoving, not daring to even blink. but he opens his mouth to speak.

“i wanted it to be you.”

you want to laugh at him. at least he didn’t deny any of it.

“but it’s not, right?” you shake your head, bitter chuckles falling from your mouth, “and you have no choice because she likes girls, huh.”

“i’m sorry. i fucked up.”

you know you can’t cry, but you sure as hell would like to. maybe then he’d really feel bad about it, after knowing so well even back when he’d given you sweets on valentine’s that you were just a compromise. 

“yeah, you did,” you pick at the grass around your soles, “what was even more fucked up is that i still thought i had a chance.”

“i still care about you.”

you exhale, hating the words that fall from his mouth. “of course you do! i’m your friend, osamu’s friend, ayane’s friend.”

you hate that you can’t hate him. you hate that you can’t hate how you genuinely get along with him, how his laughter and words hold no lies, how he’s honest with you. but that doesn’t change the way you hate how he’s led you on - and how you let him.

“is that why you were so smiley and eager tonight? because you were trying so hard to ‘win me over’ so you could forget about her?”

suna sighs. he needs to say something, he tells himself, because it’s only starting to sink in that he might even lose you as a friend. he kissed you, damn it, and held your hand, and asked you out on what everyone calls a date.

what a ‘friend’, huh?

“i’m so sorry.”

you wish he could at least say more. you feel a slash of anger, and though it stops quickly, you make a jab at him.

“you’re too lazy with your words. too lazy with your feelings.”

silence.

“i wanted to be wrong, but,” you shrug, “turns out you have a few things to work out yourself.”

his shoulders fall even lower, “i’ll stay out of your sight. i’m sorry.”

you laugh again, bitterly. your feet bring themselves to stand, and you decide to take the shopping bag and hug it. you think it’d look funny from afar, but you know it’s only to fill the hollow feeling in your chest and the burning embarrassment on your cheeks.

you look back at him, and his eyes are full of worry. they’re so wide that you almost feel flattered at his display of regret. you know he regrets it. you know osamu’s going to beat him up for it. you know the cheerleaders will talk about it. but you’ve forced all your focus on the bags of chips you’re holding and the feeling of a soft mattress back at the inn. the plan to gion is long forgotten.

suna stands up immediately, shoving his hands into his coat pockets, just trailing behind as you make no effort to slow down. you only speed up, briskly walking through the streets you remember from tonight.

you even cross the road on different green lights. 

you don’t wait for him. not anymore. 

the inn is a fresh breath of heated air, the reception dark and the stairs creaky. you tiptoe every inch of the way, not once looking back. 

eventually, when you reach your room, you slide the door open, seeing nothing but your friend’s nightlight. you take care to place the bag of snacks in a corner of the room, hidden yet still available for any of your roommates to see. you’re quick to shed your coat and change into the gym clothes everyone’s been wearing since dinner, sliding into your futon and forcing your eyes closed like you hadn’t just drank an entire can of coffee. 

you don’t cry, you don’t sob, you simply lay there. now you want to laugh at yourself, for knowing that something definitely was wrong, but having too big of a hopeful pride to even consider it.

your hands crinkle the thick futon and bring it up to your neck as you curl yourself up. warm. not electric nor addictive, just comfortable. 

you wanted electric.

you wanted to take back all your words and ignore everything because he kissed you and held your hand and waited for you at the crosswalk, only for you to be some replacement for someone he can’t be with. it makes you wonder if he thought of her when he kissed you. 

you hear the creaking of the wood boards and two voices. you know that it’s other people returning from their own little kyoto dates. their voices are high and squeaky and one of them had whispered something that you could hear three rooms away. 

it stings even more. too bad.

“fucking embarrassing,” you mutter under your breath, turning in your futon, “so fucking embarrassing.”

you’ll tell osamu that you’ll be hanging out with the kids in class 3 for a while. you’ll ask your friends to save a seat for you on the train tomorrow. you’ll make sure to give away the snacks to everyone later. it’ll be a hassle, but you’ll do what you have to do.

at least you can let yourself sleep now.

[ahtsumu]

the mystery of love ; kuroo tetsurou

pairing: kuroo tetsurou x f!reader

synopsis: kuroo tetsurou does not believe in soulmates. he believes in science, himself, and sometimes other people. but that doesn’t mean he can’t believe in love.

tag(s): sweet summer lovin’, friends to lovers, inspired by call my by your name, university student!kuroo tetsurou, lab intern!kuroo tetsurou, so much pining lol, fluff, angst, slow burn ; warning(s): profanity, mentions of alcohol ingestion (it’s legal bc they’re in italy!), suggestive themes ; wc: 4.8k

a/n: happy birthday tetsu!! i hope you guys like this. i really enjoyed writing it ♡

Kuroo Tetsurou does not believe in soulmates. He believes in science, himself, and sometimes other people. At least, that’s what he tells you. Sometimes you treat this information as a source of hope; other times, you’re not sure what to make of it.

This, you realise with his shoulder pressed against yours and both your bodies sprawled across his wrinkled bed sheets, is one of those other times. You turn your face to look at his.

“What?” he asks, one side of his mouth curling up in a smile.

For a moment, you wonder what would happen if you just said it. You could blame the alcohol. Get away with it scot-free. While you mull the option over in the dead silence of his room, your brain suddenly registers the music still playing from the living room. The low bass reverberating through the walls. How close your lips are. The sound of his breaths.

“Earth to Y/N?”

And like that, the little what-if that rose in your mind falls back with its tail between its legs. You bite your lip, look around his room like the walls have a script printed on them. Unfortunately, they do not.

“I was just thinking about my shirt.” It’s not great, but it’s the best you can do while still feeling the vodka and orange juice burn in your stomach. And smelling it on yourself.

Kuroo’s laugh booms through the room and you can’t help but giggle along with him. “I said I was sorry!” he says, hazel eyes twinkling with mirth. He pauses and glances at his closet, then nods his head in its direction. “Take a hoodie. Your pick.”

A smile–– one you try to downplay but fail miserably to–– creeps up your face. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo replies. “You can also shower here if you want. It's the least I can do after spilling my drink all over you.”

When you emerge from Kuroo’s bathroom in one of his thinner hoodies, a lot soberer and drying your hair, he’s not on the bed anymore. Quietly, you step out of his room and look for him through the house. People are crashed everywhere–– on the sofa, over the kitchen counter, even propped up against walls. The floor is covered with plastic cups and mysterious pools of liquid. Wrinkling your nose, you try your best to step around the messes, looking in every corner in the house for the raven-haired boy.

You find him back in his room, actually. He’s back on his bed scrolling through his phone, the light illuminating his sharp features. When he hears you close the door behind you, he looks up, eyes immediately zeroing in on the black hoodie over your torso. The corner of his mouth twitches up.

“Where’d you go?” you both ask at the same time. He chuckles; you grin. Crawling back onto the bed, you tell him to go first.

“I went around to make sure nothing’s broken,” he explains. “Perks of being the only sober intern in the house, I guess.”

A beat passes.

This house is rented. You forgot about that. All his expenses are paid for by your mother’s lab. You forgot about that. He fits in your world so well, like maybe he’s always had a spot there, that you forgot that Kuroo Tetsurou is only here for the summer.

“Right.”

Kuroo raises a brow. “And you?”

“I went to look for you.”

He smiles and holds his hands out like a magician at the end of a trick. “Well, you found me.”

“Yeah,” you muse. “I guess I did.” Aren’t you lucky.

With that, something shifts in the air. A contemplative expression crosses Kuroo’s face. Maybe he’s realised how his words come out sometimes. Kuroo often says things that sound like they have more than one meaning and it used to throw you off, but now you just go with it. You’ve even picked up that habit yourself. “Do you ever wish that you’d met someone earlier? Maybe under different circumstances?” he asks.

Sighing, you fall back against his mattress and stare up at the ceiling. Telling the truth feels easier when you can’t see him. “Yeah. All the time.” A few seconds pass. “Do you think we would’ve been friends if we went to the same college?”

He also lies down. You’re both back in the same positions you were in an hour ago, but something’s changed. “No,” he admits. You’re not surprised–– that’s what you’d expected. “I’d be a junior and you’d be a freshman. We probably would’ve never met. And even if we had, I wouldn’t be caught dead hanging out with a… freshie.” He chuckles softly at the end. “And look at me now,” he adds softly, more to himself than you. You look over at his face. A contemplative smile rests on his lips.

That urge to just say it returns.

“Kuroo, I think––”

“You’re my favourite p–– oh, my bad. You first.”

And it goes away again.

“Um, uh,” you stutter, “how long do you have left here?”

Kuroo raises his brows. “On this planet? Hopefully a while, Y/N.” He sees your unamused expression and drops the front. “Three more weeks.”

Your eyes widen. Eight weeks have already passed. Blood rushes to your ears. Eight entire weeks have already passed, meaning that in three weeks, Kuroo Tetsurou will leave forever. And in four, you will, too. Except you’ll come back. You’ve done so every summer since you were born, probably will do until you die.

But this place will never be the same as it used to. Not after him.

“Y/N?” Once everything comes back into focus, you see the concern riddling his features. “Everything okay?”

“Hmm? Yeah.”

Say it.

“You didn’t have too much to drink, right?”

Say it.

“I just got buzzed. What about you?”

“The only drink I was planning on having all went to your shirt.”

Say it.

“Kuroo.”

“Yeah?”

Not yet.

“Let’s go on an adventure.”

At two AM, everything is different. The streets feel different, the villas look different, and you–– you can’t put your finger on it but Kuroo Tetsurou has changed, too. He sits behind the wheel of your father’s white 1953 Cadillac with the convertible roof down, unruly hair blown back by the breeze, a euphoric grin stretched over his face. In the passenger’s seat, you sit with an equally large beam and your hands raised into the dark sky.

“Where to, Miss?” he shouts over the wind.

“The stars,” you shout back with a laugh. Kuroo’s cat-like eyes briefly flit over to your side profile, lips curving to form a smaller, more tender smile. But you miss that–– your gaze falls on him just a second after his return to the road.

“I heard you say Jack’s,” he says, smirking.

The 24/7 diner sticks out like a sore thumb in the row of sun-baked stucco and stone buildings with its bold neon lights and shiny exterior. During the day, it seems gaudy, way too American for a small town in northern Italy. But at night, this place feels like home. You’ve been stumbling into Jack’s completely shit-faced since you were sixteen. Of course, all those other times had been with the kids of your mother’s coworkers. All those other times, you could hardly remember what you even ordered when you woke up hours later.

But this time, you walk in with Kuroo Tetsurou at half-past-two in the morning, the chemicals running through your bloodstream epinephrine and dopamine, not ethanol; if you’re drunk then it’s on a feeling and your only poison is the boy next to you. You study his face and consider that thought. No, he’s not poison. He’s the antidote.

“Y/N!” the server exclaims, rushing over with two menus. “And Kuroo! My two favourite customers, but together this time!” Giovanni ushers you two to a booth by the window and takes your orders, purely for show, of course. He knows your orders by heart: the Lorenzo for Kuroo and the Quentin for you.

“With fries on both, please,” Kuroo adds, throwing you a wink. “Aren’t I a gentleman?”

“You only did that to have more for yourself,” you reply drily. Having him over at your house for dinner every night made picking up his idiosyncrasies so unbelievably easy. You know them like they’re your own. You know him like he’s your own.

Kuroo clutches his chest and pretends to be offended, then changes the conversation to what happened at the lab today, or rather, yesterday. That your mother and the other researchers are so close to finding a cure for the strain of virus that’s recently hit crickets in southern Italy.

“You should drop by again sometime,” he says. “Last time you came around was, what, two weeks ago?”

Your face breaks in a grin. “Are you saying you’ve missed me? Chemistry getting boring?” you tease, drawing a loud laugh from him.

“Sodium hydrogen, you little shit.” Your mother’s used this one on you before, but hearing it from him makes you giggle anyway.

Giovanni comes back with two plates, each loaded with fries. You both say your thanks and he retreats to the kitchen again, but not before wiggling his eyebrows at your reddening faces. Wordlessly, you grab your fork and knife and transfer at least half of your fries onto Kuroo’s plate. Kuroo stares at you with the slightest smile. That look sends your stomach into flips.

“What?” you question nonchalantly, cutting into your burger.

“Nothing,” he says, mirroring your actions. “Nothing at all.”

It’s hard to imagine that after spending almost every day together for eight weeks straight that there’s still more to learn about each other, but there is. You tell him more about your real home. Your best friend who called you at 3 AM last night because of timezones. Stories from every summer before this one, when you were a different person in the same place you are now.

He tells you more about Kenma, his best friend from high school. How they played on one of the best volleyball teams in Japan. Stories from training camp, literature class, the metro ride home after school–– you listen to every single one in rapt attention. There’s not enough time in the world for all the things you want to know about Kuroo Tetsurou, so you take what you can get. If only you’d known him before you’d known him.

“If we’d met earlier here, do you think we would’ve been friends?” you ask after paging Giovanni for the check.

“No,” he replies, picking up a few remaining fries with his fork instead of his fingers. The corners of your mouth turn up. That’s your thing. He considers the scenario seriously. “I think we met right when we should have.”

“What about the future?” you press, leaning into the conversation. “Let’s say we meet in two years here, instead of now. Would we be friends?”

Kuroo sets his fork down, eyes you steadily. “What’s this about?”

You blink. “What?”

“What’s with all these hypotheticals today?” Perhaps worried that he came off too harshly, Kuroo adds, “I thought I was the scientist.”

“I just… it feels like I’ve known you since forever.” This feels like it was meant to be, you don’t say. And I want to know you forever.

A sigh–– fond, but still a sigh–– blows through his lips. “Don’t tell me you believe in soulmates,” he says with a wicked grin.

“Are you calling me your soulmate?” The question, shamelessly genuine, painfully hopeful, leaves your mouth without you intending it to and you regret it instantly. Because Kuroo Tetsurou has told you many times that he does not believe in soulmates.

Is it so bad to dream, though?

You watch him carefully but he doesn’t say anything, just continues smiling wryly like you’d intended to tease him. Like he knows that you know better. But you don’t.

“Are you?” he suddenly replies. Sharp eyes hold yours, daring you to respond. Do you dare?

At that moment, Giovanni returns with the check. “Who’s paying?” he asks, unaware of the tense exchange that just occurred across the table. Inaudibly, you sigh in relief. Kuroo is about to say that it’s on him when he catches himself in the middle of his sentence, looks your way, then back to Giovanni. He says you’ll go Dutch. You nod in approval.

“So,” Kuroo drawls once you’ve both paid for your meals. “Where do we go from here?”

Good question.

Kuroo Tetsurou has never been to an outdoor club period. And though he’s been clubbing, he has never once gone dancing in his lifetime. You tell him that’s about to change as he parks the car in a lot near the venue. Before him, all your summer nights were spent here.

“You’ve been here for two months and you haven’t been to an outdoor club yet?” you ask while unbuckling your seatbelt. That can’t be possible. If you’d been in his shoes… an attractive college student in a foreign country for the summer, you would have gone wild.

“Nope. I’ve been a little busy, y’know, spending my days in a lab, handling chemicals, studying viruses, washing lab equipment, writing up reports for your mother and her colleagues, working on my own research on the side… the usual.” He flashes you a bright, sarcastic smile.

“Poor baby,” you coo, ruffling his hair. Kuroo laughs while you continue messing with the dark locks. “Was your first full day here the only tourist-day you’ve had so far?” His weekends, you already know, are spent either lounging around cafés, pools, or the great outdoors with you or the interns. But you’d assumed he’d had time to do some exploring on his own.

Kuroo nods. “And my guide wasn’t even that great,” he mutters, shooting you a dark look. “She sped through every attraction and hardly spoke a word outside of the tour to me. I think she hated me.”

You giggle and open the door, letting the music from the outdoor speakers infiltrate the bubble inside your car. “Maybe she was just nervous!” you say as you get out. That’s a lie.

“About what?” Kuroo follows suit, the gravel crunching beneath his feet. “I was so friendly to you and you just brushed me off each time.” He pouts.

But you don’t reply. Instead, you just grab his hands and pull him towards the venue. As you step into the boundaries marked by fairy lights and rustic wooden fences, Kuroo stops in his tracks and tugs on your intertwined hands. You glance down before up, trying to memorise how his hand looks around yours in the few seconds you can steal.

“Y/N,” Kuroo says. The strobe lights paint his skin pink, blue, purple like it’s a canvas. “Tell me why you were nervous.” Grammatically, it’s a command. And yet it sounds like he’s begging.

“What’s it mean to you?” you ask, feeling your heartbeat speed up in your chest. So what if you just… said it? What would happen?

“Everything?” he replies with a cheeky smile. The odds that he seriously means that are slim. But… they’re there. You shake that possibility out of your mind. That’s just the hope talking.

“Depends how convincingly you say it.” You tug on his arm. “C’mon. Let’s dance.” But he doesn’t budge–– he just continues to stand by the entrance of the club with an expectant look on his face. People are starting to stare.

“Fine,” you say with an eye roll. “I’ll tell you." Kuroo smirks, something self-congratulatory ready to leave his mouth, but then you let go of his hand and dance backwards into the throng of moving bodies. “But first, you’re gonna have to dance with me!” 

You allow yourself to be swallowed by the lively music, the people, the moment. Seconds later you’re deep enough into the crowd that you lose sight of Kuroo. Something in you says that he’ll show up soon, though. For now, you let yourself breathe. Forget about the heaviness of what-if’s, the itch to confess, the dread of the aftermath. Feelings are a lot like gravity. Sometimes they keep you grounded, other times, they weigh you down. This is one of those other times.

You dance up to a friendly-looking group of teens your age. Three guys and two girls. You shout your name and follow up with how it’s nice to meet them, hoping one of them finds you nice enough to keep around. Dancing alone in a club is one of the worst things that can ever happen to someone. Luckily, one of the girls–– the one wearing a purple wig–– pulls you in for a hug, drunkenly shouting back, “Bianca!” Bianca pushes you into their circle next to one of the guys and, just like that, you two start moving to the beat, feeling it in your feet, shoulders, hips. At one point, you turn around and take a good look at his face. The guy’s cute enough, but he’s not Kuroo. Still, you say nothing as he moves closer to you and grabs your hand, lifting it up and motioning for you to twirl.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grip firmly onto your waist and pull you out of the circle. “Hey!” You look down, suddenly realising they’re Kuroo’s. A shiver runs down your spine. He spins you around to face him. His lips are set in a firm line, eyes completely devoid of humour, nostrils slightly flared.

“Hi,” you say quietly, testing the waters.

“Hi,” he replies curtly. His hands are still on your waist. Selfishly, you choose not to point that out. Instead, you try to defuse the situation with a light question. Playful tone.

“Where were you this whole time?”

“Looking for you.”

“Well… you found me.” You flash him a sheepish grin. A peace offering of some sort.

“I did.” He doesn’t take it.

“Lucky you.”

Irritation finally seeps through his features. “You just left me on the dance floor!” he snaps. “And then when I find you after searching the entire venue, you’re dancing up on some random guy!”

“It was in good fun!” you retort, wriggling out of his grip. “And I wasn’t dancing up on him.” You want to ask if he’s jealous so badly, but you take a good look at his face and decide against that.

“Fun?” he asks incredulously. “Worrying about losing you, worrying about myself getting lost, then having to worry about that guy after finding you isn’t very fucking fun to me, Y/N!” The words fly out of his mouth like daggers without pause. Once finished, he looks at you with a disappointed gaze, shaking his head lightly, chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.

“I’m sorry,” you say, looking down at your shoes. It doesn’t matter if you disagree with him–– a sort of shame drills itself so deeply into your conscience that all you can think about is making things right again. “I didn’t think my actions through.”

A second passes. You wonder what he’s thinking.

“Hey, look at me.” Kuroo lifts your chin up with an index finger. Your wide eyes meet his narrow ones. Just as a pink beam glides over his face, his gaze softens, falls down to your lips. And then you feel his thumb on your chin, barely grazing the skin of your bottom lip. His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. The revelry in the background fades to dull beats against your eardrums. Suddenly, you register that he smells of, as usual, blackcurrant and amber.

But now you also smell of blackcurrant and amber.

You’re wearing his clothes. You smell of him.

Kuroo’s eyes crawl back up to yours, wide like he’s just been caught in the middle of a crime. You blink expectantly, ignoring the furious way your heart pounds in your chest. Shallow breaths puff through your slightly parted mouth.

“I am.” It comes out barely a whisper. C’mon. Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me kiss me––

You gently touch the hand he has on your chin. Kuroo jolts back like he’s been burned. “I’ll, uhm, I’ll be in the car,” he stutters, looking away from your face. He pushes through the sea of people, leaving you all alone on the dance floor, body doused in blue light, fingers touching the area his thumb had been as if preserving its print.

Kuroo hardly notices you slip into the passenger’s seat minutes later. He’s got his forearms hanging over the steering wheel and gaze fixed ahead into the darkness, mind probably running off to a place he wishes his body was, too.

As soon as you’ve buckled yourself in, Kuroo starts the car.

The entire drive home is silent.

Once Kuroo pulls into your courtyard and parks, he turns off the engine, unbuckles his seatbelt, and steps out of the car. Wordlessly, you follow his actions and meet him by the stairs to your door.

“Hi,” you say quietly. He doesn’t look at you.

“Hey.”

The two of you stand outside your front door in silence as you both consider what to say next. This can’t be the way it ends.

“I shouldn’t have… done that,” Kuroo says first.

“Done what?” You choose to play dumb. Call it selfish, but you want to hear him say it. Maybe then it’ll feel as real as it had been. Kuroo sighs and leans his shoulder against the stone wall, crossing his arms over his chest. There’s no way he can dance around what happened. Perhaps the past two months can be summed up as the development of a strong friendship with skilled doublespeak and metaphors and just enough artistic licence, but this can’t. And Kuroo knows that. He can’t feed you an alternative truth like he’s done so many times before. What’s more, he can’t lie to himself anymore. So maybe it’s better just to not speak at all.

Your eyes burn holes into the side of his face. Fine. You’ll concede first. “I was never nervous.”

Kuroo blinks, turns his head around to look at you. “What?”

“I was never nervous. I was playing it cool because I didn’t want to risk befriending you and getting attached.” I’m still playing it cool, you don’t say. And I’m already attached. “Guess I just came off as a bitch instead.” You laugh. “But can you blame me? You were this cute, older guy. Smart, too, since you were interning with my mom. You were my dream guy.”

An amused breath blows out of his nose. “Were?” he questions, grinning, only remembering the fragility of your platonic relationship a second later. “Um––”

“Are.” It slips out of your mouth without you realising. Fuck. Kuroo stills. It’s too late to take back your words now, so you might as well just keep going. “You still are my dream guy.”

Seconds pass and neither of you says anything. Sweat gathers in the palms of your hands. You start to feel your heartbeat through your neck. The buzz of the cicadas grows louder. Oppressive. Behind Kuroo, the sky is starting to turn pale blue and pink in the horizon. That means it’s almost sunrise. The night is almost over, and, hopefully, so is this awful conversation.

“And… you don’t feel the same.” Funnily, you feel like you’re lying. You’re telling Kuroo how he feels and you think you’re lying. Does that make sense? None of this night even feels real. God, you hope this has all just been a dream. Mustering a soft smile, you say, “That’s okay. Thank you for the party. And the adventure.” It was fun while it lasted. You feel the house key in your pocket and turn to unlock the door. “I hope this doesn’t change anything between us, Kuroo. Can we still be friends?” The words leave your mouth feeling like barbed wire. You know damn well you can’t still be friends.

And suddenly, you feel his calloused hands around your cheeks. Suddenly, his hot breath fans over your face.

“Can I kiss you?” he murmurs.

Your eyes close instantly. “Yes, please.”

And suddenly, his soft lips are on yours.

Kuroo breaks the kiss seconds later. “Fuck,” he whispers, resting his forehead against yours, touching the tips of your noses together. “Y/N, I don’t want to be friends. Fuck.” A dry chuckle leaves his mouth. He pauses to collect his thoughts but decides that that can wait. Instead, he presses another kiss to your lips so fervently that he backs you up against the wall with no space between your bodies. You wonder if he can feel your heartbeat like this, chest to chest. Kuroo’s hands travel down your waist and rest on your hips. His tongue runs across your tongue, your teeth, the insides of your mouth. You gently suck on it, drawing a satisfied moan from him. When the kiss ends, you see that his lips are red and cheeks are swollen. A warm feeling spreads through your chest. “I thought I could be happy just being friends with you but I can’t. I want you so bad it hurts. Not to mention, when I saw you in my hoodie?” His fingers pinch the material. “I thought God was testing me or some shit.”

“Sure didn’t feel like you wanted me that way,” you retort, still breathless.

“In my defence,” Kuroo says, thumbs tracing your cheekbones, “I was very scared.”

“Of what?”

It looks like he’s about to tell you, but he changes his mind and doesn’t answer. He grabs your hand and pulls you back to the car with a cheeky grin. “I’ll tell you only if you tell me where we can watch the sunrise.”

Kuroo holds your hand, stroking your thumb the entire drive there.

After a short hike, you plop down on the grassy hillside, supporting your body with outstretched arms in the back. Kuroo sits down beside you with one of his hands covering yours, fingers intertwined like a honeysuckle vine around a hazel tree. You tell him that you grew up running along this hill with your parents. It used to be your playground. Maybe, you think, it’s time to make new memories here.

“Beautiful,” Kuroo breathes, a wonderstruck look in his eyes. The sun’s just risen halfway above the pink and blue horizon, the saturated orange casting the entire city below gold. It’s not just the city, though. He’s also gold. He’s just as beautiful. You watch him with a soft smile on your lips, noting how his wide eyes and slack jaw return to normal as he stares off into the distance. After resting your head on his shoulder, you fix your eyes on the sunrise ahead. You wonder what he’s thinking so quietly about.

“Penny for your thoughts?” you finally ask once the sun has finished revealing itself.

Kuroo blinks, returning to reality, but continues to stare straight ahead. “I was just thinking about… soulmates.”

You lift your head off his shoulder. “Don’t tell me you believe in soulmates now,” you tease.

“Hmm.” He turns to look at you, the sun turning his hazel eyes the colour of honey. That same wry smirk from Jack’s returns to his face.

“You wanna know why I was so scared?”

“Pray tell.”

“Because I’ve never felt this way towards anyone.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“No,” Kuroo laughs, laying his head down in your lap, looking up into your eyes. “I’m serious. I used to purposely stay away from girls in high school. Same in college. Same all the way until you somehow wormed your way into my life. That’s why we wouldn’t have been friends.” You cock your head to the side.

“Why?” you ask, running your fingers through his hair.

Kuroo’s eyelids flutter shut. He inhales deeply before talking. “My parents are divorced. The years before the divorce were… very ugly.” 

(He spares you the details of the midnight arguments, the smashed plates, the holes in the walls. He spares you the details of how he only ever knew how to fall asleep with his head sandwiched between two pillows, how he hasn’t seen his sister in a decade, how he’ll curse and snap but never yell because he always feels like a child again around the noise. That’s for another time, if you’ll have any.) 

“I still remember all the fighting and yelling. For the longest time, that’s all I knew about marriage and relationships.”

“Did you think all relationships were like that? Fighting and yelling?” you ask.

“For a while, yeah. I’m still a little scared of that, to be honest. Ending up in a relationship where all you do is fight.” Kuroo sighs. “But that’s not the only thing. I thought I wouldn’t know how to love someone, growing up like that.” At that, your fingers pause in his hair.

“Wait,” you say, furrowing your brows. A wave of immense sadness (not for yourself, for him) washes over you. “You think you wouldn’t know how to love someone else?”

“Thought.” Kuroo cracks open his eyes and smiles up at you. “I’m in the process of changing my mind.”

[love-takes-work]

Live on Instagram, Rebecca Sugar and Ben Levin (with help from Ian Jones-Quartey) have given us a two-hour fundraiser to benefit the Trevor Project, in honor of Bi+ Awareness Week.

It was a lovely evening hanging out with them. Please see below for a little breakdown of what songs they played and what was discussed during the stream in terms of bi+ youth resources, Rebecca’s experiences, and the importance of having support for bi+ people.

Please go to The Trevor Project and learn more about what they do and how you can help. Their Resources for Bi+ Youth packet is available on the site! You can also donate through Rebecca’s specific fundraiser.

More below:

Rebecca announces this event is for Bi+ Awareness week for the Trevor Project. Ian Jones-Quartey is giving some help with the fundraiser in the background.

First Rebecca plays "Love Like You" on guitar. It's a lovely stripped down version. They're a little bashful about making a couple glitches on the guitar. It's very sweet and charming, Rebecca, no one minds. :)

Next Ben Levin joins on bass and they play "Fries," a longer version than was in the Adventure Time show.

Then Rebecca talks about the Trevor Project and its suicide hotline that they provide for the LGBTQIA+ youth they support. After some tech glitches, they discuss how great Trevor is and what resources and research they provide on why it's so important to support these communities. Since this is Bi+ Awareness Week, they have put together a resource guide. They encourage us to donate to this organization.

Rebecca discusses Ben Levin's involvement on Steven Universe and Craig of the Creek. They decide to play Jeff Rosenstock's song "Illegal Fireworks and Hiding Bottles in the Sand" as a mashup with the Craig of the Creek ending song.

Then they give an update on the donation amounts and Rebecca gets so excited about the support. They admit to being really nervous after no performances for so long.

Rebecca decides to play a solo song and doesn't announce the title at first but Steven Universe fans all know "Escapism." It's a slightly different version with some great guitar additions in an added interlude, and they even throw in some fun super-high squeaky notes at the end.

They give a shoutout to Jeff Liu for the beautiful guitar part. They tell a story about Adam Muto (who worked on "Escapism" with Joe and was Rebecca's board partner on Adventure Time), and how he asked Rebecca to write a song for the Adventure Time finale. Rebecca goes on to play "Time Adventure."

Then they bring Ben back to do the bass while Rebecca sings "I'm Just Your Problem." Rebecca does a cool guitar solo in the middle while Ben rocks on the bass.

Then they do a nice little instrument switch and bring in the omnichord and set up "True Kinda Love." They shout out Chance the Rapper, aivi and surasshu, and of course Estelle for the help writing this song.

Rebecca gets excited again about the amount of people who have donated and gives us info about the hotline for the Trevor Project, how their hotline is available for phone, chat, and text. They also point out the existence of Trevor Project's available pamphlet, which can help people understand their Bi+ friends and family, as well as helping actually Bi+ people understand how they can expect to be treated, how to understand themselves, and that they aren't defined by their partner.

Rebecca then takes a moment to set up with an acoustic guitar (so they can have their foot on a box since they don't have a strap) and they cut out briefly to get it organized. Then they do indeed come back with their foot on box.

With a shoutout to Kate Micucci (who is watching on Instagram Live), Rebecca says she will play "a Lars and Sadie song" that she's figuring out on guitar, and plays "Be Wherever You Are."

Rebecca goes back to getting excited about the donation amount and they can't believe it's as high as it is with the concert less than half over! They say they'd like to make a tradition of doing a Bi+ Awareness Week fundraiser every year. She didn't have access to information that Trevor is now providing to bi youth when she was growing up in the 2000s, and thinks their resources are so vital. She suggests using their resources yourself or that you slip the resources to people in your life who want to support (or need to know more about how to support) bi youth.

Rebecca says they're about to play a "really really hard" song that they're nevertheless excited to go for. They said maybe we can guess what it is. They shout out Nick DeMayo, who's in the audience, the animation director of Steven Universe who is Greg's namesake and taught them a lot about music. And then they jump into . . . a guitar and bass version of "Other Friends"!

They shout out aivi and surasshu, Jeff Liu, and Sarah Stiles for all their contributions to that song, and how cool it is to play a "campfire version" of the song even though it's different.

Next, she wants to play a solo (but will need Ben again right after!) but takes a moment to thank everyone in attendance for supporting the stream and the Trevor Project. They say "thank you for bearing with me" regarding the performance rockiness. 

They talk about Marceline and how they felt so connected to this character--writing episodes like "What Was Missing" where Marceline would be revealed to have had a relationship with Bubblegum and be known to be a bi character, and Rebecca felt so astonished that the audience understood Marceline was bi and understood she would always be bi, not fluctuating in orientation based on current relationships defining her. Rebecca explored this about herself only after she saw it explored with Marceline, and understood it was so important to have media that helps people understand who a bi person might be. She never related to the "party person" or extrovert stereotype of bi people as they’re usually shown in media, and thought as a nerdy person who was shy, she couldn't be bi if that was true. Cartoons helped her connect with people who understood those things about Marceline and eventually about herself. 

Trevor is so important as an organization to help the next generation understand all of this. Rebecca has felt that knowing herself wasn't possible if she didn't understand her bisexuality or accept it as what it is, and it spread instability throughout the rest of her life. What brought her to finally being able to process and understand this aspect of her identity was cartoons, and she hopes cartoons can bring some others in as well. With that, she brings out the song she was asked to write for Marceline even though she had left the show. Rebecca plays "Everything Stays."

Rebecca then says they were a little conflicted about whether they were going to say all that stuff, about why this issue is personal to them. (It's okay, Rebecca, this is the best!!!) 

She says that song was about her stuffed black rabbit that was her favorite toy that she thought she loved so much, but she forgot it in the garden and it was damaged. That it was so surprising to her that she could have loved this rabbit the way she did and not realize it was missing, and that it could change without her. "Everything Stays" was obviously about that, but she also says the situation with Spinel was inspired by the same toy. She switches to electric guitar to sing and play "Drift Away" with Ben back on board on bass.

They point out that they're rocketing through the set list and Ian suggests maybe they'll have to do some encores. In thinking about what songs to play, they point out that so many songs were written about their mental health journey and coming out to family and friends. A song that was "at the end of that whole arc" for Rebecca was "Change Your Mind." It can go on forever, they point out, but they'll only play it a few times. On we go with a really smooth guitar version of "Change Your Mind." (It's the extended looping version.)

They announce that now with the Instagram contributions and the landing page we've reached the goal of $20,000, and they can't believe it's at the halfway point of the stream and we have already reached it despite that the show's been done for a long time and they "broke a lot of social media rules" by stepping away for so long, but that's been crucial to their mental health and their journey.

After they come back from a break, they discuss some funny artifacts that they finally got to take home that were left in the office--a Steven Universe piñata that they were supposed to smash in celebration of a pickup and they didn't want to because, you know, hitting a representation of their younger brother is kinda wack? Haha. 

They also had a model of Marceline's bass. 

These items were left in the office and just kind of frozen in time because Rebecca's last day (written on the white board, still, when they returned!) was March 13, 2020, just as the pandemic was coming down. Returning to collect stuff was like visiting a room that had been frozen in time!

Rebecca offers a stretch goal to get to $30,000 instead of the original $20,000, and talks a little more about the Trevor Project, discussing how important representation has been, to have bi representation in terms of DIRECT support for LGBTQ+ youth. What they've gotten to do with cartoon representation, having queer characters who can just have fun the way heteronormative kids can and see representatives of themselves is great, but these specific resources are also so important.

Rebecca then plays "Heart of the Country," a Paul McCartney song they're learning that has a hard solo they hope they'll nail. After playing it, they say they flubbed some of it but it was super fun.

Rebecca comes out with an old ukulele--older than the one they wrote the Steven theme song on and auctioned off for National Bailout--that they wrote a bunch of Adventure Time songs and got as a Hanukkah present. (They mention happy 5782 for those of us who celebrate Rosh Hashanah.) Ben is also using his first bass! They recommend musical instruments as gifts for bi people because those are the gifts that keep on giving! They mention working on guitar during the lockdown (which has been therapeutic!) and not having played uke in a while because of that. With that, she dives into "Here Comes a Thought."

They decide to talk about the background of "Mindful Education," how they were coming out at the time they were writing that episode and song. They said coming out was like having the ground spin around. They thought mindful meditation, being so wonderful and helpful, could become an 11-minute episode where Steven leads kids in mindful meditation. With help from Ben (and Matt Burnett), Rebecca realized it would work better if they show characters benefiting from the lessons. They have a little joke about how the episode number was 108 and they prided themselves on knowing the episode numbers. Then they put aside the uke and pick up a big black guitar to play "Found."

After this, she talks more about Trevor Project's hotline, chat, text, and resources. They remind us that bi+ people experience very specific forms of marginalization and this organization can help everyone who wants to understand. She thanks everyone for helping with donations and she can't believe the Instagram fundraiser has gotten to $10,000. She's amazed that "the thermometer is bursting" and promises to draw it later. Ben thinks he could be part of future fundraisers and Rebecca reminisces about times they've played together, like in 2016 at SDCC and a Gallery Nucleus show.

Rebecca goes back to the other guitar to do some audience requests for repeat songs and talks about the song "Fries." The story behind this one, when she was writing it--the first song she wrote for television and the first episode she boarded--since she was introverted and struggled with pitching, she went on the roof of Cartoon Network to practice being louder until she was actually audible. Ian helped.

They decide to do the ending Craig song again and Ben says Jeff Rosenstock's song is really nice and Rebecca talks about getting teary over the Craig ending with people sitting around the dinner table. Rebecca's favorite line is "speaking in a stupid secret language." She feels like she still hasn't moved on from that in her life and likes to surround herself with people who speak that language. After it's over, Rebecca says hi to Jeff Rosenstock in the chat.

They do more shoutouts for the Trevor Project and then discuss encore songs. Rebecca decides to do "Love Like You" again because they were sad they messed up a chord during the first performance. It's another lovely version.

After more great discussion of the Trevor Project's resources and Bi+ Awareness Week, Rebecca says hi to her Brazilian friends and how awesome it was to visit there for a convention, and she loves that Trevor is trying to expand resources to be more global. She knows how important those resources would be to help people worldwide. She thanks people for coming out to see her, and admits to being surprised that her life has come to include actual performances since she always thought she'd just be behind a desk as an animator. She gets very nervous about performing but loves that people support her. They love being able to perform and once got a sweet comment from John DiMaggio (the voice of Jake on Adventure Time) who would hear the early demos that were a struggle to be audible, and he told her that she's come so far that it now sounds like she enjoys performing, enjoys the sound of her own voice now. She feels that coming out and all the support from friends, family, and organizations has made that confidence and comfort with herself possible.

With that, Rebecca plays the Steven Universe theme song on guitar!

And then, they play "Time Adventure" again.

Rebecca talks more about the astounding amount of support for Bi+ Awareness Week, how moving it is and how hard it is to hold it together while talking about what it was like to be an adult who didn't know if they were even allowed to be bisexual and nonbinary, how much of their adult life was in such a quagmire over not knowing fully who they were.

For their next to last song, they play a song written by aivi and surasshu with lyrics by Rebecca: "Being Human" from the ending theme of Steven Universe Future.

Finally, Rebecca says thank you to everyone who's been involved in the songs--the performers, aivi and surasshu, Jeff Ball, the Crew, Ben Levin, Ian Jones-Quartey--and everyone who's helped raise over $11,000 just through the Instagram concert. She plays "Change Your Mind" one more time, adding that the journey is ongoing even though this song was written at a time she considers at the end of an arc of self-discovery for her.

Thank you!

(Yes, I did a donation.)

Links:

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/how-to-support-bisexual-youth/