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superums · 1 year

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she's everything he's just miles—miles morales x barbie!reader

barbie movie spoilers. fluff mostly. angst in cannon event section. mentions of death. three mentions of "y/n / (name)" in total. you're mostly called spider-barbie. no race mention so anyone can read. spider barbie art (i got inspo from): black ver, braid ver, white ver. 1610 miles! happy national gf day to all who celebrate 🫶🏿💗

color coded text: miles, you/spider-barbie, rio, ken

general headcannons

when miles met you he though you were perfect. covered in pink head to toe—'they're like a doll straight out of the box...' he said breathlessly as he watched your hair seem to perfectly fall back into place despite the pink mask that covered your identity.

'that's because i am one~' you responded and he swore he saw a colorful background of hearts and flowers appear behind you.

you and miles are total opposites, one of you live a a life of imperfection and flaws—from finding out your uncle tried to kill you to be known as the anomaly amongst all the spider people & be called a mistake in-front of his friends just to find out they knew all along—and the other only has perfect days everyday.

his parents love you! at first they were a little iffy, you wore all pink and had a big hair due. "the bigger hair, the more secrets!" rio would say as she tried to persuade him to go after someone else, someone who could speak spanish.

jeff thought you were a gold digger (even though miles had no gold whatsoever), and tried to say you're a bad influence but now he views you like his own daughter (both of them do!).

when it's major holidays (valentines day, christmas, national barbie day ect.) mile likes to get/make you something. last valentines he got you this big spiderman plush that you keep on your bed no matter how much it contrasts with your dream house because he got it for you.

your gifts fall a little flat because none of the kens fashion packs really fit miles and none of your worlds art supplies are actually real so instead you always take him to barbie land for a day just so you two can do fun things together like beach and have a choreographed dance party.

he loves barbie land trust me but he dose get a little jealous. some of the kens there really like you and he feels like he kind of has to try a little more to get your attention because they keep trying to show off.

speaking of ken you have one and he feels a little insecure whenever he's around even though he knows you don't like ken like that. "you're literally made for each other." he says and you can't really debate that because it is true to an extent but you always reassure him that you love only him.

"i may be made for ken but ken isn't made for what i need like you are." you bring both your hands down to his and hold it tight. "please don't think less of yourself because of ken's, they're not who i like, you are."

speaking of jealousy

sometimes he gets jealous of you ngl. he wants to live in a world where you can just float from your roof to your pink cadillac, fight crime and still make time for the mall, the beach and girls night every night.

when he comes to you visibly upset about the things he goes through—his dad, school, his villians, his friends he tells you all about hoe he wishes his world was easy like yours.

you however tell him that his dimension isn't so bad—going to birthday parties, to see children and the elderly smile, watching the smiling faces as spider saves new york again—"your worlds amazing, you just think it's bad because thats all you know." you always tell him as you hug him from behind. miles always seemed to agree as he would quiet down after that "yeah i guess it ain't so bad..."

when you're in his world he practically holds your hand like someone is going to steal him from you. he gets nervous because even though he's spiderman he has no idea what he's gonna do if someone cat calls you or trys to slap your ass. especially in new york like what if they shoot him yk???

when you're with him you always wear things like like this[the green ones]or this [the yellow one] and he always gives you the best compliments, sometimes if you wear a dress he peaks at your butt a little when you walk ahead of him but he tries to be respectful!! his mother would tear him up if she found out he wasn't.

when you found out a way to make that peice of plastic of a phone to actually work you made him open up a instagram for you now u just post pictures and close the not knowing the evil that lurks (misogynists)

his nicknames for you are bonita and carriño (im a miles wouldn't say that (mamas) believer😼) and sometimes he calls you bella but he reserves it for when you take his breath away (when ever u invite him to barbie land galas every other week)

your terms are a little outdated because of the time period you were 'made' in but you call him things like darling, sugar and dear but you've started adding sweetheart, baby and honey to your selection after he joked that you sound like a grandma one time☹️

your cannon event

entering your second/third year of being spider-barbie things got difficult in barbie world. [after the events of the barbie movie] you suddenly got villains—two deranged doctors, and even your own ken. not only did they seem to come back just to get revenge but they also get more and more difficult to defeat.

it started with a glitter shortage and now you've had to fight your ken who's become a venom variant. your ken was jealous that you were spider-barbie while he was just a variant of news reporter ken and he tried to become spiderman himself by infecting himself with some mysterious substance.

now the two of you are fighting in a burning building.

"ken stop this isn't you!" you dodge his heavy punches. it was getting super hot and the building was about to collapse. the both of you are surrounded the flames. "ken please stop this.." you tried to reason with him but a strong inky black hand wrapped around your throat.

your pink lenses were broken—you were feeling light headed now snd the fire was making it worse. "please..." a tear rolled from your face to venoms as you started to see stars surround your vision. you tried to kick your feet to get him to stop it but it only met with the hard, unmoving mass of venom.

one by one the ceiling started to fall in and venom could only laugh as he saw you struggling. venoms long tongue came out of his mouth and his spikey teeth started to retract as he inched closer to your head. he was going to eat you.

by a miracle a burning beam narrowly missed you and fell on him. gasping as you fell on your back narrowly missing the fire you turned to the inky black figure. "ken!?" limping to him you saw your other half struggling under the beam. "(name)....?"

"i'll save you!" you put your webs on the burning beam you tried your best to move it. you were too weak. crying you put your other web on it, struggling to move the object.

"(name), go on without me..." kens voice wavered as he searched for your hidden eyes. the inky black substance of venom seemed to slip off of him like water. "but i need you!" you reached for kens face only as more support beams fell from the ceiling.

hearing footsteps you turned around, there was a cop in the doorway if the wear-house, holding the black pistol to you, you had no choice but to leave, no one knows you're spider-barbie.

you don't know this but your universe and everyone else's is heavily connected through the toy line (like in the movie) so your line of toys was very effected by your cannon event

theres mattel branded action figures when you're crying holding kens picture, theres toys where you're called 'depressed spider-barbie' and they're even selling play-sets where your dream house is in disarray

when miles found out he had to call you but they went unanswered. you've been m.i.a for almost three days, you haven't answered any of the texts messages or calls that your friends sent you and they knew someone had to reach you because the your toy products we're getting sadder by the hour.

crying into the spider-man plush that miles had given you. hugging yourself you didn't notice miles come through the portal—"(name) are you okay?" he put his hand on your waist as he sat on the edge of your bed. he knew you weren't.

you were wearing a shirt took from him and you hair and makeup weren't even done. "miles i.." you looked into his eyes, his brown irises full of worry. he brought his hand to your face as a way to soothe you but he's not good at this like he wants to be.

"it's nothing." you said as you turned your head to wipe the tears off your face. "please don't act like that bonita.." you knew you shouldn't do this to him—but you aren't made for this and neither is he. "i had my event today." was all you could muster before you cried into him. "i know i know..." he said as he rubbed your back.

he tries his best to get you away from barbie land for a bit. gwen, hobie and pavitr handle the crime while you recover.

he brought you to his home and had to beg his parents to lets you sleep in his room, in him bed with him, and at first rio almost hit the back of his head with such a ridiculous question

but then she saw how broken you looked. "jeff this is serious their makeup and hair aren't done.." they caved but he had to keep the door open which he had no problem with.

he distracts you with playing video games, or going out to festivals and carnivals just to clear your head.

it took a week for you to feel better enough to go back to barbie land and when you left your toys changed to something different.

"spider-barbie has a new boyfriend!" news articles were everywhere—imagine miles' surprise when he saw him in his spiderman suit carrying you through barbie land. they named him ken carson and made him dominican but he'll take it.

#1610 miles x reader #miles morales x reader #atsv headcanons #miles morales headcanons #miles morales x black!reader #x black reader #atsv x reader #📓💭🪷

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fantomas0 · 10 months

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Barbenheimer

pairing: barbie x oppenheimer

description: Oppenheimer wakes up in Barbie's bed.

word count: 2,3k words

no warnings apply

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

There was a blinding burst of light and painful, agonizing fire, searing through his entire being. Then—darkness. Immeasureble lengths of it.

Oppenheimer woke up with a start in a bed. The blinding light was still here, forcing him to blink furiously. Although no pain, no fire—quite the opposite. And the bed he was in—it was surprisingly soft, too soft even, he felt like he was drowning in the mattress that dipped into itself from his weight. He looked around, feeling his sweat-soaked back go cold. The place he was in—he couldn‘t imagine it, there wasn‘t space for that much color in his imagination. No, color wasn‘t the right term as the room was all pink. He had never seen anything like it before.

Oppenheimer sat up in the bed, trying desperately to remember what happened. He was making a bomb, a bomb of such capacity that could destroy the entire world, leaving nothing but ashes behind. It wasn‘t finished, not yet, many improvements had to be made, but he had lots of hopes. That bomb – a mash of wondrous chemistry and accurate physics, had to end the war and make America the greatest nation in the history of nations. It also had to be Oppenheimer‘s opus magnum. He frowned. Something didn‘t work out. Apparently. Something was not right. One of the trials failed. He remembered the explosion, him in a safehouse, hidden by thick walls of lead that had to protect him. But it didn‘t. He saw the burst coming his way—

And then. Now. He was here.

In this ridiculously huge pink room lying in this ridiculously soft bed, wearing this ridiculous—what was he wearing? A soft pinkish shirt that clung miserably to his muscled chest.

He frowned again, and tried to gather some sense in his body.

“Oh, you’re finally awake!” he heard a high-pitched over-the-top voice say.

And there she was—a woman. This was a woman’s room, naturally. But she wasn’t just any woman—the most beautiful one he had ever seen. All blonde hair, blue eyes, impeccable skin and wide smiles. She was truly genuinely happy that he was awake and wasn’t trying to hide it. Oppenheimer wondered when the last time was someone smiled at him like that – a long, long time ago.

He groaned in pain when the attempt to move out of this position in bed failed and a bolt of pain tore through his temples. She was wearing pink, for god’s sake. It was all too much for him—too much pink.

The blonde blue-eyed woman in pink moved closer to him, putting the flowers she was carrying with him on his bedside table.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

Oppenheimer’s frown deepened. “Who are you,” he demanded.

“I’m Barbie. I’m an actress, but you might already know, I have gained quite a lot of international success even in Europe.” Her teeth were white as pearls, and he was getting more annoyed with every second that passed, with every word she spoke, with every aching sensation in his uncooperative body.

“Where am I,” he asked.

“In—my home?”

“And where is that.”

“Malibu, California,” she said, fully not understanding what horrible situation he was in.

He was so far from home.

“How did I get here.” He chopped his questions as facts, though there was nothing factual about them – he felt as if he was doing Sisyphus’ work for him.

Barbie now leaned away from him like she was taken aback by his brass behavior. Her eyebrows rose slightly. “Look, sir, you literally were drowning in my pool, I found you there naked. I dressed you in my ex-boyfriend’s Ken’s shirt, it seems to fit you fine, and don’t worry, I did not gawk at you, I’m not like that. Look, I don’t know what you were doing or how you got there, all I know is that if I hadn’t saved you, you would’ve been dead by now. Besides, during the last three days you’ve been waking up, then losing your consciousness again, and we’ve been having this conversation thrice, but you always claim you have no memory that we’ve talked of this.”

Oppenheimer blinked. He did not remember waking up before, but he was not going to tell her that.

“Wait, did you say I was here for three days?” he rushed to ask. He jumped up in bed, feeling his bones rattle and his blood sing in his ear, but this time he ignored it. “What time is it?”

Barbie reached out her hand and put it on his shoulder, trying to contain him; it wasn’t hard – he had no strength left in him to do anything.

“Whoa, maybe you should slow down a bit,” she advised him. “I don’t know what you’ve been through, but you look really… rough. Just… don’t worry, okay? You can relax and stay here as long as you need to until you fully recover. This house is mostly empty anyways, besides me. And for the time,” she looked down at a small pink gadget with a screen in her hand. She pushed a button and the screen lit up, showing the numbers. Oppenheimer’s eyes widened, “it’s eleven past eleven! Angel numbers!” she exclaimed, looking back at him. “You must be lucky, mister… What’s your name?”

“Julius. Oppenheimer,” he answered her reluctantly.

Barbie’s eyebrows drew together.

“Wait a minute… Oppenheimer… Oppenheimer… This name sounds familiar…” she kept mumbling. He groaned. Realization hit her eyes. “I know! That’s a film title! A film that’s going to be released the same day as the film I star in! my film is called Barbie, and it’s a biopic about my life, well, lives…” she chuckled. “Wait, are you Oppenheimer, as in, you play him?”

“No, I don’t play him. I am him,” he sneered.

Barbie seemed to be thinking. “I’m pretty sure Oppenheimer is the man who created the atomic bomb. No idea why you’d want to be him, but that’s not possible – he died some fifty years ago.”

Oppenheimer’s insides turned cold. He looked around frantically once more, then his gaze settled on Barbie.

He swallowed. “What—year is it?” he asked, for the first time asked quietly.

Barbie’s eyes filled with worry. “It’s 2023,” she told him.

That didn’t make sense, so he simply ignored the date. This woman must be clinically insane, so he’ll just pretend to agree with her. It was 1944, and nothing will convince him otherwise.

(Some conversation with this mad lady later, he was convinced.)

He closed his eyes, clutching the last moments of his last memory before passing out as if it could give him all the answers—but it only forced him to ask more.

The bomb exploded, that one thing was certain. And the rest—

He didn’t want to ask, but he had to. “Did—the Apocalypse happened? Did the world end?” Did I destroy everyone and everything?

Barbie seemed deep in thought once again, and that made him worry more. However, she was still so upbeat about all of this.

“Well, you might say that the world ended if you consider all that happened in the last few years – the Covid pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine, the disastrous economic crisis that followed afterwards, Iran’s predatory legislations regarding women – then yes, the Apocalypse did happen, and now we’re living in the remains of what was left behind,” she finished, her face turning somewhat grim. Which annoyed Oppenheimer even more. She was of no help for him at all. “Our films – yours and mine – might bring some joy for people – well, not yours, perhaps. Maybe a distraction from these awful times.”

He was beginning to lose patience. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I already told you, I’m not an actor, I’m not in any film, I’m not playing Oppenheimer—”

“Then what were you doing in my pool?” she asked coolly.

“I… I don’t know.”

Barbie smiled conspiratorially. “I know why. You wanted to celebrate the success of Barbenheimer and came here to finally meet me!” Seeing the horrified look she clarified, “Barbenheimer – that’s what fans call it. It’s a whole meme crashing through the internet these past few weeks.”

Oppenheimer had no idea what Covid or meme or internet was, but he felt the need to make this woman see the truth.

“Listen, Barbie,” he addressed her, catching her attention. “My name is Julius Robert Oppenheimer. I am the real him. I live in Germany. I have no idea how I got here.”

She watched him for a moment. “Fine, I’ll just Google you, and then you’ll see.” She looked down at the little gadget in her hand and started tapping the screen furiously with her fingers, so fast his concussed brain couldn’t follow. She finally stopped and turned the screen to him. “See? It’s not you. You’re a lot more handsome, I must say. Oppenheimer is… well, he just is.”

There was his full name, a black-and-white photo – that definitely wasn’t him – and two dates. April 22, 1904 – February 18, 1967. The text below claimed that he was a physicist that tried to create an atomic bomb – and failed.

He had no words left in his mouth – or his brain. He only stared at Barbie who continued her surfing. “Now, let’s check the actor playing Oppenheimer.” A few seconds later she frowned in confusion. The man on her screen was not the same as the man in her bed. She looked up at him without smiling.

“Sir, you must be very confused,” she said finally. He was, he was very confused, he had no idea what was going on, and this strange, beautiful creature was not helping. “I should probably take you to a hospital, the doctors could definitely help you more than I can—”

His hand shot up in the air and landed on her thigh, stopping whatever thought train she was developing. “No!” he shouted. “Don’t. No hospitals. No doctors. Please.”

Her eyes softened, although she still seemed very worried. “Alright, alright. I won’t do anything against your will. Just… lie here, okay? You need to get your strength back. I’ll bring you something filling.”

With that, Barbie stood up and left the room, her floral perfume still lingering in the air. With that, Oppenheimer leaned back to rest against the many pillows on the bed more comfortably. With that, he was slowly giving into whatever was happening to him – he didn’t understand it, he couldn’t grasp his situation, he might not be sane, but he didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Barbie came back with a pink drink in her hand – so much pink! – that looked like milkshake. She reached it out for him, and he sipped it, savoring the sweet taste.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s a smoothie. A fruit cocktail of sorts. I made it from strawberries and added some protein powder. Delicious, isn’t it?”

He hummed his agreement, sipping some more. A comfy bed, a spacious room and a beautiful woman. Ignoring all the pink, he could get used to this.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks – but it also wrapped around him like a cozy blanket.

“I’m in Heaven,” he said quietly. “I died and I got into Heaven. I didn’t even believe in the Afterlife, and here I am.”

Barbie smiled at him fondly. “Oh, I’m glad you think my Dreamhouse is Heaven – I do work pretty hard to make it feel like this.”

Oppenheimer looked at her, seeing her truly for the first time. Maybe this wasn’t Afterlife – perhaps it was a Life After Life. He was given a second chance.

“You said you’re an actress,” he said.

Barbie nodded. “I mostly play romance, fantasy or fairytale leads in films that mostly focus on women’s empowerment as well as embracing femininity. I love my job, but I’ve been playing sixteen-year-olds for seventeen years—seventeen!” She laughed, but it sounded strained. “I’m thirty-three and I believe I should play adult roles now – that’s why I thought playing the main character in a film about myself might be great fun. However, my life isn’t very interesting, apparently, so most of that is made up – the usual Hollywood pop-film with a clear beginning, middle, climax and ending. That’s not how it is in real life, though… Here it’s just… So much nothing… You know?” She looked at him, searching his eyes.

Oppenheimer knew it better than anyone. He nodded. He felt this way too, even before he got here. And now, knowing that his whole life’s work turned into a big loud nothing – well, it was devastating to say the least.

This whole strange time-traveling pink-soaked transportation between life and death was merely an afterthought now.

“I was here in the Dreamhouse for the past week. It’s a beautiful home, but it’s so big and empty,” Barbie continued. “I was so bored all by myself, and then—then I found you in my pool. And caring for you, nursing you back to health seemed to give me… purpose. I felt like I was actually doing something meaningful, helping another human being. I’ve missed this feeling a lot.”

Oppenheimer watched her for a moment when she went silent, and he didn’t say anything for a while. It was hard for him to force out what came from his lips next.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do next,” Oppenheimer admitted. “I doubt my home is still where I left it – God knows I’m not all there. I have nowhere to go. And I might be… no one.”

Barbie blue eyes lit up like the sky in the summer as if no one of a man was exactly who she needed.

“Would you, maybe, like to, I don’t know, stay here?” she asked somewhat shyly.

He could get used to her blushing.

The End

#fanfiction #barbie #oppenheimer #barbenheimer #barbie movie #barbie 2023 #greta gerwig #margot robbie #christopher nolan #cillian murphy #oppenheimer 2023 #oppenbarbie #barbie x oppenheimer #fanfic #ao3

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absolutebl · 2 years

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This Week in BL - All the endings

March 2023 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Bed Friend (Sat YT, GaGa & iQIYI uncut) ep 3 of 8 - Only one of them is in a fuck buddy relationship, and it’s not King Moon-eyes Husband-material. This show is so damn good. I love it when high heat is used to serve the characters and the narrative, as well as us fans. (In other words, take away the sexualized part of this relationship and the whole story would fall apart.) I suppose we should pay attention to Uea’s rules since they will all be broken. Uea has a bit of a demanding spoiled prince thing going and I’m not mad about it. This may be the most neck-kissy couple ever, I’m so happy for them! Yet another installment in “Thailand, please get that boy to a therapist.” This ep likely has lots of extras so I might watch IQ as well. Child abuse trigger btw.

Moonlight Chicken (Weds YT) eps 7-8fin - It was a good last 2 eps, and I ended up actually liking the complexity of the messiness more than I thought I would - disaster queer authenticity isn’t usually my thing. (Japan taught me that lesson the hard way). All in all, a stellar a little offering from GMMTV, in the Not Me or ITSAY vein of “I question whether it’s actually BL but like it anyway.” Full review and rating below.

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) ep 12fin - The climax was rather predictably climatic (as it were). I love that Chopper shot his dad. Better aim next time, sweetheart? The cousins making up was sappy. Chopper & Ben were fine. Frankly, I’m not sure about PerthChimon’s chemistry, a bit nervous for their series now. And then Kdrama separation nation strikes again. Yawn. Question: Did the cute girl at Palm’s bar ever get her coconut juice? Full review and rating below.

A Boss and a Babe (Fri YouTube) ep 1 of 10 - ForceBook in an office set boss/employee highly camp rom-com. Babe is a bit too slapstick for me, boss is a bit too creepy, and Book is def over egging the pudding. Well meaning chatterbox idiot is not my fav archetype. Bathroom meet cute? Huh. I don’t know. I don’t hate it, I guess?

The Promise (Thai WeTV & YT) ep 1 of 10 - Popped into my YT feed so I gave it a try. Unexpectedly good! Phu & Nan are childhood bffs from middle school through college (almost lovers). Phu disappears just after graduation. After looking/waiting for him for ages, Nan gives up and self isolates, and the actual story takes place 10 years later. The arbitrary slapstick elements are unnecessary, disjoined, and rough. The show should have had the strength of its convictions just to be a serious drama. But it’s way better than expected (it’s about coffee, I love coffee) and no need to have watched the prequel miniseries Phupha | Nanfah. Phu’s granny and cohorts are THE BEST. Also elder queer rep. There better be a GREAT reason why Phu didn’t reach out to Nan or I will be seriously displeased.

Chains of Heart (Sat iQIYI) 3 of 10 - I kind of love Ken’s slightly idiot gay couple friends. (I do love all of the queer family we are getting these days.) They better not betray him! Still, this is one of those shows where, despite his competency, we haven’t really been given a reason to like Ken all that much. I’m not super invested in his grief or his new romance. The captions are BONKERS but the sex scenes are good. I hope LueKen deliver as well as DinKen. Gotta say, despite my grumbling, I did enjoy it more this week.

Tin Tam Jai (Tues Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - I am not a huge fan of the tsundere seme, especially if they are the older character. But this is a really good cast and for a pulp it’s actually okay acted and captioned. It’s cute. Campy. Old school Thai. I do like a flirty uke who knows what he wants. Lots of very prototypical tropes. Is it good? Well, no, but I’m still gonna watch it.

Love Syndrome (Thai Sat WeTV) ep 1 of 10 - Terrible subs again. They a hot couple but Itt is a revolting character, asshole rather than brat. Day is VERY sexy tho. This one is messy and rough and will likely involve cheating AND the amnesia trope. I might put it onto the binge pile.

Our Winter (Thai & Korea YT & TikTok under ThaiMiniSeries) eps 8-9 of 14 - TutorYim are cute. And nice to have decent music with Thai actors for a change.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

All the Liquors (Korea Thurs Gaga & Viki) ep 1-2 of 8 - Oh my God, breaking up with a man because he picked the wrong restaurant for a holiday meal is v relatable, but the reaction ”how can you break up with me before we’ve eaten?” is the best thing ever. I may identify with our baby party boy hedonist more than any other BL lead ever presented. I adore how Korea is leaning into “out gay boys” these days. Love love love the gay bestie. This is on the New Employee end of the KBL spectrum, no bad thing. Not sure about the alcoholism angle tho. Still, this is a fun show! I don’t even mind the crash into me trope when combined with baby is a floppy drunk trope.

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 10fin (or 19&20) - Not at all surprised that Vincent (Sam? How many names does this man need?) was pulling a double cross, because from the credits we knew the pairs get along. Couple’s necklaces and a sweet make up sequence for the sides. Nice sex scene and manufactured drama for the mains. Ultra cheese fest ending for all including random H4 couple. Full review and rating below.

Jack o’Frost (Japan GaGa) ep 3 of 6 - The first time sex scene from the past was sweet and well done. That said, a traditional BL romance is not what this story is doing. It’s about 2 people at different points in a romantic journey, one of whom has memories of a failed relationship (and associated baggage) and the other who does not (so is starting at fresh). It’s using high concept to explore this, but that means (this beaning Japan) HEA is on shakey ground. Also, still running a bit low energy for me.

It’s Airing But ...

Blue Sky Complex (Japan ???) 5 eps for VR - Kei Ichikawa's manga is getting a JBL adaptation. Weird distribution though, it started Feb 27 sequentially on 360 Channel (SHOCHIKUch) a VR video distribution service. Will inter-fans ever get to see this, and if it’s filmed for VR will it adapt without being overly dark and fuzzy? I have questions. But as usual, you do you Japan and we will wait (im)patiently to see if you remember the rest of the world exists. This is my preferred kind of live action yaoi, so fingers crossed:

Boyband (Thai) ep 2 of 10 - Stopped airing on YouTube, and only available in Thailand & Japan. Not sure if they’re working a distribution deal or just fucking with us.

Cafe In Love (Thai ???) 10 eps on Ch3+ - Thai pulp, about trying to save a coffee shop. FairyGodBLer came through for me, but I’m collecting to binge just in case. It’s my new policy with the grey stuff.

Destiny Seeker (Tues WeTV Thailand) 10 eps - it’s not on any WeTV I can get ahold of. Bad Buddy the pulp rebirth meets Japanese handsome host club action. Same as above.

Heesu In Class 2 (Korea Thurs unknown, I check Viki Gaga iQIYI) - A gay(er) version of Sex Education. I’m still not sure this one is actually happening.

Finished This Week

My Beautiful Man 2 AKA Utsukushii Kare Season 2

These two have such a great DS dynamic. Only Hira would apologize for fucking and wanting to fuck his own boyfriend, but doing it anyway. Talk about a service top with a humiliation fetish. Sheesh. The masochism is strong with this one. (Since I do not deal with humiliation fetishists well, the cringe factor got to me a little.) Still, pouty jealous Kiyoi is the cutest. [One flaw: The photographer dude should have been played by Kenta. Just a little joke.]

SUMMATION

All in all, this 2nd season didn’t blow me away the way the 1st did. It was quieter and more uniform in its narrative and messaging - thus more predictable. The basic relationship misunderstanding remained the same - all about value and self worth and how that’s assessed. The result is a dialogue between imposter syndrome and a parasocial relationship. If these 2 only had the language and framework of BDSM to understand each other, than they would, but they don’t so the story is us watching them suffer for it. But that’s part of the fun. Part of their fun too, I think, as if the fighting and misunderstanding is just another one of their many kinks. An engaging and solid second installment that was so consistent, I’m going to keep the rating consistent too. 9/10

HIStory 5: Love in the Future

High concept of a man from the past traveling to Covid times and getting involved with a spoiled rich kid soon to be CEO that ultimately made for a dull story. Sides were stellar but intentional miscommunication as a narrative driver never works for me. Good chemistry, nice sex scenes, and a cheesy ending (90% of the time) is Taiwan’s BL brand. I expected nothing less. But there is a little part of me that hoped for something more. 7/10

Never Let Me Go

Bodyguard romance where poor boy must watch over rich boy for family obligation reasons. Simple premise well executed with a few bumps that made it feel like it was trying to tackle too much (when it wasn’t). Still, an enjoyable show that benefited from being handed to PondPhuwin who did a stellar job with their roles and chemistry. Is it going into permanent rewatch rotation? No, but a solid GMMTV offering. 8/10

Moonlight Chicken

I enjoyed this complicated little show, even though it’s spectacularly messy gay with lots of shrapnel and authentic pain. I thought EarthMix turned in their most compelling performance to date. But it was GeminiFourth who stole my heart. That said, the most interesting central relationship was that of Jim & Li Ming, their father-son angst mixed with evident affection made me tear up. This was more slice of life than it was BL, but it ended happily so I’m not mad at it. 8/10

Gossip

Apparently Pavel (my love) has been added to the cast of Pit Babe, a Thai BL series I thought was defunked (it was supposed to be out in Jan). So I’m happy. I also put it back on the 2023 tracking sheet.

Tia51 announced upcoming sampler pack Thai BL My Universe. Normally I don’t report on Thai announcements, as they are pure speculation, but this one is reported to feature 22 actors, 11 couples, 12 stories, and 24 episodes in August 2023. STOP OR YOU’LL GO BLIND. (FB page BLUpdate2020 has a full rundown of the 12 stories.) No MDL listing that I can find. Giving the War or Y peeps a run for their money? Or just epic Thai BL lever pulp-tastic insanity?

New Pinoy BL Stay announced, 6 eps featuring boys who unexpectedly meet in Los Angeles. More here.

In case you missed it

Jeff Satur is leaving BeOnCloud. Honestly, who tf didn’t see this coming? He just dropped a MV with SHAUN (Steal The Show). Jeff is one of the biggest Thai indies and Shaun is legacy Kpop indie. Jeff was and is always more focused on singing and that’s busted a pair before. Frankly speaking, he's ambitious and doesn’t need BeOnCloud. I’m a big believer in breaking from an agency if you have the platform to go it alone. And just because he’d not repped by them doesn’t me he can’t still work with them, sheesh calm down KP fandom. (Honestly this seems to be my mantra since that damn show aired.)

Next Week Looks Like This:

03/08 - Pastsenger (Thai Gaga) 12 eps- Stars Marc (My Gear & Your Gown) and Cooper (My Engineer) both formerly paired with others, in a time travel paranormal that smacks of HIStory 5. Sunshine 90s kid travels to 2022, goes to university, encounters grumpy nerd.

03/09 - Our Dating Sim (Korea unknown) - What happens when two men, friends since schoo, meet again at work to create a dating simulation game together.

03/12 Future (Thai YouTube & Gaga?) 5 eps - Based on a y-novel by Faddest (En of Love - yeah I didn’t know that was based on a novel, either). About, you guessed it, an engineering student and a dentist. Maybe this will be the FOTS we were all hoping for? Fuse (the engineering student) is played by Boom from the En of Love and is kinda the same character (Field). I think we can expect this one to be soft, it’s from the 21 Day Theory people. (maybe March 19 international)

Full list of upcoming in March 2023 is here.

2023 forthcoming BL master post. (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

This Week in Subs of Qua?

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I liked this scene in Moonlight Chicken so much I did a whole post about it.

Chains of Heart the past relationship. can’t wait to see if they do as well with the present one.

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Peacemaker by P1Harmony (I’m considering stanning this group because their rap line is insane, everyone can dance, Theo is beautiful, and Keeho is an adorable nut job with a great voice. Talk about a boy who should do BL, and probably would without a care in the world. Stop him though, these boys are gonna be the next Monsta X.)

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midnightkens · 4 months

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Paper Doll

TW: Domestic violence, child abuse, referenced alcoholism and strangulation.

The best part of having a window seat on a long flight, Colt thinks, is the direct view of the night sky. Twinkling stars rarely make an appearance in Los Angeles, but thousands of feet off the ground, they shine brightly. It’s one of the very few things he misses about his childhood in Florida. Home was often terrifying and chaotic, but sometimes, Mom and Dad would take him to Everglades National Park where they’d stay until dark, swallowed by stars and a calming quietness. Dad would be sober, Mom would be happy, and he would bask in the attention so rarely offered to him. They could be a happy family, if only for a few hours.

Then he and Mom fled to Los Angeles to be closer to her family. Dad, left in another drunken stupor, was served divorce papers in Florida. The illusion of a happy family had long since shattered, and there was Colt, sad, aching, anxious energy always itching just under his skin.

Always talking too much, always in the way, and for God’s sake, Colt, stay still!

Colt shakes his head and rolls his shoulders. Thinking about his childhood sends him down rabbit holes that take hours to claw out from. The stars are still oddly soothing, somewhat decent company while the plane’s other inhabitants sleep. He blinks blearily, eyes gritty with exhaustion, but sleep won’t come easily tonight. His mind races in circles, each scenario more disastrous than the last, and it takes every ounce of willpower he possesses not to jiggle his legs.

The worry is impossible to turn off. His stomach aches, and he leans his head against the window. He hasn’t felt so anxious since his fall and the horrible recovery that followed. But this feels worse.

Ken is in danger, and he’s on a flight to London for some film he doesn’t even care about anymore.

It’s intuition. Patrick reminds Colt far too much of his father, and Dad always became more dangerous when he sensed that Mom was about to leave. Ken doesn’t talk about Patrick often, and Colt follows his lead. But he does know a few things: Patrick can go on hours-long rants about the smallest perceived slights. He’s possessive. And worst of all? He isn’t afraid to use his fists.

Ken hides it as best he can with coverup, but years of growing up with his father taught Colt what to look for. To an untrained eye, the bruises would be invisible. The grimaces that just barely flash across his face would stay hidden, the hisses of pain barely audible. But Colt knows.

Ken isn’t as invisible as he believes. There are so many people who love him, who see him. Patrick has never even scratched the surface.

Unbidden, memories of his last meeting with Ken flicker before his eyes. He remembers how soft Ken’s lips felt on his, how they’d whispered a quiet I love you, how he’d declared that he was leaving Patrick in part to be with Colt. Colt’s heart had nearly exploded with elation, but any shred of happiness had been rapidly replaced with terror. Colt isn’t afraid of Patrick, but he’s terrified of what Patrick could do to Ken.

Don’t worry about me. I can handle him. I’m gonna pack my stuff before he can even guess what’s happening and dump him in a public place.

Ken had thought it all through. He can be impulsive, but he’d clearly planned all of this out without thinking of his own safety, and the thought terrifies Colt. If Ken is concerned about his own safety, he’d done a fantastic job of hiding it.

Colt shudders against the sudden chill that creeps down his spine. Growing up with an abusive father taught him early to trust his intuition.

And right now, his intuition is screaming at him.

Everything is about to go wrong, and he shouldn’t have left.

***

Colt gingerly lowers himself onto the bed with a groan. He wouldn’t want to work in any other field, but he can’t deny that stunt work takes a bigger toll on him than it used to. If he overdoes it too many days in a row, he spends at least a week paying for it. He’s been in London for a few weeks, and now that his part is done, he can go home.

He knows the drill by now, though. He’d given himself a couple of extra days to do absolutely nothing but relax in bed.

He sighs in relief when the heating pad eases the tension in his aching muscles. He grabs his phone to check his messages. True to his word, Ken has texted him every day so far, keeping him updated on his situation at home. The last text came through hours ago, and Colt’s heart unclenched. Ken’s bags were almost packed. He was almost free.

So far so good! 😊 Love you!

Colt looks at the timestamp and frowns when he double checks the timestamp. It’s 3 PM in Los Angeles. Ken not texting him for hours is strange. Maybe he’s just hyperfocused? He has a lot of stuff, and he gets sidetracked easily…

Everything okay?

He swallows, throat suddenly tight. The text goes through, and he waits for a few minutes for the familiar gray ellipses to make their appearance, but they never come. He’s probably just packing. Colt opens TikTok, but he can’t focus. The minutes pass by agonizingly slowly. The ticking clock is loud in his ears, almost mocking. Colt scowls and barely manages to smother the urge to throw the clock across his room. It wouldn’t do anything but cost him money.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

He’s watched the same video four times and hasn’t absorbed any of it. He scrolls mindlessly, periodically checking his text thread with Ken again. Radio silence is unusual. He scrolls upward. Maybe Ken had a shoot today and Colt forgot, or maybe he’s out with Barb.

The messages offer no clues. He buries his face in the pillow, begging his racing mind to slow down. He can’t even go for a run without his back aching, so now he’s stuck in a lonely hotel room with no company other than his thoughts.

***

There’s an annoying buzzing sound. Colt scowls and shoves the pillow over his ears, but the noise only gets louder. Colt huffs and sits up.

“What the fuck?” He mutters. He spots his phone on the pillow. It’s lit up, a name that Colt can’t see on the pillow. Who the hell is calling him at 4 AM? He leans closer, breath hitching in his throat as soon as he spots the name.

Barb Hanlder

It’s not that he and Barbara aren’t friends. They are! She’s funny and charming, and Colt enjoys her company. It’s just that they’re both don’t call me unless you’re my partner or it’s an emergency people. The phone continues to buzz, and Colt stares at it, his heart clenching with panic. Something is wrong. The buzzing stops and almost immediately starts up again, and Colt swallows.

He shouldn’t have left. He should have stayed home, stayed with Ken and made sure he was safe. Why didn’t he do it?

He feels floaty. Detached from his body. He watches as he picks up the phone and hears himself ask, “Did that motherfucker kill him?”

Barb chokes on a sob. “Colt, Colt, thank God you picked up, it’s so bad I – Wait. No. No. He didn’t kill him. He – “ Barb sniffles and takes a few shaky breaths. “He tried, though.”

Colt closes his eyes. He knew it. “What did he do?”

And so Colt listens as Barb tells him the story, how she and Gloria came to Ken’s apartment to find him barely conscious on the floor. How he’d been choking for air, how he’d gone limp as soon as Barb walked through the door.

When she describes the bruises on his neck, he swallows bile. He puts Barb on speaker and starts frantically gathering his things, ignoring the sharp pain that runs up his spine. He yanks his suitcase from its home on the closet floor and unceremoniously shoves his clothes into it. He should have stayed. He should have stayed and helped Ken pack his things. Patrick never dared to fuck with Ken whenever Colt was around. Colt takes great pleasure in knowing that the other man is terrified of him. All Colt has to do is flex, and the bravado instantly disappears. If he’d been there, this wouldn’t have happened. Ken would be safe. He needs to see the other man with his own eyes, see the rise and fall of his chest, needs to see his big, blue eyes open and wide with life. “I’m getting on the first flight outta here. I’m coming home.” The words is he okay almost fall from his lips, but he stops himself just in time. What kind of question is that?

“How is he?”

Barb hesitates. “Physically? So far he’s okay. It doesn’t look like there’s any internal damage. He’s awake. Ummm. He can’t really talk. His vocal cords took heavy damage, but his voice should be back in a few weeks.”

Ken’s voice. It’s one of the things Colt loves the most about him. It’s deep and soothing, and when he sings, Colt always stops to listen. His voice is smooth; it never cracks. And his singing voice is one of the very few things he’s confident about. A violent attack stole that from him. Colt grips the edge of his suitcase so tightly that it creaks under his hands. That evil bastard has stolen everything from him.

I’m gonna beat the shit out of him.

“Colt? Are you still there?”

Colt takes a few deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth, just the way the therapist he saw after his injury taught him. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “Yeah, sorry. I’m here. You said he’s awake?”

“He’s awake, yes. Gloria and Ryan are in there with him right now. We’re not leaving him alone. He hasn’t really interacted much. He’s in shock, I think. The doctors ran a million tests when he woke up, and then he just…I dunno. He’s staring into space a lot. He doesn’t even seem to realize that we’re here. You’re coming home?”

Even over the phone, Barb’s voice is thick with unshed tears. How long has she been holding it together for? “I’m coming home, yeah. How are you holding up?”

“Oh.” Barb sniffles, and Colt pictures her wiping her eyes. “I don’t know yet. Ask me later. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet.”

“Fair enough.”

Colt zips his suitcase, not even bothering to give the room his usual final check. Stuff be damned. Clothes and shoes can always be replaced. He and Barb hang up, and the next thing Colt knows, he’s at the airport.

How did he even get here? No matter. Even at 6 AM on a Monday, the line is long, and he groans. Why is this taking so fucking long?

His phone vibrates and he fishes it out of his pocket. God, he’s ready to snap. The irritation ebbs as soon as it appears when he sees who the message is from.

Ken: So Barb told you what happened

It’s not a question. Even over text, he sounds dejected. Resigned. Colt wants to call him, he’s so desperate to hear Ken for himself, but then he remembers the vocal cord damage and sighs. She told me. How are you?????

For five minutes, Colt watches Ken start typing, stop, then start again. His hands start to shake when the next text comes through.

I’m really fucking scared.

Ken isn’t embarrassed to admit when he’s afraid of something. He’ll readily admit to being afraid of bugs, heights, and horror movies. He’s only ever refused to admit fear a few times, and each of those had a common denominator.

Patrick.

It’s the final nail in the coffin. Colt tastes salty tears, but he makes no effort to stop crying. He wants nothing more than to see Ken, to hold him close and to ease his terror, but he can’t. The next available flight is over twenty hours long with two connections. Colt jumps at the chance. If it’s the best they can do, then so be it.

Don’t worry, he texts back. I’m coming.

#colt x ken #my fanfiction #colt seavers #ken barbie #the fall guy #barbie 2023

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nuget138 · 2 months

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So I'm not a writer so I apologize for my poor writing but here's a prompt. This is based off of The Wrong Way To Use Healing Magic, it's cannon divergent, and it has some Ken Usato/Ryuusen Kazuki (kazusato as the ship name?) though not as much as i'd like.

Kazuki had been interested in Usato for awhile, but being on the student council he couldn't find the right time to talk to him, so when Suzune found Usato without an umbrella Kazuki was thrilled at the opportunity hoping this could be a great way to get to know him. He wasn't surprised at the misunderstanding about him and suzune, but happy that he asked. Kazuki didn't understand Suzune and Usato's conversation about magic summoning so waking up in this strange new world all he could think of was to check on Usato who wasn't awake yet. Once Usato was awake, Kazuki turned to the other people in the room. Hearing that these people had summoned them, that they were taken to another world against their will, with no known way back. That this king had summoned Children to save him was disgusting, but Usato was right, starting a fight here in this room surrounded by armed soldiers would only put them in more danger. And when the king promised to find a way to send them it only made him think less of the king. 'what kind of ruler could this man be that he would resort to such things? I pity this kingdom.' he thought. Luckily Suzune spoke up before anyone noticed his feelings and they learned the meaning of the bells.

On their way to get their magic examined kazuki worried about Usato. He didn't hear any bells and was only brought here because he was with them at the wrong time? But at the same time if this had happened the day before Kazuki would have been devastated to never have the chance to actually talk or hangout with Usato. It would have crushed him, And he would have done anything to get back and change that. (< would actually be a really cool alternate universe spinoff, will think more on that later) So he was conflicted on that matter. After him and suzune got their magic check it was Usato's turn but Kazuki couldn't shake this feeling of foreboding so he stood right next to Usato protectively. Because of that when welcie started freaking out at Usato's magic he was able to grab his arm before she could drag him off.

" what are you doing? You can't just freak out and take Usato away." Says kazuki

"This is important I must discuss this with the king!" She exclaimed

"we are not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on. Usato firmly states.

"but "

"That's right." Suzune adds in. "If that color means something important running around without explaining anything could only cause more problems."

Welcie opened their mouth to argue, then stopped and actually thought for a moment. "You are right, all of you. It was stupid of me to try and take off with Usato like that."

She then proceeded to explain about healing magic And of the captain the kingdoms rescue team Rose. Letting them know about her crazy training but also her amazing skills not only with healing magic but also as a fighter. Rose is after all a beloved hero of the nation, her skills as a fighter and healer have saved many lives during war, therefore despite everyone's fear of her crazy training she is respected. After discussing it just the four of them, they agreed to discuss with the king and decided what to do.

So they made their way to the king who was finishing up a meeting with Rose herself. So they all talk everything out discussing options but as healing magic is extremely rare Usato ultimately decides he wants to undergo the training. "It sounds hard but worthwhile, I really do want to be of help while we are here." He said with a smile. Kazuki envied the way Usato took everything in stride and managed to stay so positive throughout these events.

Well that's all I could think of but anyone is free to add on or change it to their liking. I'd be happy to take any request about this prompt, but I'm not a writer so I'd love to read anyone else's ideas

I'm tagging @Well-i-guess-i-could-write @kameleon000 @cosplayprincess21 @Silverthreadedhatter975 for showing interest in my previous post I hope you like this, if you don't, I'll be sad

#the wrong way to use healing magic #ken usato/ryuusen kazuki #ps what do you think of kazusato as their ship name?#writing prompt #i hate it when people are forced into things #even when the grow to like those things #so im changing it #no beta i live alone

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 4 months

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KEN BURNS' COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AT BRANDEIS

TCINLA

MAY 29, 2024

Something worthwhile to read and consider at this fraught time.

I am deeply honored and privileged that you have asked me here to say a few words at such a momentous occasion that you might find what I have to say worthy of your attention on so important a day in all of your lives. Thank you for this honor.

Listen, I am in the business of history. It is not always a happy subject on college campuses these days, particularly when forces seem determined to eliminate or water down difficult parts of our past, particularly when the subject may seem to sum an anachronistic and irrelevant pursuit, and particularly with the ferocious urgency this moment seems to exert on us. It is my job, however, to remind people of the power our past also exerts, to help us better understand what's going on now with compelling story, memory, and anecdote. It is my job to try to discern patterns and themes from history to enable us to interpret our dizzying and sometimes dismaying present.

For nearly 50 years now, I have diligently practiced and rigorously tried to maintain a conscious neutrality in my work, avoiding advocacy if I could, trying to speak to all of my fellow citizens. Over those many decades I've come to understand a significant fact, that we are not condemned to repeat, as the saying goes, what we don't remember. That is a beautiful, even poetic phrase, but not true. Nor are there cycles of history as the academic community periodically promotes. The Old Testament, Ecclesiastes to be specific, got it right, I think. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. What those lines suggest is that human nature never changes or almost never changes. We continually superimpose that complex and contradictory human nature over the seemingly random chaos of events, all of our inherent strengths and weaknesses, our greed and generosity, our puritanism and our prurience, our virtue, and our venality parade before our eyes, generation after generation after generation. This often gives us the impression that history repeats itself. It does not. "No event has ever happened twice, it just rhymes," Mark Twain is supposed to have said. I have spent all of my professional life on the lookout for those rhymes, drawn inexorably to that power of history. I am interested in listening to the many varied voices of a true, honest, complicated past that is unafraid of controversy and tragedy, but equally drawn to those stories and moments that suggest an abiding faith in the human spirit, and particularly the unique role this remarkable and sometimes also dysfunctional republic seems to play in the positive progress of mankind.

During the course of my work, I have become acquainted with hundreds if not thousands of those voices. They have inspired, haunted, and followed me over the years. Some of them may be helpful to you as you try to imagine and make sense of the trajectory of your lives today.

Listen, listen. In January of 1838, shortly before his 29th birthday, a tall, thin lawyer prone to bouts of debilitating depression addressed the young men's lyceum in Springfield, Illinois. "At what point shall we expect the approach of danger?" He asked his audience, "Shall we expect some trans-Atlantic military giant to step the earth and crush us at a blow?" Then he answered his own question. "Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide." It is a stunning, remarkable statement, one that has animated my own understanding of the American experience since I first read it more than 40 years ago. That young man was of course Abraham Lincoln, and he would go on to preside over the closest this country has ever come to near national suicide, our civil war, and yet embedded in his extraordinary, disturbing, and prescient words is also a fundamental optimism that implicitly acknowledges the geographical forcefield two mighty oceans east and west and two relatively benign neighbors north and south have provided for us since the British burned the White House in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key.

Lincoln's words that day suggest what is so great and so good about the people who happen to inhabit this lucky and exquisite country of ours. That's the world you now inherit: our work ethic and our restlessness, our innovation and our improvisation, our communities and our institutions of higher learning, our suspicion of power. The fact that we seem resolutely dedicated to parsing the meaning between individual and collective freedom; What I want versus what we need. That we are all so dedicated to understanding what Thomas Jefferson really meant when he wrote that mysterious phrase, "The pursuit of happiness". Hint, it happens right here in the lifelong learning and perpetual improvement this university is committed to.

But the isolation of those two oceans has also helped to incubate habits and patterns less beneficial to us: our devotion to money and guns and conspiracies, our certainty about everything, our stubborn insistence on our own exceptionalism blinding us to that which needs repair, especially with regard to race and ethnicity. Our preoccupation with always making the other wrong at an individual as well as a global level. I am reminded of what the journalist I.F. Stone once said to a young acolyte who was profoundly disappointed in his mentor's admiration for Thomas Jefferson. "It's because history is tragedy," Stone admonished him, "Not melodrama." It's the perfect response. In melodrama all villains are perfectly villainous and all heroes are perfectly virtuous, but life is not like that. You know that in your guts and nor is our history like that. The novelist, Richard Powers recently wrote that, "The best arguments in the world," — and ladies and gentlemen, that's all we do is argue — "the best arguments in the world," he said, "Won't change a single person's point of view. The only thing that can do that is a good story." I've been struggling for most of my life to do that, to try to tell good, complex, sometimes contradictory stories, appreciating nuance and subtlety and undertow, sharing the confusion and consternation of unreconciled opposites.

But it's clear as individuals and as a nation we are dialectically preoccupied. Everything is either right or wrong, red state or blue state, young or old, gay or straight, rich or poor, Palestinian or Israeli, my way or the highway. Everywhere we are trapped by these old, tired, binary reactions, assumptions, and certainties. For filmmakers and faculty, students and citizens, that preoccupation is imprisoning. Still, we know and we hear and we express only arguments, and by so doing, we forget the inconvenient complexities of history and of human nature. That, for example, three great religions, their believers, all children of Abraham, each professing at the heart of their teaching, a respect for all human life, each with a central connection to and legitimate claim to the same holy ground, violate their own dictates of conduct and make this perpetually contested land a shameful graveyard. God does not distinguish between the dead. "Could you?"

[Audience applauding]

"Could you?" A very wise person I know with years of experience with the Middle East recently challenged me, "Could you hold the idea that there could be two wrongs and two rights?"

Listen, listen. In a filmed interview I conducted with the writer James Baldwin, more than 40 years ago, he said, "No one was ever born who agreed to be a slave, who accepted it. That is, slavery is a condition imposed from without. Of course, the moment I say that," Baldwin continued, "I realize that multitudes and multitudes of people for various reasons of their own enslave themselves every hour of every day to this or that doctrine, this or that delusion of safety, this or that lie. Anti-Semites, for example," he went on, "are slaves to a delusion. People who hate Negroes are slaves. People who love money are slaves. We are living in a universe really of willing slaves, which makes the concept of liberty and the concept of freedom so dangerous," he finished. Baldwin is making a profoundly psychological and even spiritual statement, not just a political or racial or social one. He knew, just as Lincoln knew, that the enemy is often us. We continue to shackle ourselves with chains we mistakenly think is freedom.

Another voice, Mercy Otis Warren, a philosopher and historian during our revolution put it this way, "The study of the human character at once opens a beautiful and a deformed picture of the soul. We there find a noble principle implanted in the nature of people, but when the checks of conscience are thrown aside, humanity is obscured." I have had the privilege for nearly half a century of making films about the US, but I have also made films about us. That is to say the two letter, lowercase, plural pronoun. All of the intimacy of "us" and also "we" and "our" and all of the majesty, complexity, contradiction, and even controversy of the US. And if I have learned anything over those years, it's that there's only us. There is no them. And whenever someone suggests to you, whomever it may be in your life that there's a them, run away. Othering is the simplistic binary way to make and identify enemies, but it is also the surest way to your own self imprisonment, which brings me to a moment I've dreaded and forces me to suspend my longstanding attempt at neutrality.

There is no real choice this November. There is only the perpetuation, however flawed and feeble you might perceive it, of our fragile 249-year-old experiment or the entropy that will engulf and destroy us if we take the other route. When, as Mercy Otis Warren would say, "The checks of conscience are thrown aside and a deformed picture of the soul is revealed." The presumptive Republican nominee is the opioid of all opioids, an easy cure for what some believe is the solution to our myriad pains and problems. When in fact with him, you end up re-enslaved with an even bigger problem, a worse affliction and addiction, "a bigger delusion", James Baldwin would say, the author and finisher of our national existence, our national suicide as Mr. Lincoln prophesies. Do not be seduced by easy equalization. There is nothing equal about this equation. We are at an existential crossroads in our political and civic lives. This is a choice that could not be clearer.

[Audience applauding]

Listen, listen. 33 years ago, the world lost a towering literary figure. The novelist and storyteller, not arguer, Isaac Bashevis Singer. For decades he wrote about God and myth and punishment, fate and sexuality, family and history. He wrote in Yiddish a marvelously expressive language, sad and happy all at the same time. Sometimes maddeningly all knowing, yet resigned to God's seemingly capricious will. It is also a language without a country, a dying language in a world more interested in the extermination or isolation of its long suffering speakers. Singer, writing in the pages of the Jewish Daily Forward help to keep Yiddish alive. Now our own wonderfully mongrel American language is punctuated with dozens of Yiddish words and phrases, parables and wise sayings, and so many of those words are perfect onomatopoeias of disgust and despair, hubris and humor. If you've ever met a schmuck, you know what I'm talking about. [audience laughs] Toward the end of his long and prolific life, Singer expressed wonder at why so many of his books written in this obscure and some said useless language would be so widely translated, something like 56 countries all around the world. "Why," he would wonder with his characteristic playfulness, "Why would the Japanese care about his simple stories of life in the shtetls of Eastern Europe 1,000 years ago?" "Unless," Singer paused, twinkle in his eye, "Unless the story spoke of the kinship of the soul." I think what Singer was talking about was that indefinable something that connects all of us together, that which we all share as part of organic life on this planet, the kinship of the soul. I love that.

Okay, let me speak directly to the graduating class. Watch out, here comes the advice. Listen. Be curious, not cool. Insecurity makes liars of us all. Remember, none of us get out of here alive. The inevitable vicissitudes of life, no matter how well gated our communities, will visit us all. Grief is a part of life, and if you explore its painful precincts, it will make you stronger. Do good things, help others. Leadership is humility and generosity squared. Remember the opposite of faith is not doubt. Doubt is central to faith. The opposite of faith is certainty. The kinship of the soul begins with your own at times withering self-examination. Try to change that unchangeable human nature of Ecclesiastes, but start with you. "Nothing so needs reforming," Mark Twain once chided us, "As other people's habits." [audience laughs]

Don't confuse success with excellence. Do not descend too deeply into specialism. Educate all of your parts, you will be healthier. Do not get stuck in one place. "Travel is fatal to prejudice," Twain also said. Be in nature, which is always perfect and where nothing is binary. Its sheer majesty may remind you of your own atomic insignificance, as one observer put it, but in the inscrutable and paradoxical ways of wild places, you will feel larger, inspirited, just as the egotist in our midst is diminished by his or her self regard.

At some point, make babies, one of the greatest things that will happen to you, I mean it, one of the greatest things that will happen to you is that you will have to worry, I mean really worry, about someone other than yourself. It is liberating and exhilarating, I promise. Ask your parents.

[Audience laughs]

Choose honor over hypocrisy, virtue over vulgarity, discipline over dissipation, character over cleverness, sacrifice over self-indulgence. Do not lose your enthusiasm, in its Greek etymology the word enthusiasm means simply, "god in us". Serve your country. Insist that we fight the right wars. Denounce oppression everywhere.

[Audience applauding]

Convince your government, as Lincoln understood that the real threat always and still comes from within this favored land. Insist that we support science and the arts, especially the arts.

[Audience cheering]

They have nothing to do with the actual defense of our country; They just make our country worth defending.

[Audience applauding]

Remember what Louis Brandeis said, "The most important political office is that of the private citizen." Vote. You indelibly... [audience applauding] Please, vote. You indelibly underscore your citizenship, and most important, our kinship with each other when you do. Good luck and godspeed.

[Audience applauding]

#Ken Burns #Commencement speech #Brandeis #election 2024 #democracy #us and them

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b4b3tte · 11 months

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BEGGING FOR A KEN X TALL!BUFF! GN! READER AND HE COMPLETELY HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE WHEN HE SEES READER LIFT A WEIGHT AND BE LIKE... "Woah..." IN SUCH A IMPRESSED AND INLOVE WAY AND IS JUST GRATEFUL THAT THEYRE TOGETHER

꒰ ⊹ ˚ Summary — here are some bonding experiences that you and Ken have had, that include fitness!

Pairing — Ryan!Gosling!Ken x Gender!NeutralReader

Contains of — just pure fluff and moments of fitness and awe!

Babettes note — hopefully you enjoy this!! Sorry this took so long, I decided to take your request and turn it into head canons and make it fitness based if that’s okay!

Ken like to think he has background as a certified personal trainer so he will occasionally help design customized workout programs for his partner. This is a way to add guidance and support to your workout and add a bit fun into your guys relationship

For working out and going out to the gym, he would want to wear matching gear for sure, he thinks it’s a cute way to look good at the gym but also lets people know that someone as impressive as you is with someone like him, not that he doesn’t mind his physique but he fully believes yours is more toned, healthier and better than his but your reassurance would make any negative thoughts go away

Considering your buff I’d guess you’d be passionate about nutrition. Well so is Ken! You guys would experiment with balanced meal plans, incorporating superfoods and a variety of cuisines to keep your diet exciting and healthy and set monthly fitness challenges for each other, ranging from mastering a new yoga pose to running a certain distance These challenges can bring a sense of adventure to both of your guys routine.

Whenever he sees you on equipment or lifting anything remotely Heavy he is like jaw dropped and impressed by the slightest, he would be like “ oh wow that’s cool! “ in general but knowing that it’s you and someone he deeply loves and someone he is dating he is off the charts impressed and wants you to do it again and again like its something he can watch you do for hours and as if its some type of entertainment

Definitely have organized your workout playlists by tempo, matching songs to different types of exercises for maximum motivation. High-energy tracks to help each other up for intense sets, while soothing melodies accompany yoga and stretching.

Some exercises you guys do are considered dates to him sometimes your short vacations like that often revolve around adventure and physical activity he will view as spending time together and on a date you guys have explored hiking trails in national parks, surfed in tropical destinations, and even tried bungee jumping.

During those moments he really takes in your physical appearance, he really is fond of your beauty and the best state of your body and how healthy it is and shows your dedication towards fitness and On tough mornings you’d guys would stay in bed until 11:30 just to talk about whatever is on your guys mind and just use this as a reset and motivational moment

He wants you to be happy and your body to be healthy as possible so he believes staying hydrated is essential which is but he takes it to the extreme sometimes ,he would challenge you daily to met a water intake amount. And will always make sure your taking water breaks within workouts and in general

Since he is new to the real life word which includes social media I feel like he would be in awe with Pinterest, and how there are pictures for everything so he has definitely created a visualization board with quotes, images, and mementos that motivate him and you to strive for your goals. This is something I think he does unintentionally but I think he would like to start each day with affirmations that boost your confidence and set positive intentions for the day.

Ken is definitely active participants in body positivity workshops and seminars, advocating for acceptance and self-love and especially helping you to keep knowing or making you know that your body is the best and despite what condition it is in, it will always be the best one in his eyes

On the social media topic again he would love experimenting with fitness technology, using apps and wearables to track progress and optimize his workouts and seeing the different ways that technology could help improve muscle, I feel like at night when you guys are bored you’d guys research workshops and seminars on fitness, health, and nutrition, and be constantly seeking to expand your guys knowledge and expertise.

These detailed headcanons illustrate a dynamic,fun, fitness and passionate, and active lifestyle shared by Ken and you! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading besitos 💋

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justinssportscorner · 1 year

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Ken Schultz at Outsports:

Megan Rapinoe has had a rough couple of days. Ever since her penalty kick miss played a significant role in the USWNT’s elimination at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, a seemingly endless online troll parade has made her into the symbol of the team’s failure this year. If you search “Megan Rapinoe” on Twitter, it’s like asking, “Hey Siri, show me what it looks like when the internet’s worst people are happy.” I never knew so many eagle avatars rooted for the USA to fail. Even former President Donald Trump weighed in, taking a victory lap while America lost and leveling a bit of smack talk in Rapinoe’s direction. Clearly he has nothing else going on. As I wrote a few months ago, when Pride pisses off the right people, that means it’s doing its job. Based on the type of people who are celebrating one of Rapinoe’s few public defeats, she’s one of the greatest representatives of Pride in sports history. Instead of destroying her reputation, the alt-right backlash only serves to affirm it.

These politically motivated attacks were inevitable after Rapinoe willingly accepted the mantle of athlete activist, fighting back against Trump during the USWNT’s victorious World Cup run in 2019, advocating for transgender rights, and kneeling during the national anthem to protest systemic racism. [...] Yes, the USWNT’s lackluster play was dispiriting to watch over the last month, and the results of this World Cup were alternately depressing and maddening. It’s OK to feel those emotions in the wake of such a stunning disappointment.

[...] Add in the backlash she’s now facing largely from conservatives and it’s understandable that this is a very difficult moment for Rapinoe. That’s why choosing gratitude is not only better for our mental health as fans but also the best way to shout down the cacophony of howling nonentities who are trying to dim her light.

This Outsports article sums it up: Megan Rapinoe, despite that costly penalty kick miss that helped cost the Americans the game against Sweden on Sunday, has given the USWNT plenty of good moments over her career.

Off the field, Rapinoe has fought for LGBTQ+ rights (and trans rights in particular), kneeled during the National Anthem for racial justice, criticized Donald Trump, and helped usher in equal pay for the USWNT, which made right-wingers angry as heck.

See Also:

Pink News: Bitter right-wing bigots take aim at Megan Rapinoe after US crashes out of Women’s World Cup

The Guardian: The Megan Myth: what critics and fans get wrong about Rapinoe

#Megan Rapinoe #USWNT #2023 FIFA Women's World Cup #2019 FIFA Women's World Cup #FIFA Women's World Cup #National Anthem Protests #LGBTQ+ Rights #LGBTQ+#2015 FIFA Women's World Cup #2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

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euphoricimagination · 1 year

Text

Summary: A few weeks have passed since you arrived, feeling much closer than before. Soon enough the Golden Week arrives, going to Miyagi to play against a school called Karasuno by the end of it. Throughout the week, however, you met various schools of the area, including Shiratorizawa and Aoba Johsai.

Kenma x reader; Haikyuu x reader [platonic!]

First Year: Inarizaki

Second Year: Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 ...

Kenma feels much more comfortable with you ever since, putting his head on your shoulder whenever he’s tired or laying his head on your lap whenever he wanted to get away of practice while playing games; he doesn’t blush as much as before whenever he initiates it, but the moment you do something his face goes all shades of red. It also became a routine for you to go to his house after practice and either play together, you watching him play, or each one doing their own thing.

Now you are two days away from the Golden Week, the guys are practicing hard while still trying to teach Lev how to properly receive a ball. The coach comes by a few minutes later, calling them to the bench.

“Finally, a break from Lev” Kenma sighs while putting his head on your lap

“You’re too mean to him, he isn’t that bad”

“But he doesn’t think, and it’s not consistent, that’s a problem” he takes your hand, putting it in his head so you play with his hair. Kenma doesn’t remember when he grew so comfortable with your touch, but he doesn't really mind that much

“I don’t know if I should be happy that Kenma is not a complete loner anymore or if I want to vomit because of how cute they are with each other” Kuroo tells Yaku, earning an annoyed look from the blonde

“Guys, I have some news for you. As you know, the Golden Week is about to start; I know this is sudden news, but this time we’re spending that week in Miyagi, we’re doing all the adjustments for it so make sure to tell your parents”

“Why are we going there coach?” asks Kuroo

“There’s a school there, Karasuno High, that I used to have an old rivalry with, but the coach there retired so we haven’t had a match in a long time. The new coach tried so hard to have a match, so I thought why not. The match is arrange for the last day of the Golden week, but we’re going there early so we can have some matches with other schools of the area”

“Miyagi, right?” you ask

“Yeah, it’s a few hours away, don’t worry”

“No, no, that’s not it. If I remember correctly Shiratorizawa is in there”

“Shiratorizawa? Are they good?” asks Lev

“Yes, they have a top 3 ace. Inarizaki played against them in the nationals”

“Ahh yeah, I remember, Ushijima was strong” adds Yaku

“It would be good to have a match against them, to see if our defense is strong enough, but I don’t know if they will be open to a practice match all of the sudden” says the coach

“I kinda know someone from there” you whisper remembering Tendou

“Kinda?” Kuroo asks confused

“I talked to him a little and know his name”

“But that can help us, we can go and you can try to convince him when we go to Miyagi”

“I don’t even know if he remembers the conversation, it was right after his match” you say panicking a bit, trying to find an excuse to not having to do it

“It’s worth to try”

“C’mon chibi-chan, it would help us practice, don’t you want us to get better?”

“Now you’re just emotionally manipulating her, Kuroo. You know that she cares about us AND that she doesn’t like talking that much” adds Kai

“That’s low, Kuro, that’s low” says Kenma

“…Fine, I’ll do it”

“Thank you Yn-chan, when we get to Miyagi it will be our first stop”

The last few days of the semester pass quickly, ending up with you awake at 6:15 am on a Saturday to finally go to Miyagi, just waiting for the guys so you can go to the school. The first one to appear is Kenma, who first reaction is to lay his head on your shoulder

“‘m tired, too early”

“Did you even sleep Ken?”

“2 hours”

“You’re sleeping on the bus then, no games”

“But I wanted to play with you” he whines

“I’m going to steal your PSP, you need to sleep more if you want to play, I want to win against you when you’re properly awake”

“You will still lose if we play now” Kenma says lifting his head up with a tired smile

“Who would’ve thought that Kenma is clingy and whiny when tired? Ever since chibi-chan arrived I have seen so many new sides of you, Kenma” Kuroo smirks at his friend

“Shut up Kuro”

“Let’s go, we’re going to be late” you say to the both of them

“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me chibi-chan, you’re also blushing”

“Shut up Kuroo” you say, making the tall boy laugh

You arrive at the school when you see the rest of the team; this time only the official players will go, while the rest will stay here practicing. As soon as the bus arrives Kenma takes your wrist and walks with you to the last seats, moving next to the window with him sitting beside you while taking his console out.

“Didn’t I say that you should sleep?”

“But I’m fine”

“Are you really? Give me that and sleep a few more hours, we’ll play later”

“…Fine” he sighs while handing you his console and putting his head on your shoulder. Through the corner of your eye you can see Yamamoto shocked face, but he doesn’t say anything “You can play any of my games if you want to”

“Thanks Ken”

Since you couldn’t fall asleep again, you waited until Kenma fell asleep, which was quite quickly for someone who said he was fine, and turn on your console to play Animal Crossing in the meantime. A few hours later Kenma wakes up, straighten himself up.

“Better now?” You whisper since everyone else fell asleep

“Yes, I’m not that tired anymore”

“Good, want your PSP?”

“Sure, let me visit your island”

You spend the rest of the trip playing together or you watching him play. After a while you open the curtain to see the place, hearing a little whine from Kenma at the sudden light, when looking outside you notice a school with a sign outside that says Aoba Johsai.

“Was that Aoba Johsai, right? Are we staying near them?”

“I think so, according to maps, we are around 10 minutes away by car. Why?” Yaku answers

“They played against Shiratorizawa before the nationals, they were good”

“I’m looking them up. Apparently, they are in the top schools for volleyball, but Ushijima broke all their formations”

“Chibi-chan you don’t happen to know someone in there? It would be good to practice against them” asks Kuroo

“Nope”

“Can you stop here please?” the coach says to the assistant “Since we are already here, let’s try. Yn-chan why don’t you go first and call anyone if you need me?”

“Me? Why?”

“I have a feeling that you have the more chances of getting it”

“The captain sounds like a playboy, he has fans and all. You can use your charms and convince him” says Kuroo

“Charms?”

“You know, you have a good first impression and it’s easy to talk with you. Like, you made Kenma comfortable with you. Ken.ma” Kuroo explains, making the blonde roll his eyes annoyed

“…Fine, I’ll go”

“That’s our chibi-chan!”

“Thank you Yn-chan” says the coach

You went out of the bus and walk towards Aoba Johsai feeling nervous. Before finding the gym you see a tall dude with a jacket that says ‘Aoba Johsai Volleyball Club’ refilling water bottles outside, so fighting against your shyness, you decided to approach him

“Ehh…hi?”

He turns around before answering, making you noticed his whole self, a spikey dark hair boy with a number 4 in his t-shirt looking at you with a frown in his face, confused by the sudden interruption “Hello”

“Uhm… do you know where is the gym where the volleyball club practice?”

“Ah, sorry, it’s a close practice, we can’t let any Oikawa fan enter the gym” he says while confusion leaves his eyes, a clear annoyance appearing as he mutters something

“Oikawa…fans? Who’s that?” you ask, even though you were sure that he’s the setter and captain of the team, you knew that if he had fangirls the easiest way for them to trust you was to pretend that you didn’t know who he was. You had experience with that after all

“You’re not…a fan?”

“Mmm nope…sorry?”

“Oh, don’t be sorry, it’s amazing actually. What do you need then?”

“Ah yes, I’m Yl Yn, currently the manager of the Nekoma High volleyball team, in Tokyo. Last year my previous school, Inarizaki High, played against Shiratorizawa and I ended up watching your match with them. I wanted to see if you guys will be okay with having a practice match with my team since, in my opinion, you were amazing”

“Oh wow…thanks” he says shyly, with one arm behind his head, rubbing it flustered. You can’t help but look at his toned arms. “I guess you can come to talk to the coach. Let me finish filling the bottle and you can follow me”

“Thank you” you smile at him, making him smile back awkwardly. Before he continues an idea pops up, maybe if you help him he will help you back later “let me fill them up”

“No, no, you don’t have to”

“It’s fine, I’m used to do these things, besides you probably have a lot with practice” you take the empty bottle out of his hand and going to fill it

“Thanks…Yl, right?”

“Yes, but Yn it’s fine too” you say filling the other bottles

“Thanks, Yn, I’m Iwaizumi Hajime”

“Nice to meet you, everything is done”

“Let me take it, you already did a lot for me. Follow me” says taking the bag; even with the jacket on you were able to see the muscles of his arms. You go to the gym, which was closer than expected, but since it was indoors it would have been harder to spot. When you enter the gym you see a bunch of tall boys with light blue uniforms warming up.

“Iwa-chan you took a lot of time, what were you…well hello there, who are you pretty girl?” says a tall boy with dark brown hair, which you assume was Oikawa.

“Shut up trashy-kawa, stop flirting with everything that breaths”

“Iwa-chan so rude! Don’t listen to him pretty girl. Sorry to disappoint, but you can’t see me play today”

“I didn’t come to see you play, sorry” you smile at him

“You didn’t?”

“Nope” his expression changed from shock to disappointment, making Iwaizumi laugh at him

“Trashy-kawa here thinks that everyone knows him, sorry for that. Let’s go, the coach is over there” you bow to Oikawa before continue walking

“Iwaizumi, out of everyone here I thought that you will follow the rule of no people allow”

“Sorry coach, she came here to talk to you. Go ahead” You explain the same thing to the coach, explaining to him all the details. While you were talking, the rest of the team came closer to you after hearing Oikawa talk about it.

“I see, I see. I have heard of Nekoma, they’re specialists of defense, right?”

“Yeah, they’re awesome at it. They’re the best team that I have seen at defense”

“It would be an amazing practice, I agree. Iwaizumi, what do you think?” asks his coach

“If they are that good then it would be an amazing match for us too”

“Ok then, let’s see at what time we can. It’s your coach around?”

“Yes, he’s on the bus, let me call him”

The coach goes with his assistant to see their schedule, so you call Kuroo to reach the coach quicker, you knew he was waiting for your call.

“Well, pretty girl, since you don’t know me let me present myself. Oikawa Tooru, my pleasure”

“Yn, nice to meet you”

“Yn, sounds foreigner, so what language do you speak?”

“Spanish and English”

“Really? Can you help me?” Oikawa asks, all signs of flirting gone “I’ve been looking for someone who teach me Spanish but it’s hard to find people around here”

“Why do you want to learn? But sure, I can help. If you go over the top with the flirting I’ll stop though”

“Thank you so much!” you smile to him as Kuroo enter the gym alongside the coach

“You’re okay chibi-chan?” Kuroo appears beside you, passing his arm over your shoulder protectively while your coach goes with Seijoh's

“Yeah, I’m fine” you say as he rubs your hair

“Sorry for throw you into this chibi-chan” he whispers before turning towards the other two boys “Hello, Kuroo Tetsuro, Nekoma’s captain”

“Oikawa Tooru” they hold each other's hands with a nice smile on their faces, but everyone can notice the tension “is he the reason why you don’t want me to flirt with you that much, chibi-chan?”

“Tetsu? Nah, I’m not dating anyone, I just don’t want you to flirt with me”

“Hmm?! Guys don’t laugh!” says Oikawa offended

“The Great Oikawa is being shut down completely. I don’t know you but I love you already” a light brown hair dude looks at you, 3 of them laughing like crazy while Kuroo and you stand there clueless

“Trashy-kawa almost never gets rejected, that’s why his ego is so big, it’s a nice change” explains Iwaizumi

“Iwa-chan!”

“Guys let’s go, we still need to go to our other destination” calls your coach Nekomata

“Bye, thank you” you bow at the team alongside Kuroo who, as soon as he turn around, his face go in full concern towards you

“Did he try to do something chibi-chan?”

“Nothing much, just some flirting. It was just as a prevention”

“Fine, tell me if something happens”

You arrived at the bus and you went to sit next to Kenma, a big sigh came out making him chuckle and lay one more time on your shoulder “Too many people, and I still have more. I hate it here”

“But thanks to you we have a practice match with a top 4 school here. We have to be here tomorrow at 4 pm” says the coach

“Thank you Yn-chan, did you talk to the captain?” Kai asks you

“Not that much, I talked to their number 4 though, he was nice”

The bus starts towards the hotel that you are staying at. The guys are staying together in a room, while you have your own upstairs, near the coach and the assistant for prevention. Once you leave your things there, the coach, assistant coach, Kuroo and you go out to go to Shiratorizawa. The plan for it was quite similar, you going first to talk to them while they wait for a signal

“Hey! You’re the girl that complimented me on Nationals! Don’t remember your name though” you turn around to see the red hair boy with Ushijima next to him

“Hi, I’m Yn…you’re Tendou-san, right?”

“That’s me! Why do you have Nekoma on your jacket? Weren’t you with the foxes?”

“I was, but I had to move to Tokyo. I’m in Nekoma now”

“That’s cool! This is Wakatoshi-kun by the way” he says pointing at the ace, you nod at him and he does the same “What are you doing here then?”

“Ah yeah, Nekoma is on the town and I remembered that you were from here, so they want me to see if we could have a practice match together”

“Why do you have to do it? Shouldn’t the coach be on charge of that?” asks Ushijima with his deep voice

“Yeah, I accidentally mention that I talked to you, Tendou-san, so they thought that I had more chances or something like that”

“I would love to play with the kitty cats! But I don’t think I can help that much; our coach isn’t the nicest and we already have a lot of practice matches…You can always try though!”

“S-sure” you say with a slight nervousness, the previous coach seemed nice, so this new information caught you off guard “where do I go?”

“Oh yeah, follow us!” you wonder if Tendou could feel your nervous state, because he is trying to make you laugh on the way to the gym, a pretty successful try.

“And the other day the horses went wild…”

“You have horses here?! What kind of school are you?”

“I know right?! It’s so crazy that we have them!!” he makes an exaggerated face, going down to your height to whisper in your ear “Between you and me, this school is full of rich, rich people. I just enter here because of volleyball”

“Damn”

“TENDOU! USHIJIMA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU GUYS ARE LATE! AND WHO IS THIS GIRL?” screams a small old man making you jump slightly, and to your surprise, Ushijima is the one to answer.

“I’m deeply sorry, coach. On our way here we found Yn-kun, she wanted to talk to you about a possibility of a practice match with us”

“I’ll talk to her, YOU TWO GO AND DO YOUR RUN!”

“Yes coach!” they say in unison. Before leaving Tendou goes down to whisper in your ear “Chibi-chan, wait for us outside the school. Good luck!”

“So, practice match? Please explain” asks the Shiratorizawa’s coach

“Ah…y-yeah” you stutter. You explain the same thing that you said before between stuttering words. He had an intense aura to him, making you feel like he’s judging everything that you do

“I do remember Inarizaki, they were a good team, but no matter how interesting the offer sounds I’ll have to decline it, we are full of practice matches already”

“It’s fine, we knew that they were low possibilities of it”

“However, if the opportunity arises when we’re free, I may consider it. Have a good day, miss”

“Thank you, you too sir” you turn around and leave. Despite not having the practice match, you were just glad to not be with the coach anymore. You go out of the school finding Kuroo standing outside the gates, arms cross on his chest

“Coach Nekomata told me to wait for you since it was getting late. How did it…wow there chibi-chan” he says after you suddenly hug him, putting your face on his chest. He laughs, putting his arms around your back

“The coach was terrifying, I felt the judgment on his eyes”

“That bad? Sounds like an asshole. Did he accept?”

“No, he said they were full of practice matches, but that he will consider it if they have time”

“Well, it was worth a try. You did good today chibi-chan, you talked to a lot of people for us, thanks. Let’s go to the bus”

“Chibi-chan! Did it work?” you hear Tendou from behind you, who just seem to arrived alongside Ushijima

“No, you’re too full-on practices”

“Aww I wanted to play with the kitty cats”

“It would have been nice to play with another school from Tokyo. Maybe next time” adds Ushijima

“We have to go, coach is gonna be pissed if we don’t arrive soon. See you soon, chibi!” Tendou says before jogging away, making you and Kuroo walk away from the school gates

You enter the bus while telling the story to the coach, who doesn’t seem surprised at all. Once over you sit next to Kuroo, laying your head on his shoulder while he pets your head.

You go to your room straight away when you arrive at the hotel, wanting to take a shower as soon as possible. After a relaxing bath, you went downstairs to buy a hot chocolate from the vending machine.

“Are you okay?” you hear a calm voice behind. You turn around only to find Kenma with a coin purse in his hand

“I’m fine, just tired, I talked to a lot of people today. Want me to buy you something?” You say while taking your drink out

“I got it, thanks. I don’t know how you do it, talk to so many new people” he tells you while putting the coins in

“A habit by now, I have no problem when people talk to me and it’s a few at a times, but it gets progressively harder the more I have to”

“I see…want to play some games together? Everyone else sucks here”

“Is this your way of telling me that you miss my company today?”

“Forget it” he blushes trying to look mad

“I’ll wait in my room, get your game” he nods despite denying the claims earlier. You go up to your room when you hear some not-so-quiet whispers talking to Kenma, who doesn’t say anything that you can hear, a few seconds later you hear a loud ‘Kenma! I told you to not play games so late!’, almost instantly the door of your room opens, Kenma entering with a bored expression.

“I don’t know if they wanted to be quiet or not, but they failed miserably” you chuckle

“I know, they get extra loud sometimes”

He sits beside you so you can start playing together, a comfortable silence falling between you two. After a while you start to get tired, so you turn off your console and move closer to Kenma to watch him play, however, he doesn’t seem super concentrated on it, not like he usually gets in those types of games at least.

“…I did miss you today” Kenma whispers out of nowhere, his face getting red. You look at him shocked by the sudden words before breaking into a soft smile, laying your head on his shoulder

“I missed you too, Ken”

+++

“Chibi-chan!! Have you seen Ken…Oh, found him” you hear, scrunching your face at the sudden noise that interrupted your sleep, finding a smirking Kuroo looking at you

Last night when you rested your head on Kenma's shoulder you fell asleep on him, and at some point of the night, Kenma had fallen too, his head being on top of yours while his game was still on. You felt him move at Kuroo scream, straightening himself while rubbing his eyes.

“So, this is why you didn’t come back, I wish I can blame you” Kuroo’s smirk grows bigger, which makes Kenma look at him with anger.

“Kuro, it’s too early. Shut up”

“How do you want me to shut up? You left the room yesterday and when I didn’t see you on your bed when I woke up, I looked around for you only to find you cuddling with chibi-chan. These are great news”

“Tetsu, kindly, shut the fuck up”

“Fine, fine I’ll stop. We’re getting ready for breakfast, remember that we have a practice match in the morning and afternoon” he says before leaving and closing the door

“Are you okay, Ken?” you ask looking at him, look that he returns with a tired face and a little smile.

“I’m fine, I don’t know when I fell asleep, is your neck okay?”

“It hurts a little, but I can deal with it. I’m going to the bathroom to get ready; you should go too”

“Yeah…” he says, but neither of you does an effort in moving, instead you stay there looking at each other for a few seconds before looking away, both of you blushing

“I’m…I’m gonna go now” you stand up, leaving the room shortly

You look at your reflection after washing your face, only to find some red tints on your cheeks. Kenma is gone when you arrive in your room, only leaving his PSP charging; while the action may be insignificant to others, you know that Kenma doesn’t just leave his things with people he doesn’t trust, making your heart beat even faster. You put your Nekoma jacket before going down, making sure to put his console on your bag.

“Morning chibi-chan”

“Hi Yaku, are you guys ready for the matches?” you ask sitting down next to him

“Yeah, we should be fine, all of us got a great night of sleep anyways” says Kuroo, eyes shifting between Kenma and you, much to the blonde dismay

++++

You are going to the first school, Ohgiminami High, to have the first practice match of the day. When you arrive there, saying hi to the other players and proceeding to warm up, you notice the strong aura of the other players, it was as if they were looking for a fight with everyone.

“I feel like they are judging me” says Kenma arriving to your side

“I think they do that to everyone. The captain doesn’t really fit with the rest, he looks nice”

“Do you know something about them, chibi-chan?”

“Not really, I barely found something about their team”

“Well, it’s always good to have a surprise”

The match started with no problem for the boys, they were putting in action all of the moves that they’ve been practicing. Both sets ended quickly and with a large gap between the schools, making the other team look at Nekoma with a mix of anger and confusion. They were barely even sweating.

“I thought they were going to be stronger seeing how those delinquents look, they barely gave me any problem” Yaku says while sitting next to you

“At least you practiced your moves on an actual match, that’s good”

“Yes, it was worth it, we know that they will work against Seijoh”

“I don’t think that Seijoh will be as easy as this one” adds Kenma putting his head on your shoulder “They have to be good to be in the top 4 schools”

“True, I want to dig Oikawa’s serve, they’re supposed to be impossible to dig” Yaku eyes light with determination

You go back to the hotel while waiting for the other match, sitting down in the common area Kuroo, Yaku and Kai talking; Inuoka and Shinayama are joking with Yamamoto; Kenma is playing and you’re on your phone beside him talking to your foxes about their training week when suddenly a message from a new number pops up

“Who are you texting chibi?” Kuroo asks

“Tendou-san, the red hair dude from Shiratorizawa, just talk to me, he told me something about Seijoh”

“Who’s him? And why do you have his number?” asks Yamamoto crossing his arms

“A…Shiratorizawa player; anyways, he told me that their setter is the whole reason why Seijoh is considered good”

You arrive to Aoba Johsai at 3 so the guys can do warm ups and prepare properly. On the way there you were able to watch a match of them, so you are giving some directions to Yaku and Kuroo telling them the general idea of Oikawa serves. The match was a few minutes away, so you went to refill the bottles outside

“Hi there” someone makes you flinch

“Iwaizumi-san, hi. Filling the bottles again?”

“Yeah, it’s my turn this week”

“Don’t you have a manager? You guys are one of the top schools”

“The majority here are Oikawa fans, we don’t need screaming girls that only care about seeing him”

“Ahh I get it, it’s like my twins. Those two also had fans, but since I didn’t care about them in that way, they let me be their manager”

“That’s how you know how to handle Oikawa?”

“You could say so” you say finishing filling the bottles, when you look at him, you noticed that he still has a lot to refill, so you take some and help him out

“You really don’t have to do this”

“It’s fine, I want to help you” You refill the rest of his bottles in silence while he was putting them in the bag without dry them off “Don’t just put them in, you have to dry them a little Iwaizumi-san, otherwise it will get moldy inside”

“…True, sorry to make you do this” he says quite ashamed

“I told you it’s fine” you smile at him making him blush. While looking at him you decided to try to get more information, and even though you felt bad for misleading him, you knew it was the only way “Last time I saw a bit of your match, Oikawa-san had strong serves, but not a lot of control”

“Yeah, he has been practicing like crazy for it, he can control it better now”

“That’s cool, you also seem really strong too”

“A-ah thank you, I've been practicing a lot…We also got some first years now that are really good too”

“Ahh then I haven’t see them play, I’m sure they’re good if this is one of the best schools” you say in hopes he tells you something

“They are, but they still are first years, sometimes they get too overwhelmed by the pressure”

“Of course, it happens to everyone, especially if the rest of the team is as good as you guys, they probably feel like they have to maintain the good reputation. Done” you say putting the last bottle in, a small smile threatening to appear at the information

“Yeah…Let me carry your bag too”

“Don’t worry about it”

“You can’t be the only one helping, you know, I don’t have all these muscles for nothing” He takes the bag for his team and on the other shoulder he puts yours, starting walking towards the gym side “Are you really teaching Oikawa Spanish?”

“If he wants to, why not? It’s not a bad idea”

“I should give you my number then, Shittykawa can be really stupid sometimes, so if he bothers you or says something out of place you tell me and I beat some sense into him”

“Sounds like good plan. Thank you” you arrived to your side of the court, leaving the bag on the floor

“No problem, good luck today” he smiles awkwardly before going back to his side of the court

“How do you manage to become friends with so many people despite hating talking to new people?” Kuroo asks

“I don’t really know. By the way, he said something that can be useful, can you call the rest?”

“Guys! Nekoma meeting!” calls Kuroo, making the team arrive to where we are.

“I was talking to Iwazumi-san, the number 4, when filling the bottles. Apparently, Oikawa-san has been practicing his serves like crazy, so now he has more control over them and it's not just raw power, he's going to get a few points by serving but I'm sure that after a few tries you guys will be able to dig it no problem, specially Yaku-san”

“Thank you chibi-chan”

“He also said that they have a few first years in their line-up, and that they can get overwhelm during matches”

“It can be easy to pressure them to make mistakes, the more they fail to make a point, the more possibilities of them making mistakes” adds Kenma

“Exactly. If what Tendou-san said it’s true, then the spikers shouldn’t be much of a problem for you. They’re strong, no doubt, but none of them seem stronger than Bokuto-san. If you can dig balls of a top 5 ace at National level, then you probably are able to dig Seijoh’s without much problem, you guys specialize in floor defense after all” you say now

“We just need to get used to them, after that it should be easy. If Shiratorizawa only thinks that the setter is good, it must be for a reason”

“Tendou-san and Ushijima-san don’t seem like the type of look down onto teams that they know it can give them a good fight”

“You two are scary when it comes to planning strategies” says Yamamoto interrupting the two of you “Since when are you this sly Chibi?”

“She was a fox Tora, of course she’s sly” Kuroo laughs “helpful for us though, you getting information from outside the court helps us to create a better play”

“Thank God you came to our school, you and Kenma do work amazingly together” adds Kai

“Almost like you two were meant to be together” whispers Kuroo with his characteristic smirk on

“You never shut up, do you? The match is about to start, go go go” you push them slightly, trying to hide your flustered state

Both teams go to the court and say their greeting, officially starting the match. The first one to serve is the one and only Oikawa, and as expected, he does a powerful serve, marking the first point to Seijoh. By his second serve Yaku is able to be in the right spot, however he isn’t able to dig it properly, marking the second point in Seijoh favor. By the third one however, you notice that Yaku had his concentration face, being able to dig up the ball perfectly and passing it to Kenma. Since Kenma does the minimum movement when it comes to setting, it’s almost impossible for the blockers to guess where he is going to set, sending it to Fukunaga and scoring the point for Nekoma.

After a few points the score is in Nekoma's favor, winning 20 -18, which forces Seijoh to ask for their first time-out. You pass around their bottles and towels before sitting next to Kenma, who puts his head on your shoulder, before joining their meeting

“We seem to be handling them better than expected considering that they are the top 4 here. Not as hard as I thought they would be” says Yaku

“Chibi-chan want to say something?”

“I see what Tendou-san said. There are a few ways to win against you, either teams swarming you with attack after attack; or like Fukurodani, that has Bokuto-san overpower your defense when he's in the zone…”

“Seijoh doesn’t seem to have neither of those. They are a really good team, but they don’t have an exceptional offense outside of their captain serves” adds Kenma

“They also seem to lose a lot of their momentum when they can't rely on Oikawa-san serves to stock up points or at least break the formation, but then again, serve reception is your speciality”

“Besides their blockers fall a lot with Kenma’s subtle faints, specially that first year” adds Kuroo

“Oikawa-san is totally different from Tsumu” you mutter while looking at the other setter “Oikawa-san makes them as good as they can be, which is not THAT good; Tsumu will give them a boost and make them stronger than they are. Fascinating really”

“We should continue with the blocks so the floor defense can get fully use to them, after that let’s change into a more offensive blocking to see how they do” says Kenma

The whistle sounds, meaning that they have to go back to court. Seijoh also seems to be a really analytical team, so it wouldn’t be surprising that they notice some of the weak points of Nekoma. The first set ends up going to Nekoma by a small margin of points.

The second set starts with a lot more people watching now, majority screaming for Oikawa’s attention, you had forgotten the fan girl screams during practice. Seijoh seems to be trying to break Nekoma's formation by using more faints than before, it works at first, but after a few of those the guys are able to adapt to their plays once again, making them visibly frustrated. After Kuroo blocks Iwaizumi spike perfectly and Kenma does a setter dump after, you noticed that Oikawa was looking at Kenma with a mix of confusion, frustration and annoyance. You can understand why though, Oikawa is definitely more athletic than Kenma, probably has practiced a lot more, and is probably way more passionate when it comes to volleyball; and yet, Kenma was giving him a hard time.

The second set also goes to Nekoma, much to everyone in the gym surprise, this time by a point of difference after a long deuce. The teams now go to the opposite team coach to hear some objective critique, coach Nekomata congratulates them for having an excellent game, while you stay in the side line like always.

“Did you help them?” asks Oikawa before leaving, Iwaizumi staying with him

“Of course, I’m their manager, that’s my job”

“It doesn’t make any sense, they weren’t any stronger than Shiratorizawa; the setter isn’t outstanding, the ace isn’t exceptionally strong, and Nekoma isn’t particularly well known, even in Tokyo...”

“Maybe you guys looked down to us a lot more than you should. My cats may not be the flashiest team out there, but that doesn’t make them bad” you say annoyed

“I didn’t mean it like that…I…”

“Trashy-kawa, the coach is waiting, move your ass” Iwaizumi pushes him out of the way “sorry, he hates losing and gets really petty”

“It’s fine, but I’m not letting anyone talk trash about my boys again”

“I’ll hit some sense into him, don’t worry”

The guys come back to where you are, Kenma immediately putting his head on the crock of your neck, taking your hand to his head so you can play with his hair. Since the team was used to this sight, they act like nothing is happening.

“So tired” he mumbles

“You did amazing Ken”

“What made you so mad chibi-chan? Your eyes were scary” asks Yaku

“Oikawa-san basically putting you down”

“Awww you defended us!”

“Of course I did” you roll your eyes while still playing with Kenma’s head

“Remember me to not make you angry, you’re scary”

The guys continue talking while, for the first time ever, you feel Kenma arms go around your waist slowly, hugging you lightly and with a little hesitation. You try to not react too much, knowing that he could get shy if you say something, but it's impossible to stop your heart from beating like crazy; after all, he isn’t fond of skinship, so this was rare.

Sadly, you had to move away since you had to organize the things and they wanted to fresh up a little before leaving. Before he goes to the bathroom, you notice a big blush on his cheeks, which just deepens when Kuroo got closer to him to say something. After packing everything you were writing down the results of this match and also some notes about Seijoh and Nekoma plays when you suddenly felt a tap on your shoulder.

“Ehh…sorry for what I said earlier about your team, I was annoyed about loosing” Oikawa says regretfully

“Do you actually mean the apology? Or you just don’t want me cancel your Spanish classes?”

“Both really, Iwa-chan said that I acted like a douchebag, which I did, and I also want you to help me…please?”

“You do it again and I am stopping the classes; and that goes for all my friends, my cats, my foxes and my owls. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am. Here’s my number so you tell me when to start the tutoring, and Iwa-chan put his too just in case. Thanks for helping me, really chibi-chan” says sincerely

“It’s fine, don’t worry”

“Yn-chan, everything ready?” asks the coach

“I need to take the bag with the bottles and I’m done coach”

“Ok, let’s wait in the bus then”

“Sure” you take the bag and said goodbye to Oikawa before walking towards the door, saying goodbye to Iwaizumi right before going out. The team starts arriving to the bus shortly, everyone going to their sits. After arriving to the hotel and eating some dinner together, Kenma goes to your room just like the day before.

“Yn…Thank you” he says suddenly, making you lift up your head from his shoulder

“Eh? Why?”

“Everything really, you help and cheer for us however you can, you’re super nice and comfortable to be around too” he pauses his game, something rare on him, so he can look at you with a smile “I’m glad you came to Nekoma and became our manager”

“I’m glad that I chose Nekoma too” you smile too, feeling your heartbeat race as you put your head back in his shoulder comfortably

----------

I totally forgot that i didn't finish this, oops

72 notes · View notes

m1ckeyb3rry · 2 months

Note

Ok…chapters 3 and 4 here….separating this out so it’s easier to read…but enjoy!! Yukimiya has me crying

3 - Talent:

Soccer’s fun! After Kenyu comes home from school, he takes his soccer to a nearby empty lot. There wasn’t a soccer club in his elementary school, and his friends were all too engrossed in video games, so he usually practiced dribbling on alone. The lot was a big rugged and uneven, scattered with pebbles and grass here and there. While it wasn’t an ideal place to play soccer, it was fun to dribble around the stones and dips, and Kenyu rather enjoyed the feeling of the ball sticking to his feet.

“Woof woof!” “Wah-?!”

One day, while practicing alone as usual, a large dog approached him. It was wearing a collar, and though it was large, it seemed to be friendly. It was hopping up and down, running circles around Kenyu. “Do you want the ball?”, Kenyu asks. He lightly passes the ball over, and the ecstatic dog hits it back with the tip of its nose. It continued to kick it forward, and once again started to skillfully dribble, much to Kenyu’s fascination. He chased after the dog, only for the dog’s owner, an elderly man, to approach. He called over his dog, whose name seemed to be Cannavaro, and apologized for the inconvenience. But Kenyu didn’t mind; Instead, he invited Cannavaro to continue playing. Cannavaro was a golden retriever. If he stood up fully on his hind legs, he’d surely be around Kenyu’s height. He was really cute when he was playing around with the ball. He had so much fun that he ran around playing ball with Cannavaro until dinner time.

“Let’s play again sometime!”

“Woof!”

That was Kenyu’s first 1-on-1. Every now and then, Cannavaro would come to the lot, and they’d play soccer again. As expected of a Golden retriever, his speed and reactions were both fast, he’d immediately snatch the ball from Kenyu. At first, he suffered utter defeat at the pass of Cannavaro, but as they continued playing everyday, he gradually got the hang of it. He learned to keep his touches narrow when he dribbled. If he made too wide of a movement, Cannavaro would pounce on the ball, so he needed to keep the ball at his feet at all times. He had to take small kick-like steps, keeping the ball trapped in between his feet. But Cannavaro was smart, he gradually began to read Kenyu’s movements, moving his body in the direction he wants to steal the ball from, successfully taking the ball. Truly clever. It seems like he’s reacting to how Kenyu aligns his center of gravity. Kenyu took advantage of that. He’d feint going right and then go left. And when he wanted to go right, he’d feint to the left first. When he successfully got past Cannavaro, he felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. He didn’t know what it was called at the time, but he had done a move very similar to drag scissors, a difficult feint technique, just by following what felt natural to his body. He got better at feints, and his steps became even narrower, his dribbling became top notch. With Cannavaro’s bottomless stamina, Kenyu gradually became tougher too.

“Today was Ken-chan’s win wasn’t it”, Cannavaro’s owner commented while spectating. “Ken-chan’s getting better and better.” Kenyu was elated at the older man’s compliments.

“Thank you! I want to become a pro soccer player in the future.” A pro soccer player, that was Kenyu’s innocent, childhood dream.

“That’s nice isn’t it. Ken-chan will become a pro soccer player and represent Japan on the national team. You’ll definitely become number 1.” The Japanese National team. The best in the world. The old man’s words had sparked excitement within Kenyu’s heart. He told the man he’d aim for number 1, and the man responded in kind. Seeing Kenyu so happy, the old man’s eyes crinkled to the max, narrowing as his smile pushed his cheeks up. The old man decided to mention that his own son had always played soccer and was now a soccer coach at a soccer school. He invited Kenyu to come to the school. Kenyu took up his offer with excitement. This marked another important “meeting” in his life. He got the name of the school from the man and immediately told his mom about it.

From the moment he entered the school, Kenyu’s talent had blossomed. The stamina and dribbling skills he had forged in his practice with Cannavaro, along with the athletic physique he was born with, and his one-track-mind stoicism. But above all, Kenyu was endowed with a strong sense of self confidence, believing in his self. Even though he was overflowing with self confidence, it wasn’t a childish sense of omnipotence that he felt. He’s happy when someone acknowledges him, a pure heart that responds to the trust of others. Becoming class president, being the anchor for the relay race, beginning soccer, they’re all a result of people looking out for him, helping him discover himself. The talents and parts of himself that even he wasn’t aware of. Thinking that people believe in things with their hearts, that was Kenyu’s honest thought process. Under his coach’s guidance and his rivalries with his teammates, Kenyu continued to level up his skills, establishing his position as a striker.

“Someday I’ll go pro. I’ll be on the Japanese national team and become the number one striker!”

Without a shadow of a doubt, that was Kenyu’s dream.

4: Straight and honest

By the time he entered middle school, Kenyu, who had been in the middle of his growth spurt period, continued to grow taller. But at the same rate he grew, the letters on the blackboard became increasingly hard to see. His eyesight had suddenly started to decline. He had to press his face up against his book to read it. Engrossed in his book, he subconsciously sat in a very hunched position. His mom would often warn him to sit up straight and keep the book farther from his face. The bookshelf in his room houses a variety of books including a series of biographies he has collected since he was a kid, classics like The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye, and manga magazines like Shounen Jump and Weekly Shounen Manga. Reading the series of biographies now has led Kenyu to make a new discovery. Beethoven, Galileo, Joan of Arc, Nobuguchi Hideyo. These people blessed with talent have had their fair share of tragic difficulties in their lives. The reality is that these amazing people, who had succeeded despite those difficulties, had already passed and no longer live on in our world. That unspeakably sad reality had hit him with a wave of sympathy. He so immersed himself in all 30 of those stories, but he wonders if rereading them was a mistake. Maybe it’s genetics, since both his parents also wear glasses, but he went and got a thorough eye exam. Although he was disappointed, there were pro soccer players who wear contacts too. After Kenyu got contacts, his eyes became less of a hindrance on his plays. It was like his eyes were good as new. He beyond surpassed the typical abilities for is grade level, practicing with a passion despite being gifted with such talent. His love for soccer was honest and pure. In his free time, he’d kick the ball on his own. While he was in elementary school, he’d play in the empty lot. But now, he often took to the streets and roads. On days off from practice, he’d carry his ball in one hand and head to the streets. He’d choose times where the streets had few people, dribbling around obstacles like curbs and fire hydrants. Like there was a rubber band attaching the two, the ball never left Kenyu’s feet. Even on a familiar street, there were always new meeting and sights to be had while playing street soccer; Kenyu loved it. He became attached to the stray cats and would come across unexpected scenery. As if it was asking him to follow it, a stray cat meowed at Kenyu while he was walking home. Intrigued by the cat, he followed it while dribbling along. Just up ahead on the street, cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Kenyu thought they were beautiful. He had always loved cherry blossoms, it had probably been ever since he saw the falling petals at his elementary school entrance ceremony, beautifully blooming and cleanly scattered about* He was immersed in that fragility, feeling the beauty and sadness of the cherry blossoms, he was lost in thought. He loved those moments. The wind blows gently, making the petals dance. With the stray cat, Kenyu could gaze at the cherry blossoms forever.

Then, one day, while Kenyu had been practicing street soccer as usual, he had heard a voice call out from one of the side streets. Curious, he slowed down his dribbling. When he took a look, there was a building under construction, with only its framework in place, with four middle school students standing around. In between them was another middle school student, curled on the ground with his head bowed. He was wearing the same middle school uniform as “Hey, did you bring the money as promised?” Thud. The boy with brown-dyed hair kicked the stomach of the boy on the floor, who let out a pained grunt. This is bad, they’re extorting him. The surrounding boys continued to harass him for money; they kept kicking his back. “Please stop already….I don’t have any money…” the boy responded in a broken voice.

“Well if you don’t have any you better make some! Get a part time job, steal some from your parents, or find a way to extort some!!”

“I can’t….I really can’t…” his voice trailed off, to which the bully responded with a an angry “Shut up!!”, only to resume kicking him. Kenyu contemplated what he should do. One moment he was thinking, and the next he was running over to them. “Die!!!”, yelled the bully, to which Kenyu interjected with a yell, telling them to cut it out. The brown haired bully had his foot up ready to kick the boy again when Kenyu’s soccer ball had smacked him. The bully huffed. The surprise attack had smacked him right in the nose. “What the hell are you doing?!” He yelled to Kenyu. In a burst of anger, Kenyu punched the bully in one blow. The only problem was that he had no plan from there. The blatant injustice has caused his body to move on its own, but honor student Kenyu had never once gotten into a physical fist fight. Oh…..shit…he thought to himself. Coming to his senses, his legs went stiff. “That hurt, you bastard!”, the bully said. He hit Kenyu back, and a radiating pain spread across his cheek; this was also the first time he had ever been hit. The group of bullies began commenting amongst themselves, questioning Kenyu’s audacity. Before he knew it, Kenyu got punched in the stomach, causing him to double over. The bully then raised his leg and ruthlessly kicked Kenyu in the face. Kenyu was relentlessly beaten without even being given the time to strike back. There’s no way he’d be able to win against those four; the taste of blood had started invading his mouth. While the boys spat condescending insults to him, Kenyu had regretted not calling the police first. “Toodles ~ Justice Hero” the bully called out with a guffaw, tossing his now empty wallet, from which they pilfered all his money, into his face. Kenyu let out a groan as the four bullies walked away, cackling at the situation. At some point, the previous boy they were bullying had disappeared, running away while they targeted Kenyu. Kenyu had been beaten and stolen from, yet that boy had disappeared without a single word of thanks to his savior. After all, Kenyu had gotten angered and attacked without thinking; he had brought this upon himself. He laughed to himself solemnly, “This is the worst. I’m an idiot….letting something like this happen…I’m really an idiot.” Remaining on the floor, Kenyu looked up at the sky and masochistically laughed at himself. “It hurts..” When he laughed, his kicked ribs and cut lips hurt like hell. While holding back tears, Kenyu continued to laugh.

The next day, Kenyu ended up going to school with his face swollen. As he passed through the school gates, his classmates stuck their heads out from the windows and called out to him. You’d think that an idol had come to visit with how much of an uproar they were causing. Some people were leaning their bodies out to wave at him too. Kenyu wondered what was going on. It wasn’t just his classmates, but somehow, it was like the entire student body had their eyes on him. No, it wasn’t just his imagination, they really were looking at him. He thought it might’ve been because his face was swollen, but quickly rejected that idea. Even people he didn’t know were making a commotion: “Hey, is that Yukimiya?” “He’s so cool!” What exactly was going on? Still just as clueless, he entered his classroom to be greeted by his classmates swarming around him.

“Yesterday, you saved the board chairman’s son!?” “Did you really take on four other dudes?” “You’re so freaking cool!” Somehow, news of yesterday’s event had spread like a wildfire. Someone’s eyes widened, announcing that Yukki’s story had been written about and posted on the school site’s bulletin. It seems that yesterday’s bully victim, who ran way without even a word, had reflected and decided to redeem his actions. Kenyu had already left the scene, but his optometrist registration card had fallen out of his wallet in the scuffle. The boy from yesterday thought he had seemed familiar, but he never thought his savior would’ve been the soccer ace of his school. The boy who was bowing his head, crouched on the floor yesterday had then gone to the school’s bulletin and written about the event. The comments on the bulletin all praised Kenyu, calling him an ally of justice and complimenting his humbleness. It’s not like he did it for get praised, but he was happy receiving those compliments. The pain in his body, how pathetic he felt, and his regrets all flew away in that instant. He was relived, the his decision to move to help that boy out wasn’t a mistake. He felt so pathetic that he wanted to cry yesterday, but somehow it felt like God had been looking out for him again. That wasn’t all though. The boy he saved was the school board’s chairman’s son. Kenyu’s actions had given him courage, and the boy finally confessed to his father the entirety of the situation he had been caught in. His father had immediately contacted the police, reporting the details extortion and bullying of the perpetrators, and they were thus dealt appropriate punishments. Regarding Kenyu, since they didn’t want to associate the sports club with this incident of violence, they did not thank Kenyu publicly, a proper thank you was prepared. When Kenyu became a third year, he had a wide range of high schools he was recommended to. Above all his grades were good, but he behaved well and his soccer talent was top notch too. He didn’t have to take any underhanded paths, he fit the criteria for a standard recommendation slot. But with mediation from the board’s chairman, Kenyu was emphasized as the top priority recommendation. Kenyu ended up choosing Miyazaki’s prestigious school, Soranin High School. As soon as he had been recommended to their soccer club, Kenyu was able to focus on practice without having to worry about taking exams. God had, once again, been looking after him.

*the word cleanly used here to describe the petals used the same kanji and spelling as Isagi, the word being read isagiyoku

-Karasu anon

STOP IT YUKI IS SO CUTE WTF 😭😭😭 him learning to play soccer with a dog is adorable 🥹 and the way he jumped in and saved that kid too?? literally THE green flag of bllk truly none of the others can compare…the way he’s all like “idc abt other people’s lives” but is also so selfless he jumped into a 4v1 with no fighting experience is soook 😭😩 i love him

#answered asks #karasu anon translations

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