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script-nef · 3 years

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So why won’t you realise it '^' | Gojou Satoru

Category: fluff

1.9k words; Movie date [2/6]

Spoilers of Howl’s Moving Castle!! Beware!!

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“Eh, Shouko! What do you mean you can’t make it?”

“I mean, another person is about to come in and they need me to heal them. By the time I’m done the movie will be finished.” Shouko’s voice over the phone is laced with annoyance and sadness coupled with lethargy. You don’t know how she pulls off such a unique combination of emotions but she somehow accomplishes it every time. “And I was looking forward to it…”

This would have been the first time you had a break with her since the trip to France. And while she enjoyed it a lot, the same couldn’t be said for the two males. Which was weird since Gojou is infatuated with sweets and Ken-chan agreed to come. So it was kind of weird when there was a tense atmosphere between them. You know your brother and Gojou are nearly polar opposites, but their animosity wasn’t usually that strong.

They brushed it off as nothing when you asked if something was wrong, which was sort of dubious since you could kind of see the black cloud looming over the both of them, but you let it go. If it was something important, they would be able to handle it themselves or report it to you. You couldn’t sense any cursed spirits nearby so you guessed that they were just in a bad mood for some reason.

Still, you had a wonderful time and found some new snacks that everyone enjoyed. So a day well spent, all in all.

And Ken-chan told you to tell him if Gojou ever offers overseas trips or anything similar, so he must have enjoyed it. Maybe you can ask Gojou to take all of you to Denmark one day.

“Ah… my dear Howl. Life and curses separate us again.” Her voice is full of sadness now, no doubt mourning over her chance of watching her favourite character on a huge screen with surround sound disappearing.

“It’s okay! I’ll bring you the figurine and we can watch it again here in about… uh…”

“Ten years?” She sounds like she’s about to drop dead.

“Uh… yes… But maybe five years? Hopefully? You know, I shouldn’t watch it without you. I’ll come back to school.”

“No, no. Watch the movie. At least you’ll get to see it. Ah, they’re coming now so I have to go.”

“Ah, okay. Bye, Shouko! Stay positive!”

A non-committal sigh accompanies a small “Bye” before the call clicks off. A frown takes over your face at the lost opportunity for her. She was looking forward to this for a long time and you leapt at the chance for another girls’ day out. Being able to watch a childhood favourite is an added bonus. But now you’re standing in the movie theatre, the ticket desk just across the room and an extra on your hand.

It’s a shame because it cost quite a lot. Shouko is definitely going to mope about this when you get back and maybe start smoking again. She always has a pack on her even if she said she quit, and smokes one if she’s stressed or angry. You should call someone and make sure somebody takes it away from her.

You should probably hold onto the ticket and give it back. Or maybe that would make it worse for her, serving as a reminder of this day. Conflict rages inside your head. There’s a high possibility of either decision breaking her heart. Again. A buzz from your phone saves you the trouble of deciding.

Shouko: I sent someone as my replacement.

A tap on the shoulder makes you turn as you type in a reply and you come face to face with a black jacket. Gojou’s head pops down.

“Hey there. I think you called for a replacement!” He seems to be in a ridiculously good mood, even more so than usual. Maybe his students successfully finished another mission. Which is great. It also means more paperwork for you. Which is not so great.

“How did you com—ah. Teleportation.”

“Ding ding ding! Correct!” He's been using the skill more frequently lately, popping in and out of places like one of those Whac-A-Mole games. . It gives you heart attacks all the time and you’re sure he gets a kick out of it. You saw how his smiles widen when you flinch or react. Thankfully it’s when you’re alone so other people never see you jump what feels like a metre into the air.

“Do you want popcorn?” He breaks you out of your thoughts. “I think they have the new caramel flavour. Apparently it’s way too sweet.” So perfect for Gojou. Even though he’s asking if you want it, there’s a spring in his step which definitely means he’s getting some. Probably the biggest option they have.

And you’re proven right because he comes back with two huge buckets which look impossible to finish. When you try to object, he cuts off with “I’ve eaten three buckets before. Alone.” With the smile he’s giving you, it really doesn’t sound like he’s joking. You try to take one to lighten the load but he says it’s alright.

He signals the way to the theatre rooms with his head, walking beside you as you find your way.

“So what’s the movie?” Your head snaps to him in confusion.

“You don’t know?” A shake and a shrug. “It’s Howl’s Moving Castle. This was Shouko’s idea since she loves it and this year is Studio Ghibli’s 40 year anniversary. The cinema is having an exclusive showing of their movies this month. Only one session per movie, for some reason. Surely they would make more money if they played it over multiple days, but. I dunno. Executives make weird decisions.” A light scoff from him to tell he knows exactly what that’s like. His hatred for the higher-ups runs deep. You don’t push it.

“So she wanted to come but got held back at the last minute?”

“Yeah. Ah, here are our seats.”

You’re placed in the very middle of the room and you both make yourselves comfortable. Shouko went all out for this movie, upgrading the seats and making it a recliner. Your poor back, abused after sitting in chairs and hunched over computers for so long, practically melts into the plush cushion. It’s so comfortable that you might fall asleep in it if it isn’t Howl that’s about to start.

Feet dangling in the air, you look over to Gojou to see him on his phone. It looks like he’s in a chatroom and you catch the words ‘Shouko’ and ‘favour’ before looking away. You didn’t mean to peek, but it’s not like you can consciously not read something. It was in your line of sight and you averted your eyes as soon as you realised what you were reading. Your brother brought you up better than to pry into other people’s businesses, even if it’s really, really tempting.

“Phones need to be placed on silent, you know.” The ads are coming on the screen. He smiles at you, slipping it into his pocket.

“Just talking to Shouko. She says she hasn’t even started properly.”

Disappointment fills you. Gojou is a good friend to watch this with but you hoped Shouko would somehow miraculously finish in time. She would be devastated.

“I’ll have to make this up to her when we get back. Give her the figurine and keep her hap—ah! I forgot! Gojou, I was supposed to ask someone to take her ciga—” He cuts you off with a light pat on your hand.

“Don’t worry, I did it already. All of them are safe out of her reach and I gave her packets of hot chocolate instead. When we get back, she’ll have drunk at least half of them and be in a good mood.” What a Gojou-like replacement. He smiles like a child wanting pats on the head for a job well done. You just barely catch yourself from moving.

Gojou gets a rep for being aloof and neglectful, but he does take care of the people he holds dear to him. His friends, members of the school, his students. You hope you’re included in the list.

Actually, the more you think about it, the more you realise he’s different from initial perceptions. You learn more and more about him as time goes on, in the most delightful sense. He’s somewhat like an onion, new characteristics being revealed every time a layer is peeled. A snicker escapes at the thought of Gojou dressed up like an onion, just waddling around. He shoots you a questioning head tilt which you wave off.

In the years that you’ve known him, he made himself into a trustworthy friend. One full of laughs and ridiculousness. Maybe it’s his childishness that puts you at ease, but he’s incredibly comfortable and easy to relax around. Thoughts trail and the words fly out of your mouth before you even think.

“You know, I think you would make a wonderful boyfriend.”

He freezes completely, like somebody’s zapped him in place. You stare at him, wondering what’s wrong, but the lights dim and by the time he gathers coherence, your concentration is on the opening sequence.

“Ah, that was so good! Ugh, I love Howl. Isn’t he so cool?” You skip out of the room, remembering to take the figurines provided at the exit, with Gojou trailing behind you. “You know how she asks him to wait for her in the past? The first thing he says to her in the movie is ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you.’ He searched for her the entire time! This is modern poetry. This.”

“Do you think Howl would be a good boyfriend?” The question stops you. It’s different than usual for some reason, the voice asking the question and the intensity of it. He’s still his aloof self, all smiles and grins, but there’s something you can’t quite place that’s wrong. It’s unnerving, but you diligently answer his question.

“Um, I mean, yeah? Look at how cute he is with Sophie. See?” The figurine is a frozen shot of Howl and Sophie dancing in the rain with an umbrella that’s not being useful at all. They’re both incredibly detailed, so much so that you can see their clothes and skin drenching wet. Wow, this is actually a phenomenal job. Shouko will be so happy. It makes your heart lighter knowing that at least something might light up her day.

“Why is he cool?” Gojou seems to be invested in Howl. It confuses you since he just watched the movie with you and he saw how awesome Howl is.

“Hm, well for one he can do magic.” He opens his mouth but you shush him with a finger to his lips. “Yeah, I know, what we have is kind of like magic too. But theirs is just… different. He just makes it seem kind of elegant. And he overcame his fear just for Sophie. Remember the scene with Sulliman and in the cluttered bedroom? He still found the strength to protect her even though he was so scared before. It’s admirable. I guess I like strong guys.”

“Hmm~” His tone is contemplative. “You know I’m stronger than him, right?”

A question mark forms over your head. He’s being really weird today. “Yeah? You’re the strongest in the universe, silly. What’s up with you?” Gojou just chuckles and ruffles your head.

“Nothing, nothing. Just making sure you know.” He slings his arm around your shoulder, the intensity gone and the light spring in his step back. “Who else do you think is strong?”

Next chapter →

#gojou x reader #gojou imagine #gojou satoru x reader #gojou satoru imagine #gojo x reader #gojo imagine #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru imagine #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk imagine #jujutsu kaisen imagine #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #gojou #gojou satoru #fluff #series #female reader

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fighterkimburgess · 3 years

Note

Okay if you’re up for more head cannons (when you have the time!) what about Severide and Sylvie! We know they’re teasey with each other, how do you think they’ll act now that brettsey is together!

...So for those who haven't been following me for ages, I actually wrote a 110k word fic about these two! It's called What Happens In Vegas (Definitely Doesn't Stay There) and it's a S3 AU where Sylvie decides to take Kelly up on the Vegas trip. It's the first Chicago Fire fic I ever wrote, it's very fun and has a lot of the two of them bonding, which I adore. But as for in canon universe headcanons, here we go!

She's his little sister. She's only a couple of years older than Katie, and he's always wanted to be protective of Sylvie.

When Matt told him that Otis was going to ask her out, Kelly's response was "that'll screw over Cruz, but Otis is a good guy".

He was able to tell Matt's feelings from when Sylvie and the Chaplain got engaged, but he had to wait for Matt to actually talk about them.

Finding out the two of them are in love? And properly together? KELLY SEVERIDE LOVES IT.

Everyone thinks he's just closer to Sylvie because she's his fiancée's best friend, she'll be Maid of Honour at his wedding. But he and Sylvie genuinely get on really, really well.

Part of why they bond is they're both officers, they both have complete control over their little areas. But their jobs are very different to Stella and Matt's. They aren't putting out fires, they're saving people from them.

One night, when Matt and Stella are asleep Kelly sits Sylvie down and tells her everything about his marriage. What happened between Matt and his ex wife before Sylvie was at 51, the things she didn't see before she got close to Gabby. Sylvie's only seen Gabby's side of things, she didn't know Matt's.

She tells him about Harrison. About the parts that 51 doesn't know about, about the pit he put in her stomach and how he made her feel like she couldn't do anything. Why her relationship with Antonio failed. How the Chaplain wanted her to be a good country pastor's wife. And how Matt's the opposite because she knows that he's never going to ask her to give up who she is for him.

That's the moment that Kelly knows that these two are perfect for each other. Because he'd had a similar conversation with Matt about what he wanted out of the relationship.

(Semi related but I'm going with it) I've a HC that for YEARS Sylvie and Kim Burgess have a once a month girls night, and that Kelly hears them complain in Molly's that they'd love to have it somewhere not filled with their coworkers, but Men are Men and it just ends up having to tell them to stop hitting on them. So Kelly offers to be their bodyguard for girls night. They share rounds and he pretends not to listen to their conversations but when they need a guy's advice they ask him. And when he's confused over his relationships he asks the two of them for advice.

Every couple of weeks when Matt and Stella are doing something for truck officers they get dinner and chat and chill out. Sylvie introduces him to Studio Ghibli films. He comes into shift the next day talking about how Grave of the Fireflies broke his heart. Joe immediately yells at Sylvie for breaking someone else's heart with that film. It leads to half the house wanting to watch it, and Boden making them turn it off when everyone starts tearing up because "this is a firehouse not a movie theatre."

So second shift ends up in the loft the next evening to watch it. It's all Sylvie and Kelly's fault, but nobody seems to blame Sylvie, just Kelly.

Ok so that last one went off the rails, but like...these two? Their friendship? I love it so much.

#cíara answers #head canons #sylveride

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yunhos-treasure · 3 years

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𝐀 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲 ☆ﾐ 𝐣𝐰𝐲

༄𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Wooyoung is so excited to have a day off with his friends and fellow ATEEZ groupmates and does his best to cook something yummy for a Sunday picnic, and everything is so perfect and tasty that it is to die for!

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: slice of life, fluff and a little surprise at the end.

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕: 1,9k

[𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔]: so... there's something like a plot twist, hehe ٩ (ᐛ) و I'm sorry I can't put it on the tags

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: English is not my first language so I'm sorry if I made some mistakes, I'm still learning.

༺❀༻

For Wooyoung today is definitely a wonderful and beautifully sunny day, perfect to have the best picnic of his life. Anyone who looked at the young man would instantly know that he was more than ecstatic with the big and genuine smile spread across his pretty face.

It was eight in the morning and the black-haired boy was in the kitchen listening to music with his headphones while he happily cooked for himself and his friends.

The sun was streaming in through the window and the rays of it made the young man's dark hair appear to have reddish tones giving it an ethereal touch.

Everyone in the apartment were asleep, and all that could be heard was the sound of cabinet doors and countertop drawers opening along with the the soft humming to the rhythm of the music coming from the kitchen.

Wooyoung made sandwiches, prepared orange juice and lemonade in cute glass bottles, and also made cupcakes with strawberries and kiwis with cream for dessert, as well as put fruits cut into animal shapes in small tuppers.

As he thought about what might be missing for the picnic, he realized that he didn't know where the baskets and blankets were even though Seonghwa had packed the baskets yesterday and told him at least three times where he had kept them, but Wooyoung was too busy playing with San that all he did was say “Yes, yes, I know! You don't have to say it so many times, I'm not going to forget it.”, without really listening to what the older man had said.

And there he was, trying to remember what the blonde told him without succeeding so he started looking all over the place.

“Basket, basket.... Where are you, basket?” He called out as if the basket was a puppy that could run to him.

After several unsuccessful attempts, he thought about talking to Seonghwa but the fear that Hongjoong would scold him for being so careless made him retract and decided to go back to looking in the first places where he had looked at the beginning: because for some unknown reason things are always in the first place they seemed not to be.

And he was right. With a victorious smile he took the baskets and ran to put them on the table to start packing the food and drinks, then grabbed eight glasses and put them away along with a couple of pastel napkins.

With excitement he went to his room to change his clothes and take the opportunity to wake up San and Jongho, who seemed reluctant to get up, mainly San who hugged his Shiber plushie tighter. The raven-haired boy smirked and uncovered him, then grabbed the other boy by the ankles to drag him off the bed, but the latter grabbed onto the bed as hard as he could while he screamed in a high-pitched voice.

“Let me and my son Shiber sleep in peace!”

But Wooyoung didn't care and while he laughed in an outrageously way he kept pulling him. Jongho, who shared a room with those two got up disheveled and in a bad mood. All the noise made it impossible for him to stay more time in that room and before leaving he let out a groan of annoyance as he went to the bathroom.

“Why do I feel like I'm the oldest in this place?”

Due to the noise, the others began to wake up, but not before cursing Wooyoung and San mentally, like every day.

Little by little the place began to fill with the noise of the voices of the other boys, and the doors of their rooms opening and closing.

San struggled to get up, grabbed a pillow and started hitting Wooyoung on the head while the shorter one laughed like a maniac, his laughter was contagious and the pink haired boy started laughing too.

Hongjoong walked into the room with his face half pale and his hands slightly shaking, he looked at the two boys and told them to hurry up and go to the living room.

San and Wooyoung looked at each other with concern before getting done, and heading to the room where the others were already, waiting for Jongho to come out of the bathroom so they could enter and wash.

In the living room Hongjoong and Seonghwa were talking in whispers in the corner, their expressions looked worried while Mingi and Yunho commented on what they would do at night when they returned home and Yeosang looked at them with an empty expression, it was Sunday and definitely too early in the morning to join an actual conversation, though it's not like he's very talkative after all.

Jongho came out of the bathroom and went to look for something in the living room, where he accidentally overheard a bit of the conversation of the older boys in the group.

“[...] and that's why I'm telling you not to worry, Hongjoong. Today will be a great day, it is impossible for a bad dream to come true and there is no point in staying locked up at home. So coming with us to a picnic will not kill you.” half consoled and half joked the older.

The leader just nodded and agreed, laughing a little and realizing that in reality the situation was absurd, dreams are only dreams and nothing else, no matter how real they may seem.

He just needs to go out and clear himself up a bit and it would be much better if it's with the people he cares the most, so he's more than determined to go out thanks to Seonghwa's persuasion.

The youngest continued on his way to his room to change his clothes without giving much thought.

The other boys ran to the bathroom, and then to their rooms to put on clothes suitable for the day. When everyone was ready, San asked Hongjoong what was wrong with him because he was still worried because the older one had looked very strange today when he went to talk to them, and he only answered that he had slept very little and had a nightmare, and that he only needed a little air and he would feel better already, which calmed everyone present who had also noticed Hongjoong's state but hadn't said anything before.

───── ❀ ◦ ❀ ◦ ❀ ─────

The trip was full of laughter, music and talk, it really was a very beautiful day and it was getting better and better, all the unnecessary worries of the morning and days gone by were left behind, without leaving room for anxiety or stress. This break was exactly what they needed and they knew it.

The weather was sunny but it wasn't hot at all, everyone were wearing light clothes without being so summery because every so often a small cold wind ran that gave you chills, and with the warmth of the sun's rays they were the perfect contrast wich feels like a good sensation against the skin.

They arrived at the planned place and got out of the van, while they stretched they observed the beauty of Mother Nature that surrounded them and the peace that only she can transmit.

It looked like a scene out of a Studio Ghibli movie with soft colored flowers, the trees gave beautiful shadows perfect to sit under them and the wind swayed the grasses from time to time but without being annoying. There was also a small stream with transparent cold water and you could heard the sound of the water running and hitting the stones at the same time that you could also hear the songs of birds, cicadas and some frogs. It was fresh and peaceful.

Wooyoung threw himself on the grass and started rolling followed by a very excited Yunho, Mingi, and San. Seonghwa and Yeosang were looking at them with expressions of 'I'm judging you intensely', but they secretly wished to do the same.

Jongho and Hongjoong looked for the baskets and blankets and then began to set up the picnic and take photos as if they were in an impromptu photoshoot to save memories and upload a couple to Twitter for their beloved Atinys, to which the other boys also joined and took photos with them. Some turned out fine and others... well, some were blurry or someone would always appear in the back with a derp expression causing the photos to be ruined, but it was funny so no one complained and they just continued to enjoy each other's company.

“We should have more days like this.” Mingi said with a huge and sweet smile as he collected flowers and put them in his hair to take pictures. Everyone agreed with what the tall boy had said and Yunho imitated his friend by putting flowers in his hair as well and they both challenged the other to a duel over who would get the most likes on his posts.

“Guys ... I spent a lot of time preparing the food, why don't we start eating at once?”

An annoyed Wooyoung said while taking a sandwich and starting to eat, his friends laughed and ate with him. All the food tasted very good and they all thanked the boy for putting so much effort into this day and taking care of them.

“Why don't we toast Wooyoung's delicious food and our friendship?” San suggested, breadcrumbs on his cheeks that made him look adorable.

Yeosang took the glasses that were still stored in the basket, served them all lemonade and orange juice, and smiled as he said playfully.

“Everyone, consider this an act of charity on my behalf”

The other members started saying things to him and he just laughed as he raised his glass and toasted the others.

No one noticed how Wooyoung did not even take a sip of the juice and simply put it on the blanket on the ground, while looking at the sky, it was very clear and beautiful, everything was so calm and the wind began to sway the leaves of the tree over his head causing the sun to hit his face, when he looked down at the ground his friends looked strange.

The black-haired man looked at them more closely and their pupils were excessively dilated. Hongjoong was choking and struggling for air while a worried Seonghwa tried to help him but felt nauseous and with drowsy legs he tried to run to vomit, Jongho was confused and his brain couldn't process anything that was happening around him, Yunho had a hand pressed on his heart which was beating very fast while Mingi was lying on the ground motionless, not even breathing and San was trying to wake up Mingi with a dry mouth and a really bad bellyache.

Yeosang looked at Wooyoung, who was perfectly fine, as he tried to speak.

“Woo.... Wo.... Young... What... did you do to us?”

But he never got an answer before his joints completely stop working and he drops with a dry sound just like his other friends.

The black-haired boy took a cupcake and calmly ate it, ignoring the seven lifeless bodies of his friends because for Wooyoung today is definitely a wonderful and beautifully sunny day, perfect to have the best picnic of his life. Anyone who looked at the young man would instantly know that he was more than ecstatic with the big and genuine smile spread across his pretty face.

#ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #ateez reactions #ateez smut #ateez #ateez angst #wooyoung #ateez yeosang #ateez yunho #hongjoong #seonghwa #choi san #song mingi #jongho #kpop

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hatterstan-shameblog · 3 years

Note

I did mean hatter x you as in you(the person that runs this blog) not as in hatter x the reader, sorry for the confusion.

Hatter X Me (Specifically)?

I can see it now...

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

It’s half-past eight in the evening, and I am sitting on one of the black leather sofas in Hatter’s room. I am hyper-aware of the fact that the back of my legs are sticking to said black leather sofa, just as I am hyper-aware of the fact that there is a very intense and partially shirtless man sitting next to me.

I tell myself that this is fine. I do not believe that this is fine, but I tell myself that it is, anyways. He has given me some kind of whiskey, and I take a nervous sip. It’s actually pretty good, and I tell him as much. He says something about it having notes of caramel and I nod, pretending to know what that means.

“What’s your specialty?” Hatter asks. I tell him that my specialty is panicking in stressful situations. He laughs. This is good, I think. I am Succeeding at Conversation.

He moves closer to me. I move closer to the arm of the sofa. I put my drink on the side table and then immediately pick it back up to take another sip.

I have a small crisis when he puts his arm around the back of the sofa and leaves his hand to lazily rest on my shoulder. I have another small crisis when he takes his sunglasses off and I attempt to make eye contact—you know, like a normal person.

“You look nice,” he tells me, the fingers of his opposite hand fussing with the hem of the sundress I have covering my swimsuit. I thank him. I tell him it has pockets. He laughs. I laugh too, but in a way that says ‘I am going to regret every second of this interaction for the rest of my life.’

He looks like he might kiss me. I am. Stressed out about this. I do not know why he would want to kiss me. I ask myself if I want him to kiss me. Myself says “Uh?” and is generally very unhelpful.

Before I can stop myself, I’m asking him what his favorite movie is. This is because I have never been cool about anything in my entire life, and also because I believe that a person’s favorite movie says a lot about who they are. For example, if his favorite movie is Moulin Rouge!, I will take off the sundress with the pockets and let him do whatever he wants to me. If it’s something like Manchester By The Sea, I will immediately leave the room and never talk to him again.

This is a very solid plan, I think.

To my surprise—and intense delight—he ponders the question for a moment before telling me that it would be impossible to choose just one favorite. I ask him for a top five. He tells me it might end up being more like a top seven or eight. I assure him that this is the exact opposite of a problem.

He tells me he likes The Godfather. He likes the Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice. We get into a debate over whether Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle is the best Ghibli movie, and settle on The Cat Returns being criminally underrated.

The topic shifts to television. Then to music. He is very easy to talk to, and the alcohol only makes it easier. I consider the whole ‘kiss’ thing again. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad? He has nice lips...

...And, apparently, I’ve said that last part out loud, because he’s thanking me with a smile and a chuckle. My brain speed runs through all five stages of grief as I ask him if he uses one of those fancy lip scrubs I’ve heard about on Instagram and have never actually known anyone to use in real life. He tells me no, but that he is rather fond of the classic cherry flavor of Chapstick. Katy Perry starts singing “I Kissed a Girl” in my head like it’s 2008 or something, and I do my best to banish her to the shadow realm. It almost works.

It’s time to abort mission. I’ve said too much. My drink is a sad little slurry of mostly-melted ice and a teensy bit of watered-down whiskey, and I am very subtly trying to unstick myself from the sofa. I make an excuse about needing to be up early the next morning, and he seems to accept this, even though we both know that I have absolutely nothing to do tomorrow except sit by the pool with a margarita and contemplate my most-likely-fleeting mortality before the next game.

He’s—oh boy, aw geez, he’s moving in closer. Absolute madman is actually going to try and kiss me, even after I said I thought The Ramones are kind of overrated and I know it hurt him deeply but he acted like it didn’t. Maybe he liked my opinions on Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year Door enough to overlook that part?

Either way, I decide to hit him with the ol’ “Swerve Into A Hug Maneuver,” which works out splendidly in my favor because:

Being hugged is nice.

Being hugged by a very attractive man who appreciates The Talking Heads is very nice.

My evil little hands have been absolutely desperate to touch his kimono all night and I didn’t know how to ask him without making it weird(er), but now I have a ten-second window of sensory enjoyment as I respectfully but intently hold him to my person.

I do not need to tell you that the kimono is very smooth and warm and I am a better person for having touched it. I also do not need to tell you that he is truly well-versed in the art of embracing, and that his hair smells nice, and that I am very much hoping to be hugged by him again sometime in the near future.

“This was nice,” he tells me as we pull apart. I agree. I am also very thankful that he isn’t upset about the whole not kissing him thing. That is. Well. Maybe another time. Maybe. May. Be.

He walks me to the door. I thank him for his hospitality by saying “Thank you for your hospitality” and he says that I am most welcome by saying “You’re most welcome.”

I decide that this is a very good opportunity to kiss him on the cheek, so I kiss him on the cheek. I do not miss, but I also almost poke him in the eye with my nose, which is not ideal.

His skin is very nice-feeling, so I tell him that. Then I apologize for sounding like a serial killer, because that seems like something a serial killer might say. He tells me not to worry about it. I will worry about it for the next ten thousand years, unfortunately, but he doesn’t need to know that.

He kisses me back, the same way that I kissed him—minus the whole nose thing, of course. It’s nice in the way that kittens are nice, but also nice in the way that the pottery scene from Ghost is nice. I am definitely blushing. He definitely notices.

He tells me that I am adorable. He tells me we should do this again sometime. I have been rendered incapable of speech for the moment, so I just nod. He suggests lunch tomorrow. I nod again.

This is fine. Everything’s fine.

I say “Uh” and then I say “I’ll make us soup.” Soup is good. People like soup. Soup says “I care about you and also please do not judge me too harshly,” which is the exact mood I would like to inspire for our next meeting.

He says that sounds great. If I make eye contact with this man I will burst into flames, and not in a cute/fun/sexy/provocative way. It’ll be in an off-putting way, a way that prevents me from making soup tomorrow and that would just be...Very Not Good. When I promise someone soup, I keep that promise. I am a woman of my word. (In this way, at least.)

He opens the door. I tell him “goodnight” and he tells me “goodnight” back. I exit the room and he watches me walk down the hall towards the elevator. I am very proud of myself for not tripping over my flip-flops until after he has retreated back to his room.

I get back to my room. I get into bed. I regret every awkward thing I said to the man. I regret not asking if I could wear the kimono. I do not regret suggesting he watch Hannibal because it is a very good show and I think he would appreciate its overall aesthetic.

I think about soup recipes until I fall asleep at half-past three in the morning.

This is fine. Everything is fine.

#alice in borderland #hatter #danma takeru #alice in borderland netflix #y’all THOUGHT I was gonna get with him huh??? WRONG #I am actually Like This in real life (slightly dramatized for writing reasons but this is the general vibe)#writings and such

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originofjaehyun · 4 years

Text

Interlude: No More Drama | Part 10 | White Night

Interlude: No More Drama Masterlist

Word count: 4,689

Warnings: Angst

Part 10 | White Night

“Dream of you all night long.”

Prev • Next

You say that I'm selfish,

Get it all off your chest

If we're being honest,

Without you I'm a mess, oh

Cause when I'm at my lowest, oh I run too

Don't matter the problem it's always you

Give me no reason to question you

“Who’s that?”

He broke the song on the stereo, no longer able to contain his curiosity.

“Someone, Yuta.” You brushed him off, not in the mood for feeding his interest.

“I bet he’s not just someone.” He said, sarcastically.

You rolled your eyes, “When is your birthday?”

“Hm?” He only took a quick glance at you, since he was focusing on the steering wheel. “October 26th. What about it?”

“Ah, a scorpio.”

“Is there anything wrong with me being a scorpio?”

“No, but you’re fearlessly curious. Sounds very scorpio to me.”

Yuta lets out a chuckle, “OK, you seem to know a lot about scorpios. Your boyfriend is a scorpio?”

“Aquarius.”

“So he is your boyfriend?”

You couldn’t believe how you just automatically answered him.

“He’s not. I mean, he was, but not anymore.”

He reached the traffic light, finally looking at your direction, “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to touch the sensitive subject.”

“Well you keep asking about him, no wonder I let it slip, jerk.”

He laughs again, so free and pure. His smile is brilliant, completely washed away the cold demeanor that he has.

“You’re funny, [Y/N].”

His compliment makes you scoffed dryly.

“Want to go out with me?”

Whether his words are true or not, it definitely succeeded in shocking you.

“Excuse me?” You asked him to repeat his question, making sure you didn’t hear him wrongly.

“Go out with me, [Y/N].” He said as he changed the gear, being so casual about it.

“Other than the fact I know that you’re Doyoung’s partner –not sure whether you guys are considered friends or not, and the fact that you are a Japanese, we literally only met once over a brunch and this is our first time going out together.”

“We can find out about each other later. If you want me to re-introduce myself, hi, I’m Nakamoto Yuta. You just found out that I’m a scorpio and you better remember my birthday. Osaka’s pride. Takoyaki’s my favorite food, what else…”

You laugh at how absurd he lets the conversation flow, “You don’t need to shove that much information at once, you know.”

Yuta beaming at the sound of your laughter, “Laughing suits you better. So, can I take it as you agree on slowly knowing each other better?”

At the rebound of the topic, you entwined your fingers together, “Why are you so eager about this? I bet you don’t even like me.”

“Says who? You’re pretty attractive to me.”

Your cheeks rose red at his directness. Fortunately Yuta’s eyes were fixed on the road, else he would tease you about it.

“Yuta, I’m flattered you think of me that highly, but I just broke up with him like a week ago. I don’t think I’m ready for another relationship.”

You were hoping you didn’t make the atmosphere awkward. It didn’t, as Yuta’s smile is still apparent on his face.

“We don’t have to officially date, you know? I’d like to get to know you personally, you seem like a great girl. You have a charming personality.”

You stayed quiet. It’s not like you don’t like Yuta. As the reality of the matter, you share the same feelings towards him. His directness is like a fresh air, filling your lungs and clearing your mind. However it’s quick to judge whether you’re ready to jump to another relationship.

“Just be with me,” He continues, holding your hand now, and thankfully Doyoung’s car is a matic car, if not you’d be screaming at the way he recklessly drives, sort of. “We’ll figure out the details later.”

Before you know it, you’ve reached Doyoung’s apartment parking lot. He parked the car, yet Yuta leaves the engine going because he’s still waiting for your answer.

“Yuta, really, I’m delighted that you see me… that way. But I don’t think I’m ready.”

The answer is already set way before Yuta gave you any time to think. In all honesty, after his sudden confession, all you can think about is the face of your previous lover. You could imagine Jaehyun’s face if he figured this out. How his heart would shatter when he knows you moved on so quickly from him. How awful it would be for him after he declared his profound love towards you.

Yuta sighs in disappointment, conscious of the catastrophe which you have brought upon him. He thought he would have a glimmer of chance. After all, he might not be Jeong Jaehyun, but Yuta is not losing in terms of look. His features are so easy on the eyes, more so when his radiant smile decorates his expressions.

“But,” You resume, seeing him frowning. “Let’s be friends. I know this is me stereotyping you and please don’t be offended, but I'm a fan of Ghibli and maybe we can start there?”

In a blink of an eye, you can hear the sound of his laughter, “No offense taken.”

–

The cloudy sky greets you once you open your eyes.

Yesterday was probably the busiest you've ever been. After three months since the unfortunate event, your project with NCT Corp. almost comes to an end. All it has left is the launching event that will only happen on the following week. You returned home very late last night and only up when the clock almost hit noon.

Even though you’ve been going back and forth to their office, you consistently avoiding Jaehyun with all your might. He sends you texts, only for you to leave them on read. His display picture would appear first whenever you upload something on your socials, and you tried your best not to do the same.

You’ve lost in touch with Jaehyun.

The situation is in contrast with Yuta. You’ve been talking to Yuta a lot, to discover that he does read manga, but wasn’t a fan like you. He turned out to be as sweet as what you expected, because he would actually watch anime with you. What makes it even more charming of him is that he even bothers to tell you the Japanese trivias along the way.

It’s funny. Yuta has been very gentle to you, yet you still need time to recover from your old flame.

Despite his strong appearance, you thought he would lose his patience but he doesn’t. Yuta never forced you to like him back, or asked you the ‘hey-are-you-ready-to-date’ question again. And you’re grateful for that.

Maybe time is all you need to heal. Maybe you’re like one of the arrow in a clock, and you’re slowly ticking your way to meet Yuta’s.

It was not your usual Saturday afternoon. By now, Yuta would relaxedly lounging at your couch, crossing his arm over your shoulder while you lean your head to his shoulder. He would probably browse any available movie to watch, before it bugs you and you would end up deciding the final verdict.

Other Saturdays Doyoung would come and pay his visit. He checks on you regularly after what happened. He may seem indifferent, but that is just Doyoung’s way to show his affection. After you moved back to your place, he would come to pick you up, just to make sure you’re in one piece.

On this irregular Saturday, both of them are in Osaka. They were a business partner before they became friends (partially because Yuta’s glued to you, inevitably making their interaction go beyond partnership). Today is the day where they have to make a business trip to Japan, leaving you all alone this weekend.

You stared blankly at the window, still nuzzling yourself to the cozy duvet. It’s been awhile since you’re completely by yourself, and it’s probably the therapy you need.

It would probably be best if you don’t waste anymore time, so you force your step to the bathroom for a quick shower. Prep yourself afterwards before marching outside.

As odd as it might seem, you actually savor the cloudy weather. You take it as a constant reminder that life is not all sunshine and everything nice. You love the trickling sound of the raindrops. And the best part is when the rain finally over, you get to see rays of sunshine peeks through, as if the weather tells you that even at the darkest hours, there would always be light. That there would always be hope.

Whenever it almost rains, you would often make your way to the small coffee shop near your place. You reach the front door, where the word Interlude is written on the store’s sign. Though small, they feel like home. The store is unlike other popular cafes, in fact their customers are probably only the loyal ones. However it only means that you could spend your time looking at the window while admiring the rain passes without having people talking in the background.

It’s been awhile since you last visited. You don’t even share this place to your best friends. It’s a silly rule you apply to yourself, keeping this place as your personal oasis. It’s thrilling, and you feel secured to have a safe place where you can run to which nobody knows its whereabouts.

So it’s shocking to see Jaehyun sitting down at your usual spot, turning his head to your direction after hearing the bells at the door rang at your presence. Making eye contact with you.

“[Y/N]...”

Desperation filled his voice. His cheekbones look more apparent now, and you’re guessing due to him neglecting his diet. But you’re glad at least his eyes weren’t as hollow as the last time you’ve met him.

“Jaehyun… What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been coming here every week.” He said while scratching his head.

You furrow your brows, “Every week?”

“I… remember when you said you have this one coffee shop that you always visit whenever it's about to rain.”

You tilted your head, thoughts wandering through your memory.

“It was when I stayed over at your place. It was raining cats and dogs, so we cancelled our plan to try the new bubble tea place. We spent our days at your bed, with your laptop and you were playing The Notebook.”

And that was a long time ago.

“You told me that the view from the furthest window at this place is the prettiest when it rains. You said the rain would gently hit the rocks, making the most soothing sound. I could remember your eyes were practically shining when you told me that it is very satisfying to see the shadows that the sun made, saying that it looks like a painting.”

How you wished your feelings are numb, because all you can feel right now is the heartache that creeps and consumes your heart whole.

“I asked you to bring me here, but you told me since it was already raining, I wouldn’t get to enjoy the whole experience. You promised that you would bring me here next time.”

He grazed his gaze to you, “I guess… You kinda did now?”

You bit your lower lip, feeling extremely guilty, “So you’re telling me... you’ve been coming here every single week?”

He nods at your repeated question.

“But… it’s been a while since I last visited…”

“I know. This is my new Saturday ritual, I guess. Whether it’s sunny or rainy outside, I would still come, in hope that you’d appear from that door.”

He lets out a soft sigh, “To be honest, I’m not fond of this weather. It gets dark silently as it seems about to rain. Still, you like this deafening weather. After coming here for weeks, I encounter days where it actually rains. That is when I grew to like rainy days. It looks beautiful from here, like what you said.”

You could only taste the bitter sorrow at the tip of your tongue. The sadness travelled through the stifling air. Memories start to flood in your head. The days you’ve spent with him. His gentle touch. His smile that is always followed by his pair of dimples. But it was probably his voice that you miss the most. The richness of his low rumble that always wraps you warmly. The gentle voice that feels like a melody to you.

The thoughts make you want to return to his arms. How you wish you could brush the disheveled bangs that covers his eyes, so you can have a clearer view of it. How you long to caress his face, intoxicated from his signature musky scent that is mixed with nicotine that is now that he’s only a few inches apart from you.

Yuta.

The thought of the Japanese man refrains you from doing so.

“How are you?” He asks, breaking the silence.

“I-I” You stutter, don’t know how to react, head hung low. “I’m doing fine, I guess.”

You return your gaze to him, “What about you, Jaehyun?”

He lets out a smile that is dyed with woe, “I’m coping, [Y/N].”

Jaehyun can’t seem to divert his gaze other than to your eyes.

“God, how I longed for you to call my name again,” He said, squeezing his own palm that he tugs inside his jacket’s pocket.

“So,” He sidetracked, as if he didn't want to make the situation even more awkward than what it already was. “I heard you are almost done with the project. Johnny said we wouldn’t be able to pull through if it wasn’t for your directions.”

You beamed at the sudden praise, “He’s just being polite, Jae. Johnny is more than capable of doing it himself, to be honest. He’s a man with many talents.”

“I agree,” Jaehyun muffled, “Still, do give yourself credit. I know how you always work hard and how dedicated you are.”

The quietness speaks louder than both of you.

“Can I hug you?”

He spread his arms, not widely but enough for you to be in his embrace.

Of course, you were not expecting it.

If only I have the rights to permit you, Jaehyun.

“You know we can’t Jaehyun.”

“Is it that guy?”

You give him a look that asks him to further elaborate his statement.

“The one that picks you up that day?”

“Are you talking about Yuta?”

He flinched at the mention of another man’s name. The gleam in his eyes starts to fade.

“That was him?”

“Yeah, if you could recall, he is Doyoung’s partner from Osaka.”

“You’re seeing him now?”

Hurry can be heard from his tone, as he demands for an answer.

“We’ve been talking a lot.”

“Has he been treating you well?” Jaehyun felt your answer was ambiguous, not confirming anything.

You took a pause before you replied, mustering all of your strength to do so. Hoping that he could swallow your answer, “He’s wonderful, Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun looks down, fussing on his shoes.

He never felt this dejected.

“Strange, isn’t it?” Jaehyun looks at you, “To wake up and your eyes just naturally search for someone that’s not there.”

“Jaehyun…” You pleaded for him not to continue, as you have the hunch that his next sentences will tear you apart.

“I wake up, only to do the necessities for the sake of survival. Better eating, nice sleeping, don’t know what it is.” He shrugs his shoulders, “Instead, I wish I could live on my dreams.”

“My dream is still you. You left traces of you, entangled me. But all I want is to stay.”

A part of you wished you didn’t reject his invitation to hug him. It destroys you when Jaehyun was being so vocal about his heartbreak, and all you did was to run away from him.

“Forget it,” Knowing you’re struggling to get a word out, he did the call. “I guess I’ll go now.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, it’s about to rain and I finally get to meet you. I don’t want to interrupt your quality time with the rain.” He peeks at the window, confirming that it’s about to drizzle anytime soon. “Don’t look at me like that [Y/N]. It makes it even harder for me to leave.”

“Jaehyun, I-”

“No, I understand [Y/N].” He stopped you from continuing your sentence. “I’ll leave now. I’ll see you at the launching event.”

You saw him disappear through the front door.

He left, yet he still lingers.

–

“You sure it’s OK?” Yuta asked in the front corridor, fixing his suit in front of the mirror.

“What do you mean?” You shouted from your room, making final touches with your lipgloss.

“Well, this is a company event and not just some random party. And he would be there too, ri…”

Your sudden appearance hushed him. Your dress for the night was a maroon halter maxi dress. It was a simple silk dress, but the backless design and the fitted waist feature definitely add more flare to it.

“You look beautiful.” Yuta fixed his gaze on you, not looking away even for a second. “They say the dress made the woman. I say the woman makes the dress.”

His admiration flushed your cheeks, now noticeably pink. “And you look dashing, Yuta.”

He finally looks away, reacting awkwardly over your compliment.

“To answer your question,” You tug the wild strand of hair that decided to rebel itself from the rest of Yuta’s hair. “Yes, even I would love for your company. Johnny already confirmed to me that it’s OK for me to bring a plus one.”

He leans forward, kissing your lips softly, “Who would’ve thought that I would eventually be your plus one.”

You smacked him playfully, “Now, I never know you’d like my lipgloss that much you’d steal it. Should I tell you which brand it is?”

–

“Ms. [Y/L/N]! Glad you made it in time!” Donghyuck greets you, joyful that he finally has a company.

“Donghyuck! You’re here.”

You held Yuta’s hand while walking towards Donghyuck, who’s busy talking to the waiter nearby. He noticed that your eyes travelled somewhere else, so he is guessing that you might be looking for another person’s stature.

“Mr. Jeong has not arrived yet.”

Your eyes bulged from the false allegation, especially when you’re holding another man’s hand. “I was about to ask about Johnny, though.”

“Ah, sorry!” Donghyuck immediately regrets his choice of words, late at realizing that your hands are firmly intertwined with Yuta’s.

“Mr. Seo said he’s going to be a tad late. He mentioned he would probably come with Mr. Jeong, I guess that is why I mixed them up.” Donghyuck made a poor effort of an excuse, “They got something else to take care of, it seems.”

Soon after, all heads turn towards the entryway. While everybody was mesmerized, you’re the only one who turned pale.

“What’s wrong?” Yuta lowered his face, meeting yours who is busy looking at the ground. He took a gracious glance at the center of the attention, quick to make his deduction. “That’s him, right?”

You gave him a small nod, refusing to tilt up your head.

Fear consumes you.

“Mr. Jeong! Sir!” Says the few people who crowded next to him. “I heard our young Jeong Jaehyun was involved in this project. As expected from your son!”

“Ah yes, this is nothing. This should be the standard coming from my son.” He replies, uninterested to keep them entertained while Mark on his side tries not to show his sour emotion.

“It would be an honor if I could speak a few words to him, sir. Is he not coming with you?”

Before Jeong senior could answer their pathetic efforts to gain his favor, two men entered the hall, almost too dramatic. It was easy to find the reason why people’s attention averted so quickly, they are practically a show stopper.

Today’s event was free from any dress codes, nonetheless both of them are instantly stealing people favoritisms by wearing white suits. Johnny opted for a more toned-down version. Only when you carefully zoomed in the details, you will realize that the lapel was finely embroidered in tiny black sequins. Jaehyun, on the other hand, looks stunning in his choice of suit that is printed with big black and white floral patterns. It’s nearly impossible not to look at them.

“Father,” Jaehyun greets out of courtesy. “I’d like you to stand by near the stage.”

His father gave him a confused look.

“Also,” He continues, “Please bring Ms. Hyun along. I’d like to make a few announcements.”

Even the distance you can tell that whatever Jaehyun is telling his father brings so much delight to him. You never see that cold man look so happy before.

You were in daze before Yuta pulls back your attention, squeezing your hand tighter.

“It’s going to be fine.”

You nod and smile, feeling a bit more relaxed after his words of assurance.

Then you feel like someone is looking, so you look back.

You regret doing so.

If looking back means you have to see Jaehyun’s broken-hearted face, you would keep your eyes fixed on Yuta's instead. As if his soul was crushed, he never knew seeing you in another man’s arm would hurt so much.

He thought that it should be him, holding your delicate hand. He should be the one who makes you laugh.

Yet he’s only able to stand from afar.

Yet the only touch that he could give you is the same air that you breathe.

His tears are dry, but he’s drowning in remorse.

Unable to bear the pain any longer, he walks away. Your eyes are still motioned at his direction, saw how he whispers to Johnny before separating their way. You pretend you didn’t anticipate Johnny’s arrival, when in fact you saw he’s coming to where the three of you are.

“[Y/N]! You’re here.” Johnny warmly hugs you, followed by a friendly peck on your cheek.

“Johnny, look at you, how marvelous!”

“Ditto, [Y/N]. You should’ve checked the mirror!” He returned the compliment, before looking at the man who stands right beside you. “And this is…”

“Oh, how rude of me.” You let go of Yuta’s hand. “Johnny, Donghyuck, this is Yuta.”

“Ah! Nakamoto Yuta, right? [Y/N] briefly told me about you.” Johnny reconfirms, and Yuta replies with a polite smile. “Hi, I’m Johnny Seo.”

“Nice to meet you, Seo. Nakamoto Yuta.” Yuta firmly shakes Johnny’s arm. “[Y/N] on the other hand told me plenty of you. She told me you’re a powerhouse, so I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Johnny shifts his gaze to you, “Powerhouse? [Y/N], what have you been telling your boyfriend?”

“Nothing, Johnny.” You chuckled.

Suddenly Yuta’s phone rang, regretfully breaking the friendly atmosphere. He quickly excused himself before ruining the mood further.

“And,” You quickly continue, making Johnny tilt his head closer to yours. “He’s not my boyfriend, Johnny.”

His eyes grow bigger, showing that your statement took him by a surprise, “I’m not Jaehyun, you know? You don’t have to be polite, I saw how you guys cross your fingers together.”

“From the beginning, in fact.” Donghyuck adds.

“Hyuck!” You protested. “I mean, we’ve been seeing each other. But technically we’re not dating yet.”

“Should I emphasize the word yet?” Johnny said, receiving your slap in return. “I mean, if you never clarify, I wouldn’t be able to tell. You are gleaming next to him. Jaehyun saw it too, and…”

“Attention, ladies and gentleman.”

The MC of the night cuts Johnny abruptly, marking that the event is about to start. All of you quickly find your seat, including Yuta who just returned following her cue. After she gathered everyone’s attention, she proceeds on her MC-ing.

“My name is Mina and I will be your host for the night. First of all, we’d like to thank all of you for coming to our launching event. It’s a great honor to be able to stand in front of our esteemed guests.”

Claps followed her after she reached the full stop. “Of course, tonight’s celebration can’t begin without a grand start. Without further ado, I’d like to welcome our very own COO, Mr. Jeong Jaehyun.”

She left the mic stand, and was quickly replaced by Jaehyun’s figure. Your table is located on the left side of the stage, securing the prime view of the stage. Enabling you to see Jaehyun oh so very clearly, with all of his glory.

“Good evening, everyone.” His low voice echoes, “I’d like to welcome each and every one of you tonight, and thank you for sparing your time to join us.”

He backs off, clearing his throat, “Tonight is the night where we celebrate the launch of our latest and our proudest project yet, Neo Zone. After months of R&Ds, working in between departments, countless sleepless nights from the staff, including myself,” The audience gave him soft giggles in response, “I’m very proud to say that tonight is the origin of a new era for NCT Corporation.”

“Before we take a deeper dive, I’d like to invite important people to the stage because I have an important announcement to make.”

It’s almost peculiar how you saw the MC’s reaction. She wasn't aware of Jaehyun’s sudden declaration judging by the way she looked. As if she didn’t receive the brief beforehand.

“Father, Ms. Hyun Kyungmi, would you take the honor to come to the stage?”

Your heart sank. The addition of Kyungmi, grinning as she couldn’t contain her happiness, makes things worse for you. The sight of his father, escorting her while she can’t stop being so giddy causes you to feel like your stomach to turn inside out.

They’re going to announce their engagement.

Yuta, who even supposedly clueless about the situation, even grasps the whole meaning of Jaehyun’s action. He saw the tense your facial muscles are. He was about to hold your hand so you can relieve the stress, but Johnny outdid him.

“It’s gonna be OK, [Y/N].”

You looked at his rich hickory eyes. While you, and even Yuta are baffled at the sudden detour of the event’s agenda, Johnny shows an opposite reaction. He is very calm and collected despite all the fuss. Confident, even.

Kyungmi didn’t show any signs of hesitation once she reached the stage, trying to act like a smitten fiance and rushed to hug Jaehyun. Jaehyun managed to dodge the worthless affection as he quickly reached out for the mic again.

“As most of you should know, the man standing beside me is the founder of NCT Corporation. Today he is not standing alone as he is accompanied by Ms. Hyun Kyungmi, the daughter of the founder of Hyun Ventures.” Jaehyun quickly introduced them. While his father is keeping his stance, standing tall and pride, Kyungmi is already acting like she’s on a pageant, showing her overly white veneers.

“Without a doubt, I wouldn’t be standing here confidently if it wasn’t for their attendance at tonight's event.”

Jaehyun's speech gains two different reactions. One, Kyungmi that is all over the moon and his father is now busting his chest out, ready to share the happy news. You, on the contrary, wished you were not a VIP for this event, ready to flee. What are they doing, celebrating your sorrow?

Jaehyun cleared his throat, ready to continue his speech in a single breath. Smirk appears on his face, almost too smugly.

“Hereby I’d like to use this opportunity to declare my father denouncement, as he is proven to be guilty in the act of illegal transactions; including drugs, gamblings, prostitutions, and sexual assault. Officers, please guard both Mr. Jeong Sr. and Ms. Hyun.”

The room’s atmosphere took a grand fall. You move your palm against your mouth, at a loss for words as suddenly four people in uniforms enter the stage, married with the audible gasps that echoes in the hall.

A/N: I’m not sure about you guys, but I felt so many emotions writing this chapter. I wish I could have this version of Jaehyun in my life minus the mafia background please. Also! Grab your popcorn people, I think the next chapter should be quite exciting to read :)

Fun fact: White Night is probably my favorite track on this album, so that is why I was so attached to this chapter?

#jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun angst #jaehyunxreader #jaehyun fic #neowritingsnet #mafia!au #jaehyunfluff #jaehyun #jaehyun scenario #fic jaehyun #angst jaehyun #interlude no more drama #nct scenario #inmd #white night

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diyeoracha · 4 years

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IwaOi Master Fic Rec List (50+ Fics)

Hello! In celebration accumulating over 190+ bookmarks on my AO3 account featuring IwaOi and Iwaizumi coming back into the manga (and for his (almost) birthday), I decided to create a masterlist of all of my favorite fanfictions in order to keep myself organized as well as contributing to more traffic on those works! I decided to split the works up by my own self-imposed genres, such as angst, coming-of-age (or the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope that we all love which depicts how their relationship changes as they grow up and will mostly be canon-compliant), and alternate universe. With the revival of Iwaizumi in the manga, alternate universes will be broken down into adulting AU where he and Oikawa’s diverge differs from in canon and actual, legit AU where there’s basically no volleyball.

I’ll include the title, link, word count, fic summary, and my own commentary (mostly for my own personal entertainment). While the AO3 fandom has been going strong since 2014, I personally have only been reading IwaOi fics for about 3 months, so I will most likely be recommending some cult-favorites, especially since I’ve been reading my fics by sorting through the tag with the most kudos.

My absolute favorites (or the ones where I personally push onto my IRL haikyuu friends) will be denoted with ♡ in increments of 1-3 with 3 ♡ being an absolute must-read. Fics marked with a * indicate that Iwaizumi or Oikawa or both are professional athletes because that’s honestly my Favorite Trope. This is incomplete as I got distracted while re-reading a lot of these and have only gone through half of my bookmarks, but feel free to check my own page here for the rest of them! This took me about 9 days to compile (aka this was in my drafts for about 9 days) but I do hope you guys enjoy reading these and leave comments and kudos!

Adulting AU

*♡♡Thirty Years and Change (the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad)

Word count: 19k

Summary: It’s July 10th, 2024, and Oikawa Tooru is an Olympian. His smiling face airs on an NHK promo every 45 seconds. He’s captain of the national men’s volleyball team, reigning star of the professional leagues, and he hasn't spoken to Iwaizumi Hajime in two years.

Thoughts: THIS IS IT. THIS FIC IS GOD TIER. They’ve been separated but now are falling back into old habits and there’s a confession on the line? Akaashi is in here and he’s pretty funny. I reread this all the time.

*♡♡♡the courtship ritual of the hercules beetle

Word count: 66k

Summary: Tooru is pretty sure he could manage the mating habits of a mosquito. It’s the mating habits of people he can’t seem to get right.

Thoughts: Absolutely the best IwaOi fic I’ve ever read. I’ve reread this about 4x and I always pay attention to a new sentence or detail that leaves me breathless. The characterization is pretty spot on, and I have to admit that this fic made me appreciate IwaOi a little more. I’ve cried countless times too. A cult-favorite but it doesn’t have nearly as many hits as it deserves.

♡days fall away

Word count: 17k

Summary: Except now he’s back home, so close to his old haunts and to Oikawa himself, and it's—weird.

Thoughts: They’ve separated for a bit but now they’re back in the same city and learning to be around each other again. Cue teasing from the biological and Seijoh family

it's been so long (nobody knows me the way you do)

Word count: 8k

Summary: Tooru hums, only half-listening. Somewhere along the way, Hajime’s palm has settled itself over the curve of Tooru’s cheek, thumb tracing over the line of his jaw.

Thoughts: They’re living together post-college feat. snapshots from their lives before getting together and their Seijoh team! It’s really soft but it manages a humorous tone as well.

Time

Word count: 5k

Summary: When they're twenty-three, their story only begins.

Thoughts: A piecewise fic told from Oikawa’s point of view. The tone is almost chatty but it really fits the pacing of the work as you get snippets and sentences of their relationship throughout the years

♡Almost a Stranger

Word count: 16k

Summary: Iwa-chan's leaving Japan. Tooru's not sure he can forgive him, but he's not going to admit his long-held feelings, either. A trip to Miyajima complicates everything.

Thoughts: They go on vacation right before Iwaizumi leaves Oikawa for a year. Oikawa ponders their relationship.

where fireflies never die

Word count: 4k

Summary: >>Oikawa: Hey Iwa-chan >>Oikawa: Did I ruin it?

Thoughts: Oikawa is a mangaka and basically writes his best selling series based off of him and Iwaizumi. This was pretty angsty ngl with a lot of introspection and second-guessing.

In the Business of Love

Word count: 22k

Summary: Meet Oikawa Tooru: He's a best-selling shoujo manga artist, a hardcore romantic and you won't believe where he's getting his lovey dovey fodder from...Enter Iwaizumi Hajime: He's Oikawa's best friend, a realist who also happens to be a wedding magazine writer despite not believing in romance...

Thoughts: Mangaka Oikawa but this is basically a rom-com lmao

Alternate Universe

Even Heroes (have the right to dream)

Word count: 20k

Summary: Oikawa Tooru, ace reporter of the superhero beat of Asahi Shimbun, hates superheroes. Or maybe he just hasn’t met the knight one yet.

Thoughts: Superhero-hiding-his-identity-Iwaizumi and begrudging Oikawa? Sign me up. This fic spent a little more time on worldbuilding than eventual romance, but it is still absolutely unique and entertaining

The secret omega

Word count: 17k

Summary: Iwaizumi’s annoying as fuck best friend. Who absolutely, definitely, no matter what, cannot find out that Iwaizumi is an omega.

Thoughts: A/B/O dynamics where Iwa is the omega and Oikawa is the alpha. 90% plot building which is pretty nice.

Conquering the Great King

Word count: 105k

Summary: Oikawa's lips twitched into a smirk and he brought them hovering just over Iwaizumi's, "One time thing, Two time thing, what's it matter as long as it's not a Relationship thing?"

Thoughts: Malicious and flirtatious Oikawa meet immovable object Iwaizumi. They’re businessmen trying to navigate friends-with-benefits and love all at the same time. A+ sex scenes tbh.

♡Infinite Risks

Word count: 8k

Summary: “It’s my fate,” Oikawa responds slowly. He’s crying.“It’s too lonely,” Iwaizumi’s heart sounded broken. “And I’m not there with you. Not really.”

Thoughts: Edge of Tomorrow AU!!!!! Please watch Edge of Tomorrow first because it’s truly a brilliant movie that I wholly enjoyed and this fic reflects that. This also made me really sad so Beware

*♡Something Like Us

Word count: 28k

Summary: Friends since childhood, Oikawa and Iwaizumi now live together, both playing for the National Team. It's no secret that athletes who are bonded perform better. So if the two of them happen to bond...It'd be for the good of the team, right?

Thoughts: ABO dynamics (and somewhat canon-compliant) as they’re roommates, on the national team, and try to navigate being “fake” mated while harboring feelings

And All the Prince’s Men

Word count: 65k

Summary: “Father only loves that which he owns, and I am the one thing that can never truly be his.”

Thoughts: Royal bastard son Oikawa and his servant Iwaizumi. An enthralling read and universe. The romance takes a secondary seat here as it focuses more on plot and world-building.

♡long nights, no peace

Word count: 18k

Summary: It's the steady knowledge that Iwaizumi Hajime will always be someone that he can rely on, that no matter what the world throws at the two of them, they share in a piece of each other's soul.

Thoughts: Pacific Rim! AU. Otherwise known as my favorite types of AUs because they’re basically soulmates (platonic or not,, but they’re not platonic here)

♡(sing with me) A Song of Conquest and Fate

Word count: 26k

Summary: When Seijou receives a missive from Aobajousai to discuss a potential peace, its emperor Oikawa Tooru could not have foreseen the series of events that would follow.

Thoughts: Warring states/historical fantasy AU. The world building is amazing and this author has great control over her language use

Cotton Breathing

Word count: 13k

Summary:

Thoughts: Long-distance and summer only but childhood friends Iwaoi!!! A dreamy summer piece and reading it almost makes me feel like I’m in a Studio Ghibli movie because of the mood it puts me in

Similar Creatures

Word count: 53k

Summary: "What's your name?" "Whatever you want it to be."(Or, Oikawa gets directions from an attractive stranger on a street corner.)

Thoughts: Iwaizumi is an escort and Oikawa needs a fancy date

Space

Word count: 44k

Summary: Tries not to think of his rooftop garden, or the apartment he used to inhabit, or Hajime’s broken expression on the night they whispered their goodbyes before Tooru’s launch, attempting to push it all to the back of his mind behind visions of this alien world terraformed

Thoughts: Oikawa’s in outerspace. They’re separated. This left me feeling pretty empty ngl.

♡here comes your man

Word count: 8k

Summary: Iwa-chan, it reads, Have a good day today! Good luck! <3 <3 <3Suga chokes. It’s hard to imagine anyone calling the scowling and fierce Doctor Iwaizumi “Iwa-chan.” But marriage probably comes with all sorts of liberties.

Thoughts: Doctor AU where Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s relationship is pondered by Suga

In the Telling

Word count: 6k

Summary: Muggleborn Iwaizumi could not be less impressed with pureblood Oikawa Tooru.

Thoughts: Harry Potter AU where they’re in the same year and aren’t really friends but are also friends

♡♡The Loyalty of A Traitor

Word count: 76k

Summary: Iwaizumi Hajime was an undercover officer with a single objective: Infiltrate the Seijoh Syndicate of the Yakuza and tear them down from the inside out. His primary target was the boss, Oikawa Tooru. The job itself was simple enough, until Iwaizumi got in too deep and absconded not only from the mission, but from the city itself.

Thoughts: Oh fuck this was Good. Yakuza boss Oikawa???? Disgraced Iwaizumi??? Do they fall in love (again)?

and suddenly, we were traitors

Word count: 17k

Summary: "sorry, it's just... you’ve been amazingly kind to me these past few days. ...but i'm still not sure who you are.”

Thoughts: The amnesia fic this fandom needed

Trial by Fire

Word count: 78k

Summary: (lawyer!AU - in which Iwaizumi loves his objections, Oikawa is beautiful, and they have more chemistry than two opposing attorneys probably should.)

Thoughts: Hot

dear diary, i met a boy

Word count: 15k

Summary: Iwaizumi's first impression of his upstairs neighbor involves getting woken up at two in the morning to the sound of Oikawa singing along to trashy pop music. He'd thought it would get better, but it all just goes downhill from there.

Thoughts: Model Oikawa and salaryman Iwaizumi meet and try to make it work

on shipwreck shore

Word count: 8k

Summary: “I’m going to murder you in cold blood and feed you to the basilisks,” Iwaizumi says conversationally.“You can’t do that, I’m your boss,” Oikawa sings, positively sparkling. “Also we’re partners, which means,” he points at Iwaizumi and leans in, “you’re stuck with me.”

Thoughts: Detectives but they’re actually funny

♡Lockdown

Word count: 72k

Summary: Within the first few months of his stay, Oikawa gets caught up in a war between cellblocks, becomes a prime target, and must decide just how far he's willing to go to protect Iwaizumi Hajime.

Thoughts: Orange is the New Black AU!!! Im a sl*t for tatted Iwaizumi

an allegory of all the things we could’ve been

Word count: 16k

Summary: “I don’t know anything about some red string,” Iwaizumi murmurs into the cracks of Oikawa’s skin, “or even about lifetimes or fate. But no matter where you are, I’ll find you. Gods or otherwise.”

Thoughts: Reincarnation AU throughout the timelines. A good soft read that leaves you sort of empty

Angst

Timeless (We Have 30 Days)

Word count: 12k

Summary: Or AU where you're branded 50 days before you die. But Oikawa doesn't tell anyone so now there's only 30 days left.

Thoughts: Ahhhhhhhhh tears

the weight of water

Word count: 6k

Summary: “Again,” he says, the smallest tremor in his voice, and Oikawa blinks at him a moment before smiling, soft and sweet. “Iwa-chan,” he replies, and Iwaizumi closes his eyes. “Again.” “Iwa-chan.”

Thoughts: Death fic

open when

Word count: 1k

Summary: Iwaizumi knew it was coming, but it still hurt. It still hurt when he opens one letter and drowns it in the tears he cannot keep at bay.

Thoughts: It takes only 1.6k words to make me cry

Canon Compliant/Coming-Of-Age

♡♡i sing the body electric

Word count: 8k

Summary: It was never part of the plan, falling in love with his best friend, but then again, most things in Iwaizumi’s life that involve Oikawa rarely unfold the way he thinks they will.

Thoughts: A beautifully introspective piece told from Iwaizumi’s point of view. It’s wholly intimate and it toes along the lines of pining and soft angst. It’s told in snippets from their lives growing up together.

♡we can do better than that

Word count: 16k

Summary: Oikawa and Iwaizumi go on a road trip during the summer after their high school graduation. It doesn't go as expected, but maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.

Thoughts: There’s a lot of character analysis and it takes a step away from the casual banter they’re always portrayed to have and focuses on the intricacies of their relationship. The tone is almost a little more melancholy. (also they have to share a bed! trope)

♡when it starts to rain, they go inside

Word count: 33k

Summary: “Where?” starts Iwaizumi.“My parent’s old lakehouse, silly, didn’t you hear me the first time?”OR: Oikawa takes Iwaizumi to his lakehouse for two weeks, post-graduation.

Thoughts: Oh This Is It IwaOi stans. This fic really solidified my own headcanon for Oikawa (spoiler alert, OP isn’t too fond of Oikawa but she fleshes out his character and his idiosyncrasies so well that you can’t help but be drawn into all of his imperfection) and this fic respects Iwaizumi as well. It has absolutely great characterization and the fic ends on an ambiguous note.

to be first, to be best

Word count: 26k

Summary: Hajime is apparently something of a masochist, and as he stares down at the tie-dyed AREA51 T-shirt in his hands, he thinks “I’m totally in love with this asshole, aren't I?”

Thoughts: College roommates trying to navigate having feelings for each other while also dating others and not realizing that they’re jealous? A cult favorite.

♡things that change, things that stay the same

Word count: 8k

Summary: Oikawa realizes he's in love with his best friend; it sucks for a while. (But only a while.)

Thoughts: Ahh a slow burn featuring daily moments between Oikawa and Iwaizumi, and Oikawa starts to notice the little things. This was a cute read because Oikawa just comes off as wonderfully earnest. My first Iwaoi fic! And a great one because it really set the standard to how I interpreted their relationship.

it’s better than words

Word count: 3k

Summary: [ or : oikawa makes iwaizumi participate in three bonding activities for new friends, and iwaizumi just wants to know why oikawa's being so weird about this]

Thoughts: Soft pining, fluff, banter, and whispered confessions. This fic really nailed the banter of high school students really well.

♡shiver

Word count: 16k

Summary: Oikawa was always the brave one. Hajime just followed two paces behind.

Thoughts: Oikawa falls first and but Iwaizumi realizes his feelings later on! So soft, so slow burn, so much pining. We get to see their relationship through Iwaizumi’s eyes and actually read him analyze his own feelings.

♡we shine like diamonds

Word count: 26k

Summary: "You know Abe-kun from class?" they snicker, hands cupped around their mouths like they're passing along a filthy secret. "I hear his older brother is... gay."

Thoughts: Character analysis, homophobia, and coming of age makes a good and angsty iwaoi fic

terrarium

Word count: 11k

Summary: At this point, is he really happy with just staying best friends forever? Will he be writing journals and collecting rocks forever (he will, he knows, but that is aside from the point)?

Thoughts: Oikawa has a terrarium and names all of the rocks he puts in (that Iwaizumi gave him) “Iwa-chan #_”

Chasing Paper Suns

Word count: 10k

Summary: Post-high school, Oikawa makes it to the national volleyball team but Iwaizumi doesn't. The next three years become an exercise in growing up without growing apart.

Thoughts: This was pretty sad tbh. Of what it means to grow up together and then suddenly having to adjust to living without each other’s presence.

with every second that you could give

Word count: 9k

Summary: The journey of Iwaizumi and Oikawa going for gold.

Thoughts: Of growing up together, making decisions for each other, and wanting to be together

Only the jellyfish know

Word count: 6k

Summary: Their third and final year at Aoba Jousai has come to an end, and the guys decide to go to the beach the day after graduation.That day, the ocean water is salty, the watermelon is sweet, and the people are sweeter.

Thoughts: Established relationship

Smut

strange.

Word count: 1k

Summary: "god, i fucking hate you."oikawa smiles, cause he knows it's not true. he knows iwaizumi loves him, knows iwaizumi adores him. but he plays along."i hate you too,"

Thoughts: It’s hot

Say My Name

Word count: 2k

Summary: “Hey, have you ever tried saying my first name?” Iwaizumi blurts, and the thought jumps out of his subconscious only after he's posed the question.

Thoughts:

No Touching Allowed

Word count: 10k

Summary: “You’ve got one rule,” Iwaizumi winks at him.

Thoughts: ExoticDancer!Iwaizumi and stressed out/repressed businessman Oikawa also an AU.

Honorable Mentions

things wikipedia doesn’t tell you

pillow

Phone Home

Share my life, it’s yours to keep

in progress to you

no sleep in the city

The PDA jar

Kissmarked

#iwaoi #oikawa tooru #oikawa #iwaizumi #iwaizumi hajime #haikyuu!!#haikyuu #hq!!#hq fic rec #haikyuu fic #haikyuu fanfiction #id ask that u guys pls reblog if u can so more people can enjoy :') rly there are some Underrated works #and im surprised bc it looks like iwaoi is the most popular pairing in hq rn with the most fics #and there are iwaoi fics being uploaded like everyday #some of my favs were published in 2020 too

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bangtansfavwriter · 4 years

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💘bangtan as boyfriends: jungkook💘

-oh my god this soft boy

-still can't quite believe you guys are dating and sometimes still blushes very heavily when you kiss him

- it took ages for him to ask you out and he probably wouldn't have done it without a pep talk from seokjin who hyped him up before you and jungkook went on a date together

- he was so timid and tripped over his words a lot, so when you asked "are you saying we should start dating?" he went "oh my god yES PLS"

-he know tells everyone that you asked him out first bc "the golden maknae of bts, bangtan sonyeondan, behind the scene, world's best band tbh has to be asked out"

seokjin: makes sense, bc said golden maknae looked like he was gonna pass tf out before you two met

jk: .. hyung why you.... I asked y/n out!

seokjin: lies

you: he did... kinda

seokjin: LIES

jk: I find your lack of faith disturbing, hyung..

seokjin: nerd 😚

jk: 😔✊🏼

- a nerd indeed, but cuteee

- very loyal, it already took him long enough to call you his, so he sure af won't give you up

- also very selfless, he loves helping you out with whatever you need help with... even when you don't ask for it

- like when you had a project due and you were stressing out about it bc you had no time for anything else and stuff... he was really worried you'd skip meals to do your work, so he made sure that you'd eat by either coming to your place or calling/texting you, whenever he couldn't come over personally

-he was afraid he'd bother you while you do your work so he was always very cautious but you reassured him it's fine

-but you felt bad bc you couldn't talk much while doing your work... he looked at you and smiled: "it's ok, I'll write some lyrics maybe.. and you do you. we'll give each other strength with our presence, alright?" he started laughing when you got up and cozied up to him. you spent the next 10 mins cuddling, as this was the only reasonable thing to do after he was being so sweet. "so much for no distractions, hm?"

- you still got your work done btw, so no worries

- movie nights are a huge thing for you two, your range is broad af but mostly consists of marvel, disney and studio ghibli. he has a thing for 80s movies tho, felt ferris bueller on a personal level

- cried when he watched the princess diaries for the first time and will end u if anyone hears about it

-rather savage irl but he cries during some movies, especially when he's tired, he gets emotional and even whiny

- for example: he was very sleepy when you first watched the mandalorian together and you swear he started weeping when he first saw baby yoda and he's been obsessed ever since btw

- very thoughtful and caring

- remembers the smallest things about you, will bring you your fav ben&jerry's when you feel down and enjoys the fact that you look at him like the saint he is

- also memorizes your habits and reads your body language so well that it still surprises you even after all the time you've been dating

-you poke his cheeks on any given occasion and kiss his nose, he's not quite sure why but he enjoys it too

- his hugs are just warm ... they make you feel like everything will be ok

- many pancake mornings together

- will never ever forget any birthday or anniversary, he once did tho and he still beats himself up about it but he was busy as hell during that time so you were ok with it in hindsight (which was greatly appreciated bc he truly felt awful)

- very down-to-earth, it doesn't have to be all fancy with him, he's doing just fine with netflix and ramen

- your personal laundry fairy

- looots of laughter and giggles with this one, always cracking jokes

- you guys have like 48394 insides jokes

you: hey.. hey

jk: ?

you: second goose right left

jk: LMAOOOOO WOFT

you: LMAOOO

jk and you: -dying-

rm: this sounds like some terror code

hobi: or a stroke

- sends u memes at 3am, his go-to are kermit memes as reaction memes, he sometimes forgets to use actual words tbh

you: kook, i can't come over today, working late :( but tomorrow is fine tho, you free ?

jk: -kermit crying under the shower meme-

you: jungkook, words pls

jk: oh sorry babe, yeah im free 🤗

- either uses the cutest nicknames or the weirdest which are pretty cute when he explains it (like left shark "bc you stand out")

- displays of 'strong manly man' when he picks you up, and spins you around only to kiss you --- displays of 'babie boy's when pouts until you give him attention or your last pockys ("we can share, you know 👀" - "oh worm? 👀")

- a true romantic deep down, he once surprised you when he decorated your entire house with candles and flowers bc he knew you had a tough time and you legit just started crying. he was overwhelmed for a sec but knew this was just bottled up emotions and relief coming through so he just smiled and hugged you until you calmed down."it's alright, love... let me take care of you." you nodded and smiled at him, while wiping your tears away. "you're the sweetest, you know that?" - "well, obviously. but fire safety was never my forte, so let's be careful, ok?" he said and you both started laughing.

-sings to you very very often, get used to it, even when you're not right next to him you can still hear him humming from afar and it makes always makes u smile

-you two are fiercely competitive, there is no "it's just a game"... you guys play mario, sonic, rayman etc and there's always a whole lot of screaming

-there was a time namjoon jin got so fed up with this that he took the playstation away (+ mario kart) and jungkook and you had to find other gaming options

-some examples of truth or dare sessions between you (in the safety of your own home):

you: i dare you to dance to begin

jk, in his pyjamas: wha- ... no!

you: truth it is, then. what was the dumpling incident about?

jk: nevermind, I'll do the dance.

you: squeeze the ketchup bottle empty with your thighs.

jk: ?????? jesus, you take your kinks to a whole knew level. choose something else, the stains will be nasty as hell.

you: wear booty shorts👀

jk: you wants thighs and booty, huh? 👀

you: you bet 👀👀

(a blessed day for u tbh)

jk: babe, i dare you to dance to fire.

you: ?????? well, I can try, but you should get me an inhaler, my lung capacity may not suffice for this

(jungkook laughed so hard when did it that he was the one that needed an inhaler)

-takes lots and loots of pics of you when you're together and of the location you went together , posts the view on twitter sometimes and jokes about you two being official (to fans) without really being official

- you two go on walks together, have coffee shop dates, go to concerts (and go fckn feral when u go see iu), visit art galleries where you mostly imitate everything and touch things you shouldn't touch, go to karaoke places ... and you also do art together! that was actually his idea were he bought a shitload of acrylic paint and huge linen sheets and you had your first painting date, which has become a tradition ever since.

- something that jungkook absolutely loves and appreciates is that you guys never run out of topics to talk about

-the intellectual stimulation he gets from you is pretty much unmatched and that's also something that made him realise he's into you before you started dating

- 2 sides of the same coin: smart, charming and kind // absolute crackhead (remember the vid with his goggles? vids like that are now your exclusive content from yours truly)

- once chased down chickens when you visited a village together and ran away screaming when a huge ass rooster chased after him ( u filmed it ofc)

- lives for dramatics, gains new life power on Halloween when you two do shenanigans on bighit's annual party

- he loves the fact that you're still a child at heart and that you're not too stuck up to scare hobi and jin with michael myers masks on (but you did feel pretty bad about it when hobi almost fainted)

- you're super savage when you want to be and he loves it when you are... ngl... you being assertive and all kinda turns him on lmaoo

-your green card to get him to laugh whenever was saying "you sexy beast" and he'd forget whatever issue you were having before, as long as it wasn't something too important obviously

-loves you show you off, especially when you guys are all dolled up and ready for a night out "look at us being all sexy and shit, like, how dare we look this hot, jimin-hyung hates it when someone looks hotter than him" - "hmmm kook, imagine if I'd have jimin as my date today, the place would burn up" - "...." - "kook, i was joking..." - "right shark" - "I WAS JOKING BABY" - "........say it. you know the deal." - "i would rather die" - "go hang with hyung then, i'm gonna stay home" - "you...." -

👀👂 - "YOU SEXY BEAST" - jungkook laughed until he couldn't breathe when yoongi, who just passed by you two, and you stared at each other, completely mortified. you: how to unsay things... / yoongs: how to unhear things/ jk: -on the floor and in dire need of an inhaler"

- you couldn't face yoongi the whole night, whereas jungkook occasionally stared down jimin who had no clue what the heck was going on and munched on some appetizers

- jealousy is not a big thing for him but he still doesn't quite like it when someone is too touchy with you

- he trusts you, absolutely no doubt about that or he wouldn't have even entered a relationship with you, as he has high standards about who to let into his life, especially with potential lovers

-that's why everyone knew you guys were serious about each other and it was hardly surprising that you got to meet his family shortly after you guys started dating (his mother loved you btw)

-has like 200 pics of the day you met gureum

- an absolute sucker for you, you could say you want the n seoul tower to flicker in purple and pink lights and he would get it done somehow

- very sensitive to touches so ......👀

- loves your room bc he says it always smells like your lotions and laundry

- you sometimes surprise by setting the mood with some smooth music and nice fragrances and the world comes to a halt for him, it's just him and you

-shower him in affection and he's putty in your hands, legit, when he first performed euphoria and did the high note at the end you spammed tf outta your messenger and hyped him up and he actually got so hype he jumped around backstage after the concert and sprinted to you when he saw you, twirled you around and, for the first time, kissed you while the guys were there

-he still gets teased about it tho, but he doesn't really care bc your support means the world to him and he values it too much to care about the guys

-you guys went home that night and he serenaded you while you were cuddling. you guys started talking about songs, especially your favourites. you got sleepy when he started talking about 'home' and softly sang it to you, until he realised you dozed off. he smiled to himself and caressed you hair, as you had layed your head onto his chest. admiring your sleeping figure, closely entangled with his broad frame, he said to himself: "this is home..."

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helgaw321 · 4 years

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Takeru’s 155 Q&A

To start off things, let me share (again) one of my most satisfying works from last year, that is Takeru’s Q&A section from his 30th birthday anniversary book. Looking back, I think I worked on this one for almost one week, and It felt really satisfying to finish it on Takeru’s 31th birthday ❤️

Once again, enjoy!

(Disclaimer: All translations are done by myself, pls don’t repost without permission, thank you!)

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These are the questions sent by fans through Takeru's official LINE account. Thank you for all of your participation!!

1. Is there anything you would like to do or achieve in 2019? I'd like to do anything good for my body

2. If there is one day you're not Satou Takeru anymore, what will you do? Go to sauna

3. If there is one day you become a girl, what will you do? Sing Sheena Ringo's songs in the original key

4. If you can travel back in time, when would you go? Middle high school

5. If you are being reborn, do you want to be yourself again? Not really

6. If there is an "Anywhere Door", where would you like to go? The world's best views

7. Do you think aliens exist? Not in this solar system I think

8. 10 years from now, what kind of father do you want to be? I want to avoid using weird emoji

9. If you move abroad, which country would you choose? Maybe America or Canada

10. If you got the chance to direct a film, what kind of film and who are the casts? Horror. Because it seems difficult to explain, I'll do it myself.

11. If you have to become one of the characters you've played before, who will you choose? Shishigami Hiro

12. Among of the movies created in the past, is there any movie you like to have acted in? (Anything from) Ghibli

13. Who would you like to meet the most right now? And what will you ask him/her? Hanyu (Yuzuru)-kun. "Do you want to join Amuse (Takeru's agency)?"

14. Anything you want to overcome in this year? Coughing out when sleeping

15. If you can go with your mom on a trip, where would you like to go? I don't know. I'll go where she would want to go

16. When you see food with the name you see for the first time, do you dare try? Or you tend to play safe? I tend to take the challenge.

17. If you can meet your 20-year-old self, what would you like to say? Nothing in particular

18. What kind of present you would like to receive in last year of Heisei-era? Speakers that can be used in bathroom

19. Where would you like to go on honeymoon? The world's best views

20. What would you like to do in your last day of your life? I don't want to know that day is the end of my life

21. If you can take a long holiday, what would you like to do? Watch movies. Escape room games.

22. I love Takeru-kun's singing voice. If someday you get to sing in your next project, do you want to do it? I don't mind

23. If you weren't in the entertainment world, what would you do? I imagined myself to study something related to science-field in university, but I don't know what to do next

24. What else you like in sushi other than Kohada (gizzard shad)? Between tuna and salmon, which one do you like? Tuna. I also like squid and uni (sea urchin). And also button shrimp

25. If you become an invisible person, what would you want to do? State secrets investigation

26. Favorite movie? Kimi no Na wa (Your name)

27. Do you like sweets? I like it but I rarely snacking

28. Favorite smell? Morning forest

29. What do you like in osechi (traditional Japanese new year food)? Kamaboko (fish cake)

30. Favorite manga? Tenshi na Konamaiki (Cheeky Angel) (note: he said in Yakai before that his first love is the heroine from this manga XD)

31. Do you like to go to onsen? Yes

32. If you have your own favorite/most disliked body parts, please tell us! I won't say because it's embarassing

33. Favorite color? Navy blue

34. Favorite kind of noodles? Cold soba

35. Favorite season? Winter

36. Do you like horumon (cuisine made from pork or beef offal)? I like it more than average people

37. You went to lots of places during filming or doing promotion for movies, do you have favorite region? Also please tell us if you have a must-eat food there! Hitsumabushi in Nagoya

38. If i remembered correctly, you've said that you like your home, is there any other place you like? I also like hotel

39. Any recommendation for foreign drama? Friends

40. Favorite novel? Shigatsu ni nareba Kanojo wa (also titled April Girlfriend - by Kawamura Genki)

41. What do you usually add when you eat medamayaki (fried egg)? Salt and pepper or Shoyu

42. What do you usually add when you eat freshly cooked white rice? Karashi (spicy) mentaiko

43. Please tell us your order of eating sushi! Omakase (literally meaning "I'll leave it up to you", a special course when the customer leaves it up to the chef to serve)

44. What are your memories of doing Kamen Rider? Commuting in a crowded train

45. Please tell us a happy episode from filming Den-O! We sometimes would go to Jojoen near Oizumi Studio

46. Who is your favorite Imajin from Den-O? Ura(taros)

47. If you act as (Nogami) Ryoutarou right now, what kind of person you think he will be? I think people will not change that much

48. If you have a child, what name will you give him/her? I think 2 letters would be nice

49. Among the actors-actresses you haven't co-starred with, who would you want to work together with? Fukatsu (Eri)-san

50. Among all of your projects, which role is the most fun/memorable? Rookies was fun

51. Do you still continue to learn English? Yes

52. Among all of roles you've played, was there a moment when you think it resembles yourself? Probably no

53. Is there any place inside Japan you want to go? Never-visited islands

54. Is there anything you want to learn right now? I want to learn to dance

55. When you first meet a person, what is the first thing you will look at? I got this question a lot and until now I don't know the answer. I wonder what I will look at first

56. What role you want to try this year? As a runaway child

57. Among all of your projects, is there anything you wouldn't want to watch? Basically I don't want to watch it. I don't watch most of it.

58. If you can do a sequel, is there a work you want to do? Rurouni, Kanouso, Gibomusu

59. Is there any villain role from movie/drama/manga/novel that you want to do? I'd like to if there's any (interesting roles)

60. Before you do a crying scene, how do you usually spend your time? Depends on the scene

61. What is your description of "Kakkoii"? Taking the initiative in what people hate, and don't show off your action

62. You said that you didn't like saba no misoni (mackerel with miso), was it because you didn't like mackerel itself? When I saw "saba no misoni" in school lunch menu, I would be very dissapointed. I like mackarel though.

63. If you got an offer for main cast in Taiga drama, will you take it? I like that kind of question where you don't think "If it's the main cast for Taiga I'll definitely do it"

64. Something to do to keep you healthy? Sleep 12 hours

65. Do you have any actor friends? Everyone that gave their comments in this book

66. How do you feel when you work in Rurouni Kenshin kiri (` ・ω・‘) (note: this is the actual answer (i only changed hiragana to romaji/alphabet), kiri/kiru is to cut/slash in japanese, so maybe he just felt like slashing ppl all the time XDD)

67. Something that makes you feel "I can die peacefully after doing this"? Become Ajin

68. What is the scariest thing in the world? Please see video original version of "Ju-on"

69. Have you seen Aurora? No

70. When you take a bath, what part of the body you washed first? Head

71. In what moment do you usually can be yourself the most? I am myself mostly everytime

72. If fans reach out to you in your private time, how far can we go e.g handshake/photograph? It'll be embarassing to take a photo, so only handshake is good

73. We always see Takeru-san in the acting side, do you ever think of creating a movie? If I create a movie, I also want to act in that movie

74. You showed us for a short moment in Horoyoi ads, but I want to hear more of your singing voice! Recently, is there any song that you will definitely sing in karaoke? Marigold, no I'm lying. I don't have such song.

75. You always give your best during promotions for dramas/movies, but was there any tough times? Ehh you're so kind.

76. You said that you want to take a break in this year because you've worked hard in last year, did that feeling change? It's not like I want to take break, but I think my exposure level is decreasing compared to last year

77. In Kanouso, during the moment when you weren't supposed to cry but tears suddenly fell down, how to control such emotion? I looked at her (Riko) face

78. Is there any actor/actress you admire? If I tell you, you will be more aware of that person, so because I don't want you to have such thought, I won't tell you.

79. How did you spend your time during 2019 new year? I watched Unnatural with my family at home

80. What is your special skill? Othello

81. Do you use perfume? I don't usually use it but because we're making it (as anniversary goods) this time so I'm using that.

82. When thinking about Takeru-kun, your image is strongly tied with solving riddles, how did you get into it? Also how much time did you spend in 1 day? My first time was when my friends invited me to play escape games. As long as time allows me to do it, I can do it all day.

83. Among all of Hanbun, Aoi cast, who is your best friend? Kan-chan (Suzume's daughter)

84. If you meet a person that you want to befriend, are you the type who reach out to him/her, or wait? Reach out

85. Regardless of gender, what kind of person you're not good at? People who makes mistakes

86. What is your decisive factor when choosing a project? Whether I want or I don't want to do it

87. By any chance, is Takeru-san the type of genius person with photographic memory? I'm not that kind of person

88. What do you sing when you go to karaoke? Radwimps

89. Do you do any muscle training? I do but depends on the timing

90. When you go out with somebody you like on a date, in what situation do you like? Autumn leaves

91. Has anybody said to you that you resemble someone (in entertainment world)? Shouhei's wife (Kiritani Mirei) (note: why he won't say her name directly XDD)

92. Do you have any age restriction for marriage? I'd like to do it in my 30s if I can

93. Why do you become "a man lost in love"? What a good word to express it. Love is not something you experience several times, isn't it?

94. What kind of hair type do you like for girl? I like natural, not shaped ones

95. In what moment do you think girls are cute? When you see they are excited when I choose her in SUGAR

96. When you found a girl you like, do you actively "attack" her? Of course if I like her

97. Do you like a woman who will casually do body touch, doing upward gaze, and sort of the aggresive type? I don't like it at all

98. In what moment you think you can't help but liking a girl? When she casually do body touch, do upward gaze (note: so which one do you actually like LOL -- refer to Q97)

99. Between older and younger woman, which one do you like? I like both

100. What kind of girl do you like? Girls with narrow "strike zone"

101. What is the minimum requirement for your partner to marry you? I no longer have such requirement

102. As a man, what do you think of a man who keeps looking at his phone, keeps looking at the clock when dating a woman? It's not a good thing to do, it's like he doesn't care about his partner.

103. What do you think about a fun and easygoing girl? Girls with good sense of humor are good

104. When you have a girlfriend, what kind of homemade food will you make for her? Miso soup

105. What kind of make up do you like for girls? As long as she doesn't overdo it

106. I have a person I can't forget even after so many years, Does Takeru-kun have that kind of experience? Yes for a few years, but I don't know what will happen for 10+ years

107. I called my nephews and nieces with nicknames. Does Takeru-kun have any nicknames you want to be called with? I like Takeru-san rather than Takeru-kun

108. What sound do you use as your alarm ringtone? Default settings

109. You have a really beautiful skin. Do you have any advice for it? Moisturizing

110. Any activities you've been into lately? Alternate baths (also called contrast bath therapy) (note: a kind of bath therapy where you alternate between hot and cold baths.)

111. Where do you usually go? Most recent is gym

112. Do you still hate caterpillars? Sorry, but yes

113. Do you cook? Do you have any specialities? Nope

114. Where and how you usually memorize your script? I usually memorize it with my costars moments before shooting in the set

115. For Takeru-san who loves reading, how do you usually choose books to read? I'd usually pick friends' recommendation

116. When you sleep do you prefer to turn on or off the lights? Turn off. I can't stand even the lights from humidifier

117. In what moment do you think it's nice being an actor? When people are being nice to you

118. Things like clothes, bags, shoes, is there anything that you have to make sure it's in good quality before you buy? Towel

119. If you have one full day with your beloved cats, what will you do? Cuddling its cheek

120. If you are being reborn as a cat, who do you want to take care of you? Do you want to play together with Kochirou and Puchirou in Satou's family house? Yes. (note: Kochirou and Puchirou are his beloved cats currently living in his parents' house)

121. If you can have one more cat, what name will you give? At least not names in katakana

122. Are you a dog person? Cat person? Cat

123. As a cat-lover, which part of a cat do you like? Face

124. What is your favorite Kochirou and Puchirou's pose? When they become rounded like a ball

125. If you can have a dog, what kind of dog do you like? Shiba-inu

126. Beside cat, do you have any other animals you'd like to have? Dolphin

127. Where do you want to live? Shiodome maybe

128. Have you give your mom presents from home bakery? Yes. I think you can also make mochi with those

129. If you're doing a solo trip, where will you go? Canada

130. How do you get along with Nobu-san (from Chidori)? We were working together in a variety show and I ask for his phone number

131. You were famous among the older people from long ago, what do you think about that? I don't really care about the age as long as I still got the "waa" and "kyaa"

132. In what moment do you feel happy? When I solved a riddle

133. What is your favorite song from Takahashi Yuu-kun? Hachigatsu Muika (August 6) (note: he sang this song in his 30th birthday event)

134. If you have to give a score for your acting career up until now, how many points out of 100? 60

135. In the future, can you create an event where fans can meet you directly? Yes

136. You've said before that because you can't tidy your room up so your mom had to visit your house to tidy things up, is it still the same now? I've become independent now

137. I'm still a kid, an elementary school student. When I talk about Kamen Rider, there are some kids who get along with me, but there also kids who call me weird. Is it alright that I still love Kamen Rider? Please tell me. I was also called weird by my friends in my school days so it will be alright

138. Do you plan to go to Kyoto in this year? I already go there few times

139. In what moment do you feel the happiest? I can't decide between the moment when I saw at Ruroken's (sales) performance or when I managed to clear an escape game challenge, or when I was in elementary school when I got into Yu-Gi-Oh, I got Summoned Skull from a booster pack.

140. Was there a moment when you cried while watching a movie? Usually I cried watching touching movies

141. Between the roles you've played almost simultaneously, such as Ritsu in Hanbun, Aoi, Mugita in Gibomusu, and Kazuo in Oku Otoko, which one is the most difficult to play? Kazuo

142. Recently, is there a moment when you laughed so hard? I was hitting my knees laughing while watching Aiseki Shokudou (Chidori's show) at home

143. Please tell us an episode from Kouhaku! When I hesitated to wave my penlight, but then I saw Nomura Mansai-san was waving his so I decided to follow

144. Please tell us your recommended places to visit from "Rurouni-hon Kumamoto e". Nature is always recommended. Negative ions are good for the body. (note: "Rurouni-hon Kumamoto e" was a book about Takeru doing a trip in Kumamoto, promoting places especially those which were affected by Kumamoto earthquake. A portion of the sales were donated to support Kumamoto recovery)

145. You said in the past that you couldn't sleep for a long time, how is it now? Hm it's complex but I think my internal body clock feels off

146. When telling our thoughts about your movies/dramas, do you have any preferred ways that makes you happy? When you shared it in the internet

147. My son is telling me that he wants to be a voice actor and wants to go to a vocational school. As a parent, should I support him? Did Takeru-kun get your parents' support when you want to be an actor? My parents had no objection at that time. It didn't cost me any money. By the way, do professional voice actors learn in vocational schools? I support him to become a voice actor, but I'm not sure if it's the right decision to enroll in a vocational school to become a voice actor.

148. Among all the places you've visited during your work or private trips, do you have any recommendation for us? Salar de Uyuni (note: he went to this place for X photobook)

149. When you watch a movie, do you prefer to read the original story first or straight to the movie? If I want to enjoy the movie, I'd watch the movie first. If I want to enjoy the book, I'd read the book first.

150. Can I hug you when I meet you? Maybe no

151. Do you use washing machine for drying your clothes? What will happen to your clothes after that? Wrinkled

152. What is the most important thing or person to you? People who put their faith in me

153. Are you looking forward to expand your career overseas? Rather than wanting to work in a Hollywood movie, I prefer to think more on how to make Japanese movies more visible to the world.

154. Is there anything you'd like to do in your 30s, any target or resolution? I have a few in mind, but I'll tell you when I manage to accomplish them

155. Please tell us about your vision of living your life from now on! I hope I can do more of what I want to do.

(pic: https://satohtakeru.amuseblog.jp/blog/2019/03/30th-anniversar-1c47.html)

#Q&A #can-we-have-more-of-this-pleasee #30th-anniversary-book #photobook #佐藤健

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untitledtallgeesepodcast · 4 years

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There were a total of five OSTs released for Gundam Wing (the fifth was dedicated to the music of Endless Waltz, which will not be covered in this post or this playlist). Caitlin asked if I (Cathy) would create a playlist of my favorites. I didn't think she expected I would also write a novel. But here we go.

Let’s listen to some of the music of Gundam Wing!

(All song titles will be described with their English name and also the strangely romanized Spotify name.)

There are three main categories of Gundam Wing OST songs: (1) shoot 'em up fighting tracks which usually feature loud riffs, drums, and blats and blares coming at you at the same speed and frequency of mobile suits firing pointlessly at the Gundams, (2) instrumental, orchestral songs meant for the intermission period of a ballet that was never written or performed, or (3) synthy stuff with saxophones that wouldn't be out of place in a dingy rainy bar scene of a tame movie from the 80s. Most of the really recognizable tracks are in the first OST. OST 2 tends towards less interesting instrumental waltz-like stuff, Sanq Kingdom ballroom music as I've termed it in my head. They're fine, tolerable pieces of music, but you don't hear them and instantly think "Gundam Wing." By the time you get to OST 3, you're digging into the really deep cuts of Gundam Wing OST tracks, some of which I don't remember being in the show at all. (OST 4 is almost entirely character songs.)

We open with two of the best OPs—nay, songs—to have ever been made, "Just Communication" and "Rhythm Emotion," both by TWO-MIX. "Rhythm Emotion" was not, as you may have imagined, a mid-season swap-out. It was only used for about 10 episodes, and you may have even forgotten what it sounded like until just this moment, but "Rhythm Emotion" is no slacker. With alien, wintery synths that make you feel like you're soaring through the sky and between enemy mobile suits, this is one of those songs you would hear heavily remixed for knock-off DDR machines in arcades for years to come. The breakdown is cheesy, overemotional, and yet gives me the same goosebumps I would feel, years later, when listening to Love Live's "Snow Halation." Its more accomplished older sister, "Just Communication," dates itself from its opening note, but it owns its place in time and history unapologetically. Timeless, instantly recognizable, and eminently singable, you could, as Caitlin says in Episode 1, play this in a karaoke room full of randos and you're guaranteed to have someone scream along. There are some songs that make everyone feel like the star of their own shounen anime when they hear it, and "Just Communication" is one of them. Turning it up full volume in your car is like blasting "Take My Breath Away" while speeding on a motorcycle with a leather jacket. You are invincible through all 4:20 minutes of this song.

After that, perhaps one of the most famous instrumental tracks from the series: "The Wings of a Boy that Killed Adolescence / Shisyunki wo Koroshita Syonen no Tsubasa." (That boy is Heero Yuy. I know you know that, but this OST makes it explicit with its last instrumental track, "Code Name Heero Yuy," which is just another version of this melody.) There are a lot of songs like this, fighting tracks that hurry along at a clip, heroic but a little bit anxious ("When the Dragon Swims / Ryu ga Oyogutoki...," "Break Out," "Scattering Left Light / Kakusansuru Zanko" which barely sounds like music and is clearly hoping to be the soundtrack to your next laser tag game). I want to call out among them "Mission Accomplished / Ninmu Suiko," which has a last half that is so tied in my head to the world of Gundam Wing that when I hear it, I am instantly transported. It's almost a letdown that it's just an OST track, because it builds up such amazing tension that it releases just as quickly. "Mission Accomplished" is a bridge between these energetic tracks and more headbang-y, hard metal type fight songs like "Use the Cloak of Darkness / Kurayami Karano Tsukai," one of my all-time favorite guitar riffs from the GW OSTs. A lot of OST 1 is full of this "Enter Sandman" type stuff, though you still get reprises in the later OSTs, like "Well-Planned Tactics / Butsuryo Sakusen." The back half of "Cloak of Darkness," though, is a completely different track, this time pure fascist military fantasy. A lot of OSTs were like this, two short BGMs together masquerading as a one- to two-minute track. I'm not sure if it was just more expensive to list out a bunch of 45 second tracks, or if Otani Kou just ran out of emo names for all of them.

One thing I didn’t realize until this project is that there are no less than five variations on Relena’s theme in OST 1 alone:

Soft Hair and See-through Eyes / Yawarakana Kami...

Inside the Girl's Heart... / Syojyo no Mune no Oku Niwa...

To Beauty, to Elegance, and to Noble-mindedness / Karen ni Yuga ni...

I Feel Like I Can Cross Even That Rainbow Bridge / Ano Niji...

As Relena Peacecraft / Relena Peacecraft Toshite

When you've heard one, you've heard them all, so I’m putting on "Soft Hair...,” the wonderfully 80s and slightly boozy "adult contemporary" version of it, completely with a Kenny G sax. The others feel much more pure and dignified, especially "To Beauty...," which I think of as "waltz music" as it shows up in many of the early series' ballroom scenes. ”Rainbow Bridge..." is a worthy remix/variant, and for another similar boozy 80s feel, also try "Coolheaded Bloodthirstiness / Reitetsu na sakki" from OST 1. While I’ve left most of this playlist in chronological album order, I’ve moved up "I Believed We'd Meet / Kanarazu Aeruto Shinji” from OST 3. This track is not particularly noteworthy to me, but I leave it here as an example of how even later in the series, Otani Kou makes references to this refrain, even if it's not played note for note.

Because like any good soundtrack, Gundam Wing reuses themes and motifs. "Searching for Peace Buried Amid the Corpses / Shikabane ni Umoreta..." and "That Clown Doesn't Need Make Up for Tears / Sono Doukeshi..." share the same melody, only one is a fighting song and another is a mourning song. I actually like the rendition in "Hourglass of a Sad Color / Kanashimi-iro no Sunadokei" (also from OST1) better, but while "Hourglass" is a straightforward BGM track, "That Clown..." shows off one of the more interesting aspects of the Gundam Wing OSTs: its frequent blending of synths, cheesy sax, and more classic orchestral strings. You can hear it in second half of "That Clown...", but also in tracks like "Unknown Pressure / Michi no Pressure," or OST 3's " Behind The Scenes of The Blackout / Anten no Butaiura de," which is a typical "woe is me" orchestral track that is for some reason constantly interrupted by digital "beep boop" mumblings. Without that blend, you're left with a lot of grave-sounding tracks with bombastic Phantom of the Opera-worthy brass sections, like "Soldiers Who Don't Have a Gravepost / Bhyounaki Senshitachi" or "Legend of Zero / Zero no Densetsu." Not that those songs are bad, which is why I include the last of the instrumental tracks from OST 3: "Who Will Give Their Life / Darega Tameni Inochi," which takes itself very seriously and very earnestly, just like the show itself.

One of the other frequent moods of these OST is anxiety, perhaps no better demonstrated than "You Can Hear a Voice Calling the Soul /Tamashii wo Yobu Koe ga Suru", which has a guitar emitting screeches of existential despair. “Signs of Consciousness / Ishiki no Taido" is from this same school, but its second half is more "I am walking into a rave already a few minutes into what I know is going to be a bad trip," which is not really a mood I remember from the series itself. By the time you get to OST 3, you start venturing into tracks that wouldn't be out of place in a horror film. You can hear an example of it in "The Eyes of a Mobile Doll / Mobile Doll no Me," which is on this list because it sounds like a fever dream, but you could also check out "The Abandoned Horse of the Age / Jidai no Sutegoma," which is not on this playlist and has the same effect. Some of them, like "I Don't Like Fairytales / Otogi-banashi wa Sukijyanai," are inspiringly atmospheric, almost hypnotic. Is Gundam Wing horror? [Treize Voice] Yes, the Horror of War.

Some quick call-outs in the odds and ends group: “Tokimeite Harmony” is the 3x4 theme, a literal duet between a violin and a flute, and it’s there for that reason and that reason alone. I could not tell you for the life of me where in the series “Yasuragi no Hitotoki...”, “Kizuna,” “Sonzai Syomei,” or “Kioku no Gyakuryu” come from, but they sound like beautiful tracks from a video game I’ve never played. Similarly, “That Day Was The Last Day I Saw Your Smile / Anohi Saigo ni Mita Egao” is uncharacteristically fluttery and beautiful for a Gundam Wing OST piece, an almost Ghibli-esque track which nevertheless ends on an anxiety-inducing note of unrest.

And finally, the character songs. I leave you with one for each of the six main characters, and then a bonus.

Heero Yuy: "With Only My Words / Oredake no Kotoba de." Did you expect Heero's singing voice to sound like this? Neither did I. I have no idea why they thought this was a good image song for Heero. It's not. I leave it here because you must listen to it. The better "sounding" song is "Flying Away," which shows up in this CD later, but it doesn't give me the same dissonance as this one.

Duo Maxwell: “Wild Wing.” "Good Luck & Good Bye" is the superior song. (there's a little bit of Wang Chung “Everybody Have Fun Tonight" to it), but the sheer hilarity of this chorus (WILD WING BOYS!) means that i have to include it.

Trowa Barton: “Clown / Doukeshi.” What to say about this? This is a typical ballad, something you may play during a romantic moment of a kdrama or during the slow motion death scene in a Hong Kong film that would be released around the same time as GW was. I feel bad for Nakahara Shigeru who clearly is straining himself singing this. but it is nothing if not period accurate.

Quatre Raberba Winner: “Star’s Gaze / Hoshi no Manazashi.” Poor Orikasa Ai. Quatre’s voice is passably bishounen in the series itself, but it's hard to hide that his seiyuu was a woman when it came to the image songs. That said, her voice has a much fuller quality than her fellow pilots, and this is actually a decent-enough filler song. You could imagine debuting an idol maybe in the late 80s with this track.

Chang Wufei: “Knock at Tomorrow's Door / Asu eno Door wo Tatake.” If Wing were a kpop group, Wufei would be the rapper. You don't get to argue with me here. It's hard enough to imagine Wufei actually singing, but Ishino Ryuzou's singing voice also doesn't bear that much resemblance to the voice he adopted for the character.

Relena Peacecraft: “Love is Not Crying Yet / Ai wa Mada Nakanai.” One of the most unexpected of the image songs is this bossa nova inspired track for Relena. Like Orikasa's ballad, this song almost works as a real song, and the purity of Yajima Akiko's voice is incredibly charming, which makes it all that more surprising that she's actually best known for being the seiyuu to the eponymous Shin-chan of Crayon Shin-Chan.

I do not include the image songs for Zechs and Treize, simply because they're boring. Both of them are extremely well-known and popular seiyuus, who have since done a number of musical projects. You can tell that they will fare better at that endeavor than Trowa’s seiyuu, but there's really nothing interesting to say about their songs. As always, the men of Gundam Wing are shown up by their female counterpart: Lady Une's "Brightness & Darkness" is positively anthemic and fun to listen to. Sayuri doesn't hit all the notes perfectly, and you can sense there is Fleetwood Mac / Stevie Nicks impersonator out there who could really knock this one out of the park, but if I were to keep one image song out of the whole bunch, it'd be this one.

#JUST WILD BEAT COMMUNICATION #gundam wing #mobile suit gundam wing #untitled tallgeese podcast #artifacts #episode 01

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howdoyousayghibli · 5 years

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Arrietty: Back to (Incredible) Basics

I didn’t realize this until the opening credits played, but The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) makes four adaptations of written stories in a row from Studio Ghibli — Howl’s Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea, and Ponyo being the other three. I’ll admit that Ponyo is a bit of a stretch, but Hayao Miyazaki has stated that his inspiration was Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, so I’m sticking with it.

Arrietty is an adaptation of Mary Norton’s widely beloved children’s novel, The Borrowers. While it was released as The Borrower Arrietty in Japan, the U.S. and UK releases were titled The Secret World of Arrietty and Arrietty, respectively; I can’t fathom why neither wanted to promote its association with a popular book, but here we are.

These four adaptations make for some interesting comparisons, to the extent that I wonder if there was some sort of strategy meeting held at Ghibli headquarters after Tales from Earthsea squirmed out into the world. That movie, and, to a lesser but still noticeable extent, Howl’s Moving Castle were both stuffed to the brim with mysteries, big ideas, and subplots, and they suffered for it. In contrast, Ponyo and Arrietty are simpler both narratively and thematically, but are astounding in their technical artistic achievements.

Arrietty tells the story of a family of Borrowers, tiny people who live under the floorboards and survive by “borrowing” what they need — such as a cube of sugar, basketball-sized to them — from the full-size humans who live above them. The main focus is on the family’s daughter, Arrietty, who is just old enough to join her father on his borrowing trips. Their comfortable but tenuous existence is disrupted by the arrival of Sean, a sickly young boy who’s been sent to live with his grandmother and her caretaker for some peace and quiet.

These two plot points — the Borrowers’ survival and Sean’s sickness — are really the only plot points of Arrietty. This and the fact that both of these stories are actually addressed and resolved is refreshing after the overcomplicated Howl’s Moving Castle and Tales from Earthsea.

Arrietty is a classic Ghibli protagonist — spirited, independent, and curious. Sean is also compelling; his melancholy brings to mind Princess Mononoke’s Prince Ashitaka and makes an engaging counterpoint to Arrietty’s enthusiasm and determination. The two are voiced by Bridget Mendler and David Henrie, whose resumés both largely consist of various Disney Channel shows. Fellow Disney Channel alumnus Moisés Arias (he was also, bizarrely, Bonzo in Ender’s Game) joins the cast as the fun-but-racistly-designed Spiller.

The adults of the cast pulled in a bit more star power — Arrietty’s parents, Pod and Homily, are voiced by Will Arnet and Amy Poehler. It’s easy to hear the Batman in Pod’s gravelly seriousness, but Arnet manages to infuse equal amounts of gravel and affection into Pod’s sparse dialogue. Poehler, meanwhile, gets some of the movie’s best dialogue as the anxious Homily; the character easily could’ve been obnoxious, but, as 6 seasons of Parks and Recreation can attest, Poehler is relentlessly charming and elevates each line she’s given.

There’s great characters and voice acting in Arrietty, but where the film really shines is in the presentation. Studio Ghibli uses the diminutive size of the protagonists as a chance to show off — throughout the movie, details of animation and sound design reinforce the tiny scale of the world we’re viewing.

Visually, these reminders come in two forms: the creative ways that the Borrowers re-purpose (downscale?) the things they borrow, and the details with which the animators pack each shot.

The Borrowers’ ingenuity is a lot of fun to look out for throughout the movie, from stamps as wall art to soda can pop-tabs used to hang soup ladles. I can’t say how many of these were thought up by the Ghibli team and how many are pulled from the novels, but either way, they point to a well-thought-out world and add a great deal of charm.

The animation details, despite everything, blow me away. I feel Studio Ghibli shouldn’t be able to surprise me anymore, but by scaling down the action, they created new opportunities to impress. The premise allows for details like the grain of the wood inside the walls, rough but worn smooth and shiny, or the way water clings together, pouring out of their tea kettle in bulbous fist-sized drops.

The sound design is similarly effective — a ticking clock can thunder across an entire room, and a giant hand can silence the rest of the world as it closes around a Borrower. It’s clear that the team behind this film saw the Borrower’s size as not just a premise, but a challenge, which they met amply.

There’s a YouTube channel called Every Frame a Painting, probably most famous for their “Marvel Symphonic Universe” video. I happen to think that particular video is pretty off-base, but I love the channel as a whole. I bring them up because of their “Edgar Wright - How to Do Visual Comedy” video. It’s a great video, which you should watch, but the thrust of it is that the humor in Edgar Wright’s comedies doesn’t rely solely on dialogue like in many other comedies. The video posits that, if all your humor comes from funny dialogue, you’re throwing away the visual aspect of the medium — why not tell the story in a novel, or a podcast, or a stage play?

This is a roundabout way of saying that Arrietty feels like a film that is truly firing on all cylinders. The premise, characters, animation, and sound design all reinforce one another; they feel deliberately interwoven in a way that few films do.

Like many Ghibli movies, in a thematic sense Arrietty didn’t exactly leave me satisfied, but that same dissatisfaction has kept me thinking about the movie weeks after seeing it. (Vague spoilers ->) Sean’s attempts to help the Borrowers largely leave them worse off than before; does that mean he should have done nothing? Or did he just need to be more thoughtful? Are the Borrowers at fault for being too suspicious? It’s hard to agree with that when there’s ample evidence supporting their behavior. (<- End spoilers) These kinds of questions mean that, even the movie lacks a certain catharsis, it inspires further thought in a way that a lot of entertainment doesn’t.

Up Next:

From Up on Poppy Hill! Goro takes a second stab at directing — let’s see if he learned his lesson from Tales from Earthsea, shall we?

Alternate Titles:

Arrietty: Ah, That’s Better

Now You’re Just Showing Off, Mr. Miyazaki

“Arrietty, Kids?” “Aye Aye, Captain!”

Stray Notes

The crow and bird fighting are a great The Cat Returns callback

”can I have some warm milk?” You go sneaky Sean, this kid rules

Has Mr. Ghibli ever seen a boy that wasn’t skin and bones?

*sees raccoon* haha sick Pom Poko reference

Wish I had a Lego Batman dad

And a Leslie Knope mom

DON’T RUN SEAN YOU’RE SICK

Why do they randomly emphasize the T sound in Arrietty sometimes (ARE-ee-eh-dy vs. AIR-ee-EH-tee)

Yooooo Spiller is tsundere AF

TOM HOLLAND voices Sean in the UK version??? And it was his first role in anything ever????

#studio ghibli #the secret world of arrietty #arrietty #karigurashi no arrietty #ghibli #the borrowers

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