#he was so cool at first and then. blegh

[versadies]

it’s not what it looks like !! (w/ gn!reader)

SALUTATIONS. it’s not what it looks like !!

ADDRESSED. alhaitham (w/ performer!reader)

CONTENT. fluff/no-angst, spoilers to sumeru archon quest act 1 and act 5, aether is traveler in this one (sorry traveler!lumine lovers 😭🙏🙏), mentions of murder (figuratively), ooc alhaitham

STAMP. you and alhaitham seems to have some beef with one another due to akademiya’s determination in taking down anything related to performing arts — but as far as traveler knows, there’s something more.

POST-SCRIPT. here’s my first ever fic of alhaitham <333 hes so cool in the latest archon quest, i hope i got him right in this fic :DDD !!

LINKS. main masterlist | taglist

“Me? Liking them? Oh please. If I ever take one look at them, I’ll barely hold back all the food I’ve eaten from rising up to my mouth.” Alhaitham says with a scoff.

He claims such a dramatic comment with complete disgust in his tone, yet Aether would sometimes catch the scribe never leaving his sight on you whenever you’re in the same room as him, minding your own business as you go on with your day. 

Had it not been for that look Alhaitham has on his face every time he sees you, the traveler would be convinced that he hated you. 

It’s not like there was even a moment when the scribe was acting nice towards you. Given that you’re a performer in the Grand Bazaar, it’s not surprising for someone like Alhaitham to not like you, especially since the Akademiya looks down on performing arts. If anything, Aether always sees you two arguing about something (almost like an old married couple would, Paimon comments), but it was never like the ones with General Mahamatra nor his roommate for some reason the honorary knight can’t explain. 

With you, Alhaitham always has this look on his face that makes it look like he’s enjoying your conversations. He usually visits the Grand Bazaar to remind you about whatever the Akademiya said to him about performing arts being forbidden, so it’s no surprise that you always look like you’re on the verge to commit murder from whatever he said to you. Aether’s sort of surprised Alhaitham isn’t dead yet. 

“Alhaitham? Ugh, I can’t stand seeing him. He should know that we’ve done nothing wrong here and leave us alone.” You said, rolling your eyes at the thought of the scribe. “I don’t understand how you’re friends with a guy like him, he’s so… blegh!” 

You claim such a statement, yet Aether noticed how the first thing you do after your performances is to ask if Alhaitham is still around watching. Of course, you claim it’s because you hope “he was so blown away by your performance he flew away from the Grand Bazaar and never come back”, but Aether feels like it’s more than just that. Not that the honorary knight would say that aloud, not when he doesn’t want to risk getting on your bad side. 

Now that he thinks about it… It’s strange how Alhaitham is sometimes around whenever you perform… 

Nah, he must be overthinking things. 

Or so he thought. 

He was just taking a stroll around Sumeru City at night after the celebration feast, not being able to sleep with a very full stomach. It was only when he turned to a secluded area when he spotted two silhouettes, only to realize that they belonged to two familiar people when he came closer to see who they were. 

Is that you and Alhaitham? What are you two doing there? 

He assumes the two of you were arguing once again, but he didn’t try to come up to the both of you in fear of bothering you two and getting involved. However, as he was about to turn around and walk away, something made him stop. 

He sees how Alhaitham lean towards you, almost as if he’s leaning for a kiss–

Wait. 

What?

Surely, his sleepy mind is playing games with him. You and Alhaitham? Kissing?

As much as Aether doesn’t want to admit it, you and Alhaitham being in love isn’t too surprising given that he had his speculations, but it’s still a shock to see you two being so.. affectionate. 

It was only when you pulled away from your kiss when you realized you had company, causing you to gasp. 

“...T-Traveler!” You said in a surprised tone, pushing off Alhaitham away with a nervous laughter. “What.. What brings you here?!” 

Aether panics when he’s caught by you and Alhaitham, who’s glaring at the traveler for ruining his moment with you. 

“...I didn’t see anything!” Aether says before running away, leaving you and your lover alone in confusion and taken back. 

The two of you then look at each other before you begin to laugh at what just occurred. 

“I’m sure the traveler wouldn’t say a word about this. It’s about time someone eventually catches you and I together.” Alhaitham says, his mouth twitching upwards at the sounds of your laughter blessing his ears.

You nod in agreement with a wide smile, imagining how Aether would act with you two around from now on after finding out. “Of course, of course. But then again.. Since Azar and the other sages are gone, wouldn’t that mean we’re safe enough to be seen together in public now?” 

His hand slowly reaches towards yours and holds it, missing your touch already. “Is that what you want? I thought you were enjoying our acting performances.”

You grinned. “It is amusing to see people’s reactions to us “arguing” with each other, but I prefer being seen with you as a couple. How long has it been since we’ve spent our dates somewhere in public rather than the woods?” You respond.

Alhaitham hums. “If it’s what you want, then I see no reason not to object. I was getting tired of seeing your admirers’ letters and gifts on your doorstep. I can’t wait to see their reactions when they find out you’re dating the Akademiya’s Scribe.” 

“Who knew you’d get jealous over such things, you know you own my heart.” You tease, letting go of his hold on your hand before you begin to wrap your arms around your lover. 

He wraps his arms around you in return, leaning his forehead against yours. “And you own mine.” 

The two of you then share one last kiss before deciding that it’s time for you to come back home. However, instead of coming out of the secluded area separately like what you two always do, you were walking back home holding each other’s hands, enjoying the quiet atmosphere of Sumeru City under the stars.

PENPALS. @scaraslover @saving-for-xiao @dawgimsohot @kazu-topia @chiruru @aqualesha @renamichii @mrkamisato @shenhesl0ver @serami00 @serenareiss @hiqhkey @emperatris-rinaka @bystander36 @irisxiel @ladycoleigh @034ven @dear-dairiess @owozi8 @hadesaedes @chiro-chiro-kun @hersscherofyatta @mariusvonhangme @yuzuricebun @nejibot @hoshikistarlette @solaaresque @crowbird @lordbugs @flowersforayato @headintheclouddd @estelwrld @giyusimpsassemble @irethepotatosblog @moonlightaangel @alice0blog @shotosbrainrot @sniffoat @chihawari @mxsomn @kuni-kuzushii @jiminscarmex @mitsukii14 @nejibot @ylimeprive @sachispet @loreleis-world @sn-owo @starforecasts @someonetookmynamelmao @ceylestia @lychme @ymikkos @reallysporadicarcade @melodyyamino @dudufodd @somberrock

[autisticlancemcclain]

“Pass me the — thing.”

“The thing.”

“Yes. The one.”

Hunk’s amusement is evident. “Here’s the thing about capital-T Things, Pidge Podge.”

She makes a face. Ugh, not him too. The annoying nicknames Lance comes up with always seem to end up in other people’s vocabularies. It’s the worst. (They don’t even make sense, either. Her name comes from Pascha, her Hebrew name, because she was tiny even when she was a baby. And Matt is ridiculous. But Lance’s names come from nowhere!)

(…She supposes she’ll allow it, though. Occasionally. Because she’s the best ever, basically, and endlessly benevolent.)

“Things in concept are referential,” Hunk continues, snickering to himself as he dodged her blind kick. “Ergo, you need to reference them. Specifically. Outside of your own brain.”

She makes a noise of frustration, tilting her head in the direction of the scrap pile on Hunk’s work table. “The thing! Shiny! With the— blegh!” She is Focused right now, alright. There are Processes happening in her brain. Words are secondary.

“I’m just going to ignore you now.”

“No! The thing! The thing that looks like a dreidel!”

“There we go,” he says emphatically. She scowls at him. He grins brightly. She holds her glare for a whopping three seconds, which is frankly record-breaking, so. Point to her. “That’s a referential Thing.”

He scoops up the piece and tosses it at her. She catches it without looking (which is wicked cool and something she will subtly mention next time she watches Allura drop something) and sets it on the table top beside her, finishing up a tricky solder. Leaning back to admire her handiwork, which is, indeed, quite handy, her gaze keeps getting pulled to the little part.

“You know, it really does look like a dreidel.” She picks it up by the stem, flicking the little acorn-shaped object and watching it spin. It works like one, too.

Hunk hums. After a few moments, curious at the air newly lacking the sounds of her tinkering, he looks over at her. He purses his lips thoughtfully.

“…What day is it on Earth, do you think?”

Pidge shrugs. “We left in late May. Been a few months, at least.”

“Lance has a watch.”

“Course he does. ‘Cause he’s a big ol’ nerd geek loser.”

Hunk snorts. “Indeed.”

At the same time, without either of them having to say a word, they scramble to their feet, abandoning their projects and rushing out the workroom door.

“Pool?” Hunk asks.

“Nah, training room. He was in the pool this morning.”

Neither of them is particularly fast, but after months of Shiro’s training they can handle their own. They don’t, sprint, per se, because that would be embarrassing and Lance would be all dorky and pleased about it (can’t have that), but they…hustle. Hustle would be the right word. There’s some hastiness about, some purpose to their step.

As they run past the kitchen and finally turn down the corridor to get to the training room, a door opens on the left and someone walks out. Hunk grabs the back of Pidge’s sweater (totally not Keith’s grey hoodie that she stole) to keep her from crashing straight into them.

“Hey, Lance,” Hunk says, smiling brightly. “We were just looking for you!”

Lance, predictably, gets all dorky and pleased about it.

“Well, Lancey-Lance is at your service,” he preens, brushing fake dust off his shoulders. “Of course I am happy to offer my services to such —”

“Why’d you come outta Keith’s room?” Pidge interrupts, squinting.

She’s pretty sure that’s Keith’s room, anyway. The door on the left has a dent on it from when Lance tripped and brained himself on it in their first week of space.

Curiously — oh so curiously — Lance turns a violent shade of red and cringes with his whole entire body.

“Whaaat,” he says, voice cracking so many times she actually winces in reflective sympathy. He laughs nervously. “That’s not — I’m not — Keith isn’t —”

He opens his mouth, then closes it, then coughs, then doesn’t bother. Pidge can actually feel the heat pouring off of him, which is so humiliating that she almost decides to be merciful.

“Is Keith also in there?” she says instead, because fuck that.

Lance looks at the floor like he’s considering swan diving onto it. “What did you guys need me for again?” he asks, loudly.

Hunk, too soft from years of close proximity to Lance, takes pity. “We need your watch, dude. What day is it on Earth?”

Lance’s dark eyes go a bit sad, like they always do when someone mentions the E-word. But it’s gone before Pidge can so much as register it, really, and then he’s glancing down at his dork ass bright blue Moana watch and saying, “One twenty-six on December 7th.”

Pidge cheers. Hunk grins.

“Clear your schedule!” Pidge shouts, pumping her fists. “Hanukkah starts in a few hours!”

———

“An…oil…feast?”

“Yeah!” Pidge says enthusiastically. Allura leans forward, intrigued — she loves stories from Earth. Anything from Earth fascinates her, really. “Thousands of years ago, Jews — my people culturally and religiously — had just freed themselves from the cruel rule of a kingdom that resided over them. They wanted to purify the Temple — that’s where practicing Jews go to pray — so they were burning holy oil. But there was only one bottle of sacred oil, which was upsetting, since that would only burn for one night. But miraculously, the oil kept burning for eight nights!”

Allura gasps. “But how?”

Pidge shrugs. “Religious Jews believe it was a miracle from God, who is our holy deity. Whether or not you’re religious though, Hanukkah is celebrated at the end of every year to commemorate Jewish resilience and hope. The oil is our physical way of celebrating, ‘cause it burned for eight days exactly — as long as it takes to make more oil.”

“And so we get to celebrate by eating delicious fried food,” Lance adds, fist-pumping. He grins at Pidge’s raised eyebrows. “My sister-in-law is Jewish, so my neice and nephew are too. We celebrate Hanukkah every year and it rocks.”

Pidge can feel her smile lighting up her body. There are bigger celebrations, and more religiously important ones, but Hanukkah is so much fun. She hasn’t celebrated in too long — it came and went last year before she even noticed, too wrapped up in finding her brother. And the year before that, her and Mom couldn’t…not without Dad and Matt. They couldn’t celebrate with just the two of them, they spent most evenings in their own rooms.

Shiro’s steady hand comes to rest on her shoulder, squeezing gently. She glances up to find him smiling sadly at her, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

“We’ll light a candle for each of them,” he murmurs into her hair. “Colleen, too.”

“Is that what’s done?” Coran inquires softly. “Candles lit, in remembrance?”

Pidge hums, leaning back into Shiro. He holds steady, hand staying fast on her shoulder. Keith flashes her one of his quick smiles, small and comforting.

“Yeah. Eight candles, in something called a menorah. One for each night, one for each intention.” She meets Coran’s eyes first, then Allura’s, her own expression determined. “We’ll light a candle for Altea, too.”

“I would like that,” whispers Allura, swallowing.

“I can make the menorah,” Hunk offers, “if you and Lance want to help. Lance has a good eye for design.”

Pidge takes a couple more moments in Shiro’s embrace, soaking up some of his strength. No one interrupts her. Once she feels like she can stand straight again, like her family is tucked neatly where they usually are in the centre of her heart rather than spilling out all over the place, she stands, patting Shiro’s hand as it falls away, and steps towards her friends.

“Yes, let’s do. We’ll need a few things, actually, to get ready. Keith, you think you can paint the right symbols on the dreidel if I describe them to you?”

He nods. “Yep. I’ll draw ‘em out first, it shouldn’t take long. I think I’ve seen them before, anyway.”

“Cool. Allura, Coran, you wanna put up some decorations? Lance can help you out.”

All three enthusiastically agree, rushing off to make do.

“Shiro —” She falters. “Uh, dude, maybe steer clear of the kitchen. Wanna help with the menorah since Lance is on decorations? Then Hunk’ll have more time to cook.”

Shiro pouts, as he always does when he’s teased about his cursed kitchen tendencies, but the twitch of his smile gives him away.

“I guess,” he laments. “I’m sure I could fry latkes without burning the castle down.”

Keith, Pidge, and Hunk shudder in unison.

“Yeah, right,” Keith says. “You remember when you set a pot of water on fire, Hazard Boy? Because I do.”

———

For people who have no idea what they’re doing, the decorations end up looking really nice.

Everything does, actually. By the time Lance’s watch hits six — the time they have all collectively decided will be sundown based on absolutely nothing — everything is prepped and ready to go. Keith got the characters down after a couple tries, and the dreidel looks like any other one Pidge has used before. Lance had, from what Pidge picked up from Allura’s grumbling, channeled his inner festivity dictator to ensure all decorations were as lovely as possible with their limited materials. Of course the menorah Hunk and Pidge created looks beautifully intricate, one of the more gorgeous things Pidge has ever seen even with all the wonky mismatched candles.

“Okay,” Hunk says, clapping his hands together. “If you guys want to set up the table, Lance and I will be finished plating the food shortly. I dunno about you guys, but I’ve been smelling fried food for a couple hours now, and I need to eat.”

“Please,” Pidge groans, because she’s been smelling it too and boy is Hunk ever a head chef.

Everyone rushes to get the table set as quickly as possible. Pidge makes sure to put Lance’s favourite cup (that he has a hissy fit if anyone else so much as looks at, even though it is practically identical to ever other cup except one tiny chip one the bottom that he loves for some reason) next to the chair closest to the door, where Keith always sits, because she has not forgotten the Earlier Incident. If all goes well then something embarrassing will happen for her to witness, which is all she can ask for, really.

“Can someone who is not Allura come help me bring food over?” Hunk calls from the kitchen as Pidge places the last fork. “No offense, Princess, but I watched you and Lance walk into the same door this morning and I’d rather our hard work not end up splatted and inedible on the floor.”

“Offense taken,” says Allura darkly, and Lance’ whining echoes all the way to where they’re standing.

Keith meets Pidge’s eye and snickers.

“I got it, Hunk,” he calls, jogging over to them.

“Absolutely not!” Lance screeches. “There is no way I will allow Mullet to be entrusted with something I am not allowed to —”

He cuts himself off with a loud shriek. Whether Keith finally pinched him quiet or Lance is just shrieking for drama’s sake Pidge will never know, but moments later the red paladin is striding out of the kitchen, heaping bowl in one hand, batting Lance away with the other.

“If you drop that I’ll kill you both,” Hunk promises, setting the heaping plate he’s holding down on the table.

Thankfully, nothing gets dropped (although does it ever come close). Everyone is accounted for and seated and nothing has gone to waste, and Pidge’s stomach is growling.

“Got a little bit of everything,” Hunk says. “Classic latkes, kugel, and sufganiyot. And you mentioned the zippoli and arancini your Nonna used to make, Pidge, so I made some of that too. And Lance made lots of masitas and plátanos.”

“Hope that’s okay,” Lance says, face kind of scrunched. “I know it’s not traditional, but we had it on Hanukkah, and I thought —”

Pidge grins at him. “Looks great, man.”

Everyone takes turns passing food around and loading up their plate. Pidge takes four zippoli. She regrets nothing. She has had none in several years and this looks perfect.

Before anyone starts, all eyes turn to Pidge, so she squeezes her eyes shut and remembers her mother’s blessing: “Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha’olam shehakol niyah bidvaro.” She opens her eyes again. “Dig in, everybody.”

No one needs to be told twice. For a while the castle is even shockingly silent, everyone too busy shoving their faces. Keith chokes on latke. Shiro laughs at him until the red on his face is from more than a lack of oxygen.

“I love human food,” gushes Allura, inhaling more plátanos. “You guys got to eat like this every day?”

“Unless you lived with someone who regular fucks up ramen noodles,” Keith says pointedly, dodging Shiro’s under-the-table-kick.

“I think Numbers Two and Three might just be talented in the kitchen,” Coran responds. Both Hunk and Lance beam at the praise.

After dinner — and lordy it does not take long to polish it off — they clear the plates away, tidying up the table, as Pidge sets out the menorah. She carefully sets out the candles they have gathered, arranging and re-arranging the order. When she’s satisfied, she picks up the smallest candle, thin green stripes running up its sides, and places it in the space at the far right. She picks up the shamash — choosing the thickest and tallest one — and accepts the lighter Keith offers her. Once it is flaming, she holds it outwards, and begins to softly recite the blessings she memorized so long ago:

“Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tsivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah. Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, she-asah nisim laavoteinu v’imoteinu bayamim hahaeim baz’man hazeh. Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higiyanu laz'man hazeh.”

She says the words slowly, carefully, allowing herself to feel the shape of them on her tongue. They are familiar. They are heavy. They get caught in her throat, tangled, and stay there until tears begin to trickle down her cheeks, softening the way out. Her voice shakes, but she feels her own strength spreading through her like the heat of the shamesh candle.

“Make it home to me, Matt,” she whispers, as she lights the first candle.

———

“Okay, there is no fucking way.”

Pidge cackles at Keith’s indignant protest, accepting Lance’s sharp high-five and dragging in the entire pot of tokens again.

The two of them are absolutely fucking killing it. Their token piles are high. Keith has had to begrudgingly ask Lance for a loan no less than six times. Everyone else is dangerously low, except for Coran, who’s doing alright.

Pidge thinks this is righteous. As the two youngest, she and Lance should be winning by birthright, basically.

“Suck it, Kogane,” she says gleefully. She flicks a token at him. “Take some charity.”

Keith scowls at her, but takes the token because he is too broke not to. It is greatly amusing.

Ha! Loser.

The game shouldn’t last as long as it does, but somehow it keeps going for hours. Pidge suspects Shiro has several dozen tokens up his sleeve and is cheating. Allura may also be using alchemy to make more tokens appear. Either way, Pidge and Lance’s hordes are steadily increasing, and the menorah has long since been blown out, and the food has settled in everyone’s stomach, and Pidge’s head keeps drooping.

“Think it’s just you and me, Pidge-Podge,” Lance says softly. Someone tucks her hair behind her ear, she’s not sure who. Her eyes might be closed. “What say you we call it a tie, huh?”

“There’s no tie in dreidel,” she argues. “We gotta finish.”

“I’m thinking we play again tomorrow,” Coran suggests. “I’m sure when you’re fully awake you can destroy Number Four much more efficiently.”

“Hey,” says Number Four in question, indignantly.

Pidge manages a smile. Keith sticks his tongue out back at her, and the next thing she knows there are arms around her waist and she’s airborne. She buries her face in a strong shoulder and pretends, secretly, it’s her father, even though she knows it’s not.

“Say goodnight, dork,” whispers Shiro. He pauses, adjusting slightly. “Oof.”

“You’re getting old,” says Keith gleefully.

“Respect your elders,” hisses Lance, accompanied by a swift punch to Keith’s shoulder.

“Ow!” Keith complains, but interestingly he only pouts at Lance instead of maiming him. “It’s Shiro! He’s not even an elder, he’s six! You —”

“Goodnight, Pidge,” say Hunk and Allura, loudly.

Pidge smiles. Her voice is half-buried in Shiro’s shirt. “Night.”

She doesn’t remember the walk to her room, but she feels it when she’s laid down, when blankets are fluffed over her and a kiss is pressed to her forehead.

“Sleep well, Katie,” whispers a voice, and the cool metal of the fingers brushing her hair are soothing. “Love you, kiddo. Happy Hanukkah.”

She falls asleep the the click of her door closing and a warmth burning hot in her heart.

[keeperofthegrim]

Can I request the first years finding the reader's journal and grim reading it put loud to reveal all sorts of thing including their crush on one of the first years who is very excited to hear about it

Yes you may B)

It was an oversight on your part, so carelessly leaving your journal out for your friends catch sight of. They had invited themselves over (like they always do), so you had no time to clean up. You left to make a quick run to the campus store for snacks, but Grim was starting to get impatient. He went to retrieve some tuna from his emergency stash because it had been a whole hour since dinner! While in your shared bedroom he catches sight of the journal you’re always writing in. Curiosity gets the better of him and he grabs it and scampers back downstairs. 

He settles back down on the old couch and opens the book, catching Ace’s attention.

“Yo Grim, what’s up with the book?” He calls to the monster, making the other boys turn to look as well.

“It’s the humans diary or somethin, I wanna see if they’re sayin good things about me in here!”

“Grim, that’s a blatant invasion of privacy.” Jack reasons, but is ignored as Grim keeps turning the pages.

“Myahahah! Look what they said here! ‘Grim was super cute today! He was mad that I gave him a bath but he was so adorable and fluffy after I dried him!’ This thing is full’a them talkin about how cute I am!” He boasted, puffing his furry chest out.

“And here! ‘He looked so nice today, I just couldn’t stop... staring...? Hah? This ain’t about me! They’re talkin about some boy!” Grim scoffed, offended that his henchman was praising boys instead of him! And now the others are really paying attention.

“Seriously?! Who is it?” Ace leans in to read with him, while Jack makes to take the journal away from Grim. But before he can, Grim sees who his human is talking about! In surprise, he shouts out... 

➔ “Blegh! It’s Ace! Why would they like him?!” 

Ignoring the insult, Ace immediately snatches the journal out of Grim’s paws, scanning the pages for himself. When he reads his name, he’s fighting the urge to let out a girlish squeal. Of course he likes you too. Seriously, he had been flirting since the very start! He decides that he’s gonna kiss you when you get back.

➔ “Deuce?!” 

He’s flabbergasted. Just absolutely gobsmacked. You? Like him? Really?! There’s so much exited energy building up in him that has to take a lap. Even then he’s still jittery, and can’t stop smiling. He wants do this right you know! Ask you out on a proper date, and really sweep you off of your feet! He can hardly wait to tell his mom about you.

➔ “Myah! They like Jack!” 

He stops in his tracks. His ears are perked up, and his eyes are wide. After a brief pause he takes the journal from Grim and calmly takes it back to your room. Once he’s alone, his tail is wagging like crazy. It wasn’t the ideal way to find out, but he’s glad to know you feel the same way. When you return he’ll apologize on behalf the other idiots, but let you know he feels the same.

➔ “It’s Epel!” 

He yells. Basically throws himself at poor Grim to confirm what he heard. He’s jumping up and down in excitement because this is possibly the best day of his life! Immediately planning how he’ll confess. In his head, he’s super suave and cool about it, but he’s not sure if he can keep his composure in real life because he’s just that ecstatic.

➔ “No way! Sebek is the guy they like!” 

For once in his life, Sebek is totally speechless. Earlier he insisted that he didn’t care who you liked, but now? He can try and deny his crush on you all he wants, but the his ears are glowing red. The others are teasing him, but his thoughts are racing and he’s tuning them out. He supposes he needs Lilia’s advice on how to court humans properly.

[stevie-petey]

Blurb Idea:

First time Steve saw reader? Or other way around!

🫶

hi dear !! gonna do the first time reader saw steve since steves first time seeing her can be found in this chapter !

enjoy <3

"whos that guy with all that hair?" you nudged jonathan to get his attention. theres a boy a few seats away from you in the lunchroom. hes surrounded by all the kids youve deemed as "popular". he has his head lazily thrown back with a relaxed smile on his face and for some reason he interests you.

jonathan shoves a sandwich in his mouth, which grosses you out. its been a few days of friendship with the guy, so youre still learning all his gross habits. when he finally responds, his mouth is so full of food that all you can hear is, "stebe herentun."

"who?"

he swallows. "steve harrington. hes a year older than us. bad news."

you look over at steves table again, frowning. bad news? the guy looks like he wouldnt hurt a fly. "we sure hes so bad?"

jonathan eyes almost pop out of his head. "yes, im sure, y/n! he hangs out with those assholes from yesterday."

this makes you frown even more. yesterday, you had to throw your carton of milk at some idiots who were bullying jonathan. they had been calling him all these lame names, like poor and loser boy, without any ounce of creativity.

blegh.

youve decided that whoever steve harrington is, if hes friends with those kids from yesterday, then you want nothing to do with him.

but then, from the corner of your eye, you see steve bend down to pick up some trash one of his friends have mindlessly thrown onto the floor and then walk it over to the trashcan. your eyes follow him, you watch as he separates himself from his group without so much as a huff, as if hes perfectly happy to be doing the right thing.

then, after steve has thrown the trash away, you see him apologize to the janitor for it, giving the old man a small wave as he does so.

huh.

"yeah, we dont like steve harrington." jonathan says, going back to his sandwich.

you hum at your friend, not really paying attention to him now. youre still watching steve, who has rejoined his friends and once again has resumed his suave and laid back composure. hes once again too cool for it all.

interesting

"yeah, alright." you finally say and return back to your own meal.

youre not exactly sure who steve harrington is, but maybe no one else does, either.

[229zmi]

NOTE EXCHANGE

PAIRING: Tsukishima Kei/Reader

CONTENT: note-passing, reader calls tsukishima babygirl

WORD COUNT: 0.9k

You remember the first time you saw Tsukishima. It was during one of his volleyball practices; you were simply taking a stroll when you noticed the door to the gym building was wide open and then decided to adhere to your human instinct that was nosiness by sticking your head inside. Though you weren’t — and still aren’t — well-acquainted with the mechanics of volleyball or whatever, he looked pretty cool the one (1) time you witnessed him block the ball before you hurried away to the nearest vending machine to bully some snacks out of it.

Then you remember talking to him for the first time — or rather, attempting to. Really, you try not to think about the interaction that much because it gives you second-hand embarrassment looking back on your past self, who, you aren’t sure how but somehow, had developed something of a crush on Tsukishima. (Ew! Yuck! Blegh!)

“Excuse me?” you whispered to him. He sat only a few feet away in front of you, so you figured he’d be able to hear you just fine, and if he was any closer, you were sure he’d be able to hear your heartbeat racing. “Could you help me with this question, I don’t und—“

Without even sparing a glance at you, Tsukishima replied curtly, interrupting the middle of your sentence, “Ms. Sato would be more than willing to help you.”

You cringed a bit but quickly recovered as much of your dignity as you could and did as told, standing up from your desk. He seems to think he’s the shit for whatever reason, you thought to yourself as you made your way toward the teacher’s table. What an insufferable scrub, you continued to bitterly muse.

But next you remember, a few weeks later, being assigned as partners for some project in school and visiting his house to work on said project. You remember meeting his family, how you were greeted with such great hospitality that it almost made you queasy; remember the days where you’d prolonged your stay for so long that his mom made him walk you home just to be safe and eventually the days where you were invited over even when there was no longer a project to work on.

You remember when everything finally clicked into place, when he was no longer an insufferable scrub to you and you were no longer like a rash on his arm, a stressful presence in his life, as Tsukishima so kindly told you once, that stayed around just because of the fact that his mom thought you were kind of funny.

The word relationship tasted strange on your tongue for the longest time, but you got over it anyway.

And now you’re in class, sharing AirPods — one in your ear and the other in his. In your ideal world, you would’ve been sharing wired earbuds, perhaps on a bus or train, to fulfill your Pinterest couple dreams, but given the two of you are in the middle of a lesson, you suppose that this is as romantic it’s gonna get.

Even so, you fixate your eyes on him, giving him a placid stare as the new song blares in your ear. Tsukishima, for some reason, pretends not to notice this, deciding to instead focus on writing down notes.

In a moment of silent rage, you tear off a large piece of your notebook paper and begin scribbling something on it. Once you decide you’re done, you crush it into a ball, extend your arm outward to your right, and drop the note on Tsukishima’s desk, all while making intense eye contact with the words written on the chalkboard up front as if that indicates you’re paying attention. You’re only lucky that the teacher’s attention isn’t on the class at the moment.

Tentatively, Tsukishima flattens the piece of paper out of its wrinkles with the palm of his hand, smoothing it once and then twice before reading its contents.

Can you change the song plz ♡ xoxo [Y/N]

He glances back at you, giving you a questioning look. You’re not sure why because you think your message was clear enough by itself. Regardless, you respond by pointing to your ear, distaste written all across your face. Tsukishima’s gaze doesn’t waver until you blow him a silent yet dramatic kiss.

Trying his best to ignore the immediate reddening of the tips of his ears, he writes something down in response to your note. After a few moments, he crumples the paper and tosses it onto your desk in a much more discreet manner than the way you did it.

Why?

Not too long passes before you send it back.

This song is an earsore ♡♡

Forgetting for a brief moment that he’s in class, he audibly sighs. The teacher shoots him a glare, which he ignores.

Not that I don’t agree with you, but I can’t change the song right now. My phone is in my backpack. It’ll be too obvious.

Booooo you SUCK!!!! ♡♡♡

You’re going to eventually fill up the page if you keep adding so many hearts.

Live with it babygirl my love for you has no limits ♡

You carefully watch his reaction as he reads your last message. Finally, with another annoyed sigh, he reaches into his backpack, and a couple more seconds pass when you hear the beginning of a new song.

Don’t say things like that. You were right though, that song was getting unbearable.

No you changed it cuz you love me ♡♡♡

His reply arrives after some minutes, for no apparent reason.

Maybe. ♥︎

You look up and Tsukishima’s smiling at you — faintly, but it’s definitely there, vanishing off his face almost as soon as you see it. Perhaps you’re still like a stressful rash on his arm, but if he has to be honest, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

[wordy-little-witch]

Hiii its me again how r u? its hot as hell in my country so im drinking...alot..of water.. so um,, about the vamp buggy blood drinking.. 👁👄👁 can u share us the steamy and maybe nsfw of crossguild n vamp buggy drinking their blood?thank u🙏🙏🙏

Hey, hun! Make sure to stay cool ♡ I live somewhere hot too so it is. Icky. I Get That. Blegh.

As f9r your requested content~

Below the cut, 18+ only ♡♡♡

• the first time is after an attack on Karai Bari. Buggy gets hit with a seastone bullet, protecting someone else, and while the Marines were handled.... swiftly.... following it, the damage was still done. Buggy refused to take from the limited blood stores because their medical tents were targeted specifically. While he may be eccentric to an extent, his crew comes first. He's not DYING, it just.... really sucks.

Removing the bullet is also difficult because it neutralizes Devil Fruits, sure, but only in certain concentrations. One tiny bullet make this fuzzy, exhausting, etc, yeah, but isn't completely debilitating. Surgery is risky. Crocodile can't use his sand to pull it out. It's a hot mess.

Mihawk has the idea to let Buggy feed from one of them - a live donor to skip the medical tents all together. Drink from him, he proposes, to stabilize and then we'll get you taken care of.

Buggy.... finally agrees. He tells Mihawk to just get the bullet out himself if he can, since blood will speed that healing process, and it'll be done and over with quickly. Crocodile sits behind Buggy, wraps him in his arms and sand, and Mihawk coats a small blade with haki and alcohol to be safe.

It's excruciating, but Buggy doesn't scream. He tilts his head back, gritting his teeth, fangs bright in the candle light, pupils shrunken into dangerous slits. It is over quickly, and then Mihawk quickly cleans the blade, shifts his weight, and draws it over his own palm, cupping the blood like an organic chalice, and offers it to Buggy.

Lips and tongue descend onto him in desperation, suckling and soothing the wound as soft moans escape into the humid night air. Buggy nurses the wound like a kitten seeking milk, and Mihawk and Crocodile are left with... tighter pants than usual. Especially when Buggy leans back, lips smeared and stained with a red slightly different to his lipstick, bullet wound now but an echo of phantom pain and his gaze hazy and wanting.

They descend on him in turn that evening.

• the second time actually involves teeth. Mihawk is the one to bring it up. He gives a simple "if you are comfortable with it, I would like you to bite me." Buggy bluescreens, dropping his book as his body clicks apart in surprise.

"What?"

"I would like you to bite me. Feed from me. There are numerous veins you could choose from, and I would consent to most. Preferably, it could involve a sexual component, but I am open to that being withheld."

Maybe it's the candid nature of his request or maybe Buggy is just... comfortable with him, bur he agrees.

They let it happen naturally, kisses and touches wandering, hands exploring and wringing sounds from one another. Buggy goes so far as to even drag a fang carefully along a vein on Mihawk's member between sucking and bobbing his head, a pale hand fisted in his locks.

It's as Buggy is worked open, is sinking down onto the other, thighs trembling his he straddles the swordsman and clings to pale shoulders that his mouth falls open in a moan, that Mihawk steals his breath in a kiss, and then tilts his head pointedly with a wicked smirk. Buggy tightens around him, blushing, but leans in, lips and tongue dragging, sucking, searching, coercing a spot into readiness before he sinks his teeth in, the gradual pace he'd he'd planned thoroughly ruined when Mihawk bucks his hips, catching him off guard, and his fangs sink in all at once. Rich iron explodes on his tongue, loud moans from both exploding, and Buggy's eyes roll back as his senses get overwhelmed with his lover, his Hawkeyes, his Mihawk, so big inside him, so warm around him, so rich in his mouth.

He's cumming so suddenly that he can't even process it, thighs tense and twitching and wet from his release. Mihawk holds him steady, petting his hair, whispering praises into the heated air and still grinding his hips into the wet molten heat of his lover's body. Buggy is overwhelmed. He's hyperaware. He's shaking from it. He needs more. He can only grind his hips downwards, hoping the message gets across, and Mihawk, perceptive, observative Mihawk, grabs his hips and begins a steady, deep, but unhurried pace.

Buggy is left boneless and sated at the end. Mihawk is left covered in scratches, bites, and a glow of complete satisfaction.

• with Crocodile, it's slightly different. It was not discussed explicitly before hand, and it's midway through him fucking Buggy into the mattress, hair a mess and face even worse with his makeup smeared and smudged and ruined. Buggy's teary eyed and clinging and trembling, sensitive but pliant, eager to be a good boy for Crocodile. He's got the hook pressed to his face, and a particular thrust has him crying out sharply, the hook shifting, and Buggy is suddenly biting down desperately on the metal, moaning lewdly. Croc just huffs a laugh.

"Oh, I've got something better for you to bite," he snarks, leaning down. "Let daddy fill you completely..."

Buggy tightens at the statement, mouth falling open again as dropl so hid cheek, and Crocodile tilts his head invitingly with a semi-mean smirk. Buggy clings and whines and begs, huffed moans knocked from his lungs with each punishing thrust. The size differences it difficult, and the first bite is over Crocodile's pec, above the curving scar and marks on his skin. The second his higher, close to his collar bone. The third and final is to the neck, finally done when Buggy regains enough faculty to recall that he can split and reach that way.

The last bite involves a hand in his hair, unyielding but gentle, and when Crocodile moans praise while Buggy swallow that fist proper mouth full, he is done, especially when the other does not stop his hips, instead somehow even seemingly increasing the force and speed.

Buggy's left a mess, incredibly embarrassed because he didn't even know he could squirt, yet Crocodile seems absolutely smug like the cat with the canary.

• anyway yeah, nsfw vampire content eyyyy

[gaycrittercentral]

Just a random question-

Why is your art so good pfft- ok heres real one-

What are your thoughts on a Sam&Max Au where Sam gets injured? Totally doesnt have an au with this premise...

SCREECH ?????? 💕💖💕💖💕 awww thank you that’s awful sweet!! ^^ it’s bc I’m gay and I’ve been hyperfixating on them for like 2 years lmaooooooo

OOOOH aus where Sam gets injured…I love me a good hurt/comfort thing, let’s see what I’ve got kickin around in my piles of vague aus and fic beginnings eehehhee

Blegh having just perused my options I have come up with a disturbing lack of fitting scenarios >:( why haven’t I done this!! Closest I’ve got is a goofy little Titanic au I drafted up after seeing it for the first time like a year ago and deciding that what Rose really needs, instead of a boyfriend, is a couple of chaos dads to encourage her to leave her shitty situation and be a goblin lmaooooo. I had Sam almost freeze to death in it but I couldn’t actually kill him bc I’m a soft bastard at heart :p so if anyone’s interested in that I could drop a link to it hhhdgsjdhdhd, I think it turned out pretty funny teehee

WAIT WAIT I JUST FOUND THIS IN MY SKETCHES THIS KINDA FITS (tw blood?)

Poor Max. He was really looking forward to how cool that’d look lmaooo

[pandoraheadcanons]

You know what's sad? People would probably hate Spider less if he was a Na'vi. Especially considering how they're treating Quaritch and Lyell.

They hated both in the first movie and suddenly simping for them now, in this film, cause they been Na'vified.

Oh yeah, if Spider had an avatar he’d for sure be treated differently by the fandom.

In fantasy/sci-fi settings, humans quickly become “basic.” We already know what we are, we want to know about the cool aliens. It’s kinda how like the person who plays a human in DnD gets made fun of for picking human when they could’ve been an elf, tortle, kenku, etc.

The idea of a human kid being raised with Na’vi kids is super fascinating, but unfortunately people didn’t read it that way.

And yeah the simping is kinda blegh. Like it’s honestly dampened my enjoyment of going into the tags so if this blog is quieter its bc I dread doing that now lol.

[phoenixfangs]

tagged by @rizaposting HOLDING UR HAND AND PRESSING MY FOREHEAD AGAINST UR SHOULDER i never get tagged in these so this is fun huehue

are you named after anyone? not technically, ive asked my parents multiple times about How they came up with me and my siblings names, but they just. didnt think very hard about it. fjkdlsjfdlas. but in a way im named after my mom, because me and saturns given names start with the same letter as our moms; my younger siblings names start with the same letter as our dads. i guess me and saturn could also be named for one of my dads uncles?? our names mixed make that uncles name. but idk im not willing to believe my dad cares that much about Anyone in his family to honor their memory through our names lawl

when was the last time you cried? i think the other day watching atla, when zuko and iroh reunite before the final battle. zuko trying to stumble through an apology and thinking iroh must hate him, but iroh just without even saying anything grabbing zuko and pulling him into a tight and tearful hug... man ;_;

do you have kids? HELL NO!!!!! im barely halfway through my 20s i should be at the club. dont want kids, never wanted kids, will never want kids. i will tolerate being my nieces and nephews cool auncle when my siblings start having kids of their own, and No More, thanks

do you use sarcasm a lot? i guess so?? its hard to gauge. i feel like most of the time i speak sincerely, but i will also throw in the occasional sarcastic quip. shrugs

what sports do you play? i dont play any sports anymore, but up until high school i played softball. i was pretty good i think! pitcher and second base. also in middle/high school i was a baton twirler for band and i guess dance competitions (i have Never thought of it as 'dance' but i guess technically i was dancing... blegh), and im gonna count that as a sport. any activity with the possibility and probability of being hit on the head by a metal rod counts as a sport to me

what’s the first thing you notice about people? probably their height. most people are taller than me but i will make an immediate note of people who are Shorter than me

what’s your eye color? grrrreen gray? i spent a few minutes staring at my eyes trying to figure out the color but all i did was strain my eyes jfldks

scary movies or happy endings? hmmmmmm i love both. i like blood and gore and guts and evil, but i also like heartwarming fluff where everything works out. i cant decide!! it just depends on my mood hehe

any special talents? i hesitate to claim i have perfect pitch because it sounds self congratulatory, but im pretty sure i have perfect pitch lmao. i cant Identify notes by name but i can recreate pretty much any note i hear, as long as its in my range. im not a good singer though lawl i dont have the technique. in the same vein, i can recreate other noises i hear pretty well, like i taught myself how to do the perry the platypus clicking sound Thing he does just by listening to it

where were you born? texas born and raised! everyone i knew growing up was a redneck or a 'cowboy church' christian

what are your hobbies? drawing, writing fanfic oneshots or rps with friends, bideo games, rewatching the same handful of tv shows and letsplays and video essays over and over again

do you have any pets? my son, my sweet bubby, apollo :> my stupid little man, hes gonna be 3 this year i think! flame point siamese kitty, dumb as rocks, currently i think hes burrowed in the sheets on my bed taking a nappy

how tall are you? 5'2", but add a couple inches because i almost exclusively wear shoes that add height, like my Big Dyke Boots i wear every day hehe

favorite subject in school? any of my electives probably, like art and music/band. in college my favorite classes i ever took were film appreciation, screenwriting, and theatre directing (which i signed up for thinking it was film directing, but it was still so fun and interesting)

dream job? honestly?? i think anything on the set of a movie or tv show would be awesome. maybe creative consultant, so that i can interject my own ideas into other peoples projects. i tend to feel my most creative when im working Around other peoples ideas tbh. all that, or lead writer/director on my own tv show/movie/video game, if i ever feel like i can handle that pressure

GET TAGGED @applescabs @lizardyeast @cottagegay and anyone else that sees and wants to participate :>

[tsukikoayanosuke]

A Harvest Moon Tale  - Ruikasa Week 2023

Day 7: Free Day (Childhood Friends)

"Raaaaaar! Flower Bud village belongs to me!"

"Stop you evil being! I, Pegasus the Shining, will protect the village! Cosmic beam!"

Rui fell down to his knees. "Aah! You got me!" He dropped, tongue out with a loud dramatic 'blegh'.

"Ahahaha! Flower Bud village is saved! Thanks to Pegasus the Shining!" His friend laughed before laying on the ground next to Rui. "That's so fun!"

Rui looked up at his friend, smiling at him. "It is." Then he remembered something. "Oh. I want to show you something." He opened his backpack and took out a handmade book.

"A book?" His friend leaned closer. Rui opened the first book and his friend's eyes widened when he saw Rui's drawing of their character. "Pegasus the Shining! You've been writing it?"

"Mhmm! I want to remember this story forever, so I write it down."

"That's so cool! You're so smart Rui!"

Rui picked up his colored pencils and started to write. His friends watched him through, adding more flare along the way. They doodled on the pages and added various stickers.

"There," Rui said proudly as he closed his book. He stared at his friend. An idea popped in his head. "Here," he offered the book to them.

"Huh?"

"Keep it."

"But it's your book."

"I want you to keep it." Rui put the book on his friend's lap. "Next time I visit, we can write a new book. So, keep it safe, okay?"

His friend picked up the book, looking through the pages in astonishment. His friends grinned at him. "Alright!" They hugged the book close to his chest. "You can count on me!"

——————————————————————————————

The library was the last place Rui visited during his first day back in Flower Bud Village. The door's bell chimed and the young man behind the table looked up from his book. "Hmm? I don't think I recognize you..."

"I just moved here," Rui said. "Just visiting to say 'hi' while I'm going around the village."

"Moved...Oh!" The young man's sunset eyes widened. "Are you the new guy at the old man's farm?"

"That's me. I'm Rui Kamishiro." Rui offered a hand and the young man took it for some excited shakes.

"Tsukasa Tenma! The librarian." Tsukasa brightly smiled and Rui had to admit that it was an infectious smile. "Ah, this is embarrassing! I forgot that Mama said there will be someone new moving in to restore the old man's farm. I should've prepared a welcoming gift."

"There's no need. But I'm assuming you're the mayor's son then?"

"That's right! I'll visit the farm soon. With a proper welcome this time!"

"Well, I'll be waiting for you then."

Tsukasa did fulfill his words, bringing a bouquet of Moondrop Flowers and staying to pull some weed.

——————————————————————————————

Rui entered the library first thing in the morning after going to the Shinonome's shop for their work table.

"Hey there," Tsukasa greeted.

"Hi. Look what I found." Rui dug in his backpack and took out the thing that he just fixed. He put it on the table for Tsukasa to see.

"A music box?"

"I was doing some digging and found this. Had a treasure map as well."

Tsukasa hummed. "I've never thought that you're an adventurous type."

"I surprised myself too. Want to listen to it?"

"Sure!"

Rui winded up the music box. The sound that came out was nostalgic. It reminded him of Grandpa and that one summer visit.

"What a beautiful melody..." Tsukasa muttered. Rui looked at him. Tsukasa was focusing on the music box, elbow on the table and cheek on his palm. His eyes were fluttering, almost as if he was about to fall asleep from the lullaby.

Rui made up his mind. "You can keep it," he said.

Tsukasa looked up in surprise. "Eh? Are you sure? But isn't this your buried treasure?"

"I want you to have it." Rui pushed the music box closer to Tsukasa with a gentle smile. "I can always try to build a new one. So, keep it safe, okay?"

Tsukasa looked at him and the music box back and forth. He grinned widely. "Alright! You can count on me!"

Huh. That sounded very familiar.

——————————————————————————————

"I think it's kinda ironic that you're a farmer and you don't like vegetables."

"I'm giving it to the people who need them more."

"Then what you've been eating all this time?"

"Did you know the bakery's bread is so good?"

"Are you saying that you've been eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast all this time?"

Rui didn't answer. The judgmental stare from Tsukasa made him sweat. It was easy to put two-on-two together. "Rui!"

"I have eggs too..." Rui whined.

Tsukasa put his hands on his hips like a scolding mother. "Vegetables are important! It's for your nutrition!"

Rui pouted. "That's just a myth. Look at me. I'm doing fine until now."

"You're sure a picky eater." Tsukasa sighed. "If I'm living with you, I'll make sure to make you eat vegetables more."

Rui paused from putting the cake into his mouth. Did Tsukasa even realize what he just said?

"You know what?" He pointed his finger at Rui, a determined glint in his eyes. "Tomorrow, I'll make you a dish that'll make you love vegetables!"

Rui chuckled nervously. "I don't think that'll work."

"There's no harm in trying! So be prepared!"

"Oh, dear..." Rui finally ate the cake. But it was too hard for a cake. And metal-y. Rui spitted the thing onto his fork. "Oh." It was a coin.

"Rui! That's the coin!" Tsukasa gasped. "You're the king!"

Rui chuckled. "I guess I am~"

The mayor noticed this and announced, "The king next year will be Mister Rui Kamishiro!" She approached, shaking Rui's hand after he put down his plate of cake. "Congratulation, young man. You'll be playing an active part in next year's sowing festival and spirit festival."

"Ah, thank you very much." Rui smiled.

"Alright. Let's start the dance!" The mayor clapped. "Everyone, choose your partner!"

Rui looked around as everyone moved to find their partner. Rui turned to Tsukasa. "Tsukasa." He offered a hand at him. "Will you dance with me?"

Tsukasa's eyes widened slightly before smiling gently which made Rui's heart skip. "Of course."

The dance was fun despite none of them being good at it.

——————————————————————————————

It was raining when Rui's knocked at the mayor's door. The door was opened, revealing Tsukasa's little sister. "Oh. Rui!"

"Hi, Saki." Rui smiled, lifting his cooked poached fish that he made this morning. "The library is closed today and I was wondering where Tsukasa is."

"Oh, he's feeling a bit under the weather," Saki said with a sad tone. "Would you like to visit him?"

"Of course." There was no way Rui would pass this. How can he refuse in visiting a sick friend? Saki led him to the loft where Tsukasa was staying.

Saki popped his head from the stairs. "Tsukasa! You have a visitor." She called. Then, she turned to Rui. "I'll leave you two alone, okay?"

Rui smiled at her as a thank you. It was the first time Rui ever came into Tsukasa's loft - or bedroom. It was simply decorated, which was something Rui wasn't expected from a loud and bright young man like him. The owner himself was on the bed, sitting up slowly. "Hi, Rui," he said, voice hoarse and red face.

Rui smiled and sat on the stool beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great honestly." Tsukasa smiled sheepishly. "That's very kind of you to visit. Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me. Just focus on getting better soon."

"But you're here. I can't just fall asleep."

"I don't really mind."

Rui guided Tsukasa to lay back down and he didn't even fight back, too sick to even protest which tugged something in Rui's heart.

"You know, I had a silly dream," Tsukasa mumbled.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I was a superhero trying to protect the village from this evil magician." Tsukasa laughed but followed with a cough. "I called myself Pegasus the Shining."

Rui's eyes widened. There was it again. The feeling of recognition, like having to remember something.

"Well," Rui cleared his throat, "strange dreams can happen when you're sick."

"Kinda feeling nostalgic for some reason," Tsukasa laughed a little. "I've forgotten a lot of things about my childhood. Maybe Pegasus the Shining is one of them."

So, it wasn't just Rui. Perhaps they could bond even more between them. "Perhaps..."

——————————————————————————————

"Hey, Rui!"

Rui had just come out from milking his cow when Tsukasa arrived at his farm.

"Ah, Tsukasa." Rui waved as he approached him. "What can you do for you?"

Tsukasa cleared his throat as if to prepare himself for a speech. Then he struck a post, hand on his chest and the other stretched toward Rui. "Rui Kamishiro," he said, voice booming, "I would like to invite you to the Star Festival tonight! I'll be performing at the church but I want to take you to the mountain as well." This bravado flattered a bit as his eyes shifted and a blush appeared on his face. "But if you don't want to that's fine."

Rui chuckled. He's so adorable. "I'll come."

Tsukasa perked up. "Really?"

"I want to see the stars with you too." Rui smiled at him.

Tsukasa grinned at him; a grin that Rui grew to love, and he could practically see him vibrating in excitement. "Well, I'll see you tonight." Rui nodded and Tsukasa skipped away.

Rui did come to the church, not even thinking of skipping Tsukasa's performance. Tsukasa played the flute with Saki (who played the piano) dan the vineyard son, Touya (who played the violin). It was a wonderful performance, but Rui's eyes were always on Tsukasa, admiring how he looked even brighter in the center.

After that, the two of them headed to the mountain, far from the village. The star was twinkling brightly, something that he couldn't do back in the city. Tsukasa traced many constellations, rambling about the myth behind them. And Rui listened to him. He knew that Tsukasa loves when people listen to him and Rui loves how animated Tsukasa is when talking. Everything about Tsukasa is so adorable and lovable for Rui. Through the days, Rui grew more and more in love with Tsukasa. Tsukasa someone made Rui's days brighter. Or maybe he was hopelessly in love with the blond since the first sight.

Rui noticed Tsukasa blow his palm, rubbing them together. "Are you cold?" he asked.

Tsukasa nodded. "It's a bit chilly tonight."

A cheeky idea popped in his head. Rui put an arm around Tsukasa and pulled him closer. Tsukasa let out a squeak. "Eek! Rui!"

"It won't be that cold if we share body heat~"

"Th-That's true...But still!"

"Are you shy?" "I can see you blushing."

"How can you? It's dark!"

"Aw, Tsukasa is so easy to tease~"

——————————————————————————————

Before Rui even opened the door, a loud crash. "Whoa!"

Rui ran into the library, seeing Tsukasa on the ground surrounded by fallen books. "Tsukasa!" he shouted, kneeling next to him to look for injuries. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine." Tsukasa waved it with a laugh. "Wow, that's embarrassing."

Rui sighed in relief. "What are you even doing?"

"Rearranging some book." Tsukasa gestured around and Rui noticed some stacked books in some places and more empty space. "New year, new looks, after all. Mama also ordered some new collections, so I'm finding space for them."

"I see. I can help around."

"You're not busy with your farm?"

"I've done my chores for the day, so I'm free."

"Well, I don't mind some extra hand." Tsukasa shrugged with a smile. "Okay then. Let's work together."

They spent the entire afternoon rearranging and noting the books. It was less stressful than back when his farm was still a mess. But Tsukasa was there to help, so it was only natural for Rui to help back. Besides, he could spend more time with Tsukasa. So, it was a win for him as well.

It was then he found a very old book, almost like a scrapbook with its cover filled with stickers.

"Hey, Tsukasa," Rui called. Tsukasa answered with a hum.  Rui lifted the scrapbook. "What is this?"

Tsukasa looked at it and his eyes widened. "Oh!" He ran toward Rui and took the book gently. "Oh, wow. This is so old. I almost forgot that I have this." There was a gentle nostalgic smile on his face as he flipped the pages with the utmost care. "It has been a long time since I read this. Ah, this brings back so many memories."

The feeling returned. And it was as if blaring in his head. "Tell me more."

"Well, it is kinda blurry," Tsukasa smiled slipped a little. Rui knew that Tsukasa always felt down when he could remember anything. At that moment, Rui understood the feeling. "But I think I used to have this one friend. We played a lot, mostly about superheroes and fairy tales. This book is one of the stories from our play date. They gave it to me before they left."

Oh.

"Here."

"Huh?"

"Keep it."

"But it's your book."

"I want you to keep it. Next time I visit, we can write a new book. So, keep it safe, okay?"

"Alright! You can count on me!"

Oh...

"That book..." Rui started, testing the water. "Is it about... Pegasus the Shinning?"

Tsukasa frowned as he turned to him. "Yeah...How did you know?"

Rui took a deep breath before saying, "Because I think I wrote that book."

"You..." A gasp escaped his lips as his eyes widened in shock. "Wait... No way..." Rui stepped forward, taking Tsukasa's hand before the book could slip. "You... You're the..."

Rui sighed, eyes feeling teary. "I am."

Tsukasa's breath quickened. He leaped into Rui's arms, hugging him tight. Rui hugged back, feeling the young man trembling. "You're the kid...You're back."

Rui nodded. "I'm back."

"I can't believe I forgot! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay. To be honest, I can't remember the detail as well. I'm glad you still keep the book."

"There's no way I can throw it away. You wrote it for us." Tsukasa pulled back, eyes glistening with tears but his gentle smile never flattered. "Hey, can we read it? For old time's sake."

Rui nodded. "Of course."

They spent the rest of the hours reminiscing about the past.

——————————————————————————————

Rui almost wanted to run away, but he knew he had to do it. He couldn't delay it any longer. So, he forced himself to walk into his library with his face so red and swallowing his nervousness.

Tsukasa looked up to Rui from his documentation. "Hi there, Rui."

"Hi." Rui winched when his voice pitched up too slightly high.

Tsukasa frowned as he stood up. "Is there something wrong? You look tense."

Don't run away. Don't run away. Come on, Rui. Where's your confidence? "Tsukasa, I..." he gulped. "I need to tell you something."

"Okay?"

Rui huffed, steeling himself. "Tsukasa...I..." Tsukasa's eyes widened, but Rui was already going loose. "I love you more than anything else." "I love everything about you; your smile, your bright personality, the way your ramble about your interest, everything. I cherish everything and want to see more from you. For the rest of my life, I want to be with you and be there for you. So..."

Taking a few seconds of calm to breathe, Rui knelt down, taking a single glittering blue feather. "Tsukasa Tenma. Will you marry me?"

Tsukasa stood with his mouth fully agape. His cheeks flushed and the corner of his eyes welled up with tears. "Yes!" Tsukasa shouted, jumping into Rui, causing both of them to fall. "Yes! Yes! I will marry you!"

Rui hugged him back, happiness overflowing his heart. Tsukasa pulled back a little and Rui tucked the blue feather behind Tsukasa's ear. Rui cupped Tsukasa's cheek and they shared a gentle kiss.

——————————————————————————————

On one gloomy summer day in Rui's childhood, he went home after spending time at his grandpa's farm, leaving a childhood friend behind.

On one bright summer day in Rui's adulthood, he returned to his grandpa's farm, reuniting with his childhood friend-turned-husband.

[penguin--person]

Top Ten Reasons Why DIMANYA Is AROACE as FUCK

Hi. My name is Penguin and I have prepared an explanation (there’s no top ten reasons actually, I lied) as to why Dmitry and Anya are both aroace.

anyway, fuck proper punctuation.

i'm gonna split this into part one, Anya - part two, Dmitry - part three, allo/heteronormativity - part four, ace stuff- part five, both of them combined and their superswag aroace power.

Anya - anya, our dear friend Anya… i think she has the mindset of “all this lovey dovey stuff is just one big joke. everyones playing a trick on me. theyre lying to me again, those losers!!” until she meets dima. then, it's “omggg i feel so strongly towards him, i feel so happy with him, this must be the love everyone is talking about!! this must be a crush” while little does she know, yes, she loves him, but not romantically. before she meets him, she’s “not like other girls”, she’s DIFFERENT, she’s BETTER than to get a stupid crush. when she gets in trouble with those guys in Punch it, Punk! she thinks “I could really use a prince charming now”, at first thinking that this is her romantic break. but then she thinks “you know what fuck it ill take anyone”, showing she doesnt care much for the romantic norms of having a prince charming. Anya can take care of herself but would like it if someone took care of her for once. when she gets in trouble with those guys in PIP and dima rushes in and saves her, its like! he cares for her! he helped her despite not even knowing her! this Must mean that he loves her a ton

Dima - dima doesn't know what a boyfriend is. he doesn't strike me as the type to read/watch the limited access to the romance genre he gets at the facility, and temnova doesn't strike me as the type to teach him about all that. so, when he saves anya and she gets so. so happy. so lovey dovey. patches him up (though olga probably did that, anya probably convinced her) even though she doesn't even Know him, and she gets him a place to stay at olga’s without him even asking, and when she asks “anyway, do you wanna go out with me?” do you think he fucking knew . what that meant. “do you want to be my boyfriend” now that he'd understand. but i think he just said ok as in “do you wanna hang out with me”. anyway, i think when he found out that they Were dating. he didn't mind.

Dmitry just. just. unconditional love. that Must be romantic. it Has to be, yes? and what he feels towards anya should be that also, then, because he also thinks she's cool and swag and all. even if it wasn't, i don't think he'd care. he cares for her and that's enough, mhm?

Allo/heteronormativity - this will mostly be centered around Anya because she has more experience with it. this is also going to be based a lot around my experiences, as i am so swag to have been blessed to be aroace, so. it's gonna be a lot of projection. anya never really thought about how she's never had a crush, but when she does (and its only because someone asks her “have you even ever had a crush?” and she thinks “oh. oh its supposed to be real”), it’s just “im so fucking cool for not having gotten a crush yet. i'm so awesome. psh. no insecurity here bucko. nah. i'm not like other girls (isn't a girl(but we’ll get into that later)).” she does have slight insecurity about it, but she always pushes it down. when she sees dima and gets such a strong attachment to him, it MUST be love at first sight. she’s still not like other girls (not a girl), but it's nice to be able to brag about your cool boyfriend. like, she just takes it that she’s too cool for all this romance stuff. but then dima comes. and what a boyfriend he is! so kind and cool, what more could anyone want? what more could she want? she's never felt so happy with someone like this, so it MUST be romantic love, it MUST be what she's been missing.

Ace stuff - anya thinks sex is gross and disgusting and can’t imagine how it could ever be enjoyable. she's the kind of kid to go “GROSS!!! BLEGH!!!” at even just seeing a kiss (unless she's giving dima a peck on the cheek ofc). she hates thinking about it, yuck, gross. even simple tongue kisses are disgusting - why are you putting someones tongue in your mouth, ew, yuck, Gross, thats Yucky. dima doesn't know what sex is, as the facility did not provide him with much information (“you're not going to be having sex anyway. we don't need to waste resources on teaching you”) and hed Never ask temnova about this kinda stuff. he thinks kissing someone tongue style is sex. he thinks ‘unprotected’ sex is like, doing it outside of the safety of your home. boy does not know a thing about it

Together - i’m going to now analyze the last scene of PIP through an aroace lens. dima gets confronted by olga. he panics, visibly. anya sees this. she returns him the unconditional love he first showed her when they met, when she was confronted by those guys, when he saved her. she sees him in trouble and becomes his prince charming, breaking the norm once again. anyway, i think even if anya and dima somehow realized they were aroace and somehow accepted it. they'd still wanna stay (at least anya would and dima wouldn't mind) dating. anya definitely loves to say “my boyfriend this, my boyfriend that”, and dima wants her to be happy. like even if they somehow learned what a qpr is they'd stay dating. for the swag

In conclusion, they’re Swag. theyre so aroace, three of my friends and i thought "mmm dimanya aroace swag" at different times before we even met one another

if you have any thoughts on this, i encourage you to expand on this in the replies/reblogs or even just tags!!! id love to hear what u lads think

[spotsupstuff]

Do all of the Eo iterators get fancy new puppets or is it only the messed up ones?

i'm thinkin that at first it's only for Zephyr n then waaaay down the line when everyone is calmed the fuck down on 100% and they actually manage to get that society going (which includes ensuring trading with other groups n stuff) then the new body becomes a more available thing for anyone who would like it. ofc the messed up ones are prioritized though, yeah

some are quite heavily against getting this new body, like Haboob (she went thru Hell to get the bod she does have rn), Boreas (believes he will lose his near invincibility n also it May be his new daughter's genes used for this but blegh Ancients anyway), Gem ("i am *already* perfect, i need no dirty You to help me."), Step and Vapor ("thanks, but we like how cool we are!") n so on

Spore will definitely need it but will try to fight it, because that's how she would end up alone for good, she says, eince she's completely lose connection to her Hivemind n also her little shroom friends (who r the main fuckin reason she needs this, but we ignore that). and then NAE is low priority but he does get one. Euros tells him he should get a peepee n hooha too and NAE almost tries his hardest to strangle him despite his lack of arms

[restlesscrybaby]

Here's you guy's first one!!

~ MERMAID!JACK HEADCANONS. ~

~ 'I'll be there when your reality drowns,' ~

☆ CONTENT WARNING : None. ☆

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You sat upon the dock, the water crashing against the pillars that dug deep into the murky water. The dock didn't move, standing a strong barrier against the battle of an enemy, one it was built to attack.

You sat, your feet dangling off the edge of the wood, your feet being lightly grazed by the water. Your shoes laid hopelessly beside you, your socks shoved inside of them to keep them safe.

But, it felt as though something was watching you...

Your eyes leered off of your own legs, glancing about to see if there was anybody around. But, through the bright light of the sunset, you couldn't see a single soul.

Maybe paranoia is stronger than you remember...

You hung your head back down, but your eyes focused on another pair of eyes, below your feet.

What the-!?

You shot your legs up, putting them on the dock. Your knees slammed against your chest, as you wrapped your arms around your legs.

What the hell?

Two, glowing, teal eyes peered right back up at you.

...

What?

Was it some kind of fish?

But fish didn't.. Those eyes were too human.

But, it started to lift itself up more, it wasn't no fish, it was a person. Guh, some person must've been trying to scare you..

But, they bobbled up out the water, you were greeted by a chubby face. Two rosey cheeks, but rather pale, almost tinted completely purple. It had short hair, it looked messed up, like something tried to cut it without knowing how too, but, it was cut.. Right? They had a hooked nose, a rather cute one, with the philtrum leading towards a set of plump lips. Two large fins were planted on the side of it..

Wait..

Fins?

Fins!! Ahh!

You took closer looks. They had gills, coated along the sides of their face, under their ears.. The gills dripped down until halfway on their neck.

What was going on?

They were curious..

Well, he was curious.

You looked so fascinating...

He loved humans, he always wanted to be human! It was always humans who got more attention. 'Look, our baby did this!' Or 'Oh, did you hear they did that?' Or 'I love them sooo much they're soo cuuteee!' BLEGH.

Let alone, that stupid Pinocchio took the attention from him, no one finds mermaids cool anymore.

You were perfect for his collection,

How your eyes dipped towards your nose, which folded and curved to your nostrils, your philtrum curling to your lips. Your jawline, your hair, your ears, oh my god, dimples, freckles, beauty marks, moles, birthmarks, everything you had was perfect.

But, you sat still, shocked. You thought mermaids were some kind of tale! You never seen them before, ever, not even here!

He couldn't help it, as you watched him...

A sudden, sloppy, wet, hand grabbed around your ankle. Webbed fingers clasping down, as his grip was strong. He was much bigger than you thought he was. Oh god--

He began to pull at you, but you had to fight back.

You fell onto your back as he began to yank at you, almost pulling you into the water entirely,

If you hadn't grabbed onto the space between two of the boards. Fingers clutched upon wood that was bound to give you splinters that would terrorize you.

But, he pulled. Your fingers slipped upon the slippery wood, you should've expected that, it was a dock. Of course the wood would be slippery, let alone on the other side, beneath the walkway.

Water crashed against you, as adrenaline pumped in your chest, you could hear your heart beating in your own ears as you slammed your eyes shut. Making sure to take a last big gulp of air.

The water emerged around you, clogging up senses with icky, wetness. You could feel his hand still holding onto your ankle, pulling you and pulling you, like a kid taking a toy from another.

Your eyelids draped open, water flooding them, but you could only blink it away. Desperate glances, you couldn't see where you were in the water anyway, other than at some points, such as the docks pillars. But, you tried to peep at the mermaid who was dragging you to your demise.

He was large.

Very large.

He had a big, protruding belly, that muffintopped over his own tail. His tail was most of his body anyway, but you caught glimpse to his actual human body first. A long pectoral fin planted on both arms, the spikes faded into a light purple upon the tips. The webs between the spikes were a plum color. You couldn't see his back, but you focused your attention onto his tail.

A harsh, purple tinted tail adorned his lower half...

... A shark tail?

You couldn't see his first fin, but you could see another set of pectoral fins planted on the sides, but it was obvious they would remain the color of his tail. Traveling further down the harsh skin, you couldn't see the second dorsal fin, but you glanced upon the set of pelvic fins that planted near the bottom. Curling out and down, to help swimming better. And oh, the anal fin that rested on the bottom side of his tail, a short spike but another to help swim. You couldn't help but notice the large, boomerang at the end of it all. His caudal fin. The thing that helped him swim the most.

Oh god.

A shark mermaid?

This couldn't be good?

But, you felt your head getting lightheaded. Air was getting loose, but you couldn't breathe out, you needed more. More air. But you couldn't swim up too quick if you got out anyway, your clothes weighed you down. Were you going to die here?

But, in the moment of panic, you began to squirm. Fight. You needed air.

Air.

Air.

Need. Air. Oxygen.

But, you felt a sudden relief, breathing out with an exasperated sigh...

A bubble surrounded your head, filled with some kind of air. Did he do that?

You felt him let go of your ankle, but you wouldn't dare swim away. No matter what.

He was quicker.

Faster.

He knew more.

So. You swam in place. Your legs gently kicking, swishing in the water to keep you afloat in the same place, but your arms were out, only slightly bent at the elbows as you used this to sit as still as you could.

Predator and prey, almost, he began to swim around and size you up.

He couldn't help but admire the work of humans.

They breeded and breeded and then, when these kids were born, they got older and made more! Perfecting their own bloodline. His eyes inspecting every curve and crack upon your skin, his tail swatting to propel him around.

Was he going to eat you?

Sharks don't eat people..

Do mermaids?

Oh god, you couldn't remember if they do,

But, he wasn't trying too.

You couldn't help it, but he looked wonderful, stleast when you could see him in the murky water...

Oh and you told him that.

Yes, he halted, he had been swimming behind you, but he propelled himself to be infront of you, forcing his large face infront of yours, almost popping the air bubble he popped on your head. He didn't want you dead, atleast not yet. Humans decayed too quick when dead in water. He learned that.

But, you? A human?

Called him beautiful?

Ha!

But, were you being serious?

...

You were being very serious.

He was surprised, obviously...

You began to try to get along, you began to start getting his trust..

He replaced the bubble, as you tried to tell him all about human things. He listened while circling, while gandering at you.

But, he took your arm eventually. He began to guide you around, but you struggled to swim with him, he was quicker than you. Obviously, he wasn't human. He was half FISH. Let alone, half SHARK.

But, he eventually let go, as he swam around.

Almost an invite.

But, you swam with, the best you could...

...

At some point, you held onto him, as he swam up. Home. You needed to go home.

His arms held underneath yours, wrapped around your back, your body against his body as his fin at the end of his tail swatted in the water, shooting you guys up. Hair swaying through the water, elegantly like some goddess.

He looked angelic, to be honest.

But, you couldn't tell him that,

Not now, maybe he'd force you to STAY if you dared to say that.

I mean, you wouldn't mind that..

But, his hair swayed and curled within the water, it wasn't intense, but a comforting look upon his hair.

You emerged out the water, the sudden embrace of hair causing you to tremble, your hair now sticking to your face and skin, as the wind caused your skin to cue out goosebumps.

His webbed fingers set you upon the dock, your soaken-clothes seeping onto the dock, as you blinked gently. You glanced down, to see if he was still there,

But,

He was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~

'Singin' with a siren.'

~~~~~~~~

AAAAA FIRST ONE!!! HERE YALL GO :3c

[dickbuttholeington]

Messy ranting

I believe that the reason why the normal uniforms in RGU are similar to utena's dress is because Akio is in power and his own ideals are misogynistic to the max! However, I personally don't think that's the only reason. When looking at the dueling uniforms, the cuffs look extremely similar to handcuffs and I think part of this has to do with the fact that in reality, they are prisoner but like cuffs, you can easily push them forward inside to no longer have them, or simply remove the buttons!

"But Otome, what about Nanami?! Or- or Touga??"

That's the thing. Nanami is a VERY sharp person and 100% knew what she wanted unlike many in the show, hell, she caught on to things quicker! While she was a prisoner to this duel, she could easily suspect. I believe that's why Nanami and Utena have extremely similar dueling uniforms, too!

Touga actually perpetuates this, despite being manipulated, himself, he still was a MAJOR help in getting everyone to duel against Utena. It's actually why we see Saionji have cuffs, too! He was more of a pawn Touga and Akio could use. But despite Touga being a helper for Akio (I mean who wasn't lololol) he still has sleeves that are actually kind of similar to cuffs! So does Akio (a little more on him after this.) I believe that this design represents what I have been saying!

Finally, Akio (blegh) as we all know, Dios was the ideal prince and that's the title he attempted to keep. I mean, the guy almost died because of this! Anyway, something I noticed between Akio and Dios' designs were the capes they both had! I noticed how much more visible his cape was and I believe this has to do with the fact that Dios tried to be the perfect man.

The cape essentially represents how heavy it was to continue this golden standard that he had to continue holding up. The white on the outside can be associated with purity, while the red represents every flaw he wanted to just keep a secret. Naturally, this wasn't very easy to hide at all! Especially when we see what actually happened when Utena and Dios first met (basically the guy was dry as fuck and did lower than the bare minimum) furthermore, I believe the cape was long to show how Dios had to continue with this act and drag it, basically. Also! I noticed he had cuffs as Dios!

Buuut when we look at Akio, he's literally wearing red. The same shade of red that he attempted to hide as Dios! Now it's just out in the open and that's because Akio literally is a shell of Dios, or what's left of Dios. Overtime, Akio masked his true self better (I mean c'mon, look at how many chicks he got in this show..) hell, he'd even have princely behavior!

More emphasis on the princely behavior because when you look at his cuffs, you can literally see that his is similar to Touga's and that's because he literally just won't move on from his princely years and instead wants to repeat it again by acting identical to it as much as he could! I believe this could be said for Touga but I dunno. Oh yes, and one final thing. Akio's prince uniform is red rather than blue and the cape is below the pants but you can barely see it because he's masked his flaws so well !

Overall, this was extremely messy but I think I made some cool observations. Let me know your thoughts?

[chaotic-nick]

'To the office, we go~'

(wc 816)

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x reader - Highschool AU

Plot: You and Kuroo get sent to the Principals' office.

Note: Decided I'd take a real-life event for my first Haikyuu Oneshot, I wrote this without a plan and just went with the flow.

——————

There was a war of poking tongues out in the class of 3-5, everyone who knew of it saw its beginnings in the second semester of their second year. No one thought it’d be carried on into their third year. Tetsurou, the one who consumed science textbooks day and night to make it his method of joking around. (Y/n), who had everyone convinced that her golden spoon in life was being born to an English teacher of a mother. It was between those two, and somehow it affected their classmates.

The rest of the class had watched it unfold, ending in Kuroo pulling his eyes down, tongue poked out and (Y/n) holding the ends of her hair up to call him a rooster. Not that it escalated to a battle of name-throwing and insults. Never. But they were yet to be seen by a teacher.

It was what kept their class on edge.

“This is so hard, (Y/n)-cchi, help me here. Please. I’ll buy you that popsicle— with the winning words?”

Another day of tables joined to make a bigger table where their worksheets covered it, and the windows slid open to let the cool breeze in before the last day of school. The excitement of their last day before summer lingered in the class. All of them haunched over their tables to copy each other’s answers.

“No need to, show me.” She turned to them, catching Kuroo in the corner of her peripheral vision. Already ready to—

‘Blurgh’, he poked his tongue out, pushing away a classmate who wanted to ask if his answer was correct. It was him who started it today. And in retaliation, she turned to him. Body contorted as if to imitate Sadako, unashamed as pushed the tip of her tongue out.

‘Bleh~’

“Yeah, these two will never stop.”

“Eh, my (Y/n)-cchi is cute. Tetsu-kun looks like a drunk chicken.”

It was a little game that was yet to be caught by the teachers, honestly, what would they say to them? Act their ages? They are. Act like the model students of Nekoma? Let them live a little, they were still students 

. . .

“(L/n)-san,” called their teacher, arm extended to the centre of the floor in front of the class. Her fingers curled behind the other pages of the book as she walked to the centre of the class where they could hear her read, always a delight to their English teacher’s class. 

“(L/n)-san, will read the next paragraphs after I explain the grammatical syntax. Class, listen well, this might come on the test,” she said, bending to write down the sentence.

As she waited her eyes roamed around the class. ‘Blegh’, and of the many times Kuroo’s tongue didn’t evoke any reaction from her, why did she have to fight every urge to laugh now? “Start, (L/n)-san.”

A giggle that she somehow managed to turn into a shakiness in her tone, “Ye-yes, ma’am,” not going unnoticed by her friends and their concentration being broken. Bending her head down to face the book, she started, “Lesson Name: We’re not afraid to die . . . if we all die together, written by~” still, she didn’t know why her eyes drifted over to Kuroo whose seat was in the middle of the class.

Maybe it was in the summer breeze blowing in the class. Or her mind not allowing her to focus on anything else by the promise of a convenience store trip with her friends.

Or it was Kuroo looking extra funny today. “Something wrong, dear? Is there something funny?”

It was the final touch, unlocking all self-control she had. Her mouth fell open as the hand holding the book pointed at Kuroo, laughing in front of the class. The other holding her stomach.

. . .

“Ah,” their principal raised his hand, motioning for them to come in from where they waited.

“Always a delight to see you two. How’s volleyball practice, Cap?“ Already on a first-name basis with the two from the many times, they walked into his office to ask for his signature for something. “Heard it’s well, so, what brings the two of you here?”

At this she turned her head at him, with eyes full of glee earlier, trying not to let a tear slip. Kuroo who still seemed cool-headed despite being told— no, he was yelled at. How could he be so calm after being yelled at for being so irresponsible in the middle of the class?

“For this one, Sir,” he said, sliding the slip with furious scribbles from their teacher. 

“A disciplinary slip?” And while his head was bent down re-reading the list, Kuroo took the opportunity to turn back to (Y/n).

‘Bleh,’ she poked her tongue out at the corner of her mouth, hoping that it had enough energy to send him into a laughing fit.

. . .

Tagging: @mrskodzuken because Haikyuu!

[problemswithbooks]

ngl my only praise for bnha was kinda the endeavour arc, but uh,,, yeah wtf was that chapter. "endeavour was right all along, he shouldve kept pushing the child!!" blegh

Yeah, I agree.

I really don't like the added ice Quirk from any angle. Sure, you can argue it gives more of an explanation on how Touya will inevitably survive, but it's weak at best. Ice doesn't heal burns and no amount of cooling would fix someone whose been burned to the bone all over their body. Ice or not he should be dead--I would expect Shoto to die if he ever looked the same way, even though he has ice. If the solution is going to be so nonsensical and handwavey anyway, and it undermines the themes and characters so much, might as well just drop it.

Touya's ice adds nothing and only negatively effects the themes and characters.

It's framed in a way where it can be seen as rubbing salt in Enji's wounds and showing how bad a father he was because Touya was perfect the entire time, but that only implies that Enji should have kept training Touya despite the physical pain it caused him. It's just weird because the story is shitting on Enji for one of the few things he did right. The issue never should have been that he stopped training Touya--it should be that he didn't replace that one on one time with some other safe alternative. Enji should have spent quality time with Touya regardless of Quirk, but he didn't. Yet, now it implies that the training would have paid off if Enji had just stuck with it.

This chapter also sort of props up the Quirk marriage he had with Rei. Her family was apparently full of inbred racists who would have sold her off to anyone with a big enough paycheck. It also gives more support to the idea that Rei was 100% on board with the Quirk marriage because that was what her family had been practicing for years anyways. On top of that the marriage worked first try with Touya. Touya's existence is no longer showing that trying for a perfect Quirk had detrimental consequences all on it's own, but instead that Enji giving up on Touya was the only reason he didn't achieve perfectness.

It also guts any character development Touya could have. He's now right, he was always the son Enji wanted. His constant suicidal and self harming actions get him exactly what he always wanted. He's literally being rewarded for being suicidal--which is a huge problem. He no longer has to come to love himself outside of his Quirk, see that he should always have been cared for no matter how useful he was to his father's ambitions.

It really does leave a very bad taste in my mouth with all the implications and twisting of the themes. I doubt any of it was intentional, but the execution is very flawed and I highly doubt these issues can be fixed going forward. It's just makes me really sad because Enji's arc was the one I was most interested in because it was actually showed how hard change is and was about an adult character rather then a plucky teenager. Yet, it's getting to the point I kind of think Hori might have had a better story if he'd left Enji a one dimensional asshole and killed him off given how he's written this side-plot.