#how it feels and might help Reki understand that Langa might feel that same way

[i-heart-hxh]

Hi...Can I ask, what are your KilluGon fav moments? And what are your fav personal headcanons about them? Also, do you have any fav ships (from any fandom) that the dynamics remind you of KilluGon? Thanks if you want to answer....

Hello!

Thank you for asking! This post will get way too long if I answer all your questions, so here's a post where I talk about some of my fav HxH moments (4/5 of which are KilluGon related), and here's my Headcanons tag to see some of the headcanons I've posted or approved of previously. I'm sure I'll revisit similar questions to these over time as well.

I haven't had anyone ask about ships that remind me of KilluGon though, and it's a fun question to answer! I think KilluGon is very unique, so these might not be incredibly similar, but I'm focusing on ships that give me a similar feeling or have commonalities that I think are worth mentioning. I enjoy all of these ships to varying degrees!

I'm going to stay away from ships from big, currently popular shounen series that people typically bring up in comparison with HxH (JJK, HeroAca, etc.), both because the ships I've come across in those don't actually remind me of KilluGon very deeply, and also because it's more fun to recommend ships/series people may not have heard of already!

Reki Kyan and Langa Hasegawa (Sk8 the Infinity)

I'm all but certain these two were based off Gon and Killua in part--the personalities of the two and dynamic between them feels fairly similar, and the antagonist of the series, Adam, also strongly feels like he's based off of Hisoka. The series itself is less serious/dark than HxH so the intensity isn't the same, but they definitely have a similar strong friendship basis and mutual adoration to Gon and Killua.

Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury)

Suletta is straightforward, somewhat oblivious, and grew up isolated from others (a bit like Gon), and Miorine is confident, tsundere, and trying to escape the influence of her rich and powerful family (a bit like Killua), and the two hit it off quickly and find joy and inspiration to keep going in each other. The degree to which they influence, support, and adore each other feels familiar. There are some later developments (spoilers) that remind me of Gon and Killua as well.

Yuki Sanada and Haru (Tsuritama)

Yuki, who has severe anxiety, ends up having his life transformed when the strange and overly friendly Haru appears suddenly. There's a real cuteness, joyfulness, and closeness between them that reminds me of Gon and Killua, and the way they help each other understand the world differently and change each others' perspectives as well.

Maru and Kiruko (Tengoku Daimakyou / Heavenly Delusion)

I can't say too much about this ship because I don't want to spoil any surprises, but let's just say in at least one major way it's not how it appears. Maru (the blond one) shares several commonalities with Killua, though he's at least a bit more straightforward in his emotions like Gon; while Kiruko is somewhat more tsundere initially (due to understandable past reasons). Their bond reminds me of Gon and Killua in that they travel all around together and develop a very close friendship and devotion to one another, and while one is more openly affectionate the other holds back more initially.

(This series contains some mature content, including a depiction of sexual assault, so please be careful when checking it out, but it's fantastic!)

Shindou Hikaru and Touya Akira (Hikaru no Go)

These two are rivals and obviously Gon and Killua are not, but at the same time there's a certain intensity and degree of being obsessed with each other than reminds me of KilluGon, as well as things like their bickering and the degree to which the series revolves around their connection. It's been a long time since I read the manga so I admittedly can't remember all the details, but I feel like it's maybe a few steps closer to Gon and Killua than, say, Hinata and Kageyama from Haikyuu (though that's also a great rivals -> friends ship that has some commonalities with KilluGon). It has a strong canon basis and I remember really enjoying how their bond develops!

Riko and Reg (Made in Abyss)

Riko is an adventurous, plucky girl who goes on a dangerous journey to find her missing parent, while Reg the robot boy supports her on their adventure (and semi-secretly adores her). Reg is also voiced by Mariya Ise, Killua's seiyuu, so it's hard not make the comparison! The personalities of the two are definitely similar and their bond feels familiar.

(Made in Abyss looks cute but it contains a great deal of upsetting/potentially triggering content, please be careful if you decide to watch or read it! It's amazing, but definitely not a series that will appeal to everyone.)

I hope people looking for similar ships might enjoy checking these series out!

[azure-sekai]

Just watched Sk8 episode 7, and I am v hurt for my boy Reki but someone please get that boy some therapy!!

Reki is still just a high schooler so it's only natural that his emotional state might fluctuate the way it has been this past episode! He literally was just trying to have a good ole time with his friend and got randomly trashed on by other skaters calling him a "lowlife that only hangs around [Snow]." Plus, I think he really did try his best to hold it together. He told himself that he wasn't the type to mope around and actively tried to gauge the different between him and Langa before suffering from a breakdown. I don't think his anger stems from being "talentless" but from being left behind cause all the other skaters that he hangs around are high level. Shadow is well known on S, Miya is on his way to being on the National Team, Joe and Cherry and renowned, and now Langa is also up there with them while he is just "the tag along."

Also, I don't know about you but I think he might have some PTSD when it comes to ADAM. This GROWN MAN PURPOSELY skated the way he did to break Reki which ended with Reki having to get sent to the hospital. ALSO, Reki was genuinely scared of ADAM and worried for Langa that he had a dream Langa died. Even during Langa and Reki's argument Reki says, "Do you know just how much I..." and its open to interpretation but I think he was either gonna finish with "I worry for you" to allude back to the dream or "I fear him" to talk about the legit trauma ADAM gave him.

Tbh that argument was bound to end like that from the get-go, not just because Reki lost control of his emotions, but because Langa brought up ADAM in sentence 1 despite Reki saying he really hates talking about him in an earlier conversation. Reki did try to walk away from the conversation, which may have given him some time to process and adjust, however, I respect and love Langa and think it was the right decision to tell Reki first but there may have been a better time to tell him rather than in the rain when he is trying to walk away after being incredibly worked up and disheartened.

TLDR; Reki and Langa are both babies, but Reki needs help and Langa was really not helping during that argument.

[that-was-anticlimactic]

time stops, though you don’t take a breath (renga)

aka boiling rock but renga written for @capt-snoozles alta / sk8 au

word count: 1,940

~

There was nothing quite like the feeling of Reki’s hair tickling his chin. His hair was so soft and had enough poof for Langa to bury his face in it.

“Langa,” Reki giggled, turning his head so he could look at his boyfriend. “You’re gonna mess it up!”

A soft whine escaped his throat as Reki turned, causing Langa’s chin to slip. “Mmm,” he grumbled, squeezing his arms tighter around Reki’s middle.

Reki sighed and shifted back to where he was before, allowing Langa access to replant his face in the ginger’s hair. “There you go, you big baby.”

Normally, Langa’s cheeks would’ve turned a bright shade of red at the comment, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care right now. It hadn’t even been a day since the group escaped Boiling Rock, and Langa was determined not to let Reki out of his sight for awhile.

The impromptu trip to the prison was to free Hakoda, Cherry, Joe, and Shadow. To be honest, Langa had not been prepared to find Reki or Suki there too. He thought that Boiling Rock was for high security prisoners like supposed war criminals and people who committed treason. He didn’t think the Fire Nation would send two kids there.

Langa could still feel the pang in his chest and the breath of air rushing in his lungs when Sokka had cried Suki’s name. He could still remember the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins when he looked over the balcony and saw not only Suki sitting on a bench, but also Reki.

Reki did something to him that nothing else could. Reki made him feel strong and whole and like anything was possible.

That was probably why, in the heat of the moment, Langa had attempted to jump off the building and into the courtyard.

Yeah, he could also still feel the pressure of Zuko’s arms wrapping around his chest and forcing him back onto the balcony and Sokka’s calloused palm when he slapped a hand over Langa’s mouth to prevent him from screaming Reki’s name and blowing their cover.

Suddenly, their plans had changed. There were two more people they needed to rescue because Langa was not going to leave Reki behind. Not again.

“What’re you thinking about?”

The glorious, heavenly sound of Reki’s voice drew him back to the present and Langa blinked. “You,” he answered truthfully.

Reki blushed, his cheeks turning nearly the same shade of his hair, and Langa hid a soft smile behind one of his curls. “Langa!” Reki pouted.

Spirits, Langa missed him.

“I was, though,” Langa said. “I missed you.”

At that, Reki smiled, the blush (unfortunately) fading. “I missed you too,” he replied softly.

There was nothing like the warmth that filled Langa’s body when he reunited with Reki to escape. They hadn’t been able to tell the redhead their plan in advance due to his echolalia, so Langa still hadn’t been able to hear his voice or hold him or tell him how much he loved him. They had to rely on Suki to relay the message shortly before the escape.

Langa had wanted to abandon the cooler—let Sokka and Zuko roll it down—the instant he saw Reki. And he almost did. It was only Zuko’s quiet “Don’t you dare” through gritted teeth that prevented him from doing so.

Then they were on the ground and Reki was there. He was just a few feet away.

So, Langa opened his arms and Reki came running—

Nothing compared to holding Reki—nothing except perhaps being held by Reki.

The second that Reki had made it to him, the second their arms were around each other, Langa had lifted him up, twirling him around. Reki’s mouth was pressed against the nape of Langa’s neck, so only he could hear his boyfriend’s laughter. Despite how muffled it was, it still filled the night in Langa’s ears.

Reki instinctively wrapped his legs around Langa’s waist the second his feet were off the ground, and Langa didn’t put him down for awhile, even after he stopped spinning. He didn’t want to let go.

Normally, he wouldn’t be able to hold Reki in the air this long—he didn’t have the strongest upper body—but this was Reki and it had been months since they last saw each other. It helped that he firmly planted his feet into the ground once he stopped spinning, and he thanked the Spirits for giving him incredible leg strength.

It also helped that Reki felt a lot lighter than usual, but that wasn’t good.

Langa shuddered at the memory of realizing that Reki was much easier to lift, and when his gaze flickered to Suki (who was having a whispered conversation with Zuko and Sokka), he noticed that she looked thinner than normal too.

And oh, how his blood boiled.

No, he hadn’t put Reki down until after they decided to stay and see if Hakoda, Cherry, Joe, and Shadow were arriving with the next batch of prisoners., despite Reki’s protests and Chit Sang’s complaints that they were disgusting (and they were used to it—they’d heard it all from Miya).

That was when he’d seen the dark bruise coloring Reki’s stomach. He saw it for the briefest of moments when Reki had lifted his arms to stretch after being put down, but they didn’t have time for that now.

“You okay?”

Again, it was Reki who grounded him, it always was. His voice was the gravity that pulled him back to the present and held him there.

“I was…” Langa trailed off, licking his lips. “I was so worried about you.” And then it all came rushing back—finding out that Reki was gone, that the Kyoshi Warriors that came to help were Azula and her friends, the pure rage that filled his body and consumed his mind when Azula said Reki’s name during the battle of Black Sun. Langa suddenly felt like crying all over again. “You were… you were there one day and then you were gone. Reki, I couldn’t—I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re amazing, Reki, you’re the most important thing in my life.”

Reki’s face softened and he squirmed until one of his arms escaped Langa’s hold, lifting it up and placing it gently on Langa’s cheek. “Hey, I’m okay,” he assured. Although it was a moment of comfort, something to help him calm down, all Langa could see was his bare wrist.

“Wait. Where are your friendship bracelets?”

Reki shifted uncomfortably. “They took them. We weren’t allowed to have anything with us when we got there so…”

Langa scrunched his nose. “But… your wrists. You need them or you scratch and hurt yourself.”

At that, Reki scoffed lightly. “I know you care about my tics, but the Fire Nation doesn’t. It’s not a big deal.”

But it was a big deal. When Langa squinted, he could see red marks on Reki’s wrist. He could seen faint lines where his nails had dug into his skin. It wasn’t fair; Reki didn’t deserve that.

“Hey, Shadow?” Langa called, raising his voice so the man in question would hear it from across the room (everyone could see that the two boys needed some personal time together so they gave them some space, but Joe, Cherry, and Shadow were still a bit on edge and didn’t want to let them out of their sight).

Shadow looked up from his own hushed conversation with Cherry and Joe. “What’s up? Are you okay?”

“We’re fi—“ Reki began, but Langa wouldn’t allow that.

“They took Reki’s friendship bracelets,” he explained, frowning. “Can you make him more?”

The older waterbender’s face shifted from confusion to understanding, and he sent the two boys a small smile. “Of course. Joe, you feel up to making some more charms?”

Joe cracked his knuckles, wiggling his fingers. “You bet I am!”

“And you’ll actually make them good this time?” Cherry said casually, twisting a strand of hair.

The comment made Joe’s eye twitch, and suddenly Shadow was stuck trying to break the two up again. Langa couldn’t tell whether they were trying to strangle each other or if they were making out, but either way, he did not envy Shadow.

Reki chuckled at the scene. “I missed them.” He tilted his head enough to look into Langa’s eyes, and blinked thrice. “You didn’t need to do that, you know.”

“Maybe. But I wanted to,” Langa said seriously (and Reki’s face flushed again—Spirits, it was the cutest thing). “You’re hurt. They hurt you.”

“They just took some string. It—“

“But they’re important to you and they help you so you don’t scratch yourself! And when you lifted your arms the other day I saw…” Langa swallowed, taking deep breaths because he couldn’t cry right now. “I saw a bruise. I don’t know how many more there are—there’ve been. You’re too thin, you and Suki both. They hurt you, Reki.”

Reki faltered for the briefest of seconds, his lips trembling. “I… a lot has happened the last couple months,” he said eventually. “But I’m fine, okay? I’m fine.”

And since Langa knows Reki, he knows what I’m fine actually means and he doesn’t believe it for one second. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not. I’m fine now that I’m here with you,” Reki said, and oh, how Langa’s heart melted.

“But what about—“

“I’ll be okay,” Reki interrupted, his eyes wide and swimming with something that Langa couldn’t quite discern. “You’re here, right?”

Langa nodded perhaps a little too aggressively. “Mhm. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know.” Reki clicked his tongue and his neck twitched. “We’re gonna get through this together, okay? All of this.”

“Okay,” Langa agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of Reki’s head. He paused and then said: “Are you hungry?”

There was a moment’s silence as Reki’s face twisted and he muttered the words under his breath a couple times. “Not really,” he eventually said, giving Langa an apologetic look.

That wouldn’t do. Reki needed to eat… but Langa wouldn’t force it. Not right now, at least. Everything’s happened so fast eating might be too much for him. Langa could still feel the adrenaline pumping in his chest (it hadn’t gone away. it had been there from the second they were running onto the gondola and a firebender had directed a burst of flames Reki’s way, from the moment Langa had shoved Reki behind him and drew water from the boiling lake below and doused the bender in it…) and he was sure Reki still felt it too (he could still see the way Reki’s chest had heaved when Ty Lee was about to hit Langa with her chi blocking—Reki hadn’t hesitated, he pushed himself between the two and blocked her fist).

“Okay. Are you thirsty?”

For a second, Langa was sure Reki was going to say “no”, to which he would’ve had to protest because who knows how much water the Fire Nation had given them while they were imprisoned. Luckily, though, after a moment’s thought, Reki nodded.

“Okay.”

Langa couldn’t help the wide grin that overcome him, and he (reluctantly) unwrapped a hand from around Reki’s waist and wiggled his fingers, popping the flask at his side open and bending the water inside so it floated to Reki’s face.

Reki rolled his eyes, playfully nudging Langa, but opened his mouth anyways, allowing Langa to direct the water inside.

“Thank you,” Reki murmured once Langa had bent the rest of the water back in the flask and made sure it was shut, snuggling closer to his boyfriend. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[baya-ni]

The Queer Appeal of Sk8

Recently @mulberrymelancholy reblogged a post of mine with a truly galaxy brain take about how Sk8 “is a show made for queer fans” and generally how sports anime often depicts love and relationships in a way that’s more accessible and relatable to ace/arospec people than other mainstream media does.

Just, *chef’s kiss* fucking brilliant. I urge you to read their post here (note I’m referring to the reblog not the actual post).

And basically, it got me thinking about this concept of Sk8 as a Queer Show, and the kinds of stories and dynamics that tend to attract queer audiences in droves, regardless of whether its queerness is made explicit or hell, whether that queerness was intended.

And that’s what I’ve been pondering: What are the cues, markers, or coding, in Sk8 that set off the community’s collective gaydar?

I obviously can’t speak for the community. So here’s what aspects of the show intrigued me and what, for me, marks Sk8 as a Queer Show beyond the subtextual queer romances: a punk/alternative aesthetic, Found Family, Shadow as a drag persona, and The Hands.

1.) The Punk Aesthetic

All three of the above screenshots are taken from Ep 1, and every single one of them depicts background characters. They’re nameless and ultimately unimportant characters, yet each of them designed so distinctly and so unique from one another, one could mistake each of them for the main character(s) of another story.

Of what little I know about Punk subculture, I do know this: that the ethos of Punk is heavily built around a celebration of individuality and non-conformity. Sk8 seems to have incorporated this ethos into the very fabric its worldbuilding, and the aesthetics and culture upon which it takes inspiration appeals specifically to a queer audience.

I don’t really need to explain why Punk has such deep ties with the queer community. For decades, queer people have found community and acceptance within punk spaces, and punk ideology is something that I think is just ingrained in the queer consciousness as both lived experience and a survival tactic.

Therefore, a show that adopts punk aesthetics is, by association, already paying homage to Queer culture, intentional or not.

Queer fans notice this- like recognizes like.

2.) Found Family

This also needs little explanation.

Too often, queer individuals cannot rely on their “born into” families for support and acceptance. Too often, we are abused, neglected, and abandoned by those who we were taught would “always be there for us.”

And so, a universal experience for queer people has been redefining the meaning of Family, having to build our families from scratch, finding brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers in people with whom we have no blood relation, and forming communities tied together by shared lived experience rather than shared genetics.

And this idea of Found Family is also built into Sk8′s narrative.

Like, for example, the way that Reki promises MIYA that he and Langa will “never disappear from [his] sight,” filling the void that MIYA felt after his friends abandoned him.

And in the way that JOE becomes a paternal figure for Reki, teaching him ways to improve in skateboarding, and ensuring that Reki doesn’t self isolate when he’s feeling insecure.

And in the whole Ep 6 business with Hiromi acting as babysitter to the Gang.

Hell, even ADAM (derogatory) is associated with this trope. Abused as a child, he finds solace in an underground skateboarding community and culture he helped create- his own found family (or some powertrippy version of it anyway).

Again, queer fans see themselves depicted in the show, but this time in the way that the show gives importance to Found Family relationships between its characters.

3.) Shadow and Drag

This is one that’s more of an association that I personally made. But I was intrigued by the way that Hiromi adopts his SHADOW persona. He wears SHADOW like a mask, and adopts a personality seemingly so opposite to his day-to-day behavior.

Further, the theatricality and general “gender fuckery” of his SHADOW persona, to me, just seemed so similar to a the characteristics of a drag persona (I don’t know a whole lot about drag but enough that I’m drawing superficial similarities).

There’s also this aspect of a “double life” that he, and actually all the other adult characters of the show, have to adopt, which is a way of living that I’m sure a lot of queer viewers see themselves reflected in.

4.) The Hands

Ohhhh the Hands.

One of the things I noticed very early on is the way the show constantly draws our attention to Reki’s hands, which I thought was a little strange for an anime about skating. After all, skating doesn’t really involve the hands, or at least the show doesn’t really draw attention to hands within the context of skating.

I count 3 times so far between Eps 1-9 in which hands are the focus of the frame.

First, when Reki teaches Langa how to fist pump after Langa lands his first ollie, second, when Reki and Langa make their Promise, and finally, when Langa saves Reki from falling off his board.

And you know what they say, twice is a coincidence but thrice is a motif (no one else actually says this I think I’m the only one who says this lol).

I’m not really certain why hands seem to be such a shared fixation among queer people (at least among those I interact with). All I know is that gay people are just fucking obsessed with them.

I have a Theory as to why, and at this point I’d love for other people to chime in and “compare notes” if you will, but I think it basically has to do with repression. And in the same way that queer people have had to redefine the meaning of family, we’ve also had to redefine intimacy.

Being overtly physically affectionate with someone of the same sex, even if they’re your significant other, or often specifically BECAUSE they’re your significant other, can still be dangerous, even now despite the “progression” of society. Queer people know this, this vigilant surveillance of our environment and ourselves, always asking ourselves, “Am I safe enough to be myself?”

Already, Western culture is pretty touch-averse. That is, it’s considered taboo to touch someone unless they’re a family member or a romantic partner. And to touch a person of the same sex in any way that could be misconstrued as romantic (which is most things tbh) is a big no no.

There’s just A Lot to unpack there.

But basically I think that queer people, by necessity, have had to learn to romanticize mundane or unconventional ways of being physically intimate so that we can continue to be romantic with one another without “being caught” so to speak.

Kissing and hugging is too obvious. But a handshake that lingers for just a second too long is much more likely to go unnoticed, braiding someone’s hair can easily be explained away as just lending a helping hand, touching palms to “compare hand sizes” is just good fun.

But for queer people, these brief and seemingly insignificant touches hold greater meaning, because it’s all we are allowed, and all we allow ourselves, to exchange with others.

God, I’ve gone off and rambled again. What’s my point? Basically that the way the show draws attention to Reki’s hands, and specifically how they’re so often framed with Langa’s hands, is one of the major reasons why I clocked Sk8 as a Queer. It’s just something that resonated with me and my own experience of queerness, and I know that I’m not the only one who noticed either.

~

So in conclusion, uhhhh yeah Sk8 the Infinity is just a super gay show, and it’s not even because of the homo-romantic subtext (that at this point is really just Text).

Because what’s important to understand is that Queerness isn’t just about same-sex romance.

Queer Love isn’t just shared between wives/girlfriends, husbands/boyfriends, and all their in-betweens. Queer Love can be two best friends who come out together, queer siblings who rely and support one another, a gay teacher who helps guide one of their questioning students, a queer community pitching in to help a struggling member.

And that all ties with another important thing to consider, that what we refer to as the “queer experience” or “queer culture” isn’t universal. In fact, it wrongly lumps together the unique experiences and struggles of queer BIPOC all under one umbrella that’s primary White and middle class.

So I think what drives a lot of my frustration about labeling a show like Sk8 as Queerbait is this very issue of considering queerness and queer representation within such narrow standards, and mandating that a show must pass a certain threshold of explicit queerness to be considered good representation.

I get that someone might only feel represented by an indisputable canonization of a same-sex couple. That’s fine. But labeling Sk8 as Queerbait for that reason alone ignores the vast array of other queer experiences.

The aspects of Sk8 that resonate most deeply with my own experiences of queerness is in the way that Reki and Langa share intimacy through skating (intricate rituals heyo). For me, them officially getting together ultimately doesn’t matter- I’ll consider Sk8 a Queer show regardless.

Similarly, @mulberrymelancholy​ finds ace/arospec representation in that very absence of an on-screen kiss. A bisexual man might find representation in Reki, not because he enters a canon relationship, but in the depiction of Reki’s coming of age, growing up and navigating adolescent relationships. A non-binary person might feel represented through CHERRY’s androgyny.

That’s the thing, I don’t know how this show will resonate with other members of the queer community, and it’d be wrong to make a judgement on Sk8′s queer representation based on my experiences alone.

That being said, Straight people definitely don’t get to judge Sk8 as Queerbait. Y’all can watch and enjoy the show, we WANT you to enjoy these kinds of shows, and we want you to share these shows and contribute to the normalization and celebration of these kinds of narratives.

But understand that you don’t have a right to tell us whether or not Sk8 has good or bad queer representation.

And even members of the queer community are on thin ice. Your experience of queerness is not universal. Listen to the other members of your community, and respect that what you might find lacking in this show may be the exact representation that someone else needs.

[reki-of-the-valley]

Cold December Night

Day 11 - Fireplace

Read it on AO3 here

First | < Previous | Day 11 | Next >

—

Langa watches as the snow swirls outside the kitchen window. It’s another nightly snowstorm; it’ll truly look like Christmas in the morning. With this much snow sticking to the window, he knows that it’ll be powdery white all around, fresh snow worthy of a holiday postcard. With this much snow, it’ll look like the Christmases he remembers from his childhood; it’ll be one of those cold mornings where the snow sparkles under the rising sun. It’ll be like those Christmases he spent with both his parents, except it won’t be quite the same. He can’t go back into the past, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to enjoy this year’s Christmas. His father might not be there, but Reki is. This year, Langa will be able to wake up on Christmas morning next to a beautiful boy who’s been gifted his heart. And given how starry-eyed Reki’s been during this whole trip, Langa knows that Christmas morning will have that magic it had started to lose with the years.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Langa leans back into the hug, Reki’s arms tight around his middle. He’s warm with his chin hooked over Langa’s shoulder, watching him stir the hot chocolate he’s been preparing. If every day could be spent like this, Reki snuggled close while the comfort of the holidays makes Langa smile, then he’d be over the moon. But as long as Reki is there, then Langa is content. That’s all he really needs.

“You,” he whispers against Reki’s hair, pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Sap.” He snuggles closer, the blanket on his shoulder enveloping half of Langa. It’s warm in the little cocoon Reki’s created, a little slice of heaven right there in the kitchen.

“Are you cold, by any chance?”

“Freezing.”

Langa chuckles at the dryness of Reki’s voice. He keeps forgetting that not everyone is cold resistant like he is. While he can easily take out the trash in just a t-shirt, Reki needs to bundle up the moment he set a foot out of the house. Even inside, Reki’s always got layers upon layers; just watching the snow fall makes him feel cold. Just thinking about the snow probably freezes him interiorly.

“Dude, why is it so freaking cold in here? Did you stop the heat or something?”

“The heat is on, Reki. I even made sure it’s on high for you.” Langa shuts the stove off before giving the hot chocolate one last mix. It’s steaming now, the milk almost boiling. It’s probably a lot sweeter than it should be, but Langa didn’t know what quantity of chocolate to pour into it. And anyway, can it really be too chocolaty? Was there such a thing? “And I made hot chocolate just for you. It should warm you up.”

“So cold, dude. I am so cold.”

A shiver jolts down Langa’s spine as Reki presses his freezing nose to the nape of his neck. He really is cold; Langa doesn’t understand how he’s that cold, but he knows Reki isn’t just exaggerating. He can’t fake a cold nose, the tip of his nose like ice.

While their drinks cool a little in the saucepan, Langa turns to be facing his boyfriend. He’s all wrapped up in his blanket, almost looking small in the cocoon that has swallowed him. And as Langa squeezes himself into his arms, letting himself be enveloped by the soft blanket, he can’t help the smile that grows. He can’t help the light chuckle on his lips as he rubs his nose to Reki’s.

“Are you wearing my pajamas?”

“They’re warmer than mine.” A slight tilt of the head, the perfect angle to press a kiss to that beautiful mouth. “And you never wear them, so.”

Maybe a kiss will warm Reki up. And if it doesn’t, well, it’s not like he seems to mind. Much like Langa, he’s enjoying the many little kisses they share. He smiles against Langa’s lips, whispering back an ‘I love you’ with that warm breath of his. And as he presses his body to Langa’s, curving into him, there’s no way that he’s still cold. He can’t be. Body heat was by far the most efficient way to keep warm.

“M'still cold, dude.”

Langa sighs but the smile doesn’t leave his lips. If anything, it grows as he trails kisses from Reki’s jaw down to his shoulder. As always, it pulls a shiver from the boy, but it’s not from the cold. His skin heats under every kiss, but when Langa is whispering into it, it burns. It burns hotter than the summer sun in Okinawa.

“I know a good way to warm you up.”

It’s instantaneous, Reki shoving Langa away and pulling his blanket shut over himself. His face is bright red, redder than even his hair. He’s red all over, and all Langa can do is laugh at his gaping and stuttering.

“I… Dude! Dude, you can’t just-! You-! Langa!”

It’s hard to talk while he chokes on his laughter, but he somehow manages. Somehow, he manages to choke his words out as he pulls Reki back into his arms.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I meant I can start a fire in the fireplace and we can sit by it until you’re comfortable.” Langa buries his nose in Reki’s hair, his laughter finally having calmed itself. “And you say I’m the dirty-minded one.”

“Well excuse me for my wandering mind! Look how you said it, man!”

A kiss is pressed to Reki’s mouth once more, quieting him a little. Not completely, they never do, but enough to at least calm him. The burning blush lessens as he melts against Langa once more, blanket-clad arms wrapping around Langa’s neck. At least Reki feels a little warmer than before.

“Go get comfortable by the tree while I serve the hot chocolate, okay? I’ll be there in just a minute to start the fire.”

“Fireplace cuddles?”

Another kiss, smiles pressed together. “The warmest cuddles for my favorite boyfriend.”

Reki snorts, a sound Langa adores. He knows Reki gets self-conscious when he snorts in public, his cheeks turning pink as he covers his mouth, but when it’s just the two of them, he doesn’t try hiding them. He trusts Langa enough that he doesn’t have to have total control over himself, letting himself ‘ugly laugh’ as he says rather than forcing that controlled laughter. He trusts Langa enough to be his authentic, beautiful self.

“You say that as if you have more than one.”

“Only you.” A kiss to the tip of his nose which is warm now. “There will only ever be you.” A kiss to his eyelid. “From now until the end of time.” A kiss to his eyebrow. “I’ll only ever love you.” A kiss to the lips which is gladly returned.

[princess-fuckrosa]

Hey how are you ?, I hope you are well and enjoy good health. I tried to find some post about the characters you write for but couldn't find it, so I'd like to ask you for one of Adam having a younger sister who he loves dearly, pure fluff, sibling love and comfort. Sorry to bother you and if the requests are closed I'm sorry to bother you = (

Hi sweetheart! The past days were challenging, but I'm okay, thank you for asking! 🤗💖

I have a little pinned post about my rules on the top of the blog, but I link it here too! Here, you can see the fandoms I write for. If you see there the title you would like to go for, I write requests for all characters from that fandom! Under that, there's an 'Additional Characters' point. For those fandoms, I only write for the listed characters. I hope it's helpful enough! ❤

I tried to do as much fluff as I could, but it's not that easy with this family, haha. I hope you like it!~

TW: Mention of slight angst

Ainosuke Shindo comforting his sister

Let's be honest, being in the Shindo family is probably a neverending nightmare. You and your brother learned early in your life that you have no choice but to obey and serve your family.

I imagine that you're somewhere around Reki's and Langa's age

Your aunts treated you somewhat differently than they did with Ainosuke, since he is the firstborn boy, and while you had a little more freedom, they scarred you just like they tortured his body and soul in a different way

You got almost the same, except, it didn't break your mind. You know and you always knew that it was wrong, but they were your family, right? Where else could you go, alone?

Ainosuke's mind and spirit became more and more tangled as the years flew by. But there were you: his little sister who he loved dearly. Ainosuke might have a twisted kind of idea of love and affection, but he knew how much pain you went through.

Don't expect him to take your side, from his point of view, love is pain and torture, and while his heart aches that you seem unhappy about it, he won't consider your feelings 100% valid. He thinks you are just confused, and he is sure that with time, you will understand the love your aunts showing towards you.

But no matter how twisted he got, he would never, ever hurt you. You are one of the few people he would touch with affection and care, you see that gentle smile often on his face when he looks at you, his red eyes are glimmering in a different way.

If he is around, and something awful went down between you and your aunts, it's a safe bet that you can go and cry in his embrace while he would pet your head.

But you have to be prepared for his words. He wouldn't criticize you harshly but would have a very specific opinion.

"I know how confused you are now, y/n, but with time, you will understand how much we all love you."

"I was the same for a while, but I'm sure you will find what's important in all of this. And you know that you can always count on your brother."

If you would request some sister-brother bonding time from him, he would surely find some time in his tight schedule to bring you out for some fancy ice cream shop or to buy you some new clothes

he would actually love to go out and have a big shopping day with you

He would often be on your side at family gatherings, trying to guide you through social interactions between you and your aunts, making sure that you won't get them angry or annoyed

He would try his best to take care of you in his own way.

[hickoryy]

Okay but I've been thinking about this all day cause everyone seems to only talk about how hurt reki is which is TRUE but I can't shake the thought about how much langa's hurting too.

The way reki's acting is totally understandable but langa doesn't actually know WHY he's acting that way he didn't hear all those people telling him he's not good enough. And I get why reki doesn't want him to break the promise but I also get why langa wants to skate against adam.

But after reki left him standing in the rain I can't help but remember the fact that his dad died. What if langa feels like reki's leaving him behind like his dad did like he finally has something he can enjoy again with someone he loves n that person shuts him off.

Reki has every right to be angry and scared but that doesn't mean that maybe langa is just as scared of losing him cause he has also lost someone before. Langa was so happy to finally have a hobby again, to have someone by his side again n that's being taken away from him now.

And I don't blame reki for that absolutely not neither of them are at fault here. They're both hurt and scared and while both of them want the same things they still don't quite add up. They're gonna have to compromise n talk it out cause neither of them has a clue right now what the other one's actually thinking.

Reki probably thinks that langa doesn't need him cause he's got all this attention and got so good in such a short amount of time but that isn't the case at all. Reki's the reason langa got into skating, he's the reason he enjoys it so much and I think losing reki will take away all that joy n replace it with reckless anger and sadness that's gonna end up hurting him cause he's gonna do something stupid out of frustration. Something that he might massively regret afterwards.

Yeah anyways if anyone actually read this, ily. Also fuck adam, bye.

[okumuruwu]

I miss my… best friend (renga oneshot) FLUFF & WHOLESOME

After Langa’s father’s death, his life has not been… easy. However, how could it be? After losing such an important part of oneself, easy is not the word to describe each passing day. He and his mom started off kind of a new life the moment they moved to Japan where the rest of the family were. And to be honest? That big and shocking change did not make his life any worse, instead, it helped the blue haired boy to cheer up and to keep moving forward.

At first, he did not think that transferring from Canada to Japan was a good idea, but who would have told him that there he would find such an amazing family? No jokes, Langa does consider them a family. He found peace in a group of boys who skate. Funny. There are the two parental figures (who literally everyone knows they are dating… or fucking, both as well), a cool uncle who may seem intimidating at first and one… cat-little brother? Well, of course then there’s him. His best friend? Brother? Dude? Screw all that, Langa is in love with him, maybe not since they met, but probably from not much after. He had a hard time understanding he fell in love with Reki, although he accepted it right away.

Nevertheless, it did not matter anymore. He couldn’t even tell him, actually, Langa couldn’t talk with him. They both had a fight around a month ago and Reki has been ignoring him since.

“How about you give him some space?” Langa’s mom suggested this when he broke down to her. She assured him that his friend would eventually come back or at least talk it out. And she was right in some way, we all need our space sometimes, we are humans after all. Feeling is what keeps us breathing.

This way, days kept passing by as his life continued getting harder and harder.

“Hey Snow” he was greeted by Joe as he arrived where the group had decided to meet.

“Mornin’, isn’t Cherry with you?”

“Can you guys stop implying we’re dating already? It’s getting out of hand”.

Simultaneously Cherry appeared with two water bottles “What’s getting out of hand?”

“Nothing” Joe reached out his hand to get the bottle he asked for. “Thanks, babe”.

Langa looked at him in shock, making him regret his life’s choices.

“Say anything and you’ll end up eating Joe’s skateboard” The long-haired guy warned out.

“Why mine?!”

“You really think I would use Carla to hit anyone? Please, at least I’m considerated”.

Fair enough.

After Miya and Shadow got there, they all went around and skated for a bit. They met every week after the fight because Langa’s mother told them how hurt his son was. However, no matter how hard they tried nor the times they went skating, Langa didn’t seem the same.

That is why the four of them had a plan. When they stopped that day to eat something, they all reached for each other’s eyes and nodded.

“Langa,” started off Miya “we’ve got a plan”.

“Dumbass! Where the fuck did the ‘are you feeling better these days’ is?” Shadow exclaimed.

“Ignore them” Cherry sighed. “But it is true, we have come with a plan for you and Reki to make up”.

The poor boy was shocked, that was way too direct.

“We know you both aren’t doing okay” Joe continued. “I have been talking with Reki and I can assure you he does miss you too”.

“That is why we want to help!” Miya cut him off. “Okay! Let me explain”.

“No way” he was pushed by Joe. “I’m the one who had the idea”.

“Bullshit,” Cherry threw at them some fries “okay, Langa, listen carefully”.

After getting back home that day, the blue-haired boy went straight to his room and threw himself into his bed. His head was hurting. He felt grateful his friends came up with all of that just for them but, what if it does not work out? What if him and Reki are destined to be apart? His mind was filled up with tons of involuntary negative thoughts.

Even so, what was he losing if he already lost it all just by not having him in his life? Therefore, he prepared himself all the time he had left before the planned day.

Wanted or not, time didn’t stop, and the important day came by faster than expected. Although Langa was a bit scared, he went on with his friend’s plan and went to Joe’s house.

Maybe it was a bit risky, but everyone felt it was necessary. Their plan consisted of locking them both in one of Joe’s rooms and… kind of forcing them to face each other? Yes, now thinking about it they realized how dumb they are.

“I told Reki to come here around 4 p.m., so he should be here any minute now”.

Precisely, the red haired boy arrived not much after. “Joe?” he asked entering his house.

“Up here! Can you come up here for a moment? I need help”. All lies. The moment Reki entered the only room that was opened, he was trapped right behind him. “Now you guys can talk, I’m meeting with the rest of the guys so don’t worry, nobody will hear you. Bye-bye!”

“What in the world, Joe?!” Reki started knocking on the blocked door as hard as he could. He had a bad feeling about all this. And of course, that hunch became real as he turned around and saw Langa standing there grabbing both his sweater paws.

The room was immediately filled with awkwardness and a discomforting silence was the only thing that could be heard.

Reki sighed and sat on the floor with his back facing Langa. “Then I cannot do nothing more than wait for him to come back…” He tried to look tough, but the truth was that he was holding his tears back. He missed seeing his face, hearing his voice, skating with him… even laughing about nonsense or falling off their skateboards. His emotions were literally fighting in his heart: a part of himself wanted to get up and break the door somehow and never see him again and the other one desired to walk directly to his friend and hug him as if there was no tomorrow.

“Reki… I- Can we talk?” just by hearing his voice his tears started flowing down his cheeks. “I understand if you don’t want to say a word to me… probably you just want to hit me”. Yes, Langa, he wanted to hit you because now he had to sob quietly for you not to notice the warm traces his tears were leaving down on his face. “Please, can I at least apologize? Wait, you don’t have to answer, just make me sign if it’s okay with you…” The crying boy froze, he knew that if Langa continued talking, he wouldn’t be able to keep his crying silent. “Reki?” His friend was starting to worry. Slowly, Langa moved forward to Reki and touched slightly his back with his shaking hand. Now how could he hide his tears? He turned him around a little and his heart dropped into a black abyss. “Why are you crying?”

Without thinking twice, he embraced his friend as quickly as possible and brought him closer to his chest. Reki completely broke down and his crying became a waterfall.

“Reki, you cannot imagine how sorry I am. I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have broken our promise in the first place” Langa little by little started crying as well in his shoulder. “I understand if you don’t want to continue being my friend, but I wanted to tell you one last time how important you are to me. You… you brought peace to my life when I was in war internally. Thanks to you I found happiness, a family to rely on… Reki you are the one who lights up my days”.

How can he blurt all that out and expect him to answer?! How could him with just two minutes make him forget all the madness he felt towards him?

“Langa I…”

“You don’t really have to say anything if you don’t feel like it, I really don’t want to pressure you”.

“No, Langa, really” the red haired boy pushed him away slowly and tried whipping away his still flowing tears. “I cannot let you be the only one apologizing, I also did wrong by ignoring you out of the blue… I even stopped looking at you… The truth is that I was scared you would get hurt by that dumbass, I just wanted to protect you because…” because he also found himself at ease thanks to him.

“No, no! You don’t need to apologize for that. As well, you don’t have to say anymore, I don’t want to hear it” Langa, damn, that was way harsh. “I- I mean, I don’t want to get hurt knowing what I already know”.

Reki was speechless and completely confused.

“What?”

‘Fuck it’ thought Langa. He had accepted he lost Reki before even coming here, so telling him wouldn’t change anything.

“Okay, this might be way too blunt, but it is now or never. I don’t want to end our friendship keeping secrets from you. The truth is that I have been having feelings for you for a little while ago. To be honest I don’t know when all this started, but the truth is that I really like you… a lot” a literal bomb was thrown at Reki without a single warning. He wasn’t able to process any words coming out of the Canadian boy. “I guess you aren’t really understanding a thing I’m saying…” he laughed nervously. “At first I didn’t even understand myself. However, as days went by, I got a hold of how real my feelings were. Every laugh, hug, handshake… Every memory we made together. They made me realize that I was falling for you” Langa’s cheeks started to blush a little. “And this time we have been apart, my heart made it more obvious I did fall in love with you”.

As he stopped talking, he looked at his friend and saw he started crying hard again.

“I- I didn’t mean to make you feel worse than before” he panicked. “Can- can I hug you?”

Reki threw himself into his arms making them both fall into the floor.

They both stayed quiet and let their sobs fill the room.

Reki used that time to solve the puzzle his mind was now. Could his sister be right?

“If you’re missing him that much, maybe he did matter a lot to you” she told him once they were discussing why Reki wasn’t going to class. “Plus, let me tell you, you sounded like you liked him. Have you ever thought about it?”

The truth is that Reki never imagined his love towards Langa being more than the friendly type. Nevertheless, since his sister said that, he couldn’t stop considering if it was the other way around.

“You know… now that I have told you, if you wanted to keep in touch, you can forget it. I do not want to make things more awkward”.

Reki shook his head as he sat up. “I- Well…” he touched his neck, shaking a little. “These last few days I have been thinking if I have feelings for you… I mean, romantic ones”. Now his face matched his hair color. “I- I am not sure tho!” he shook his hands in front of him. “But as you told me… Well, I guess my heart did a back flip… or an ollie to be more precise ha ha…” he facepalmed internally. “Look, what I want to say is that… Well, first, I do forgive you. And, you see, I think that if we tried dating… well, maybe I could make up my mind?”

A big smile was formed in Langa’s face as his crush was babbling out his answer. “I’m sorry Reki, really, forgive me as well for this”.

“For wha…” he was cut off by the blue haired boy rushing to his lips.

It was kind of a shock for him at the beginning, even though it only took him some seconds to kiss him back, making them both melt into each other. Admit it or not, them both were dying to do that.

After they broke the kiss to get some air, they were somehow shy to say anything.

“I don’t think I can forgive you…” the silence was broken into pieces as he literally made his heart pause for a moment. “I don’t think I can forgive you if I don’t get back what you took without asking”.

Langa smiled and Reki was the one to connect their lips this time. Now, the kiss was soft and sincere. The two boys assured one to the other without talking that they loved each other, a whole lot. Both their hearts were beating together waiting ahead of what life had planned for them, now reunited and honest between them.

[awesome-cookies-and-cream]

Reki and Langa’s dynamic

It’s speculation at my part and a shameless rant on what i like about sk8 just to get it off my chest I’ve been so fixated help

it’s 5am I’m at uni and i have a shit ton to do, am I really gonna make an essay about sk8 instead? yes abso-fucking-lutely. strap on to your metaphorical skateboards kids. this is going to be long ride

this isn’t to call out anyone lol so in case you get that impression I’m sorry. I understand everyone is out to interpret media in whatever they like and that’s fine, but sometimes i feel like either some missed some points of the story? anyway here are my thoughts tho

alright so what i absolutely love about sk8 is how they didn’t make anyone into a genius.Genius is a mockery of the hardships everyone does to attain that level of skills. And no Langa is not a genius or a prodigy which I will explain later. I’ve seen enough shounen animes back in the day and usually it’s ‘annoying heart of gold beginner vs. calm and collected genius’ they usually hate each other’s guts and bicker all the time though secretly, deep down care for each other but would rather die than admit it dynamic. While I’m glad we’re moving past that, I really thought Reki and Langa would be like that so....

imagine my surprise when Langa was the ‘beginner’ in skating. He has the potential to be a second sasuke here lol. (blue, handsome, cool) but no he isn’t. he’s an adorable idiot, an airhead, head empty only skating dude and i love it. 

Reki as well. He could have been the usual protagonist. (sucks at his sport, loud, hardworking, and by the power of friendship he suddenly beats everyone else which i think is pretty overused at this point, don’t you think?) some people complain how Reki despite being the MC isn’t given screentime and hasn’t won a single beef. (and sure that’s true. he should have won some and langa lose some but we only have 12 eps so lol) but he’s not the usual protagonist you know? and sk8 isn’t about winning. if it was, I think they would have focused on the techniques. the hows and the what to do.

Idk if you noticed, but sports anime with winning in its goal would often explain in detail certain techniques. (see haikyuu) but shows like Free and Yuri on Ice isn’t exactly talking about how to win that seriously as Haikyuu did. It’s more focusing on the feelings and how their lives are affected with their passion for this sport. it’s about the character development!!! and i think SK8 is something like that too. It explores the character’s feelings rather than sport. (like what i tell my sister, they use the sport as a character device if that makes sense?)

this was literally in the opening lol. it’s really about the feelings you know?

so anyway it’s been pointed out several times that Reki was already feeling insecure about his skills in skating since ep 1 way before Langa came. But he still likes to skate and despite feeling never enough, he still enjoyed it. (some also pointed out that Reki’s reason of going into a beef against Shadow has been because he insulted his way of skating not because he wanted to be the best) so the show from the get go was already hinting at his self esteem issues.

this also implies that Reki has always been feeling like this in a while, added with his tendencies to bottle things up, it makes sense that he’ll blow up at some point and he’ll need to release all of those feelings. (so yeah i think this is just the right amount of eps for their fall out. i see some people complaining shush. otherwise it would also feel too rushed. this is years weighing him)

and i guess it’s also implied in here he’s had days like these too in the past! seriously it’s an ongoing problem he’s been carrying. i think 3 eps is pretty good enough pace to internalize it

so point: Reki was already down way before Langa came. langa just added to that. And don’t go blaming Langa cause the boy did nothing wrong.

Consider that Langa just lost his dad (i think we need more backstory on this though. please sdsjkdksl i need little Langa and his dad interactions) he just moved countries, and the only connection to his dad (snowboarding) is gone cause it doesn’t snow in OKinawa

though one also argues that Langa hasn’t been snowboarding since his dad was gone.

so for Langa, Reki introducing skating to him was revolutionary. You’re someone grieving over the death of what is probably the most important person in your life, the thing you love the most no longer gives you joy (as was shown in the flashbacks and basically Langa going ‘it’s the same’) and you’re in a new country with a language you barely are fluent. you can’t even read or write, and you barely have friends granted you don’t have much back in the day. it’s horrible.

and then this guy you barely know talks to you, befriends you, helps you get a job, and teaches you something you thought you’ve lost and through that you made more friends??

yeah you see why Langa likes Reki. You also see why he’s obsessed with skating. It’s kind of like a coping, a fixation. plus he’s bad with social cues i guess? the interview says he’s likely to get dumped for being too inattentive lmao and that’s what makes him interesting!

also the thing that really surprised me when they first interacted was how supportive Reki is to Langa. it also got to me with how much Langa thinks highly of Reki. Again a deviation to the ‘i say i hate you but deep down i care for you’ trope. they’re full on supportive and protective. i like that. it’s fresh to me. I thought Reki was going to the tsundere ‘hmph that’s not a big deal’ route at the start of ep 2 but he’s really amazed. (kinda also says he’s been very desperate for someone to share skating with but that’s another topic)

so Reki teaches Langa how to skate. and Langa sucks. Which was interesting to me because I thought Langa would be some flawless prince-like character. But nah. He trips and faints at his own blood lol. He’s so uncool and i love it.

Some people say Langa is over powered with a thick ass plot armor which gets him to win (which is why i see people saying he should have won against Joe and I actually agree that Langa should lose some beefs but again only 12 eps, so little time)

but I still wanna talk about it anyway so it’s revealed Langa was snowboarding since 2. That’s 15 years. I think that should be around the same time Joe and Cherry should be skating. and i think if you start earlier as a kid, your body develops differently. (should Langa, “an amateur” win against Joe a pro? the question falls more on whether you can classify Langa as an amateur) i think it’s like Langa being very used to motorcycle tricks from age 2 then suddenly he’s using a regular bicycle, and sure the feeling is mostly the same but there’s just something off. Your body doesn’t easily forget what you know, especially if it did it for 15 years. and so Reki customizes a board for Langa so it’ll feel exactly like snowboarding

So Langa has a customized board that he needed to get used to before he went pro. He really sucked the first few eps lmao. but that’s more of him getting used to the new rules. he pretty much told Reki in ep 2 that he can’t do a skateboard ollie, but he can do a snowboard one bec it’s attached to his feet.

(i may just want to add that one thing i also like about sk8 is that it really doesn’t care what you need for accommodation? if that’s how you do it best, then go for it. When Langa says to Reki he can’t do the ollie without the board attached to his feet, Reki immediately goes his way to accommodate him. usually people in real life might say ‘it’s not real skateboarding if you need a modification etc. but look at Cherry with a freaking AI board and people are like yeah whatever do what you want man. whatever rolls your board.)

so anyway Langa vs. Joe with Langa winning despite being an amateur? if you can even call him an amateur that is. Plus all his tricks are snowboarding tricks lol. everything he’s done is testament to his 15 years of snowboarding?? We don’t even know how good Langa is in snowboarding. Someone make a post about how difficult the snowboarding equivalent of those tricks Langa has done just to show people it means he’s pretty pro (I’ll even argue maybe Langa’s real talent is his creative ways of going around things which kind of why Adam is highkey obsessed, and calls Cherry who calculates everything to the last second boring but that’s a different can of worms I’m opening later) plus Langa barely won against Joe so there’s not much difference in level i think. Should Langa have lost though?

I think some have missed the point of that beef in Reki’s pov. and if the Renga reconciliation is done well, it would be worth it.

that beef got Reki to realize he what he really wants! that it’ll kill him if he can’t skate anymore! that he doesn’t wanna only cheer on for others and be a support! THAT HE WANTS TO SKATE BY LANGA’S SIDE WHICH IS THE REASON FOR ALL THIS INSECURITIES if Langa lost, that cathartic realization might not have happened. He might have gone to Langa and cheered him up, brushed off his insecurities and, made up with Langa halfheartedly without addressing his problems

I’m going to go back to Reki’s insecurities. In ep 6 he’s been afraid of being left behind, and sure Langa came back for him but he still forgot until midway. (will that parallel how Langa got too excited with the idea of skating, the same feeling he thought he lost forever. The same thing that he thinks connects him with his dad, and might have left Reki behind, but later remembers and goes back to chase him? hopefully) in ep 4 it’s obvious he’s afraid of the near death experience Adam gave him, and he’s just realized how different their skills were. in ep 5 he worries about Langa, enough to get nightmares about it. mixed with his friend getting hurt. it’s obvious the feelings are very very muddled there.

So he begs Langa not to skate with Adam.

And what did Langa do? say that he wanted to skate with Adam. (again he’s not the most attentive. he probably thinks he’s just skating with his best friend, all is good then boom. Reki leaves. as a person shit with dealing with other people, i don’t blame him at all) he’s trying to fix it though, but his bond with Reki primarily revolves around skating! how else was he going to warm up with Reki? He also doesn’t know that Reki has self esteem issues that’s always been there since the beginning. He probably doesn’t understand it too because he holds Reki up highly. in ep 6 when Reki was going over his board, Langa thinks he’s pretty cool. he didn’t hear what other said to Reki. He’s earnestly having fun with his friend

We should also note that Reki was never angry at Langa’s skills, he wasn’t resentful that Langa was far ahead. Again he’s been nothing but supportive. He doesn’t want to pull Langa down. He wasn’t like Miya’s friends that lashed out at Miya for being better. in ep 7 he tries his best to follow Langa

it feels like he’s mostly regretful that he can’t catch up. he doesn’t want Langa to slow down, he wants to go faster and meet him where he was. So it makes the realization that all he wants to do was be in equal with Langa more frustrating because he thinks he can’t keep up. (and this only ever started when he heard he’s like Langa’s plus one. there’s that daunting feeling about being pulled around. not being his equal) 

if you need further proof, when Langa and Joe were having a beef, he wasn’t aggressively hoping Langa would lose. in fact he encouraged him. He worries deeply He calls him out when he was doing badly. Still very supportive as ever. So really the frustration isn’t to Langa, again, it’s all internal. He wants to be better

so he’s feeling shit and Langa goes to him in the middle of the rain, bless langa for trying, thinking talking about skating (what he thinks Reki loves and would probably cheer him up, not knowing that’s exactly his problem) tells him

which is probably the worst he could say.

THAT’S what got Reki mad, not really Reki being insecure though that’s part of it, that’s what they’re fighting about, Reki is angry he’s breaking his promise. He thinks Langa doesn’t care about Reki, that he’ll easily break a promise between them that Reki obviously cares about just so he can go skate with Adam who is way better than him. It blows to the self esteem. Reki probably also think that if only he was better, langa wouldn’t bother skating with someone that dangerous. it doesn’t help at all.

but langa doesn’t know this. he doesn’t see all this. Langa might have been too up the high of skating like in ep 6, he sorta left Reki behind again.

it kinda makes Langa’s mom’s words hit harder though

and he did just that. he got too engrossed.

It parallels adam, cherry and joe’s friendship then probably tadahsi’s too but who knows? reki and langa, and tadashi and adam might parallel too, the master and the student thingy Adam might have gotten too obsessed. So Joe trying his best to make sure Reki and Langa won’t end up like them hits a little harder in my chest ;’)

but Langa won’t be to engrossed i think

because unlike Adam who’s aggressively looking for his ‘equal’, Langa is just looking for someone who makes his heart beat, to make him feel like he’s skating with his dad again, someone he loves dearly. (there’s a parallel about loves here too between Adam’s and Langa’s. but I can’t write it now) and he probably already thinks Reki is his equal anyway. He just wants to have fun. he doesn’t think much about the skills.

maybe at first he does. that’s why he’s drawn to Adam but from ep 9, it was pretty much shown that skills really doesn’t matter from when he skated against Joe

if Adam easily discarded his friends because he think they’re boring (which was why the whole skateboard to the face thing with Cherry), langa doesn’t think like that

if anything Reki is important to Langa because he only has fun skating with Reki, who taught him how to skate and made his board. (his board that was customized to fit his style btw, and arguably the only reason he could skate that well. without it, he might as well be a beginner once again.) so without reki, langa is left with nothing. especially with his broken board

no fun in skating, no way of skating. He’s only manage to get this far because of Reki and he knows that now. All of it would be pointless if he doesn’t have Reki (and either he gets so obsessed in chasing that feeling again, or he stops completely) but in case you haven’t noticed it, Langa’s motivation revolves around having fun with skating no matter the skill or place. And he’s having most fun with Reki.

But Reki obviously doesn't know Langa’s feelings. He thinks Langa was forever looking for someone better. So he’s still caught up in the idea that Langa won’t want to skate with him (even though Langa has never shown this) and he left S entirely, thinking what he wants is impossible. fucking just talk you two motherfucker

(I also wanna point out that Reki has always been shown from episode one to be good at making boards. And that’s amazing? We need some support recognition and appreciation, seriously) I think maybe most who find problem with Reki not winning beefs like the usual shounen protags aren’t used to the nuance and perspective of being someone ‘ordinary’. Reki’s character is relatable because most of us feel ordinary, never enough, surrounded by geniuses, ‘inferior’. And if we’re being realistic since a lot are saying joe should have won because langa winning is unrealistic and you want realism so bad no I’m not salty at all there will always be someone better than you. ALWAYS. but what’s important is for you to have fun in what you love! in what makes you happy! AND even if you’re not good at one thing (in Reki’s part, skating) he’s also good at other things (making boards) so does he need to stop one for the other? no. He’s shown to enjoy skating with Langa, he doesn’t wanna stop it hurts him so much he quit. But he can also hone his skills in making boards as well as skate. He’s equal with Langa in a way he doesn’t even notice when he made that board for Langa, but even Reki’s presence alone makes Langa enjoy skating the way Reki also wants Langa by his side.

So I think the next ep is the best time to confront all these feelings. And how it happens might be what’s tricky. Like romantic or not, i personally can read it both ways though i prefer if they do become canon. (idk if it’s queerbaiting. i guess friends can care as deeply as that but ngl, these shounen bestfriends having deep connections that are written off as friends while also giving us bland af hetero love interests who did nothing but exist and be straight really is messing with my perception of romantic and platonic love irl) anyway their talk better be done really well, or else all those episodes of tension would be for nothing

It’s a nice perspective to give a shounen protagonist this time. It’s new, it’s fresh. How many incarnations of underdog turned the best at their craft can you take? variety is nice! and if you don’t like it, there are always a dozen other animes like that for you to turn to. to conclude, IT ALL GOES BACK TO THE START: WHAT IS YOUR HAPPINESS???! AND FOR THEM IT’S THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP BUT IN A VERY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE. FRIENDSHIP DOESN’T  SUDDENLY GET YOU TO LEVEL 100000000000 TO DEFEAT THE FINAL BOSS. FRIENDSHIP IS WHAT MAKES DEFEATING THE FINAL BOSS WORTHWHILE

Anyway tldr; maybe the real Eve is the friends we made along the way :D  and idk if I’m making sense but obviously I’m head empty only sk8. Renga needs to talk, i can’t believe they have the audacity to make a recap episode as if i wasn’t head empty only sk8 since february, and if there’s more emotional edging to come, i will burn some of the palm trees outside my house

[skaylanphear]

Only Practice Makes Perfect

Summary: Reki doesn't know the first thing about kissing and after a bit of light-hearted taunting, gets the idea to practice with Langa. They're best friends, aren't they? So they should help each other out. Boy lips couldn't be that different from girl lips anyway. Langa, meanwhile, knows this isn't a good idea. Yet, if having Reki to himself is ultimately impossible, then might as well take what he can get--even if it is going to be painful in the end.

Their experimentation starts out innocently enough, but with curiosity and raging hormones at play, they might be too late by the time they go too far. 

Chapter 8

Reki knew the ticking, heavy silence had stretched on too long. He needed to say something. Problem was, he didn't know what to say. His natural reaction was to gape and start loudly questioning, but the fact that his family was also asleep in the house held him back. This was probably for the best, because the longer he lay there thinking on Langa's admission, the more he came to realize that this was… a really big deal.

Not the proclamation itself, but the fact that Langa had said it to him at all. Okay, and maybe the gay bit was actually a big deal, but that wasn't what Reki should be focused on, right? But, then, he couldn't really help it. Because Langa was gay? Langa didn't… seem gay, but what was a gay person, really? Reki didn't know any gay people (he didn't think). Well, except Langa, apparently. Langa, who was so tall and athletic and had girls fawning all over him everywhere he went. Reki had always assumed he was just the "tsundere" type of personality with people he didn't know (be it for good or ill), but apparently he just… didn't like girls.

He did reject any and all confessions, and he'd never mentioned liking a single girl, ever. Should Reki have noticed something? Was he a bad friend for not having figured it out? Or was it better that he'd never thought to even—

His spiraling thoughts came to a screeching halt when Langa abruptly sat up. He said nothing, his back hunched and his breath still shaky.

Shit, Reki really needed to say something, but what?! What was he supposed to do here?!

"Sorry," Langa said gruffly. "I… shouldn't have said anything. Mom warned me. She said it's different in Japan and that I probably shouldn't go around telling anyone. It makes them uncomfortable or something, which I guess it does in Canada sometimes too, but it's not the same? I don't understand why it's not the same. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I'm so stupid. I should have—"

"Hey, hey," Reki said gently, sitting up beside Langa and placing a careful hand on his shoulder. Langa jumped and fell silent, his gaze trained down on his lap. "It's okay," Reki said instinctively, despite having no idea what Langa was babbling on about. "I'm just… surprised. And I don't really know what to say." Maybe honesty was the best thing he could offer—he was slowly starting to realize that it was generally the best option whether he liked it or not.

"Sorry," Langa said again, still refusing to look at him.

"You don't… need to be sorry," Reki reasoned, his thoughts gradually starting to right themselves. "You don't have anything to be sorry for." Moving his hand from Langa's shoulder to his back, he rubbed comfortingly in the same way his mom always had when he was a kid. "I'm not upset or anything. I'm honestly just surprised."

"How is this surprising? I literally gave you a blowjob earlier."

"Um…" Reki tried to pick his words carefully. "I know you sometimes feel more comfortable in English, but I can't do anything with that."

"Sorry," Langa muttered again.

Read More 

[redxblueihateloveyou]

THANK YOU for saying all of that about the sk8 fandom. I think it's mainly because it's a young fandom with a lot of young people, but yeah, they have zero chill. It gets kinda annoying when you actually stop and think about the show and realize that a lot of things are just,,, not the way they think they are/should be

Also, I have compared some Reki and Langa scenes to rinharu scenes, but it's mostly because I see them and think "nice reference Utsumi" because they remind me of them so much, but to say RL are in the same level as them, or any other couple they've compared then to is kind of a stretch. Reki and Langa are, at best, a very very tame version of any of those, and while is see why they would focus a lot more on the puppy love thing they have it really pales in comparison (although they don't really compare it to free! because they're so hellbent in calling it queerbait as though half of the scenes they claim are so romantic did not also happen in there before, because they really don't understand how romantic coding works in anime).

Anyway, your blog is amazing :)) You always come off as a very smart person who is also just so done with people's stupidity and I'm 100% here for that haha

Haha no problem, needed to get it out of my system anyways. It’s true, but also once again being young shouldn’t always mean you’re that stupid, let’s be real here. And if you are that stupid, they need to know about it at least, so next time they’ll maybe think twice before saying stuff they say.

Their main problem these days is their herd feeling, it’s like one says smth stupid, others, having no brain of their own, repeat it and here’s what we have at the end. A whole field of a damn cicadas meaninglessly shrilling. 

It would be much more entertaining if they’d have enough brains to at least not put sticks in their own wheels, but they sadly don’t, so taking them down isn’t even satisfying. Not to mention the fact that you don’t even have to do anything, sooner or later they’ll embarrass themselves, cause the combination like “a sense of self-importance we have, but real life experience and brains we don’t have” leads to a disaster. Tiktok won’t help you with everything and half of them don’t even know what they’re talking about in most cases, they only love throwing loud words trying to scare easily impressionable ppl these days, cause everyone is like “I don’t wanna be cancelled so I won’t say anything” lol.

They just do not get that when you start smth like this, same as with a good lies, you gotta be smart. Like ok, they don’t distinguish real life from fiction, fine, but they can’t even check the age of the characters of their other ships before yelling “pedo” about others, so idk what to say here really. I just truly feel bad sometimes about even saying smth, bc like maybe just let them be, imagine the embarrassment of being this stupid? Who even puts them in charge of other ppl’s money idk. 

Yeah, I understand I compared the scenes, too, it’s inevitable, cause they’re all there haha. I was like “our” and thats also “ours” lmao. What I do not get is why would you compare them as if they have the same relationship depth (like high schoolers who have known each other for a month and a couple who knew each other for 7+ years and who planned their future together) or say that the reasonings behind the character’s behavior are same, when they’re entirely and I mean ENTIRELY different. It’s like not even anywhere near same. Like the comparartion of their break up with 13 year old Rin just hit me too hard, I was like.. let’s just not, not pls haha I’ll write a damn essay, but pls it hurts my soul seeing this. And comparing their fist bumb (ai, excuuuse me, eternity sign) to victuuri exchanging rings, I was just on the floor seriously. I just can’t handle the fandom of this pairing, it’s too weird for me. Logic left the chat on their tag and holy shit they’re blind to everything. I’m even glad I’m not into this pairing, cause I feel kinda sad for normal ppl who are into it, bc its like entering a kindergarden. Llike an absolute zero connection to reality, reading too much into things and all the chastity belts in one place, I was like... oh damn I’m too old for this shit and even if I was invested I’d probably still run away haha.

I’m really happy that you enjoy the blog! Thank you so much <3 Haha I have zero tolerance for stupidity, true. It’s such a bad quality tho, I sometimes suffer a lot just by seeing smth and be like “I can’t, I just have to say smth, I just have to, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to sleep, it’s that stupid” lmao.

And sometimes part of me goes like “you know it’s pointless, it’s like talking to a tree”, but other part of me is like “no, it talks, and it means I can shut them up” lol. But I truly don’t get why ppl listen to this and indulge them seriously. Like I know stupid ppl prevail in this world in general, but like in fandoms they’re pretty easy to dethrone, if you bring up the right arguments. And I know in rare occasions, when you really cut them deep, they tend to attack in large groups like locusts, but it’s not like they can eat me through a computer screen, so idk. If I’ll get invested in that one ship after s12 I just might poke them a bit more out of spite lmao.

But also they are kids really, I mean, you can scroll through the tag and know for sure that like “yeah, that’s kid’s perspective”. Most of them didn’t even reach the age of the characters they’re watching things about, but like to pretend that they know stuff and most these days don’t have enough additional knowlenge to be smarter than their age, cause they are too busy well, tweeting about the stuff they know nothing about, so it’s kinda not really enjoyable to talk to them since I’d rather discuss it with someone who at least was in high school already and you know, not extra lol. 

I’m just kinda upset that it turns out to be a kids fandom, that’s all. Cause like chats and dms and sisters are great, but like I want the tag to look hella different, seriously. Bc I’m interested in characters and relationships complexity, not pink vomit. Well, you know the enjoyment of a great fandom. It’s a bliss. I have those thankfully haha.

[ren-deru-16]

Episode 5

“Ari.” Langa called her out after her shift from her part-time was over. “Can you help me out?”

Behind him were Miya and Shadow. She knew where this is headed. “Okay.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon teaching Langa the Casper Slide that ADAM uses it. Since she’s a bad at explaining the techniques about skateboarding, she points out his errors in his form and corrects him.

“It’s dangerous to skate against ADAM.” She thought while watching Langa skate. “Not many can survive skating against him and still continue… I understand that Reki-kun’s worried for him but… if Langa-kun is still adamant in skating against ADAM, all I can do is help him win.”

*Day of the beef between ADAM and Langa*

As expected, the crowd was talking who will win in the beef tonight. And also, many would glare and give Arima the evil eye as they passed by.

“They still hate you for talking back to ADAM.” Miya told her.

“That won’t make me like that masked weirdo.” She replied.

“You still hate his guts, huh?” Joe said.

“After what happened? Probably not.”

Reki and Langa felt that there is something more to that.

“ADAM’s here!”

Compared to ADAM’s previous entrance, this time, he made an effort to roll down a red carpet to Langa’s direction with a bouquet of flowers at hand, plus a spotlight on him. The crowd cheered for his arrival.

Arima’s comment was, “How lame.”

ADAM merely chuckled. “You don’t like me at all, do you, DEVIL?”

“You must be blind for not noticing before.” She scoffed. “I could never bring myself to like you, ADAM.”

For the others, it was only Joe and Cherry who can look at the legend straight to the eye and talk back. Seeing a teenager diss him… that never happens.

It was as if she had a harbored grudge against him.

***

In a distance, sirens of police cars were heard and everyone scrambled to get away.

"Where’s Reki and DEVIL?!" Miya searched for them until he saw the two starting the motorbike's engine, with Arima driving.

Up ahead, the two saw the police car stop in front of Langa. Arima sped up and drifted in front of him

"Hop on!" Reki told him.

He wasted no time getting on board before Arima revved the engine and moved past the police.

“Hang on, you two!”

Arima took a shortcut under the subway and parked the motorbike hidden from the streets.

“Let’s hide here until they pass by.” She told the two.

Once the police car passed them, the three breathed a sigh of relief.

Langa fixed the bandage on Reki’s arm when it became loose while Arima stepped back to answer a call.

“Arima, are you all right? We heard that the police suddenly came over to the abandoned mines where you skate. Were you caught?” Her dad called worriedly.

“No. I’m fine, dad. Nothing worry. Tell mom that there’s nothing to worry about.”

She heard them sigh from the next line. “I see. Don’t hesitate to call us if something happens, okay? Fufufu. I thought I was speaking to a son for a second. Be careful, Arima.”

“I will. Thanks, dad.”

When he ended the call, it was right on time when the conversation between the two boys were over. Reki turned to look at her.

“Your parents?”

“Yeah. I told them I’m fine.”

“…Hey, Ari…” The teen started. “Do you know ADAM?”

Her face darkened. “No. Not really.”

“But earlier and even before that… the way you two talk as if… you know each other before. When Joe said something “after what happened”, I feel like there is something more to it that you never told me.”

“…”

Her mismatched eyes drifted to the two boys before she sat next to them, her attention to the sea in front.

“Before I met Reki, I had a beef with ADAM once.”

“!!”

She continued. “It was him who approached me. Cherry told me that he has his eye on me previously and ADAM challenged me to a beef all of a sudden. I was aware that he’s founder of “S” but I didn’t care.”

“But…during the time he appeared after Langa’s beef with Miya…”

She faced them. “You remember what I told him, right?”

Langa nodded. “You asked him if he’s really ADAM.”

“It was out of spite. Ever since that time, I had the urge to spite him. I could never bring myself to like him or recognize him as a legend.” She said. “Also, his outfit is way too flashy for my liking and he’s too dramatic. I gotta cringe, seriously.”

Reki sweat dropped before asking. “What happened during the beef you had with him?”

“It was the same as what you two experienced.” She recalled the race she had and made a fist. “It was the first time I... I was shaken up in a beef but... That was only at first.”

“What do you mean?”

“The way he was toying with me, somehow, I was no longer afraid of him after a while. I felt as if I was being drawn in. I let myself get pulled in and before I knew it, I was even crazier than usual. I danced to his rhythm until I overwhelmed him. I was too much for his control. I defy him, I accept him. It was a conflicting dance. During that time, I was literally playing with fire. My board was on fire because of the friction but I didn't care."

“What about the Love Hug?” Reki asked.

Her eyes darkened. “He dodged me on the last minute.”

“Eh?”

Arima bit her lip in frustration. “I don’t know why. I have no intentions of evading that Love Hug of his since avoiding it is what he’s expecting. I was prepared for it. I let myself get pulled in until he stopped and avoided me the last moment. ”

Her red and gold eyes widened in surprise when he avoided her. She didn’t expect that. Because ADAM expects his opponents to avoid him and not the other way around.

Due to the speed of going downhill, she barely managed to do a turn on a corner before she crashed and rolled on the stony ground, her board covered in small flames.

“DEVIL!” Cherry and Joe went to her and the pink haired ripped a piece of his sleeves.

“Shit, your head is bleeding.” Joe gritted his teeth as the other applied pressure on the wound “I’m taking you to the hospital afterwards.”

“I’ll do it. You have no delicacy, you gorilla.”

“Oi!!”

“Cherry..? Joe…?” She mumbled as she weakly tried to sit.

“Don’t move. You’re going to the hospital after this.”

“Damn. You crashed real hard this time, DEVIL.”

ADAM skated to her and looked down at the bleeding girl.

“I was mistaken. You are not my true EVE.” He said in a low voice. “You are a true devil.”

“I didn’t know what he meant by that but, it’s true that people call me DEVIL because of my eyes and personality when skating. When he called me a devil, I feel like there is something more to it.” She pushed back her peach colored hair. “In any case, I don’t like ADAM and I could never bring myself to like him. I knew he was an asshole and what he said to Miya pissed me off.”

The evening breeze gently passed by. “What I don’t understand is that, why he told me that he would never ever race with me after that. I kinda feel like he hates me as well and frankly, I might find it creepy if he likes me.”

She made a face like she’s about to barf.

“Anyway, that’s my history with ADAM.” She said. “After that race, I had a concussion and broke my right arm. I couldn’t skate for weeks and my parents thankfully didn’t tell me to quit after that injury. I was grateful I’m ambidextrous and I can still do things with my left hand.”

“…I didn’t expect that…” Reki was in shock. “I mean, you had a beef with a legend and it happened around when you were in middle school. Why didn’t I know this?”

“Because it wasn’t worth talking to.” She replied. “People assume I’m one of those people who would race against ADAM and be defeated like usual. But, they didn’t see or realize that ADAM was the one that avoided me. Only Cherry and Joe noticed it and when I asked them about it, they have no idea as well. And it was the first time he was the one to avoid too.”

“Could ADAM be possible be…afraid?” Langa said.

“I find that hard to believe.” She snorted. “I mean, I talk back to him and spite him but, I have to admit that it’s impossible for ADAM to be afraid of someone like me.”

“But if there’s a slightest chance he’s really afraid of me…what is it?”

“Langa, Reki’s right.” She faced the half breed with serious eyes. “Stay away from ADAM. Reki’s worried for you. You have to stay away from that guy. For the sake of you two.”

*Meanwhile*

Kikuchi Tadashi was driving the car as his boss, Shindo Ainosuke aka “ADAM”, sat at the back after he retrieved him when police arrived at the race. ADAM leaned his head on his hand as he watched the view outside.

“The sensations are different than last time…no, they are slightly the same…” he thought “DEVIL could never be my EVE. She has the same vision as me when skating and she’s on toe with me. But, she’s overthrowing me. I cannot rein her. She goes to my rhythm, and overwhelms me. She destroys my rhythm like a devil.

I thought that she was my EVE when I saw her performance. The moment I started racing against her, I realized that it was my gravest mistake.

Her level of sanity is over the rails. I cannot control her. She let me do what I want but she instantly turns the table and overwhelm me. It was the first time I’ve seen a skater as insane as her.

When I was about to do the Love Hug, she was grinning like a crazed devil and it was as if… she was about to swallow me whole.

She was the first to give me a cold chill down my spine with her eyes.

My instincts made me avoid her. But it was in that moment I realized… she’s not my EVE… she’s the devil that could swallow me whole.”

“And my EVE is with the DEVIL.”