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lovingumi · 4 years

Text

— requested.

— chaos.

⤷ Hi, dear!~ I’m so in love with your Inarizaki writing! Thank you really. This’s too soft~ Can I ask headcanons about Inarizaki in the training camp with their manager?

synopsis: being inarizaki’s manager HC

pairing: inarizaki & fem!reader

warnings: none

+ i’m so happy you love them!! only the best for my boys and lil anons <3333 i’m reposting this because tumblr hates me <3

since it was almost match season, you had decided to ask the managers of some other teams to have a training camp for a few days!

it included karasuno, fukurodani, nekoma and of course inarizaki!

after the schools had agreed to a date and schedule, you gathered the team and told them the plan.

they were pretty excited! especially aran and atsumu since they both would see their friendly rivals.

osamu didn’t have any different feelings, he only hoped for some good food. akaashi and osamu would be besties change my mind

akagi was very excited to play with the top libero’s like yaku, komi and noya!

it was safe to say everyone was looking forward to it.

and so, a week later the team stepped out of the bus in front of fukurodani academy where the training camp would take place.

the managers lead all of you around and told you where you could put your stuff down.

and after that, practice could finally start!

to say that atsumu was fired up was an understatement. i mean, he was going against a setter who was on top of the technical parts of setting, a setter who knew exactly what to do with minimal movements and a setter who knew his teams strengths and how to bring out the one hundred percentage out.

atsumu felt like he was on top of the world and he was thriving.

aran had a friendly banter with bokuto, forcing a smile on your face whenever you were in their presence.

you saw akagi talk with noya, yaku and komi, a hand on his hip as he laughed at something noya said.

you felt all fuzzy inside seeing your team interact with the others )^o^(

inarizaki won majority of the matches they played, the real challenge however being fukurōdani.

bokuto had this tiny blush on his face as he went against someone equally strong, a bright smile on his face as he did what he always did: get some points for the team.

akaashi had this lil smirk on his face when he baited atsumu with a dump, staring at the blonde male who had a pout on his face.

“eh, akaashi. you’re pretty good, aren’t ya?”

akaashi was about to respond if it wasn’t for bokuto suddenly entering the conversation and slinging an arm around his setter.

“akaashi’s the best, isn’t he?” his eyes were closed and his pearly teeth were on display, teasing his best friend who tried to play it down.

inside atsumu’s head while staring at the energetic ace: yeah, i’ll play with him sometime

after practice had ended, they showered, changed in to something comfortable and had some dinner all together!

oh how much i wish that this was real

akaashi, kenma and osamu sat at a table together, talking about all the different onigiri’s they wanted to try and make, except for kenma, he stayed silent and just played his lil game.

“akaashi, we should really meet up sometime and try a few out.”

kageyama and atsumu sat opposite to them and talked about some stupid shit. it was mostly atsumu talking and kageyama nodding with a tiny blush covering his cheeks. please tell me you guys have seen that atsumu and kageyama official art of them in the youth training camp

“tobio-kun, we should play a bit after dinner! i just know that we’d be a good team together.”

at another table were bokuto, aran, hinata, yamaguchi and lev. they were honestly just talking about volleyball and food, nothing else.

hinata, yamaguchi and lev just watched the two aces talk with wide eyes and brag a little bit, bokuto doing the latter a tad more than our sweet aran who just watched with a tiny smile and that lil sparkle in his eyes.

“if you guys wanna be an ace like aran and me, then you should definitely always cheer us on and ask us things you want some more insight on!”

bokuto my lil babie

kuroo, washio, suna, omimi and tsukishima were minding their own business, all smiling a bit while talking about some stupid shit. yes, even tsukki cracked a tiny smile.

“so that’s the story on how i made this one love volleyball!” kuroo smacked tsukishima’s back, forcing an ‘oof’ from the latter before mumbling a quiet ‘hai’, no energy left to go against the stubborn third year.

“yikes, that’s pretty lame.”

not the glare tsukki gave suna

daichi, ennoshita, konoha and kita were just talking about the hard life of being in a team that’s just pure chaos </3

“yeah, the twins aren’t exactly sane either. osamu may look like the sane one, but he’s just as bad. fightin’ and playin’ around all the time with atsumu.” daichi nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. “hinata and kageyama are like that too.” konoha just sighed, a hand on his hip as he shook his head. “we just have a giant baby who needs lots of reassurance all the time.”

and last but not least, our libero’s and their lil chaotic squad!

this one exists out of komi, akagi, yaku, noya, tanaka and suga. its just all chaos with probably just komi and akagi being the sane ones.

“hey, we should definitely meet up sometime and just hang out together!”

you on the other hand kept moving from table to table, receiving a little wave from atsumu when you passed their table, a smile from akaashi, a wink from bokuto with a bright smile from hinata and a loose side hug from kita who bragged a little about you.

“_____, she’s pretty amazin’, ain’t she?” you felt your cheeks warm up a little, giving the sign to get out of here with the sweet excuse of hearing your name get called by yukie.

kita has a lil soft spot for you in my manager head canons because i love him <3

and the next two days went like this one, only a few tables would change and the noise only became louder since everyone had become better friends!

so, mission succes! ^ - ^

bokuto had asked you a little favour of accompanying him and a few others in a late night practice, to which you obviously couldn’t say no to when he stared at you with those big golden eyes.

so, you sat on the ground and watched the ball go over the net repeatedly, the squeaks of their shoes on the gym floor echoing through the gym.

team one existed out of atsumu, akaashi, kageyama, hinata, noya and suna. while team two existed out of kuroo, konoha, tsukishima, osamu, bokuto and aran.

atsumu insisted on being with all the setters while bokuto really wanted to play with aran, thus, the teams ended up like this.

you watched with sharp, yet sleepy eyes the guys go intensely against each other. they truly were not holding back even a little bit.

“tobio-kun!” atsumu set the ball for kageyama who watched with big blue eyes the ball rotate in the air. he ran up and hit the ball with sparkling eyes and lips that were curved up into a smile.

konoha dived for the ball and brought it up, only for the ball to go in to the bleachers instead of staying on the court. he stood up, letting out a sigh as the sweat dripped down his face.

“you don’t even know how happy i am that you two aren’t in a team together.” kuroo reached for a water bottle and nodded, speaking after taking a big gulp, “i second that.”

“atsumu-san, your tosses are so easy to hit!” hinata stared at the setter like he put the stars in the sky, mouth wide open as the setter chuckled. “of course, sho-kun! only the best for my spikers,” he said with a grin on his face.

“these teammates of yours are pretty good, aran,” bokuto said, the rasp even more evident in his voice as he raised his head towards the ceiling with his eyes closed.

“could say the same ‘bout you, that setter of yours is somethin’ else.”

bokuto looked down and tilted his head, chuckling as his tooth smile made an appearance. “like i always say, akaashi’s the best!”

suna dropped down on the floor, waving his hand as a signal of stepping out. “i’m done, it’s over for me.”

and just like that, you heard all voices agree, tired smiles on their faces as they started cleaning out the gym.

#haikyuu #fluff #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu scenarios #hq #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu manager #haikyuu inarizaki #haikyuu inarizaki manager #haikyuu atsumu #haikyuu kita #haikyuu osamu #haikyuu aran #haikyuu suna #haikyuu x y/n #haikyuu fluff

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hoe-doroki · 4 years

Text

We’ll See

Happy birthday, to my sweet boy, Kiri. Glad I managed to just barely get this out in time for you.

pairing: Kirishima x demisexual!fem!reader

genre: gen, light romance, light fluff, light comfort

word count: 6.3k

summary: After a fateful meeting where he saves you from a villain attack, you and Kirishima keep running into each other. And although he’s so nice, you only feel fear around the fact that he might be interested in you. Even though all you want is, for once, to let yourself be happy and maybe fall in love, you can’t seem to be able to. You just can’t.

a/n: I’ve been trying to think about what a comfort fic might look like for a demi reader because romance stories never match my lived experience and sometimes make me feel worse. I think I’ve finally managed something here. I hope this provides comfort to anyone who has difficult romantically/sexually for any reason, especially those of us who are acespec. My ask box is always open for acespec or similar requests as well. <3

edit: I no longer write x reader but here’s my old masterlist - mobile | desktop

For a moment, you thought it was hail. Little flecks of white—not quite white, really—falling from the sky at a more precipitous pace than snow, and bigger, more irregular. More dangerous.

Then, when you looked up, you didn’t know how you’d missed it.

You were always attentive when walking in the city, even in your Sisyphean commute to work: home, walk, train, walk, work, day after day. You held your bag close on your shoulder, had your pepper spray at the ready, and didn’t bother changing into heels until you got to the office. You always had your eyes on the surroundings, so, just before it happened, you could have told the cops that it had been a lovely spring day, white and pink flowers just beginning to bloom, but still jacket weather—not at all a day for hail. The streets had been congested with people just like you, all headed to work or school. The woman in front of you had been wearing a brightly striped sweater, standing out against the sea of black suits.

Then, concrete had begun raining down.

You looked up in time to see a slab from one of the old concrete buildings give way, suddenly casting shade right where you were standing. And the next thing you knew, you were on your back, and there was a man on top of you. Your first thought was that he must have been a dragon. Hard scales, sharp teeth, all jagged edges sharp enough to scratch grooves into the pavement below. He could kill you in an instant.

His arms were caged around you covered in fabric. But upon closer look at his exposed neck, you saw he didn’t have scales; his skin was like rock. Rocks that hadn’t yet been touched by the erosion of wind or water. They were new ones that were unbroken.

It took a moment of stillness, a moment of him trembling under the weight of the concrete wall for you to realize he wasn’t here to brutalize you—he was saving you. And when you realized that, your brain snapped into focus. There was chaos around you—you could hear the screams. Maybe they were civilians who were worried that you’d just been flattened to a pancake, but maybe they had greater fears than that. There was probably a villain on the loose, and this hero was wasting his time on you—just one person.

“Go!” you shouted, making eye contact with him for the first time. Red eyes like uncut rubies encased in cracked ivory. “I’ll be fine!”

For a moment, he struggled to lift the broken remnant of the building off of you both, but then you honed your focus. You stared at the concrete and it lifted off of the hero’s back, watched as his shoulders settled in relief. He looked at you in confusion for a second, taking in your furrowed brow and tense mouth, frozen body. Then, he took you in his arms and carried you to safety before you gasped, and the concrete fell with a smash.

He left you gasping on the sidewalk and ran into the fray, where it looked like a villain with a power-up quirk had crashed through the office building onto the sidewalk, where they were now wreaking havoc.

Someone offered a hand to help you up and you took it. Telekinesis always took a lot out of you, especially when an object was as heavy as, oh, say, a side of a building, but you shook it off as best you could, just focusing on getting your breathing under you.

More pro heroes were turning up, either drawn by the noise or the masses of pedestrians fleeing the area. The latter of which was exactly what you should have been doing.

But you couldn’t.

You’d never desired to be a pro hero. Yeah, you admired them, but as a job it sounded, well, awful? Seeking out trouble, always in danger of major corporeal damage, a constant target on your back—you’d never be able to handle the stress. You desired consistency in your life and, even if it wasn’t saving the world, an office job gave you that. Still, you’d always told yourself that if you even found yourself in a situation where you could help, where your quirk would be useful and it would be a net gain for you to stay instead of run, you would help. It was your duty.

Awfully hard to live up to when the situation actually came, though.

“Get out of here!” you said to the guy who’d helped you up as you staggered forward, hands on your knees. You were fine, you were standing. You didn’t have to fight—you absolutely shouldn’t fight—but if there was anyone who needed your help, you’d provide it.

As you pushed yourself up straight, the guy threw you one last look and then joined the crowd running from the scene while you stood, planted in it.

The fight was moving away from the building as multiple heroes took on the one huge villain, whose club-like arms were able to send them flying back before anyone could restrain him. But that was perfect. The building was still crumbling and you could check if anyone was stuck.

As you got closer, it looked as though you’d been the one hit by the biggest piece of debris—which, frankly, was a miracle. You were likely the one person in the crowd with any chance of surviving that, and the red-eyed hero had been there to save you anyway. But there was a lamppost that had been knocked over, thankfully pulled out of the ground so you could hold your breath and levitate it, vision just turning black around the edges as you dropped it harmlessly back to the ground. The victim likely had a broken leg, but some others managed to haul them out of the fray and hopefully to a hospital. One person saved.

The move left you capsized, back on your knees as you blinked color back into your vision. Fortunately, there wasn’t too much rubble—not yet, anyway—so all else there was to do was find a couple of the people who’d been knocked down or injured and send them out of the line of fire to where someone else could take care of them. You could use your quirk to keep back, not have to get too dangerously close to the fray in order to help these people. So you did your best to stay in the shadows of the punched-out building where there’d be no attention on you. Each time left you strained, but not broken. You just needed a little rest, and then you could keep moving.

You’d fallen to hands and knees after the last person, wheezing greedy gulps of dusty air. It felt like there were hands around your chest, squeezing palms against your heart and thick fingers against your throat. You weren’t practiced enough with your quirk to move this many heavy things successively, but you’d also never overused your quirk before. Never had to. You didn’t know where the line was, but so long as you were conscious, you’d keep moving.

But you felt lightheaded. The weight was suddenly off of your knees and wrists and you wondered if you were about to faint. Suddenly, the you felt a new compression around your waist as you were flipped upright, and you opened your eyes, looking down to see gray, damp skin pressed against your middle, and your feet dangling off the ground.

Oh, shit.

This was why civilians weren’t supposed to get involved when villains were around. You could become a liability for the heroes. Now they wouldn’t be able to fight all out against the villain, because you were effectively a meat shield. A hostage.

This wasn’t a net gain. Sure, you’d saved a handful of people, but now the villain couldn’t be caught. They had more power than just their quirk—they had leverage.

You thought quickly. You weren’t going to be the reason these heroes’ mission failed. You needed to take control of the situation so that no one else would get hurt. You needed to get the net gain back on your side.

You closed your eyes and took a couple breaths. After one last big one, you sent the villain up in the air, and you with it. As your ears began to ring, the last thing you heard were worried cries rumbling out from the chest you were pressed against. You felt the air as you both rose up in the sky, and then their arms loosened around you.

And then, you began to fall.

The next thing you heard was beeping. Gentle, even beeping to the rhythm of your gentle, even breaths. You weren’t heaving, weren’t gasping anymore. You must have been feeling better.

You took a breath and tried to push yourself up, instantly regretting it as your ears began to ring. Again. Suddenly, you remembered where you’d just been, what you’d just done.

Ugh, you were an idiot.

“Woah, you okay?”

You cracked your eyes open and saw a man in front of you. Definitely not a doctor, if his total lack of a shirt was anything to go by. You could feel your heartbeat in both ears, pulsing like a rock concert and waking up a headache you hadn’t realized you had. You closed your eyes and relaxed back down again.

“I’m okay,” you tried, but your voice came out all raspy. You wondered if dust had come out with it, expelling like smoke from your dry lungs.

“Here, let me get you some water.”

You blinked your eyes open and saw a straw being held up to your lips. You craned your neck up enough to purse your lips around it and took a small sip. Better.

The man in front of you had strange cuffs on his shoulders and something almost like a cape around his waist. But when you saw the wire piece around his face, you were finally able to place him.

“You’re the rock dragon,” you said.

The man laughed and you saw how young he was. When he’d been in his rocky form he could have been any age. No wrinkles or actual hair to go by. But now it was obvious that he was likely in his early twenties, just like you. Impressive for him to be a hero.

“Rock dragon?” he echoed. “I’ll take that.”

“Did you guys get the villain?”

That’s all you wanted to know. It didn’t really matter what had happened to you—evidently you were in one piece, so it was all but irrelevant.

The hero nodded. “They’re locked up, not too many major injuries on the scene. Thanks to you.”

“Urgh,” you groaned. “I’m so sorry. Usually I don’t do stuff like that.”

“Stuff like what?” he asked. “Save the day?”

“No, just…” You were glowing under his praise, but you didn’t want to. What you’d done had been idiotic and so easily could have gone sideways. More so than it seemed like it had. “I’m not usually so impulsive.”

“Must be good to know that you have good impulses then,” he said. “Although, I gotta ask, what was your plan there at the end?”

Plan? There hadn’t been any plan, and judging by his cheeky smile, bumping one cheekbone up against his wire mask, he realized that.

“I figured if I levitated that villain, then they wouldn’t be able to do any damage to anyone except me,” you said. “Of course, then there were a million questions about what could happen after, but the worst case scenario was that only both of us got hurt.”

“Very self-sacrificing,” he said. “You should be a hero. Although, we usually have to get the self-sacrificing impulses beat out of us a bit. But still, you’ve got the quirk for it. I have a friend who’s got a similar one. The world would love you.”

“No,” you said, shaking your head and feeling your brain slap against each side of your skull. “I think this was my first and last foray.”

He clutched his heart jokingly. “Oof, really one to break hearts, aren’t you?”

You froze. Suddenly the pulse that had been between your ears and behind your eyes moved back to your chest and was squeezing uncomfortably. Had he been saying that flirtatiously? Was it a joke you were just taking too seriously? Did this guy just use his hero costume to lay a bunch of girls and you should be kicking him out before he got any ideas?

“I’m really not,” you mumbled, reaching for the water glass again and drinking from it yourself. You felt the tug of an IV hooked up to your arm and you were only part way through the drip. You were stuck, unable to go anywhere until it was done. The good news was, your limbs felt generally fine. Just a little stiff and achy. The only real pain was in your head—the aftermath of using a psychic quirk.

“No,” Kirishima agreed. “You seem too nice for that. And, hero or not, the world was really lucky to have you today. So I just wanted to thank you for helping and, you know, make sure you were okay.”

“I think I’m okay,” you said.

“That’s what the doctor said,” he confirmed. “I’m just glad I caught you.”

So that’s what had happened. You weren’t sure if you’d passed out before or after the villain had landed, but you remembered focusing on trying to lower them to the ground slowly before everything had gone black. But you couldn’t use your telekinesis on yourself, so you’d resigned yourself to plunging to the ground. Not that you’d had much time to make peace with it.

“Sorry you had to save me twice,” you mumbled.

“I’ll save you as many times as I need to.”

Okay, that definitely felt like flirting. His smile was so open and genuine—he didn’t look like a fuckboy, but it didn’t matter. You didn’t want him interested in you, even if he was a hero. Even if he was attractive. Even if he was nice. You couldn’t deal with it. So you put the water back and pursed your lips awkwardly, unsure what to say.

“Oh, I’m Red Riot, by the way,” he said, extending a hand towards you.

You took it, feeling how callused his hand was. It wasn’t hard, like it had looked back when he’d been made of rock and gemstone, but had the feel of a fighter. Yours were soft as a baby’s. “Y/N,” you said.

“I know,” Red Riot said with a grin—his teeth were sharp even when he wasn’t transformed. “We found your ID in your wallet when you were being admitted. So you’re not a Jane Doe.”

“Oh.”

You supposed that was comforting. If you had fallen and broken every bone in your body, at least your family would have found out.

Your attention was diverted when someone walked into your room—a woman in a white coat and definitely wearing a shirt. This must be the doctor.

“Red Riot, you were supposed to press the button when she woke up,” the doctor chastised, though her voice was light.

“Sorry, doc, I was just seeing if she was lucid,” he said with a grin. “She remembers her name and everything that happened.”

“Right,” the doctor said, not looking especially amused. Still, there was a friendly energy between the two of them, and you wondered if heroes had close relationships with hospital staff. They probably found themselves in hospitals often enough—it would make sense. “That will be all, Red Riot.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, standing up from the folding chair he’d been planted in and pushing it against the wall. Then he turned back to you. “I really can’t thank you enough for what you did today. You’re a really good person.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” you said, not sure what to do with the praise.

“Anytime.”

He waved and gave you one last smile before heading back, returning to duty. And as you were able to breathe easy again, answering the doctor’s routine questions and making sure that you actually were okay, it felt like Red Riot’s lingering smile never left.

The first thing you learned afterwards was that most ‘life-changing’ events weren’t actually life changing. They confirmed what they confirmed in your worldview, but, largely, life went on as normal. Like, now you knew for sure that you were the kind of person who could act in a crisis. But that was the story you’d been telling yourself before too, so what was the difference? After your day of heroics—and a day of rest, necessitated by the doctor—you went back to work and life became about staring at numbers on a screen once again.

Some of your coworkers asked about what the rescue had been like—apparently bits and pieces had reached the news, and there’d been footage of Red Riot and the others, but thankfully nothing official about you. They were suddenly very interested in your quirk—your quirk had never been a bad one, but you’d never made a habit of talking about it. And they wanted to know about the heroes.

Apparently, Red Riot was a name that some people knew. You didn’t tend to watch news about heroes and villains—you didn’t figure you needed to know much more than a bit of politics and the weather in your day to day—but those who did knew who Red Riot was. He was a rising star in the hero rankings and had graduated a few years ago from an apparently notorious class at U.A.

Even you knew what U.A. was.

You told everyone he was very nice but that you didn’t know much else. You hadn’t talked to any of the other heroes and if wasn’t like you were besties with Red Riot now. You didn’t even know his real name. Or you hadn’t, until some of your more eager coworkers informed you it was Kirishima Eijirou.

But…you didn’t like the questions. You didn’t like people asking you about how attractive or fit he was, people talking about how in love with him they were, as if you should be drooling and agreeing. Because, nice as the boy was, you didn’t feel that way. A pretty face was a pretty face and a kind soul was a kind soul. But you didn’t have a crush because, well, you almost never had crushes.

And the reminder of that, how different you were from your fantasy-having, simpering peers made you remember just how alone you were. How without those feelings, playful though they were, you felt like you would always be alone. Destined to shy away whenever a sweet boy flirted with you, to say no whenever one asked you out, to cry in your too-large bed on the days where you couldn’t convince yourself that just because you’d always been single, didn’t mean you always would be.

The second thing you learned was that, in actuality, life was always changing. Down to a simple train ride.

Public transit was one of your favorite things about living in the city. Sure, waiting for trains was irritating when you were running late, but you loved that on your morning commute you could read a book or do work instead of staring at a license plate in front of you, trying not to shout into gridlocked traffic.

You always made a habit of pausing your reading the stop before yours, just so that you could double check that your bag was tucked close, still zipped, and that all of your belongings were still on your person. You didn’t like fumbling with a bookmark and your purse just as the doors were opening and stumbling out, hoping you hadn’t left something on the seat—on the days that you were lucky enough to get a seat, that was. This time you’d been stuck, pressed against the window at the back of the car, but, when the stop before yours came, you put your book away and began pushing toward the door.

When the doors pinged open, you were one of the first ones out, flooding onto the platform as a crowd eagerly waited to take your spot, the train destined to stay full until sundown. You’d almost made it out of the station when you heard your name shouted above the din of the train pulling away.

You turned back abruptly, forcing the people behind you to split around you as you wondered if you’d made it up, heard a phantom voice without a source. But then you saw someone pushing through the crowd toward you, sharp grin present on his face.

His torso was hidden under a graphic tee, appropriate for how much warmer the weather had gotten in the past few weeks, but you’d recognize him anywhere. Really, even if you hadn’t had the reminders of people shoving phones with his picture in your face, he was unmistakable from his hair to his eyes to his teeth.

“Red Riot?” you said with surprise, noticing that he was getting a few stares from passersby.

“Ah, you can call me Kirishima,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “Red Riot’s just the guy in the uniform.”

“What are you doing here?” you asked, wondering if this man, Kirishima, was going to be imprinting himself on all ends of your commute by the end of the year.

“Day off with my friends.”

Kirishima gestured behind him at a few other people, visible now that the station was thinning out. There was a scowling blond who looked vaguely familiar—probably another hero—two other boys and a pink girl with horns.

“You’re coming home from work?”

You looked down. You were one of the youngest people in the office, so you always tried hard to look the part by dressing as professionally as possible in a button-down and slacks. It definitely stood out against his friends’ casual wear. “Guess it’s pretty obvious, huh?”

Kirishima nodded and you wondered if this was your cue to leave. Cool to see you again, bro, but I’ve got a hot date with Netflix and some leftovers, so why don’t you and your friends enjoy a real Friday night while I begin my descent into my final crotchety cat lady persona?

“Kiri’s told us all about your awesome quirk,” the pink girl said, dark eyes sparkling. “He said you were really brave.”

“And he told us how pretty you were, but man, he didn’t do you justice,” one of the boys—the blond who wasn’t frowning—said.

You bit your lip. The praise was flattering but…uncomfortable. The boy’s brows were raised in what could be interpreted as a suggestive manner, and you wondered what Kirishima had said. Something like She was really brave, cool quirk, kinda cute too or Next time I see her I wanna tap that ass.

Honestly, they made you about equally uncomfortable.

“Cut it out, Kaminari,” Kirishima said, having the decency to flush a little bit. “Listen, we were just going to go to the park and hang out if you wanted to come along?”

“Oh, I…”

You glanced at his friends. All of them—except the one—were smiling and looked like friendly, genuine people. And you usually did like hanging out with people when you actually got up the gumption to do so.

But…your mind was always ready to supply you with a lot of ‘buts.’

But, you’d just gotten off work, looked like an idiot in your slacks and needed to get changed.

But, it was uncomfortable to be in a group where everyone knew each other but you.

But, what if any of these boys were interested in you and tried to get with you?

The last thought always felt so stupid—who did you think you were to assume that any man who looked at you might be thinking about you in that way? Not that you honestly assumed they did, but you feared it. And that didn’t feel much less stupid, to be honest.

“That’s really nice of you,” you said, putting extra cheer and enthusiasm in your voice so it didn’t sound so much like a rejection. “But I haven’t had dinner and work was rough, so I don’t think I’d make a very good impression.”

“Oh, no worries!” Kirishima said, his voice holding the same false merriment as yours. Or maybe you were projecting and he was being totally genuine. “Maybe next time.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, managing a laugh. “If you manage to catch me on another part of my commute—and there’s no villain involved—I’ll make sure to say hey.”

“All right, Y/N,” Kirishima said as he and his friends began to walk on. “I’m counting on it.”

And the third thing you learned was something you’d actually known for a long time. When things changed, usually they changed slowly.

You’d only said what you’d said to Kirishima last time because you figured there was no way in hell you’d be seeing him again. After all, it was a big city with hundreds of thousands of residents, and it wasn’t exactly like accountants and pro heroes ran in the same spheres.

But it seemed life was getting a kick out of keeping you to your word these days.

It was a weekend and you’d actually managed to leave your apartment to hang out with friends. As predicted, you actually did have a good time, though that didn’t keep you from dipping out early—mostly because you were never excited about heading home alone at night. So, purse clutched close to your side, you walked through the streets, reassuringly lit by friendly lampposts and the many bars that were still open.

When you saw the shocking head of red hair, you thought your brain was making up. Because why would he be here, walking the streets on your route home again?

Judging by his shirtless state, it was because he was on patrol. Which, you know, made sense.

It didn’t take him long to spot you. Because while you were attentive—and especially alert, since it was after dark—he was a hero. Trained not to miss a thing.

His face brightened at the sight of you and he jogged over.

“Y/N!” he said. “I thought you were gonna say hello next time you saw me.”

“I said on my commute,” you quipped, feeling the burn of awkwardness that he’d caught you looking at him. “I thought heroes needed to be detail-oriented.”

“Touché,” he said. “Well, it seems you’re spared again. Can’t hang out while I’m working.”

“But you can do this?” you asked, gesturing between the two of you.

Kirishima grinned. “Of course! This is just me building a relationship with the citizens!”

You didn’t know if that was a thing or not, but it sounded legit enough for you. At the very least, it you were in no place to accuse Kirishima of not being good at his job.

“So, I know why I’m here,” Kirishima continued. “What are you up to?”

“Oh, I was just hanging out with friends,” you said. “Heading home now.”

“But that stop that we got off at a few weeks back,” he said. “That’s the stop for your house, right? That’s still pretty far from here.”

Ah, so he was attentive. You had to give him points for that, even if the fact that he’d paid so much attention made you feel…squirmy. Your flight reflexes were humming under your skin, waiting for the moment he said something that made you think too close, too far, too soon.

“I feel safer walking,” you said, subconsciously gripping onto your purse’s strap.

Some people felt safer taking the train home in the evening, but even if it doubled, tripled the length of the trip, you preferred being in a space where you could run away if necessary. And in the city, there were always potential witnesses outside, if you were ever to need them.

Kirishima’s brows furrowed a bit. “Do you want me to walk you? I can go with you at least to the end of my beat.”

The humming increased. His offer was gentlemanly, chivalrous. It reminded you of old-timey courting—and you were being crazy. You didn’t want to walk home alone and a hero was offering to accompany you part way. You ignored your nerves “That would be really sweet, thank you.”

So you walked and talked. He had more to say about your quirk and you told him that you’d never had much interest in them. Rather, you were an accountant who worked nine to five and quite happy living a quiet life with modest success. You didn’t need a lot—certainly not fame or recognition—and you were mostly content. You didn’t mention the chronic loneliness or bouts of fear around dying alone, but that was how you got by. Loneliness was something you were always trying to outrun, and most days you managed to. Letting it catch up and thinking about it never made you feel better and talking about it rarely did either. It was something you felt powerless to change, so the best thing you could do was try to be happy with the rest of your life and hope for the best.

“I’ll admit, the fame is pretty different in real life from what you think it’ll be as a teenager,” Kirishima said.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you said. “I thought about famous bands and stuff and even when I was a kid I didn’t want the kind of notoriety that they have.”

“I’m not sure I ever wanted that either,” Kirishima said. “I just wanted people to look up to me the way I looked up to Crimson Riot. And now that I’m starting to have that, I like that people can rely on me, even if they don’t know me personally.”

You smiled. “That’s a pretty nice way to look at it.”

“You think?”

“I do.” You nodded. “I can see you on the street and feel safer for your being there.”

Kirishima’s shark teeth showed through his smile. “That’s exactly why I’m allowed to talk to you during my patrol.”

“I see,” you said, beginning to think that there was a lot more to heroes than you’d thought.

“Speaking of which,” he said. “I’d love to take you all the way home, but I can’t abandon my post. And this is kind of the end of it.”

You looked at where you were, about to cross a major intersection. You wondered if there was a hero on the other side who would be happy to walk you to the edge of their patrol too.

“No, thank you so much for walking with me this far,” you said. “You didn’t have to do that and it was really sweet.”

“I was happy to do it!” he insisted. You moved to keep going, about to wave your hand in goodbye when he said, “Wait!”

You stopped, heart beating loudly. Flight, flight, flight.

“I was wondering if you’d like to hang out sometime?” he said, a hint of nervousness and hope on his face. Too much hope. “On purpose, you know?”

“Oh,” you said, wishing you could go back in time. Wishing you could have left faster or maybe not even walked with him, even though the walk had been pleasant and comforting. Wishing you were a different person entirely. “I, um, can’t.”

“Oh, do you have a boyfriend?” he asked, the nerves eclipsing the hope. “If so, I’m really sorry if it seemed like I was assu—”

“No, no, I don’t have a boyfriend,” the words almost pulling a wry laugh out of you. A sardonic choke. “I just…I don’t really date.”

“Oh,” Kirishima said again, short brows scrunching in confusion. “Um, sorry, and you don’t have to answer but…what do you mean?”

“I’m on the asexuality spectrum?” you began, hating how apologetic the words sounded. Hating that you couldn’t seem to find a way to be proud of your sexuality, that you could only wear it as a burden. “I’m demisexual. Which means that I can’t feel attracted to people that I barely know. So dating is just…really hard.”

Kirishima’s brows raised. “So…you need to get to know people really well before you’d even be interested?” he asked slowly, clarifying.

“Yeah,” you said. “Very…slow burn.”

“So you’re saying,” he continued, his face becoming warm with a smile again, “that I’d have to see you more often before seeing you officially.”

“Oh, yeah, uh, not that simple,” you said, nervous and confused that he hadn’t let it go yet. “I don’t casual date either. Like, I wouldn’t want someone showing interest in me and then dating other people while they wait to see if I come around. Which I know isn’t fair. Basically, seeing me would be a lot of risk for potentially no reward, because even if we do spend time together, I might never like you. So, yeah, you understand the dilemma.”

The concern was back on his face, and, somehow, your entire urge to flee went away. You’d scared him off, and there was some comfort in that. Sure, maybe it was running away from your problems, but you were able to trick yourself into thinking it was the mature thing to do because you were telling the truth. You were being honest about what the situation was.

“So this really is hard for you.” There was compassion in his voice that took you aback. That wasn’t him running. That wasn’t him being scared off.

“Um, yeah, it kinda sucks,” you said.

“I’m really sorry about that,” Kirishima said, and you thought, hoped that would be the end of it. But he kept going. “But, honestly, spending more time with you sounds like a really nice thing, even without any expectations or anything on it.”

Some boys had made this offer in the past. And it sounded nice on paper, but no matter what you did, you couldn’t remove the expectations in your mind. The fact that you knew why they’d looked at you in the first place, what they were looking for, and that you were still in a position to lead them on. You always made it so hard for yourself, even though you just wanted with everything in your heart for it to be easy.

“And, just so you know,” Kirishima said, glancing down shyly, “I don’t date a lot either. I’m not sure what kind of impression I’ve given off, but really, I don’t have that much time because of this career, and the time that I do I try to spend with my friends. So, it would make more sense to, you know, try and do that anyway. I just…as a hero, I often see the worst of people and so I want to spend all my other time with good ones. And you seem like a really good person.”

“I…” You had one last shot. One last thing to show the worst of yourself and see if he’d turn around on you. “When I’ve tried dating before, I’m not the best version of myself. I get really uncomfortable, so I treat people in a way that’s less than they deserve. I don’t think you’d like that version of me.”

“It’s a good thing we wouldn’t be dating then,” Kirishima said. “Just…two friends trying to become better people.”

You were at war with yourself. He was saying all the right things but you were still so scared. Of someone liking you when you couldn’t like them. Of you falling for them after they’d put you in the friend zone. Of falling in love and it not working out. Of falling in love and getting everything.

“How about this,” Kirishima said. “I’ll be here tomorrow—my shift starts at six. And if we happen to bump into each other by accident, well, that seems to be our pattern, so how bad could it be?”

You smiled, having a quick response for that one. “I could be held hostage by a villain, pass out, and need you to take me to the hospital.”

“Well, at least we know we can get out of that one.”

“I suppose so,” you said. It was casual. It was literally the lowest stakes invitation you’d ever heard in your life. If you couldn’t say yes to this, then what were you doing? “I…okay. I might see you tomorrow.”

He grinned at you and you became immediately convinced that his cheer was totally genuine. He was just a happy guy, and maybe nothing he said had any innuendo or hidden meaning to it. It probably never had. “Is it okay if I give you my number? I just want to know that you get home safe.”

In the bright lights of the busy street, you’d almost forgotten that it was quickly becoming the middle of the night, and that you’d had such unease when you’d first stepped out into it. You’d felt totally safe for a minute, even in this strange world you lived in.

“Okay,” you said. “If I’m not home in twenty minutes, you have permission to get worried.”

“I’ll send a search party,” he said. “I know a guy.”

You laughed. “Sounds good. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise…”

“Tomorrow.”

“We’ll see.”

He nodded. “We’ll see.”

It was half a promise, the start of a maybe friendship. It was probably nothing at all, you had to remind yourself for the whole walk home, otherwise you might go crazy with nerves.

But, also, it might be good.

Time would only tell.

#kirishima x reader #bnha x reader #acespec #acespec fiction #acespec fic #demisexual fiction #demisexual fic #bnha lgbt #kirishima imagine #kirishima imagines #eijirou kirishima x reader #bnha imagine #bnha imagines #mha imagine #mha imagines

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nyxravessnow · 4 years

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Shin Tenimyu - Musical The New Prince of Tennis The First Stage Report

I saw the stream of the first performance of the The New Prince of Tennis musical awhile back and I wanted to write some of my thoughts. But I didn’t really enjoy the show and as I love tenimyu with all my heart, as it is my favourite show, I find it much harder to be super negative about the show when talking specifically about the show scene by scene. But with the casting news for 4th I thought that I would finish this so anyone who hasn’t seen the show can know my thoughts.

I tried to finish it, I really did. But I have no motivation to really talk in length about this show in a deep dive sort of way. I will keep what I did for the 1st half of the show but after that it will only be kinda a summary of my thoughts.

I have only seen the first night and I do not intend to see anymore of this show. I was incredibly disappointed and didn’t not make me want to see the show again or really any of the shin tenimyu shows but I will still watch those as a bad first show doesn’t mean all of them will be bad but I don’t think shin tenimyu will ever really be my thing.

I will say that Tokki, Raima and Maeda-chan are actors I love so I am a little biased towards them

Bare in mind that this was the first performance and while I am not taking that into consideration for my criticisms things could definitely improve before the final show, the one that will be on dvd.

Overall the show was about a 4-6/10 for me. There was only really one scene that brought it to a 6 and without it it would be a 4.

Music: 2/10.

Direction: 1.5/10.

Acting: 6/10

Spoilers under the cut

Actors

Imamaki Hikaru - Echizen Ryouma: All round a solid 6/10. He was cute and delivered his lines very well but still has far to go with his singing and the design on his hair really sticking out from the sides of his hat made him seem much younger which I was not a fan of. This was a problem I had with early Nichika of them making Echizen seem too young and innocent. Like of course he is 13 and is a child but he isn’t this cute adorable boy. He can be cocky and he isn’t all innocent so I hope they don’t keep making the Echizen’s appear super young in this way.

Yamada Kento - Tezuka Kunimitsu: 8/10. I don’t think I really have any issues with his Tezuka at all. He had a very good voice, really good acting.

Houjuyama Shun - Momoshiro Takeshi: 6/10. He has a really good voice for Momo when speaking but his singing leaves a lot to be desired. He didn’t really do very much in the show so I can’t rate him higher than a 6 as I don’t remember very much that he did bar the Oni match.

Gaku - Tachibana Kippei: 7/10. Similarly to Shun I don’t really remember him but his singing was quite good so this is where he landed

Takahashi Ryouya - Atobe Keigo: I’m sorry 1/10. He is an excellent singer and performer but there was nothing about his performance that made me think of Atobe. His voice was quite high, he was not very confident (Blending into the background when it wasn’t his match), saying his lines softly, moving softly. If I couldn’t see the wig I would not have known he was Atobe. I really hope that he can gain some confidence to play Atobe or else I think he was the wrong actor for the role.

Maeda Ryuutarou - Kirihara Akaya/Hiramatsu Raima - Tooyama Kintarou: 10/10. I put these two here together because what I want to say is the same for both. You could absolutely tell they had been in the show before. The two brought confidence not many others had to their roles. They controlled their stage and as soon as they stepped onto it they were their characters. Every movement and every line was exactly like the character. I am so happy that they are continuing in tenimyu and hope that they will help the cast get to their level by the end of this run or maybe in future shows.

Takemoto Yusuke - Shiraishi Kuranosuke: 9/10. By far my favourite of the new cast members. I know a lot of people were apprehensive that he might play Shiraishi as sexy too much but he didn’t at all. He was excellent. The only reason that he isn’t a five is there are still some tiny things he could polish but once those are polished he will be perfect.

Matsushima Hiroki - Chitose Senri: 7/10. Ngl I keep forgetting that he was in this show. His doubles with Tachibana was quite forgetful and he didn’t have any major moments but was also quite good and not many problems in his performance.

Shintani David - Lilident Krauser: 10/10. Like Maeda-chan and Raima you could tell that he had been in the show before, albeit much less than they had. For anyone who doesn’t know, he was an understudy and doubled as the part of Lilident in vs Rikkai Nationals. Very solid performance

(Warning I know much less about the high schoolers so this will be more on their acting in general rather than whether they were good as that character)

Ono Kento - Tokugawa Kazuya: ?/10. He was barely in the show and I have no idea how I could rate his performance. Pretty solid.

Okamoto Yuuki - Oni Juujirou: 8/10. Solid performance. Good enough singing for the role.

Aiba Hiroki - Irie Kanata: He wasn’t in the show so I can’t write a judgement of his performance

Yasue Kazuaki - Irie Kanata: 9/10. He was so excellent. Singing, acting, everything was top notch. Similarly to Yusuke he’s only not 10 because he has some small things to polish.

Chanhe (dunno how to spell his name) - Nakagauchi Sotomichi: 6/10. No real comments, pretty solid.

Matsushima Yuunosuke - Yamato Yudai: 6/10. Pretty good, singing okay.

Suzuki Ryouhei - Miyako Shinobu: 6/10. Didn’t have many lines or do very much, pretty overshadowed by Tokki (Will cover him next). What he did do was good, singing could use some improvement.

Tauchi Tokihiro - Matsudaira Chikahiko: 10/10. Absolutely perfect. He brought so much energy and character to his performance that I don’t think any other new actor brought. He owned the stage, even competing with Maeda-chan for my attention when on stage. He had so much presence and would draw your eyes to him. He made everything seem so natural and not acted. Like the continuing actors he became his character on stage rather than acted them out.

Takahashi Shunichi - Suzuki Shun and Tsurimoto Minami - Washio Issa: 6/10. Didn’t do too much, pretty solid performance.

Murakami Kouhei - Kurobe Yukio/Izumi Shuhei - Saito Itaru: 6/10. Pretty standard for a coach. Singing was good.

Kishi Yuuji - Mifune Nyuudou: 10/10. Absolutely amazing. Everything about his performance was perfect. By FAR the best voice in the cast, incredible singing.

Direction and choreography

I am not a director so I cannot be too specific about details but I can say what I liked and didn’t. (Every comment is specifically about the direction not singing or acting). I have studied theatre though so I do have some insight from that angle Also, please don’t criticise what I classified as the same scene and what as different.

Scene 1: Echizen in America, 1st song

Good beginning, very solid for a first show opening.

Scene 2: High schoolers practicing while middle schoolers arrive, coach song

Felt very reminiscent of the vs Fudomine shows where Echizen first arrives at Seigaku, I really liked this.

Scene 3: Middle schoolers and high schoolers collecting dropped balls, middle schooler song

Was not a fan. I didn’t like how close everyone was but also randomly placed. I know it is inevitable with such a small cast of middle schoolers but I would have liked to see them more with their teammates in little clusters and slowly appear in front of Seigaku. Maybe even projecting images of other middle schoolers getting balls if none are to appear.

I did like how Echizen arrives out of the back at the end though

Scene 4: Oni vs Momoshiro, Oni solo, Momo solo

Done pretty well, will talk in other section about stage design. Both actors were solid in their tennis, no missed moves that I saw. Built up Oni’s power well, showing him as a strong player. Showed Momo’s desperation well in the blocking.

Was not a fan of only having unknown high schoolers watching on. Makes sense in an anime or manga that has time to build up and unlimited cast but this show only has three hours to build up characters that may never return or become more important later. They did not need lines but would have been interesting to see them watching the match

Scene 5: Saito and Kurobe

Pretty simple scene, just the two talking. Pretty gay.

Scene 6: Saito talking to the middle schoolers about elimination matches, Saito solo

I think the middle schoolers could do with being less clumped up around him as it makes the cast of characters seem small and does not give an indication of scale. Liked the stillness of the middle and high schoolers during his song.

Scene 7: Echizen and Kinchan meet Tokugawa and Oni, Echizen vs Tokugawa, Echizen and Tokugawa duet

I really love the way Oni and Tokugawa are tall and imposing and unmoving or slow moving on the outside of the stage where as Echizen and Kinchan are being active in the middle, shows contrast between the characters well.

I really like there not being a net here reinforcing that Kinchan and Echizen just run off and do their own thing with no regard for officiality.

Did not like the two random ensemble cast members appearing to watch and commentate, felt very weird and slightly meta.

Scene 8: Elimination matches

I have EXTREMELY mixed feelings here. On the one hand I think the direction is excellent with the spotlight, the figures who lose falling and the single lines echoing. On the other hand, I hate that they didn’t have many of the matches and skipped over them completely, especially the lack of cast members (which I will touch on later). If they do the elimination matches in another show and this was building up to it then I take back my negative comments and I’ll be very happy about that. But if not I think this was not enough to cover them, especially since so many were missed out

Scene 9: Kinchan vs Oni, Kinchan and Oni duet

I really love this scene. A lot of, again, slow movements from Oni contrasting the never still form of Kinchan. Probably my favourite choreography from the show with Kinchan darting back under Oni’s legs. Doubles to show Oni’s maturity vs Kinchan’s childishness as well as showing Oni not taking Kinchan too seriously and letting him just run around aimlessly before he beats him.

Scene 10: Irie and Chitose talking

No real comments, they just stood and talked.

Scene 11: Saito takes Kinchan and Echizen to the mountain

Liked them lying on the floor together, part of a series of things linking Kinchan and Echizen together. It was a bit weird seeing Tokugawa just watching them lie on the floor and catching their breath before giving them a message and leaving. Liked Saito picking them up by their collars, gives the impression that he doesn’t care that they are children. Which he doesn’t. Scene of climbing suffers from lack of actors as this could be a good place to add in comedy, which the show is lacking, but since they only have Momo, Echizen and Kinchan, none is created.

Scene 12: Mifune solo (ft. Echizen and Kinchan )

Loved how he is sat in the beginning, instantly shows his character. Along with his heavy slow movements and slightly hunched back. Liked it showing the middle schoolers climbing in the background, showing that he is not caring about their effort or wellbeing in getting to him. Liked the breaks to show Echizen and Kinchan and the complete shift in tone, will talk more about later in song, but also in lighting and speed of movement.

Scene 13: Middle schoolers arrive at the camp, hs vs ms outside match

Love the distance between the high schoolers, creating a sense of scale. Despite looking down usually being a sign of strength from the person standing you got a sense of Mifune’s power as they are all looking down on him sipping his sake.

Loved the lighting for the high schoolers vs middle schoolers match. Fluid movements of the hs vs the random movements of the middle schoolers.

Scene 14: Training back at the main camp, ms getting their place on court 5

Really liked the running on a off stage but would have liked to see characters return to stage and run off again like a consistant training menu and would have liked to see the words detailing their training be on the screen for a tad longer.

Liked the short matches between the ms and hs but would have liked to see the hs look a bit more helpless in their movements.

Scene 15: Coaches talking, court 5 and 3 meet, Irie and Tokugawa chat

Coaches talking is pretty standard

Liked the ms entering from different sides vs court 3 entering from the same side. Gives the impression that court 3 is a team whereas 5 is a lot of good individual players thrown together.

Chat again, pretty standard

Scene 16: Oni talking to his court, court 5 song

I like them being spread out. Like them walking around at the beginning of the song with only Oni spotlighted to show he is bringing them together.

Scene 17: Yamato and Tezuka talk

Like the distance between them, showing how far apart they had grown due to time and also in personality, contrasted later during their duet.

Scene 18: Lining up, Nakagauchi vs Liladent

Liked contrast between Oni being just behind court 5 whereas Tokugawa is behind the bench (?). Of course court 3 isn’t Tokugawa’s court but it reminded me of Oni actively helping his court vs Tokugawa sending Echizen away to improve.

Pretty standard tenimyu match with no songs. Liked the show of Nakagauchi’s power by showing him being thrown into a fence, like Taka-san one of the strongest middle schoolers was in Shiten, but being unaffected by this. Of course I know it was done in the original so they also had to do it but I like how the direction is similar in both cases.

Scene 19: Shiraishi and Akaya vs Miyako and Matsudaira

BEST SCENE OF THE SHOW. If every scene was like this one the show would be 10/10. Without this scene the show would be a 4/10 or perhaps lower.

Miyako and Matsudaira’s song was great.

Shiraishi’s solo was so good.

Shiraishi and Akaya’s duet is by far and away the best song in the show. The only song that really felt like ‘tenimyu’ and reminded me of what I loved about tenimyu.

Scene 20: Camp training, Mifune sends Echizen/Kinchan/Momo to get Sake, Mifune solo

Pretty solid, suffering from a lack of actors and it felt a bit flat. Mifune’s singing was amazing again, though I think he did slightly get too many songs bc Mifune isn’t as important to the plot as the musical seems to make out, as far as I’m aware.

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So, that’s the first half.

IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SOMETHING VERY NEGATIVE AND HARSH, PLEASE STOP HERE.

This show might be one of my least favourite 2.5d shows I have ever seen. The dancing was okay, the singing wasn’t great, the show did not feel well thoughtout and it was just so disappointing. So, many of the actors were rather underwhelming and despite so much going on the show felt boring.

I may have not read the shintenipuri manga but I have seen the anime and it is really funny. This show was barely funny, so many jokes were cut out seemingly for no reason other than the characters who made the jokes not being there. But I do not understand why there weren’t there. I get they couldn’t have every shintenipuri character there but there are quite a few I think they could have added that would have brought a lot, not just to fill the numbers as the stage did feel quite empty quite a few times. Sanada, for example, would have been a very good addition to the cast he speaks to a few of the people there, he rallies the middle schoolers going up the mountain and they already use him quite a bit through voice recording so I do not see why they couldn’t actually cast him.

The show was just lacking the heart that normal tenimyu has. Every tenimyu show before this, even the ones I haven’t enjoyed as much like Remarkable Match Fudomine or Seigaku vs Shitenhoji 2nd season, made me want to watch them again. They still drew me in and got me invested in the characters, partly because of excellent chemistry between the actors. Honestly, so few of these actors had good chemistry with one another. Raima and Maeda-chan quite honestly felt good with everyone. Tokki and Ryouhei were good as Miyako and Matsudaira, Kento and Yuunosuke weren’t bad as Yamato and Tezuka and Ryoya and Kazu were pretty okay. I didn’t feel a connection between almost anyone else. I don’t know if this was the actors not feeling comfortable with each other or the fast pace of the show that left no time for actors to develop in character chemistry but I am leaning towards the 2nd as the backstage photos would suggest they got on well.

This show felt like tenimyu’s attempt to make a Toho show. And it did not work. The show took itself way too seriously instead of in normal tenimyu where they seem to have a blast and it’s okay to understand that the show is ridiculous. I don’t know if this is at all what they were attempting but with the new attitude and the actors from Toho, especially Mifune’s actor who they gave a lot of solos to, it certainly felt like that to me.

I am not just being negative about shin tenimyu because I wanted tenimyu to stay the same forever. I was very prepared for new things in shin tenimyu but I don’t think the approach of let’s keep virtually nothing from past tenimyu really appealed to me. I honestly did like some of the new stuff they tried but I think they should have kept more things the same and phased stuff out later down the line when people were more onboard with shintenimyu. I.e. not in their first show.

I will talk more about the issues I had with casting in my next post as I will finally talk about the casting of 11th Seigaku and 4th Fudomine.

RANT OVER

Okay, now I’ve gotten a lot of my negative thoughts out of the way.

Thanks for reading this half review, and I’m sorry it took so long. I personally wouldn’t recommened to anyone who is a massive tenimyu fan to check out this show but please don’t just take my word but see what other people think to.

Please continue to support my reviews and leave a like and maybe send me a message so we can chat about stuff.

#self #rant #shin tenimyu the first stage #the new prince of tennis musical #the first stage #review #negative

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shinygoku · 3 years

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Top 10 CSatM Episodes (2/2)

See part 1 here

As a few paragraphs and pictures for 10 episodes in a row makes a rather long, unruly beast of a post!

The second half of my personal preferred picks for a Top 10, though the order they’re being listed in doesn’t correspond to my favour, but the order how I watch them on my DVDs. I still suggest you read the first half of the list before this one, all the same~

Spoilers below the cut, be warned! ✂

Crater 101

So this ep is pretty much a sequel to Lunarville 7, and is followed up with Dangerous Rendezvous. Neither of those made the cut of my list though, and even isolated from those it makes a solid story. The most Space-y of all the episodes and a visual treat, cause while we mostly stuck to the stark accommodations of Lunarville 7 in that episode, here we see the grey grimy gloom of the outside of the Moon, and the sharp, delightful contrast of the Mysteron’s fantastic plastic Complex. Here, vivid marbled colours and flashing lights join inorganic shapes that suggest something of the Mysteron’s nature, but as always, nothing conclusive.

Moving away from the lovely Aesthetics, this is also a strong one for characterisation. We get some sweet interactions with The Lads and for this episode only, the Best Female Character in the whole show. Linda Nolan is the controller of Lunarville 6, a smart, capable woman who had her own cool space mission referenced and in fact critical to the plot. She is also relatable in that she catches feelings for Scarlet, so while she’s barking up the wrong tree I still have nothing but respect for her, hehee.

Eerie, tense, interesting and still somewhat funny, this is another episode that eeks into an even higher ranking list than 10, I could comfortably put it in 5 and mmmaybe 3. Though I’m not gonna be able to say definitively as the best episodes all bring something different to the table, and this may just be the strongest in the uniqueness regard.

Fire at Rig 15

I get the feeling this may be an unorthodox choice, somehow? But yeah, I just really enjoy it. It’s not a funny episode, but it is rather exciting, and contains some lovely new music and a sweet scene at the end. The Mysteron’s plot is pretty simple, but should it succeed, devastating as it would be crippling Spectrum’s operations by removing the unique type of fuel all the craft uses.

In a way, it’s kind of like a dark mirror to a typical Thunderbirds setup; whereas in that show the initial fire would be more likely to be accidental or just maybe some ne’er do well like the Hood, this time it’s as simple as the Mysterons reopening the master valve. When traditional firefighters would eventually retreat to make room for International Rescue, here Spectrum themselves have a rather passive role as a professional rolls in. And of course, said man finds himself very, very dead due to further Mysteron interference (see picture), with Black seemingly hypnotising the poor bloke into standing too close to the explosion.

From there his duplicate half buries his original corpse and later receives direct instructions from Black to suicide bomb the nearby refinery, and it’s en route to this is where the thrilling car chase takes place! Scarlet saves the refinery but the whole SPV he was driving is completely ablaze at the end of it. Like my thoughts on Point 783, I really appreciate the human touch to the last scene, with soft music as arrangements are made for Scarlet to recover from the horrible state we’re spared of seeing. Seeing how his ability to recover from death is one of the cornerstones of the whole premise, I love it when we’re allowed a bit more insight into what the other Spectrum personnel do in the situations, in this case White specifically instructing Dr Fawn to make sure Scarlet is comfortable as the process takes place.

Treble Cross

A notable and unique spin of an episode, where a rather routine Mysteron threat takes quite the turn when their assassinated target is brought back to life! It seems by the 2060′s we’ll have cool machinery to do CPR for a couple of hours as well as doctors ready to play god when they happen to drive by the car crash scene, heheh

Seriously though, this is a really fresh premise, that the villains who have been using doppelgangers for their devious schemes get the tables turned. This time the duplicate gets perma-killed while the original Major Gravener willingly participates in an undercover mission to help draw Captain Black into a trap at last... However, an easily overlooked factor in the driver who was also killed had been duplicated offscreen, so even with this amazing chance Spectrum can’t catch Black. But the World Capital, Futura City, is saved and Spectrum find the Mysterons themselves can’t tell their own copies from the original person, so it’s all in all a net gain!

Also this episode contains the World’s Happiest Clock, so that’s a neat plus.

Flight 104

We start this story on the incredible note of Captain Blue singing in the shower of the Hotel room he shares with Captain Scarlet. Scarlet then orders them both room service for some lunch. And if that sounds like the start of a fanfic plot, it may well be, but it’s also literally right there in the episode, baybee!

Charmingly domestic opening aside, I love this whole shebang. Again it’s the usual Mysterons threatening of an individual who Spectrum are bodyguarding, but the way both our heroes and villains go about this is different from the norm. Scarlet and Blue are trying to avoid drawing attention, so they spend the whole episode in normal clothes (Blue spending 1/3 of this in that comfy bathrobe!), and don’t have their comms. What’s more, they get a pair of reporters suspicious, and the two trail them looking for a Big Scoop.

When I was first watching this, I was expecting the journalists to get killed by Black to be the Mysteron Pawns, but no! They’re both fine from the start to the end! Then we find Black doing ....something.... to the Flight Crew of the titular Flight 104, but they aren’t killed either, just drugged. Instead, the Mysterons remotely pilot the plane on a slow collision course with the Alps, but are undone when an Electrical Plant interferes with their control.

As breaking into the pilot cabin had the side effect of jamming the landing gear, the plane has to crash land at the airport, but almost everyone being unharmed makes this one of the most gentle episodes of the lot... of course, Scarlet himself is still heavily implied to have been killed from the crash, but even his injuries seem pretty minor this time. And yet, it’s not lacking in excitement, as the tension of Spectrum trying to communicate with the two without their Comms and the inability to override the Mysteron’s control until that pre-established Electrical weakness kicks in holds for a while.

Inferno

Those who know of me from Thunderbirds are Go (the 2015 TV series) discussion are likely to know how much I love the episode from Season 1, Tunnels of Time. It heavily features my favourite ship in that show as they explore an ancient South American Temple which is full of peril. The temple is destroyed by the end of the episode.

So anyway, Inferno features my favourite ship in this show as they explore an ancient South American Temple which is full of peril, and tragically the temple is destroyed by the end of the episode! Heheeheheee~

Ok seriously though, eerie parallels aside this is another utterly beautiful instalment, with set design and lighting that really blows other episodes out of the proverbial water. And the pyrotechnic team clearly had fun with the seemingly unending explosions at the end of the adventure. An all-around visual feast!

Main plot is relatively simple, like in White as Snow, the Mysterons kill a Satellite and its crew and steer the reconstructed version towards their target of the week. Unlike WaS, they succeed in the end, a reminder that they’re still not to be underestimated. No human lives are lost, but the important complex and more tragically, the 800 year old temple that’s otherwise intact, get bombed to smithereens. Something something additional cost of warfare on Culture and History.

But while this is the end of my personal Top 10 list, it’s not all bad, because the Scarlet and Blue antics in the temple are utterly lovely and [chef finger kiss] splendid cinema~!

That about wraps up this Two-part post of mine! Picking 10 out of 32 is easier than 10 out of 100, but it’s still tricky as most of the episodes are very good, with only a few I’d promptly write off as a candidate for the list. And in some ways I wonder if I went about this the right way, some eps I only saw once and might feel strong enough to pip one’a the ones I did choose.

I have been rewatching each of the eps covered, and a few that didn’t make it, but my initial choice was made looking at the full list and letting my gut grab a few, having to think over more as the slots filled. Some fan favourites like Lunarville 7 came close, but I hope I’ve been able to clearly convey what it is about this selection that gave them the edge ;3

I will write further posts on Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons in the future, but after this mammoth and also the Notable Episodes list I’d quite like to enjoy it for a while without thinking about points to talk about, haha

#Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons #Captain Scarlet #Supermarionation #Gerry Anderson #CutCat Top Lists

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makeste · 4 years

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Bnha is a little too irregular for me right now (covid is the worst :( ), so I started reading One Piece and it's like, soooo long. Got me thinking, how long do you think Bnha will be? Personally I think we're just before time skip and it will take, like 300-400 chapters to end? So manga would be 600-700 chapters long. I could be wrong of course. Thoughts?

One Piece is fucking awesome, and the beauty of it is that is is 12 million chapters long so it will take approximately 182 years to finish reading, and you are almost guaranteed to be entertained for the vast majority of that time lol. I actually took a break from it a little ways into the Wano arc (sometime in the middle of what would later become volume 92) because it was getting harder for me to keep up with the plot week by week, especially since I was really into BnHA fandom by that time. my plan was to binge it once Wano ends. however when I was looking at the list of chapters on Wikipedia just now I saw that Oda is only 11 chapters away from breaking the 1k mark, which is pretty awesome. so I might try to catch up in the next month or two in celebration of that milestone, because damn.

with BnHA though, my own guess for how long the series will be is actually a lot shorter than most estimates I’ve seen. first of all, full disclosure that I am definitely biased regarding the timeskip part, because I personally am not the biggest fan of BnHA timeskip theories, unless they’re really short timeskips like the 3-month one we got recently. the thing is, this is explicitly a manga about their time at UA. it’s in the title and everything lol. and I like that. I like reading about them as kids, little hero eggs gradually growing into little hero chicks who will eventually become big hero birbs, but not just yet. a lot of the story’s appeal for me comes from that. there’s a certain... I don’t necessarily want to say innocence, but idealism, maybe?, that’s associated with stories about young adults, and doesn’t always carry over into the stories about those same adults once they’ve grown up. and I want the story to keep that.

there are a lot of things about the current setting that I’m very attached to and don’t want to lose. I like that they’re kids, and that they’re full of potential but don’t always know what they’re doing, and they screw up and make mistakes and get in over their heads, and are dealing with all of their messy jumbled teenage emotions. I like that they’re living with each other in the fanfic dorms and seeing each other every day in their classes. I like that romance isn’t a big part of the series (though there’s still plenty of shipping fuel to go around). I like that we get to see them interacting with their parents and siblings and get to see those relationships. and most of all, I like that -- unlike almost every other young adult series I can think of -- BnHA acknowledges that they are just kids, and the adults by and large actually treat them as such. and yes, I’m even including the child soldiers arc here, because the decision to basically draft them into a war was handed down by the HPSC (an organization that likely has a history with child abuse from what we’ve seen). U.A. was against it, and tried their best to keep them away from the front lines, chilling out in the woods and helping with evacuations instead of fighting villains. contrast this with, say, a:tla, which I love, but which is very much one of those series filled with full-grown adults who are all “it’s up to this 12-year-old and his assorted 12-to-15-year-old friends to lead the battle to save the world lulz.” and this includes possibly the most beloved full-grown adult of all time, who nonetheless peaces out with an ironclad argument of “while it is true that the final villain is my actual brother, I’m still going to let the 12-year-old handle it because something something politics slash destiny.”

but anyways lol got sidetracked there. so steering this back on course now, I genuinely, truly love that in BnHA there are all these adults in the characters’ lives who are trying to keep them safe and nurture them and shield them from that extra burden of responsibility for as long as possible while they’re still learning. and so the kids have that extra safety net of support, which to me as a reader is just... comforting, I guess. like, I understand that it’s not going to last forever, but it’s reassuring to know that it exists for them for now. and I’m not in any hurry to say goodbye to that in favor of just tossing them out into tHE REAL WORLD!! lol. like omg no my babies.

anyway but so the point is that, with respect to everyone else’s theories, I personally don’t want a timeskip lol. and tbh I don’t really see the need for one either? if anything, we’re about to enter the most chaotic period in the entire manga once this arc ends. I’m assuming Tomura will survive this and escape somehow, the better to live and fight another day. and so if that’s the case, I feel like this would be the absolute weirdest time to do a timeskip, because how far ahead can we even jump lol. too far and we’d basically be coming back to an already-destroyed world lol whoops. basically I just don’t see how we can jump ahead more than a few months at the most, assuming that the threat of Tomura is going to be looming over everyone’s heads the entire time. plus we’d miss out on what I’m betting is going to be some of the most intense worldbuilding drama in the entire series, with our beloved characters potentially being swept up in like half a dozen political controversies. I sure don’t want to miss out on any of that. we didn’t wait so long to see this war play out only to skip out on the highly entertaining aftermath of it all.

anyway so that’s my as-usual-longer-than-necessary rant about timeskips. so now let’s talk about the series length. and here, I’m basically just basing my guess off of what Horikoshi has said in interviews. off the top of my head, there are three times he’s mentioned the ending of the series in interviews. first, there’s this interview, published in July 2018:

Interviewer: Previously in SUGOI JAPAN*, you mentioned that you would like Boku No Hero Academia to be a short and concise story and not drawn out, but what percentage of the story is complete at this point?

Horikoshi: When the decision to extend the series happened, I personally thought “I guess I want to end it here” and it was around Volume 30.

Interviewer: So then are you 2/3 done with the story?

Horikoshi: That’s what I had originally planned, but when I think of all the things that must be set up before getting into the last arc, I realized, “Ending the series at Volume 30 will be impossible” (laughs). However, the current arc that is going on all has purpose that will be relevant in the last arc.

*this is referencing a remark he made back at an awards ceremony back in March 2017.

second, we have this interview from August 2018, where he again mentions wanting to keep the story concise:

Do you know what the ending of My Hero Academia is? Do you think it'll be 80+ volumes like One Piece?

No, it won't be infinite – I don't have the stamina for it to be as long as One Piece. I'd like to keep it concise.

and lastly, this one which was published in December 2019:

What can you say about the future events of the manga?

I’m conscious of the end of the series, and writing towards that. I think the story will always be moving in big ways going forwards. My Hero Academia has a lot of characters, a lot of characters doing different things with different motivations, and the story is heading towards a conclusion where all of that comes together and heads towards the end.

my takeaways from these interviews are that (1) he originally planned for the story to be about 300 chapters long, (2) he’s had a clear idea of his overall endgame for a while now and has been steadily working towards that (as he put it in another interview, he knows all of the dots, but is still figuring out the lines to connect them all), and (3) he specifically said a couple years back that he did not want to write a long One Piece-length series, and his goal was to write a more concise story than that. Horikoshi’s pacing has always been much faster than Oda’s (or Kishimoto’s, or Kubo’s, etc.), and so I think it’s a realistic goal for him to wind up with a significantly shorter story in comparison.

my best guess is that BnHA won’t be much longer than 400 chapters, or a little over 40 volumes. he said back around chapter 180-something that he was nowhere close to being two-thirds of the way done. but it’s been two years since then, and if we haven’t reached at least the two-thirds mark by this point, I would honestly be very surprised. it would mean we’ve barely made any progress at all, and I don’t know about you, but the past few arcs have felt very purpose-driven to me. I think he has a pretty good idea of where he’s heading at this point, and that to me supports the idea of a shorter story than a lot of people have speculated. mind you, he might end up doing a sequel or something afterwards (although I kind of cringe thinking about all the ways we’ve seen that kind of thing go wrong in the past, ngl).

but as far as the series proper, yeah, I’d say 400 chapters is my best guess. ultimately I just hope he’s able to tell the story he wants to tell and gets as much time as he needs to do so, without feeling any pressure to then drag it on past that. knowing when to end your series is so underrated honestly. I have my fingers crossed that it’s a skill Horikoshi hopefully possesses.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha meta #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #long post #knowing when to end your posts is another underrated skill #which I do not possess lmao #bnha endgame

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seiin-translations · 4 years

Text

2.43 S1 Chapter 1.3 - Young Yunichika

3. THIRD TOUCH

Okay maybe I’ll try doing the dialects after all. Stop me if it gets too cringe or something.

Also Yori-chan’s voice is deep

Previous || Index || Next

The next day boys’ volleyball team could use the gym was Friday. Kuroba nonchalantly confirmed that on the notice board he hadn’t looked at in a long time. And so, after school on that day, as he was paying attention to Haijima’s movements, Haijima carried his bags over his shoulder and left the classroom as soon as he finished cleaning, as though he had been waiting impatiently. Kuroba also hurriedly pulled out his bag from his locker and was about to tail him, but…

“Hold on a minute. You’re going home? You’re the one on trash duty today.”

A girl from his class blocked his path and foisted two eighteen-litre drums that were used as the classroom’s trash cans onto him. To go to the garbage dump at the back of the school, he had to change into his outdoor shoes at the entrance and go outside once, which was somewhat of a bother. Plus, it was this season.

He lost a lot of time as he ran to the garbage dump and back while grumbling about the cold. Even though he had planned to follow Haijima closely after school and observe all of his actions, his plan went awry immediately. No, it’s not really a mission that needed to be carried out exactly as planned, it was just an idea to kill time——.

“You’re into some boring stuff, huh.”

He felt a sense of competitiveness, wanting to see just what kind of “non-boring stuff” Haijima, who had stated that, was doing.

Today it was the girls’ basketball team and boys’ volleyball team that used each half of the gym. As soon as he pushed open the heavy deep-blue metal doors and peeked inside,

“Dash!” “Yes!” “Next!” “Yes!”

He ended up poking his head into the middle of a flurry of enthusiastic girls’ voices.

Girls’ basketball was a major faction in girls’ athletic department, rivalling girls’ volleyball. At a quick glance, there were about twenty members in the club. It seemed that they had just finish doing dashes and were about to move onto practicing with the ball.

But at the same time, when he looked closely at the other side of the green partition net down the middle, that side of the court hadn’t even finish setting up, much less doing warm-ups.

Next to the pole used for volleyball, Haijima was putting up the net. He was wearing plain black trainers, black shorts with a florescent stripe, and long black underpants that went all the way to his ankles. Are his sneakers Mizuno? They were probably full-fledged volleyball shoes. All of them seemed quite well-worn. It might be prejudice, but he found it irritating how refined and stylish he looked, like a middle schooler from the city. But he could tolerate it because he didn’t have an idol-like face. He could see that his fingers on both hands that were tying the net’s cords were also taped today. His thumb, index finger and middle finger on both hands were taped from their tip, covering the nail, to just above the second joint.

After finishing putting up the net by himself, Haijima started running around the court. He finally started warming up much later than girls’ basketball. Along the lines, at a fixed pace, his gaze slightly lowered…by himself… Kuroba unconsciously held his breath as he watched him come and go from the other side of the metal doors.

Finishing the light jog that mixed in side stepping or something like that, he stretched carefully before pushing the cage of balls towards the end line of one end of the court. It seemed that he was going to practice serving. The line at the back end of the court was the end line.

In six-people volleyball, each position rotated clockwise once every time the team commits a side out (gaining the right to serve), the person who came to the back right became the server. The area behind the end line was the service zone (the place where you can serve). Though imperfectly, Kuroba was a member of the volleyball team, so he was at least taught the basics.

He put the ball in his left hand, extended his arm straight before him to eye level, and stayed still for a beat. His perfectly still form was incredibly cool. He threw the ball up slightly forward with a swing of his arm and a snap of his wrist—how high was his toss? That’s right, don’t position yourself too far back from the line, he thought—he ran forward to chase after the ball and jumped, and then hit the ball with his left hand that tossed it.

A jump serve! He was surprised. He thought there were few middle schoolers who could do a jump serve unless they were a national tournament-class player.

From a high hitting position, the ball was driven in with enough force to bend his body backwards, but it was slightly too low and got caught on the net before dropping down to his own side of the court.

However, it didn’t matter to Kuroba whether it went over or not. He was entranced, feeling like he was shown something very high level. A jump serve was like spiking a ball in a serve, an offensive serve that flew into the opponent’s court with the most force. Even none of his senpais had hit one before, so this was the first time he saw one in person. Amazing, so cool…He unconsciously leaned out from behind the doors and strained his eyes to see the next one better.

Haijima himself didn’t seem pleased that it didn’t go over, and he took out the next ball from the cage while glaring at the net with a petulant face. It seemed that he planned on fetching the balls all at once after using up the balls in the cage. After all, he was “alone.”

It happened when Haijima took the serve stance once again.

“Hey hey, transfer student!”

A voice came from the neighbouring court over the partition net. He was pretty sure she was the head of girls’ basketball who was in the same class as Itoko. The other members were scattered along the wall with their towels in hand, taking a breather. With an aura of blatant annoyance rising from him, Haijima put down his left hand that holding the ball.

Basically, they were telling him to hand over the court. Come to think of it, there was no reason for the other clubs to considerately leave the spot for boys’ volleyball open, which had been neglected until now. He can easily imagine the tacit understanding that “the day we’re next to boys’ volleyball is the day we can use the whole court.” But then one day, Haijima suddenly appeared and, without even a word to his neighbors, set up the net and started practicing by himself with a face like it’s natural…The other clubs, who were under the impression that they could also use the whole court today as well stared at that with unaccepting faces…He could picture that in his mind so vividly he couldn’t bear standing there a second longer.

“You’re by yourself today too? As you can see, we’re packed like sardines over here. If you’re gonna do it by yourself, wouldn’t it be better to just do it in a corner?”

At some point, everyone from girls’ basketball gathered in front of the partition net to put pressure on Haijima.

“Hey, if you’re just playing around by yourself, then isn’t it better to go do it in a corner?” “We can practice more efficiently if we can use two courts.” “I think it’s fair if we divide the surface area according to number of members.” The group was pressing clamorously. It was more like a group of ferocious girls than girls’ basketball. The image of a deer in Nara Park being surrounded by a herd of female African lions came to mind, but if he said that aloud, girls’ basketball would almost certainly strangle him.

Even though Kuroba was completely terrified just by looking, Haijima didn’t recoil in the slightest. He bent his chin slightly and glowered at the confronting group with narrowed eyes, as though looking down on them. Being able to take that shameless attitude in this atmosphere—are his nerves as thick as sewage pipes? No, maybe he was lacking the nerves to read the air in the first place. Yeah, I feel like that’s the case, judging by his attitude from the first day he transferred here until now.

“I can’t practice without having one side of the court. The number of people doesn’t matter. If you don’t have enough space to practice, talk with your advisor. I’m just using my rightful privilege.”

That voice, which was by no means loud but reached the ears across the space, and his standard Japanese that sounded haughty and cold compared to the local dialect, silenced the girls’ basketball club. Their complaining voices became muffled and weak, as though the volume of a TV was turned down, but they looked at each other with unaccepting faces, saying, “What’s with this kid, gives me nasty vibes…” “Why’s he actin' so high and mighty…?”

Ugh, Kuroba groaned inside his head. This was the first time he heard Haijima say a rather decently long line, but perhaps his likability wouldn’t go down yet if he didn’t speak… A sound argument was a sound argument, but the way he said it was too awful in any case.

“Hey, ya ain’t got any complaints if he ain’t alone, right?”

Even he was surprised at himself for stepping out from behind the doors and calling out to them. The girls’ basketball team looked back all at once and he flinched inwardly, but outwardly throwing out his chest to try not to give into the pressure.

“S-sorry for bein’ late…”

Even so, his face froze and his voice trailed off.

“Ain’t that Kuroba Yuni?” “Oh, Itoko’s cousin?” “Was he in boys’ volleyball?” Girls’ basketball was buzzing amongst themselves, but the one who was the most surprised might be Haijima. His brows were knitted together and he looked extremely bewildered, his face seeming to say “What the hell are you doing?”　What the hell am I doing, you ask…What the hell am I doing?

He was actually told that.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

“What the hell are you doing?”

Haijima stood facing the net from court end, dribbling a ball in his left hand. The ball that bounced off the floor settled into his hand like it was sticking to it. Kuroba sat cross-legged courtside and set his bag aside. A ball had rolled within reach, so he stretched his hand and pulled it in. This might be the first time he touched a volleyball in a while. It felt somewhat ticklish.

On the other half of the court, girls’ basketball had resumed practice. He could feel the vibrations of the wild dribbling, like venting anger that had no outlet, through his bottom. Even though the gym floor was always fluffy with dustballs, it was clean now, as though it was mopped before practice. By himself…? He must have taken the time before practice started.

“I just came here to watch. The stuff I do gets called boring, so I thought you must be doin’ somethin’ fun over here. But I didn’t come here to rescue you. That was just because I felt like it. It’s not about you, it’s just that twenty against one is unfair.”

“It’s still not very reassuring even if it’s twenty against two.”

“You’re not cute at all, you know. You’ll lose friends by saying stuff like that.”

The ball that was rhythmically going back and forth between Haijima’s palm and the floor viciously hit his toes and flew in an unexpected direction. …Hmm? Was he agitated just now?

With a sour face, Haijima took out another ball from the cage. After lightly bouncing the ball, he placed his left hand on it and extended his arm directly in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and stared intensely at the point beyond the ball. The rite of mental concentration was not long. It was about a second in time. He turned it with one hand and released a high set. Chasing his own set, he ran three steps, sank his knees deeply and jumped. Nimbly warping his body like it was a bow made of supple wood, he bent himself into the “ku” character and at the same time, swung his left hand with all his strength. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure he held the chalk in his left hand when writing on the board in class as well.

When the ball was precisely caught in the air and a hearty “bam” sound burst out, Kuroba let out a cheer. This time, it was a sharp serve that passed over the net and pierced into the other end of the opposing court. Oh. He might not be that agitated after all.

“That was amazing! You can do jump serves! I only saw those on TV.”

He imitated him by tossing up the ball in his hand and hitting it, but he didn’t feel like he could hit it like Haijima at all. Even though he praised him honestly, Haijima didn’t even look flattered in the least.

“I did nothing but this for three weeks, so I’d be in despair if I didn’t get even a little better. Also, I still can’t use it in a game unless I increase my accuracy more.”

“Only serves? Why?”

He got glared at when he asked that without thinking. He was just told by Yorimichi that his tendency for asking questions was annoying.

“It’s the only thing you can do with just one person.”

“Oh...” Kuroba was speechless after letting that out.

Haijima was doing this because he wanted to, so there was no reason for him to feel guilty, but he still did. Mopping the floor, putting up the net, warming up all by himself…then, practicing serves, using up all the balls in the cage and fetching them, and then doing serves again, all by himself…putting down the net, cleaning up, and then going home by himself. “What you’re doing seems fun.” ——It can’t be fun at all. What’s more, if he was doing it alone, then he was constantly being pressured to give up his spot by the neighboring court.

He rewound the conversation in his head and played it. “It’s still not very reassuring even if it’s twenty against two.”

He put the ball on the floor and used it like a prop to stand up.

“…I don’t have a jersey, but I can join you if you want. I came all the way here, and I don’t have any plans with Yori-chan today. I suck, though. I might not make a good practice partner. If it’s better for you to do it alone, then I won’t come again.”

While bending and stretching in place of warming up, he piled on the extra words like excuses. His ears were subconsciously prepared for another “What the hell are you doing?” When he finally did some back-bending exercises, he peeked at Haijima’s face as he got back up. No doubt, he’s looking down on me—

Haijima was looking at him with his narrow eyes opened so widely that it made him wonder if that was as far as they could go. He could see something wet at the back of his eyes—Huh, was he crying? I didn’t say anything bad, though? I was confused for a moment, but no—?

It was light. There was a feverish light glittering in his eyes, which you couldn’t feel something like temperature from as they were obstructed by the lens of his glasses. Like an elementary school boy who got excited about the moving life-sized Tyrannosaurus robot at the dinosaur museum he visited for the first time.

“Wh-what the…”

It was so different from his impression of him until now that it felt somewhat creepy.

“Wait. I’m getting my contacts.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I’ve been by myself after all, so I’ve actually been slacking. Also…”

He thought Haijima had turned towards the door, but he stopped for a moment and turned back, then pointed at Kuroba’s face, who was standing in place with his enthusiasm dampened. He left with high-handed words.

“The way you warm up is no good at all. We’ll have to start over from stretching. Wait here.”

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#2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu #2.43 book 1 #2.43 translation

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bathroombreaks · 4 years

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gg 1x01 rewatch

the questions are from @pynkhues, you can find them here.

1. What was your favourite scene of the episode? Tell us why!

oooh it’s def the scene where the girls are getting ready to rob fine & frugal. i just find it hilarious that they’re about to rob a store and they’re talking about how their kids are doing in school?? like, what absolute lunatics!! and i think it sets up their dynamic very well right from the beginning, idk. everyone’s always saying that the three girls have a very lived-in chemistry and i agree and i think you can feel it right from this first scene of them together

2. Was there any scene that missed the mark for you? And if so, how?

idk?? i’m very bad at reading and watching things critically, i’m very easy to please, i think?? and this ep just makes me pleased as punch!! but i guess that the scene with beth and amber, while funny, doesn’t really hit the mark for me?? idk, the way she’s framed as a “beautiful dummy” and not as much at fault as dean kind of irks me. i totally get that dean is the married one, but amber clearly knew he was married and somewhat regularly saw his wife, i don’t think she should really be absolved of that. and, idk, i don’t like that she basically got a prize for cheating - like, “here, you helped my husband cheat on me, so take some money to go live your dreams” is such a weird response?? beth was very scathing in the delivery and i get the point was for amber to be out of their lives but, like, still?? why not just tell dean he has to fire her?? this just further proves that beth is an idiot and an absolute lunatic, which we already knew

3. Let’s talk about the Big 6 Character Intros – Beth, Ruby, Annie, Dean, Stan, Rio. What did you think? What did you like? What did you dislike?

oooh i really liked all of them!!!

i absolutely love annie’s, it’s so fun with the car speeding and then with her banter with ben. i love the way they set up their dynamic right from the get go!!

and then ruby and stan’s intro was also amazing!! you get right away that they love each other so much and are so supportive of each other!! the way they both gesture when sara is talking about the women standing next to the men is so cute!!! i love it!!

rio’s is also amazing, he’s a snarky little bitch right from the get go and they really did a great job of also surprising us, thanks to the camera angle, and really driving home that he’s the boss.

i think the one i liked the least is actually beth and dean’s?? i mean, they do a good job of immediately letting you know that beth is the overworked mother and dean is the lazy, good-for-nothing husband - i mean, she’s running around, taking care of everything, and then he just strolls in and asks the kids to go to the car, without even having his tie done. but i think it’s a little misleading and i think it’s one of the reasons why the fandom (including myself) maybe has a harder time accepting beth staying with dean (aside from the fact that dean is a fucking asshole and he deserves nothing less than a horrible death, i mean)?? it really sticks in your mind this contempt she seems to have for him?? and, of course, then you get the flashback to beth getting waxed for him, and so you understand that they were maybe going through a bit of a rough patch but she wanted to work through it, but what sticks in your mind is that first scene, where she’s full of contempt, not even able of saying a perfunctory i love you back. and since they seem to want to drag out the boland marriage as much as possible, i think they kind of failed there.

4. Ruby tells Stan to fix the damn door! Is Stan an amazing handyman? A terrible one???

i think stan is anywhere from ok to amazing, they’re just so overworked that he hasn’t had time?? idk, paired with the fact that he says he’s pulling a double at the beginning of the ep and that it doesn’t seem to be a new or uncommon thing, it just reads to me like a thing he really does want to take care of at some point but hasn’t found the time to do yet

5. Do you think Beth, Ruby or Annie had a way out of their individual financial situations that didn’t involve crime?

in short: nope. in long:

ruby and stan are desperate. they mention stan’s parents at some point, but i assume they just don’t have the money to help them?? and, i mean, they’re both working double shifts and they mention that they’ve had their gofundme page up for years. i think if they had any other way they absolutely would’ve already taken it, for sara’s sake.

we can assume from the flashbacks we get in 2x08 that annie and beth didn’t have as stable a home life as all that. i assume that either their parents are both now dead or they just have no communication with them. either way, they don’t have them as a safety net.

when it comes to annie, she’s working a minimum wage job, driving a very shitty car and her kid’s laptop has been broken for a month without her being notified, because said kid knows they don’t have the money to get a knew one. she does ask for help from the richest person the girls know later (that’s how i think they phrased?? i’m pretty sure), her ex, who promptly says no. so, yeah, it’s safe to say she doesn’t have a way out of her financial situation either.

and, in regards to beth, i think she would absolutely help ruby (and annie) if she could. so the fact that she doesn’t, paired with the fact that we get mentions later that this is not the first time dean has managed to basically bankrupt the car dealership, makes me assume that either the bolands were living close to paycheck to paycheck, but stable enough that she didn’t worry, or that she did think they had some spare money and did give that to them when she could?? because i don’t see how she would not give ruby the money for sara, if she thought she had it, especially when she does it later in the season.

so, no, i don’t really think any of the girls had safety nets or ways to get out of their financial situation. except for beth. she could’ve gotten a job. i know it would’ve been hard because of her lack of work experience, but she could’ve at least tried instead of immediately jumping to robbery!!

6. Is Beth’s backsplash dope? Or was Rio just being a dick??

both!! i mean, i personally like the backsplash, but rio was absolutely just being an asshole, whether or not he did believe it was dope had nothing to do with it.

7. Five major story locations were set up this episode – Ruby’s house, Beth’s house, Annie’s apartment, as well as Fine & Frugal and Boland Motors. Was there anything that jumped out for you about these locations in this episode? Do you think that they were well established given what happens in each across the course of the series?

ok so i don’t know enough about like tv shows and storylines and all that stuff to answer this, i’m sorry. but, like, i think it’s very cool that fine & frugal is robbed in the first and last episodes of season 1, it’s a fun full-circle type of thing, and i love that we’re introduced to boland motors via dean’s affair and beth’s destruction of it because it’s something that permeates the place throughout the whole time?? i mean, beth later “borrows“ one of the cars, rio smashes the corvette because of beth, it gets raided by the fbi because of beth’s illegal activities - beth is always destroying it, even when she’s not literally destroying something like in that first episode. and in season 2 we have beth fully realising just how deep dean’s betrayal was in the middle of the boland motors showroom. both of those things are always there!! it’s cool. and saying that, i mean, they kind of went the same route with boland bubbles, if you think about it?? we get dean cheating on her there, her fully realising how deep his betrayal is via gayle’s comments and then her clearly robbing the place?? boland bubbles really is just a continuation of boland motors

8. We met lots of supporting characters this episode too – in particular Boomer, Baby Tyler, Amber and Greg. Based off of what we saw of them in this episode, pick one, and tell us what you think!

i love baby tyler and amber!! i love that we’re introduced to baby tyler being all smiley and y’know a little bit ridiculous eating ice cream while on the job and maybe obviously inept because of it. and maybe you expect him to not do anything during the robbery because of that but then he really tries?? he thinks he’s facing off with 3 armed criminals and he really goes for it, he doesn’t cower like boomer!! he’s adorable!! and amber i already talked about and i know i was a bit harsh but i really do love her!! her oblivious comments are gold.

9. Screenshot and/or tell us about your favourite character look~ this episode.

frankly, this ep doesn’t really have any stand out looks for me?? the one exception is annie’s outfit when she picks up ben in the porsche. you can really tell how happy she is that she could one up nancy, that she’s proud of herself because she’s gonna get to give ben the laptop he needs.

10. This episode gives us some sharp character notes on Beth, Ruby and Annie – from Beth’s capacity for violence to Ruby’s visceral anger around being ignored, particularly when it comes to her daughter’s wellbeing, to Annie’s tendency to run a mile when given an inch. Is there a moment that stood out to you, particularly in light of future seasons?

ohhh i mean, there’s something to be said about beth’s capacity for violence uh? she keeps refusing to acknowledge it, because that doesn’t fit her stepford wife without a pulse image as annie calls it, but it’s always there - she’s always ready to blow up and throw some keys at your face. and ruby’s response to being ignored kind of screws her over?? she was very lucky jt only wanted her address for his nephew and didn’t become a second mary pat. idk, i’m sorry. like i said, not very good at critical thinking.

#stfu #txt #ggrewatch2020 #gg #nbc good girls #good girls nbc #omg this took me so long to write!!#also i didn't really understand the speed round which is why i ignored it.#when i see how other people do it i'll start doing it too

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prinzeburden22 · 4 years

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Team USA vs Team Serbia (Basketball Men’s Gold Medal Match | Olympic Games Rio 2016): ANALYSIS

Court Dimensions:

The match was held at Carioca Arena 1 in Barra da Tijuca in Brazil. It follows the standard court dimensions appropriate for indoor basketball: Basketball courts come in different sizes based on the level and type of basketball being played. A professional basketball court is 94’ x 50’ | 28.65 x 15.24 m. Courts are comprised of several foundational components: the baskets, the three-point arcs, free-throw (foul) lines, and the half court line. Indoor courts are usually made with polished wood (often maple), while outdoor courts are typically made from paving, concrete, or asphalt.

Equipment:

USA:

Basketball Jersey- team USA wore a full navy-blue jersey with white text lines.

Court Shoes- some of them wore black Nike shoes and some of them wore navy blue Nike basketball shoes.

Socks- all of them wore black socks.

Arm & Leg Sleeves- they wore black arm and leg sleeves.

Serbia:

Basketball Jersey: team Serbia wore a full white basketball jersey with blue text lines.

Court Shoes- their members wore different colors of basketball court shoes, some of them have blue, white, and black court shoes.

Socks- all of them wore white socks.

Arm & Leg Sleeves- they wore black arm and leg sleeves.

General Equipment and Gear:

Basketball ball- the match utilized a molten standard basketball; it is usually a ball used in professional and big matches.

Basketball hoop and backboard- they used a standard transparent backboard with white lining and an orange hoop with white nets.

Shot clock: they used 2 standard digital shot clocks in the match.

Basic Skills:

USA:

Positioning: Considering that the team USA consists of the best of the best NBA players, they had no problem in positioning, all of the members were positioned based on their role. Team USA’s positioning was so guarded that Team Serbia was unable to penetrate through their defense most of the time, allowing them to dominate team Serbia early to late quarters.

Shooting: They also have good shooters on the team, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson and many more. They got a lot of successful 3-point shots and close-range dunks and layups, with that said their offense was so much stronger than that of Team Serbia’s.

Rebounding: Their most excellent rebounder was DeAndre Jordan and Kevin Durant, there were many occurrences in which their long-range shooters missed, but thanks to their tall rebounders, they were able to chance a score many times which contributed to their victory.

Passing: Their passing was great, but in the first quarter there seemed to be a lot of sloppy passes which are easily intercepted by the opposing team, good thing that they’ve managed to strengthen their passes in the second half.

Dribbling: they were outstanding in terms of dribbling, players such as Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson were very good in dribbling which enabled them to easily pass-through enemy defense and manage to score numerous amounts of layups. Of course, Kevin Durant was very excellent in dribbling, I rarely saw instances where Durant failed to intercept and score a layup.

Blocking: Their blocking skills were very great; I saw a lot of blocks which is why Team Serbia has very little points compared to the points generated by team USA.

SERBIA:

Positioning: Their positioning was not that great compared to their other games, because there were many times that the enemy team easily passed through their defense, but their offense positioning was great in the first half, but team USA easily saw through them and destroyed their defense with ease in the second half.

Shooting: They were very great with layups compared to three-point shots, but when the second half started, they began to look very discouraged. I noticed that Bogdanovic gives the ball away to other team players even though he had the opportunity to do an open shot. So, in summary, they were very great in shooting in the 1st quarter but as time passed, they began to slow down in terms of shooting accuracy.

Rebounding: they were good at rebounding, but unfortunately in this particular skill, they are outmatched by team USA. But I have to say, they were quite impressive based from the successful rebounds they have done throughout the match.

Passing: they are excellent passers, I have not seen any major passing fails or slips, they have great team coordination which enabled them to successfully manage their passes.

Dribbling: They are good dribblers and are capable of going through enemy defense, I have seen not a single problem with their dribbling and they also have good statistics based on their interceptions and dribbling skills.

Blocking: In terms of blocking, they are not as good as Team USA. Their opponents can easily score through their blocks because they had a very weak defense against team USA. This is one of the main factors bringing forth to their loss.

Technical & Tactical Skill of Both Teams:

Offense: Team USA is a greater offense team than Team Serbia, they proved it through the many points they have accumulated throughout the match. Starting from the second quarter up to the last, their shots remain consistent and accurate as contrast towards that of Team Serbia’s.

Defense: Both had decent defense, but Team Serbia’s defense was very lacking in the second half, their opponents easily maneuvered through their defense and made a lot of points from that.

Team Coordination: Both teams coordinated greatly, they were able to carry out their plans to its full extent.

Player Angle and Locations: Both teams have very good strategies in terms of player positioning and angle towards the hoop and in the court. It’s just that Team USA had better and integrated strategies compared to Team Serbia which allowed them to score that easy win.

The Match followed these general rules:

Each team can have a maximum of 5 players on the court at any one time. Substitutions can be made as many times as they wish within the game.

The ball can only be moved by either dribbling (bouncing the ball) or passing the ball. Once a player puts two hands on the ball (not including catching the ball) they cannot then dribble or move with the ball and the ball must be passed or shot.

After the ball goes into a team’s half and they win possession back the ball must then make it back over the half way line within 10 seconds. If the ball fails to do so then a foul will be called and the ball will be turned over.

Each team has 24 seconds to at least shot at the basket. A shot constitutes either going in the basket or hitting the rim of the basket. If after the shot is taken and the ball fails to go in the basket then the shot clock is restarted for another 24 seconds.

The team trying to score a basket is called the offence whilst the team trying to prevent them from scoring is called the defense. The defense must do all they can to stop the offence from scoring by either blocking a shot or preventing a shot from being fired.

After each successful basket the ball is then turned over to the opposition.

Fouls committed throughout the game will be accumulated and then when reached a certain number will be eventually be awarded as a free throw. A free throw involves one player from the offensive team (the player fouled) to take a shot unopposed from the free throw line. Depending on where the foul was committed will depend on the number free throws a player gets.

Violations in basketball include travelling (taking more than one step without bouncing the ball), double dribble (picking the ball up dribbling, stopping then dribbling again with two hands), goaltending (a defensive player interferes with the ball travelling downwards towards the basket) and back court violation (once the ball passes the half way line the offensive team cannot take the ball back over the half way line).

Officiating Basketball:

Referees: The referees did a good job regulating the match, they did not mess up and they even did their job pretty well considering that they are holding an anticipated international match.

Scorers: The scorers were also on-point, there were no errors regarding the scoring.

Fouls: in the match, there were minimal fouls and there was not a single ejected player all throughout the match, meaning it was a clean and fair game.

Overall Officiating: The officials did their job well, they ensured that the match will go smoothly and that the people watching will surely enjoy the match.

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foreversillythings · 4 years

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with the taste of pomegranate on our lips chapter 3

part one kore chapter three a goddess’ prayer

Sometimes thoughts of Gale kept her up at night, sometimes the loneliness, but when she couldn't sleep, Madge sat at her window and peered out at the moon.

Marvel's twin was Katniss, virgin goddess of the hunt, the moon, forests and protector of young girls. Every night her chariot pulled the moon up into the sky and during the day she hunted through the forests with her companions, freer than Madge could ever dream of. What must it be like to have no master at all? To be able to do whatever one liked? Katniss had her responsibilities of course, but Madge did not want to shirk her duties either. She just wanted to feel foreign grass between her toes, to meet new people and learn of the world outside. Yes, the world was not always safe, yes there were monsters and wicked people, but there was also so much beauty to be seen, so much life had to offer. Katniss was a goddess just like Madge and if she could look after herself, couldn't Madge learn how as well?

Madge stared out at the moon and oh, what she wouldn't give for a just a taste of its freedom.

Gale was excited.

When was the last time he’d been excited about anything? Anticipation too thrummed inside him and it had been ages since he’d last felt like this. So long ago it almost felt like a dream rather than his life. It had been before he’d become lord of the underworld, before the lots had been drawn and he’d been sent down into the dark. Before before when he was only Gale and he would laugh with his brothers and charm pretty girls, when he lived above the earth and knew nothing of loneliness. He’d been happy then, he can remember that (if only barely), and the whole world had been stretched out before them. They’d just overthrown the Titans, freedom was intoxicating and the idea of being king of his own realm had been exhilarating. He had descended to the dead with bravado, too young and foolish to foresee how things would change. It had been chance that had seen him draw the underworld as his realm, Gloss the earth and skies and Brutus the seas, and it was chance he had cursed for so very long.

He’d eventually given up cursing fate, given up wishing he’d become ruler of any other realm than his. Resignation, somewhere in all the years yearning for what had been, crept in and made him hollow. This was his lot, the one he’d drawn that long ago day flushed with their victory over their parents’ generation, and there was nothing to be done about it. He would rule alone in the dark, disliked, feared and unwanted.

Except, maybe it wasn't his lot.

Maybe, just maybe, there could be something else.

Madge had held her tongue for days, but eventually curiosity got the better of her. She plied her loom as she did everyday and when her mother passed by on the way to the kitchen she blurted “So when do you think the next meeting at Olympus will be?”

Her mother turned to look at her with a perplexed raise of the eyebrow and Madge smiled in what she hoped was an entirely unsuspicious manner.

“Soon I suspect, it’s been a while since the last. Why?”

“Oh, well, I...just love hearing about what everyone’s been up to. The other Gods always seem to get up to all sorts of incredible things,” Madge said and it wasn’t even a lie, the tales of her fellow gods’ shenanigans had always provided ample entertainment. Seeder snorted.

“You might love it, but try actually being face to face with them when you hear all about their nonsense. You know how difficult it is not to make a face when listening to Gloss brag about his latest ludicrous infidelity or you have to watch Darius and Cato have a wrestling match in the middle of the room to prove which of them is the manliest? Nearly impossible. Or when Beetee catches Cato and Glimmer in a net in the midst of one their many illicit rendezvous and invites us all to go humiliate them? Not that Glimmer was humiliated, she just wanted to carry on. It was Cato who looked as if he might expire from embarrassment. Or how about that time Gloss suspected a man was interested in Cashmere and to prove it created a Cashmere made out of clouds and sent it to seduce the man? And that’s not even getting into all the love interests of Marvel’s that have wound up as plants. That’s our jurisdiction and yet you’d never guess with the amount of plants he’s made due to his broken heart.”

Madge laughed, just as she always did at how outrageous the stories were, and her mother joined in, the two soon tossing out all their favourite crazy tales. The nymph that tricked Gloss into promising her whatever she desired when he tried to woo her and then promptly told him she wanted him to leave her alone. That time Cato got himself trapped in a jar. When Lyme looked in the mirror while playing the aulos and was so offended at how silly she looked that she cursed the instrument and anyone who played it. And more and more, until they can barely breathe through their laughter.

The loneliness would come back, the desire to see the world and be free of this house, but for a moment at least, Madge didn’t want to be anywhere but here.

Gale had never enjoyed his visits to Olympus, but never had he wanted one to be over as badly as he did this one. He drummed his fingers on the arm of his throne, tapped his foot and earned many a frustrated glare from whoever was speaking, but for the first time in so long, Gale had something to look forward to. Today their displeasure couldn’t touch him. The anticipation could though and it nearly drove him mad, especially as the meeting went on and on and on, long past its usual end. The other gods talked and talked of nothing, argued and huffed and bragged and Gale had to restrain himself from banging his head against the back of his throne. He just wanted this to be over, more than ever before, but the sun was sinking low before he was finally released. He was up almost before Gloss was finished dismissing them and he didn’t even wait for his brother to make his customary invitation for refreshments before he refused it.

“Sorry brother, but I have to go. So much work to do,” he called over his shoulder and then he was in his chariot, charging swiftly down the slope of Olympus and across Greece. The others would surely speculate about his haste, but he didn’t care. Let them talk, it no longer mattered. His chariot flew across meadows and fields and then he was in their copse of trees, his shadow form already dropping. His eyes searched eagerly, tension in his chest and there she was. Madge was waiting in pale, misty blue with flowered vines woven round her arms. She leaned against a tree, her head tilted back to absorb the dying sunlight falling through the leaves. Her hair shone golden and spilled against the brown bark behind her back and Gale stopped his chariot short to admire her. They were the antithesis of each other, how could she be here? If anyone was to pull away from him, shouldn't it be her?

Life and death are intimately connected; one could not exist without the other

He felt a grin tug at his lips as he stepped off his chariot and ran a calming hand along Nyctaeus's flank. Madge rolled her head to the side and saw him, her welcoming smile pooling warmth in his stomach. She pushed slightly off her tree and waited, the blue of those eyes drawing him in. He walked towards her and the bitterness he was so used to did not touch him here, his anger left far behind.

"Hello Gale," she said and he smiled a little wider, her voice turning his name into something wonderful.

"Hello Madge."

She beckoned him closer and he went, though not nearly as close as he wanted to. She beamed.

"I'm so glad you're here. Now tell me of the Underworld," she said, her eyes lit up with eagerness. Gale grinned and forced his mind to straighten, even as her proximity drove him to distraction.

"You don’t wish to hear of today's meeting?" he asked and she laughed, her eyes dancing merrily.

"I would but I know better than to ask you," she teased and then lowered her voice to a mocking grunt. "It was the same. Nothing happened, we did nothing and everything was the same."

Gale laughed and shook his head, her giggles meeting his. When was the last time he'd laughed like this? He couldn’t even think of it. Madge pressed a hand to her mouth and fell back against her tree, her eyes twinkling.

"So no," she said, "I don't wish to hear about Olympus. Tell me of your home."

Home? Was the underworld home? He lived there certainly, had for so long he could barely remember when he hadn't, but had he ever felt at home there? He shook his head; Madge was waiting for an answer, not a philosophical crisis.

"Well, there are three layers to it. The highest is Elysium where the best and greatest go," he began and Madge nodded, a dreamy look coming over her face.

"Mother has spoken to me of the Elysian Fields, where heroes rest in paradise. Is it truly so lovely?"

"Yes. It is the smallest section of the underworld's realms, but by far the most beautiful. The weather is always golden and warm, the land verdant and lush, the food rich and savoury. They want for nothing nor do they know any hardship or discomfort. It is the land of the blessed and so they delight in whatever pastimes please them, without worry or concern."

Madge sighed. "How wonderful. But where do the rest go? They cannot all find homes in Elysium."

Gale shook his head and moved a step closer, his legs growing bold.

"No, the truly righteous are few. The majority of people go to the Asphodel Meadows. That is the land for those who have done no great evil, nor any great good. They are not so blessed as those who dwell in Elysium, but it is not an awful afterlife. The sun is weaker there, unable to reach so far down and mist hangs ever upon the ground. It is the largest realm of the underworld and the most populous. And beyond that, there is-"

"Tartarus," she breathed and he nodded.

"Yes, Tartarus. Only the most wicked of souls are sent there and they spend their eternity punished for their crimes."

"And the Titans? They're kept there too, aren't they?"

Gale nodded and came closer again, filled with a bravery he hoped was not misplaced. He leaned against her tree with folded arms and tilted his head to look down at her. They were very close now, barely inches between them and she pushed off the tree and turned to face him, her shoulder leaning into the bark just as his was. The wind hummed through the woods and blew hair into her eyes and Gale's hand itched to reach up and brush it from her face. He wanted to be that bold, wanted to woo as Gloss or Marvel would, but caution told him not to take the chance. He did not want to risk this.

"Yes. The Titans are kept prisoner in Tartarus as well, guarded by their half-siblings the Hecatoncheires."

Madge bit her lip. "Hecatoncheires. Do they truly have a hundred hands each?"

"Yes and fifty heads."

Madge's mouth popped open and he grinned, his fingers still yearning to touch her. She let out a breath, her head shaking in disbelief. "I can't imagine such a person. But I suppose the world is full of such things, isn't it? The plants tell me all sorts of stories of giants, monsters and heroes, but it is so hard to believe they’re true."

Gale laughed and slid a little closer, his feet brushing her toes. He felt the contact like a jolt of Gloss' lightning and Madge turned pink, though she did not pull away.

"You are a goddess," he teased and it felt so good, "is it really so hard to conceive of other such beings?"

Madge ducked her head and tucked stray hairs behind her ear, a self-deprecating laugh passing her lips.

"It’s silly I know, but they are only stories to me. I have never met them, have never felt their impact. My world is small, even mortals do not seem entirely real."

Gale frowned and Madge looked out over his shoulder at the meadow beyond.

"My mother will be home soon," she said in a flat voice and Gale did not mean to wilt, but wilt he did.

“I do not want you to get in any trouble,” he said and Madge let out a soft hum.

“And I wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble either.”

Gale looked up and met her wry grin with one of his own. “I suppose you should go then,” he said even though that was the last thing he wanted. She nodded but did not move away, her eyes staring searchingly into his own.

“I just…I just wish I didn’t have to. I wish there was some way I could stay and talk with you.”

Gale did not know what to say to that and Madge bit her lip, vulnerable eyes waiting for his response. How lonely she must be locked up in that house all day. I know that feeling well, don’t I? That stray lock of hair against her forehead twisted in the breeze and without even really thinking about it, Gale reached forward and brushed it from her face. She inhaled softly, her cheeks reddening, and his fingers burned where they’d grazed her skin.

“If…if you say my name, if you invoke it in prayer, I will hear. If you call, I will come,” he whispered, the words falling from his lips without thought. She stared at him and he pulled his hand back, the tingle of her still living in his fingertips.

“Alright, I will. I will call on you as soon as I’m able” she breathed and Gale nodded. They stayed like that for a moment, uncertain, the sun dipping all the way below the horizon. The first of the stars began to peek out and Madge surged up and kissed his cheek, her lips warm and soft on his skin. Gale stiffened, her feather light fingers touching his other cheek and her eyelids fluttering closed. She smelt of fresh earth and wildflowers and a voice in his head screamed that this was foolish, wrong, would never work, but for once, Gale didn’t listen. He rested his hands on her hips, her warmth bleeding through him and burning away his every shadow. Madge clung to him for the single brightest moment of his life and then she was gone, only the sweetest hint of flowers left in her wake. She ran back to her home as the moonlight flooded the meadow beyond the woods and Gale watched her as she went, her hair turned silver and streaming out behind her. He touched his cheek and he could feel her there still.

Madge…

Madge was breathless and giddy as she sped home, her feet skipping through the moon drenched flowers. She had never been out this late before and Gale hummed inside her blood, the warmth of his hands upon her, the feel of his skin beneath her lips. She almost laughed to the night, freedom and joy buzzing through her bones. She fell into her front door and slipped inside, her hands pressed to her heart.

Gale, oh Gale, I will call you back to me soon

“Madge?”

She turned and suddenly the warmth left her, an icy chill settling on her shoulders.

“Mother,” she whispered and Seeder stared at her from across the room. Her mother’s eyes widened, her mouth trembled and oh no, oh no oh no no no.

“You were outside,” Seeder accused, fury mingling with the fear in her gaze. Madge opened her mouth but could find no words to answer. She backed into the door and Seeder strode forwards, her face covered over in rage.

“What were you doing outside?” she demanded and Madge shook her head.

“Mother, I-”

“I told you not to go outside!” she shouted and Madge shrank back. Seeder reached for her and Madge gasped as her mother gripped her shoulders.

“What were you doing, what were you doing? Do you want to be lost? Do you want them to take you from me?”

“No,” Madge said, struggling in her mother’s grasp, “no, of course not. I just…I just”-

“How could you be so stupid? How could you?” Seeder cried and Madge felt something desperate building inside of her.

“Stop it,” she pleaded but Seeder didn’t listen.

“Do you want to be lost? Do you want to be abducted?”

“No, stop it.”

“How could you be so foolish, so reckless-”

“STOP!” Madge shouted and Seeder was stunned momentarily speechless. Madge shoved at her mother’s chest, pushing her away and Seeder went, stumbling as she did. Madge breathed heavily, her heart pounding.

“I was outside because I can’t live like this, I can’t! I’m a prisoner, I’m trapped and I need to get out. I never go anywhere, I never meet anyone. I can’t live like this anymore,” she said raggedly and Seeder shook her head in disbelief.

“Madge, my Madge I am trying to keep you safe.”

“I know, I know. But I’m not safe, I’m miserable. I’m going insane staying cooped up like this, I want to live,” she said, angry tears burning at the corners of her eyes. Seeder’s face began to darken, a violent wind began to howl outside and Madge felt frustration mount within her.

“You are living; a good, safe life. How dare you be so ungrateful? I have done everything for you. I will not listen to this. You will go to your room and you will stay there. Do you hear me?” Seeder demanded and Madge felt like the walls were closing in on her. She’ll never let me go, I’ll never leave. I’ll live forever, and I’ll be trapped here for all that time. No, no, I can’t. I won’t.

“Madge-”

“No! I won’t be your prisoner! I won’t!”

Seeder reached for her but Madge was quicker. She yanked open the door and fled into the rising tempest, the wind tearing at her hair and dress. She ran as fast as she could, her mother’s shouts drowned out in the gale. Madge did not stop, could not, her legs carrying her deep into the woods and away from that damned house, far, far away. She needed to get away, she had to get away, but to where? Where would she go?

If…if you say my name, if you invoke it in prayer, I will hear. If you call, I will come

Madge fell to her knees in the dirt and dug her hands into the earth, even the voices of the plants lost in the creaking of trees and the screaming winds.

“Hear me Gale, answer my prayer lord of the underworld. Take me away from here, take me away,” she begged and in the time it took her to blink, he was there. A traveling cloak whipped behind him, his hair blew in every direction and his horses pawed the ground, tossing restless heads in the storm. Moonlight hit his eyes and made them shine, the breath stolen from her lungs. He held out a hand.

“Are you sure?”

Madge did not hesitate and placed her hand in his.

“Yes.”

end of part one

Just a heads up, the next chapter should be up in about two weeks, rather than the usual one. I'm almost done the next chapter of roses are red, roses are white and I want to focus on finishing that up, which means I probably won't have time to the next chapter of this one done for monday. Sorry!

#gadge #hades and persephone au #madge undersee #gale hawthorne #fanfiction #Hunger Games

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jaybug-jabbers · 4 years

Text

Top 3 Pokemon Types

I thought it would be fun to do this. Several months back I saw people listing their favorite pokemon of a given type, and I didn’t participate at the time. So, here are my top 3 types. Starting with my most beloved:

Bug

Many folks have mocked me for having Bug as my favorite Type, and that’s ok. I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, of the underappreciated.

And the truth is, I have loved bugs in real life since I was a teeny tiny lassie. I studied them a ton, wrote about them, kept all kinds as pets, and my mother was even understanding enough to once allow me to capture mosquito larvae (mosquito pupae are called tumblers, incidentally!) and feed them and let them develop into mosquitoes. (We, uhh, we kept a stocking/netting over the bug bottle top so they could not escape and released the adults outdoors away from the house, haha.) I also would go out in the early hours of the morning with my little brother with a giant bucket, and pluck all the slugs and snails from the garden and go dump them in a field, so that my parents wouldn’t kill them.

Also, err, my brother and I had a bug club. It had a newsletter. Look, we liked bugs OK XD I’m getting off track OK BACK TO POKEMON

Anyone who is a fairly big fan of pokemon is probably aware of how Pokemon’s creator, Satoshi Tajiri, was first inspired to create pokemon. Yep, he was a major bug collector as a child, and it was this passionate hobby of his youth blended with his love of video games and inspiration drawn from toy capsule machines that led to the idea of collecting capsule monsters in a Gameboy game. As such, I feel like it’s actually very fitting to give Bug type its dues in these games. They are the spirit of pokemon in its purest form, in a way. Satoshi Tajiri wanted folks to connect with nature and not forget about it completely in the modern world, and for me, humble bugs have often been that connection.

Another reason I feel bugs are a very pure form of the pokemon spirit is because pokemon has always been about not simply training the ‘strongest’ species. It’s about the idea that everyone, every person and pokemon, has potential if they put effort into finding and developing that potential. Bugs are often taken for granted, underestimated, and even feared or hated. But they deserve love and deserve a chance like everyone else, and if you care for them, they just might surprise you with what they can accomplish.

Besides, I like a challenge. :P

Flying

This is another type I love in large part because of how much I adore the real-life counterparts. Birds have been really important to me for a while. I actually spent a huge chunk of my youth deeply invested in a birdkeeping and bird breeding hobby. I owned several large flights, an aviary, and eventually built a bird room in the garage with a bunch of breeding cages. I helped teach classes about birds at a community center, I sold offspring to petshops, I was an avid participant in birdkeeping mailing lists, I volunteered at wildlife rehabs and took in a number of rescue birds. I was pretty serious about things and at the time, and wanted to pursue a career in animal husbandry or veterinary medicine.

I also was a passionate bird-watcher. These days I don’t own birds, and I rarely go bird-watching (seems I’m too busy usually, alas), but my love of all things avian has never really left me. There’s a feeling of joy and peace that comes from just being around birds; it’s hard to describe. I’ve also always had a strong fondness for being in high places, and … well, to use a popular meme, I guess you could say birds (& bugs) are my “spirit animal.”

In terms of the Typing in the actual game, Flying pokemon tend to be very versatile and practical. Offensively it’s a great type to use, hitting most things for neutral damage, with no immunities and a couple important super-effective uses, as grass and fighting are really common in-game. Defensively, it’s a pretty good bet too, with a really nice immunity and relatively few weaknesses. But, again– its primary strength as a Type is its versatility. Like the Normal type, it just tends to be a good bet for hitting most things for solid neutral damage, and Flying pokemon are flexible and useful in a variety of situations. I really enjoy the all-purposeness of that, and they tend to be my stalwart, reliable teammembers, as well as my dedicated HM flyers, yes. (well! Until Sun/Moon.) Time and time again, when I do in-game runs, I tend to get very close to my Flying types on the team, sometimes even moreso than my Starters. Despite not being rock types, they tend to be my rock.

Dragon

Now, I know what you’re thinking. After all my praise for the humble bugs and the common yet versatile birds, I’m going to go and pick ‘dragon’ as my third favorite type. To you, I say, you’re not my dad, I can do what I want.

But seriously, I just really like dragons. Always had a love for mythical creatures. They’re just COOL! Honestly, that’s my only reason behind this one. It’s not even that dragon types tend to be super powerful, though that’s cool too. It’s just that they’re neat. Rarrrarr dragons rarr.

I mean, while other little girls my age were dressing as fairy princesses and such on Halloween, I was dressing up as a dragon. ‘Cos dragons.

I’m sorry-- I wish I had more to say here, but my love of dragons is just that simple, I suppose. Honestly it’s funny because I don’t even LIKE a lot of the more popular dragons in pokemon– I don’t care for the designs. (Dragonite looks too goofy to me, Altaria is poopy, Salamence looks dumb …) But a ton are really bad-ass! They may be rarely on my actual team, and there may not be a lot of pokemon even for this type, but I still love them enough to be my third favorite type.

My 3 least favorite Types are Fairy (most are very pink and girly, and I’m a gal who just tends to not like excessively pink, frilly things. just not my cuppa), Fighting (I don’t like a lot of excessively-humanoid pokemon designs) and Steel, I guess (honestly it’s a little OP, not my playstyle, and I just don’t happen to like most of the designs for steel types).

That’s it for now!

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Feb 19, 2017.

#pokemon #mycontent #top3 #pokemon favorites

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dontcallmecarrie · 5 years

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I loved the latest chapter of TWIFFON! Thank you so much for continuing this and all your stories no matter how much they fight you or how long the gaps between posts are! I am wondering though, the small percentage of personnel that remained in SHIELD must have heard of their former colleagues branding themselves as SWORD and acting as basically the stark authorized version of what they are supposed to be doing (intelligence, combat with/against enhanced, etc.) and have to have opinions on this

So…this ask has been sitting in my drafts for a while since things got hectic again [very ironic, I know] and I forgot I hit save instead of post but…

1) anon, I’m very happy you liked it! At this point in time, TWiFFON’s the single most shameless self-indulgent AU I have going on and the Civil War arc reflects this the best.

2) as for the latter part of your ask:

Due to time constraints [and things hitting the fan so often it’s basically background noise at this point], a lot of subplots got axed from what’s showing up in TWiFFON and is going to be covered in FtOS, the SHIELD/SWORD thing being one of the biggest.

I must preface this by saying that thanks to the unreliable narrator thing we’re mostly seeing Team Tony [Eat Something And Take A Nap Sometime This Decade, GDI].

also because some POVs are harder to write than others and same way trying to map Steve’s train of thought gives me a headache, some of the stuff SHIELD’s pulled has me gritting my teeth and I’m not even a political science major, just someone derping around after having seen one too many tv shows, but shh

Okay, with that out of the way, here’s how it would’ve gone down had I possessed the time and energy to write this at length:

SHIELD wasn’t exactly happy about losing roughly 2/3 of its personnel [I’m approximating here for simplicity’s sake]: DC dealt them a huge blow, and the less-well-known part is that it was quickly followed up by an unintentional backhand from Tony when he ended up keeping the people he did.

At first, SHIELD assumed that Tony was being Tony and going “finders keepers”, but attempts at reaching out and getting ‘their’ [SHIELD’s a bit of a douchebag in this AU, I guess] people back quickly show that this is not the case.

No, their old personnel simply…don’t want to come back.

And any attempts to convince them otherwise simply ends up netting SHIELD a very up close and personal encounter with SI’s Legal department over harassment and trade secrets and the risk of pissing off someone they cannot afford to alienate.

So they stop. Reluctantly.

Bear in mind that SHIELD isn’t actually a villain in this; it still aims to fulfill its original role of protecting people from threats, but…it’s been shaken to its bare foundations what with DC, is desperately trying to stay afloat while under extreme scrutiny from everyone and with only a fraction of the people it once had [thus why they were trying so hard to get their people back].

Another thing that’s probably useful to know: post-DC, SHIELD’s composed largely of the bases that weren’t on HYDRA’s radar [between, say, Colorado and the nation’s capital, where do you think they would’ve focused?] so the fighting wasn’t typically as intense as it was elsewhere. There’s more to it than that— if I were to go down this route, it would’ve culminated in a civil war in SHIELD while Tony’s trying to put out the fire Steve keeps fanning.

…and I got off track. Whoops.

To sum up: SHIELD isn’t actually that bad an organization but it’s in a very sticky situation and so when people who used to be SHIELD don’t want to come back, it’s…something. Some people are more understanding than others [cough, some of the people Tony rescued and chose to go back, cough], so the perception varies from ‘all but a traitor to the cause’ to ‘sellout’ to ‘was so traumatized the mere idea of fieldwork is almost enough to trigger a breakdown’.

That’s how it was at first, anyway, back when it was just ex-SHIELD people with their Unnamed Support Group staying in touch via SI’s emails and memos and JARVIS.

Then Ultron happened, and Maria Hill saw that Tony needed help and she was able to give it, which was the spark that turned into a roaring fire.

Which alone would’ve been bad enough in SHIELD’s eyes, because if it’d just been that it would’ve been seen as “oh shit SI now has a privatized security force aka private army” and “…wait so that’s where they went, *glares* I see now”

but then

it comes out that this entire company is as much of a douchebag as the man who owns it, because these assholes have the gall to call themselves SWORD.

That is 100% an insult to SHIELD, straight-up.

SWORD did it as a form of empowerment, of ‘I was in a bad place but I put myself together again with the help of my friends and am now here to kick ass and take names’, but to SHIELD?

That’s the ultimate middle finger, especially with that insignia. Because just by staying with Tony it’s obvious enough that they don’t intend on going back, but now it also looks like SWORD’s just living it up and enjoying the resources that come with being Tony Stark’s minions while SHIELD is barely able to stay afloat [which…isn’t actually inaccurate].

Again, there’s different perceptions of it—but even the most optimistic of people can’t help but feel the new tension between SHIELD and SWORD.

And again, even if they’re not happy about it, SHIELD still can’t afford to piss them off. Not when SWORD’s protected by SI, their CEO is terrifying, and they’d rather not cross the former Merchant of Death.

tl;dr: SHIELD isn’t happy about this development, but…it’s not like they can do anything about it.

also this and the SHIELD Civil War subplot reminded me of an unintentional parallel would’ve really pissed SWORD off, if it were ever brought to their attention: they accidentally copied HYDRA with the ‘got hired by this other force, proceeded to make themselves at home’ thing. Of course, they’re the exact opposite of HYDRA and 100% focus on helping out their new home rather than corrupting it, but. The origin story’s similar enough that everyone involved would h a t e i t

#I got an ask!#replies #Naught replies #behind the scenes #The War is Far From Over Now #From the Other Side [A Terror To Behold]#SWORD #SHIELD #bonus content

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seiin-translations · 4 years

Text

2.43 S1 Chapter 3.3 - The Dog’s View and the Giraffe’s View

3. OLD BUDDY

Aoki’s 1000 IQ mind is hinted at here

Also what are the main tags for this fandom???

Translation Notes

1. Pun on Oda’s name. Here the “Shin” is 神 (god) instead of “伸” which is the first kanji in Oda’s first name

2. Okuma’s name 大隈 shares the same pronunciation as 大熊 which means “big bear”

3. The 伸 in Oda’s first name means “lengthen” or “extend”

Previous || Index || Next

“Odaaaa! I’m beggin’ you, play futsal. You can definitely be in the amateur bracket on a pro level.”

“Odacchi! Why aren’t you doing softball? You’re even more reliable than our regular shortstop. Oh, don’t be so modest. I’m not kissing your ass. What’s the point of that?”

“Oda, why volleyball of all things?”

“You don’t have to play volleyball.”

“Oda! No, Oda-Shin!” (1)

The seasons changed, and it was now midway through June. In this rainy season, Oda shook off the group of male scouts who were wearing mud-stained uniforms and jerseys and hot on his heels, and took refuge in the student council room. It sounded good for those who called it a June tradition, but for those who were targeted, it was just a dirty thing.

“I’m comin’ in. Let me hide out a little here.”

Aoki, who seemed too tall for his own good as he tucked himself on a folding chair and stared at documents, looked up. The sign reading “Vice President” stood on one corner of the desks arranged in a square.

“Oh. I can hear it from all the way in here. You’re a popular guy.”

“The member list has already been turned in. I don’t know if they’ve been told by now. Even if they didn’t, I don’t feel like doing anything other than volleyball.”

“Well, no need to be so hard on them. You should be happy that they value you so much.”

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it…I only dabbled with soccer and baseball in gym. I seriously don’t know why people are giving me so much credit.”

“Is that different from not being aware of your own ability?”

“If it’s volleyball ability, I’m more than aware of it.”

Hearing such a servile and submissive line from himself, he immediately regretted it right after he said it. Aoki was silent for only a moment while looking down at the papers.

“…Did you see who will be participating in volleyball? A whole bunch of stuff came out just now.”

He changed the topic, acting as though he hadn’t heard anything. I’m never a match for how he reads too much into things.

He pulled up the chair that was diagonally across from Aoki, the corner of the desk between them. In addition to him, there were only a pair of underclassmen officers sitting in the corner working on something.

The main event organized by the student council in the first semester, the Seiin Ballgame Festival, was coming in two weeks. The boys’ volleyball team were futilely eliminated from prefecturals at the beginning of the month, and the road to Inter-High and Nationals had just closed. Another one of the three major national championships was the “Spring Inter-High Volleyball” in January. The ballgame tournament during this period was by all rights nothing but a nuisance to their club activities, because they had to restart immediately to prepare for the prefectural qualifiers in September, right after summer vacation.

But for this year, he felt that this cushion was appreciated. He was practicing as usual, but he couldn’t quite switch gears. The handout distributed in class right after the prefecturals was undoubtedly one of the reasons. He had stuffed that handout with the title “Second Future Course Survey” into his locker without filling it in.

“It’s gonna be interesting this year.”

Aoki was handed a clipboard that holding several sheets of paper. It was the list of names for each event in the ballgame tournament.

“The ones with the double circles are pros.”

“Pro” of course didn’t mean pro athletes. It was the internal term for this ballgame tournament that referred to those who belonged to the corresponding sports club for each event. The maximum number of pros was set at three people for each team. The antonym of pro was “amateur”, and those who had experience in middle school or dropped out of their clubs were sometimes called “semi-pro.”

Classes A to F were divided vertically through the grades for a total of six teams. A supreme general would be nominated from the third-years of each team, and they would compete for overall victory with the total points from all the events. Since the captains of the main sports clubs were luckily scattered across the different classes, it was an event that got somewhat heated with the power struggles between the sports clubs.

He viewed the boys’ volleyball participant roster in order, starting from Team A. Team A didn’t have the double circle—for softball and futsal, where there were many qualifying members, there was competition among the members for the pro slots, but sadly for their division, they actually fell short of the number of slots.

“Oh, B’s got a killing.”

Team B also didn’t have any double circles, but when he looked at the remarks column, he saw that there was an awful lot of rugby team members. “So, are these remarks self-reported?” “No, the executive committee collected it, but the tally was a bit late.” “You’re spending a lot of energy on unnecessary things.” “You think so? Information gathering is fun, though.” In the remarks column, in addition to the current club the student belonged to, information such as their club activities in middle school and outstanding results in the school physical fitness test were added. If one were to see this list without knowing Aoki’s character, one might be a bit horrified.

The rugby player called Okuma of Class 2-B had a face and name that matched (he thought it was “大熊” (2), but he guessed those were the actual characters). At the level of a ballgame tournament, just having a big guy in front of the net was effective to some extent. Three rugby players over 180 centimeters in the front row might be a rather formidable opponent.

Next, Team C had three double circles in a row—3-C’s Aoki Misao ◎, 2-C’s Kanno Akito ◎, and 1-C’s Kuroba Yuni ◎.

“…What’s with this bias? Isn’t this all-star team against the rules?”

“It’s no more than three. That’s not against the rules.” Aoki said carefreely. “It’s just a coincidence that there are three people in C class this year. I didn’t manipulate that, so I don’t need you complaining about it.” Isn’t that an implicit admission that he manipulated in the other cases?

“Well, worst case scenario, I might drop out. I also got work on the management side. I’ll leave it to Kanno to cover for Kuroba.”

“Don’t drop out. It’ll be boring without you.”

When Oda said that without missing a beat, Aoki looked at him with slightly widened eyes. That unconcerned attitude of Aoki’s always irritated him for an instant.

“It’ll be interesting…We’ll definitely beat you.”

He declared provocatively. Aoki smirked from the corner of his mouth.

“We’re not going to go easy on you, you know?”

“Of course. If you hold back even just a little bit, then I’m never going to talk to you again.”

“Aw, come on, give me a break.”

Aoki was 193 centimeters, Kanno was 181 centimeters, and Kuroba was 184 centimeters. Oda remembered everyone’s numbers, which were filled out on the entry sheet for the most recent tournament. Aoki, who would undoubtedly be the tallest of all the participants in the boys’ volleyball division, was the center, and Kanno, who had a good balance between offense and defense, was placed on the side. Kuroba was still quite inconsistent and capricious, but as long as he went with the flow, he would display outstanding offensive power.

The ballgame tournament was like an escape for his feelings, and he was more of a passive participant than anything, but…he was getting a bit excited. For a small club with eight members, they could do a four-to-four minigame at most, not being able to do a proper intragroup game. Even if it included amateurs, under the rules of a proper six-person system, they can compete with that lineup. There was no other opportunity like this.

The problem was the strength of his own team, but if they had someone who they could use even just a little…he skimmed past the next two teams, D and E, to finally reach the F team he would be leading. At the top of the list was Oda Shinichiro ◎ of 3-F. About four people were chosen from each grade below, but there were no double circles besides Oda. Compared to Team C, he couldn’t help but feel discouraged.

“…Haijima?”

That name was there.

Haijima Kimichika of 1-F. He of course didn’t have the double circle.

When he looked up from the list, Aoki nodded as if to say you finally noticed that? It seemed that this was the climax of “it’s gonna be interesting.”

“I didn’t think he’d choose volleyball. Wonder what brought that on. He’s been running away from you ever since that thing happened.”

“He’s not running away from me, and wasn’t that thing because of your assault?”

“I told you, it wasn’t assault. I was just telling him to be a little more careful about how he should speak to third-years.”

“With your foot?”

“Well, the foot was unintentional.” What’s the definition of assault where you do that and don’t call it assault?

After the incident in early April of the new school year in which Aoki kicked Haijima’s butt hard, every time they happened to catch sight of each other in school, Haijima was the one who acted casual…From our point of view, it’s blatantly obvious that he’s changing his route and escaping. He was big, so he could be recognized immediately even from a distance, but he wondered if he didn’t know he stood out. If you’re just unconsciously enjoying the benefits of that height, give it to me…He thought. Even here, his desire as a captain to have Haijima on the team and his personal feelings of jealousy mixed with each other.

The first practice day for Team F was next Monday. After one week of team practice, the ballgame tournament would arrive.

“I wonder if he’s gonna come.” What kind of face would he have if he came?

“Well, he might be the type who shamelessly comes with a face that says ‘My friend signed me up for an audition without asking me.’”

“Oi oi, that’s harsh…”

Contrary to his gentle appearance, Aoki had quite a sharp tongue. According to him, he had a principle of not holding back what he wanted to say and not doing what he didn’t want to do. But if you asked Oda, there was a part of him that thought, Is that so? Are you saying everything you wanted to say to me?

“…Hey, you already handed that in, right? The future course thing…”

Even if he thought it was better to think about it later, it got stuck in his head for a long time. There were invisible pebbles strewn about. It felt like those pebbles were plugging up the holes where energy was spouting out from.

Since it was the second future course survey, there was a first one as well, but at that time there was only the choices of literature or science and national or private schools. However, this time there was a column for writing your specific university of choice. For the time being, since this was a university prep school, there was hardly anyone who chose to find a job or go to a vocational school.

There was a pause, as though the sudden topic had caught him off guard, but Aoki’s tone didn’t change when he opened his mouth.

“Oh, not yet. I haven’t decided yet.”

It was a shock to be lied to. You were the one who already handed it in. I asked while knowing it, actually.

However, all he said was, “…I see. Well, you’ve still got time.”

The rumor had also spread to Oda’s class. First choice, the Kyoto University’s faculty of law—Apparently, there was someone who peeked at Aoki’s handout that had been handed into the staff room. Who would have thought it’d be Kyodai? He was shocked that he was that smart. No, I knew that, but still.

It was at that time that he had the belated realization that until that point, he almost never talked to Aoki about anything other than volleyball. We’ve seen each other almost every day for more than two years, so isn’t that pretty weird? In the first place, volleyball was the only thing they had in common. Except volleyball, their interests didn’t intersect at all (to be precise, volleyball was Oda’s only interest). Oda only ever brought up volleyball and never asked Aoki what his interests were, or what he wanted to do in the future.

I mean, Kyodai? Supposing that we won the prefectural representative rights for Spring Inter-High, you couldn’t retire until the main tournament in January. Even if you studied for the entrance exam in your spare time while you’re not doing club activities, will you be able to get into law school at Kyoto University? ——He only thought those things and couldn’t say it aloud. Because, what would he do if Aoki announced that he was going to prioritize entrance exams and retire? He probably couldn’t see him out quietly. He felt like imposing his own convenience and telling that he couldn’t retire because they barely had enough members. No, I’m sure Aoki will prolong his retirement as long as he can and stick with me. But, that only increased his debt to him.

Hey, how do you feel about being stuck with me? If you take away volleyball, then I’m just a boring person.

“Hey, do you…enjoy being with me?”

“What?”

He sounded half-crazy, as expected. He felt like it was an extremely sissy question and wanted to crawl into a hole.

“Ah…what’s wrong, Shin? You’re acting weird.”

“Weird?”

Apparently, it was weird for him to worry about anything other than volleyball. Even he himself thought so. As far as his path after high school was concerned, he could cite a number of intercollegiate powerhouse universities he was interested in as long as it was volleyball-related. But he was at a loss as soon as he stepped away from volleyball. He wondered if he lost in the Spring Inter-High qualifiers and retired, he would finally have to find something else he wanted to do, and though it was impossible to assume that they would fail the qualifiers, the idle thought flashed across his mind. Though he still only wanted to think about volleyball right now, his mind was too distracted to focus on one thing. If anything, the time when he couldn’t only think about volleyball has arrived.

Bzzzz, the seat of the chair beneath Aoki started vibrating. “Mm, ‘scuse me,” Aoki put his hand on his behind. His hand that was as long and thin as his physique operated his phone.

“Geh, a summons text from the president. I gotta go.”

“I’m going back too. Sorry to bother you when you’re so busy.”

“Yeah, but our conversation—”

“No, no, it’s done.”

He didn’t think he was convinced, but Aoki didn’t try to dig in any further, putting his phone away and got up as Oda stood. When they stood in a line, Aoki’s shoulders would be what was in his line of sight. It was somewhat easier when they were looking at each other, but the fact that he had become accustomed to the gap in their lines of sight made him feel mixed feelings in its own way.

Oda was 163 centimeters tall. The difference in height between him and Aoki was exactly twenty centimeters. The gap hadn’t been filled at all since he entered high school. He sometimes hated that his parents really named him Shinichiro. (3)

163 centimeters was barely taller than the average height of a typical girl, and while having a small build meant having a small build, he wasn’t extremely small. In other sports, there were plenty of male athletes in the 160 centimeter range who flourished in international competitions.

But for a volleyball player, and furthermore for an attacker, it was a fatally insufficient height. Even if he could manage it in high school, it would never work beyond university. He hadn’t told anyone yet that he was going to play volleyball until high school, but he was seeing the end in himself.

Why volleyball of all things?

But…there’s only one reason for that, isn’t there?

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#2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu #2.43 book 1 #2.43 translation #2.43 #2.43: seiin high school boys volleyball club

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justlightthefirstspark · 5 years

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United vs Chelsea - Conti Cup Semi Final - 29/01/2020

So the line up and bench for this one was interesting. Aimee Palmer was cup tied for this one, having already lined out for Sheffield United earlier in the season, Ella Toone is currently serving a 3 game suspension following a (questionable) red card vs Spurs, and both Kirsty Hanson and Leah Galton are out injured, which led to a very sparse bench, and pretty much the same XI as vs City. Lauren James started in place of Jane Ross, which was very clearly a good idea.

First half:

This game was a little cagey to start with, but ultimately a lot better than Saturday’s showing vs City. LJ had a decent shot around 6 mins, after some great build work from Groenen.

Abbie’s constant back passes to Earps returned, as did my anxiety. To be honest, Earps never looks completely comfortable to be on the receiving end of back passes so I don’t understand why the majority of that back 4 insist on playing that way so often?

Aside from those back passes, I though Abbie had a really good game. At least until she was forced off injured deep into the second half. She played an absolute stormer from the first whistle, and she was literally everywhere. Had a decent chance to get the first goal too around the 25 minute mark, very unfortunate to have that header go straight at Telford. She really, really redeemed herself after that performance vs City at the weekend.

‘27 - some Wales on Wales crime. Sophie Ingle booked for an almighty challenge on Hayley Ladd. Fair enough, the way Hayley fired herself into Ingle may have made it look more than it was. Entertaining tho. I’m also gonna take this opportunity to confess that I may be a little bit (a lot) in love with Hayley Ladd. I gotta be honest, I didn’t really know much about her before she signed in the summer, but she’s really, really great. I feel like she’s kinda underrated a little bit? Anyway, I genuinely don’t think this girl feels any pressure, like at all. A little bit like LJ I guess. She just gets her head down and does her job - calm and cool 100% of the time. I would very much like her to stay forever. I’m definitely gonna have to start watching more of this Wales team aren’t I?

‘34 - Earps with a cracking save. I feel like she’s more of a shot stopper than anything else, her distribution can be a little off sometimes, but she did really well to deny Chelsea there.

I think James and Arnot linked up quite well last night, especially around the 40 minute mark, unfortunately Lizzie was called just offside. She’s really impressed me (whenever she gets a shot) this season tbh, I hope she manages to get herself in the XI more often from now on.

‘42 - Jess Sigsworth pulling double shifts again. She’s constantly down around that back four, helping out and sometimes doing other people’s jobs for them and I’m kinda terrified that she’s gonna run herself into a brick wall at some stage? Like I think it’s fairly clear that we need to reinforce and add depth and quality defensively but I also think it’s pretty clear that Jess isn’t the answer to that particular problem, as impressive as her drive and her work rate is.

‘43 - United should have been clear and away on the counter there. There was an earlier challenge from Ladd (I’m pretty sure) that the ref took an age to make up her mind on, and by the time she decided to call it back, Groenen (again, I’d have to rewatch to be 100% certain) was up and over the halfway line on the break. Annoying af.

Halftime:

Tbh I thought United did really well to not have conceded and to still be in the game at the half. The first half as a whole was pretty decent, Chelsea ultimately had the better chances and were the slightly stronger team. I just wish we could have taken the few chances we had in the first half and made something from them, Telford isn’t the world’s best keeper and I feel like we could have tested her more and I was kinda disappointed we didn’t.

Second half:

‘47 - a fairly decent (surprisingly. It’s no secret we’re pretty piss poor at set pieces) from Zelem resulted in Amy heading just over, which hurt my soul. (I wanted her to score so bad youse have no idea)

‘52 - Arnot had a decent chance, and was 100% in cause Telford came about 82739 miles off her line, but unfortunately it was cleared away. (Sidenote: I HATE when keepers come off their line and out of their box like that, even opposition keepers. It just really shits me out. Anyway)

‘53 - a decent Chelsea opportunity goes wide. I saw somewhere (twitter probably) that it took a deflection, but I’d have to rewatch to be certain. FA Player get your shit together and upload the game so I can double check challenge 🙄

The game really started to come to life around the 50 minute mark. Both teams had decent chances within about a minute of each other, and United’s intensity really stepped up - they came out guns blazing in the second. Both teams pressing and passing really cleaned up around this time too.

‘61 - decent chance for Sigsworth. Angle was just too tight, but I think the build up was massively overworked. She passed it off the Zelem who held it for a little too long imo, before sending it back to Jess who lashed it into the side netting. Think Jess could have made something of it first time but hey, what’s done is done now.

Game started to get a little scrappy heading into the last 20 mins - back to the rushed and mismatched and intercepted passes of the first half.

‘70 - Chelsea free kick saved well by Earps.

‘71 - Goal - Chelsea. Really tight angle, just about squeezed home. Really good work from Mjelde in hindsight but I feel like Earps could have saved that one. I hate to blame her entirely but she really should have done better with closing that one down.

‘72 - almost an instant response from United. LJ had a fantastic chance to equalise but unfortunately scorched it over the bar. I’m not gonna lie, I expected a little better from her there, but I understand the urgency.

‘73 - pretty soft yellow for Sigsworth

‘74 - Ross 🔁 Arnot.

Seemed like all the wind was sucked out of United after that goal, approaching the 80 minute mark. Most of that intensity and urgency was still kinda there and evident in small bursts, but was mostly lacking.

‘80 - United forced into a change. Harris (don’t talk to me) 🔁 McManus. Abbie took a bit of a blow around 20 minutes in, committing a challenge she was ultimately booked for. Fair play to her, she played through it, but she was definitely struggling for a while there. Apparently she was on crutches after the game, so I hope it’s nothing too serious. Also interested to see what Casey does with that back 4 if she’s out for a while. Amy obviously goes back in and CB but it would appear Martha is higher than Ökvist in the pecking order, which is annoying. I get that Casey is more defensive minded and might not want to play two more attacking FB’s at once (Ökvist & Smith) but Martha... 🤐

‘84 - James had a great ball in that forced a corner that - you guessed it - nothing came of

‘85 - Earps had a great block to deny Chelsea a second (and really and truly kill me off)

‘88 - Harris decides to try her luck from a little way out. It was a decent shot to be fair, given the circumstances, just couldn’t get the dip it needed and never really troubled Telford on it’s way over the bar.

4 minutes at the end of the 90 but United couldn’t get anything to stick, which was massively unfortunate.

Two semi final defeats in a row is absolutely gut wrenching, and very hard to take, but last night taught me a lot about this team. I personally thought that this game was miles better and such an improvement on Arsenal away last season. They were much better all round, in every position than last weekend vs City. To come so close against the 3 best teams in the league 5 times now and walk away with nothing is hard, and I feel so bad for those girls. They give their all everytime they step out on that pitch, and they deserved more. This week in particular. Seeing them all in literal bits at the final whistle nearly broke me tbh.

But it’s becoming more glaringly apparent as the season goes on that we are in desperate need of a more clinical, stone blood killer up top. I’d also be open to giving Mikalen a run in goal to prove herself - I think Earps has been a bit off lately.

Galton and Hanson were massively missed last night, and I think we could have done with Toone as well, but oh well.

I had my issues with the ref as well last night, I have to say. I thought she handled the knocks and (most of) the bookings correctly, as well as the penalty shout (which was not a penalty, sorry Jess) but she missed a clear foul on Jackie (59 mins) as well as a clear tug on Arnot (64 mins) in the second half. I also thought LJ was very lucky to get away with just a yellow for her foul on Ingle at the end of the first half, looked a little more like a red to me 😬

Hopefully Galton will be back for Sunday - she absolutely tore Reading to shreds the last time out and I would very much like to see more of that 🔥, but I’m kinda worried about that midfield trio too. The last thing we need is three defeats on the bounce, but they must be dyinggg cause they literally never, ever stop.

I know this one is a little later than usual and the format is slightly different too, but I was watching the men (for some reason) as well, and it was kinda hard to keep track of two games at once lol. Plus I just wasn’t really in the mood to try and to this last night. Also - if anyone has critiques or corrections or questions about my opinions or anything else pls don’t hesitate to drop them in my ask and I’ll edit things and answer whatever as best as I can ✌🏽

#that was... a lot #this annoyed me more than last year’s SF tbh #i also have seem to have a lot of opinions #sorry - i think #muwfc #manchester united women #my writing

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