#very fun rhythm. the way they say 'Tokyo' gets me moving my head every time

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: February 22

“Damn!” by Patent Pending

[domesticblisss]

On the Second Floor

Jay White x Female Reader Rating: Mature (Minors DNI) Word Count: 1495 Warnings: Smut. Alcohol mention, PiV, oral (male receiving), mild degradation (a little name calling), (very, very) slight dom/sub undertones, public sex. Summary: Jay White takes an instant liking to the reader. A/N: First time writing anyone outside Timperium, hope it’s good. Also, I’m sorry in advance lmao.

You would think that after three months of moving to and living in Tokyo I would have gotten to know its nightlife and truth is, I haven’t. And it is not because I don’t want but I have been so tired that my friday nights consists of drinking plum wine while eating a TV dinner and falling asleep before 10pm. 

I have decided to change that this week and as of right now, I am dressed in the tightest and shortest dress I could find in my closet on my way to a club I can’t even remember the name of, but I trust Aika’s and Chie’s choices. 

Aika, Chie and I met on the magazine we work for, they were the first people to approach me, and we hit off instantly. 

“Can’t believe we finally got you to leave the house!” Aika exclaimed excitedly. 

“Well, I had to eventually. Can’t be living in such a beautiful country and just stay locked inside forever.”

“Trust me, you’re going to love this place.” Chie added, with a mysterious tone in her voice. 

There was a line to get inside when we arrived, with at least 20 people ahead of us. After a 10-minute wait, a black SUV stops right by our side, and five men come out from it. Tall, big, scary looking, handsome men. 

One of them stands out to me. He is the last one to get out of the car, tall, muscular, long black hair in a half bun and a beard. The beard is... a choice, but it makes him look very hot. 

He is not one bit sly when he looks at me, makes sure to stop right in front of me, looks me up and down and gives me the smallest smile, one that if I wasn’t paying enough attention, I would have missed it. 

He and his entourage make their way to the entrance of the club, he fist-bumps the bouncer and gets in without any trouble. 

Not three minutes later, the hostess comes up to us, asking to follow her and takes us inside. She sits us in a booth and says “Welcome, girls! All your orders are already paid for the night, feel free to ask for whatever you desire. Mr. White sends his regards.” she winks at me and leaves. 

“Mr. White?” I ask Aika and Chie, both of them with surprised looks on their faces. 

“Jay White? The leader of Bullet Cl–“ Aika is interrupted. 

“The rat looking dude that was eye fucking you outside.”

“Chie!”

“What? He was eye fucking her.”

“You know that is not what I meant.” Aika reprimanded her. “Anyway, do you know how lucky you are??? He comes here every single week, stays on the VIP lounge right there” she slyly points to a glass box room on the upper floor, directly in front of us, with a privileged view to our booth, “he never talks to anyone, he never leaves his booth. He comes here and stays there while his friends have their fun. Do you have any idea how many women has tried their way with him, and he doesn’t give a slight nod? Do you know how many women would kill to be where you are?” Aika looked at me excitedly. 

“Lucky me I guess.”

Chie was about to start talking again when a waitress arrived with a bottle of Dom Perignon. 

“A gift from Mr. White.” the bubbly waiters said as she set the bottle of champagne down and handed me a card. 

I thanked her and opened the card. 

“C’mon, what does it say?” Chie asked. 

“Meet me at the lounge in 10. They’ll let you in. -J”

“You’re going.” It was Aika’s turn now. 

“I guess?”

“No, I’m not asking, I’m telling you, you are going.”

“Fine! I am.” I finished my glass of champagne and went to the bathroom to retouch my make-up. 

Those few minutes I spent alone were enough to make my head go into overdrive. From the little I have heard from this guy, he seems to be on the verge of a breakdown. All I have ever heard was that he is rough, violent, and vicious, and apparently that was enough for my brain to stop working and for the rest of my body to act on its own will. 

It happened just like he said it would happen. I got the door of his lounge and the security guards let me in without questions. 

“Princess! You actually came!” he said, coming to greet me and took my hands in his. “I’m Jay and these are my friends, Gedo, Kenta, Tama and Chase.” they either nodded or waved at me. 

“Nice to meet you.”

“Well, introductions are over, and they are going to give us some privacy. Go on, lads.” he waited for the four of them to leave to keep going. “I gave you my name, but you never told me yours, princess.”

“Amy.” I lied. 

“Something tells me this is not your real name.”

“Well, it’s the one you’re getting.” I smiled sweetly at him. 

“Feisty! I like that!”

“What do you want from me, Mr. White?”

“Mr. White... you really know how to get a man to his knees, don’t you princess?” he said, his face so close to mine, his grey eyes boring into mine and a smirk on his slips, all while he gently caressed my hair. “I brought you here because I want you. I need to have you.” he whispered the last part in my ear. 

“And why should I do this?”

“Because I’m the champion, princess! Because I always get what I want.”

“I need something else.” I teased him. 

“Well, it really looks like you need get some and I am going to ruin you for every other man and woman that comes into your life.”

My body betrayed me, and I kissed him. A hard, teeth clashing, lip biting kiss. Jay is rough, heavy handed and loses no time in taking my dress off. 

“You’re perfect, aren’t you princess?” he said, taking his pants and underwear off in one swift move and sat down on the leather couch in the middle of the room. His length was already semi hard, precum leaking from it. 

“Beg, princess.” 

“Could I please suck your cock, Mr. White?”

“I need something better, princess.”

“Please, let me suck your cock, Mr. White. I need it.” I made sure to use my best pouty lips begging face. 

“There you go, princess. Go on. It’s all yours.”

His cock was big, long with an average girth. I licked a stripe from his balls to the tip, gathering saliva and spitting on it before swallowing what I could from him, my hands working on what I could take in. He took his hands to my hair, holding it into a ponytail and started moving his hips, surprisingly slow, making sure I wouldn’t gag. He pulled me off when he started to feel his orgasm coming, a long drool line still connecting us, to which he made the show of collecting and rubbing on my lips and left cheek. 

“You really are perfect, aren’t you, princess? I can’t finish this without you getting what you deserve. Get up!” he took my hand and guided me to the glass wall that secured his booth from the rest of the club. 

He pressed me against it, making a show of pulling my bra down and slowing getting his right hand inside of my panties. 

“Oh, you like being watched, don’t you?” I nodded. “Look, look how wet you are. My princess is a dirty little slut, isn’t she?”

I could only nod, moaning because of how his nimble fingers were touching my clit. He shoved my panties aside and slowly inserted himself, lifting my right leg so he could position himself better. He wasn’t as slow and soft as he was when he was face fucking me, his thrusts were deep, fast and rough, the fingers on my bundle of nerves following the same rhythm. 

“Jay, fuck. Please don’t stop.”

He turned me to him, snaking my legs around his waist. I held tight to his gold chain. 

“Jay, I’m–“

“I’m right there too princess, let go.”

3, 2, 1

My vision turned white, body trembling, all I could hear was his groans as he bit my shoulder and I felt both of mine and his arousal run down my legs. 

His maniacal laughter started, holding me tighter to him and helping me sit back down on the couch. 

“Do you want some water, princess?”

“Mhm.”

“You know,” he started as he made his way to the minibar “I actually liked it better when you called me Jay.”

“Okay, Jay.” I smiled at him, taking the water bottle from his hands. 

“So, next week, same place, same time?”

“Sure, of course.” I panted. 

Yeah, I was completely ruined.

[sevensymbols]

enemies (m)

PAIRING: park jimin + reader GENRE: smut WORD COUNT: 3,4k WARNINGS: choking, degradation, orgasm denial, rough sex, dom!jimin, sub!reader. listen... this is quite filthy (but like what else is new right) and there is a lot a lot a lot of explicit language but, yeah. enjoy lmao - SUMMARY: you and jimin have never really been friends. in fact, it was very hard for you two to get along. so what if one day it all just escalates?

"I’m just saying - people like these shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves artists.”

You were spending the night at your friend’s house. You had known Namjoon for a little over a year now - you two meeting at an award show in Tokyo. It was actually him who ran up to you first, expressing to you how much he loved your art, and it all began there.

Both of you knew there wasn’t any chemistry between you. That said, you quickly became friends with him and his band members. Well, not all of them.

Park Jimin was, in your eyes, the biggest narcissist and snob you’ve ever met. He made it clear from the get-go - as soon as you were introduced to him, he looked you up and down and scoffed, as if you were something that stuck to his shoe. You were so embarrassed at first, but soon enough that feeling turned into anger. For the rest of that one evening, he kept making snarky remarks, mocking you with every glance he sent your way.

And that was only the beginning. From that evening on, the tension between you two was so obvious literally anyone could feel it. You two would constantly shit talk and make fun of each other, he’d always tell everybody how dumb and cheap-dressed you were, while you’d always accuse him of trying to act sweet in front of his fans while being rude and condescending towards anyone walking his way.

This time, you were seated in the middle of the boys’ living room, having a group conversation. They had invited a bunch of friends (and, to Jimin’s demise, also you) to celebrate their break and have a little kickback.

Yet, it only took Jimin about 5 minutes before his words started annoying the shit out of you. So when he started talking about who can call themselves an artist and who can’t - an obvious stab into your flesh - you decided it was enough. You were having none of it this time, so when you heard him say another hurtful thing, you finally spoke up.

“Why do you say that?”

His lips curved upwards a little bit, clearly amused by your reaction. “Why do you think?”

“I don’t know... because you have literally no grasp on the world that revolves around you maybe?”

Some people gasped; to you two, it wasn’t anything extraordinary though. You’d confront each other all the time, although it would never result in anything.

“Oh, really? So I have no grasp of reality. Hmm, that’s interesting,” he mocked, narrowing his eyes at you. “I think you’re wrong. In fact, I think you’re wrong when you speak altogether.”

“Oh, really?” you mocked him back, “maybe if you pulled your head out of your own ass for a second you’d actually understand what I am saying.”

Jimin took a deep breath, possibly about to “put you in your place” before Namjoon stood up. “Guys, stop it. We aren’t here to fight. So just enjoy the drinks and the music and stop fighting like you are preschoolers.”

“You’re right,” you nodded, bowing your head a little.

“Whatever,” Jimin mumbled before throwing his legs on the coffee table.

You hated him. You hated him so, so much.

The night went on, the atmosphere eventually lighting up. You were drinking, laughing, not giving a single fuck about anybody. You’d found a dance partner - a brown haired man with a cute smile - and you were literally dancing the night away with him.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked you, resting his head at the crook of your neck as you both swayed your hips to the rhythm. From the corner of your eye, you saw Jimin leaning against the wall, staring at you intently.

“No, thank you,” you smiled. 

“Okay, well I’m going to go grab a glass of whiskey, be right back.”

“Sure.”

As soon as your partner left, you felt a hand sneaking up your arm and grabbing it before pulling you away from the crowd. Looking up, you saw none other than Jimin, whose jaw was clenched tightly, knuckles white from holding you so firmly.

“What the fuck are you doing? Let me go you fucking psycho!” you yelled at him, which resulted in him literally growling at you before pushing you into a room and closing the door behind you two.

“I should be asking you the same damn question.”

Confused and frankly a little scared, you just quietly stared back at him.

“What was that little show you were putting on, hm?”

“What are y-”

“You know damn well what I mean!” he shouted at you. “I mean come on; whoring yourself around for everyone to see how cheap you are? Pathetic.”

“I’m not ‘whoring myself around’ you dickhead!”

“Oh really? So you were doing all these moves to... feel good? You had no idea that everybody was watching you?”

“No!”

“Do you want to fuck Changkyun?”

That question caught you off guard. No matter how much you hated each other, you’ve never been this... unfiltered before.

“No, I don’t want to fuck Changkyun.”

“Then why were you all over him?! Why did you let him touch you like that?!”

“And why should you care?! You’re fucking rude to me all the time! The first time we met, you were already rude to me! You keep making fun of me, mocking me, shit-talking me, and when I am not paying attention to your stupid remarks, suddenly I am the bad guy again? Fuck you!” You screamed.

“Fuck you,” you repeated, only now noticing the hot tears that streamed down your cheeks.

“You prissy little bitch, you think I am the only one to blame here? You show off your body all the time and tease all the members like someone wants to see you show your bare ass under those little skirts and dresses you always wear,” Jimin yelled back, his fist colliding with the wall just inches away from your head, startling you.

“I don’t do that on purpose, Jimin,” you say quietly, bowing your head in submission. “It’s just my style, I like skirts.”

“Oh, so being a common whore is now a style, huh? Fucking fuck, you make me so mad.”

Seeing Jimin angry was a normal thing for you; only on rare occasions have you ever seen him in a good mood around you. And yet, tonight, you felt kind of turned on by his harsh words and actions. You hated to admit it, but it was the truth. The way his nostrils flared upon seeing you, the way his voice dropped an octave when he spoke to you, and especially the roughness of his movements was too much for you, and before you could stop it, you let out a quiet moan.

Although, as quiet as it might have been, you froze in your spot as you saw Jimin’s ears perk up, his mischievous smile making an appearance.

“So...” he paused, clearly enjoying your flushed face as he got closer to your ear, “the little slut gets turned on by getting me mad? Is this why you’ve been flashing your boobs and your ass at me every single time I walked in the room?”

His fingers gently caressed your jaw, stopping at your chin before he lifted your head to make you look at him. “You succeeded, doll. You made me fucking angry beyond words. So how are you gonna make it up to me now that you’re here?”

You gulp, visibly surprised by his question. He momentarily takes his eyes off of you, mindlessly searching through the room and pretending to think. A lightbulb appears above his head as his eyes grow darker. He isn’t that tall, but at this very moment, it feels like he’s ten feet tall, hovering over your small frame like a lion and a mouse.

“Why don’t you get on your knees for me, hm?”

All the air suddenly leaves your lungs, heart skipping a beat. “Mh-I-ex-excuse me?”

“Get. On. Your. Knees.” he repeats, letting go of you.

Your instincts tell you to slap him; to run, to scream, to do anything else. But you suddenly feel your knees nearing the floor as you look up at him through your lashes.

“Fuck,” Jimin breathes out, studying your every feature. He begins unbuckling his belt and you gasp - this is really happening. He unzips his pants and they fall to the floor, revealing his boxer briefs that are caging his needy cock.

Your hand slowly reaches for the waistband, but just like that, he slaps your hands away. “No touching. A dirty slut like you should be able to do it with her mouth.” You, although unexperienced, manage to pull his boxers down quite quickly - clearly impressing him. His dick springs free and you gulp. You’ve only ever been with two guys and honestly don’t really know how to perform a blowjob. You feel his eyes burning into you and so you place a soft kiss to the tip of his dick and then kitten lick his shaft down to the base. Jimin growls, pulling your hair up to face him again.

“Oh no, no, you don’t get to tease,” he pauses, his free hand squeezing your cheeks, “now be a good girl and suck me off, and maybe if you do a good job I’ll reward you.”

It’s a challenge that you willingly take, hollowing your cheeks as you go down on him. He lets out a whine, the most erotic noise you’ve ever heard, and you can feel your panties dampening. You feel like you’re in control and it suddenly gives you motivation to do as good as you can.

Bobbing your head up and down, half of Jimin’s length slips past your lips again and again. His fingers tangle in your hair, eventually controlling the pace, before he pulls you all the way down so that you can take him fully.

You gag when you feel him hit the back of the throat. Tears well up in your eyes but he keeps your head in place, growling again. “Don’t run from it. I like seeing you gag.”

Under any other circumstances you’d fight back, but you’re so lost in pleasuring Jimin that you only moan around his cock.

“Can’t talk back now that you’ve got dick down your throat, huh?” Jimin smirks, although one of his hands lets go of your hair and gently massages your throat.

It all feels so sensual that you find yourself reaching under your skirt to massage the pulsating bud between your thighs. Finally relieving some tension, you sigh, sending vibrations down his shaft. Jimin notices your hand furiously moving under your skirt and quickly pulls you off of him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he snarls, smacking your hand away from your heat. “Did I allow you to do that?”

“N-no,” you mumble, throat still sore from it’s previous abuse.

“Get on the bed,” Jimin commands, lightly pushing you. In a trance-like state, you follow his orders, submissively climbing onto the bed. You turn around, confused that he’s not following you, but he only chuckles at your desperate state. “Take off all your clothes.”

You obey again, quickly ridding yourself of your t-shirt, bra, skirt and panties, all while kicking off your shoes in the process. It takes you a second to register that you’re completely naked in front of the man you once hated.

Or do you still?

Looking up, you see Jimin also completely naked, his shaped muscular body almost making you drool. You try to cover yourself with your hands but he seems displeased, climbing onto the bed and spreading your legs with his bare knee. He holds your hands above your head, making you immobile.

“What do we have here?” he smirks again, his hand brushing over your bare pussy before bringing his hand back and slapping it. You whine and trash around, unable to stop him.

“What a pretty cunt. Shame it has been used so much,” he mutters, slapping your pussy again.

“That’s not t-”

Three sharp slaps are delivered to your clit, each stronger than the previous one. “Did I say you could speak?”

Jimin grabs you by your waist, flipping you onto your stomach before pulling away from you. “Spread your pussy for me. Come on. Spread your legs and show me what a cockslut you are.”

Again, lust had clouded your vision and you follow his orders, arching your back and spreading your legs so that he can see you in all your glory.

He grunts, and at that exact time you feel your arousal trickle down your thigh. You’re sure you can get your release from his voice alone. “Now that’s a sight to see. Your cunt is so pink and swollen, ready to be filled. Are you ready to be filled?”

“Yes, fuck yes,” you furiously nod, wiggling your ass for him, which causes you to get spanked.

“Pathetic,” he laughs. “Trying to get my attention like you always do, hm?”

“I wasn’t-”

Spank!

“Shut up. Are you on the pill?”

You sigh, glad that Jimin has finally decided to take mercy upon you. “Yes, I am.”

“Good.”

Suddenly you feel his thumb enter you slowly, and once Jimin retrieves it, another sticky precum leaks from your aching cunt. “Looks like the whore is ready to be used now, huh?”

You don’t say anything, afraid he might punish you for that. but soon enough you feel his lips against your ear. “And why should I fuck you, hm? Do you think you deserve my cock? A dirty whore like you who fucks every man she meets. Isn’t that what you are? A little cock hungry slut.”

You moan involuntary and swear you can hear Jimin praise you.

“So why should I?”

“P-punish me for being so naughty,” you whisper, “make my pussy yours, Jimin, please.”

Jimin chuckles, spitting on your pussy, but once his hands grip the back of your knees and you feel the tip of his cock against your pussy, you know you won.

He thrusts in and you can’t help but moan at the stretch. Jimin pulls out before slamming into you again, now with more force, and your eyes roll to the back of your head. He picks up his pace, fucking into you roughly and precisely, making sure you feel his every inch. Your moans are interrupted ever so often by Jimin’s hand coming in contact with your ass.

“How are you still so tight after fucking so many guys, fuck,” he questions, continuing his pace.

“I never- I don’t-”

Smack!

“How many of them were in my position, huh? Twelve? Nineteen?”

“Just t-two, p-please Jimin- ah!”

“Shut your fucking mouth, you liar,” Jimin growls, “I don’t believe a whore like you only had two cocks in here.”

You want to speak, defend yourself, but his fingers enter your mouth as his other hand wraps around your throat to push you closer to him, cutting of your airway.

“Whatever, after I’m done with you, you’ll never remember anyone else between those legs other than me. I’ll fill you up so good you’ll be dripping with my cum for days.”

You moan against his fingers, wiggling away from him a little to take a little break from his punishing thrusts.

He clearly does not like that.

“Take this fucking cock,” he barks at you, biting your shoulder to keep you in place, “don’t run from it.”

“I’m so close, Jimin, I can’t-”

“You can and you will.” Jimin’s authoritative voice fucks you up even more and you’re so sure you will burst into tears if you don’t get to cum soon.

“Jimin, I’ll do anything, j-just... please, let me cum, please.” You know you sound desperate, but that’s because you are. 

“This is how I like you,” Jimin says, “there’s none of that cockiness you always have when you talk to me. Just a little slut desperate to cum.”

You whine, because that wasn’t the answer you were hoping for, and receive two more spanks to your already sore ass.

“Come, show me whose bitch are you. Fuck, from now on, you’re only gonna be coming on this dick and nowhere else. I’m gonna carve my cock into your walls.”

Another string of moans announces your release and you come, crying out Jimin’s name and clutching the sheets below you.

“I’m gonna fill you up now you’re gonna be full of my cum for days. I’ll leave you dripping for me, so that everyone will see you belong to me.”

You can’t help but clench around him after hearing those words. You are still coming down from your high and Jimin tries to prolong your orgasm by playing with your clit. His thrusts are now sloppy and you know he’s gonna come too.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” Jimin states. “Tell me you are mine.”

“I’m yours, Jimin,” you breathe out, “this pussy is yours. I am yours.”

“Shit, I’m going to- fuck!”

Jimin moans and you almost come again at how sinful yet erotic that sounded. Hot liquid fills you up completely, just like he said, and he pulls out of you only to see his cum spill out of your swollen cunt.

“You took me so well, baby,” you hear him say. “Stay like that for a minute, please.”

You hear rustling behind you but you’re too tired to move. Suddenly you feel the fabric of your panties pressing against your legs, slowly being dragged up before covering your cum filled pussy.

“Jimin! I’m still- I haven’t-”

“Shh, I know, baby,” he coos, pressing a kiss against your clothed heat, “I want you to return to the party like this. I want every man there to know you’re mine.”

You sigh and sit up, gathering your clothes to put them back on. “Jimin... did you really mean it? When you said you wanted me to be yours?”

“Yes,” he answers and the room stays silent. Suddenly you don’t know what to say or do and you just sit there, legs still trembling, while you play with your fingers. You hear Jimin putting his clothes on, but you don’t dare lift your head.

That is until his hand gently lifts your chin up and your eyes meet.

“Look... I know I’ve been a pain in the ass. I really didn’t like you at first, you were right about that. I thought you were a little...” he trails off and you narrow your eyes at him, knowing what insult was about to come out. “...eh- I just thought you were another dumb girl trying to get into our pants. And when I realized that you actually wanted to be friends and genuinely cared about us... I felt like it was too late to befriend you, you know. So I just kept on going, hoping you’ll slip up and show me that I was right about you from the minute I met you. But you just- didn’t...”

“Jimin-”

“And when I saw him,” he snorts, “I- fuck. I realized I liked you more and I’m sorry for doing this to you.”

Again, the brown eyed boy pauses, reaching for your skirt to maybe clean you up, but you stop him, firmly grabbing his wrist.

“Are you seriously apologizing for giving me the best orgasm of my life?”

“W-What?”

“Yeah, no, I definitely want to keep this-” you point to your crotch, “as you left it. Besides, it is so much more fun when we’re trying not to get caught.

Jimin can’t help but kiss you hungrily after this, and it is only now that you realize that this is your very first kiss. You moan into his mouth and he does the same to you, gripping your shoulders tightly. Pulling away, your lips are swollen and puffy and eyes wide like cherry pies.

“Meet me after the party in my room, I think I still have a lot to play with, kitten.”

You smile at the nickname and leave the room, pretending as if nothing really happened.

[jinsai-ish]

Welp, I guess I'm gonna start posting all the things. It's all old, from when I actually had, you know, free time. I also have no idea how tumblr works in terms of stuff like cuts so if people want to read the nice formatted stuff it's all up at jinsai.livejournal.com.

Any complaints can be forwarded to the otter.

First up, Pet Shop of Horrors drabbles:

Title: Imprisoning the Elements

Rating: G

Word Count: 100

Pairings/charecters: DxLeon

Notes: Response to challenge #6 (elements).

You can pick up earth, hold it in your hands. You can shape it, toss it into a box. But the wind will flow through your fingers, laughing at you. Water flows, but it will hold shape in a container. It can be imprisoned, remaining water. But fire…

Only one of two things can happen to fire enclosed in a box. It will die out, smothered for lack of nourishment. Or it will burn down the sides of the box, flickering merrily at your futile attempts to catch it. 

There are days when D can’t stand to look at Leon.

Title: Of Lizards and Rats, Mirrors and Hooks

Rating: PG

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters involved: Robin Hendrix, Medusa, Despair

Notes: Cross-over with the Sandman, response to challenge 7, bystander pov.

She looks at her mirrors, the rats scrabbling around her feet. Ah, there. Platinum blonde hair, blue eyes. Rich, handsome, talented, and utterly apathetic save for his reptiles. Drowning in the shadow of the prince, Robin Hendrix is one of her favorites. 

A new development, that lovely young lizard. She sees Robin creeping out of the frame of the mirror, step by dreamy step. Digging her hook into her cheek, she nearly smiles. The rats scamper in fear. 

Nice try little god.

Despair is patient.

When Robin looks into Medusa’s eyes, he almost misses the hook behind the prince. Almost.

Title: The Price

Rating: G

Word count: 100

Pairings or characters involved: the Chief, implied Leon/D

Notes: response to 8 "Beneath the Mask." I wanted to focus on the chief, wondering what his job costs him. Rather understated I think, but please let me now whatyou think.

Wrenching open his door, the chief gestured for the ranting detective to take his leave.

“Out! Leon, it’s Valentine’s Day. All the criminals are off romancing their mistresses. Why don’t you take off a bit early? I’m sure you can think of somewhere to go.”

Leon blustered a bit, a faint red tingeing his cheeks. But he grabbed his coat as he did so, brushing past a winking Jill. The chief humphed.

“Finally, some peace and quiet!” 

Left alone in his office, the chief twisted the gold ring on his left hand and stared at a phone that wouldn’t ring.

Title: Einstein's Truth

Rating: G/PG

Word count: 100 (not including quote)

Pairings or characters involved: D/Leon

Notes: This one was a pain to cut down to 100 words but it's done. Response to challenge 10 on the theme of time. Inspired by raison d'etat's wonderful fic "Unwilling Sleep" and the following passage from "Properties of the Light" by Rebecca Goldstein.

The passage of time is nothing real. It is a chimera spun out of gauzy consciousness, and nothing more, a frightful apparition tossed up by our mixed-up minds. We know this from Einstein's physics, which shows us a time as stilled as spread space. Time is static, the flow unreal: it is Einstein's truth, and it is the truth, falling straight away from the conditions of perfect symmetry imposed on the geometry. The ebb, which seems so terrible and real, which seems to carry off one's every treasure, leaving one like a chest spilled open on the waves: unreal, unreal.

“Einstein’s Truth”

At forty-five, calluses have long since formed on once-smooth palms. This is the choice he made. 

The aroma of hothouse flowers manages to cover the hospital smell, signs of the respect the officers at the precinct held for their chief of ten years. Leon’s resting now, the bullet that had tore through his chest no longer paining him. Eyes shut, D rests his head above a stilling heart. Somewhere he knows that he is pouring tea for a loud-mouthed, loving detective. As Leon drifts away, into past and future, D knows that this time, it is his turn to search.

"The distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. (Albert Einstein, shortly before his death)

Title: Sakura

Rating: G

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: D/Leon (implied)

Notes: Reply to challenge 12 (seasons). Post-series, with D in Tokyo ala Nemuki special. Inspired by the latest "Flowers and the Detective" from volume 6.

It is summer in Tokyo and past-time for some rigorous spring-cleaning. D assigns tools and tasks, arming himself with a duster.

The denizens of the pet shop are winning against dust and dirt when D stumbles upon a box stashed in the corner of his room. Within lay the gifts his grandfather sent from his own visit to Japan: the rake, the fan – and the kimono. D reaches for it, his hand unsteady. Suddenly chilled, he wraps himself in the kimono, trying not to remember widened blue eyes and blossoms falling to the ground in rushes of color and scent.

Title: Just Another Part of the Job

Rating: PG 

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters: The Chief (anyone know his name?), Leon 

Notes: response to challenge 13, waiting. Just a bit of fun at Leon's expense.

Fingers the color of rich chocolate milk tapped impatiently on the desk. The hollow thuds landed in counter rhythm to the ticking of the clock. The chief scowled at a stack of files, then back at the time piece. Ten more minutes. If those reports weren’t in his hands by then he swore he’d – The phone rang, interrupting his mental threat.

Nine minutes and twenty-one seconds later a panting Leon burst in the door, shoving a large folder at the chief.

Orcot was a damn good detective, but he was the absolute worst when it came to completing his paperwork!

Title: Statistics

Rating: PG

Word count: 140 (sorry!)

Pairings/characters: the Chief, Leon (implied D/Leon)

Notes: Response (albeit too long) to challenge 14, numbers. Takes place right after the first "Flowers and the Detective" story. 

Yesterday they had posted the annual report for the 14th precinct: 1,038 cases of robbery, 69 rapes, 700 vehicle thefts, 1,065 aggravated assaults, and 19 homicides. That wasn’t counting the officer who had lost his life in the line of duty.

“Dammit Leon…”

“Chief?” Awakening for the second time, Leon’s bleary vision picked out the chief’s face, focusing on his eyes, red and dry as the Martian surface. As red as the petals from -

“Gattolotto...” Leon winced in pain. “Where’s D?”

“I made him go home; he was here all night.

“We caught the dealers. You’ll probably get a promotion out of this. But don’t think this means you’re not an idiot for getting shot.” 

But the chief smiled. Last night they hadn’t known if Leon was going to make it. And he had already attended one funeral too many.

Long I know. But I did research! lapdonline.org and http://www.losangelesalmanac.com/topics/Crime/cr03ea.htm

I'm assuming the 14th to be under Central of Central Bureau as they service Chinatown, among other areas. And anyone else notice that before getting shot Leon is "Officer" and "Detective" after? Maybe just a translation error but it worked. *shrug*

Title: Selling Vinyl Siding

Rating: PG

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters: Leon, Sofu (implied D/Leon)

Notes: Response to challenge 16, family. 

“Selling Vinyl Siding”

Since meeting D, Leon had suffered a lot of weird-ass dreams. Man-eating rabbits, and all that crap. But that last one had really taken the cake.

“If you leave my grandson alone, I’ll give you anything you want.” 

Leon had recognized the man, nearly a mirror-image of D, save his eyes matched and lacked the glimmer that always hovered in his D’s. 

He had said this out-loud and D’s creepy grandfather glared.

“What is it you want? Riches, power, immortality? Never see him again and I’ll give you an immortal life!”

Leon had never laughed so hard in his life.

Title: Father's Day

Rating: G 

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: D/Leon

Notes: Response 2 to challenge 16, family.

“Father’s Day”

Leon only spoke of his father once and he held very still while he did so. His lips moved, but the shadowy blue eyes blinked slowly, the rise and fall of his chest barely discernable. D gently pried the tea cup from his fingers and refilled it, his hand lingering over the Detective’s as he returned it.

D never spoke of his father. But sometime at night, when the darkness seeped from the corners of his room to surround, he’d tremble slightly. That’s when Leon would hold him, clutching D tightly and mumbling soothing words that had no real meaning.

Title: Odile's Spring

Rating: G

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: Jeanne La Croix (from vol. 5, Dance)

Notes: Response to challenge 17, cold. I would have to say that of all Count D's one-shot customers, Jeanne and her story "Dance" are my favorite. :)

"Odile's Spring"

March in St. Petersburg is cold in a way that L.A. could never understand. Jeanne clutches the freshly-made bread close to her chest, the warmth soaking through her gloves to chilled fingers. Her parka is thick enough but still she envies the thick fur of the husky that runs past, chased after by laughing children. Jeanne smiles, loving the sound of the language, the thick accent that warms her ears. Her leg muscles loosen and her feet begin sweeping gracefully over the frozen ground. In Russia, Jeanne La Croix dances amid a flurry of snow, falling softer than swan’s down.

Title: "A Token of my Esteem"

Rating: PG

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: Leon/OC, implied D/Leon

Notes: With D gone, someone had to try and pick up the pieces. Post-series. (#31, token) 

It was raining the night she met Leon. Drunk as he was, he held the umbrella steady as they walked to her apartment. Sometimes, when she was too caught up in a client’s portfolio, he’d bring coffee and donuts. They were the only sweets he could stomach. He never talked after sex. They never made love. When she told him the company offered her a prestigious job in Tokyo, he shrugged. She left him the apartment.

She recognized him the second she entered the pet store. She strode out, fighting back tears, a red palm print marring D’s perfect complexion.

Title: "And a Pocketful of Raindrops"

Rating: G 

Word count: 100 

Pairings/characters: D, Leon, Chris (implied D/Leon)

Notes: Reply to challenge 33, dance. 

“And a Pocketful of Raindrops”

Walking out of the restaurant, Count D, Leon, and Chris strode directly into the downpour. Puddles dotted the sidewalks and a heavy, slow rain was falling. Chris seized the moment to puddle-jump, soaking the Count and his brother in the process. 

“Christopher!” D glared at him, brandishing an armful of wet silk.

“Aw Count, live a little!” Leon joined Chris, swinging him around in an odd little jig.

“Detective! If you must dance, at least show him how to do it properly.” 

Brushing droplets out of his hair, Chris gaped at a bewildered Leon, roped into waltzing in the rain.

Title: Trick or Treat?

Rating: R

Word count: 165 

Pairings/characters: T-chan/surprise

Notes: #35 -Trick-or-treat. A new pairing for me. Let's see how it goes.

"Trick or Treat?"

Tetsu thrust hard into the pliant body beneath him. Finally the Count had seen the light. Sure, it was a bit sudden and completely out of the blue, but the toutetsu wasn’t about to protest. Not with the writhing body beneath him, the long nails digging into his back. He growled at the scent of his own blood, moving faster and deeper. As the Count arched up his back Tetsu leaned down and licked the sweat droplets off of one blushed nipple. The Count tasted of fresh peaches and cinnamon spice. At climax two cries echoed in the room – a loud howl and a shrill scream.

The toutetsu allowed his lower body to rest against that of his lover. Slowing his breath, he meet the Count’s mismatched eyes, only to stare in shock as black hair grew and shaded into red. A pair of sly golden eyes glittered up at him – a fox’s eyes.

Ten-chan leaned up and nipped the frozen man-eater’s nose. “Trick-or-treat T-chan.”

Title: Kindred

Rating: PG

Word count: 100

Pairings/characters: the Chief, Leon, Jill, other

Notes: Challenge #36, instinct

“Kindred”

Leon depends on his instincts while Jill prefers research. He’s hotheaded, she’s too trusting. Ted’s a joker, Marianne’s a cynic, Phil’s always late. But they’re all good cops. All the men and women who serve under him are. The chief won’t tolerate a dirty cop, or a lousy one. If that keeps him from the coveted promotion to commissioner, so be it. 

As long as officers like Orcot and the others are on the force, he knows he’s not the only one kept up late at night by the dead’s silence, names slipping from his lips in a broken mantra.

To be continued...

[pearlypetal]

Taemin Japan 1st tour 〜SIRIUS〜

Let me just start with.. who allowed this baby to grow up?

There’s already several reviews out with the full setlist so I’m only going to be writing my own thoughts, because I can. Don’t expect this to be a full review, or coherent because I’m not sure I can guarantee that.

See, when they started letting people in the venue was full of smoke and since it had been very foggy that day we (read: I) were deluded into thinking that this was somehow related. Of course it is not, because that was the introduction to the whole world Taemin had created for this tour, okay? The smoke was almost certainly filled with the fragrance they have as tour goods (don’t be me and not buy it because you don’t know if you like it or not. OF COURSE YOU BUY THE FUCKING SENT BECAUSE SMELL MEMORY IS REAL AND TREASURE THAT) because it smelled amazing (throughout the whole concert to be fair). 

So, we walk through the very smokey lobby to get to our seats, and since it isn’t Tokyo Dome people should be able to get to their seats in 1 hour (spoiler: they don’t) and the Opening VTR is running on the cloth covering the stage. I will say it reminded me a little bit  of the thing SHINee did in 데리러 가 (Good Evening) when they were covered in plastic and had that colour run over them, but this was more space inspired and with Taemin crawling his way out of the plastic.. Anyway, then this cloth somehow becomes transparent while the VTR is still running and “DOOR” starts. Taemin is a genius and this first song with the VTR still being projected was so beautiful I kid you not. Then Taemin goes off stage for a brief moment and “MOVE” starts. Never trust Taemin because he is evil enough to put “MOVE” as the second song when it is literally the song I looked forward the most. With the dancers surrounding him “MOVE” is out of this world, and although the venue is smaller than Tokyo Dome I think the audience might just have been as loud.

And then Taemin has the gall to turn around and be the cutest thing in the universe with his short MC after. “一番明るい星の名前を今回のタイトルにしました。皆さんと過ごす今を一番明るい瞬間にしたくて（このタイトルを）つけてみましたが、どうですか？ピッタリですか？” (tr: ”I used the name of the brightest star for this tour. (This is) because I want to make this moment that I spend with you the brightest. What do you think? Does (the title) it fit?”). Cue Shawols trying to convince Taemin that they definitely think it does and then he smiles just like only he can that is almost smug that he could get them (/us) to do this and also almost shy because they do. I hate love him.

Then he goes Taemin:「Say!!!Ho〜!!!」 Shawols: Ho〜〜〜!!   Taemin:「Say!!!Ho!!」 Shawols:Ho!!!Ho!!!! Taemin: 「Say!!!! Sexuality〜〜〜!!!」 Shawols: KYAAAAA! Oh, what? Eh! OH! SEXUALITY??? And Taemin looks at us like we’re stupid as hell and:  Taemin:「One more time... Say!Sexuality!!!」Shawols: ......SEXUALITY!??

But we missed the timing again (this needs practice, I kid you not) and Taemin was through with us (really, he probably couldn’t spend more time on this than he had already) so he just went on with LETS GO! and then “Sexuality” started.

Moving on, “Sexuality”, “Press Your Number”, and then “Into the Rhythm” where Taemin does a Kabe-don with the dancer while smiling too much (he was having SO MUCH FUN and it showed) so the effect wasn’t that of omg!! but more like why is he so cute?. This was followed up with a stage change and out came a piano and Taemin starts playing “Love”, followed up with “Better Man” with one of my favourite performances of this concert. I can’t explain it with words, but like the whole audience was too busy watching it that they forgot to do anything with their penlights, which is not something Shawols are known for.

I can’t remember the exact timing of this MC, but after Taemin had something to drink he said that he had prepared something that might be a bit embarrassing.. both for him and for us. And we were like... what? and so he starts to beatbox and dance at the same time and then he has someone from the first row throw a golden jacket to him.. which he baaaarely catches as it goes above his head but he pulls it out of the air and ends with a turn to try to pass if of as if everything went as planned. And then he was so embarrassed but said to expect him to improve as the tour goes along. 

When Taemin does another new song “MARS” (that was played on the radio for the first time that same morning) he HAD SO MUCH FUN HE WAS GOOFING OF WITH THE DANCERS and basically just radiating happiness and joy. I personally have not seen him have so much fun on stage before, and it made me so happy to know see how happy he was and how much fun he was having. HEART EYES EVERYWHERE, okay? He also threw hearts to the audience in the front rows and I there were screams coming from every direction in the hall after that, out of joy or out of envy tbh.

Continuing with “What’s This Feeling” (which is my would be my favourite if the above had not happened, because it confirmed “MARS” will always be my favourite song of Taemin in any concert), which was where Taemin demanded Shawols sing a long (it’s not that hard, they show the lyrics they want us to sing when they want us to sing it; basically “wow wow wow” and “what’s this feeling”. 

Then he continues with “Danger”, “Thirsty”, “Soldier”, “Rise” and then “TIGER”. And I’m sure anyone still reading this knows exactly what happened during this part in Yokohama day 2. Basically he tore a button or whatever kept his shirt together in the back in the beginning of the song and then the shirt decided it didn’t want to stay in place (the the pure joy of the audience) and Taemin did his absolutely best to keep the shirt in place (even having his dancers try to put it back in place at some point) but as “Tiger” is not a slow song it was really just a struggle against time and we sure got to see most of his upper body. In the MC after Taemin begged the fans to pretend that they hadn’t seen that. Good luck with that.

Then after the encore call (someone needs to make this easier. At times we had both halves of the hall chanting “Lee Taemin” in different tempos which was a mess) Taemin still came out with “さよならひとり” (forever amazing) and Taemin then thanked us for our “amazing encore call”, and I’m pretty sure he wasn't being ironic because he looked happy as can be. Truly.  Then he does the thing that he does: “There’s only 2 more songs remaining 6v6”. Shawols: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Taemin: Can’t be helped..6v6 Shawols: NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! and Taemin goes on about how he also doesn’t want the concert to end but it has to and that if he sings another song it isn’t fair to the audience that came to earlier dates (he is so cute), BUT he sings another song for us and this time he asks us to sing along. AND IT IS “KEEPING LOVE AGAIN”. Although this review might just make me sound like a horrible person, this song is seriously not allowed because... BECAUSE. And with Shawols singing along, and Taemin removing his ear piece to hear us better.. and then the short pause after to gather his thoughts.. before “Are you satisfied now?6v6”. This fucking brat. I hate love him.

After all this he also introduces the next song by saying “僕が皆さんに伝えたい気持ちを歌詞に込めた曲です。誰にでも辛くて大変な時はありますが、そんな時こそ光を見つけられる時だと思います。僕にとってはSHINeeのメンバーやファンの皆さんが光です” (Tr: “The lyrics of this song is what I want to convey to all of you. Everyone has a time when they’re struggling and everything is hard, but I think you can find light even in those times. For me, my light is the SHINee members and all of my (/our) fans”). There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience when he performed “Under my Skin”.  The concert ended with “Holy Water” (which is A BOP!) and Taemin yelling “みんな、すきだよ！” and the stage moves to form TAEMIN while the lights dim down.

I’m so proud of him. From the very beginning to the very last second there wasn’t a single person in the audience that wasn’t completely focused on that stage. I saw so many tweets saying they even forgot to scream and yell fan chants because they were so overwhelmed, and it’s not an exaggeration. It was my first Taemin solo stage, and while I’m Key biased, Taemin blew all my expectations away. 

[volleygifs]

Haikyuu Fic Recs!

So I’m going to premise this rec list by saying that I like fics on the long-side so if you’re looking for short one-shots, you might not find what you’re looking for in this list. I’m not a huge fan of angst (although that doesn’t mean there isn’t any in this list, just not a lot), I enjoy smut ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) , I like a fair few rarepairs and I like to think that I’m extremely picky when it comes to how something is written, pacing etc. I’ve read all the fics in this list multiple times, they are definitely my all-time favourites. I organized these as best as I could and included the rating, word count and summary from the author for each. 

(Fics with a ♡ beside them are my 100% must-reads.)

Recs are under the cut, happy reading! 

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

IWAOI

In April – Teen – 28K - Tooru dates people and it takes Hajime a while to figure out why he hates it. Like six years.

Learning To Walk (So That We Can Run) – M – 27K - In his second year of university, physical therapy just isn’t cutting it. Oikawa’s knee is getting worse, and he can’t hide it anymore. Or: the light angst, project-your-own-life-experiences-on-Oikawa knee surgery fic you didn’t know you wanted.

♡ Conquering The Great King – E – 105K - Iwaizumi blinked his gaze over to Oikawa, “Last time was supposed to be a one time thing,” he said, voice low, lacking some conviction. 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?”

Third Times a Charm – M – 64K - There are lines you just don’t cross with your best friend. Someone probably should have told them that.

KAGEHINA

♡ Where The Night Goes – M – 21K - When their bond loses the immediate context of volleyball, they’re left to consider why it’s still so vital and important. Meeting again, by chance, six years later.

Love and Victory – M – 20K - After losing to Shiratorizawa in their final Spring High preliminary, Kageyama leaves Miyagi on a sports scholarship, and Hinata remains in Sendai for university. Or, that’s what Hinata thinks, until he runs into Kageyama on the first day of volleyball intramurals and they set out to form another winning combination.

Love and Now – E – 16K – After their break-up three years prior, Hinata attends Kageyama’s final university match.

Parisienne Walkways – M – 12K - Alternative title: Kageyama likes figure skating and Hinata is gay.

Binding Problem (WIP) – E – 95K - Hinata pines.

Countdown (Series WIP) – Teen, M, E – 28K - It starts with a phone call. Kageyama doesn’t like phone calls, but he likes Hinata. A Kagehina coming-of-age series exploring friendship and romance and awkwardness from Kageyama’s POV.

Thaw – M – 40K - Kageyama Tobio just wants to get through the day. He hates winter, he hates most people, and he really hates getting up for an 8:00AM class. That’s when Hinata Shouyou, bright and obnoxious, literally comes running into his life at full-throttle and changes everything Kageyama thought he knew.

Routine – E – 22K – Hinata is a well-known cam boy, and Kageyama is his biggest fan.

BOKUAKA

The Way You Look At Me (WIP) – Teen – 62K - Bokuto sees him every day, every commute, at the final train. The stranger he only knows as Train Guy. Wrapped in coats, mystery, and distance - that is, until Bokuto breaks their familiar silence. He struggles with the hardest part of befriending someone he thinks he already knows: taking a step back to reevaluate all his assumptions. He finds the easiest part is getting to learn about Train Guy all over again.

Come Downstairs – Teen – 50K - Akaashi Keiji is pretty certain that he’s got love figured out. Or at least, he’s figured out that love isn’t for him. It isn’t until his new downstairs neighbor moves in that he realizes even intelligent people make mistakes in their calculations.

♡ Give Me – M – 22K – Akaashi is quite sure of who he wants, but this is Bokuto. This needs time, tact, and timing to get there /without/ blundering. (Also if you’re looking for a Fukuroudani team fic, this is it. I love this team, I had so much fun writing all the characters and interactions within and towards Nekoma. I just love the fucking owls so much okay).

Knock On Wood – Gen – 9K - He was awake again, his mind leaving the stage it had briefly slipped into, and he sat up slowly, ignoring his protesting muscles. Something about the knock sounded so familiar- the timing, the precision with which each hit sounded against the wall and resonated in his skull, the sequence of the taps. When it did click in his brain, Bokuto’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized it sooner, couldn’t believe he was hearing it after all this time. The knock was morse code, and the message was exceptionally simple- all it said was a simple, recurring Hello.

Spending all, spending all my time (loving you) – Gen – 3K - The fastest speed ever recorded for a volleyball serve is 82 mph by the Bulgarian professional Matey Kaziyski. Bokuto’s own serve is around 75 mph on a good day. The stranger in the empty concrete lot behind Bokuto’s apartment building receives 72.4 mph of volleyball with the side of his head. In which Bokuto Koutarou plays volleyball at university, and Akaashi Keiji is a dimension traveller.

Tea Stained Polaroids – Gen – 5K – “I’m gonna date that,” Bokuto declares solemnly, and Kuroo throws a plastic spoon at his head.

♡ Cracks In The Pavement Will Lead You Home – M – 12K - Bokuto often thinks about Akaashi, especially when he’s running. It’s like his legs know where they’re supposed to take him. He grows into a habit of running a lot, just to keep that feeling going. Cracks and holes in the pavement aren’t fun to jump over if the final reward isn’t seeing Akaashi’s face. An alternate universe with a little bit of magic and a lot of growing up.

What Are The Chances? – E – 60K – Akaashi Keiji is a figure skater, and has been skating since he was a child. However, due to family issues, he’s often tasked with taking care of his adorable nephew, Shouyou, and doesn’t really see himself as one that has the time or desire for relationships. But when Shouyou runs off and leads him to a hockey player named Bokuto Koutarou, for some reason his heart stops and he can’t keep himself from thinking about him.

Campfire Effects – Gen – 11K - “my new neighbor shares my balcony and we keep running into each other outside” au, where Bokuto moves into the apartment next door and Akaashi falls in love with the neighbor that always climbs over his railing

Never Fly On One Wing – E – 23K – ‘This was not what Koutarou had planned out for his evening. Yet here he was, sweating, scratches on his arm, and a shaking cardboard box in his lap.’ In which Bokuto rescues an owl.

DAISUGA

♡ How to Manage – E – 39K - When Sugawara had walked in the office this morning, Daichi couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for hiring him. Not because he wasn’t the best candidate or because he didn’t deserve the job; he definitely was and he definitely did, but… But Daichi couldn’t help but feel the smallest pang of guilt when Suga glanced in his direction and his heart stepped out of rhythm and his cheeks flushed with heat.

Butterfly In The Subway – Teen – 62K - Sugawara Koushi has no idea he’s already in love with the man he’s supposed to hate.

♡ Black and Blue – E – 116K - Daichi’s new (temporary) neighbor is not only stunningly beautiful but also funny, friendly, with just a touch of mysterious. Naturally, Daichi freaks the fuck out. (AU where everyone lives in the same building and everyone is gay)

ASANOYA

Silica Sand – Gen – 32K – Overworked, over-stressed programmer Azumane Asahi works on the top floor of a Shinjuku skyscraper. Nervous around his coworkers and terrified of the long drop on the other side of the window, Asahi falls into a miserable routine, only to have it broken one day by a simple message on the outside of the glass. AU.

♡ Vienna Waits For You (WIP) – M – 125K - “It was the day before Nishinoya Yuu’s twenty-second birthday, and he had never been more convinced that he’d reached the end of the better part of his life.” A story about losing many things, finding some of them again, and realizing the rest wasn’t really lost after all.

The Chronicles of the Virgin Asahi – E – 88K - Asahi wants the earth to swallow him whole when he accidentally crashes into tiny Nishinoya Yuu while riding his bike. He remains unsure of his stance on disappearing off the face of the planet after Noya asks him out on a date. But with the (somewhat aggressive) encouragement of his best friends/roommates, Asahi takes one small step forward, and soon finds himself doing a lot less hiding and a lot more living than he ever thought he could.

TSUKIYAMA

Stoplights (on hiatus unfortunately) – E – 48K - Welcome to Yamaguchi Tadashi’s sexual awakening. Kindly leave your expectations at the door.

Shooting Stars and Satellites – M – 14K - Tsukishima moves to Tokyo for university, and Yamaguchi stays in Miyagi. Four years later, they see each other again.

RAREPAIR/MISC

♡ In Good Faith We Swap Our Aces  – Various Pairings – 15k - So many questions. Will Oikawa break down first, or Akaashi? Is Bokuto the bigger alien, or Ushiwaka? Who really sent a lamb for slaughter - Daichi or Kuroo? Are bonds being made or broken? What exactly is Karasuno scheming? What kind of purpose is this activity meant to achieve? And just who does this sort of arrangement please?

Not For Sale – Kuroo/Tsukki – M – 19K – Kei’s faced him plenty of times shoulder-to-shoulder or on the other side of the volleyball net; never for any other reason, and never in his very private, very carefully planned, safe time away from the court. Nevertheless, he took Kuroo’s hand and smiled bitterly, finding comfort in the sole fact that his summer couldn’t possibly get any worse.

True Ending – Mattsun/Makki – M – 12K - He never really questioned the handsy nature of their friendship, it was just something that felt normal after falling asleep on a tiny couch while watching movies too many times. Who was Hanamaki to say no to cuddles with someone he considered his best friend? The fact that Matsukawa was always a bit cute in the wee hours of the morning was just something Hanamaki would have to file away in the back of his mind.

Boiled Frogs – Mattsun/Makki – E – 91K - They’ve always been really close friends, but Hanamaki begins to question how close when Matsukawa begins dating someone else - someone else that doesn’t treat him well. When he suspects that Matsukawa may be in an abusive relationship, Hanamaki realizes that opening his best friend’s eyes to his situation may be harder than he had ever anticipated. (Pretty angsty, happy ending.)

It’s Cold Out There – Mattsun/Makki – M – 8K - Seijoh’s parties are always a mess, but this one takes the cake.

♡ Hearts of Gold – Komi/Sarukui – M - 63K - Komi goes to Fukuroudani academy with high hopes. He wishes for a fresh start and to concentrate fully on volleyball, not on his newfound sexuality. This quickly goes down the drain when he meets Sarukui Yamato. Setting his feelings aside, Komi wants to be friends with Sarukui, even when his feelings go haywire when they’re close. (Set in first year)

Into The Battlefield With a Flower Bouquet – Komi/Saukui – M – 14K - Komi likes to take naps, and Sarukui isn’t here for that. When the growing conflict between them drives Komi to challenge Sarukui to a fight, it’s up to the other Fukuroudani first years to make them stop. Then Shirofuku Yukie has an idea. (Set in first year)

♡ Rewrite the Rulebook – Ukai/Takeda – E – 100K - “Karasuno needs a coach.” Takeda knows what the volleyball team needs, and he’s determined to get it at all costs. Ukai is prepared to resist but he’s not prepared for Takeda.

Mixed Signals – Kyoutani/Yahaba – Teen – 7K - Feelings are definitely a thing he’s having. Kyoutani is really sweet. He’s family oriented and he prefers novels with female leads and he’s in all honors classes. He kind of has a big head, totally has a big smile, definitely has a big heart. His eyes are nice, he’s got that dimple. Yahaba groans and rubs his fists into his eyes.

Do Unto Others – Kindaichi/Kunimi – Teen – 10K - Over time, Kunimi has realized he really likes having Kindaichi look after him.

♡ Just The Three of Us – Kageyama/Kindaichi – Gen, Teen, E – 21K - This is the story of the Kitagawa Daiichi trio: how they came together, how they fell apart, and how they found each other again. (5 Parts)

Learning Us – Tanaka/Ennoshita – E – 42K - Tanaka Ryuunosuke had a lot to learn - about himself, about Ennoshita Chikara, and that “happily ever after” is rarely a direct path.

[floofsta-x]

Rise Before the Fall, Pt.1

parts;; One (You are here) | Two | Three (coming soon)

genre;; Science fiction, fandom – Pacific Rim!AU

pairing;; Jooheon x I.M [Jookyun, Rapper Line]; PS there’s also Kiho in here, and mentions of Hyungnu and Minhyungnu

⚠️ warnings;; violence of course [THEY’RE FIGHTING GIANT ALIENS???], fluff, bucketloads of angst, depression due to terminal illness, and some smut eventually

words;; 5497 (5.5k)

title;; The final track of the Pacific Rim OST, Drift – Blake Perlman & RZA

author’s notes;; Ahhh! I am so excited to be able to share a bit of this with you at long last! This is the first part of a Jookyun miniseries, but trust me when I say that I also have a larger, more inclusive work on the way involving the rest of the boys and this gigantic extended universe–that’s honestly gotten way too out of hand. But I will deal with that as it happens. Anticipate! I really hope you enjoy this small offering while you wait ❤︎

    It is June, 2017.

Almost two years ago, the first Kaiju emerged from the deep-sea rift known as the breach. Massive, terrifying, toxic, indestructible by conventional means, and hellbent on destruction, it ravaged a great part of the Californian coastline before finally meeting its end in the form of a nuclear warhead. There was great rejoicing. Everyone believed the threat to be over. The world sighed in relief and went on with the everyday, content to think that the terror was a singular event, a freak of space and time.

Yet, when the next reared its ugly head and leveled a good part of Tokyo, and the third headed for Sydney, Australia, the brutal truth had to be accepted. There was no end in sight. So, a council of world leaders from the nations of the Pacific Rim put their heads together. They needed a match for the towering Kaiju, the alien monsters. Thus, the Jaeger was born: a hunter, a soldier scaled up to the extreme of the alien threat. It was a crazy idea, but one that was eagerly received in light of such dire circumstances.

To be able to kill the fast-moving, agile Kaiju, scientists employed experimental technology. They hoped that the Jaegers could be controlled via mental power alone. The idea was that by syncing a man’s brain and the warrior, they would able to move as one, and naturally. Scientists quickly learned that one person on their own could not handle the load. When a second added their willpower, though, things ran a whole lot smoother.

Given the green light to proceed with production, within months, a small fleet of Jaegers rolled out. A governing organization for their maintenance and command was created, too: the Pan-Pacific Defense Corps. The Jaegers could not operate without pairs of pilots, and so teams from around the world were meticulously chosen and trained. They were the first on the front lines, and ultimately also the first to realize that humankind’s gamble was paying off. One Kaiju was killed at the hands of a Jaeger. A second, six months later. The next, four months following.

Now, there is an emergence about every 5 weeks. The ragtag teams of rangers and Jaegers that exist at various points around the Pacific Rim have managed to check them off as they have come, but there have been unforeseen consequences for many. Innocent civilians have died of Kaiju Blue, from attack, and from fear and panic. Mark 1 and 2 Jaegers have gone down, killing pilots, experienced and inexperienced alike. The world is tired, though the human spirit fights on.

This is the story of two young men, recruited by necessity and hardened by combat. Forged into best friends in the cockpit of their Mark 2 Jaeger, Blind Rhythm, Lee Jooheon and Im Changkyun have managed to fight their way through 3 solo kills and 1 team drop without becoming an alien monster’s gigantic toy. They’ve just been deployed again, against the biggest, nastiest Kaiju yet, and they’re going to need every bit of wit, skill and strength they can muster…

Lee Jooheon jerked out of his deep, dreamless slumber and almost instantly realized that something was wrong. The familiar, piercing sound of sirens rang in his ears and bright light pushed the dark away as the LED screen on the wall of the bunkroom lit up. Though he was still hazy and scrabbling for alertness, one thought ran through his head and one thought alone: Kaiju. And since the screen is up, we’re being deployed, then. Groaning, he rolled over and rubbed his eyes, then glanced toward the clock on the wall. 12:15 blinked back at him in blocky lines. 

“Changkyun? Hey, let’s go man. We’re up.” The messy-haired, chubby-cheeked boy groaned sleepily, wiggling a little bit to rock the bed. Doubtless, momentarily there would come a reply like “Ok, ok, you don’t need to tell me twice, Jooheon hyung.”

But there was only silence. “Come on, don’t act like the maknae. People need us–” 

Wait a minute. I don’t even hear breathing. Jooheon rolled and slid out of bed, dropping the little ways to the ground, his knees bent as he hit the floor. Glancing behind him, it hit him that his suspicion was correct. The bottom bunk was empty, sheets not even touched. 

Dread descended on him. “Kyunie…where did you go this time?” he half-asked, sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. It was a futile question, only for his own peace of mind; he knew without even having to look around that his co-pilot wasn’t here. 

The LED panel was urgently trying to blind him, but it didn’t matter at the moment. As he stood there and tried to get the gears of his brain moving, Jooheon couldn’t seem to think of anything else but his best friend and partner in crime. Changkyun meant the world to him. They had flown together for three years, first in basic training, then the Air Force, and now for the PPDC. Now, on missions, they lived in each others’ heads, but far before that, they had known their friendship was special. It had always been so natural, and though they had a few hard times they found themselves unable to stay away for long.

Apparently, others noticed too. Six months ago, an officer had approached them and recruited them for the PPDC. Jooheon and Changkyun had become part of the second generation of Jaeger pilots. Many commented on how strong their drift compatibility was. At first, both of them thought that it was a blessing. Then, they rushed through training (the Los Angeles Academy was still non-existent at that point) before ultimately command told them that they were to fill the cockpit of a Mark 2.

Blind Rhythm, they named the mech–and the duo learned very quickly how truly terrifying facing down a Kaiju was. It was without a doubt the scariest thing anyone could do, but together they had managed to keep their cool and bagged their first kill.

The next one was a little better than the first. The third went down in no time. And now they were about to be thrust into the fray again.

Once the cold of the concrete floor had seeped into his bones and he felt alert enough to think, Jooheon glanced over at the screen at long last. This kaiju–Blitzkrieg, apparently–was hands down the biggest that had ever emerged from the breach. They already had stats on it, as well as possible primary offensive strategies and mechanisms. Thirty minutes until report time, the red clock in the corner blinked forebodingly. Thirty minutes to find my co-pilot.

As he pulled on a pair of tennis shoes on, Jooheon shook his head and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then dove out the door in his boxers and rumpled tank top. He didn’t care that he wasn’t wearing socks, that his hair was a mess, that he probably looked like he had walked out of the apocalypse. His brain was going too fast, thinking of possible places to find a twenty-one year old boy–because in a few ways he still was a boy–Changkyunie.

Jooheon jogged down the corridor, purposefully passing halls of bunks and quarters. His instinct was to ask someone, and of course the first person to cross his mind was Shin “Wonho” Hoseok, head of Blind Rhythm’s J-Tech team. Hoseok-hyung was a good friend of theirs and always supportive. Many admired him for his body, but those who really knew him easily saw that he was as kind-hearted as handsome and sexy.

Finally Jooheon pulled up in front of the door he needed and knocked. Faintly, from inside, there came, “Just a minute!” 

That was fine. He had seconds to spare; also, it was a perfect moment to lean forward and catch his breath. Finally, the doorknob wiggled and none other than Wonho himself pulled it open. 

Boy, was he a sight. His dark, blue-green streaked hair stuck out oddly, and he was half-naked and adjusting his boxers, like he had just put them on and pulled them up. More than that, though, Hoseok…well, to put it nicely, it looked like someone had been having a little bit of fun with him. Lines of red and black hickeys dotted his neck and collarbone, and his lips (plus the immediate area around them) were redder and more swollen than usual.

“Jooheon-ah!” He gasped when he realized who it was. “What are you doing here, shouldn’t you should be suiting up–”

“I know, I know.” The chubby-cheeked pilot waved his hand dismissively, and before the older boy could protest he cut in, “Have you seen or heard from Changkyun? I can’t find him.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Who is it, Hoseok-ah?” In the dark, another voice spoke; moments later, someone else quite unashamedly came up behind Wonho and wrapped their arms around his torso. A lazy hand ran down his chest and defined abs. Not too much to Jooheon’s surprise, it was Yoo Kihyun, another friend and a doctor in the medical bay. So that was why Wonho had been finding every excuse to go there lately.

“Jooheonie.” Kihyun said with surprise, regaining his professional posture, though he didn’t remove his arms from around the older man’s waist. “Why are you here? You drop in 25 minutes.”

“He’s looking for I.M.” Wonho explained, patting the hand on his stomach and subtly lacing his fingers with Kihyun’s. “You haven’t happened to see him, have you?”

The black-haired, sharp-faced doctor shook his head. “No. But–I have heard people say that for the last month or so, he goes outside at night. To the lake.”

Jooheon abruptly remembered the last time they had drifted, and mentally rebuked himself for not thinking of it sooner. He had found out that his best friend took nightly trips to the small man-made lake just beyond the compound to watch the stars and moon, and also forget about the throbbing, sometimes excruciating, pain in his head, at the base of his brain. “Oh yeah. Say no more. Thanks.” He glanced between the two touchy boys at the door. “I’m sorry I disturbed you.”

“It’s alright, Jooheon-ah.” Wonho smiled encouragingly. “Just, go find Changkyunie and whip some Kaiju ass…ok?”

“Will do, hyung.”

“We’ll be here for you when you return as heroes.” As the pilot stepped back and nodded, turning to go, Hoseok thought of one more thing and blurted, “Jooheonie?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you please…not tell anyone?”

There it was. Jooheon knew that Wonho wasn’t oblivious to the state he was in. If that hadn’t done it, Kihyun’s loving gestures gave it away, and on top of that, Kihyun had placed himself straight behind Wonho because he was stark naked. It would take someone horribly stupid to not see the truth.

Jooheon smirked and nodded. “My lips are sealed.” Of course, there was also the drift, but Changkyun would totally understand. Both of them wanted Hoseok-hyung to be happy, and neither had ever seen him as radiant as he had been in the last few weeks. It was obvious, now, why that was.

With a final duck of his head to his hyungs, Jooheon took off in the direction of the exit.

Not too much later, he found his co-pilot sitting out on the end of the big dock, staring down into the water, tossing a little electronic thingy-or-other out across the lake, and catching it as it came back to him. He had invented it, probably. Jooheon couldn’t help but take a moment to stop and appreciate how ethereal Changkyun looked, sitting there with a leg up on the pier, gently bobbing up and down as the waves washed up against the floating walkway, and bathed in the light of the quarter-moon.

“Hyung.” Changkyun’s low voice rumbled as the older boy approached, and he tossed his creation out and bent his leg so that his co-pilot could sit beside him.

“Hey, Changkyunie.” Jooheon took the spot, content to relax a little and wait. He dipped a toe in the water, making ripples and watching them expand outward, the proverbial drop in the bucket of time or whatever that shit was.

Finally the older boy broke the silence. “Is it your head again?”

“It’s always my head.” Changkyun tapped the back of his neck, immediately above the first vertebrae. “Right there.”

“Yeah–I know, I felt it last drift. Weren’t you supposed to have an appointment in med bay about it?”

“I did.” Somewhere, a cricket stopped chirping, engulfing the boys in a moment of silence before another started up somewhere else. “Kihyun-ah–he and Hoseok are friends with benefits you know–ran some MRIs and told me that he’d see me again in a couple of days. He’s convincing, but couldn’t fool me. I know when a person’s beside himself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

A storm of anger clouded Changkyun’s face. “He was pitying me. Dammit, Jooheon, I wish I knew why.” For a brief moment, Changkyun tensed before he was pulling in huge breaths, letting them out, and lowly humming an indiscernible tune. His pre-combat destress routine, he called it. “But that’s not going to help me now. I’ve gotta relax.”

“So you know, then. About the Kaiju.”

Wordlessly, the younger boy lifted his phone, and pulling his earbuds out of the headphone jack, flipped on the screen and gave it a shake. Voices started blaring through the speaker: various people in command, lead techs, LOCCENT. Almost the moment he did, familiar codes and names came over the air.

“514-M. Where are J and I? They’re not in their room or in the DR [drivesuit room]. Alpha’s wondering as well. Over.”

“514-W to 514-M and 514-Alpha. I’ve seen them. They’ll be there on time. Give them space. Over.”

Jooheon chuckled and shook his head. “You scoundrel, hacking the shatterdome’s private channel.” They normally had access to the feed, too, but with a special pager that was currently sitting in a drawer somewhere back in their room and definitely not with something as insecure as a cellphone. The channel was hidden to standard searching devices and came up blank, but somehow Changkyun had managed to tweak the phone or find another devious, secret way to listen.

“I haven’t cracked the frequency that matters, though.”

“Huh? You mean the one that Marshal Hyunwoo supposedly uses to talk to H.One? You still really believe that fantasy of yours is real?”

“Then why do we have seven 514 codes? And the last one’s 514-H, huh?”

“That’s easy. It’s from when Hyunwoo wasn’t in high command yet. He was only given the title Alpha after that happened.”

“Bull. He was 514-S; that was struck from the book a long time ago.”

Jooheon groaned, throwing his head back and giving an exasperated huff. “Think about what you’re saying, Changkyun. Our hyung? Talking to the most wanted man in South Korea, the Kaiju Black Market head?”

“Our research division gets the fresh material it does somehow. Also there’s substantial evidence for the rumor that Hyunwoo has a tryst with H.One.”

“That’s all just flying pigs and fucking lies to try to tear the Marshal down, and you know it.”

Changkyun sighed; but more because he wanted quiet and peace than anything else closely related to ‘You’ve won this one’. 

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Jooheon’s momentary anger at his partner cooled at the memory of how intense his pain was. Yeah, this stupid Shownu and H.One thing had existed prior, but–Jooheon couldn’t stop his friend from thinking altogether. Perhaps it made him forget the throb in the back of his head for a while or the stress that it put on him to be so young and have to fight things that could rip him apart limb from limb like nothing. Jooheon certainly had those coping mechanisms, too: rap, for instance. The occasional broken toaster or coffee pot. Looking after wizard hacker Changkyun. 

Finally, at long last, the older boy murmured, “Are you going to be ok to fly?”

Pressing his mouth into a line and sticking his tiny invention into his pocket, Changkyun nodded. “Yeah. I took some ibuprofen before I tried going to bed and I’ll have some more when we get back to the room.” He turned and pushed himself up, to his feet, holding out a hand for support as Jooheon stood. “I’ll be fine. Time to go draw some blue blood, yeah?”

“Hell, yeah.”

Just like Wonho had said, the two of them were right on time. Side by side they had their Drivesuits put on and stepped into the Conn-Pod. Once they were connected to the tangle of wires and metal comprising the command platform and feedback cradle, they made the drop onto Blind Rhythm’s nuclear-powered body. Jooheon and Changkyun felt themselves lock into the systems and start pulling weight with the Jaeger controls.

Not too long after that, a familiar, sunny voice crackled through the comms. “Welcome back, Blind Rhythm. Everything is looking smooth and clear and sunny…of course there’s no sun, but proverbially we’ll say–”

Changkyun groaned, glancing over at Jooheon and rolling his eyes. “We get it, Minhyuk…” 

“Ahem. Yes. Right. Well, the Marshal is now on deck, let’s get this Kaiju taken care of. Neural Handshake initiating in five seconds: five, four, three–”

This was the moment of truth. Jooheon and Changkyun glanced at each other one last time before they got sucked into the drift. The familiar falling feeling washed over them, of floating through each other’s memories: old ones from their childhoods, new ones from tonight, and everything in between. 

Finally they jerked back to the present. “Neural handshake holding, strong as ever…” Minhyuk noted, to be formal. For the Marshal, of course. The pilots swung into the calibration phase, before declaring that they were ready for combat, awaiting orders.

“Gentlemen, I hope you’re aware that this is a mother of a Kaiju.”

Gentle smiles spread on the faces of the two pilots at the sound of Marshal Hyunwoo’s voice. “Yes, we know that.” Jooheon responded with what they both were thinking.

“Good. Blitzkrieg is quickly approaching the miracle mile and seems to be heading for us; or, worse, Seoul. We can’t let it get past here. You are to dispatch it on sight.”

“Yes, sir.” 

The huge steel doors of the coastal shatterdome pulled apart with a groan. Blind Rhythm stepped out onto the tarmac, then into the cold, dark, but calm sea, striding out into the water, fists clenched. Jooheon reached up for a moment to flip off the comms. “Changkyun, I don’t feel as much pain as last time, but the pressure’s there–are you ok?”

“Yes, hyung, I told you.” 

The older boy’s eyes softened as he saw that his co-pilot was doing his best to contain his temper. “You realize that if you black out, I don’t think I can survive running this Jaeger by myself.”

Deep breaths, Changkyun. Ran through both of their heads. Then, You’ll still try, though, won’t you Jooheon?

I care about you, Kyunie. I’d die for you. That’s why, yes, I’ll try, if worse comes to worse. But we need to kill this motherfucking terror together.

A mile was nothing for a man as tall as a jaeger, and soon they were sitting in their target zone. “Ok Minhyuk, feed us things.” Changkyun said, eyes darting left and right. “Where is it?”

“It seems to be circling around; I think it’s sensed y–Oh, fuck!” 

“What, Min–”

“It put on a burst of super speed–closing in on you, eleven o’clock–get out of the way, fast–!”

Blind Rhythm had just enough time to sidestep before a huge, black and blue figure emerged from the sea, mouth wide open and clawed arms extended. It missed, barely, and flew on past, landing back in the water, kicking up mist and waves as it swung around. A brief moment of calm passed. Both monster and mech seemed to be sizing each other up.

“Christ–you were right when you said it was a mother, Marshal,” Jooheon muttered in awe. In addition to being the largest Kaiju they had ever seen, Blitzkrieg was agile-looking. It was ugly, too, with the body of a big cat, a slender tail with a massive, clubbed end, and the face of a Gharial crocodile–except with more eyes and several layers of long, pointed teeth in its mouth. The beast growled ominously before opening its jaw wide and making another leap for Blind Rhythm.

“Arm razor!” Both boys shouted together and flicked their outside wrists. A gap opened up down the Jaeger’s arms; long, knife-like blades reaching from fist to shoulder slid out.

As the Kaiju landed on top and knocked them over into the water, Jooheon and Changkyun threw their first left hook. Though they were aiming for the neck, it nailed the beast in the side of the head instead. Not like that wasn’t as good of a hit, though. Blitzkrieg roared in pain and shook its head, backing off. The Jaeger managed to roll over (with some effort) and scrabbled back to its feet, water washing off of the gray hull.

They only had seconds before they were set on again, the stone-like mass on the Kaiju’s tail smashing into their side. Changkyun, the left hemisphere, cried out; the backwash of pain got Jooheon’s blood boiling.

“You–you son of a bitch!” The older boy roared and straightened, reaching out to grab the tail as it came around for another hit. “Give us that!” By then, Changkyun had recovered. Quickly he grabbed just below where Jooheon’s right hand was, flicking his wrist down. The sharp blade on the side of the Jaeger’s wrist sliced clean through, detaching the club.

The Kaiju’s roars were starting to become more angry than pained; but the two boys could tell that taking off the tail had hurt. Jooheon flung the dead flesh out to sea. Then at the sight of the beast’s gaping maw coming around to snap at them, he instinctively leaned in with a shoulder. The beast attached itself there, and this time the older pilot was the one to have white hot agony flash through him. He thought that he could feel the individual rows of teeth burrow in; the beast chewed a little. “Agh! This is your chance Changkyun!”

The younger boy gritted his teeth and put his arm up against the Kaiju’s exposed neck. Acidic blue blood started running down as the knives cut into its flesh.

As the monster reared back to get away, Jooheon summoned his strength and reached up, electrical wires sparking and popping, and grabbed onto the long jaw, pulling the whole beast back toward them and onto Changkyun’s arm. In one smooth, fluid motion the latter elbowed out, cutting deep, deep into a weak spot in the Kaiju’s armor. The only thing that stopped them from taking its head off completely was its spine.

Wheezing and unable to breathe, the Kaiju stepped back, knowing that it was at its end. Blood poured out of the gash the Jaeger had created. Together, Jooheon and Changkyun reached down and grabbed the snout once more, but from the underside, surging forward and pushing the beast back, bending its neck at an extreme angle. Moments later, a snap ripped through the air, and the beast hung lifeless in their grip. Everything was silent, except for the two pilots’ heavy breathing. Blue blood dripped from the Jaeger’s hands into the sea.

Then there was a cheer from LOCCENT, Minhyuk at the forefront of it. “Kaiju Blitzkrieg has been eliminated!“

“Good work, boys.” Marshal Hyunwoo told the two pilots. “Leave the body there, we’ll have a containment dome over it soon.”

Neither Jooheon nor Changkyun spoke to each other as they strode back through the water to the shatterdome. They really didn’t need to; they knew what was running through each other’s heads. Shock lingered from everything that had just happened–and so fast.

Techs were swarming all over the damaged mech almost the moment that it reached the bay and powered down. When the pilots stepped out of the conn-pod onto the high walkway, Wonho was waiting, a huge grin on his face. His collared uniform covered up the area where Jooheon knew Kihyun’s bruises had turned purple. “Congrats guys.”

“Thank you Hoseok.” Jooheon nodded to their friend and grinned.

But Changkyun said nothing, just shuffled and stared at the floor, rocking on the balls of his feet. For some reason, after being in a Jaeger, pilots could still often feel what the other was thinking even after the neural handshake broke. The first pilots had called it a Post-drift hangover, and the name stuck. The raging one Jooheon had now told him everything. 

The painkillers were wearing off, and the throb in the back of the younger boy’s head was now unbearable. He felt like he was about to black out, but determinedly he kept himself upright. It took all his strength. He hadn’t even noticed Hoseok standing there.

Behavior like this wasn’t normal for Changkyun, and Wonho quickly picked up that something was wrong. He made a worried face and tilted his head quizzically at Jooheon.

“It’s ok.” the chubby-cheeked pilot reached over and placed a hand gently on his best friend’s shoulder. The younger boy looked up at him, in the eyes. Pain was evident on Changkyun’s face, and sunk deep into his irises. “Maybe something happened during the drift, I should take him to the med bay–”

At ‘med bay’, Changkyun seemed to come alive, and he shrugged off the hand, cutting in almost defensively, “No. I’m fine. I just need a little while.” Jooheon could see him fill up his lungs all the way, and then with a calmer tone, addressed their hyung. “Yes, thank you, Hoseok. Please take care of her.” 

“I’ll do my best.” Wonho nodded, knowing full well that he was referring to the Jaeger. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes.” Exasperation seeped back into the maknae’s tone. “I just need out of this drivesuit.” He started pulling at the release latch for the spinal clamp, behind his head.

“Changkyunie,” someone called from down the walkway, and Minhyuk came jogging to them. “Wait, let’s get back to the DR.”

The tall, slender LOCCENT officer led them there, but they made slow progress. Jooheon had to catch Changkyun on his shoulder, after the latter stumbled and almost fell in the hallway. Quietly, so that Minhyuk wouldn’t hear, Jooheon prodded his co-pilot, “Why won’t you let me take you to the medical bay? You need it.”

Changkyun let out a labored sigh. “I don’t want them looking at me.”

“We can ask for Kihyunie. You trust his hands, don’t you?”

Weakly, the younger boy shook his head. “You know, I told you earlier that Kihyun was pitying me? Everyone there looks at me like that. I don’t want to go.”

Right about that time, they reached the drivesuit room and Minhyuk turned to help them. Jooheon motioned that his co-pilot should get help first. Minhyuk only nodded and settled Changkyun down into a chair. In no time his slender, deft fingers had pulled the release. After that, the circuitry suit zipper only needed to be undone before he could slide out of the battle armor. 

Soon enough Jooheon was out, too, leaving both boys in underwear only. Changkyun tried getting into habit, but his best friend stopped him and gently pried the clothes from his hands, handing him a different set instead.

If anyone saw them as they went back to their room, no one interrupted. Jooheon wondered if it was a funny sight: one chubby cheeked boy in uniform, carrying another on his shoulders. The passenger wasn’t in uniform but instead in a pair of athletic shorts and a hole-ridden tee shirt. His arms and legs wrapped around the other, and his eyes drooped closed involuntarily.

Jooheon could feel Changkyun’s thoughts blank in and out as he succumbed to a mixture of pain and exhaustion. At long last he could set his co-pilot down in his bed. Jooheon pulled the sheets over the younger boy, and sat there a minute to rub his forehead before Changkyun’s consciousness flicked off for good.

The two pilots slept for a long time, and woke up feeling at least better about the kill they had managed to pull off. After that, a couple of days passed slowly. Changkyun still had excruciating pain, but the day-to-day routine they resumed, packed full of training, conditioning, and downtimes with friends, made it not as bad.

Jooheon couldn’t help worrying constantly about his best friend. He had never considered himself to be an anxious person, but now that Changkyun was struggling to live normally, he found that it was so easy to get that nauseous feeling at the thought of how sad and in pain the younger boy was. It ate at Jooheon. All he could do to keep himself level was stick to his own routine.

One evening, Jooheon returned to their bunk around six pm to discover that Changkyun wasn’t there. He hadn’t seen him in any of the usual places, so he had assumed the younger boy had already returned here. Jooheon’s stomach dropped, but he somehow managed to convince himself that it wasn’t reason to worry. Faintly, he remembered that Kihyun had called Changkyun back and asked him if he would be willing to meet for an appointment at five. Of course, Kyunie had agreed, and that was probably where he was now.

Changing into some comfy jeans and a black tee, Jooheon lounged at his desk. Taking out some clamps and screwdrivers, he busied himself in pulling apart a blender that he had found abandoned in a hallway. Many people in the shatterdome knew Jooheon’s talent for mechanics and so trusted him with various repairs. After realizing that he was being called on more and more, he started charging a small fee for his services. He also picked up appliances sometimes and worked on them, cleaning them for resale or personal use. The almost-mindless work kept his brain occupied and wiped away the stress of the day. 

The next time Jooheon looked up, the digital clock on the wall said 11:00, and the ranger’s eyes widened.

His next thought was the realization that Changkyun still wasn’t back. If he was going to sleep tonight, he would have been here long ago. Instantly, Jooheon knew where he would more than likely be. He still went out to the lake lots of times. Often Jooheon would let him have his peace, but considering that Kyunie had met with Kihyun today…a feeling deep in the pit of the older boy’s stomach urged him to go.

So minutes later, Jooheon found himself out in the night air, hands in pockets, wandering out to the water’s edge. It was a nice evening, but for some reason the wind chilled him more than normal. 

Changkyun was sitting in his usual spot: on the dock, both feet over the edge, motionless. So motionless in fact that Jooheon wondered for a moment if he was asleep. But as he heard his hyung’s footsteps approach, the younger boy turned his head to see who was there and tried his hardest to smile. 

With a jolt, Jooheon realized that his best friend was paler than the moonlight that shone down on him. The chubby-cheeked ranger plopped down next to Changkyun, their hips pressed together, body heat warming each other up. 

For a moment, sitting like this, neither spoke. 

“Is it your head again?”

Changkyun smiled weakly and laughed a little. “It’s always my head.” giving the tiniest hint of a sly grin, he lifted his hand and tapped the usual spot. “Right there.”

Jooheon didn’t have the heart to continue on. Nor did he know how to. Another long moment of silence reigned, expectant silence, unsure silence.

“Jooheonie, I’m dying.”

[miragablog]

Top 10 Mahou Shoujo Shows for Babies (Part 2)

Now let's move onto Majokko, or Witch Girl...

Mahoutsukai PreCure

Junior High student Mirai Asahina is your typical tween. Between spring break, She goes out and spots a mysterious object fall into the park close by. Inspecting the area Mirai bumps into a novice witch by the name of Riko.

Scouring the human world for a magical gem known as a Linkle Stone the duo are thrown into unwarranted conflict with the minions of a dark sorcerer.

 Ah Pretty Cure, the untamable cthulian beast that haunts my every nightmare.

Being WAY behind in the franchise myself, I can't honestly speak on how great this season is comparatively to others.

What I can say however is that, as far as Majokko Mahou Shoujo goes Mahoutsukai Precure is a fun entry into a rarely explored subgenre.

Watching Mirai and Riko’s friendship blossom and Mofurun just be- Mofurun is a pleasure enough but combined with cute, bright visuals and varied transformations I fell head over heels for Mahoutsukai.

Like everybody and their mother has said, Pretty Cure has some solid Sakuga and Mahoutsukai isn't missing out on any of it.

Say what you will about the toy hole Bandai has created for the franchise or its scattered quality since Futari Wa Pretty cure. I’ve really enjoyed what i’ve seen so far.

If you’re into some sweet witchy goodness and looking for an accessible entry point into the Pretty Cure franchise, Mahoutsukai may just be the broom ride you need.

Kobato

 Kobato Hanato is a naive, young women with a wish to travel to a certain place.

Through helping others, Kobato must fill a magic jar with “konpeito” to see her goal come to fruition.

With the help of a talking stuffed dog named Ioryogi, Kobato can grant her wish, so long as she doesn't fall in love with somebody she heals, of course.

 I have to be really upfront here, this is the first title i’m revisiting out of the list. A show has not made me cry so early on since Skip Beat, and that's saying something.

 Kobato’s visuals are breathtaking, adapting Clamp’s wonderful character designs with a detailed level of care.

It's ridiculously rare to see a show so faithful to the source materials intent like this nowadays.

The soundtrack is this dangerous mixture of heart wrenching and nostalgic that just ruins your tear ducts.

One of the main perpetrators for this being Kobato’s character song, Ashita Kuru Hi or “The day that will come tomorrow”. Going right by Aozora and Tuxedo Mirage on the “cry like a little bitch” playlist I have tucked away.

 Genre-wise Kobato harkens back to the themes of early mahou shoujo, where magical girls were just young women with otherworldly powers.

There are no transformations, no magical weapons- just a weird girl and her surly companion, solving the mundane problems of broken people.

 Forewarning that the show is slow paced and if you wanting something with a little less emotional weight to it, this may not be a great fit.

However, If you’re looking to jump into a pool of your own tears while enjoying some fantastic old school Mahou shoujo, Kobato is the girl for you.

Ojamajo Doremi

 Doremi Harukaze is the “World’s Unluckiest Pretty Girl”. That’s at least what she believes. Fascinated with magic, she stumbles upon a mysterious shop run by a creepy lady, Majo Rika. Doremi being the smart cookie she is deduces that Rika is a witch that, due to a curse must keep her identity a secret. Promising secrecy, Doremi is in turn taken under the witch's wing as an apprentice and hijinx ensues.

When finding Ojamajo Doremi, I got the reminiscent feeling that I could've watched it on something like 4kidz, with a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles and my kitty in my lap before school.

Like a mixture between Tokyo Mew Mew and Digimon, I love the shows infectious energetic vibe.

While most works in the genre do deal with the maturation process of young girls, Ojamajo feels quite believable with how it presents its cast. Doremi acts like a curious third grader and the adults around her and her classmate all feel around their own age.

The strange part that makes Ojamajo Doremi is its unorthodox transformations, with the girls literally putting the witches clothes on and the power of their weapons being limited. I LOVE this aspect of the show as it lends to grounding the setting even further into a fantastical reality.

If you’re into cute kinetic comedy and watching some wacky little kids become witches then I highly recommend watching this adorable slice of Majokko.

Magical Angel Creamy Mami

 A up and coming Pop star in a milky galaxy, Yuu Morisawa is a sassy, fun loving girl with a pension for mischief; shirking responsibility to go play in the neighborhood.

However her cat like curiosity lead her to encounter extraterrestrial beings from beyond the cosmos, whom bestow upon her the power to transform into a teenager for a year.

With the help of her companions, Nega and Posi, Yuu can't just save the day but has to balance a life as an idol and actress!

 If you want something really different from typical Mahou Shoujo, I highly recommend Creamy Mami. Not only does it play with some light sci fi themes but presents beautiful pastel art and a energetic cast, brimming with strange characters.

It is still very much of its time, airing in the early 80’s but that doesn't hinder its beautiful charm.

 Aliens are rarely seen in a genre like Mahou Shoujo and having them utilized in such a quirky manner makes Creamy Mami stand out. Other than watching Madoka for the first time, This was the most recent instance of me feeling uneasy while watching a show in the genre.

 One thing that has Creamy Mami in my graces is its bubbly retropop aesthetic, invoked by a soundtrack chucked full of songs that can only make me want to go to a karaoke bar in Akihabara and dance the night away.

 Whether or not you're into the retro aesthetic, Creamy Mamis a cool, poppy experience for anyone with a sweet tooth for fun.

Show By Rock!

 Cyan has always regarded herself as a ordinary girl, despite her musical telent. Without the confidence to join a band, all her dreams seem for not. That is until shes transported to world of Midi City where everyday is a concert and everyone wants to be a pop star. Scouted by a ragtag recording company, Cyan is thrusted into the world of music and must fight evil with the power of song!

As one of Sanrio’s recent properties, Show by Rock surprised me and many others with its nutty, Jodie and the Pussycats take on Mahou Idol.

Music being a driving force in establishing critical moments for any show, it’s important for the image songs to stick out in show of this kind. And Boy oh boy do I love every sugary, Jpoppy moment of Plasmagica’s discography.

The property being based off a rhythm game lends its soundtrack to a diverse blend of Electronica, Pop, Visual Kei, Indie and Folk rock- I could keep going for FUCKING DAYS DUDE.

And I know what you're wondering, “But Mirage the show looks like it's mostly CG? Isn't that bad?”

CG is a tool that can enhance and lift up a adaptation, or bastardize the intent of a work and piss off its fanbase.

Yet Show by Rock sits at the lucky impasse of not being based on a prior written property but a video game, diverting any kind of expectations people have of the work.

That is not to say the CG is horrible however.

In fact I think Show By Rock presents one of the best exercises in overt 3d modelling currently standing, in an industry full of PS2 models and- (Abunai Sisters) What. What the fuck is that?

Then again im talking about BONES and when BONES picks up a property, it's bound to turn some heads.

( Also uh if you don't get down with this sweet lesbian subtext well uh im sorry man we cant mix. I mean there’s bad taste and then there's hedonism. )

JPOP, Fujoshi bait or hell even Hello Kitty- Show by Rock catches you off guard with its unorthodox presentation but eventually reels the audience in with the power of music.

Definitely worthy of your time and maybe a APK download. -\owo/-

------------------

And so I get to the bottom of my beginner recommendations. Next video is already in the works, gunning to be either a more Shoujo oriented analytical piece or a Mahou Shoujo history lesson ^o^. Thank you all for your patience on this. Life got in the way, as it does but with some new soundproofing and a recent switch to premier (after this vod) i'm looking to make the next video a tad more focused on one subject.

[nellpire]

[080424] Nell - Separation Anxiety interview

Q: Please introduce your new album. Jongwan: The album title is Separation Anxiety. I think that attachment and obsession is something everyone experiences as we live. It can be towards a person, or towards a dream, for example, and this album talks about the anxiety of possibly growing apart from those things, or the loss of them. We worked very hard on it.

Q: What do each of you feel separation anxiety towards? Junghoon: It's probably the same for all of us, but the anxiety regarding human connections is big. Should I call it the gap between reality and the ideal? (laughter) I think all humans have an anxious side, and we wanted to express those sides through this album.

Q: The public reaction is always very diverse when you release an album. Jongwan: We've never paid much attention to what goes on around us when we make music, so that doesn't bother us. It's okay, because to us this was a good change, an album that allowed us to take another step forward. 

Q: The synth sound is a bit more prominent this time. Jongwan: Rather than us going for a synthier sound, we think each song has a specific form from the start. It's the musician's job to express that form, and as we searched for the form that each song wanted, I think we just ended up using a lot of synth. The album can be divided into beginning, middle and end parts, and while the beginning part is pretty simple with a lot of synth, we paid attention to the harmony of guitars and synths in the beginning and end parts. 

Q: What is the concept of this album?  Jongwan: We wrote 50 songs for this album and recorded 27. Out of those, 11 made it onto the album, but rather than us specifically wanting 11 songs, we feel that full albums need to have a good flow. I think it got divided into beginning, middle and end parts as we tried to find that flow.

Q: It can't have been easy to stay together as a band for 10 years. Jaewon: We've been friends since we were young, so maintaining our friendship was easy. Surely along the way there have been trivial arguments, or... they've been a bit annoyed by working with me. (laughter) I'm like that when it comes to work. Nell: When it comes to playing around, though... (laughter)

Q: You sold more than 20,000 copies despite the recession. Jongwan: It's a real blessing to us. We've always made the music we wanted, and we are so thankful that there are people out there who wait for us and like what we do. Especially since we're not particularly tall or handsome, but just work hard at what we do, and people seem to see us in a good light because of that. 

Q: Jaekyung's popularity with the fans is really immense. Everyone but Jaekyung: You worked hard (laughter).

Q: Nell seems to always stand on the border between the indie scene and the mainstream. Jongwan: I know you shouldn't say this in an interview, but we're really the style to not think about that very much. We think a lot when we prepare for performances or albums, but other than that we don't really think a lot about mass appeal, so it's not particularly hard or difficult for us. Jaekyung: We always just do what we want, but it seems people regard us as you say. 

Q: Many of your songs have unique titles, such as '_' and '1:03'. Jongwan: Many of them are closely related to the lyrics. But in the case of '1:03', that's simply what the time was when we finished the song. 'Tokyo' got its name because we wrote it in Tokyo. '_' doesn't have a meaning. You'll know if you listen to the song, but it has a feeling that is hard to express in words, so since we felt that putting a title on it would cause a disturbance, we just named it Underbar. 

Q: Where did the vocal effect on Underbar come from? Jongwan: Underbar's lyrics aren't included in the booklet with the rest, but they're very realistic. Because of these realistic lyrics, we felt that a surreal voice would be good, plus, if you don't listen carefully, you can't hear the lyrics very well. We liked that feeling, and the feeling of hearing the lyrics moment by moment.  Jaekyung: I think it makes it sound even sadder. It might sound random when you first hear it, but if you listen to it while knowing the lyrics, it's really sad. Personally, I felt it was very moving. 

Q: Nell's music is depressing, but the members all seem bright and cheerful? Jongwan: I can't say the music is totally different from my personality, but I blow off a lot of steam when drinking, and when I don't drink I also don't talk much, but the four of us have a lot of fun when we're together. We're actually very cautious of strangers and other people when we're together, and if we meet someone else we don't talk nearly as much. I think people are like that in general. You don't tell your friends everything you feel. I guess you could talk when you go drinking with close friends, but you can't always tell them everything you feel from day to day, or if you're suffering, so for me I think those things come out a lot in our music. My every day self could be a bit fake, or it might not, I honestly don't know. 

Q: Are you changing musically as you grow older? Jongwan: I think we're all changing naturally with age or with time, but usually when that happens you watch yourself from extremely close up, and I think while making this album I got to step back and see myself from more of a distance. Should I say it felt like seeing myself from a third person's perspective? So I think because of that I've calmed down a bit and there were many things I gave up on. Jaekyung: Musically our scale got bigger and I think we can express better what we want. I always felt that what I imagined in my head came out distorted, but now I think we can express it well. Junghoon: I think we expanded ourselves as we recorded, which can be good and bad. Now we can truly look at music as music. Jaewon: We used a lot of programming, so I went back and forth a lot in the process of burying acoustic drums in that sound. I'm happy with the result and I think I can do even better next time.

Q: As much as you matured musically, your appearance also became cooler. Jaekyung: Thank you for seeing it that way. When all is said and done, the secret to beauty is the hard work of the stylists. (laughter) Jongwan: We're in charge of visuals. (laughter)

Q: After Nell's breakthrough, many other bands with a similar feel appeared. Jongwan: They're all good at what they do, so we never got that feeling. No matter what, a band making music and doing activities is a happy thing to us. And we hope many more will be introduced and successful in the future. If there are kids in high school right now just taking up music, who listen to our songs, think "I want to do that too" and end up working hard for themselves, then we are proud and touched by that. We want to help if we can. 

Q: What is the joy of band music? Jongwan: I think it's the same for all music. For bands, in our case these neighborhood friends got to work together. We get to do what we like as a job, and since we're with long-time friends we're never lonely, and when it gets hard we understand one another and can go for a drink. Jaekyung: It's likely the same for all occupations, but since it's work we really want to do, it's okay even when it gets hard, and I think that's a huge joy. 

Q: Are you in a situation where you can make the music you want without any meddling from your agency? Jongwan: There's barely any. I think because the people around us know our personalities and how we've worked so far, so they don't try.

Q: Please introduce the exquisite fusion of '80s synth pop and modern rock that is 'Tokyo'. Jongwan: Me and Junghoon went on a trip to Japan after the Christmas concert last year. You can try the instruments in the music stores there. We played a bit of this and that until I found an instrument I had wanted to try for a while, and we wrote this song while playing that. We came back to Korea and did the arranging, but Junghoon and Jaewon had two different ideas about how it should sound and they were both good, so we mixed the best points of both. We combined samples with acoustic drums and the rhythm made the song exciting.

Q: The new songs were all written by Jongwan, but what are the other members' styles? Junghoon: I write at home in my spare time, and I think my style is strong rhythms. I'd like to show something sometime when there's a chance. Jaewon: I also didn't write much, but my style is sloppy drum and bass? (laughter) I don't know melody and chords well so if I do write then it's only drum and bass. I need help from friends and work hard, right. Jaekyung: I make music that's more dreamy than Nell's. I'm making music that's heading for a dreamland. I want to create beautiful music. Jongwan: Isn't that just you heading for a dreamland? (laughter) 

Q: Does anyone have thoughts of starting another project besides Nell? Jaewon: If I find someone I match with and it works musically, then I could do it if there was a chance.

Q: Jaewon seems to have the most unusual personality out of the members? Jaewon: I'm an idiot. Jongwan: He's funny. With lots of talents. And he's really good at talking to himself.

Q: Is there a reason for counting your indie and major albums differently? Jongwan: It's nothing important. Looking at the foreign bands we liked when we were young, their so called first albums were not actually their first records. They released their first album when they were underground or indie... that all seemed like a given to us, and rather than having meaning for us it just seemed natural since we'd seen it so much growing up. 

Q: I heard you're doing everything including stage design for your upcoming concert. Jongwan: To bands especially, I think albums and concerts are the most important. Concerts are where we show ourselves, you know. Therefore, we think that the stage itself needs to express the music. Since it's our album release concert this time, we want to show the new elements in our music through the stage. We're working very hard on it.

Q: Do you buy albums often? Jongwan: We spend a lot of time in the car, so we listen to music in there a lot. Junghoon: When we were preparing our album we couldn't listen a lot, so I recently went to a record shop in Hongdae and bought a lot. Jaekyung: Apparently these friends bought a lot of CDs and even CDPs while I slept. It's good to see. 

Q: What are your plans for the remaining album promotions? Jongwan: It's been 1 year and 6 months since our last full album. We can meet people who like to listen to our music in their spare time through concerts, but we're trying hard to do do a lot of music shows, radio and interviews so as to not have our image distorted.

Feel free to use, but please credit Nellpire.

[whatdoyouexpectthistime]

Her Love In The Zombie Apocalypse: Goodbye Goto

Author’s Note: This is the result of a dream I had, and I am absolutely unapologetic for dropping the Instructors in a zombie ridden Tokyo. Who knows... maybe this won’t just be a oneshot?

Happiness doesn’t last, does it?

In the perfect world, we grow to be strong, learn to believe in ourselves and to have the courage of our convictions, and finally meet someone with whom we can be that person – in both strength and weakness.

When you find that person, don’t let the small, the insignificant things come between you.

Embrace.

Embrace your differences and each other and don’t let go. Fight hard and with everything you’ve got.

Because you never truly know when the dream will end.

Panting and laboured beneath the weight of my backpack, I struggle to keep pace. Kaga and Soma are already pulling aside our barricade at the east end of the academy, while Shinonome and Ishigami stand alert for approaching threats.

At my side – always at my side – Seiji remains in step.

His face is smeared with the horror of his narrow escape, much like the rest of us.

But one of us fell, one of us didn’t really escape at all, the others just don’t know it yet.

Seiji doesn’t know it yet.

“Get the hell in here!” Kaga barks, but his curt urgency is no exaggeration now.

The threat is real, however disbelieving we were at the beginning, the truth has well and truly sunk in.

“Christ,” he huffs as Seiji and I pass him, and he and Soma begin to reassemble the barricade protecting our fortress home. “Could you possibly find a smaller pack?”

“Screw you,” I gasp, stumbling into the foyer and sliding the bag from my aching shoulders.

It hits the floor with a heavy clunk, the cans within part of the bounty we’d retrieved from several convenience stores much further from the academy than we have ever venture since the incident. Those closest to the academy have already been stripped bear, and it was the necessity to eat, and to provide for those who also shelter with us, that prompted a much more dangerous run to distant sources.

Roaring in my ears, my pulse refuses to slow, and Seiji looks me over with worry.

“Are you all right?” he asks quietly, leaning against the wall beside me, peering at me with those gunmetal eyes haunted by deep concern.

“Mm,” I nod, giving him a weary smile.

Anything to ease his troubles.

Anything to lighten this heart I love.

Anything to protect it from breaking.

But I can’t.

“That was intense,” I add, as Ishigami joins us.

“Everyone okay?” he asks, the blandness of his expression a stark contrast to the dangle of gore hanging from the left side of his glasses.

“Yeah,” Seiji confirms, and I nod also.

Liar.

But they take my word for it, this trust is what has kept us alive this long.

There are untold numbers of dead in Tokyo, some permanently, some now roaming, shambling, looking for prey – because it all happened so quickly, and people didn’t know how fast the infection spread, how virulent it was.

We still don’t know how it started. Even law enforcement was woefully unprepared, and communication came too slow, too late.

“Let’s get this stuff to storage,” Seiji prompted, shouldering his pack, before collecting mine.

“I’m not completely useless,” I argue, but I’m playful in my scorn.

Oh how many small things has Seiji done for me? When was the exact moment his selflessness won over my heart? I have no doubt, he would gladly give his life in exchange for mine – but this time, he can’t.

 When twilight drifts, everyone goes to their posts. We check our defences, reinforce each barricade, look for weaknesses and plug them, and check night-watch rosters.

Glancing down the list I note who is meant to be at each guard position. It looks as if I’m just doing my job, but in reality I need to know who is where for a very different reason.

Shivering, I pull my jacket more closely around me, and eventually meet up with Seiji in our room.

Our room.

It was going to be a little house, with a yard big enough for a dog and a small vegetable patch. That was our shared dream.

Now, he is all that I have left of that dream, and…

“You look tired,” he tells me, gently taking my face between broad palms. “You’re cold.”

“It’s a clear night,” I point out, leaning into his touch, trying to memorise the sensation. “It’s freezing out.”

“Well, it was a long day,” he smiles, carefully sliding his fingers into my hair and running them all the way to the tips. “Early night?”

“Gladly,” I exhale, hoping he can’t tell I’m gritting my teeth behind this smile.

He doesn’t know I organised a pack of bare essentials while he was showering, and hid it from sight. He’s treating me like he always has – the centre of his world.

Mouth dry, maybe from the gathering nervousness of what I must do, or maybe… I can’t tell if the jackhammer pounding against the inside of my skull is part of my transition, or the spread of guilt and grief and emotional pain so potent it’s a wonder I can stand, let alone smile like nothing is wrong.

And everything is wrong, because the throb in my forearm, hidden by the long sleeves of my flannel pajamas, is a harbinger of my imminent death, and horrifying resurrection.

And I can’t be here when that happens.

Just the same, I snuggle under the blankets, and as Seiji is reaching over to turn off the lamp, I wrap my uninjured arm around him, and press myself mercilessly against his back.

I want to feel the imprint of his body against mine, my fingers, my hands, I want to remember every taut undulation of his chest, and the steady rhythm of his breath.

“Your hands are still icy,” he grumbles, but hugs my forearm tightly.

And I pray he doesn’t hear my breath catch and stick in my throat, or feel the desperation to withhold a sob in the tension of my muscles.

“You always warm me up,” I whisper, hardly a breath at all, and he gives my hand a squeeze.

Nothing in the world would give me greater peace, than to remain here – but if I stay, even until morning… I might truly destroy him. Instead, I listen to the sounds of him, inhale the scent of him, until he falls asleep.

And then I have to exercise the absolute, utmost of my willpower to separate – softly so as not to wake him, when all I really want is for him to wake suddenly, grab me, pull me down and wrap himself around me.

I am my own person, but I would gladly let him consume me like tht.

Cautiously I cover him back up, but the slight motion of Seiji’s head causes his fringe to flop over his closed eyelids.

So innocent.

And yet so fierce in my defence – and this is why I have to go.

He would make excuses, drag it out, maybe even beg me to stay even while knowing my fate is a foregone conclusion.

Go. GO! You have to go. For his sake.

As quietly as I can, I retrieve my backpack. There is hardly anything in it, because let’s face it, I’m not going to be needing human supplies for much longer.

Then there is the letter.

Saying goodbye, face to face, seeing him break… I can’t. And it’s not arrogance to think he will, because his heart and mine are one and mine…

… is being torn apart.

On the pillow, still fresh with the impression of my head, I leave my final missive to him, and bite down so hard on my lower lip, it bleeds. These feet won’t move but they have to.

Go.

My insides are hollowed out, a gaping, weeping wound very nearly prompting a sob when in my retreat from out room I spy Domo-kun.

It’s so stupid that Domo-kun should symbolise our love somehow, but for some reason that gift to me left a lasting impression. And even in the chaos, he stayed with us as a constant.

“Goodbye Domo-kun,” I whisper, slipping out into the hall and closing the door on all I ever wanted.

BONUS:

 “Cold,” Goto murmured, rolling over and groping across the bed for his favourite source of warmth.

It was not so jarring an awakening, for he didn’t yet know the truth. His wife could be any number of places by far more obvious than having snuck out in the night to meet her grizzly fate.

So he clutched at the blankets and tucked them under his chin, and in doing so disturbed the piece of paper beside him.

Rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand, he plucked the missive from the pillow and unfolded it.

And dread began to form, dread that turn swiftly into a panic without description.

(Author/Narrator’s note: I blame @nitelotus​ for the following recording, after she made fun of me for crying as I wrote this. At least I don’t charge stupid amounts for voiced stories right?)

-Click to LISTEN to her letter-

My dearest Seiji,

We said, till death do us part – but, I’m not sure where undeath fits into that.

I am sorry.

I made a mistake and now… the cost of it must be paid. And this is the one time you can’t save me, no matter how many times I call you name, the enemy now inside me cannot be defeated.

You will be angry that I didn’t tell you, that I didn’t… give you a chance to say goodbye, but leaving like this is the lesser of two terrible evils.

I will turn, it’s inevitable, and I don’t want your last memory of me to be as a monster.

Please remember the brush of my fingertips against your forehead.

Please remember the warmth of my body curled against yours.

Please, remember the passionate heat, and the bliss of our every union.

And let me save you this time – let me stand, even at this distance, between you and having to see me as anything other than the woman you took to be your wife.

That woman will soon be consumed, but until the very end I will fix you in my mind and heart, grip you relentlessly, because you have taught me what it means to be loved so unconditionally, so completely; I will not be afraid.

Loving you, and being loved by you, has been a privilege I’m not sure I ever really deserved, but you have been the absolute, the most precious gift I ever received.

I love you.

Your dearest wife.

 The bed beside him was cold.

When in the night had she left him?

He knew she was gone but could not control his panic. It exploded inside him, could not be contained, and it drove him from their room in his pinstriped pajamas. With abandon he threw himself down the corridor, blind almost but for a target in the distance he had no way of seeing.

Morning greeted him with a slap of winter, but Goto struggled through the haze of his desperate breaths lingering in the air, and staggered like a drunkard to the outer most manned position.

“Did you see her?!” he shouted.

“Lieutenant?” the young man queried, looking very confused.

“My wife!” Goto gasped. “Did you see her? Did she leave this way?”

But the pair stationed there could tell him nothing, nor could any of the other outer guards, and finally, her last words to him clutched in his bloodless fist, he sat, in the dirt, trembling.

Why couldn’t he see her face? Why could he only see the back of her, her retreating figure moving with laboured steps through the undead who paid her no mind?

Losing her was… there were simply no words, but to know she had gone alone with such pain in her heart was a wound to him like no other.

 And all he could do was sit, and stare off into the distance.

[pedalfuzz]

Hopscotch 2018: Pedal Fuzz Picks

The Hopscotch Music Festival is almost here! From September 6-8, downtown Raleigh, NC, will be electric with nearly-non-stop music. The Pedal Fuzz team scoured the schedule of over 120 bands for some of the acts we can't wait to see.

Our picks come from Dustin K. Britt, Melvyn Brown, Jon Foster, Eddie Garcia, and Tom Sowders. 

  H.C. McEntire - Thursday, 5:50pm (City Plaza)

I'm not going to lie or flatter myself: when I initially saw the Hopscotch lineup for 2018, I didn't recognize the name H.C. McEntire. I'd kind of slept on Un Deux Trois and Mount Moriah, even though when I'd hear them in passing they'd be added to my ever-expanding Mental List Of Things That I Definitely Need To Sit Down And Give A Serious Listen To Sometime Soon. But when I realized that H.C. McEntire was also Heather McEntire, from erstwhile mid-2000s Durham band Bellafea, I perked up pretty quickly: I loved Bellafea every time I saw them to the extent that I've considered peeling one of their old stickers off of a friend's bumper and keeping it for myself (sorry, Adam). Heather/H.C.'s new stuff is soulful and self-searching, and country-tinged in a way that avoids cynical, syrupy pastiche in favor of the authentic and sincere. I've now had a few serious listens through my headphones, but I can't wait to hear this stuff live. -  Melvyn Brown

 Real Estate - Thursday, 7:15pm (City Plaza)

I got into a fun fight with a friend a few weeks ago about whether or not "New Jersey sux LOL" is a lazy and unoriginal take (correct answer: it is!), and along with Walt Whitman and The Wrens, the band Real Estate was one of my main arguments on the Garden State's behalf. "It's Real" from 2011's Days is the cut that immediately made me a fan: the melodic interplay between the guitars, the rhythmic counterpoints and switchbacks from the bass and the drums, and the keyboard swirls all come together to produce a sound that's dreamy yet grounded, effervescent yet substantial, focused yet effortless. Martin Courtney's vocals wash cooly above it all, like waves over the sand on some idyllic Jersey Shore afternoon. The overall impression is clean, direct, and mildly euphoric, something like the mirror twin of a hangover-induced panic attack. -  Melvyn Brown

 The Flaming Lips - Thursday, 8:45pm (City Plaza)

I turned my attention to The Flaming Lips for the first time after finding out that Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker loved the song “The Gash,” off of The Soft Bulletin. I checked that song out and loved it and put it on a VERY important volume of my personal mix cd series (I believe it was Stinger Vol. 13). Anyway, it became a favorite: so big and dreamy, like a sky full of javelins. Since then, The Flaming Lips have lavishly expanded indie rock into a colossal dreamscape full of giant eyeballs and lasers and feather boas, and I have still never seen them live. That’s bout to change, y’all - I’m eager to see what these fearless freaks do at Hopscotch. - Tom Sowders

 Deaf Wish - Thursday, 11:30pm (Slim’s)

I do ‘rock bands’ less and less. Whether it’s my age, the ‘been there done that’ sameness I so often encounter, or my compulsion  to explore ‘other’ sounds, I can’t say for sure. Probably all three. SO that’s why I find it goddamn significant that when I pressed play on the Deaf Wish song “FFS” (from a press release no less!) I listened to it three times in a row and sent it to a handful of friends. It’s got that Stooges snarl, the dissonance of Sonic Youth at their more aggressive early moments, and I bet it's going to smoke live. And every member of this Australian band takes turns at vocal duties, how cool is that? - Eddie Garcia

Thundercat – Friday, 7:15pm (City Plaza)

I first went to Japan in July 2000. It was a life-defining trip. In 2017, in connection with the college I teach for, I went again. The morning I woke up in Tokyo, I opened my window, and boiled some water for instant coffee. It was early. I looked out over the street. People were just starting to move around, starting to head to their jobs as the sun began to rise. The twelfth song on Thundercat’s album Drunk is “Tokyo.” Looking at the people from my tiny hotel room and thinking about the references in the song, both the song and the experience of being there again took on a new emotional depth. - Jon Foster

Grizzly Bear -  Friday, 8:45pm (City Plaza)

The quartet’s records emit a throng of atmospheric noises coming from some unidentified dimension. Airtight vocal harmonies, instrumental experimentation, and psychedelic soundscapes are easy enough to capture in the studio, but can Ed Droste et al. deliver a sonically precise package live with adequate spontaneity and animation? I intend to find out. - Dustin K.  Britt

  Yamantaka // Sonic Titan - Friday, 10:00pm (Fletcher)

I never knew I wanted to hear a mix of shred / shoegaze / prog / pop but buddy was I wrong. And honestly, that’s not really doing justice to the melting pot of musical styles this band tackles. This experimental art & music collective swirls Buddhism with sci-fi while subverting the expectations of their Asian Canadian heritage. Their latest album is described as “the soundtrack for an unreleased Haudenosaunee- and Buddhist-themed Anime” From what I understand their live show involves much makeup and costumes and theatrical twists. I’m in. - Eddie Garcia

Shopping - Friday, 12:30am (Wicked Witch)

My wife introduced me to Shopping a couple years ago. We don’t always agree on what constitutes good music. That’s largely because I’m kind of a sad bastard who enjoys listening to the dreary music of other sad bastards, so that my own floating sadness can become inhabitable, and I can enter, sit down on a milkcrate, stay in there, stay safe and headphoned and probably wine drunk and blazed to bits. My wife prefers fun, cool music that ISN’T just an onanistic playground for narcissism masquerading as sensitivity. Anyway, it’s nice when we can land on a band that makes both our brains sparkle, and Shopping is such a band. Their music is like strutting with pointed toes on down a neon rainbow while LSD cartoons go dancing by in a great swirl toward the speaker at 174 bpm. I feel a physical need to get my groove on to their surfy, angular, rock ‘n’ roll dance music. - Tom Sowders

Moses Sumney -  Saturday, 6:40pm (Red Hat Amphitheater)

An expert a cappella arranger, Sumney’s androgynous voice seeps from the record player like a cloud of blue incense that gradually fills every room and penetrates your pores. On stage, his breath pushes gently against the spiritual waters of the amphitheater, growing exponentially into a wave that soars far above the heads of the crowd and crashes against every surrounding building. I plan to submerge myself along with the rest of downtown Raleigh, willing victims of the Sumney tsunami. - Dustin K.  Britt  

Nile Rodgers and Chic - Saturday, 8:00pm (Red Hat Amphitheater)

Even when I was too young to understand the songwriter/producer/session musician nexus or to have any concept of a trademark sound, I knew that I loved "Le Freak" (Chic), "Let's Dance" (David Bowie), and "We Are Family" (Sister Sledge) because they all had some essential, incredible thing in common. Time passed; I listened to more music, read more magazines and gatefolds and liner notes (and frankly, watched a heroic amount of VH1), and I eventually pieced together that the previously ineffable common link between these songs and approximately a million others was Nile Rodgers. Seriously, you could get pretty lost in the weeds trying to chase down every recording he's had a hand in–I just found out, for example, that he produced and played rhythm guitar on my favorite B-52s track, "Topaz”.  Like the telltale trumpet trills of a Capitol-era Sinatra record or the twelve-string twang of The Byrds, Rodgers leaves his indelible but never overbearing signature on everything he touches so that even if you can't quite put your finger on it, you're glad that he already has. - Melvyn Brown

MC50 – Saturday, 8:45pm (City Plaza)

There’s no reason for this to happen.  The last time the MC5 were together, Richard Nixon was still in office. Wayne Kramer is the only original member playing, which should give music fans some reservations about why this is happening. There’s too many high profiled reunion tours that last too long and barely have any connection with the original music. Why would I want to see this band? The answer is easy, Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) and Brendan Canty (Fugazi). If those guys are in your “cover band” then they’re worth seeing. - Jon Foster  

Palberta - Saturday, 10:30pm (Slim’s)

The problem with having too many music fans on your social media page is that you’re inundated with new stuff. There’s always something to check out. Most of the time I feel that listening to new music is homework: I have to listen to everything, or I won’t pass some god-awful hipster test. Add friend suggestions and posts from music blogs, and you’re never really on top of stuff. I “try” new things constantly, clicking on a few seconds of a new song three or four times a day. Somehow Palberta appeared in my Facebook newsfeed like it would for any “hip” 37 year old. I loved them immediately. They were trashy, noisy, and complicated all at the same time. They’re the perfect antidote for well-orchestrated soullessness. I imagine two things might happen when I see them: either they will play a transcendent show, or everything will fall apart as soon as they hit the stage. I don’t know which I prefer. - Jon Foster

Yonatan Gat - Saturday, 10:30pm (Pour House)

The first time I saw Yonatan Gat, he was playing as a trio on the floor of Snug Harbor in Charlotte. Setup in a circle, the band had lamps with colored bulbs surrounding them. Gat would switch them off and on to indicate a change was coming in the (to my ears) largely improvised songs they were playing. Gat (who the Village Voice once named best guitarist in NYC) is a dexterous, dynamic player who eschews effects, save for a wah-wah pedal leading into a reverb soaked amp. And the band is a Hendrix-Experience-but-in-the-2010s ball of psych freakout, holding it down while creeping into catchy chaos. On the latest album Universalists, radical tape-splicing techniques were used in assembling the record; I’m very eager to hear how that fractured methodology takes shape live. - Eddie Garcia

Mind Over Mirrors - Saturday, 11pm (Fletcher)

Last year’s Undying Color was one of my favorite albums of 2017. The drone of Jaime Fennelly’s harmonium was elevated by propulsive rhythms, searing synths, and cascading mysterious vocals. The blend was intoxicating. This year’s Bellowing Sun I can only describe as a Steve Reich dance party. They describe it as, “a sonic inquiry into celestial cycles and the illuminating nature of darkness.” So see, you win either way really. My No. 1 pick. - Eddie Garcia

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers -  Saturday, 11:00pm (Lincoln Theatre)

Once a beloved pourer of libations at Chapel Hill’s (not closing) The Cave, triangle folks haven’t seen much of our hometown hero lately, and for a damn good reason: our queer country crooner is ruling the world on a major tour. Shook and company stomped through Charlotte in June to open for Willie Nelson, and now the Triangle kids are getting our turn. - Dustin K.  Britt

Grouper - Saturday, 12:00am (Fletcher)

I think I’ve established that ONE kind of music I like to listen to is sad, sad music. I think this predilection emerged sometime around the release of Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses. “Civil War,” “November Rain,” me swaying in my dark bedroom with a bowl cut, you get the idea. Well, I’m not ten anymore, so I need SADDER. I can’t wait to stand before the unfurling sparkle of the sequin weighted blanket that is Grouper. I just want to feel it in my sad bastard body. I need a hit, man, and Grouper’s got the sad stuff. - Tom Sowders

Dustin K. Britt is a Durham-based performing arts critic and award-winning theatre artist. He is the managing editor of Chatham Life & Style and provides content for IndyWeek and Carolina Parent. In your spare time, you can stalk him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

Melvyn Brown is a musician (Toothsome, Broads, NONCANON, Ladies Auxiliary) and writer from Greensboro, NC who is also passionate about the Four Ts: taking photographs, Thai food, technology, and thrift stores. His appreciation of Scotch whisky is not necessarily related to Steely Dan. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or at generalclearinghouse.com

JON FOSTER IS A MAIL-ARTIST, TEACHER, AND PASSIONATE DEFENDER OF MATH ROCK. 

EDDIE GARCIA PLAYS GUITAR AND ALL THE PEDALS AS 1970S FILM STOCK. YOU CAN ALSO HEAR HIM REPORTING ON NPR AFFILIATE 88.5 WFDD IN WINSTON-SALEM, NC. IN THE WEE HOURS HE RUNS PEDAL FUZZ, WHICH IS A PROUD RECIPIENT OF A GRANT FROM THE ARTS ENTERPRISE LAB / KENAN INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS.

Tom Sowders pirouettes angrily through the streets of downtown Raleigh. Like really aggressively, really windmilling his arms around. His hobbies are not using his PhD and fronting the band Toothsome. 

[fangirljapan]

Tiny Voices

When I started this travel blog, I had every intention of updating it nightly but this trip has been such a whirlwind, I’ve been too exhausted to even form complete sentences by the end of the day.  In fact, I’m doing my recaps from the train back to Tokyo and I realized I skipped over my time in Akihabara. My first full day in Tokyo started with me getting lost on the way to get my JR Rail Pass. Thank god for my excellent sense of direction!

(Scenes from when I was lost)

Once I got back on the right path and exchanged my voucher, I went back up to Ueno Park to see the cherry blossoms in the daylight.

After snapping a few more shots and exploring the shrines, I headed back to Akihabara to meet up with Kazoo again. Can I just say he’s the most amazing friend ever even though I always feel underdressed because he’s always coming from work in a sharp-looking suit (which is pretty much everyone here. People dress SO much better here!). He took me to get conveyor belt sushi to start, which was delicious. He also translated pretty much everything for me and has been my official guide to Japanese culture.

After we went through various anime and manga stores and if that wasn’t enough, he took me to a maid café! For a while, I was the only girl there (other than the maids). They all loved my Tokyo Ghoul shirt.  Kazoo suggested I also dress up as a maid (you can do that) “for the memories”. Then the rest of the night, we joked about this, talking in tiny maid voices. Despite the language barrier, Kazoo and I spent the afternoon cracking jokes and laughing and I’m glad my humor is understood here. Next up was some fun times in the arcades. There are an ungodly amount of claw machines but like, there is no way you can win. They all have these awesome, giant prizes but there is basically no way to pick them up; the claws either have gaps or are too weak. I know this is true of a lot of claw-type games but there are SO many of them! Lies! ALL LIES!

Anyway...I know Kazoo is super good at darts but he insisted I play. I think he beat me by like, 400-500 points if I remember correctly. I was holding my own for a while…until he took out his own personal darts, complete with their own holster.  But whatever, I knew he wanted to show off a little. They we played this game that was like DDR but with drumming and again, I failed miserably. When Gloria Estefan said that the rhythm is gonna get you,  she wasn’t lying.  I ended up choosing the Attack on Titan season 1, part 1 theme song because apparently I like to embarrass myself. This was basically the equivalent of playing Dragonforce in Guitar Hero.

After leaving my dignity in the arcade, we checked out the Kotobukiya Store, Animate and Don Quixote, which has a whole floor full of costumes. After all the maid talk, I was tempted to get my own little outfit however, seeing as how this is Japan sizing, I’d probably need like, a XXL. After we headed back and took a break in front of one of the MANY electronics stores before deciding to grab dinner. We decided on miso ramen, my favorite!  The Kazoo walked me back to my hotel and I pulled a total American move and gave him a hug and then promptly passed out as soon as I got my hotel room.

Fast forward to this weekend and I’m telling my friend John about this. John is an expat who has been living in Tokyo for about six months. He told me that I was so lucky to have people to show me around and translate and take me all over because without that, it would have been a very different experience, a very difficult experience.  But truthfully, the people here, my Internet friends, have been so amazing. It’s kind of like dating but with like, no romantic interest. They’ve taken me all over, helped me find what train to take, translated things, and bought me dinner.  They have truly been some of the kindest people I’ve ever met.  I’ll tell you more about them later.