#does mura swear

[imagine-knb]

Could I please request GOM + haizaki + hanamiya with a friend who see's her bf cheating on her and they comfort her. thanks :)

Alexa, play Before He Cheats ;) Some of these answers are about how the guys would comfort her, some are about what they'd do that very moment. Admin Neon

Kuroko

the two of you are standing across the street from your now ex-boyfriend, watching as he was out on a date with another girl from your class

Kuroko doesn't say anything as he initially starts pulling you away from the scene, not wanting to be witness to it anymore

he takes you to a quiet, secluded place and, at first, the two of you just sit there in silence, but once you start sobbing, he's pulling you into his arms for a comforting embrace

Kise

as your eyes lock with your boyfriend's, Kise makes a quick decision to grab at your hand and make it look like the two of you were out on a date as well

he's quick to put on a fake smile and drag you away, speaking loudly to try and scare your boyfriend back to his other date

when the two of you are finally away, he decides to make it an actual date, platonic or more, whatever you wanted, wherever you wanted, just to see you smiling again

Aomine

he gives you the most toxic advice he can think of in order to get your revenge and make you feel better

"just ghost him. or better yet, fuck his brother, then ghost him. no wait, fuck his dad."

Aomine's version of comfort isn't actually the healthiest because he's giving you ideas on all the different ways you could break your ex-boyfriend's heart back; he's also thinking of ways to break your ex-boyfriend in general

Midorima

never one to be too confrontational, Midorima tries to steer you away from where your boyfriend was currently cheating on you

he's silent for most of the time, both waiting for you to say something about it first and wondering what he could even say in this situation

"he wasn't right for you anyway" — he says this when he feels like the silence has gone on for too long, but he doesn't seem to have an answer when you ask who was right for you then

Murasakibara

Murasakibara could be rather threatening when he wanted to be and, in that moment, he really wanted to crush your boyfriend

the girl he is cheating with is the first to notice the tall basketball player looming over their table, a glare on his face and his hands tensed into fists

"that doesn't look like ____-chin" — he's looking back and forth between you and the other girl, then finally turns his menacing gaze on your boyfriend — "so what the hell are you doing?"

Akashi

he asks you if you want to confront your boyfriend, but when you inevitably say no, Akashi doesn't push for it; instead, the both of you try to continue on with your original plans

he can tell you're overly distracted though, so he convinces you to go home and rest, knowing full well that neither of you would be able to

once you're out of sight however, he's making a few phone calls — it was time to gather evidence and a few people owed him favors

Hanamiya

in front of you, Hanamiya doesn't seem all that sympathetic to the fact your boyfriend was cheating on you; in fact, he almost seems to act like he knew it would happen all along

do not mistake this for indifference, because he's actually boiling mad underneath his usual sneer

so far it hasn't been confirmed, but the next day you hear rumors about the KiriDai basketball club cornering your ex-boyfriend in a dark alley and committing some brutal acts

Haizaki

he's nearly more pissed than you are; you can see the way he's tensing his jaw and clenching his fists

Haizaki's form of comforting you is swift and painful revenge; before you can even stop him, he's stomping up to your now ex-boyfriend and lifting him up by the collar of his shirt — "really? you're cheating on ____ with that ugly bitch?"

it honestly will turn into an all out fist fight if you don't hold him back from doing anything to rash

[lynnaredfield3383]

Not my characters. Swearing, insecurity mentioned, pushing & arguing. (My 1st KNB short, so be nice.) Fem reader has known GoM since middle school. (Now they're all at the same university.) Aomine her crush started dating her cousin Keiko & now they're at odds.

"Enough!" Aomine roared, pushing you back against the wall.

It didn't hurt, but you had never seen him like this, so maybe your fear overrode the pain. You were effectively caged in, his muscular arms blocking your view and any path of escape.

"I..."

"Shut up! You've said plenty. You're an idiot! You dislike me because I'm an athlete and you have this fucking stereotypical view of us. Get over yourself! The reason no guy in "our league" would give you the time of day is because you're too damn busy insulting us. Making us feel like absolute shit about who we are and choose to be. If you're too damn insecure to be around us, then get lost."

Your nails were sunk deep into the palms of your hands. You bit your lip hard so you wouldn't cry. The severity with which he looked at you made you realize this bridge was burned.

Clearing your throat, you stood straight and held his hard stare.

"You're right. I'm sorry for everything I've said. I hate that I mistreated all of you and rejected friendships due to my insecurities. I hope you can forgive me."

Your voice was surprisingly strong and clear.

Aomine was caught off guard by the apology. He'd expected you to run off. Probably crying, but no, you were holding his stare and not the least bit intimidated.

You took Aomine's moment of surprise as your chance to escape. Ducking beneath his arm, you walked stiffly, but at your normal pace, which could be considered sprinting even on a normal day.

"Hey, wait!" Kise caught your arm.

You wanted to get home, transfer universities, and never see any of them again.

"Please let me go, Kise. Aomine is right, and we both know it."

Kise sighed, releasing your arm and falling instep beside you.

"Yeah, but why? I've never seen you insecure, and I can't believe that's why you tore Aomine up like that. There has to be another reason."

"Why are you even talking to me? I insulted all of you."

"You apologized. I guarantee Kuroko, Akashi, and Mura already forgave you. You never apologize, so we all know it's sincere."

"Thanks."

"So, spill it. What set you off on him like that?"

"I'm an idiot. When I like a guy, I ignore them or treat them like shit to keep them away."

Kise smiled.

"Ahh, so I was right. Mura and I had a little wager going that you were crazy for Aomine."

"Not crazy, but yeah. I liked him a lot. I was hoping he'd fall for me even if I treated him like shit. There were times when we actually joked around or teased each other. When I saw him with Keiko of all people, I lost it. Part of me did it out of wanting to protect her and the other part because... I wanted to be her. Thing is, she doesn't need protection. She'll end up cheating on Aomine like she does every guy and girl she dates. I feel bad for him."

"Yeah, well, he'll figure it out. Look, I think you should talk to Akashi."

"I'd like that."

You and Kise jumped when you heard Akashi's voice. You both turned to see him smiling.

"How long have you been following us?" Kise asked.

"Long enough," Akashi smirked.

"Well, I'll see you later. We're still friends, so don't you dare blow me off," Kise warned.

You felt better with Kise's warm smile and kind words. You turned to Akashi, wondering what he could possibly want.

"I meant what I said..."

"I know. Let me walk you back to your dorm. If you don't mind my company," Akashi offered.

"Sure."

"I've known for a while you liked Aomine. I also know about the kiss. He hates himself for misleading you."

"Wow. You, uh, know quite a bit."

Akashi chuckled lowly, his hand brushing against yours.

"Would you come and cheer for me at the next game?" Akashi asked after a few moments of silence.

"For you?" You asked confused.

"Yes. I'd like to take you out afterward as well."

You stopped and turned to face him, wondering if he was messing with you. Akashi was as stoic as usual, fully focused on you with his intense eyes.

"Is this some kind of revenge thing? Like you get me to fall for you and humiliate me a few months down the line?"

Akashi laughed freely, surprising you since he always seemed a bit uptight.

"I know that I am not your first choice, but unless we're living in some kind of American soap opera, I'm not out for revenge."

Akashi chuckled softly shaking his head.

"It's a nice day out. Do you wanna go for a walk? Or do you already have plans?"

"No plans. No practice, either," Akashi responded.

You were nervous because you never considered Akashi more than a friend. Testing your luck, you brushed your hand against his again.

Akashi smiled before catching your fingers with his and slowly intertwining them. The tension from your shoulders seemed to melt away, and that made him happy.

[withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus]

both? When I sent you this ask you were already following me. Unless you followed me again recently I guess. Maybe I had been following on your Jin's blog and then unfollowed when you stopped updating. That is more possible tbf. If I had all the pics you have then I'd unfollow xD. ANYWAYS! xD

Same about bots. But the problem is worse on twitter now so i'm fine here.

Actually it wasn't anything special, that interview. I don't even remember if I watched it live or then found the footage on vk and downloaded but it must still be up on vk communities if you check. By vk I mean the Russian facebook btw, not visual kei communities in general. I had downloaded it but it's not on my pc, anymore, otherwise I'd send it to you. I keep interviews that are more visually appealing, like either there are jokes, funny moments or they all look cool on it, on my pc, and save the rest on cds and erase them to save space. I have hundreds of those cds though so you will most likely find it faster if you go on the three communities on vk.

Muras I find here. I interact mostly with zeroborn-hero (heyya if you see this! ^^/) and xanaxanaxanadu (also heyyy if you see this! ^^/) but we unfortunately don't TALK talk. ;; I have seen others too but I don't see them much (not because they aren't active, I'm following 841 people and rarely does tumblr show me blogs that still post vkei. It tends to show me either people who've grown out of it, or other kinds of blogs I follow, with different fandoms I'm in and it keeps changing. I don't know based on what it chooses to show me what). Monochrome heaven I don't even go close to them, they are jrockone now, I only go there for news. There are too many elitists for my liking and I swear if I catch another bitch slandering one of my boys, I'm going wolf mode on the bitch. Like seriously, people in there think their faves are the best or that they are music geniuses and know when a voice or skill is bad and feel it's ok to name everyone they don't like, like bitch get off your high horse, your taste isn't the norm, it's just YOUR opinion. Anyway. I don't use reddit either. I'm on here, twitter and youtube mainly. Twitter has lots of fans but I haven't found any muras, I admit (and the community is also generally toxic there, so i interact with a selective few people and block the rest). Gazette fans have moved there for sure, Dir en Grey fans, and newer fans that are into newer bands. But yeah tumblr has definitely being abandoned. Mostly for twitter, though. After the nsfw ban here most people left and in our fandom's case it was also because the bands are all there now and on insta, so they get to interact in real time.

Honestly I have no idea if Red Carpet have released anything, I sure haven't heard anything, like no samples, so if there is sth, it was released only there AND I'M CURIOUS AF! XD Yes Jin has another band for years now but honestly, they do nothing. Like I was worried cause he was so excited when they started, he even used a style very reminiscent of his early Screw years and mentioned it and I did fangirl about it and he liked it, but after that, a year after that, I never heard from them again. He wouldn't post lives or anything, no news. It's like they started it, disbanded and told nb. He doesn't even mention them on his bio, he writes REDCARPET drummer, ex. Screw & KHRYST+ only.

Yeah I know about Byou, but this happened a couple years back so I was sure you'd heard. Lin is the other member, he's also a very seasoned musician, he has his own solo project as well. I am glad Byo finally found sb who allowed him express himself the way he wanted, cause he had been hinting that the reason he had hard time finding members was the fact he wanted to do sth specific and others weren't interested. However I've unfortunately yet to find sth I like. I was very excited when they started and the samples had be intrigued but it eventually didn't work for me. I'm still keeping an eye out though. I had the same issue with KHRYST+ but eventually did find a song I liked. Only one xD.

Yeah Kazuki's a pimp now xD. He got 2 bars actually. He's the CEO of both and while that's good, the dude is drinking way too much and I am worried all the time. Especially after the post you shared, cause Kazuki said Manabu told him he was glad Kazuki was still alive and Kazuki was like pff what are you saying, we're the same age. He knows what he's saying, poor Bubu, but...try changing that stubborn ass' mind. Yes Kazuki usually performs on his bday and invites Manabu and occasionally he says yes to lives others call him, but that's rare. I think Ruiza called him twice and he did go but that's it. Manabu only comes back when Screw members call. When he said he didn't wish to make music with other members he meant it apparently. Also Kazuki's bdays usually have me thinking cause every year he holds a live, yet Jin is never invited (or he is and keeps getting a no)...so yeah I think, if there was any argument that lead to the disband, chances are it's these two. I have never seen them together since the disband. All the other members had pics with each of the other two separately but never together. Maybe they meet off camera but I think that's not what it is.

Hi. Just saw your tag on my screw post & wanted to say I don't remember if I had noticed the pat on the d cause I posted that ages ago, but that aside, I got the biggest brain glitch, I came on your blog & saw your intro & I was like wait a second I remember you xD. I don't remember why I unfollowed you though, if we argued or maybe a post triggered me. I remembered your username as Riyu-sama & that you are Jin fan. I'm pretty sure we've talked before. Anyway I'm following again.

OMG HI HI HELLO YES WE WERE MUTUALS ONCE A UPON A TIME 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

We didn't argue! I think we just slowly drifted apart cuz I did get into different fandoms and such so that may have squeaked you! Altho I do post porn sometimes so that may be a reason too!

I'm so happy you remembered me and I remember you too (*/ω＼*)🤍🤍🤍 And yiiissss honestly I would not have noticed the pat on the croch Byou did in the gif until I saw my own tag there LMAO sharp eyes from fans sdhfjasdkl

Happy to be mutuals again! I missed you!!!!! Sorry also for the late reply, I'm much slower now than before lol 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 if you ever wanna talk about visual kei and SCREW again pls hit me up (❁´◡`❁) I've been wilding the past few days here and on reddit trying to find more SCREW fans!!!! 🤍🤍🤍 🤍🤍🤍 🤍🤍🤍 🤍🤍🤍

[naneun-no]

My (rainbow) Mura 🌈

Something must be wrong with me because I have tears in my eyes laughing this morning. To be very clear it’s NOT because JK’s poses are funny (except the bowling one b/c something about men bowling makes them inherently look like someone’s uncle), or because anyone’s sexuality is funny (although I gotta say there are kinks out there that are objectively hilarious but I digress) it’s because the goddamn heteronormativity and subconscious homophobia that plagues the minds of so many has compelled certain BTS fans, who are very likely perfectly clever and capable otherwise, into mentally forcing JK into a heterosexual box and yet again (because this is not the first time nor will it be the last) they have been made fools of by the very man himself.

Sheesh, that was wordy, here’s my point:

IMAGINE SWEARING UP DOWN AND SIDEWAYS THAT THIS MAN IS STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW BASED ON NOTHING BUT THE “VIBES” HE GIVES YOU (which like pffft okay 🥹) AND THEN HAVING TO CONTEND WITH THIS:

Sorry lemme just:

Our shrimp said LOOK AT ME BEING FANCY ON A ROOFTOP INFINITY POOL BISH.

He said 💅

He said 👑

LISTEN. He may very well be into women. I wouldn’t blame him. Have you seen women? I personally don’t know how everyone isn’t into them. He may be pansexual, or demisexual, or asexual.

But if you are one of those people who has made the conclusion that he is straight purely based on the “vibes” he gives off, and you go around saying that to anyone who will listen… then idk who you’ve been looking at all these years, but it ain’t him.

And if you are one of those people who has quietly made the conclusion that he is straight because you haven’t been told otherwise by him and you think that’s the polite thing to do, then I challenge you to ask yourself why straight is the default in your mind. Why people must be straight until proven gay, rather than unknown until otherwise?

You don’t know.

And it’s okay for queer people to perk up and raise an eyebrow and maybe even raise a little rainbow flag and wave it around excitedly when they notice hints (and, if I may, in this man’s case hints and hints and hints) of queerness popping up around their favorite stars.

It doesn’t always have to be a giggly, blushy, side eye, 🤭 omg-does-he-know-how-that-looks “misinterpretation.”

This man is 25 years old. He is not a child anymore. He is not naive. Read the lyrics of My Time and remind yourself that in fact he is likely more worldly and mature than most 25 year olds because he stepped into a cutthroat, grown up industry from a young age and spent the majority of his time around people who were his seniors. It is infantilizing to suggest that he has no idea how his online behaviors and choices could be interpreted, even by an international audience.

Yikes. This started out with me laughing and turned into me preaching, sorry. I know I sound serious and I’m not trying to put more meaning into a sassy little poolside pose than it warrants, but I’m tired of people accusing queer fans of reading too much into things while simultaneously concocting entire narratives about each member’s supposed sexuality that hinge on actively ignoring their words, actions and behaviors.

Alright, alright. Back to smiling at JK’s adorable ass. Here’s the rest, and Ghandi:

[mercur1e]

hiiii I hope ur doing well! Can I request a knb gom (+ kagami, teppei and junpei if you want) head canons where reader is part of an elite show choir? I’m on my glee phase again lmao

Yes of course! And I'm doing well and I hope you're doing well good too! I've never watched glee so I hope I don't let you down! Also sorry this took so long!

Midorima

Oha asa said for cancers that someone in your life has a special talent

So he decided to ask you about it!

"Oh yeah I'm in a choir!"

The way you said it make it assume that it was a lil local choir, nothing like major

WRONG

When you pulled up a youtube video and it sounded like he was ascending to heaven he was in awe

He asks you to sing a song for him, and in his free time he listens to your performances and it never ceases to amaze him :)

Whenever you have a concert he's in the front row rooting for you

Asks for duets because he can play the piano, and you two sound so pretty together!

Akashi

Not surprised

His s/o has golden pipes? Of course you do because you're his amazing s/o!

Loves listening to your performances

He even managed to get his father to go to one of your concerts and he enjoyed it!

Also asks for duets because he can play the vioin

Whenever you have to travel internationally he's right there with you :)

Absolutely adores your skills and is proud of you

You best BELIEVE he shows you off "Yeah my s/o sounds like a literal angel cmon baby show them"

But he does get jealous when people compliment you in front of him

Kise

Your #1 biggest fan

Shows you off to whoever is near him, willingly or unwillingly

"Guess what!?" "Wha-" "My s/o is in an elite choir! Isn't that cool? Huh huh????!!"

Is always at your concerts and even brings a sign

He forces the basketball team to watch your videos with him

No one can escape a proud kise

Asks you to hum a song for him when he's sleepy or stressed

Aomine

Had no clue

He found out through Sakurai actually

He watches choir videos and was in choir as a child

He was watching your video with earbuds in and didn't see Aomine approaching

Aomine was about to go steal some of his lunch as usual when he looked over the boy's shoulder

And just when he did the camera had cut to you, the main lead

He snatched the phone from poor startled Sakurai and watched the video

He was pleasantly surprised, and you sounded wonderful

After school that day he asked you about it

"Yep! I'm in choir"

He calls you golden pipes now

Loves whenever you sing

Murasakibara

It was Himuro who told him

He and Atushi were walking down the hall to class, and to waste time Himuro was reading flyers

There was a concert that was being held at your school for the choir

And he just happened to be reading the flyer and he saw your name!

So at practice he told Atushi about it

"Hey Mura, you knew your s/o was in choir?" "What? No lemme see"

You didnt tell him that you were in choir so you were surprised to see him there!

After your performance he gave you chocolate

"That was amazing Y/N-chin, I'll give you sweets if you sing for me"

You can always spot your baby in the crowd :)

Kagami

He was at your house

You have a calendar on your wall and he saw you had a day circled and you had put "choir concert" in the small square

So he asked you about it!

"Babe, are you in choir?"

"Oh yeah! I love it"

And of course he came to your concert, he wanted to see his baby in action :)

Boy was he surprised

At the end of the performance he had to pick his jaw up off the ground

He was so proud of you

He congratulated you on you amazing performance and he now comes to every show

Another show off

He's always in the first row looking at you like the proudest boyfriend in the world

Kuroko

He knew but he didn't tell you he knew

Also he wanted to keep it surprise

You didn't see him but he was there!

After your performance, he came up and congratulated you.

You were so surprised to see him there!

"Y/N you did amazing out there, I loved hearing you sing."

He comes to every performance, even though you might have trouble finding him sometimes lol

Teppei

Funny story he met you in the hospital

You had put to much strain on your vocal cords so you had made an appointment

Teppei being Teppei, he struck up a conversation with you in the waiting room and that's how he found out you were in an elite choir

He noticed that you were in Serin's uniform and that was a wrap

So a few months down the line and you two are in a happy and thriving relationship :)

This was your his first time going to your concert so you were both excited!

He was so amazed by your skills, in awe, mouth wide open

After your concert he gave you a big hug and congratulated you

"That was amazing baby! Just when I thought you couldn't get any better you prove me otherwise!"

Always goes to your concert and you swear you can see his smile even if he was all the way in back rows

Junpei

He walked in on you practicing after school!

He thought he was alone until he walked in on you singing!

He had no idea his s/o had pipes

"You can sing babe??? When's your concert??"

When the day arrived, he and the other second years came to see you in action

You had then stunned with your talent and wonderful performance!

After your part ended, you could hear him shout "That's my s/o!!" even over all of the applause

He was so proud of you and he loves to tell people that he's the boyfriend of an amazing singer

He loves showing you off and comes to every single concert and you can always hear him over the crowd :)

I hope you liked these! Sorry these took so long to get out! I don't watch glee so I hope these don't disappoint! Thank you for requesting and feedback is appreciated :) <33

[bungostraydogs-nextgen]

MURASAKI NAKAJIMA-AKUTAGAWA: PROFILE

“Myself, and my abilities… we will be used as forces of good! Not evil, like you have become! You are no relative of mine now!”

MURASAKI NAKAJIMA-AKUTAGAWA

( Murara [Nobunori only], Mura-Mura [Yoshiko only], Murasaki-chan [Friends and family only], Little One / Tiger Cub [Ryuunosuke & Atsushi only] Girl Tiger [Hirotsu only], Tiger Cub #1 / Teegee 1 / Little Creature [Dazai only] )

PARENTS: Atsushi & Ryuunosuke Nakajima-Akutagawa

AGE: 13 (beginning of Hateful Eight) - 20 (end of Courtesy Call)

BIRTHDAY + STAR SIGN: January 1, 2001, 10:02 PM + Capricorn

GENDER + PRONOUNS // SEXUALITY: Non-binary trans girl + she-nya // Lesbian

HEIGHT + WEIGHT: 5’6" (168 cm) + 150 lbs (68 kg)

TAROT CARD: The Tower (1)

AFFILIATION + SUB-GROUP: Armed Detective Agency + Apprentices of the ADA && The Gunslinger Kids [Part of the Hateful Eight]

SIBLING(S): Nobunori (younger twin brother), Natsume (younger brother, oldest triplet of Yasunari & Michizane), Yasunari (younger brother, middle triplet of Natsume & Michizane), Michizane (younger sister, youngest triplet of Natsume & Yasunari), Tomoji (younger sibling, older twin of Minoru), Minoru (younger brother, younger twin of Tomoji), Shizuo (younger sister, older twin of Shimei), Shimei (younger sister, younger twin of Shizuo), Truth (younger sibling, adoptive), Meisei (younger sister, oldest triplet of Tamiki & Kaitarou), Tamiki (younger brother, middle triplet of Meisei and Kaitarou), Kaitarou (younger brother, youngest triplet of Meisei and Tamiki), Rin (younger sister, older twin of Motokiyo), and Motokiyo Nakajima-Akutgawa (youngest brother, younger twin of Rin)

SIGNIFICANT OTHER(S): Yoshiko Kunikida

THEME SONG: Little Dark Age by MGMT

Policemen swear to God, love seeping from their guns I know my friends and I would probably turn and run! If you get out of bed, come find us heading for the bridge, Bring a stone, all the rage, my little dark age...

ABILITY: Tale of Genji && Beast Beneath the Moonlight

ABILITY DETAILS: Beast Beneath the Moonlight’s effects are already known, and thanks to her friend Junichi Fukuzawa, she is able to fully control it. Her other ability, Tale of Genji, manifests as a physical book, on which, when activated, the pages are written on with what will happen in the immediate future if the current course of action is continued on by either Murasaki, or the person she is asking the book about. That said, this future can be changed so long as Murasaki or the person targeted takes direct action to change it. The pages and the subject’s future written on them will then update accordingly.

BRIEF OVERVIEW: Murasaki is, in contrast to her brother, a very stark and serious girl, who prefers to get right down to business and the heart of the matter rather than mess around or dance around the subject, and is quick to become angry if she feels she is being lied to or played with. Generally, Murasaki is a nice girl, if a bit aloof and strange due to not understanding others often times, but she does her best to get along in a world very much not built to accommodate her. She is strong and sure-footed in her morals and worldview, and it can be incredibly difficult to get her to see the other side at times. She is extremely intelligent, though sometimes this intelligence is not enough to get her through, and she is learning to rely on her friends. She enjoys the company of her friends and family (usually, when they aren’t busy annoying her) as well, and she has an incredibly strong sense of justice and what is right and wrong. That said, she is willing to bend a little on her “rules” when it comes to friends and family, as she sees her connections with them as being of utmost importance.

EXTRA:

has autism! she’s i guess more of the “stereotypical” autism type? she doesn’t understand sarcasm/sarcastic humor very well at all, but she absolutely gets innuendo and hidden messages. very good at reading faces, not good with body language unless it’s aggressive. also has adhd, was extremely hyperactive as a “kitten” (all the nakajima-akutagawa kids are lovingly/jokingly referred to as kittens)

extremely intelligent. that said she often downplays her intelligence or doesn’t show it as much because she wants to fit in with her peers

on GOD she loves women. has the biggest most obvious crush on yoshiko but because they’re both fools they’re the only ones who don’t notice

you would think she’d be closer to ryuunosuke right? haha wrong atsushi is the favorite dad

she could not fucking stand dazai when she was like. from the ages of about two to seven. as a child she once called him a bitch because ryuunosuke did it out of frustration when he came from from work:tm: so she was just like “oh this is clearly meant to be derogatory! time to use it on uncle dazai”. at her current age she does not hate him but they both look back on this phase and laugh

murasaki is desperate to prove herself as being more than just the offspring of her very accomplished parents. she wants to make her own legacy.

[Event that happens suddenly; receiving information that changes everything; opportunity to break free; sudden realization, spiritual awakening or revelation; pride, shame, fear; rapid transformation; demolishing the prison; chaos and destruction; the unexpected; loss of a loved one, breakup, divorce]

[clandestineloki]

hoiiii, sawakas nakatagpo nadin ako na filipina na mahilig din kay loki huhu😭😭 ate gawa ka pa po nung imaginesss ung may mga tagalog 😭😭👐

“Ang gwapo mong puta ka” [you’re so fucking hot]

It’s actually quite convenient to have a crush on Loki and be bilingual, because you can be flustered IN TAGALOG and he won’t understand

So it involves a lot of you mumbling stuff about Loki under your breath

IN TAGALOG

“Sarap mo ser” [“sir you look delicious” this is so cringe in english HAHAHAHAHAHA]

“Ako lang ba or pinapainit nya yung kwarto” [“is it just me or is he making the room so much hotter” AKSKALFJKDFJKDSJG bear with me]

But little do you know that’s going to cost you a kiss once he finds out

“Y/N, I’ll be off to get coffee. Do you want anything?”

“Oh, just some onions. I’m trying out a new recipe.”

“I just saw onions in the kitchen, but if there’s nothing else, see you tonight”

“Bye!” 

As soon as he left, you whispered under your breath

“Ang gwapo mong p*ta ka” [you’re so f*cking hot]

Ned snaps his head in your direction a little too harshly, snorting in laughter. “Kapal ng mukha mo, ate, alam mo yun? Andyan lang sa kabilang kwarto yung tao walang filter dila mo” [You’re cheeky, you know that? He’s right there in the next room and you aren’t filtering anything you’re saying.]

Peter looks up from the PS5 screen. “Could you guys speak English? As much Filipino and Spanish as I know I’m still shook every time the two of you speak Tagalog.”

“Okay fine,” Ned gets up and turns to you. “What do you need the onions for?”

You wink. “Try ko gumawa sinigang mamaya.” [i’ll try making sinigang later]

Ned’s face lights up. “WEH?? Oh My Goodness!! Tulong kami ni Peter!” [Really?? Oh My Goodness, Peter and I wanna help!]

So now you’re in the kitchen with two idiots who clearly did not help their parents with cooking

“Gi atay yan- NED I SAID CUBED NOT MINCED”

“Ate, don’t make mura me, I’m hurt”

“PISTING YAWA YAN ANONG GAGAWIN KO SA NAKA MINCE NA LUYA ISISIPSIP?”

[Fucking shit- NED I SAID CUBED NOT MINCED

Ate, don’t swear at me, I’m hurt

WHAT IN THE DEVIL AM I GONNA DO WITH MINCED GINGER, DRINK IT?]

Somehow, salamat sa diyos [Thank God], the three of you made a decent helping of your grandmother’s sinigang recipe

Ned went heart eyes as soon as he tasted it

So did Peter, even if it was kind of exotic he was already familiar with spanish cuisine so it wasn’t too hard to get acquired to filipino food

As the three of you ate, Peter looked up at you

“What did you say earlier when Loki left? Ang...”

“Gwapo mong p*ta ka?”

Ned throws his head back in laughter. “She’s been saying that a lot lately.”

Peter is genuinely confused. He presses on, not noticing the God entering the kitchen, following the smell of tamarinds. “What does it mean? Ang gwapo mong p*ta ka-”

You slam a hand over his mouth. “Hoy! Don’t say that around Loki, if he finds out what it means malalagot ako HAHAHAHAHAHA” [if he finds out what it means i’m dead]

Ned strikes a pose. “It means ‘you’re so fucking hot’’ Ganyan kayabang tong si Y/N sa feelings nya for Loki HAHAHAHAHAHA” [that’s how bold Y/N is with her feelings for Loki]

The two of you die laughing while Peter is c o n f u s i o n

And loki just standing at the door not processing it yet

But when he does hoo boy

He’ll sneak up to you and tease you so much

Go as far as even lean in just enough to get you swearing in Tagalog

Ned and Peter will be there like o-o

As Loki finally presses his lips to yours, Ned whispers under his breath “sana all.”

tagging some filipino readers:

@whyispistashanuttaken @sal-lacious @fandom-basurero @sparklingmallow @kindrquell @yourgothyteen @rikatorichan342

[purplesurveys]

1305

“hi, I’m not from the US” ask set

Your country: The Philippines

1. favourite place in your country? It’s a three-way tie among Baguio, Sagada, and Palawan. The first two are great if you’re looking for freezing weather in this country (welp, freezing at least for us haha) and if you just want to...get away from the world for a bit. They can definitely help with that. I listed Palawan just because of all the beaches I’ve been to, they have the nicest.

2. do you prefer spending your holidays in your country or travel abroad? We’ve never travelled for the holidays. We always want our extended family to be complete since we never see each other throughout the year; but I do want to try at least having an out-of-town trip during Christmas one of these years.

3. does your country have access to sea? We’re an archipelago and literally surrounded by water hahaha - we have the West Philippine Sea, Philippine Sea, and Celebes Sea. That said it’s very easy to have getaways to the beach here, as long as you’re willing to drive a few hours for it.

4. favourite dish specific for your country? Oh man we have hundreds of unique cuisines since each region has their own, but family and friends all know I would drop everything for kare-kare which is essentially a stew with peanut sauce that we serve with oxtail and tripe, among other cuts of pork or beef - I have never had kare-kare as good as my grandmas’, though :) Sisig and Bicol Express are also dishes I never get tired of.

5. favourite song in your native language? I don’t really listen to a lot of local music but I’ve always loved Ben&Ben’s Kathang Isip.

6. most hated song in your native language? Don’t have one of those, I think. If I remember a song I’d go back to this survey to place it here haha.

7. three words from your native language that you like the most? Ipaubaya – meaning to give up your claim onto something or someone, and start entrusting them onto someone else;

Marahuyo – meaning to be enchanted by something or someone; 

Pahimakas – meaning the last farewell. 8. do you get confused with other nationalities? if so, which ones and by whom? Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Indonesians - other Southeast Asians, basically. What’s funny though is that whenever I’ve travelled to another Southeast Asian country, they’re SO good at telling apart nationalities?? Like when we were getting dinner in Singapore the restaurant staff could tell my family was Filipino and immediately spoke to us in the broken Filipino he knew “Magandang gabi” (good evening), “Mura lang” (It’s cheap [here]), “Kumusta” (how are you). It was so bewildering but so cool, and an effective marketing strategy too I must say HAHAHA because we did end up eating there.

Overall I don’t actually mind getting mistaken for another Southeast Asian nationality, especially if the confusion comes from a fellow Southeast Asian. What bothers me is the amount of people who think of just East Asians (Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Japanese, Mongolians) when they think of Asians.

9. which of your neighbouring countries would you like to visit most/know best? I’ve always wanted to travel to Thailand.

10. most enjoyable swear word in your native language? Putang ina mo. I find it so explicit I don’t even say it in full towards my friends lol, and instead go for its shorter variations.

11. favourite native writer/poet? Ambeth Ocampo and Lualhati Bautista.

12. what do you think about English translations of your favourite native prose/poem? I don’t have a favorite poem.

13. does your country (or family) have any specific superstitions or traditions that might seem strange to outsiders?

A lot of people practice pagpag, which is when you stop by a random place, like a convenience store, after visiting a wake so that the spirit of the dead doesn’t follow you home. Pagpag literally refers to shaking off dust, so by saying to do pagpag is like saying to shake off death. I’m not superstitious myself but just to calm my friends down, I’d usually drop them off at a 7-11 so they can do their pagpag lol.

The practice of pagmamano. When greeting elders, you ask for mano - meaning you take their hand and press it against your forehead. It’s a way to show respect and ask for their blessing. 

Usog is another belief that refers to a baby suddenly getting sick when a stranger visits, sort of like an evil eye curse. 

My country is generally quite superstitious, so if a baby gets sick or if a member of the family starts acting strange, it’s quite common to hear stories of families getting exorcists or albularyo (witch doctors), even among the upper and upper middle classes.

14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV? We do have a rising film industry but unfortunately it sometimes still gets overpowered by poor, cheaply-made movies with a million corny and gay jokes. Our TV industry unfortunately is still down in the dumps and I do not see it getting better anytime soon.

15. a saying, joke, or hermetic meme that only people from your country will get? Sana all.

16. which stereotype about your country you hate the most and which one you somewhat agree with? Hate: When people act surprised that we can speak English. Nearly 50 years of American colonization would like to say hello.

Agree: When people make videos on stereotypes of Filipinos being obsessed with karaoke, giving away Tupperwares upon Tupperwares of leftovers to guests after a party, and Filipino time, it’s not necessarily untrue but I also don’t appreciate it just because the portrayals are always so exaggerated.  17. are you interested in your country’s history? I’m interested in history in general, so yeah. My country’s is just depressing to read about in particular because we were predominantly stepped on by white people for centuries.

18. do you speak with a dialect of your native language? Yeah but just your basic ass Tagalog dialect, which is the standardized one.

19. do you like your country’s flag and/or emblem? what about the national anthem? Sure, I like both.

20. which sport is The Sport in your country? BASKETBALLLLLLLLLL

21. if you could send two things from your country into space, what would they be? A jeepney figurine and an order from Jollibee.

22. what makes you proud about your country? what makes you ashamed? The fact that we untiringly defy all odds and prove those who see us as lesser wrong. On the other hand, our government is the most embarrassing part about my country.

23. which alcoholic beverage is the favoured one in your country? I dunno. Red Horse maybe? Hahaha.

24. what other nation is joked about most often in your country? China :) :) :) :) Not in a racist way, more on a “fuck you, you fucking bullies” way.

25. would you like to come from another place, be born in another country? Yes, only because a lot of other countries are much more fortunate with the privileges they have and the struggles they never have to face.

26. does your nationality get portrayed in Hollywood/American media? what do you think about the portrayal? Occasionally, usually as an excuse to say they got to slap a bit of diversity onto the movie or show. I’m obviously not a fan and hope Filipinos can soon get portrayed because they genuinely fit a role and not because they’re Filipino.

27. favourite national celebrity? I’m not so sure I have one.

28. does your country have a lot of lakes, mountains, rivers? do you have favourites? Sure. I don’t really have a favorite spot.

29. does your region/city have a beef with another place in your country? Nah, at least none I’m aware of.

30. do you have people of different nationalities in your family? Yes - American, Vietnamese, New Zealander.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Speak No Evil (Part 18)

After several chapters of trying to decide which direction/ending I think would be more satisfying, I still haven't decided. So I’m going to try something super new! I’m going to have two versions of this story. I bring this up now because this is the chapter where there is a crossroads in a sense. So the next few chapters will be version one and then after I’m through with this story line I will come back to this chapter and take it in the second direction. These parts will be marked (V2) meaning ‘version 2.’  I hope that this makes sense lol.

The sun had begun to filter through the windows hours ago, spilling a pleasant and cheek-warming wash of gold over the upturned side of her face. But she remains in bed, head sunken into pillows that are so invitingly plush.

She supposes that she has earned, or at the very least, could use a day spent in bed. Or mostly spent in bed. There can’t be much harm in it, she and Zuko had come to Ember Island to relax. She has simply decided to take advantage of this rather late. She rolls onto her back and exhales. Her ankles are still throbbing lightly.

She stretches her arms and tries to prepare herself to fully wake up and rise out of bed. She could use breakfast, though at this point, it is lunchtime. She lingers for a moment in the hallway in front of the kitchen. Seicho is already awake, she probably has been for some time now.

“You don’t have to cook for me, you already did so much…” she hears Zuko mutter.

Seicho shrugs. “I like cooking, it’s a hobby.” She clearly has a lot of those, hiking, fishing, botany...it seems as though she has a new hobby for every day and she had spent a good portion of their trip going on and on about said hobbies.

“Are you sure?”

“Completely.” Seicho flashes him a grin. “But if you’d like I can show you how to perfectly cook and season a lobster!” She inhales deeply. “It already smells wonderful. The trip was fun but it’s nice to have a full kitchen of cooking supplies!”

Azula supposes that it does smell nice, especially when she adds a touch of rosemary and a sprinkle of parsley. The woman catches her eye. “You’re finally awake!”

‘More or less.’ Azula spells out. She rubs at her eyes

“Are you feeling any better?” Zuko asks.

She holds up her hands and gestures, ‘a little’.

“Good. Believe it or not, I was worried.” He pauses, “I’m still worried.”

She wonders if Seicho has told him yet of how furiously she tried to hike up that volcano. Agni, she hopes that the woman hasn’t shared anything while she was asleep. She’d much rather tell him herself, if at all. ‘Why?’

“You weren’t doing too good when you left and you came back covered in cuts and...swollen ankles.”

She shrugs, ‘I’m fine.’

She can tell that Seicho is itching to speak up. She finds herself flooded with relief. Seicho holds her tongue. She wonders how long the girl with keep holding her tongue.

‘Really. I’m fine.’ And she thinks that she is telling the truth. She doesn’t feel particularly good nor hopeful. But she doesn’t feel naggingly miserable either.

.oOo.

TyLee bunches her fists and takes a deep breath. She isn’t yet ready, but she is as ready as she can and will be. Regardless of her hesitations, she needs to do this. She needs to if she ever wants to bring her journey one step closer to full closure.

She finds Mai outside of her aunt Mura’s flower shop, pruning leaves and ruffled petals. Zuko hadn’t expelled her from the palace, as far as TyLee knows but TyLee also can’t imagine that Mai would feel particularly welcomed there.

She takes another, much deeper breath. Agni, her hands are shaking. She isn’t sure how in the name of the spirits she is going to confront Azula. She thinks of Tuya and of the rest of her expedition mates. She thinks of the words ‘clever’ and ‘innovative’. She isn’t just ‘sweet’ and ‘cute’ anymore. She isn’t just some bubbly, naive child. Well perhaps she is still bubbly and chipper but she is smart. She is strong and resilient. She can hold her own.

She will hold her own.

“Hello, Mai.”

Mai looks up from her flowers as nonchalant and unexpressive as she always has been. Maybe she could use a venture away from the Fire Nation too. Maybe everyone can use a vacation from the Fire Nation. “How was your trip to…”

“The poles.” TyLee finishes. “It was amazing. Mai you should have seen it, it was glittery and enticing and it was like the Spirit World covered our world in stars…” she is rambling again. That stupid perky rambling. “And I learned a lot about myself.”

Mai quirks a brow. “Good things?”

TyLee nods. “Yes. A lot of good things.” She pauses. “And I thought about a lot too.”

“Like what?”

“Like about how I let everyone take advantage of me. Not just Azula but Zuko did it, you did it, and even Suki did it sometimes.”

Mai opens her mouth to interrupt but she won’t stand for interjection, not this time. “I don’t even think that you guys meant to do it. Azula, sure. But not Zuko and Suki. Sometimes I think that it just happened naturally. Because I let it happen. Because I couldn’t say no.”

“You didn’t mention me…”

“Because I’m not sure about you, Mai.” She confesses. “I’ve thought about it over and over again and I still can’t tell if you actually cared about me--if you actually loved me or if you were just trying to spite Azula and Zuko.” She wonders if Mai is even sure herself. Quite possibly she thinks that Mai had been killing two iguana-parrots with one stone.

“What if I told you that it was a mix of both?”

TyLee is quiet for perhaps longer than she has ever held a silence. The question has so much weight, so many nuances to consider. “Then I would say that it still isn’t okay. I don’t want to be part of some scheme. I didn’t distance myself from Azula to become your pawn instead.”

“You weren’t just a pawn…” Mai trails off.

“I was a pawn with perks.”

Mai shakes her head, “I loved you. For real.”

“So did Azula.” TyLee points out. “But I was still a pawn. I was still being used. Don’t you think it’s a little strange that you were getting trying to get back at Azula by doing the exact same things she did?”

“Why are you defending her?”

And there it is; the trap that they always set for her. She almost didn’t catch it. “I’m not. Actually…” it dawns upon her,  “I think it’s the opposite. I’m telling you that what she did, how she use me, was wrong. And I’m saying that it doesn’t become less wrong when you do it.” She bites her lip, weary of what she is about to say. She thinks that she may have already scratched at the surface of this nagging itch in her head. “If anything it’s worse when you do it.”

For the first time in a while, Mai looks genuinely angry. Her brows crinkle and her mouth curves down ever so slightly. “How so?”

“Because you think that you’re doing it for the greater good. And you pretended like you weren’t doing it. At least Azula was trying to stop and even if she wasn’t, at least she was up front about it…”  The problem with Azula, she realizes, is habit. Habit and constant apologies with no great efforts to make a change.

“What do you want from me, TyLee?”

“I want you to admit it. I want you to acknowledge that you were using me.” She wants clear cut confirmation that she isn’t seeing things that aren’t there. That she isn’t making an issue of nothing at all. She needs to know. “I need you to see that it...it really messed with me, Mai. To have so many people--to have the people I loved the most use me over and over again.” She attempts to blink away a few tears.

Mai’s expression softens and she rubs her hands over her face. “I did it okay. I loved you but I used you. I was mad at Zuko. Azula is the worst person I’ve ever met. And You’re one of the best. It was perfect; they’d both get hurt and I’d...we’d be happy.”

TyLee shakes her head. “You’d be happy. I want to be loved, Mai. I want to be loved completely with no ulterior motives.” And it comes to her that she can be.

“So what are you going to do, TyLee? Cut us all out.”

She doesn’t want to. She’d love to keep talking to Mai and Zuko, and even Azula, if only in moderation. “If I have to. Don’t make me have to.”

.oOo.

“No, no, like this!” Seicho takes her by the wrist and guides her hand.

‘Is there really an exact method of sprinkling salt on sizzle-crisps?’ Azula asks.

“There’s a particular way of arranging the dish too once the salt and spices are added. Personally I like to arrange my fruit slices and salad leaves to make pretty pictures…”

‘You like to play with your food.’

“It’s an art, princess! Culinary art. An undervalued art, if you ask me!” She pauses. “If you want, you can put the parchment aside and spell words out with fruit slices or sprinkle tyme to make letters.”

‘No thanks.’ She writes as Zuko grumbles, “and dirty our counters? We don’t have servants here so I’ll be the one cleaing the mess.”

“Azula can help!”

‘Azula won’t help.’ Cleaning is beneath her. Getting her hands dirty to knead dough and toss flour was a task better suited for serving personnel. She still isn’t sure why she has rolled out and flattened so many circles of dough. She gestures to them, ‘what for?’

“We’re going to wrap the sizzle-crisps in them, of course.” Seicho smiles.

Azula blinks.

“What kind of abomination are you having us make?” Zuko throws his hands up, kicking up a cloud of flour.

‘An affront to taste buds all over the Fire Nation. We ought to have you banished.’

“Don’t banish me until after you try it.” Seicho declares.

Azula picks up one of the sizzle-crisps and wraps it up in a blanket of dough. She supposes enduring the woman’s terrible cuisine creative process is the least that she can do.

.oOo.

Azula has grown unresponsive again. Seicho doesn’t think that her cooking innovations were that horrid. In fact Zuko quite openly enjoyed her wrapped sizzle-crisps and she could swear that Azula was only pretending not to.

“What’s wrong?” She finally asks.

‘Just thinking…’

With Azula this can mean anything really. Usually it isn’t anything good. Usually when Azula thinks, she thinks too much and she ends up crying either openly or privately. “About what?”

‘My voice.’ She hovers the brush over the parchment as if to add something more. She eventually retracts it.

“What about it?”

‘I want it back.’

Seicho nods. She could imagine. Reflexively she touches her fingers to the woman’s lips. Azula curls her fingers around her wrist. She expects to be swatted away but the princess simply holds her hand in place.

She shifts and turns back to her parchment. ‘Do you want to help me find the spirit and get it back?’ She quickly scrawls, ‘truthfully this time. I actually want to look.’

“Yeah, we can do that and maybe this time our brothers can tag along. I really want you to meet Zhang-Zin.”

Azula nods, ‘I suppose.’

Seicho grins. How exciting it will be to go on a real adventure with her. One with a genuine goal. One where they can truly get to know each other. “Great! I was thinking that we can take a little break first. Maybe go to the beach or a party and then we can start planning our next trip.”

‘The beach sounds…pleasant enough.’

She springs off of the bed. “Tomorrow, we can go shell hunting tomorrow and I can show you this tidal pool with these spiny urchins.” Her head is abuzz with idea after idea. Bits and snippets of things that might make Azula feel lively again. And this time she is optimistic that it might just work.

[nekomassetters]

Nineteen

After hearing your coach's voice boom across the gym, the girls' volleyball team members simultaneously whip their bodies across to face their mentor.

"Alright girls I'm ending practice here. You all should try to relax before we leave on Monday and remember we're leaving right in the morning!"

Your friends begin to sigh in relief from finally getting a break. Nakamura especially voices her excitement, forgetting that her coach is nearby.

"And don't go too crazy with partying either," your coach says skeptically, "I'm looking at you 'Mura!"

Nakamura's face immediately goes pale and apologizes for her behavior. After the rest of the lecture, you walk over to Nakamura to soothe her gloomy state.

"She always calls me out," Nakamura pouts as you guide her to the other girls packing their belongings.

"That's so not true," Ritsuko voices, "I constantly get told to check my damn language because I'm the captain! So dumb. It's not like any of you don't say that stuff!"

"Yeah but it's because you're the captain," Mito chuckles.

"No fair," you hear Ritsuko mumble in response.

As you begin to walk away you hear Mito call out to you.

"Hey Y/N you want to get something to eat?"

Behind Mito, you hear Ritsuko mumble to herself.

"Y/N. The one person coach never yells at."

Either you were the only person who heard her or the rest of your friends decided to ignore her complaint.

"Sorry but I'm going to practice with the guys," you tell them.

"Again?!" exclaims Nakamura.

"Well yeah," you say as you observe your friends who all have worried looks on their faces, "but I promise I won't go too crazy like coach said!"

You wave goodbye to your friends and exit the gym, heading to the other one nearby containing the boys' team.

Once you put your bag down, you walk up to Kenma who stands with Kuroo, Yaku, and Lev.

"You really don't want to come?" Kuroo begs his roommate, "It's just going to be me, 'Kaashi, and Bokuto."

Kenma shakes his head, telling his friend that he doesn't plan on going to Fukurodani University with him right now. This immediately strikes an idea in your brain as you turn to Kenma and give him an innocent smile.

"Wanna hang out with me then?"

The group looks at you as if you have three heads before proceeding to look at Kenma in anticipation of his answer.

"Sure," he replies calmly as he shrugs.

"What the hell?!"

You can see the shock on the boys' faces as Kenma's response registers in their ears.

"You won't go with Kuroo but you'll hang out with Y/N-chan? That's a little suspicious, Kenma," Yaku teases.

"Yeah seriously," Kuroo whines, "how is there nothing going on between you two."

Before either you or Kenma could retaliate, Lev comes to your rescue.

"Because they're both friends and have common interests. Besides Kenma probably doesn't want to go all the way to Fukurodani when he could just stay here," he shrugs.

Someone remind me that I totally owe Lev one.

"Huh?" Yaku's voice squeaks, "you really believe that's all that's-"

"Come on Kenma," you say as you interrupt Yaku as begin walking away from the group.

📷

That evening after practice, you and Kenma hang out in his room for awhile. The two of you spend a little over an hour playing video games together until you realize the time.

"Oh shit," you exclaim as you look down at your phone, "I've gotta work on something for my class, is it okay if I finish it super quick?"

"Sure," Kenma says as he nods his head, "do you mind if I call Kuroo?"

Kenma holds up his headset, indicating to you that he was going to join a game with Kuroo and Bokuto.

"Sure you don't have to ask me," you grin.

"Well I just didn't want to disturb you while you're doing your work," he quietly expresses with a bit of concern in his tone.

"Nah don't worry about it," you tell him.

You give Kenma a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up and pulling out your notebook.

Stupid. I shouldn't have done that.

After grabbing the tools you need to complete your work, you lay everything out on Kenma's bed, just above where he is leaning against it.

As you continue to work, you find yourself getting distracted by the game Kenma's playing, not that you really cared about the work anyway.

Once completing most of the work, you finally allow yourself to become fully attentive to the game he's winning. Without real thought, you find your hand playing with Kenma's hair. The only thing making you realize that you had started petting him was after he sat up a bit from tensing to the unexpected behavior.

For a moment, you could swear you saw Kenma's ears light up, and you decided that you could take this to your advantage yet again.

After closing your notebook and packing your things up a bit, you slide down beside Kenma to sit next to him.

"You guys are so damn slow," Kenma's bored voice strikes as he does his best to ignore you staring at him.

As you look over at him, you observe how his cheeks refuse to stop turning bright red.

God he's so cute when he's flustered.

While turning your gaze back to the screen of his game, you place your hand against his shorts. Immediately you're greeted with a hard bulge at contact.

Aaaand, that's why.

Briefly, Kenma makes eye contact with you. You immediately acknowledge the almost pleading look in his eyes as if to tell you to stop although he clearly wanted you to continue.

"May I?" you whisper to him.

After Kenma nods, you position yourself a bit better to face his bottom half and remove his shorts along with his boxers underneath. When you look up at him, the pleading look on his face intensifies.

Swiftly, you position your mouth over him and begin to take in his length. As your mouth swirls around him, you feel him squirm a bit underneath you.

A hand suddenly attaches to your hair. By now you knew that this meant he wanted you to take in more of him. Willing to submit to his nonverbal instruction, you do as he wishes.

"Fuck..."

Small grunts find their way escaping from his mouth as you continue to pump your mouth around him.

"Shut up," you hear him groan.

Remembering that he's still on the call with his friends, you find a smirk crawl across your face.

"Because I hate having to play with you guys," he continues talking as best he can manage, "you've got no skills, Kuroo."

Knowing he was about to finish, Kenma places a hand back on your head, but this time just to feel you as you push deeper on your own.

"Yo Kenma why the hell did you stop moving?!" you hear an unfamiliar, yet loud voice call out.

Kenma doesn't respond to his friend. As he tunes out the others, he focuses on the hot ropes of liquid he's once again shooting down your throat.

"Fuck," Kenma groans, not caring who heard him, "it's Y/N's turn."

You instantly pick your head up in shock as you hear Kenma's words. You begin shaking your head frantically as you know what he's trying to do.

Kenma stuffs the headset on you and quickly tells his friends through the speaker that you wanted control so he's letting you have it.

You feel your face heat up at his statement. His eyes slice into yours as he deviously smiles and backs away from you. After pushing the controller into your hands, you feel your own shorts getting removed.

"Hey Hey Hey!" you hear the same voice from before boom through the speaker.

"Hi," you awkwardly respond as you try to keep your eyes fixated on the game.

"Concentrate on the game Y/N," Kenma whispers to you as he spreads apart your legs.

You shake your head no and do your best to silently protest, but Kenma doesn't listen.

As the game starts for you, it starts for Kenma as well. His warm breath hitting you first as you try your best to stay focused on the task he's given you. You feel your panties being slid down to your ankles before Kenma pulls them off entirely

"Listen Y/N," Kenma says to you after getting tired of your squirming and constant distraction, "don't make a noise."

You shake your head stiffly in response. You then shift your gaze back to the game screen as Kenma dips his head back down between your thighs and beginning to glide his tongue against your folds.

As Kenma plunges his fingers into you, he attaches his mouth to you as well. The sensation of immediate pleasure driving you insane as you do your best to stay on task.

An eventual squeal reaches your lips as Kenma's fingers curl and reach deep into you just the right way.

"That's what you deserve," he mumbles before continuing his own job.

"What's going on?" you hear Kuroo's skeptical voice through Kenma's headset.

"Sorry," you breathe, "I guess I'm just not very good at this game."

You let out a weak laugh as you once more get distracted by looking down at Kenma.

"Hey once this game is over, you and Kenma should come over so I can meet you!" the man who you were recently introduced to as Bokuto randomly exclaims.

"Uhm..." you try to let out as Kenma keeps his hand attached to the inside of your pussy.

"Don't bother Kenma when his girlfriend is with him," you the other voice you were just introduced as well announces.

Once again your face heats up. This time you look down at Kenma who continues his job as if nothing happened, since he can't hear what the others are saying.

"O-Oh no we-"

"Sorry, Y/N," Bokuto sadly interrupts your rebuttal.

Just then you feel your walls continue to contract as Kenma reaches you to your climax.

"Mmm, it's o..." you try to say to Bokuto.

However, the pleasure you're feeling takes over and you instantly turn off the mic. Freeing Kenma's name from your lips, you feel yourself release onto him.

After pulling his fingers out of your sopping pussy, he looks up at you puzzled.

"I muted it," you say as you try to catch your breath, "don't worry."

"No you didn't," he calmly replies.

You turn your attention to your headset, immediately taking it off of your head and staring at it in horror.

"I'm just kidding," he says as he scoots closer to you, "you did."

"Kenma!" you exclaim, shocked that he made a joke, "don't-"

"Don't what, Y/N?" he asks as he gets dangerously close to your mouth, "you look like you enjoyed that so I doubt you're in any position to complain right about now."

He was right. You had nothing to protest so instead of contradicting him, you were forced to settle with defeat this time.

[tunastorks]

they’re cool guys (until their boyfriends get angry)

Pairing: Aomine/Kagami, Murasakibara/Himuro Summary: A blast from the past bites Murasakibara and Aomine in the ass (inspired by that one scene in dots) featuring Jealous!Kagami and Jealous!Himuro also on ao3

Murasakibara just finished one tiring round of basketball with the generation of miracles when his phone rang. He wipes the sweat off his forehead and takes his phone out.

“Eh? Kaga-chin?”

Aomine perks up at the sound of his boyfriend’s name. The Touou ace narrows his eyes at Murasakibara “Why is he calling you?”

Murasakibara just shrugs. He answers the phone and puts it on speaker (to ease Aomine’s worries--not that he’d ever tell him that).

“Mura, you have this large package from a--uhhh--Akemi-chan, where are you? Where should I put it?”

He freezes on the spot. Beside him, Aomine takes a few seconds to think why the name sounds familiar, when he remembers his back straightens and a full body shiver overtakes his body. Slowly the two miracles turn to each other, Aomine looks at the purple giant like it’s the end of the world, utterly horrified for his life and the next, eyes wide and mouth trembling, and Murasakibara is sure that his face looks exactly the same.  

They both gulp. Sweat drips from their foreheads, and it’s not from playing basketball. Aomine keeps making aborted head movements mouthing at him about how he’s so dead and how dare you put me in this situation at him but Murasakibara can’t comprehend it from the absolute sheer stress.

Without breaking eye contact from Aomine, Murasakibara asks, “Kaga-chin, where are you?”

“The mess hall by the entrance, the mailman dumped it all here,”

Both men sprint to the mess hall for their lives.

---

Kagami looks at the big brown box in front of him with disdain. He really can’t believe that he’s out here guarding a package while he could be out there playing basketball. Training. Like they’re supposed to do on a training camp.

But then he has to be careful with belongings, his or not, especially when you have 6 basketball teams under one roof. Six basketball teams and the skittles crew, who still act like freshmen brats. Kagami sighs heavily.

Why did they even think that a joint training camp to celebrate and prepare for their final Winter Cup would be a great idea? It must’ve went past their minds that they’re seniors now and therefore have to act responsible. Which means this trip wouldn’t be enjoyable.

He takes the box in his hands. It was addressed to Murasakibara, and it’s probably snacks, that glutton. Kagami lifts and shakes the box.

Hefty for a box full of snacks. Huh.

“What’s that?”

Kagami almost drops the box, “Ah! You scared me!”

Tatsuya laughs from the doorway. And yeah, Tatsuya is spending his semestral break here, chaperoning for his giant skittle of a boyfriend. Kagami’s thoughts drift to his own skittle boyfriend and he thinks of whatever went wrong to their choice in men.

“You’re easily startled for someone who’s been partners with Kuroko for years, Taiga,”

“It’s different with other people Tatsu-nii,”

“If you say so,” Tatsuya gives a sweet smile as he walks towards him, “What’s that?” “Oh! It’s a package for Murasakibara, you might want to take it up your room before the kouhais get here.”

“For Atsushi?” Tatsuya frowns, “Who’s it from? Why do you have it?”

“It’s from an Akemi-chan,”

Tatsuya’s eyes narrow.

“I was on my way out when the mailman caught me, and since Murasakibara is not here I received the package for him. Do you know what it is?”

“No,”

“It’s probably some snacks, It has been a few days.”

“I highly doubt that.” Tatsuya’s eyes narrow further and he roughly takes the box from Kagami and slams it down the table.

Tatsuya starts reading the writing on the box, “Be strong Atsu-nii? With a red heart? I miss you Atsu-nii with anOTHER RED HEART?? EEEH??!!”

“Does Murasakibara have a younger sister?”

“HE’S THE YOUNGEST!” Tatsuya slams down the box again.

“That’s not my fault.”

Tatsuya then starts to angrily open the box.

“Oi! Tatsu-nii you can’t do that!”

Tatsuya doesn’t listen and keeps rummaging the box. He pulls out a red envelope and hastily opens it. Inside is a white card decorated with hearts, and inside the card is a photo.

A photo of Murasakibara and Aomine with two girls sitting on a cafe.

“Why the fuck is Daiki in that photo?”

Kagami takes the discarded card and reads it, “The day I met Aomine-senpai, Thank you for all the memories, I will forever treasure them.” The card crumples under Kagami’s hand.

Those fuckers.

“Tatsu-nii, do you still have that gun?”

A flurry of steps and squeaks of basketball shoes can be heard in the distance. Kagami and Tatsuya turn in sync to the doorway, ready to face their idiot boyfriends.

---

“It’s a misunderstanding!” Aomine immediately screams as soon as he arrived. “Taiga, it’s not what you think!” He pleads to his boyfriend as he’s gasping for air. He did sprint more than a few blocks to get here.

“Tatsu-chin, you got it wrong!” Added the purple giant, not even in the room yet.

When Murasakibara arrives, his eyes widen and he immediately snaps to attention. Back straight arms at the side, like a good ol’ soldier.

Aomine gives him a look, and notices the way he’s keeping his gaze straight. Shoulders tense.

He looks like he’s waiting to be shot down, jeez

Aomine follows his gaze and he snaps to attention too. Arms at the side and all that.

Their boyfriends look ready to kill.

“A misunderstanding?” Himuro scoffs and shows them the photo

“I have a photo of the four of you looking so sweet on a date. A misunderstanding?” Himuro’s cold tone makes Aomine and Murasakibara stand a little straighter.

But Kagami’s eyes are only on Aomine, “In the two years we’ve been together I’ve never seen you smile like this, Daiki.”

“I wasn’t smiling. I look like I’m smiling but I’m not, right? Murasakibara?” Aomine scoffs nudges the giant beside him, trying to lighten the mood. No one laughs, he’s so dead.

“She’s my cousin,” answers Murasakibara, very matter of factly, only looking at Himuro and nothing else, “My cousin, from Osaka,”

Kagami remains unimpressed “So you get a package from you cousin, and you and Daiki both come running?”

Aomine’s eyes widen.

“Which one is the cousin?” Himuro commands in a way that rivals Akashi.

“Huh?”

“Wha--”

“Answer at the same time, the girl on the left or the girl on the right? 3, 2, 1--”

“Left.”

“Right.”

Shit.

The two men in question gulp, Aomine looks at Murasakibara in agony. They’re so fucking dead.

The brothers look unimpressed but urge them to go on, they have a chance to cover it up--

“Right.”

“Left.”

fUCK

Aomine’s spirit leaves his body. Himuro and Kagami will kill them and throw their bodies in the sea and fly to America.

“I set-up Aomine on a date with a fan. It’s nothing more, nothing less.” Murasakibara says, speaking formally.

Aomine leans in and whispers, “Oi, Mura, are you betraying me?”

“I am.”

“Well you must’ve stayed in contact with her until now for her to know we’re in the training camp.” Aomine has never heard Kagami’s voice like this.

Aomine forces out a laugh, and looks at Murasakibara “Really Mura? You still talk to them? What were you thinking?” He scoffs and turns to Kagami with a smile, “See I reprimanded him, didn’t I do good?”

Kagami just glares at Aomine, “Follow me.” He orders and promptly leaves the room.

“Yes, Kaga-chin” Murasakibara says turning to go.

“Stay right fucking there.” Himuro orders.

“I apologize I thought Kaga-chin was talking to me, since I’m used to following orders.”

Himuro just raises his left brow.

Murasakibara leans over Aomine again, “You should go,”

Aomine lets out a sigh “Hnngh, I don’t really want to go,” He looks at the open door, he’s not too sure he’ll ever come back alive if he goes through it.

---

“Please Tatsu-chin, don’t misunderstand, it wasn’t a date--for me at least,”

“Stop talking shit,”

“It’s from the past”

“Ah, so the box, the letter, the photo, and the candies that was sent here today is from the past?”

“No, it’s from Tokyo,”

“You--” Tatsuya sighs “Just tell me, how far did you go?”

“We went to Touou Academy,”

A vein pops on Tatsuya’s forehead, “You think that’s what I meant? How far did you go?! Did you get physical or not?!”

---

“I swear I didn’t!” Aomine pleads at the stoic face of his boyfriend “It was just an innocent fan meet! We just had ice cream!”

“Wow. So admirable. A gentleman.” Kagami drawls in a monotone.

“Thank you,” Aomine replies with a cheeky smile

“Huh, you must’ve taken out so many ladies out for ice cream eh?”

Aomine hangs his head

“And to think I was concerned for you when we took a break since you looked so distraught and begged me to take you back, I actually felt sorry for you. Turns out I had an immediate replacement.”

“No one can replace you!”

It takes Aomine a while to realize what he said, and when he did, he felt his face heat up. Opposite him, Kagami is also having the same problem.

A light dusting of red covers Kagami’s cheeks, so red it could be mistaken for anger, “That’s bullshit! Y-you--You look like you were having the time of your life!” the redhead stammers

“W-well y-you didn’t-- you didn’t look at the photo well enough!” rebuts Aomine, equally flustered. “I had a blank expression! Like this!” He tries his might to do a poker face and points at it.

---

“I don’t believe you,” Tatsuya argues, “Who knows if you ate ice cream or drove her around!”

“I didn’t drive her around,”

“Lying will only make things harder.”

“...I did drive her.”

Tatsuya’s face go from unimpressed to absolutely furious.

“It wasn’t my car, It was Aomine’s. Though I really don’t understand why he brought his car.”

---

“Do you really expect me to believe that?!”

Aomine sighs, defeated, “No, I’m expecting you to let this go, Taiga. I don’t even remember her name.”

“Ah, you don’t remember, but those three syllables made you run two blocks across the beach and leave a basketball game?”

“That wasn’t me.”

Kagami screams out of frustration and flails his arms around “This is too fucking annoying!”

Something rings. It’s Kagami’s phone.

He takes it out of his pocket and points at it, “This person just saved your life, Ahomine.”

Aomine marches to Kagami “Oi, Bakagami who is that? Is that a boy or a girl?”

“Why the fuck would you care?”

“Cause if it’s a woman I’ll buy her food, and If it’s a man, I’ll buy him a drink.” Aomine smirks, “I owe them one.”

That smirk never fails to make Kagami blush. “It’s Coach Aida!” He yells and stomps away from Aomine.

The bluenet watches Kagami walk away, and when he’s out of eyesight he drops to his knees and covers his face.

He’s face is so hot, he’s sure that even with his dark skin he’s red all over.

Aaaah Kagami is too cute when he’s jealous!

[greyskywrites]

Wolf’s Price

[First] [Previous] [AO3] [ko-fi]

IV. Witch God

5.8k

The summer in Saren is a mild season that washes the world in a thousand hues of green, and speckles it with flowers. Foxglove, lion’s tooth, aster, daisy, wild rose. The first of the berries were ripening as we passed through Wetasur, the estate of the Alfer family. I had written the letter in Sarenn, though as an officer of King Isaec’s army, Muras was not required to give notice to the hall’s whose hospitality he sought. I thought that a little courtesy might go a long way for smoothing over any ruffled feathers.

The new Lord Alfer had taken his title only a year before. He was hardly twenty, a young man named Barwald. I was pleased to find that he still wore his hair in the Sarenn style, with the braid beginning at his crown to indicate his status. Many men of influence had cut it short after the war, to better ingratiate themselves with the Kressosi and maintain their power.

“Commander,” the young Lord Barwald said graciously, his Kressosi speech methodical and practiced. “I trust your elk have been seen to.”

Muras acknowledged that they had, though he prayed for whoever was tasked with looking after the half-wild bull. There was some talk over accommodations, or some such. Nothing that I considered of interest enough to distract me from the first proper tapestry I had seen in seven years. The one in the main hall of Thralduslodge was massive, sixteen feet long and at least seven feet high. I walked along its length, taking in every stitch of color.

The center of the piece was a massive brown bear, stood on its hind legs. Around it there seemed to be scenes of a story, a warrior accompanied by Weta, the club-footed god, the Carrion-Maker. The warrior’s birth, weapons gifted to him by Weta, followed by a life full of battle, and his death, at the hands of Weta himself.

“My twice great-grandmother made that,” Lord Alfer said, stepping to my side. “It took her years to complete.”

“It’s been years since I’ve seen something so beautiful, My Lord,” I said. “Your family history?”

Lord Alfer nodded, his hands clasped behind his back. “The story of my ancestor, Alferi Bearskin.” He smiled slightly at me. “According to the story, he transformed into a bear in battle. A gift of Weta, in exchange for his tongue.”

“He was mute?” I asked.

Lord Alfer nodded. “So goes the story.” He looked at me a moment. “You’re Sarenn, then?”

I nodded. “From Arborhall.”

“I should like to visit there soon,” Lord Alfer said. “I consider Lord Anarin a friend.”

“The lord is in good health, I hope?” I asked.

Lord Alfer nodded. “Just welcomed his first son into the world, I believe. Orvas.”

What a terrible name. What kind of wife did he have that would give a child that name? “Orvas Anarin,” I murmured. “Hmm. Time will only tell what sort of lord he will make.”

“Yes,” Lord Alfer said, “with that Kressosi mother of his.”

He had turned away, and thus missed the way I looked at him, unable to hide my shock.

I felt off-balance, and suddenly nauseous. I stumbled out into the open air, and put my hands to my knees, trying to steady myself.

Of course. Of course; as I had found it necessary to ensure my survival through Kressosi men, Julas must have seen it advantageous to take a Kressosi wife, to show his commitment to peace, to the king he now owed his fealty to.

A Kressosi woman was raising the heirs to my family’s house.

This, too, was a punishment.

#

The stories say that Weta came to Saren with the elk, who wander as he does. Weta is a restless god, and though his right foot is twisted and he walks with a limp, Weta is ever a traveler. He delights in all that excites the heart: in feasts and drink, in dance and lust, in war, in madness. He seeks hidden things, forbidden things. Ever Weta is hungry, ever Weta reaches deeper.

Small wonder they call him both bloodbrother and adversary to the Wolf. Their relationship is a contentious one, they go from allies and friends to bitter enemies in the space of a heartbeat, like starving beasts over a carcass. There are a thousand stories about how they came to swear brotherhood to each other, each as true as the next.

Weta, feeder of vultures and ravens.

Weta, the bargainer, the sorcerer.

His gifts, too, come with a price—though they are often less predictable than the Wolf’s. Some are clear: the gift of Sight in exchange for one or both eyes, strength in exchange for a hand or foot. Then there are those less clear, as in the case of Alferi Bearskin: the ability to change forms, in exchange for a tongue.

Laying beside Muras that night, my belly full of elk meat and wild rice and last autumn’s cider, I thought a great deal of Weta. My father had not made many sacrifices to Weta that I could remember. What Weta dealt in had little to do with the life of a lord whose land was filled with sheep and goats, except on the occasion that Kressosi raiders crossed the Lor, and my father was willing to call on any god who might send them back. He had spoken of Weta most when he traveled.

Weta, god of the long road and the narrow forest path.

Weta taught us to write, they say, and they also say that it was Weta who taught witches their craft, when he stole the knowledge from Ima Spinna, Mother Spider, who weaves all truth into being. (It was the Hasi, who taught other Sarenn about Ima Spinna, and it was Ima Spinna who taught us to sew and weave and braid our hair.)

It was restlessness that roused me from bed. Neither Muras or Todd woke, so I was free to pull my riding skirts and a coat on, making my way down to the stables, not conscious of the fact that I was barefoot until I felt the straw under my feet.

Bili was awake and alert, as if he’d been expecting me. I put the bridle on him, but not the saddle, pulling myself over his back and taking myself out into Alferi’s hunting woods. I didn’t think it strange, at the time, that the stable doors were open and I encountered no one awake or asleep. Nor did I think it strange that I was not telling Bili where to go, but he walked with purpose.

It was perhaps half an hour before I noticed the shapes falling in alongside us. They were small, human-like, but hairier, with slumped shoulders and long faces, cow tails whipping behind them. Trolls, I realized, with surprise. They road on the backs of elk, or hung from the limbs of trees, their eyes glinted golden in the moonlight. There must have been dozens of them, following me through the forest.

Gradually, I realized they were chanting something.

Vulgafra, vulgafra, vulga- vulga- vulgafra!

It was hardly more than a whisper in the trees at first, and it had none of the poison of the man who had first called me that. It seemed almost… deferential.

Bili led us deeper into the forest, into huge old pines and cedars and thick tangles of brush that I could not imagine Alfer did much hunting in. The forest was too wild here.

The deeper we went, the louder the trolls’ chanting grew, until I was certain the very trees were shaking with it. My knuckles were white around Bili’s reins, but I trusted him to take me wherever we were bound. Even had I wanted to flee, the trolls were packed too tight around us now, with a herd of elk the size of which I had never seen.

The trolls only began to part as they filled a sudden clearing, spreading about it in a circle, leaving Bili and myself in the middle, in the grey dark, alone. There was cold sweat on my back, but I held my breath steady, searching the clearing for some indication of why I was here.

The trolls fell silent, and in the absence of their voices, I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. My breath seemed painfully loud.

The figure that approached from the trees sat astride a huge bull elk, much older than Bili, his antlers somehow already losing their velvet, even though it was nowhere near the rut.It was only as the figure drew closer that I realized there was no velvet on the bull’s antlers at all—it was lichen, hanging in long chunks from the bare points, which were weathered and green.

The man who sat astride the bull—for I could see now he was a man—was older, though he had no beard. His hair was iron streaked with steel, and the braid he wore began at his forehead, marking him high as a king. It was long enough to be folded upon itself and tied to the nape of his neck in gold wire, with the middle section still hanging over his shoulder. Past his prime, but he carried himself the way a warrior did.

His face was lined with scars as much as age, and he greeted me with a smile that was as much a leer as anything else. “Vulgafra,” he said, “so good to finally meet you.”

When he turned so that his bull stood alongside Bili, facing the opposite direction, I saw that his feet were bare, and that the right one was twisted.

The clubfooted god.

I looked up and met his gaze. Weta’s eyes were as black as a raven’s, and twice as sly. “What do you want with me?”

Weta laughed, and it shook the forest. “Blunt. I see why they like you. He never did have a taste for dancing with words.” He waved a hand at me. “Come. Play a game with me.” He swung down from his bull’s back, and I followed suit. There was a tree stump I had not noticed before, worn smooth as a tabletop. From the pocket of his coat, Weta produced a deck of cards in a silver case, and sat cross-legged on one side of the stump, gesturing for me to sit across from him.

I watched him shuffling the cards, and thought of Todd complaining when the soldiers he spent the nights cavorting with emptied his pockets for him. I had little I was willing to risk in gambling with gods.

“You know how to play King’s Court, I hope?” Weta asked, his teeth gleaming like a snow lion’s. “A lady of such circumstance as yourself—it would be a bitter shame if you couldn’t play.”

“I know the game.” Best to keep my guard up, I thought. Best to keep my eyes open.

The trolls watched us in eerie silence from the trees, shadowy forms with sparkling eyes. Bili was in remarkably good behavior, standing next to Weta’s bull. Weta shuffled the cards, and spread them before us. “What are we gambling over?” I asked.

“Questions, of course,” Weta said. “For every round you win, you get to ask me any question you like. The same for me.”

“Must I answer truthfully?”

Weta’s grin spread too wide across his face. “Of course not. But if you lie, so shall I.”

“You could lie even if I did not,” I countered.

“True,” Weta said, “but she would be unhappy with me, and for the moment, I would prefer if we remained friends.” Weta leaned across to look me in the eyes. “He is not the only one who sees promise in you, Vulgafra.” His eyes seemed to absorb any light that fell upon them. “Do we have a deal?”

I looked down at the cards before me, and picked up my hand.

King’s Court is a complex game, one that requires a quick mind that can assess several possibilities at once. It’s a favored game of nobility in Sarenn and beyond, one which my father had only allowed me to learn because it kept me from tormenting my tutors for a few hours every day. In general, he disapproved of gambling, but my skill for it had, upon occasion, greased the wheels of a few trade deals, and so he frowned over it a little less.

I had played against my share of skilled opponents, but with Weta, I was careful.

“Tch, come now, Vulgafra,” he said, “wars are not won with shields alone.”

“And yet many lives are lost for lack of one,” I said. “Your move.”

The first round went to Weta. The trolls chanted his name three times, and again went silent. For a moment I saw not the old man but a young one, the kind who might be daring enough to steal from Ima Spinna. He was soon gone, the old battle-hardened man in his place once more. Weta put his elbows on the stump, leaning over the cards. “Who are you?”

I blinked. “My name—”

“Not your name,” Weta said. “Who are you?”

I gazed at him, pondering my answer. “I am a daughter of Anar,” I said, “I am a granddaughter of Liane, descended of wolves. I am the mother of the last son of Corasin Forset, and I am the witch who brought the Winter Wolf to Morhall.”

Weta grinned. “Some witch,” he said, “who knows nothing of that craft except the name of my bloodbrother.”

“It is what they call me,” I said.

“They call you wrong.” Weta put his hands flat on the stump. “You are no witch. You are something else.”

“Tell me what I am, then,” I said, annoyed, but Weta held up a finger.

“Ah, ah,” he said. “First, you must win.”

Again, I lost, again, the trolls chanted Weta’s name. It called to mind some saying, about how when you were gambling with a god, it was best not to bet anything you didn’t want to lose.

Weta flipped the king card between his fingers, the red face of the king flickering in and out of view. “What do you want, Vulgafra Anarsdaughter?”

I considered my answer, trying to guess what exactly it was he was asking. “I want Saren to be free,” I said at last.

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll have to win another hand to ask me that,” I replied, and Weta laughed and shuffled the cards together.

This time, I was the one who threw the king card down, his solemn red face seeming almost to shine in the moonlight. The trolls chanted “Vulgafra!” three times, and I considered which question to ask. I could not be sure I would be able to ask all the questions I had, so I could not squander the opportunity. More, I had to ask it in a way that could not be wiggled around. I looked up, my fingers on the card. “What does the Wolf want me to do?”

“Three kings will die on your account,” Weta said, his thumb under his chin. “The first already has. The second will before two winters have passed. And the third—a son of Liane will be the one who fells him.”

“But what am I to do?” I pressed.

Weta smiled. “When the Wolf howls, so will you.”

That was no answer at all, but Weta was already shuffling, and the next hand begun.

King’s Court is a game that belongs to the player who seizes the best hand from their opponents. With only two, it is difficult to win more than one hand in a row, and for a third time I lost to Weta. “If Saren were free, as you want it to be, what would that mean?”

The air was cold, and my patience was waning, but I did not want to give a hasty answer.  “I would have no more kings,” I said. “The people of Saren must create a new way of living together.”

Weta seemed to ponder that a moment, and nodded, shuffling the cards.

I had the sense, when I won that round, that Weta had allowed me to win. “What do you want with me?” I demanded.

Weta smiled. “I want a woman who will shake the world, Vulgafra.” He stood, signaling that our game was over. “I have a gift for you.”

I watched him, wary. “In exchange for what?”

“A negotiable price,” he replied.

#

I did not remember how I had returned to Thralduslodge when I woke. A dream, I thought, until I saw it.

Hanging by a leather strap from the back of the chair where my coat was thrown, an old ivory horn, its trumpet carved to resemble the head of a wolf.

I threw the blankets back to find my feet dirty, and had to draw in a breath.

I looked back to the horn. When the Wolf howls, so will you. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Muras or Todd, and wrapped the horn in one of my underskirts, hiding it in my bag. I pulled a robe over my nightdress, and gathered up my clothes to take myself to the lodge’s women’s bath, fed by the hot springs the lodge had been built over.

I scrubbed the dirt from my feet and sat on the edge of the bath, the steam making sweat roll down my back. I thought on a touch that felt like fire and warmed me to the bone, kisses that landed like lightning.

I like you, Vulgafra. Shame you aren’t actually a witch.

Three kings would die on my account, he said. Corasin was the first. ‘A son of Liane’ would fell the third. One of my sons? Or my brothers? And how or why? I had more questions than I had begun with, but I did not think I would be seeing Weta again any time soon. He had played his part, now I was supposed to play mine.

Whatever my part was.

I washed my face and limbs, grateful that the heat took the ache out of my shoulders, and when I was dressed I found my way to the hall where breakfast was laid out. Warm milk sweetened with honey and cloves, beef sausages, a bread that was baked with cheese and herbs and was still warm from the ovens. I was hungrier than I had thought, and ate until my belly ached and the sight of food sickened me.

“I wondered where you’d gotten off to,” Todd said, sliding onto the bench next to me. “Sleep well?”

I shrugged, and distracted him by filling his cup.

“I swear,” he said, amused, “you Sarenn serve milk at every meal.”

“Keeps the flesh on your bones when the winter’s cold,” I said. “Better get used to drinking hot milk.” I smiled at him, and sipped at my own, hoping that the heaviness in my stomach wouldn’t make me drowsy.

“Suppose I should,” Todd said, regarding his cup. “You suppose there are many spices at Morhall?”

There had used to be. I hadn’t appreciated, at the time, the amount of money and work that went into the food. I didn’t much trust Kressosi soldiers to keep up that effort. “Muras has enough pull to get them, if there aren’t,” I said. “Gods help us all, though, if the brewers are bad.”

We were to spend three days in Thralduslodge, giving our elk and ourselves a chance to rest, a time that I spent wandering the halls of the lodge, gazing at tapestries and carvings of ivory and cedar, bone and pine. Gods, heroes, histories and legends. I soaked it in like balm on my soul, this part of myself that I had been denied since I fled to Kressos.

I learned from Lord Alfer’s men that several Atsa Hasi clans had already passed through on their way north for the summer, following the mammoth herds, but being a much smaller group not bound to the schedule of mammoths, we would likely catch up with them in a few weeks.

I had forgotten that it was the Atsa who passed through Wetasur. I wondered, for a moment, if it was possible—but I pushed the thought aside.

Veland would be nearly seven, by now.

Lady Tyna occupied her time tending to the soldiers in our party. Travel runs afoul of some men’s bowels, and I regularly saw her dosing men with teas of lion’s tooth root, or mint, or a mix of astringents that would stop their bowels rather than move them. Something to tend to the cough he had picked up in the rain, something to clear the nasal passages, something to treat saddle sores. It seemed a rather unpleasant business to me, but it kept her busy, and thus away from myself.

In my meandering through the lodge, I was surprised to come across Muras, gazing contemplatively at an aged tapestry depicting a battle. “Tapestries are women’s work, aren’t they?” he asked, when he noticed me.

I nodded. “They are.”

“So a woman… spent months… years… on all this.” He gestured to the scene, men dying impaled on swords and spears, decapitated, relieved of their limbs, carried off to the halls of the dead. Certainly too much for a delicate Kressosi woman.

“Women are the history keepers of their families,” I said, “it was a task granted us by Mother Spider, as were the threads.” I glanced at him, and back to the tapestry. “Are you going to ask me what it depicts?”

“A battle, it seems.”

“Not just any battle.” I pointed to the army on the left, the ones portrayed as monstrous, nearly demonic, with long tongues and teeth, faces more like dogs than men. “The first time that men who called themselves ‘Kressosi’ crossed the Lor.”

#

The Wolf, the first time I truly laid eyes on them, was as all the stories said. Bigger than a bear, fur blinding white. A black nose snuffed at my red silks, and prodded me onto his back, where I sank deep into the coarse fur, and was sheltered from the wind.

She ran, then, though I could not have said how he knew the way, galloping through that featureless white. I held on because I did not know what else to do, because I believed that they would kill me, and I surely deserved it.

I don’t know how long he ran, but it was long enough that I lost myself to exhaustion, and when I woke, I was under the dark of a mammoth hide, by a fire, being tended to by an Atsa Hasi woman hardly older than myself, with a baby at her side. Her name was Pitalani, the granddaughter and apprentice of the clan’s healer.

She told me the Wolf brought me to them, that they were to protect and care for me. They called me Wolf Sister, and did not ask my name. They fed me. They gave me warm clothes to wear and they did not ask where I came from. They cared for me in their winter camp. They sold my silk dress and my slippers and when it became obvious I was pregnant they gave me a protective charm to wear, for the health of my child. A piece of ivory, carved in the shape of a wolf’s head.

For Hasi children, they are usually mammoths.

Veland was born in the spring, as the Hasi were preparing to move north again. He was a big baby, and it was a hard birth. I owe my life to Pitalani and her grandmother. They sang over Veland when they had washed him and put him in my arms, took the ivory charm from my neck and secured it in his swaddling. They asked his ancestors and theirs to protect him. To them, Veland was as good as their own kin.

They had offered a place among their clan for me, a husband who would provide for me and my boy. He was Pitalani’s brother, a little younger than myself, a skilled hunter who any Hasi woman would have been proud to call her husband.

I was not Hasi. I did not want to follow a mammoth herd on elkback for the rest of my life, and most especially I did not want to go north in the summer, back to Morhall, back to that cursed place I had already spilled so much blood to escape from.

I asked them to take care of Veland. If I was caught, at least they need never find him. If I was examined and shown to have given birth, they could never prove that the child had not been stillborn, or perished after. He would be safe with the Atsa, and he would be fed, and I would run as far away from Morhall as I could get, and bury the girl I had been in the northern snow where her bones would be scattered by the carrion birds.

Pitalani adopted him as her own son, a younger brother to her girl, who was just ready to be weaned. I wept when I put him in her arms.

Liana Anarin died the day Morhall fell.

Lya Sargis was born the day I left the Atsa, and crossed the Lor into Kressos, with nothing but a bundle of Hasi clothes and the blood on my hands.

#

I found Lady Tyna packing up her medicines and tools the morning we were to leave Wetasur. “Do you require treatment for something, Miss Sargis?” she asked, not looking up. “Something for the bowels, perhaps? Headaches, poor sleep, your cycle?”

I gritted my teeth. “I need an examination.”

Lady Tyna paused, and looked at me. “For?”

“I’ve not had my cycle since before Nolsaford.”

“Ah.��� She considered me again for a moment. “If I might inquire as to why you cannot simply wait to be sure—”

“I don’t know how well prepared Morhall will be for an infant,” I said. “I would rather be sure myself that… we are prepared.”

Lady Tyna nodded. “I was first trained as a midwife.”

“Your skills know no end,” I said dryly.

“Well, I could hardly convince the Kressosi of the usefulness of a female physician if I couldn’t also deliver their wife’s children,” she said, pulling a sheet from her bag so that if we were interrupted, my modesty wouldn’t be compromised.

“I suppose you’ve delivered Princess Arabel’s children.”

“I have. The ones that were born after I came to serve the throne, at any rate.” Her tone was different, now. Less purposefully irritating, I would determine later. She had adopted the tone of a professional physician.

I had never undergone this sort of examination, and was none too eager to have Lady Tyna to be the first to perform it for me, but nor was I eager to ask Lord Alfer’s healer, who looked old enough to be my great-grandmother, and had frigid cold hands. Lady Tyna, I noted, warmed her hands at the coalburner before she began.

“Well,” she murmured, sitting back when the examination was over. “Congratulations, Miss Sargis.”

I swung my legs off the cot and pulled my riding skirts on once more, wondering when I would tell Muras and Todd.

“Have you been pregnant before?” Lady Tyna asked.

“Yes.”

“Were you given to morning sickness?”

“No.” I had been blessed in that regard.

“Any other particular maladies that you noticed?”

I tried to remember. Both my previous pregnancies had been so swallowed up by their circumstances—my fear, with Veland, and my desires to leave, with Kip—that I could scarcely recall anything else. “I couldn’t much sleep, toward the end. Kicked too much.” Both my boys had seemed determined to burst their way out of my ribs. My mother had complained of the same, with me and my brothers.

“Hm, I’ll have to see what I can do about that. Not much I can do to quiet the child, but perhaps I can get you to sleep in spite of them.” She shrugged her shoulders. Very carefully, she asked, “was your previous child… did they thrive?”

“Yes. They were healthy.”

Lady Tyna nodded. “I’m glad to hear it.”

#

Of Corasin’s other wives, one took particular objection to me.

Princess Solema’s family was Aziran in origin, but had settled in Saren some generations back and sworn fealty to the king. They were still considered new, among the nobility, and perhaps that was what made Solema so determined to hold as much of Corasin’s favor as she could, which—by the time I arrived—must have been quite difficult.

Of each of Corasin’s twelve other wives, Solema was the only one who had borne no children.

The threat that I represented may have been too much for her to bear. I became pregnant during my second year at Morhall.

I was poisoned shortly after it became known, and though I survived, the child did not.

The truth is that I am not and have never been certain that it was Solema who poisoned me, but it was to her that everyone looked and cast their accusations.

I was kept in solitude, while her trial was held. Only my mother, who had come from Arborhall to visit me, was permitted to see me. Corasin claimed it was for my protection.

Whatever evidence was found or testimony given, it was enough that the lawyers Solema’s father sent were not able to protect her. She was guilty not just of attempting to murder a wife of the king, but of successfully murdering one of the king’s children. Neither crime could go unpunished, and together, they had to be answered.

I was brought out of solitude to witness. All the wives were gathered on the walls of Morhall. To warn us, I think.

Solema was cast out of the gates, with no coat, no furs, no shoes. It was only just after midwinter, and the wind was so fierce that it cut under even the bearskin I wore. I cannot imagine what it was like for Solema.

The townsfolk were forbidden to shelter or aid her, and were in fact encouraged to drive her out. I remember tears freezing to my lashes, and I could not watch, but I knew I was not permitted to look away, so I let them freeze my lashes together, and obscure my vision.

She died of exposure, and because the court had determined her a murderer, her body was left for carrion. Her spirit would never know rest, would never reach the halls of the dead.

I was violently ill, for weeks after. I couldn’t sleep. I could barely eat. My mother says that in that time the flesh melted off my bones like candle wax. She had the mirrors removed from my chambers, I was such a grim sight, she feared seeing my reflection would only hasten my death.

I remember a dark room, a fire in the hearth, and an old woman with bony fingers that hurt because I had no flesh left to protect my limbs. Someone held me up, in front of the fire, and the old woman burned herbs on the coals, herbs that made me choke, and cough, and the old woman sought to cast the ghost out of me, to drive Solema back into the wilderness once more.

I recovered after that, but I do not believe Solema was ever driven from my bones. I believe she burrowed deeper, buried herself in the secret halls of my heart. I believe she found our common cause, made her mind one with my own.

Our feud was not with each other, and it never had been.

Our hate burned in my chest, hot and fierce, the aching desperate need to exact our revenge on the man we called our husband.

#

The sun shone warm and bright that morning. The wolf skin was too hot to wear, as was my coat, so I rode with it across the front of my saddle. The fur seemed even brighter in the sunlight, and I was glad to be traveling again.

We took the road through the forest, and it was in leading our little party I spied a clearing I recognized, and hesitated.

“What is it?” Muras asked. He had been riding by my side, though at a distance, as Bili seemed to be in an especially foul temper that morning. I had been forced to prevent him from charging or kicking the men in Lord Alfer’s stables no less than half a dozen times before I was able to get him outside.

I had not told him anything about my meeting with Weta. However charitable he might have been toward my beliefs, I could not fathom that he would believe it was anything but a dream. Gods were not real to Muras the way they were to me. “Nothing,” I said, “just… a peculiar feeling. As if I’ve been here before.”

We were bound due north, to an old trade road that would be dotted not so much with towns as places where one could find taverns and brothels, which supported the small villages nearby.  Even with that, it would be a lonely journey, and we would spend more than a few nights camping along the road when we were too far from any such place by nightfall.

Very occasionally when I was young, my father had traveled with trade caravans out of Arborhall. He was a restless man, he had been his father’s third son, and had hoped to sail on Anarin trade ships, before his elder two brothers died, one in battle and the other of a fever. Now that he was lord, the trade caravans were as far as he allowed himself to roam from his responsibilities, leaving Arborhall in the care of my mother.

He liked to take Julas and me with him. Corvin and Tatton were too young, but Julas and I learned to ride alongside those caravans, practiced our Trader’s Tongue, and amused our father with our delights in ‘discovering’ new places. This particular route I had never taken with father, because he deemed it too far to take his children, and too long a journey for him to be away from home. Still, I could see in my mind the maps on which this road had been drawn, and once upon the road, it would not take much to keep us on our course.

I knew what the way to Morhall was. It was the cursed star I set my compass by.

If it is true that a corpse buried incomplete, or not at all, haunts the earth forever, then I was returning to the place where Corasin was buried without his head, bearing the child of the man who had taken it off.

[cipherpolfiles]

Incoming extra-long Follower Appreciation and reply post!

I may need to start doing these biweekly (in this case, every two weeks), truth to be told. The amount of attention this blog is getting is a lot more than I had anticipated.

First of all, I want to welcome all the new followers. I also want to thank the people who have been following this blog for quite a while, some of you have even been here from the very beginning, for all their support.

I’m going to take this chance to inform you that this blog has just reached the 252 followers (it’s 255 right now, but I don’t have the time to screencap it all over again). Never, not even in my wildest dreams, had I imagined I’d reach so many; in fact, I was expecting to reach 50 at the very most. Sadly, right now I have no time to host another raffle/giveaway to celebrate the 200 follower milestone, but once things have calmed down a bit and I’ve been able to finish all the prizes from the previous one, I’ll do some other thing for you, guys, maybe during summer.

On another note, those 5 drafts you see there include some essays/analyses: an analysis about Tamago, which is actually one of the prizes for the 100 follower milestone giveaway and I have permission from the person who requested it to wait until the current arc is done, so the analysis can be wrapped up properly. On Charlotte Pudding, about how Pudding was evil and lying throughout the entire arc - I was working on this when Oda unveiled the truth about her, so after that I just lost my drive to keep writing it and it’s kind of just sitting there -; an unnamed one about the giants we’ve seen so far and their connection to Norse culture and other sources - on which I’ve been working for quite a while before the entire prince Loki of Elbaf reveal, mind you -; Creating Impel Down, an essay on the (possible) sources used to create the great underwater prison and its dwellers and Family & Loyalty. Edward ’Whitebeard’ Newgate Vs. Charlotte ‘Big Mom’ Linlin, a comparison between Whitebeard’s and Big Mom’s differing views and postures regarding the concept of family.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. My eternal gratitude goes not only to my followers, but to everyone who has followed this blog or liked and/or reblogged any of its contents, your sweet comments and tags make all the effort well worth it! You’re all incredible, guys!

Now, let’s give an answer to all the tags and comments you’ve left on my posts during this last month, shall we?

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post & this other one:

Please, read the screenshot below because I’m not going to discuss this subject again (I’ll answer all the tags/comments I’ve gotten for it so far, but I won’t answer any new ones nor I’m going to talk about this subject ever again). It’s what’s written at the bottom of the post in the first link and the second one leads to that “other post of mine” that’s mentioned below.

I’m rather nonplused about the reception for this post, because people only seem to pay attention to those four dreadful words (Sanji has brown eyes) instead of the actual point of the post, which was the parallel/joke about Sanji being like Little Red Riding Hood. All that seemed to fly over nearly everyone’s heads despite it having two big images, a huge title and a sentence dedicated to it, plus a joking comment about just how gaudy the golden wristlets are.

@huevodandy Preach! (this is technically from another post related to this one, but I want everyone to see this).

@penumbrazxs​ That’s what we’ll all do, but you know, the manga purists are probably going to be bothering people over it, so better make it clear for everyone. We were talking about the manga cover on that post, so they’re brown. Manga = brown; anime = blue. Choose whatever you like most, people, just like with Law and Robin. I, myself, prefer them blue. Thanks for your input :)

@bee-kun I know, I know. I was surprised and confused as well.

@writesailingdreams Truer words were never spoken. Skin and eye colour diversity is certainly a job Toei does better than Oda. Also, don’t worry about it; they were mostly people who meant well. The problem is that when you receive loads of the same thing one after the other, it gets annoying. I must confess I like blue-eyed Robin better; she seems, don’t know, more myterious, more... alluring somehow. Not that there’s anything wrong with brown eyes nor saying that they can’t look mysterious and/or alluring, because they can be as hypnotising/mesmerising as any other hue.

@namibean Thanks for the reblog and your input. I must say I’d always pictured his eyes as blue, even before they started colouring them in the anime, so it was quite a shocker to see those brown eyes. Also, I laughed at the “cheese and rice” tag, I’d never heard that expression before. Thanks for teaching me something new, even if it wasn’t your intention :)

@lucy-heartflawless Go check the coloured manga if you want; I left a link to the officially coloured manga at Kissmanga on the first post linked on the title of this particular section (if you’re interested but can’t find it, just drop me a line), but I must tell you that I already checked the Punk Hazard incident and Nami!Sanji’s (Sanji in Nami’s body) eyes are still brownish.

@imadeablogforchitchat, @mellorine91, @torosiken, @sanjilovesbest, @roomshxmbles, @niyaow, @katsunenpiece I seriously nearly cried when I saw you guys were some of the very few people who had reblogged this post but hadn’t focused your (non-generic) tags on the eye colour comment. Thank you. Also, yes, it’s Little Red Riding Hood in Wonderland with some touches of Cinderella and I believe there are high chances of the “Ugly Duckling” (also Sanji) becoming a swan (I’m having a really hard time fighting off my need to write down the so very terrible pun I have in mind concerning this “Ugly Duckling” thing and Sanji’s use of honorifics). Sanji is like the protagonist of every fairy tale ever written, to be honest.

@kurakurapika Yo no he dicho nada de que no me guste la capa. Simplemente me hace gracia que Sanji se ajuste a prácticamente todos los protagonistas de cuentos de hadas: La Cenicienta, Caperucita Roja y sospecho que, antes de que acabe la saga, también El Patito Feo. Lo de los ojos, lo he comprobado en el manga oficial a color como dice ahí arriba y son marrones.

@nikotehfox I laughed at the nickname; I had come up with Little Red Riding Cook XD

@dustail I was shocked as well, to say the least. How dare he take blue-eyed ginger dino-man away from us. Luckily, the regular manga is black and white and the anime has blue-eyed Drake, so we still get to see the Drakey we all love XD

@sirenacalavera Bueno, para gustos están los colores :) Además, según mi incursión en el manga oficial a color, todos los Mugis tienen los ojos marrones (a excepción de Chopper, que no lo he mirado página a página por lo que no lo tengo claro y Brook, que ahora no tiene ojos y cuando los tenía los llevaba ocultos tras las gafas de sol a lo Lennon).

@theshittymarimo Yes, you’re right. I checked the official coloured manga and Sanji’s eyes are brown as well as the rest of the crew’s (exceptions being Chopper - I haven’t checked it page by page so not sure - and Brook - currently he has no eyes and before he always wore those shades of his -).

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@venomkid-64 That’s got to be one of the best descriptions of Oda I have seen XD

@iprincezzinuyoukai I concur, but who’s Anne? I don’t recall any characters with that name, except for what Ace’s name was going to be had he been a girl...

@gg-xx, @welcome-to-sanjis-shitty-kitchen, @eve-mura, @nicefandom, @katsunenpiece​ I know, right? Big Mom wasn’t even pissed at her, but at her twin Lola. Not saying it would have been ok to beat Chiffon had she done anything to piss Mama off, but you get what I mean. That said, I still find Big Mom’s character fascinating even though I hate her.

@writesailingdreams, @dixxymouri​ I’m curious about those mixed feelings on Capone.

@yeahnahmate Yes, please. They both need a long therapeutic chat about all the crap they’ve been through because of their respective families.

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@wordsdear I’m laughing way too hard at this. Something to do with a Drag Queen contest they celebrate during the carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, here in Spain and how they are all presented with the ‘title’ Drag + Name (e.g. Drag Sethlas, the controversial winner of the contest this year).

@katuen, @nicefandom, @adelyslikeop, @katsunenpiece I’m glad to know you guys like the post, find it interesting, think they’re good points and/or that it helped you notice new details about the manga. Thanks for taking the time to leave little comments among the tags :)

@jiofreed OMG, where do I even begin? I completely agree with you on the Sanji-Ichiji parallel; they seem to be similar yet opposites in many ways. Actually, I’m rather pissed at Sanji’s new backstory; I consider it mostly lazy writing what with the ‘magic‘ drug that only affects Sanji during a pregnancy of four and all. I don’t like the fact that he’s always been Saint Sanji and don’t get me wrong, because I absolutely LOVE Sanji, he’s easily one of the most humane characters in the entire series, that’s why I believe he deserved a less sci-fi, easy-way out bullshit backstory and a more realistic one, instead. The family dynamics and tension are great (not literally, but I hope you get what I mean), but the fact that Sanji is presented as white, pure, good whereas his brothers are completely black, immoral, evil just because of some nonsensical sci-fi crap explanation ruins it for me. I swear, if he pulls some “Sanji will awaken his genetically altered powers and the other three will suddenly be able to feel empathy and be good” crap, I’m going to murder someone. I would have rather had them all be different shades of grey; some leaning more towards a lighter shade and others towards a darker one. Either that or if he were still set on having ‘Saint Sanji’, Oda should have given Sora a separate pregnancy for him like he did with Reiju. Actually, Yonji seems to be the only one who is somewhat greyish to be honest. The way he acts when he’s with Ichiji and Niji is different from the way he acts when he’s with Reiju. Look who’s writing fanfiction now (I’ll probably lose a few followers because of it)  and I’m not even done but I’ll leave it here :)

@hanamatthiwone I completely agree with you; there’s something going on with the Vinsmokes. Something’s not adding up for the time being.

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@upyan I never said anything about his design? In fact, criticism towards the character’s design is nowhere to be found within my post. That said, I LOVE his design.

@detectivebiggs98, @sanjilovesbest I love that corrupt Big Bird and the fact that the news are managed by birds too. This guy is like a reverse Lord Varys, only he uses his ‘little birds’ to spread info rather than to gather intel.

@chaosconleche No, no. Please, don’t apologise. Even if I do remember they’re called News Coo (I just wanted to write avian workforce to be honest), maybe some people didn’t. So thank you very much for your input.

@wordsdear I want Morgans to be yellow too or maybe white, but Oda will probably colour it hot pink or something like that.

@jorrmungandr My thoughts exactly when I read the chapter. Word by word.

@hanamatthiwone Add corrupt in there somewhere and you probably have a very accurate description of Morgans.

@meiye OMG, that tag. I nearly died of laughter. You just won the most amusing tag of the month.

@katuen, @moonwave55 It is incredible and fantastic. Birds everywhere, indeed.

@trash-with-pride  I like their designs as well. Also, fair maiden... You mean the who’s actually a procuress and has possibly dozens, hundreds, if not thousands of sex-slaves? Fair maiden, indeed. Bet Caesar contacted her to spend all of Big Mom’s money on women and wine.

@keropatch He’s more than likely “a piece of shit” like you so eloquently pointed out.

@fossilfinding, @eleventhhourranger Evil Big Bird for the win! I’m already loving this guy.

@overlord-flinx First of all, I don’t think you can compare the human-reindeer doctor of a small pirate crew to a corrupt bird who is literally in charge of spreading the news to the entire freaking world or half the world, at the very least. They’re certainly not on the same league influence-wise. Secondly, please show me where it says that’s the reason the Long Ring Long Land animals are so long. As far as I remember, and correct me if I’m wrong, Tonjit explained it was because they had a lot of space to grow longer and taller, not because it was boring. Lastly, it is well known that octopuses or octopodes are often cannibals, so Hachi making and selling takoyaki is not weird at all.

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@luffy-of-spades Wish it were true, but somehow I seriously doubt it.

@wordsdear With what purpose exactly? I mean, how would that benefit either of them?

@katsunenpiece Not sure which one is the point you’re talking about, but thank you anyways :) Also, I’ve noticed you’ve become quite a regular on my posts as of late, which is good; it tells me I’m doing something right, so thank you for that as well.

@dyeblow “Ah, yeah. Well, whenever you notice something like that, a wizard did it.” - Xena (Lucy Lawless) The Simpsons. Seriously now, it was probably Daz.

@lunerblade1996 That’s one so very expensive umbrella then, even for the likes of Sir Crocodile XD

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@hanamatthiwone Well, even in colorspreads/covers/etc. we don’t really get to see the male characters’ eye colour because basically, until we met the Supernovae in Sabaody Arc, Oda didn’t even give them irises, I think (I can’t remember whether Enel had irises drawn as well or not).

@wordsdear That’s because Brook himself would have made a skull joke about it. Yohohohoho!

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@sagelynaive My thoughts exactly, nearly word for word too.

@wordsdear Nah, Luffy doesn’t have the patience nor the acting skills necessary to pose as the priest/minister/officiant.

@firstmateandcaptain I’m glad you like the idea and Luffy would probably hollow it from the inside... Let’s face it, he would eat the whole damn thing XD

@katsunenpiece & @useless-chan I’d love to see it happen, to be honest. It was the most absurd thing that popped up in my mind while I was reading the chapter. Now I need this to be canon XD Thanks for your respective inputs!

@huevodandy But wouldn’t that defeat the whole purpose? I mean, Capone wants Luffy to create a distraction so no one pays attention to what he’s doing. If Luffy comes out from within Capone in front of everyone, that would drag Bege himself into the spotlight too.

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@choconanime That’s what I’d like to know.

@katsunenpiece I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this.

@niyaow I’m sorry to hear that blasted option caused you trouble. Tumblr should really get rid of it.

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@torosiken Indeed, but not only the royal family, the clone soldiers are just as bad.

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@fridoline I agree, it’s so very fitting for Niji.

@strawhatfamily Well, they’re all a bunch of douches, but they still make interesting characters. I’m loving the Vinsmokes so far. I think they’re good people? No. They’re intriguing nonetheless.

@phonenix Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!

(Well, this is technically from my last Follower Appreciation post (February 28 - March 1), but since there’s a comment referencing this post I’m going to include it here)

@malfunctioningkitten Thanks a lot for the follow! I’m glad you like the blog.

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post & this other one:

@detectivebiggs98, @niyaow, @katsunenpiece Turns out I was right about him being CC, after all. Also, thank you all for being regulars on my posts. It makes me happy to see I’m at least doing something right when people come back as often as you guys do.

@whatinthechickenballs It got even more interesting now, but yeah, I’m loving the whole Bege/Big Mom = Al Capone/Big Jim thing. Oda even included the poison bullets the real Capone had!

@huevodandy Looks like CC’s Alola form is called Gastino XD

Response to the people who left little tag comments on this post:

@bluegrasscountry Well... Someone should inform Trafalgar Law about the fact that he can’t be the crew’s captain and doctor at the same time, if that’s the case.

@niyaow Thanks a bunch for the info!

@writesailingdreams I was confused about this as well.

Response to all those who went on a faving spree &/or reblogged something from the One Piece Icon Project:

@greenleavesgreentea, @livinforluffy Thanks for the rebbloging spree and I’m glad you liked my icons enough to reblog them.

@askcp9kaku Thanks a bunch for the faving bout. I’m always glad to see people like the things I do :)

@askrosetto Thank you so much for the kind words and the faving spree. I really appreciate it and yes, it’s a conspiracy, I’m telling you. I didn’t even notice it looked like a chicken until I was getting the post ready to upload.

@askthelongnosedsniper Thanks for the reblog on the Usopp icon!

@huevodandy You’re more than welcome, my friend. Now, should I create a Pekoms to go with it? *ponders*

Response to the people who left comments and/or faved this post:

I’m sorry I’m getting back to you guys with this so late OTL

@niyaow Thank you so much!

@jiofreed ¡Muchas gracias! Por cierto, si te sientes más cómoda, puedes hablarme en español, no me importa.

Big thanks to @nicefandom, @huevodandy, @andrewtheamericandude, @lovablestories (aka writesailingdreams), @mad-phlegmatic & @nerentina.

Aaaaaand I think I’m done. God, that was some monster post right there!

As usual, if I forgot anyone it’s more than likely because I didn’t receive a notification about it.

[recentanimenews]

Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town, Vol. 1

By Toshio Satou and Nao Watanuki. Released in Japan as “Tatoeba Last Dungeon Mae no Mura no Shonen ga Joban no Machi de Kurasu Youna Monogatari” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

First things first, this was hilarious. And, unlike some other books I’ve reviweed recently, I mean that in a good way. Last Dungeon Kid is funny in a KonoSuba/Cautious Hero sort of way, with clueless leads, over the top heroines, fourth-wall breaking narration, and “anyone can be the straight man” style humor. Well, anyone except Lloyd, our hero. As the title implies, in the village he grew up in, he’s a weak little kid everyone pities. But the village he grew up in is a legendary village where everything is a next-level monster and the townspeople are all at Level 99. So when he decides to go to the big city, everyone thinks he’s doomed, except the village chief (who has ulterior motives herself). But the city he goes to is not nearly as dangerous or terrifying as his own village… so he’s suddenly stupidly overpowered. If only he realized this.

The humor in this book strikes a nice balance, never settling on being one specific thing, except of course for the premise of “Lloyd thinks he’s a weak wussy kid but is actually stupidly strong”. Six-foot-tall locusts are just ‘pesky bugs’ to him. His strength with a sword annihilates the practice target when he applies to be a soldier. His magic uses ancient runes no one has seen in a thousand years. Major plot points in the book are resolved offscreen by Lloyd simply saying “oh, by the way…” He’s a hoot. He’s also cute, sweet, and can cook and clean just like the perfect wife. Now, this is the first of (so far) eight books, so the reader will have to be aware going into the series that Lloyd is not going to “wise up” anytime soon, as that would defeat the premise. He’s always going to misunderstand. If he keeps up like he does in Book 1, that should be fine.

The rest of the cast are mostly the girls who fall in love with him. I wasn’t impressed with the village chief, but that’s mostly as I don’t like her “type”. We meet a young witch who holes up in a small house in the poor end of town, who turns out to be far more than she seems. She functions as the straight man half the time. The other half is taken up by (I swear I’m not making this up) Riho Flavin, a mercenary who will do anything for money and has a robot arm made of mithril. Yes, despite that description, she’s the normal one of the group, mostly thanks to Selen, a girl who grew up with a cursed leather mask on her face, something almost instantly undone by Lloyd. She proceeds to fall in love with him HARD. I dislike using the term yandere, as it’s frequently applied wrong, but… yeah, that’s what we have here. (Also, the illustrations of her choose to ignore the author’s description so that she can be “really pretty and cute” instead. Shame.)

This book was fun, and looks like the sort of thing that you can easily make a series out of. If you enjoy silly light novels that mock the usual tropes, it’s an absolute winner.

By: Sean Gaffney

[chpkns]

BEST ALBUMS 2017

2017. Great year for music. Weird/terrible year for mostly everything else. You know how this works... let’s go.

Hon. Mentions: Mura Masa - Mura Masa; Everything Now - Arcade Fire; Teenage Emotions - Lil Yachty; Antisocialites - Alvvays; Ti Amo - Phoenix; Humanz - Gorillaz; Harry Styles - Harry Styles; Good for You - Amine; All American Made - Margo Price; This Old Dog - Mac Demarco’ Pleasure - Feist; Life Without Sound - Cloud Nothings; Big Fish Theory - Vince Staples; Aromanticism - Moses Sumney; Culture - Migos; More Life - Drake; Something To Tell You - HAIM; Hug of Thunder - Broken Social Scene; City of No Reply - Amber Coffman; Ctrl - SZA; Now That The Light Is Fading - Maggie Rogers; Blue Chips 7000 - Action Bronson; The Wild - Rural Alberta Advantage; American Teen - Khalid; Reputation - Taylor Swift; Run The Jewels 3 - Run The Jewels; Process - Sampha; Japandroids - Near to the Wild Heart of Life; Rainbow - Kesha

10) Half-Light - Rostam

Two things pushed the former Vampire Weekender’s debut solo album into my top ten, despite its shortcomings (that garbled dialogue section on ‘When’ almost lost it for me)... (1) I’m an all time sucker for Vampire Weekend, and this album at its best moments sounds like the very best parts of Modern Vampires, (2) BIKE DREAM. The glimmering centrepiece of a lead single might be the single best song of 2017. Although the rest of the album doesn’t quite match Bike Dream’s energy, it is airy and delightful in its own way. While Half-Light misses the boldness of a frontman like Ezra Koenig (busy with his own vanity projects at the moment) or any of the superstars that Rostam Batmanglij has worked with since parting ways with VW (Frank Ocean, Hamilton Leithauser, Carly Rae Jepsen, among others), there is an undeniable charm to the tentativeness of Rostam’s voice as he takes centre stage for the first time. A worthy solo debut.

Highlights: Bike Dream, Gwan, When, Wood, Thatch Snow

9) Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 1 - Calvin Harris

Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 is the Scottish DJ’s first Post-Swift album and the closest thing 2017 had to an official summer soundtrack. Harris reinvented himself, trading in the club for the beach and teaming up with a cadre of collaborators from established hip-hop stars (Migos, Pharell, Nicki Minaj) and rising stars (Khalid, Lil Yachty and Toronto’s own Jessie Reyez). Harris displays his talents as curator on Funk Wav Bounces, matching each track to just the right combination of guest artists with often inspired combinations (Frank Ocean and Migos on Slide, Kehlani and Lil Yachty on Faking It). And despite the varied cast, it maintains a consistent sound throughout -much moreso than its chief rival and closest contemporary in the summer collaboration album field this year, DJ Khaled’s wildly inconsistent and gloriously self-indulgent Grateful. FWB sounds exactly like its title - a collection of tropical jams sure to keep any backyard BBQ bumpin’.

Highlights: Slide (ft. Frank Ocean and Migos), Rollin (ft. Future and Khalid), Prayers Up (ft. Travis Scott and A-Trak), Faking It (ft. Kehlani and Lil Yachty)

8) Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors

2017′s self-titled Dirty Projectors release could not be more different from 2012′s Swing Lo Magellan. Most notable, of course, is the absence of Amber Coffman. Not just for her vocals, but for the fact that Dave Longstreth seemingly crafted the entire album around her breakup with him and the band (although he swears it isn’t as autobiographical as it sounds). There’s almost a chutzpah to Longstreth titling the Coffman-less album “Dirty Projectors” as if to put his own stamp on the meaning of the band (as he quotes KISS’ Gene Simmons: “a band is a brand”). Listening to the album, you can hear Longstreth working through the emotions of the breakup in real time, from bitterness, to regret, to resignedness and ultimately, resolution. Longstreth seems to have evolved the Projectors’ sound in his years since Swing Lo, having spent time collaborating with more mainstream pop and hip-hop artists. Dirty Projectors the album sheds the acoustic jam band aesthetic for tightly produced, electronic beats and vocal distortions. The result is a complex and eminently enjoyable album that delivers surprises on every track.

Highlights: Keep Your Name, Up In Hudson, Little Bubble, Cool Your Heart (ft. Dawn Richard)

7) Melodrama - Lorde

It’s amazing to think Ella Yelich-O’Connor is only 21 years old. Whereas Pure Heroine, released when she was 16, was a quintessential teen pop record, Melodrama, her second album, is a testament to newfound maturity. The New Zealander has done some growing up since she sang about “getting on [her] first plane” on Heroine, and it shows through the lyrical and musical diversity of this album. Melodrama ranges from anthems (Supercut, Green Light), to bangers (the Tove Lo co-written Homemade Dynamite) to ballads (Liability) all the while retaining an authenticity and unique weirdness to its songwriting. The lead track, Green Light, stands out as a particularly ambitious piece of songwriting. In less skilled hands, it might collapse under its own weight, but Lorde makes it work. The refrain on Liability of “you’re a little much for me, you’re a liability” and the image of “one girl, swaying alone, stroking her cheek” is just so good. Melodrama is a beautiful, complex pop album that solidifies Lorde’s place well above the majority of mainstream mass produced blandness. 

Highlights: Green Light, Homemade Dynamite, Liability, The Louvre

6) Freudian - Daniel Caesar

Toronto’s own Daniel Caesar’s debut album, Freudian, quickly became one of my most played records of 2017. Caesar’s mix of jazz, gospel and R&B is such easy listening I’ve often put it on while working and forgotten to change playlists before the album loops several times over. No one will accuse Freudian of being a high energy party record, but damn is it ever chill. Caesar’s silky smooth vocals, slipping effortlessly in and out of falsetto and floating effortlessly over the instrumental arrangements, are reminiscent of early Frank Ocean with a coolness harkens back to Love Below era Andre 3000. Freudian’s bucking of trap-influenced R&B trend for a more traditional sound comes out sounding modern and innovative. The obvious gospel influences make Caesar sound closer to Chance the Rapper than his fellow 6-natives Drake and the Weeknd. If Freudian is any indication, Daniel Caesar will be helping define Toronto’s sound for a long time to come.

Highlights: Get You (ft. Kali Uchis), Best Part (ft. H.E.R.), We Find Love, Transform (ft. Charlotte Day Wilson)

5) DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar

New Kung Fu Kenny! It’s even a shock to me that there ended up only being one true hip-hop record on this top ten (and we’re not really counting Calvin Harris as a rap album, are we? I didn’t think so.) But if there had to be only one, it had to be Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick is in rarefied, Kanye West type company in being able to say both that DAMN. might be his worst album, but still a bona fide classic. DAMN. embraces more of a mainstream hip-hop sound (complete with the faux mixtape DJ ad libs) than either of his last two offerings, To Pimp a Butterfly and untitled, unmastered. And while it fails to match the thematic unity of Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City, it still bangs. My first impression of DAMN. was that it sounded like if Kendrick made a Drake album (and made it look sexy)... and that ain’t a bad thing. Under the more commercially tuned exterior is the same incendiary social commentary we’ve come to expect from Kendrick. Turning his sights on Fox News critics, flexing about his friendship with Obama, and somehow making U2 seem cool in 2017 are all things that Kendrick does on DAMN. Another entry in K-dot’s epic canon.

Highlights: DNA., LOYALTY. (ft. Rihanna), HUMBLE., GOD.

4) Colter Wall - Colter Wall

My favourite country record of 2017. Speedy Creek’s own Colter Wall (the son of soon-to-be former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall) is only 22, but you wouldn’t know it listening to this album. Wall’s deep, gravelly voice, layered over a stripped-down accompaniment feels as classic country as it gets. The starkness of the songs creates a barroom feel and leaves you to focus on the storytelling in his lyrics. Thirteen Silver Dollars tells the tale of an unfortunate drunken encounter with an RCMP officer. Kate McCannon is a classic western murder/love ballad. You Look To Yours rattles off a series of rejections by women in bars (and warns the listener “don’t trust no politicians”, showing that Colter Wall isn’t just a chip off the old block). Nashville producer Dave Cobb, who also worked on recent albums from the likes of Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton - all leading disciples of the neo-traditionalist movement in alt-country - lends his talents to Wall’s debut release. The increasingly unlistenable quality of mainstream radio country may make one want to pour out a bottle of Thunderbird on music row, but Colter Wall shows us that the saving grace may come in the form of a prairie kid from up north.

Highlights: Thirteen Silver Dollars, Motorcycle, Kate McCannon, You Look To Yours

3) Turn Out The Lights - Julien Baker

The sophomore record from Tennessee singer-songwriter Julien Baker is not exactly a “feel good” album. At times, it feels downright depressing. The visceral quality and the rawness of the emotion in these songs just kept me coming back to this album. There is a realness and an intimacy that runs deep through the album. Turn Out The Lights deals with weighty stuff - addiction, mental health, loneliness, self-doubt - but with an undeniable beauty to the way Baker’s voice and lyrics layers over the piano and guitar. Woodwinds and violin accompaniments add to the richness on a few tracks but for the most part, the sparse palette of Baker’s voice, guitar and piano is enough to get the devastating point across. Baker’s voice, especially, has a haunting and beautiful quality that helps convey the gut wrenching emotion in her lyrics. There’s a hope, too, shining out behind the darkness. On Hurt Less, Baker moves from not wearing seatbelts because “I didn’t see the point in trying to save myself” to finding a reason in someone else to start buckling up. On another standout song, Appointments, Baker closes on a refrain of “Maybe it's all gonna turn out all right / Oh, I know that it's not, but I have to believe that it is.” Moments like that show that Turn Out The Lights isn’t the collection of sad songs it seems at first blush, but a celebration of the little moments of hope that help us get through the darkness.

Highlights: Appointments, Turn Out The Lights, Televangelist, Hurt Less

2) A Deeper Understanding - The War On Drugs

One word to describe this album: Big. I first listened to A Deeper Understanding on a float plane ride crossing the Georgia Strait from Vancouver island to the mainland on a sunny day. I can’t think of a better soundtrack for that than this. A Deeper Understanding is all soaring guitar, wailing synths and beating drums, perfect for tearing down a highway on a summer day, windows open to the wind. The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel has perfected his 80′s rock sound from 2014′s epic Lost In The Dream, tuning it perfectly to his Dire Straits-meets-Springsteen vocals. Every part of A Deeper Understanding feels finely tuned and crafted - you can feel the obsessiveness of Granduciel’s arrangements as the songs unfold. The songs themselves, mostly dwelling on loss and longing but against an undeniably upbeat musical background, are a strange contradiction that somehow never sounds wrong. It’s impossible to get through the guitar or organ riff sections on Nothing To Find without nodding a head or tapping a foot. The sonic grandeur, the “bigness”, of A Deeper Understanding is ultimately its greatest strength. Granduciel is painting landscapes here, not portraits. The influences are clear: Springsteen, Petty, Knopfler. If you think rock and roll is dead, you’re not listening to The War on Drugs.

Highlights: Up All Night, Holding On, Nothing To Find, Clean Living

1) American Dream - LCD Soundsystem

I never understood the backlash that LCD Soundsystem faced for coming out of retirement. Sometimes, an honest intention to hang up your skates is what it takes to bring out your best work (see, for example, Jay-Z’s The Black Album). American Dream, my favourite album of 2017, should solidify LCD’s comeback as a “good thing” once and for all. It would be one thing if a band kept churning out new, increasingly mediocre material (like later seasons of The Simpsons), but with American Dream, James Murphy and co. have done something truly great. American Dream is a brilliant, electric, synth-pop odyssey from start to finish. Recurring LCD themes like commentary on the state of popular music (lamenting on tonite that ‘everybody’s singing the same songs’) are prominent, but Murphy ruminates on personal topics like his divorce, missed opportunities (Black Screen lingers on Murphy’s failed chance to work more closely with David Bowie on his final album) and friendships lost. The most stunning track on the album, how do you sleep, is a pulsating, 9 minute take down of Murphy’s former collaborator Tim Goldsworthy - essentially a diss track - and it’s savage. The ‘drop’ at around the 3:30 mark is right about where I realized this album was something special. What finally sold me on American Dream as my album of the year was seeing it played live. LCD are probably one of, if not the, best live acts we have and this album truly bangs in person. At the centre of it all is Murphy, the unlikeliest front man, unshaven and drinking expensive wine in a grubby t-shirt. A rockstar with a dad bod. A bizarro light-side-of-the-force version of Steve Bannon. The American Dream incarnate if there ever was one. James Murphy is all of us, and none of us at the same time. Normal, but exceptional at the same time. This album is all exceptional. It’s the best of 2017.

Highlights: oh baby,  how do you sleep, tonite, call the police

SPECIAL RETROSPECTIVE

Now that I’ve been doing this a few years, I wanted to look back at my top albums of the decade so far...

2010: The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

2011: Take Care - Drake

2012: Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

2013: Yeezus - Kanye West

2014: Our Love - Caribou

2015: Art Angels - Grimes

2016: Coloring Book - Chance The Rapper

2017: American Dream - LCD Soundsystem

All in all a very solid and defensible selection of albums. I don’t want to second guess myself too much, and I would still ride or die for any of these choices, but if I’d change one or two, it might be to flip Yeezus for Modern Vampires in the City in 2013, or swap the Caribou for RTJ2 in 2014... which are just albums that have stuck with me more over time. 

[chaosmagetwin]

Random Naruto OC: Nishimura Kyo

I began rewatching Naruto, cause I never actually finished the show. I decided to make a fanfiction character, cause WHY NOT! I’ll be using various guides, some from tumblr, some from deviant-art, some from just random websites. There are a lot. I don’t want to link them all. 

Kyo translates to:  Variant spelling of Japanese unisex Kyou, meaning 1) "apricot," 2) "capital," 3) "cooperation," or 4) "village." (From http://www.20000-names.com/female_japanese_names.htm )

Nishimura translates to:  from Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village". (From https://surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/japanese )

Essentially her name could be taken as “Village West Village” if you wanted, but more likely her parents meant it more as “Cooperation from the West Village”. Or, maybe they just meant Apricot, and weren’t thinking about Surnames, since it ultimately is just West Village. (An origin point of sorts for the clan.)

Origin: Hidden Stone Village, Land of Earth

Time Period: Using the Nine-tails imprisonment as a time line (12 years before the show, with year 12 being the start of it), she is in year 6 as a Genin, and year 9 as a chunin. She doesn’t proceed to Jonin. Considering 12 years old being the requirement to graduate from the academy (or at least the norm), that puts her at 15 when she passes the Chunin exams, and 18 at the start of the anime (year 12). I swear it was unintentional. Current year is Year 12.

Physical Description

Kyo is a relatively tall girl, at 5′5″ (Compared to average Japanese height from https://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/height-chart.shtml ) with honey brown hair cut to her jawline. She has sharp amber eyes set into a heart-shaped face, with delicately built features. She is well muscled and limber with small breasts.  She is above average in prettiness, but ultimately unremarkable save for the traits from her Kekkai Genkai. She is right-handed, and her voice is in the cheerfully middle-high range.

Kyo tends to wear skin-tight black shorts and a soft tan sleeveless blouse. Her ninja tools sit in a bag that hangs on her right hip and strapped to her thigh, as well as a small pack that sits a few inches above the small of her back. Around her forearms are two leather bracers, ribbed with steel. These ribs are in fact knives, while the bracers act as sheathes. She keeps her headband in its proper place, but will sometimes use it like a collar or scarf. The design is repeated in shin-guards.

 Kekkai Genkai

The Nishimura family line has a Kekkai Genkai that does not appear in all of its members, but in enough of them to be considered common. It gives the bearers fox-like traits, different from person to person, but ultimately producing the following effects: amplified hearing, increased coordination, flexibility, motor function, and stability, sharper incisors, and occasionally more ‘cunning’, or intelligence. These fox-like traits exhibit themselves through a fox-tail (Color dependent on hair color or personality, but usually that of a natural fox) and ears, amber eyes, and occasionally fur and claws (Rare traits). The incisors are often sharp enough to cut the owner’s tongue or lips if one is not careful, but they are not pronounced. Unlike most Kekkai Genkai, the Nishimura line is not one that is heavily weaponized; it’s a trait that is easily recognizable. No matter how skilled they are, the Nishimura will never be an ANBU, simply due to their recognizable traits, though one might be brought along if their skillset is deemed neccessary to the mission. 

Kyo’s Kekkai Genkai manifests itself in her eyes, a tail (It’s why her fanny-pack sits a few inches above the small of her back), and large, desert-fox ears. Her tail and ears are the same color as her hair. She has lost her human ears (Or rather, she never had them) and her amber eyes have vertical pupils (Like a cats, or more specifically, a foxes). 

Skills

At the Chunin level, Kyo is skilled enough that she can fend for herself, and has been deemed capable of being a leader. Her Taijutsu is above average, but not exceptional. Her genjutsu is passable, but below average; while she can fool enemies, she’s not great at it. However, she is exceptional within the Ninjutsu category, a versatile tool within the Shinobi world.

She favors shape transformation over nature transformation of Chakra, but she has mastered the element she has an affinity for: Lightning, like her mother. She has begun learning the water element in an effort to become a Junin. 

Unlike many Shinobi, Kyo is skilled enough that she can pretty much make a jutsu up on the fly in combat to meet her needs, so long as it is something in her area of expertise. In terms of D&D or another RPG, she’s more like a sorcerer than a wizard, and more like a monk than a fighter, but with more flexibility than either. “Adapt and Overcome” would likely be her motto in relation to her own powers.

Jutsu

While there are a few abilities here from other lighting users (Such as the Lightning Release Chakra Mode) their power is often not comparable. She might have a few similar jutsu to a Kage, but she doesn’t have the power. She also will often utilize it differently. Also, I doubt I can think of all the jutsu she would actually know, since I am not a Ninja. 

E-Ranks: Substitution, Clone, Cloak of Invisibility, Water Walking

D-Ranks: Flash, Bolt, Water Clone, Lightning Clone, Sealed Lightning, Water Bullet, 

C-Ranks: Lightning Step, Shift, Fox Fire, Jet Stream, Scan

B-Ranks: Chain Lightning, Arc Line, Lightning Release: Chakra Mode, Lightning Release: Shift Substitution, Sticky Lightning, Chakra Map

A-Ranks: Breath of the Heavenly Dragon

Flash: A flash of light

Bolt: A bolt of lightning

Lightning Clone: A short lived clone that very obviously looks like lightning, exploding on impact.

Sealed Lightning: A marble filled with chakra, set to zap nearby enemies.

Lightning Step: User moves quickly in a straight line, passing through objects that would allow lightning to normally pass through it (not stone, not rubber. People are okay) as if they themselves were a lightning bolt.

Shift: A variant of the substitution jutsu, it can leave a clone in the users place as the user teleports.

Fox Fire: As the spell in D&D, outlines enemies, sticking to the target and creating an outline. Causes no damage.

Jet Stream: A jet of high pressure water.

 Scan: A jutsu that expands ones awareness, allowing one to take in as much detail as possible with a cursory glance, with zoom capabilities. 

Chain Lightning: As the spell.

Arc Line: Line of electrified nano-wire used to cut enemies.

Sticky Lightning: Orb of lightning that can be attached to people or objects, creating bolts that shock nearby enemies continuously.

Chakra Map: An ability to create a map that can be accessed by others. The area must be known extremely well by the user, or the jutsu will fail. Positions can be tracked, and information can be updated silently. 

Breath of the Heavenly Dragon: Kyo’s most powerful ability, and one that she has made herself, the Breath of the Heavenly Dragon is just one breathing out lightning. However, it is incredibly dangerous in how far it can reach and how powerful the lightning actually is, often digging into the ground and creating furrows lined with glass. It is capable of literally transforming landscapes, and can be seen from a large distance away. The user will often be left temporarily blinded. 

Personality

Kyo’s personality is incredibly different from both her mother and her father, who run hot and cold respectively. She’s fairly even tempered without being coldly logical, and while she doesn’t hide her emotions, they certainly don’t rule her life. Unlike their intense natures, Kyo is more relaxed, and likely to just take a step back and breathe if she needs to. She’s loyal to the Land of Earth, but she’s not fanatical, and while she’s fought against other nations, and will do so again in the future, she’s not against making friends and diplomatic ties where she can. She tries her best to be friendly with anyone she meets, even on the battlefield, and she’s known, in the other nations at least, as “That Funny Fox Girl”. She has killed before, and while she can kill her emotions, she’s not unaffected. She can and will kill for her country, but if she doesn’t have to, she won’t. She tends to be more extroverted than introverted, and her life is messy.

Kyo is Bi, but has yet to find anyone she wants to spend her life with. She tends to be fairly ‘girly’, and she tends to like butch girls and masculine guys. She views relationships as complicated at best, and she dislikes being led on, or leading others on. After being burned a few times, she is open and up-front with what she wants and what she expects, but this hasn’t worked out for her either. Despite being bi, Kyo doesn’t tend to think about people in terms of romantic relationships or sex, and instead begins thinking about a person in terms of how much she likes them, or if they might work well together, or if they could be friends. 

She enjoys fishing, but mostly in lakes and on docks, where the fish are small; she finds it relaxing and easy, where she can just think about a problem without stress. She also enjoys reading and books, but most of her free time that she would spend reading is instead spent training. She also enjoys drinking, and since it is her only sociable activity, it is often the one she winds up doing. Unfortunately, she is a lightweight (or fortunately, depending on ones views. Save on money, but can’t go as long as heavy-weight friends) and therefore often winds up passed out in the bar during a party or event. The rest of her time is taken up with her job as a shinobi.

Her sense of style is ever evolving, but the reality is that not many clothes actually work with a tail and ears; accessorizing is difficult, and getting something to fit right without straight up making it herself or altering it is near impossible. She’s picked up enough to get by in that field, but it’s not like she has a ton of time to do so. 

Kyo finds most people fascinating, and she has occasionally lamented not becoming a psychologist or sociologist, or some other profession that would have allowed her to study people. 

Goals

Kyo’s current goal is to become a Jonin. Her ultimate goal is to create prosperity for her village. She has no current plans for how to go about that, other than by doing missions and protecting the border. Other goals include finding love, finishing her book series(reading, not writing), and coming up with three unique jutsu, of which one is already done. 

Family

Father: Know that I considered naming him Nishimura Aratahiko, or “Fresh Prince of West Village”. Not a real name(as far as I know), but, ahhh, it was worth a good laugh. Instead, he is named Nishimura Seiji, “Refined Second Son of the West Village”. A Chunin, born ~28 years before the nine-tails attack/imprisonment, making him 22 years old when Kyo was born. A fast fighter, known for his Taijutsu and Water based Ninjutsu. Also his Kekkai Genkai, but we’ll get to that later. His personality tends towards cold and logic, but he warms up with his friends and wife. He is colder to his daughter, but more out of a response of being unable to open up to her, or relate. 

Mother: Maki Amaya, or “Night Rain Shepard/Genuine Tree”. Born ~26 years before the nine-tails attack/imprisonment, making her 20 years old when her daughter Kyo was born. She is a Jonin, known for her Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, specifically Lightning based attacks. No Kekkai Genkai or other special abilities, but she is a gifted learner. She became a Chunin at an early age, and quickly advanced to Jonin. She would later meet Seiji during a mission, where they fell in love. She chose the name Kyo to remind her daughter to cooperate. She tends to be more emotional than her husband, especially on the heated side; she is hot-headed, and fast acting. 

Siblings: A younger brother named Keichi, or First Son. He is six years younger than Kyo, making him about the same age as Naruto. Currently a Genin. While they are siblings, the age difference is severe enough that their relationship is strained. 

Early Life

Kyo’s childhood was simple, but lonely; like many children who grew up in two-ninja homes, her parents were often away on missions. She was more or less raised by her Grandfather Maki, a strict man who passed away when she joined the academy. He did his best by her, but she was a rambunctious little girl with an affinity for somehow finding trouble whenever he wasn’t looking. 

Academy: Kyo entered Ninja academy with high hopes; she’d been told by her grandfather than Nishimura were gifted Ninja. When he died, however, her spirits fell greatly. Still, she did well enough, and learned to cope with her newfound grief and loss of a real parental figure. 

Life as a Ninja

Genin: After graduating from the Ninja academy, Kyo was teamed up with Fujimoto Aika and Maeda Dai, a cute girly girl and budding gruff man respectively. They were led by the Kunoichi Inoue Rika, a Jonin with paranoia and an affinity for summoning and earth ninjutsu. As they progressed, Kyo learned how to properly use Chakra for Shape and Nature transformations. Aika learned that she was skilled in genjutsu, and learned to craft believable illusions, often practicing on the more clueless Dai. Dai, meanwhile, became an expert at Taijutsu, and picked up sword training. He would become the first in the group to become a Chunin, after his third attempt (A year and a half after becoming a Genin). Kyo would be next, after six attempts, and Aika coming soon after at seven. 

Chunin: Once becoming a Chunin, Kyo would be moved around quite frequently, filling in slots as members were lost, gained, or needed recovery. She fit in well with others, and while she wasn’t a lynchpin to success, she was certainly instrumental to most of the victories, which is to be expected. Her old teammates were also commonly moved around, though not quite as easily. Due to this, they went on fewer missions, and each had a little more time to themselves than she did. Aika became the first to marry, at the ghastly young age of sixteen. Her husband was of a similar age, at only seventeen, another Chunin. She would also be the first to have a child, two years later. Dai would be the second to marry, at seventeen years old. His wife was also seventeen. He was also the second to have a child, but only by a few days. Kyo is unmarried, and childless.