#It is at this point I May Be Projecting but always I'm correct. Anyway their relationship isn't 100% me n my dad ofc

[smol-tired-binch-blog]

*head in hands* oh God my parental issues affect my view of Kiryu

#it feels so DUMB and CLICHE like is it not enough for me to fully understand this man and why he does what he does and the fact that it #always comes from a good place and yet his actions nearly ALWAYS hurt those around him so it makes me irratated with him. Is it not enough #for him to be a mirror that reflects back at me and reminds me of everything I hate about myself? Is that not enough? #Noooo I have to go and care about Haruka more than the writers do so what I see is a girl who wants stability and who loves her father #who tries to be like 'im always here for you you can always count on me' but in practice is distant and leaves her to struggle alone #the one man she always knows will be there is the same man she can count in to never be there. his actions being fuelled by love and his ow #untreated issues somehow don't dull the pain but they do make you think you should be grateful for what you have and don't be harsh #It is at this point I May Be Projecting but always I'm correct. Anyway their relationship isn't 100% me n my dad ofc #I wouldn't even say we're both LIKE the characters but I'm seeing the threads. I'm seeing the reflection. I dont like it dnbmhfgndgdn #smol speaks #once again life would be easier if I JUST hated Kiryu but he makes it very difficult to do so but he also makes it difficult to like him #He's so fuckin stupid. But also his upbringing sucked. His views of the world and how he's 'supposed' to act clash with his inherent desire #and nature to be selfless and help others. Trying to prove to himself and others a 'true yakuza' is some beacon of honour #the people's champion. imo he is proven wrong time and time again but he refuses to hear it. At what point does it stop being a case of #standing your ground an act worthy of respect but then becomes bullheaded stupidity #selflessness into selfishness. courage into idiocy. love into hurt. fuck off Kiryu. get some help. you have it #smol plays yakuza

[specialagentlokitty]

Master chief x male!reader - what you make me feel

Hi!👋 Would you be able to write a Master Chief x male reader fic with this prompt "I'm scared to tell you how I really feel, but I think you need to know." Where the reader says it? You don't have to if you don't want to😊 Thank you very much - Anon💜

You had loved every moment of your job, you loved the friends you had made along the way, and some of the beautiful sights you had seen.

If you had to pick a certain thing you enjoyed the most, it would have to be your late night walks.

It may have sounded strange to anybody, but it wasn’t so much the fact of walking that you enjoyed, though everybody did enjoy a good walk.

It was the company you had on the walk that you enjoyed.

Tonight was no different, usually between a particular dangerous mission you would walk around, you wouldn’t be able to sleep, you’d just spend a lot of time thinking about what could happen.

“You’re very quiet tonight.”

You flicked your gaze up to the man beside you, and you smiled a little bit.

“I guess I’m just thinking. I usually do before a big mission, but I’ve never been on one with you guys before. Most of my missions are usually Spartan free.”

John nodded his head.

“You have nothing to worry about.”

“I’ll always worry before a mission. I’ll worry about my squad, you know? Like if something happened to them, and my mom if something happened to me.”

“I see. You send your mother letters every time, correct?”

You smiled brightly at him, turning around to walk backwards.

“Oh yeah, I mean I send her letters all the time but before a mission I always make sure I’ve got a letter written for her. Each time I come back I bin it and write a new one the next time.”

“What do you write in them?”

“Well, I tell her about what I’ve been up to, what I’m allowed to tell her anyway. I’ll tell her about the books I’ve read, and I’ll always remind her that I still play that song she loves on guitar so when I go home I can play it for her again.”

John nodded his head.

“Is that the song you are always playing?”

“Yeah, she fucking loves it, I don’t know why, but it makes her happy so I don’t mind it really. Oh! And she sent me some of those books you were asking for, they’ll be here next week.”

“Tell her I said thank you. I will return them when I’m finished.”

You laughed and shook your head.

“No, John, they’re yours. You can keep them, she got them for you. And a sweater since it’s coming up to winter, she actually sent all the Spartans one so you won’t get cold.”

John rose a questions brow at you, placing his hand on your shoulder so he could guide you around the corner before he let go.

“She’s a little old woman John, let her have this.”

“Well tell her thank you.”

You beamed brightly at him, turning back around so you could carry on looking where you were walking.

“Do you ever get nervous before a mission?” You asked.

“No, why would I?”

“I guess it’s just that thought knowing that we could die at any given point. I mean I know we can anyway, but know I could die out there it’s kind of scary.”

“Why do you keep going?”

“For my mom, for the dream I had as a little boy to explore space.”

John nodded his head, glancing down at you.

“May I ask you something?” He asked.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“I would like to join you for your holidays again this year, is that okay? I found last year to be rather interesting, I would like to see that again.”

You grinned brightly.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Thank you, will I have to wear that paper hat again?”

“My mom loves the whole Christmas aesthetic, you’re definitely going to be wearing the paper hate and an ugly Christmas sweater which will be the most uncomfortable fabric you’ve ever worn.”

He nodded his head.

“What did you write in your letter for your mother this year?”

“Well, I told her about some projects I’ve been working on, again about that song she loves, I also told her about my pay rise, and the fact I’ve fallen in love with somebody, since she asks every single time we speak.”

“Oh?”

You smiled a little to yourself.

“Yeah, I’ve not said anything yet though. I don’t know if it’s too soon, so I thought I’d wait until after the mission, then say something.”

“Would it not make more sense to say something beforehand?”

“Maybe, but I don’t want the worry of what this person will while I’m out there, I can’t be distracted.”

You stopped by the door of your quarters, and you grinned up at him.

“Anyways, I’m going to try sleep. Later John.”

“Goodnight.”

John made his way back down the hallway while you went to try and get some sleep before the mission.

In the morning you pulled your uniform on, made sure to leave the letter neatly on your desk in case anything happened to you.

Pulling your helmet on you joined your squad to get the mission started.

Everything seemed to be going well, so far you had all managed to stick to your schedule, everything going as planned.

Of course that’s when things had to go wrong, the Coventry got the jump on you.

You all began taking heavy fire, and you were hiding behind some buildings, barking out orders to your squad while John was doing the same thing next to you.

“Focus on the evacuation, we’ll handle the Coventry.” He said.

You nodded your head, patting your hand on the stomach of his armour.

“Be safe.”

With that, you jogged away behind some buildings to help your people evacuate the citizens to the safe zone so they could be taken away.

You had already taken a couple of trips when you heard the cries from some people stuck in a building.

Looking around, you found the small back door had been covered by fallen debris and you rushed over, trying to pry them apart but you couldn’t.

You pressed the comm on your vest.

“I need one of the Spartans, Cortana send my location to them.”

You carried on trying to get the large rock aside, and a minute later there was somebody next to you to help.

John easily moved the rock aside, and you ushered everybody away to a few of your squad.

“I’ll check inside.”

“Be quick.” John said.

You nodded, making your way inside, gun raised as you carried on looking through the rooms one by one.

The ground shook a little and you paused, then you carried on going, and it shook a lot more.

“Let’s go!” John called.

“On my way!”

You jogged back down the stairs, back towards the back door where John was waiting for you, and another tremble shook the ground, this time knocking you over, cracks filled the walls, and before you could roll over there was debris falling everywhere.

“(Y/N)!”

John ran inside, debris bouncing off his armour.

He crouched over you, and you breathed shakily.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

You slowly nodded your head, and you brushed some of the dust from your face.

“I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes…”

The trembling finally stopped and he slowly stood up, carefully not to drop any of the debris on you.

John held his hand out, and you let him help pull you up.

“We need to go.”

“Yeah, let’s move.” You replied.

Both of you made your way out, and you looked around before making your way to the safe zone.

“You know, I think I realised something back there…” you mumbled.

John glanced down at you, then back to where he was looking.

“What’s that?” He asked.

You made sure you comma were turned off, gesturing for him to do the same thing which he did.

"I'm scared to tell you how I really feel, but I think you need to know."

John froze for a second before he carried on walking.

“I love you, I get you might not know anything about that, or what to do or say or whatever and that’s cool, you don’t have to know. I.. I just thought I should put it out there.” You said quietly.

John didn’t reply, and you sighed a little bit.

“Evacuation is complete, let’s go, now.” John ordered.

Everybody filed into their respective aircraft’s, and you did the same thing, standing at the doors as they went up.

You stumbled back a little bit.

“Cap, you good?” Someone asked.

You nodded your head, and you went to run your hand up and down your side, when you stopped, finding that your uniform was soaked.

You pulled your hand away, seeing the red on your skin.

“Oh for shit sake..”

You stumbled back again, two of your men catching you, and they lowered you to the ground slowly putting pressure on your wound.

“There’s some metal in there.” One of the guys said.

“We’ll do that we can until we’re back, just hang in there cap.” The other said quietly.

You slowly nodded your head, trying to focus on your breathing and not the pain that was slowly washing over you.

Your men did whatever they could there and then, they took your vest off, cut your shirt, they tried to get a better view of the wound but it wasn’t safe to remove the metal.

Instead, then focused on packing the wound to trying and stop you from bleeding out, trying to keep you awake, but you were slowly fading.

They didn’t know much blood you had lost.

“He’s got internal bleeding, we need to go, now!” One of them snapped.

“We’re nearly there!” Another called.

One of the guys gently slapped your face, and you groaned a little, turning your head away from him.

“Come on cap, I know you’ve got a little more fight in you.” He said.

You mumbled something he couldn’t understand, and he wiped the blood from the corner of your mouth on his sleeve.

“We’re gonna get you home and you’ll be alright…”

The aircraft landed, and a team of medics were waiting nearby, as well as the Spartans who were waiting to take over to take the civilians somewhere safe.

Your squad helped you on to a stretcher, and the medics rushed you down with your squad following close behind.

John was walking back with the admiral when he saw the stretcher rushing past, and he caught a glimpse of your face before you were rushed away.

“You’ll be of no use while he is in surgery.” The admiral said, “take them to the agreed upon location then come back.”

John slowly nodded his head, pulling his helmet back on, a sense of urgency in his step as he rushed to aircraft.

He needed to get there and back as soon as possible, he was beating himself up over it, how hadn’t he noticed? How did he miss that? How did cortana miss that?

He felt responsible for the condition you were in, maybe if he was quicker, maybe if he’d noticed sooner he could’ve done something about it, he could’ve helped you

#halo #halo x reader #halo x you #halo imagine #halo the series #John 117 #John 117 x reader #John 117 x you #John 117 imagine #master chief #master chief x reader #master chief x you #master chief imagine

[orionsangel86]

I'm not in the Good Omens fandom, so maybe I've got this wrong, but I suspect why everyone on my dash seems to be clamoring for an immediate fix-it besides obvious fandom impatience. I think a lot of people are convinced that basically nothing is coming back from the strikes. Tbh I kind of am myself. I've just accepted that we're never going to see Sandman s2 or GO s3 because Amazon and Netflix are shit. At least with Sandman we have the books?

I admit its a tough situation to be in. I guess for me, I am trying to have hope that the streamers will eventually see sense, because otherwise their business models are gonna fail and they are going to lose revenue anyway. Eventually some sort of deal will be made and the work will start again, I just hope beyond hope that the deal is everything the WGA and SAGAFTRA want.

I have more hope for a GOS3 than I do for a Sandman tbh. Simply because making films and TV isn't Amazon's main source of income so they can be a bit more flexible with their choices. They have renewed far less popular shows for far longer. It seems almost like the entertainment division is more a hobby or pet project for Amazon than its main focal point so IDK, I'm just not all that worried about Amazon Prime. I genuinely think Amazon is very proud of GO and they won't let go of it anytime soon. It's also one of their most popular shows so I'd be really surprised if they cancel it (though, then again, with the strikes anything can happen). We also still have the BBC backing it up I believe? Though I doubt they'd ever have the budget to take over fully if Amazon decided not to continue with it, but perhaps its possible the BBC could look for a new partner in that unlikely scenario? I dunno I'm not a media expert here by any means.

Sandman though is a different story. Extremely expensive, and on a streaming service notorious for cancelling shows mid season. With the strikes, I can see them changing their minds and cancelling Season 2 even though it started filming in some bitter attempt to get back at strikers and claim tax breaks where they can. I don't trust them at all. I loathe the Netflix execs because they have been cancelling, making excuses, and screwing over creatives for years now. They are the ones that started it all, and the other streamers simply took their ideas and ran with them. I wish Sandman had been on a different streamer. I feel like it would have been safer on Amazon Prime. Even if we do manage to get through to season 2 of Sandman, I have absolutely zero faith that we'll make it through to the end of the story on Netflix.

Though at least with Sandman, I believe (though correct me if I'm wrong) that Neil still holds all the rights, and if Netflix cancels it, he can put the option out to other networks/streamers to pick it up again? So even if Netflix does what Netflix always does, there is every possibility that it'll just jump to a different network to finish the story.

I hope that is the case, because in all honesty if I had to put money down on a bet on whether or not Netflix will follow through with Sandman right through to the Wake, I'll be betting against them. I just don't see it happening. Netflix are too flakey and well, evil, to care about stories to do it justice.

To your first point, I can understand the fear and do sympathise with fans being hurt and upset that GOS2 ended on such a grim cliffhanger, I just don't think the hate and denial and screams of "out of character!" are the way to handle that fear. But diving straight into fanfiction is a totally acceptable and encouraged way to manage the feelings anyone may have over the ending! That's totally fine! Keep the fix-its to fanfiction, but please stop clamouring for reasons why the ending was wrong and bad and stupid and worth sending Neil Gaiman inbox hate over. You're all better than that.

#Good Omens #Good Omens Season 2 #good omens season 2 spoilers #the sandman #fuck the streamers #neil gaiman #anti netflix #less anti amazon prime but they are still awful #fandom discourse #asks

[twinkboimler]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Tagged by @m-b-w, thank you!

Questions are answered under the cut!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

58 works

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

693,141 words

3) What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, only Star Trek; while my focus tends to be on TOS, AOS, and SNW, I'm open to writing for other trek series and will when the inspiration strikes! Previously, I've written a fair amount for MST3K and Anne with an E.

4) Top 5 fics by kudos?

Imagining Something Worthwhile - AWAE Oddly Unexpected, Oddly Charming - AWAE Hush - AWAE Heaven Help The Fool Who Falls In Love - AWAE An Endless Stream of Tomorrows - TOS

(lmao, can you tell I was writing AWAE fic as the show was airing? I think that was the only fandom I've written for while a fandom was at it's peak popularity)

5) Do you respond to comments?

Not always and I do feel bad about that. I try my best when the comment is especially sweet or lengthy, but I've got about 10 unread comments in my inbox right now that I haven't replied to because too much time has passed and it feels like it's too late

6) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

with trembling hands, my SNW Spock/Pike fic that has a sad ending. Super happy with how angsty that fic ends tbh I really wanted to write a fic for Spock/Pike that tackled how Pike would end their relationship as the radiation stuff was quickly approaching

7) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I've posted so many fluffy oneshots that it's kinda hard to choose. An Endless Stream of Tomorrows is definitely high on that list

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. The closest I get in the trek fandom are comments correcting me on some lore in my fics. Which, sure, is sometimes nice and useful, but sometimes I don't really need a "um, actually--" on a 1000 word fluff fic

9) Do you write smut?

Yes, and I'm finally at the point where I really 1) enjoy writing smut and 2) think I'm getting good at it

10) Do you write crossovers?

I have one, and I so RARELY get to talk about it because it was written for me and like two friends. Night Shift is my crossover fic: it's Spike from BTVS X Gambit from X-Men (and apparently it has 21 kudos??? who are you people reading this crack ship???). Anyway, Gambit and Spike hook up and through a series of misunderstandings, they end up on a roadtrip/fleeing a murder scene together. Spike thinks Gambit is a demon, and Gambit has no idea Spike is a vampire. I'm realizing I haven't reread this fic since I posted it, which is WILD because this is such a self-indulgent fic, so I'm going to go read that now

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but people are free to do so! Just credit the original work :)

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yep! Between You and Me (AWAE) was such an interesting project to work on! There was a group of about 13 of us, and we all had a week to read the previous chapter and write our own chapters to continue the story. I'd love to do something like that again

14) What's your all-time favorite ship?

Spike/Buffy, but funnily enough, I don't have a strong drive to read fic for them. I'm satisfied with how the show handles their relationship arc and haven't really had to resort to reading fic because of that

15) What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

I don't post wips that I don't intend to finish. I've got a few wips in my docs that may never be finished of course, but on AO3 my only wip rn is Place Your Hand In Mine, my AOS academy-era mckirk fic, and I fully intend to finish that one; other fics (trektober, zines fics, etc) just got in the way

16) What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and smut

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Still trying to be a more concise writer; I'd love to be able to say more with less words

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I haven't taken a language course in 5+ years. I think if I had to I could write some simple French dialogue, but not without doing a lot of studying to make sure I was saying what I meant

19) First fandom you wrote for?

On AO3, X-Men. IRL? when I was 12 the only person I knew who wrote fic was writing Youtuber fanfic, so I tried that out for a short stint before immediately shifting to Doctor Who

20) Favorite fic you've ever written?

what remains unsaid. I don't think it's my best fic, but it does hit all the beats for what I often look for in fic, so it's doing everything that I want in a story. What really draws me to some of the TOS Movies is how they deal with themes of parenthood and Jim never really fitting into the role of father and being very aware that he doesn't fit that role. I just really love that he's shown as having faults, like yeah, he wasn't a father to David and he knows that. This fic is in a 5+1 Things format exploring Jim's relationship (or lack of) to David. It's not a ship fic; it was just a chance for me to explore those themes and really dive into Jim's head.

TAGGING: @antspaul @ladywaffles @diabeticjedi @gunstreet @borbtrek and anyone else who would like to do it, feel free to say I tagged you!

#phebs writes fic #tag game #fanfic

[rinarin-karimel]

There are three things in the fumetsu canon that make members want to scream: WTF! What are you even doing?

1. Just what the hell?

I understand that Bon wanted to talk to Beholder alone, because he realized that he is the boss in this theater and perhaps Fushi should not know this now, but still. Just how he later explained it to Fushi. Did Fushi even notice that he was nokkers out? Or he woke up on the straw and said: I was dismantling and assembling houses. I'll go continue. Although, what am I doing here? But doesn't it matter? I completely believe it

Or did Fushi notice but not show it and his stress and mistrust increased? Good too? And it is quite possible that Bon really wanted to protect Fushi (or he decided so for himself, calmed himself down by lying to himself), but at the same time he actually used him as a tool... Well, really, couldn’t he just turn to the Watcher and so he is always next to Fushi, Bon sees him anyway, and he knows that he sees him, so that Fushi does not hear, without all this. Okay, what I'm most interested in here is how Fushi woke up and what he thought.

And we didn't even see them talk about it.

2.

What the hell are you doing, Kai?!

Just what? Okay, Kai wanted to check if the nokker was attacking him. Checked... That's what he was counting on, he wanted to project the nokker to attack him, and was confident that he could handle him. Instructions: do not overestimate your strength. And Kahaku seems to be his comrade, he is tied up, Kahaku could easily free himself, he would have had enough strength and abilities: he danced a full ballet program with his hand cut off an hour ago. But he waited until his comrades believed him and let him go. Theoretically, Kai could have wanted to shoot just nearby to check whether the nocker would react, but the impact caused the stone there to crumble... He could have hurt or even killed him, just what?

I just want to know what was in Kai’s head.

As a result, Kahaku's psyche drives him so bad that Left Hand takes control of his body and kills Kai... I don't know, maybe Kai was too nervous from this too, and from how messed up Fushi was, and from the situation with their ally , so I kind of wanted to help, but from the outside it looks like it has a lot of questions.

3. Just what the hell.

How did she get to this point? And her grandfather brought it to her, did he cook it? Didn't anything bother him? Who told him to do this: Mizuha, Left hand, who cut it off, so many questions...And how did she get there?

.

Fushi left her stressed and in disarray while she was without other people around and with the Knockers the stress and stress on herself may have gotten worse, but we still haven't seen her in months, and exactly how she went headlong into cannibalism is unclear. How and in what way Kahaku went crazy in chapter 105, or Hayase after the bear, or even Fushi when he got to the point of torturing the nocker, is quite understandable. And I want to love her: I completely understand Mizuha’s feelings at the beginning and at the end of the story, she is complex, she has both nasty and pleasant traits. Yes, she is only 14 and she was manipulated by the nokker family and dangerous adults around, she was given a hand and accepted, despite the fact that she went to the nokkers, and she accepted this gift and corrected herself, but cannibalism... it’s just so bad for me. It would be better if she slammed someone who bullied her at school; I myself was bullied at school, so I would understand and forgive her.

Well, one of the motives of this story is that reincarnation is not the same as a person, but as if, according to the reader’s perception, she is dirtying Kahaku with this too... It’s just dirty, the context is clear: she gets the lost trophy-Fushi, thus, all of it for herself. She herself decided, LH said that in her grandfather’s head, who knows.

It's just confusing and dirty

#WTF? - WTF!!!! #to your eternity #fumetsu no anata e #fnae anime spoiler #fnae #fnae manga

[machifuwa]

World's Most Beautiful Mirror | Episode 3

Immediately after Shinobu Sengoku encountered "Byakuya Aoi". Coffee Shop in the downtown area

Shinobu: I see...

In short, you intend to use the substitution technique, correct?

Yuuta: Yeah but, I don't intend to do everything in a ninja way.

Shinobu: That was the kind of character I was thinking of.

Yuuta: That character is important indeed but...

For our part, or rather for my part, I'd like to do something to get back at the producer who once disrespected 2wink.

Shinobu: When you say "producer", you mean Volcano Island's, right?

Yuuta: Yeah. Do you know them too? I guess they're really famous...?

Shinobu: For your information, I've checked out every single programme that Yuuta-kun has been on.

Yuuta: The public only knows that the "older brother Hinata" appeared on that show, though?

Shinobu: That seems to be the case. But I overheard something about them not knowing for sure whether it was Hinata-kun or Yuuta-kun who performed.

Yuuta: Ooh, as expected of a ninja. You know a lot.

Shinobu: Fufun. I'm still inexperienced compared to Yuuki-dono and the others, but I have a habit of keeping my antenna up and collecting information, especially on matters that interests me.

By the way, I collect not only information, but also 2wink's goods as much as possible. That's one of the reasons I run out of money fast.

Aaah, is it gross to collect your friends' goods like that...?

Yuuta: Waiter! Give this person the most expensive drink in this shop!

Shinobu: I-I told you I'm short of money, didn't I? I'm seriously broke because I bought my favourite comic book!

Yuuta: No need, I'll be happy to pay for it.

Shinobu: Uuurgh, I don't really like the idea of a friend offering to pay for my sake, though...

Yuuta: Really? I've never had a proper friend before, so I don't really know...?

...Anyway, the reason behind the making of "Byakuya Aoi" was because of my intention to leave that producer of Volcano Island in shock.

Shinobu: I don't really get what the "anyway" is all about. In fact, I had no idea what's with all the clowning earlier.

Yuuta: Uhh, it's hard to explain. Even Aniki looked all gibberish at first.

I thought it was a nice idea, but people don't seem to get it.

I'm not used to it because it's rare for me to act on my own initiative. That's why I usually fail in those cases.

Shinobu: This feels like the story about a guy who went looking for grapes and almost died that I heard long ago.

Yuuta: Hm... I should probably explain everything to you thoroughly.

Alright then. The "producer" seriously piss me off.

Shinobu: Is it because they only let one of you perform even though 2wink is a twin idol unit?

Yuuta: Yeah. I still get frustrated because I don't understand the point of it.

Shinobu: Favourably interpreted. In a well-known music show that's competing for performance slots.

I think it was a kind of gesture to at least get one of the brothers out (separated) for once.

I don't think that it was their intention to harass you two in the first place?

Yuuta: If you've been hurt, even if it wasn't malicious, it's still assault.

So I'm just going to give the same amount of hurt to that "producer" who hurt me.

However, the opponent is not an easy one to fight.

That person seems to be a well-known "producer" with contacts in the industry, and it'd be a big risk if we come to him head-on, we might even lose our jobs.

That's why, I've decided to be cautious.

If we were to appear on Volcano Island, we would have to meet with that person, the "producer".

Even if it's a no-meeting, no-show event, there should always be an opportunity to meet and greet each other.

Shinobu: If it's a Yumenosaki project, it's almost impossible to have a performance without rehearsal... Yumenosaki's common sense is the world's insanity.

Yuuta: Yeah. I've come to understand that very well over the past years.

Like, I don't have to set up the stage or do things myself, I just need to practice every time. And so, my experience at Yumenosaki may actually get in the way.

Previous | All | Next

Season: Winter

Translated by machi

#ensemble stars #enstars #shinobu sengoku #yuta aoi #yuuta aoi

[autopotion]

I love seeing you guys final fantasy tactics-posting omg :,) glad to see that people still love this game

Anon I will be super honest I had no idea that I had anon questions even on at all so when I went into my inbox this was a huge surprise LMAO. A pleasant one though. I'm not really a BNF or anything, I kinda keep a low profile, so this is extremely sweet.

But yeah!! I'm not sure if you're new here (re: to my blog) but I'll give you the backstory anyway. FFT was a foundational game to me growing up. It also is among the games introduced me to video games as a whole; I actually grew up watching my mom and sister play it, and then my brother and I played together when we were a little older. All of us cite it as among our favorites, if not our very favorite. FFT is also one of the few media properties from my childhood that I haven't grown out of. In many ways I feel like I grew into it, as the text is quite dense for a video game and a lot of the finer points and politics flew over my head as a child (not the least because I was playing the PSX version, which I adore, but that translation is not exactly known for its clarity).

I got my spouse @officecyborg to play it when we first started dating, and she liked it all right then, but it wasn't until I replayed War of the Lions about a year and a half ago that she really latched onto it, which was delightful to me as a long time FFT lover with no real place to channel my interest (most of my close circle of nerdy friends haven't played it, and my siblings like it for different reasons than I do). We got really into Delita/Ovelia, which was a delight for the teenager in me who had been obsessed with them (and I guess I still am lol), and I maintain that Zoe has The Best And Most Correct Delita opinions. (Ovelia is my favorite. (: )

Over the course of April/May last year we also wrote in a feverish haze what we lovingly refer to as "the manifesto," AKA a series of interconnected Delita/Ovelia vignettes that frames their tumultuous relationship in a way that we feel reflects what we like most about them. I've yet to read a fic that really captures what I love about their dynamic, though a small handful come very close, so it's been an exciting project. We put it away for a while to focus on other things, but have since returned to it to clean it up, and plan to slowly post it to AO3. One of our favorite scenes from "the manifesto" is already up, actually, since we liked it enough to post on its own, and wanted to present it to the world just in case we abandon the project for other endeavors. You can read it here, if you want. (My spouse and I usually focus on writing our own original fiction that we hope to post as a mixed-media web serial, so "the manifesto" is an unusual side project that we happen to hold very dear.)

Also, if you like my spouse's funny and insightful FFT posts, please go through her #tactics blogging tag for more wonderful gems.

And if you're looking for more people who talk about FFT, I would be super surprised if you hadn't poked around @corpsebrigadier's blog, who is I think hands-down the most steadfastly encouraging FFT fan when it comes to reading, distributing, and creating FFT fan content. Also their cakes look amazing. @adalheidis has also created some of my favorite FFT fanart ever, though Lou is more chiefly a Tactics Ogre fanartist if you're into Tactics Ogre too, and also just creates really stunning art regularly, especially original stuff.

But yeah. My blog name is an FFT reference (the Chemist reaction ability) and so is my video game aesthetics blog, @zeltenniacastle (though unfortunately FFT shows up on that blog quite rarely, as not a lot of folks gif it or make edits of it). It's a very important game to me and probably my favorite game of all time. I used to replay it every summer, and started switching between the PSX version and War of the Lions as a comparison. I don't talk about it all the time, but it's always lying in wait, waiting for me to re-hyperfixate on it, lol.

#quiznaibus #oh yeah my ask tag is an fft reference too! #to the dancer ability 'wiznaibus' from the psx translation #in sum: final fantasy tactics (: #fft blogging #tactics blogging

[tiffanylamps]

🤔 Give me a random headcanon

Hey anon, I hope you're well! Thanks for sending me this ask! [My Beyond Evil Emoji Ask List] 🤔 Give me a random headcanon Okay, I have quite a few. I was going to give you a Joo Won one, but I don't think it'll be all that popular and I talk about him all the time, so I'll give you a Dong Sik one instead.

Dong Sik was fifteen when he stopped going to church. He grew up in the church, as his parents were practising Catholics who partook in the church's community. Side note: I like to think his mother was a part of the choir when the twins were growing up, and she got Dong Sik to join her. Whereas Yu Yeon followed her dad's advice of joining the music "programme" (as in, she learned the piano); I think this is a good explanation of why Dong Sik and his mum have the same singing voice.

But... as a queer kid (especially in the nineties), Dong Sik always felt a bit left out, like the community was different from him. But for a long time, he couldn't put his finger on why. He just knew he wasn't comfortable. But when he got his first proper crush (on one of his male classmates) and him and Jung Je started doing whatever the hell it was they had going on, it clicked.

So, he stops believing, stops caring, and after a year or so of thinking it over and over, stopped going. His parents weren't happy, to begin with. There was a lot of bickering and "but you love choir", and them asking him why. But Dong Sik didn't have the bravery or the language to fully explain his reasoning (plus, he's got a "my twin sister is better than me" complex, this part of his teen years really didn't help with that).

After a while, his parents gave in and only asked he attended family events and Christmas mass. He did, for the first two years. But as Seoul's nightlife became more interesting (and the strangers he could kiss there), and he was more infested with getting drunk and high with his friends (as a lot of teens do), he stopped going. Over time, Dong Sik's... "different-ness" became a talking point. His sexuality became an open secret that no one really addressed (as far as he's aware). He doesn't know if his parents knew, but... when he's an adult and wants to introduce Joo Won to his mother, he feels like a part of her already knows, even if she's unable to communicate it.

Anyway, yeah, I could say a lot more but I'm going to stop there. I hope that's interesting! I may be projecting onto him- no, I am projecting onto him 😂. There's just something about his religious upbringing (as someone who comes from a strict religious family) that really speaks to me. The fact that he's absent for his own grandmother's funeral (I think that's correct), reeeeally speaks volumes.

#tiffanylamps: beyond evil ask lists #ask answered #ask game #thank you <3

[love-you-like-the-movies]

hi hello can you tell me about the Aro spectrum??? idk if I fall there or if I'm normal so I wanna see bc I don't seem to Romance like my peers.... or older people.......... or little kids come to think of it................. anybody I guess XD

YES!!!!! At least to the best of my ability anyways.

I guess to start with the most basic point, someone who is aromantic experiences little to no romantic attraction. Similar to how someone on the ace spectrum experiences little to no sexual attraction. It basically comes down to ‘do you feel things differently than someone who is not aro?’ (By the way someone who isnt aro is known to be alloromantic, often shortened to allo or alloro)

I have the words ‘attraction’ italicized though for a reason. Think of it this way, someone who is ace can still be sex positive and want/have sex. They just don’t necessarily feel that way towards a specific person. Aromantic is the same way, you can not feel romantically attracted to a specific person but still enjoy romance (or not)

But it can be really hard to identify if you feel differently about these things. Unlike other queer identities, A-Specs are trying to identify a ‘lack of’. And because of that, sometimes it can take a long time to pin down exactly where you land on the spectrum. BUT I happen to have a handy flowchart on hand (im sorry I don’t remember where I snagged it from)

*Note: do not consider the flowchart to be 100% correct. Simply a tool to help you consider things you may not have thought about before*

The micro identities within the aro spectrum all very in how much and how often you feel romantic attraction, and also in how you feel about romance. Because just like how an ace person can be sex positive, negative, or neutral, and aro person can be romance positive, negative, or neutral. And it can even fluctuate!!

I highly recommend using the aromantic wiki to look up terms you arent sure about, but also tumblr has been a huge help learning about things

Personally, I fall under aro-spike. Typically I’m romance positive as well. However, Im not ace. So often, instead of saying Im aro-spike and having to explain it to people who arent sure what it is, I’ll either say Im just on the aro spectrum or I’ll use the term alloaro. Meaning allosexual and aromantic. (Theres a lot of history behind the terms used in the a-spec community, and honestly Im still trying to learn that myself)

And another note!! Its totally okay to be unsure right now! For a long time I wasnt sure how I felt, and simply said I was a questioning a-spec. Once I was sure I was somewhere in the aro spectrum (a fun convo there with a friend explaining to me that relationships are more than just best friend plus), I used a-spec. Eventually I settled on cupioromantic for a while. Until I found the term aro-spike

But uuuhhhhhh yeah. Yeah. Thats all I can think of at the moment. If you have any more questions or want me to elaborate on something just let me know!!!

#mail tag #friends!!! #aromantic #aspec community #aro #aro spec

[blackhawkcomics]

Let’s play a game! It’s called “Guess the Spoilers From the Songs on My Playlist!” Anyone who guesses correctly gets a free starter!

#incorrect guesses may also get a free starter bc i'm pumped to get back into the swing of things on here #bonus points for guesses that aren't correct but are so cool i have no choice but to make them canon #i may have created lu #but she only really came to life when i started lowkey collaborating with someone who commented on the one-shot i introduced her in #just bouncing ideas for lu's future off each other really #but that single comment that started it all is what made me fall in love with these characters #never underestimate the power of comments on fic y'all #anyway enough rambling #what i'm saying is lu and co. have always been a collaborative project #and i would love for y'all to be able to contribute to her 'canon' ao3 series too #Say what you want cause this one ain't gonna change ( jackie ) #face off mask on I'm still strong ( lucia ) #short leash and a short fuse ( julie ) #maybe i'm the one who changed or the one to blame ( adrian ) #create a symphony that's mine ( playlist ) #ask meme #starter call

[desultory-novice]

If you're still doing this, what are your thoughts on Fecto Forgo, if I may ask?

I'm not even the biggest fan of horror movies, but for some reason, I end up getting caught in a rewatch of John Carpenter's The Thing oh, every two years or so...

So ah, yes, Fecty. (It's not exactly correct, but I'm going to call Fecto Forgo that, because it's easier.) I was pleased with Fecty, to be honest. By the time I got to Lab Discovera, I had completely forgotten about the "fear" rating and then, as I went down the tour hallway, I suddenly remembered it, along with a shiver up my spine.

<Warning: I don't go into any details, but mentions of cruel scientific experimentation, psychological horror, trauma-derived disassociation, and torture here>

I'm not super fond of the "fetal" look they went with (feels a bit of a cheat - that and in phantom form, ends up looking like some kind of evil koala) but otherwise, Fecty was perfectly creepy in all its forms. Oh, and I love the choice of color palette! I watched a video breakdown of the NES Castlevania games once that pointed out how the original game, with its bright oranges, blues and other heavily saturated colors, looked far scarier than the 2nd game's dull stone gray, dull blood red, dull zombie green and black palette. So making Fecty all oranges and teals was an excellent aesthetic choice. So often, chimeric monsters made of the still-living slush of a dozen other creatures are all red and brown and pink and just, doing their best to make your stomach churn. But I'm trying to beat the game, not lose my lunch! How am I supposed to set a new time attack record with one hand over my mouth?!  

Anyway, if it wasn't clear before, it should be clear now that Director Kumazaki really is the master of child-friendly horror...that can still get to adults!

Marx and his ilk of "scary last bosses" are, let's be honest here...not REALLY scary. Creepy elements, sure. But not as scary as some of the truly messed up stuff in the world. The not-safe-for-life-I-wish-I-could-un-learn-this-knowledge tier stuff. But they are more than scary enough. They work with our minds to create an image of horror that ages with you and always plays fair with your experiences AND your tolerance level for scary stuff.

Personally, I almost always prefer a simple to depiction of something to an overly detailed one, as you can READ details into simplicity. A square, when taken as an abstraction, can be a hundred thousand different objects. But something that is upfront and shouting about how detailed it is (look at the PORES on this guy!!) restricts you to seeing only what is there. Of course, there should be a happy middle ground. Something that abstracts too far is going to stumble as much as something that removes any room imagination at all.

Pictured: "A Dragon"

...Ahaha. Got off on a bit of a tangent there.

Anyway, as a character, I think Fecty comes off really well. We're introduced to them as a dangerous invasive species. The tour speech has some questionable bits, but we know we're approaching the last boss, so we're obviously going to be a little concerned this thing really IS bad on our first meeting. And woah! Fecty lives up to the reputation with that 'all shall be consumed' and snatching Elfilin from you and turning Leon into soup and trying to kill you by throwing Popstar at you! But...

...the more the game goes on and the more you learn, the more Fecty becomes...if not sympathetic, then...understandable? 

We don't know WHY Fecty did such damage to the planet upon arrival. My current guess is that it was just...confused. Disoriented. Lost. Maybe it didn't even -mean- to cause the damage it did. With such powerful psychic powers, what if it was just projecting its hurt and sorrow as loudly as possible, and that was where the initial destruction came from?

But then it gets captured and experimented on. To the point that all remaining goodness in it's heart splits from it. Does this remind anyone else of trauma-induced dissociative identity disorder...? 

(DID is presently understood to generally be the result of childhood or early developmental trauma, but then, we don't exactly have a lot of case samples of older people who have lived through what Fecty has lived through - god, I hope not!! - to find out for sure...)

So, now we've got a large critter of, eh, questionable morals (but could still be completely innocent of the initial "attack") who was medically tortured FOR YEARS just because it couldn't be understood and controlled, and because it possessed something the original inhabitants were curious about...

Here's the thing. Fecty's "pure heart" aka, Elfilin, is...good. Like, TOO good. Now, regardless of your feelings on Elfy (heck, I like Elfy quite a bit, but I'm a fan of stuffed animals - and yes, I ordered the Elfilin plush...) I-like-eyes wrote a very valid criticism post on their lack of development and personality as a character in game and I would borrow from those to say Elfy is such a creature of cute, harmless, friend-shaped fluff (as in, "something of little substance," not fuzzy. Although Elfy is surely fuzzy) that Elfy's lack of emotional depth circles around and characterizes Fecty!

:resists urge to go into a huge comparison with “The House in Fata Morgana” in regards to Elfy and Fecty’s relationship:

There is, or WAS, a version of Fecto Elfilis that was far closer to this.

...I could be wrong though. My track record at predicting Kirby stuff remains really low, regardless of how many long essays I write about the series and its characters...!!

:clenches fist in frustration:

Ahem. While Elfy has been compared to the later "talkative" major NPCS (Magolor, Taranza, Susie) and the quiet helper characters (Ribbon, Elline) alike, I think Fecty shares a lot in common with Void. Being like...a version of Void who can talk.

Void is also only presented to us from outside Void's own perception (if it has much of one) being worshipped by Hyness as...well, exactly what Hyness NEEDS Void to be. Hyness was consumed with jealousy, bitterness, hurt, and need for vengeance. Hyness needs a god of destruction, so Void became one. 

Fecty is an invader, but only because we're seeing it on a planet that is not its own. Of course it is going to look and act like an alien. It IS a literal alien! (Also, also! The Fecto + Void comparisons get even stronger when you look at their names. Void, aka, "Ende Nil" and Elfilin, aka, EFILLIN, aka, "Nil Life." )

-

(EFILLIN comes from the morse code you can hear during the elevator ride. Yep. Kirby is now hiding lore in morse.friggin.code!! What's next?! Has anyone run the soundrack through a spectrogram analyzer to look for hidden messages?!)

-

...I'm also really happy for the true, true ending. Having Fecty and Elfy be reunited was a surprisingly powerful moment. And it was done quietly, without words, which is where Kirby does some of it's best storytelling.

I've been hopping back and forth between this essay and one on Galacta Knight, and so I was thinking about how Galacta destroys anything in sight whenever they are released from their prison because...what else are they going to do, really? They presumably fought their unlawful sealing tooth and nail, so the second the seal is broken, they.are.going.to.continue.where.they.left.off.

It feels a little bit like Elfy was telling Fecty they didn't have to keep fighting... 

"The people who hurt us are all gone now. No one is hunting us anymore. We won't be recaptured. You split me off from you to keep us safe. Thank you...

...Now, let me be the one to keep you safe."

#Kirby #Kirby and the Forgotten Land #KatFL #KatFL Spoilers #Kirby and the Forgotten Land Spoilers #Fecto Forgo #Fecto Elfilis #Elfilin #Ask Game #Dess Text #For my next ask...MORE Marxolor!

[saltminerising]

Why Some Random Hatchery Dragons Are So Gosh-Dang Expensive

Mod note: Quite a long post, so I moved the tl;dr to the top and put the rest under a read more -🍄🍖

Tl;dr: if you want interesting-looking, unique dragons; if you're bored of the same popular XXX and XXY color schemes everyone can easily breed; if you consider yourself a fan of "matchy XYZ's"... please understand that you NEED breeders to be willing to invest in projects to make those dragons available to you. And that sometimes means paying significantly above fodder price.

(NOTE: This post is mostly for the influx of newbies, or people new to browsing hatcheries, who tend to come on here and send asks like "Why are people selling pretty typical looking XYZs for hundreds of gems on the forums?" I'm assuming at least some of those asks are coming in good faith, so I wanted to give a thoughtful answer. If you're an experienced player taking part in these conversations, this post isn't really addressed to you, so please don't think I'm talking down to you. It's also not about the cases of overpricing - I'm just guessing about half these asks refer to someone genuinely overvaluing their dragons, but the other half are likely sent by people who may not realize how valuable the dragons actually are.)

Please understand that every time you see a breeding pair with all or mostly gem genes, a highly specific but previously nonexistent or super-rare (i.e., all others with this color are exalted or in dead lairs and have completely different genes to boot) color combination, and popular (in terms of scrolls, this usually equals pricier) breeds, that means that a LOT of work went into that pair that you don't necessarily see.

It means that the owner spent many months (and gems) breeding for perfect colors. If either parent is an imp, that means the breeder had the extra step of needing to find in-range imperials to breed, since scrolls are not accessible to most users and are generally too valuable to spend on breeding projects anyway. Once two unrelated babies of the correct color were finally secured, the owner then spent up to 3.9kg on EACH parent to apply the correct genes, assuming they couldn't be bred for (when it comes to rare colors, you usually have to take whatever you can find that's close enough in range, genes be damned). After that, assuming it wasn't possible to breed for the correct, well, breed (again, with rare colors, you can't always be picky), the owner then has to spend even MORE on breed change scrolls. In total, these pairs can EASILY cost over 10kg to create. 

This is where people will stop and tell me that breeding is known to be a poor way to make money, and you should only create breeding pairs or run a hatchery if you truly love doing it. Trust me - for the most part, we do. If someone is investing the months (maybe years) and thousands of gems it takes to create a rare pair? They almost DEFINITELY love it, because otherwise they would see it's a horrible misallocation of resources. We all know that you will never make back 100% of what you spent on a pairing like that. You might not even make back 50%. These types of projects are almost always labors of love.

With that being said? If I'm going to drop 10kg on a pairing, hell yes I'd like to recuperate SOME of the cost. Both because my savings are going to take a massive hit, but also because the higher price point shows the effort that went into the pairing is being valued and respected, and my buyers understand the hatchlings were crafted with a lot of care (well, as much as you can put into pixels you didn't draw :P) to create something rare and unique. It's insulting to ask breeders to spend thousands creating rare, beautiful dragons, then expecting them to charge 10g per hatchling like they're any old non-fodder XYZ. 

If this still bothers you, try to remember that breeders don't HAVE to put these rare dragons out there. I'm currently working on my dream dragon. I could technically stop once I get that dragon; I only need one, after all. But instead, I'm also breeding her an unrelated mate so I can breed them and put their babies out into the world, making it so next time someone wants a dragon like this, they don't HAVE to spend thousands of gems on a time-consuming and expensive project. They only have to spend a couple hundred gems on the AH.

#submission

[kkusuka]

Anatomy lessons <3 

ushijima wakatoshi x reader 

genre: smut 

synopsis: ushijima is helplessly devoted to volleyball, and his grades reflect that. 

cw: anatomically fem reader, vaginal fingering, blowjob (i think that’s it, if anything seems left out let me know!)

a/n: all i could think about is that ushiwaka is canonically stupid and i love that. 

based o this request: Studying anatomy and using your body as a physical map- Ushijima ((smut)) I’ve had this imagine suck in my head about Ushijima but like just picture this, Ushijima and Y/N studying together and they both like each other but Ushi doesn’t know how to act on his emotions and Y/N can’t tell if he likes them so they are just running around in circles pinning for each other, but anyways Ushi is studying for anatomy but he just can’t get the female anatomy to stick into his head and he’s getting a bit frustrated and so Y/N is like well I’m a female, you can practice on me and he’s like well shit. Y/N lays down Ushi is gliding his hands over their body as he names the muscles and whatnot, they both get a bit hot and bothered and when Ushi finishes “studying”he’s got an awkward boner and Y/N is like “now it’s my turn to study your anatomy” and they push ushi down and 🤪🤪🤪 please give this to me I’ve been thinking about it ALL DAY!!! -✨Puppy🤩

Shiratorizawa’s reputation was built upon intelligence and elegance.

The students are of the highest degree in not only book-smarts but also athletics. Only the most talented and were persons were allowed in the walls of the academy. Hell, the entrance exam resembled an AP college exam.

“I do not understand.”

Of course, there are always loopholes.

The first being an athletic scholarship. One of the more annoying ways to make it into the school, according to the students. You don't mean to sound mean but, it was blatantly obvious when someone is on athletic help.

But that wasn't what you were dealing with right now. No, it was something the students found way worse.  

A recommendation.

Actually, it was an athletic recommendation.

Ushijima Wakatoshi was known before he had even appeared.

You had been the lucky one to sit next to him first, and second, and somehow third year. And through that, you’ve learned more than a few things about him.

Firstly, he was the most amazing volleyball player you have ever seen. He also had so much passion for the sport that it had seemed to rub off on you. By the end of first-year gym class, you knew how to receive a light spike of his.

Second, he was extremely easy to fall in love with. For being constantly aloof and oblivious, he had this pull to him that just roped you in. at first you weren't sure what you felt for the bot, then he had helped you with a project ending the night with a smile and you were done for.

He was also incredibly easy to stay in love with. Once he had your attention he was almost the only person you thought of. Plaguing your mind with fluffy fake dates and worries that he would never like you back.

But he hasn’t said anything for you to believe either of those situations so you sit at a constant stalemate.

And thirdly, he was not only dense but utterly stupid. How was someone so sought after so completely unaware of admiration? Not only his social unawareness, but he was also not the smartest when it came to school.

Then you swooped in, raised his grades a few points, and became his official homework helper. You thought it was a blessing, more time with the man who had your heart, but you underestimated just how much help he needed.

You had no idea how many times you would have to explain the Pythagorean theorem to someone before they understood. (you're sure now that he didn't really understand and he just didn't want to hear it again.)

And anatomy was no exception.

“That’s alright Toshi, do you want to try looking at a different diagram? That might help!”

Opening a new book, you spent another ten minutes staring at the page just looking at it, before staring back up at you. And that's your cue. No more diagrams, he was never going to learn like that.

This was what you called plan visual. somethings, namely science, were better learned but seeing and not memorization.

Letting out a sigh, you closed all of the books and told him to do the same.

“Ok, here’s what’s going to happen.” placing yourself directly in front of the cross-legged man, garnering his full attention, “I'm going to give you an arm and a leg  and, let's start with the skeletal system, so just tell me all the bones you can remember.”

Lending your hand you took it in his and gave you a nod. Going up the length of your arm finishing at your shoulder blade, he moved to run a hand along your un-bending leg. Starting at your ankle he kept a constant hand on the back of your knee, keeping your leg hanging in the air.

A few mixed up bones later you finally moved on to muscles. Not only did it take far longer but you could tell he was getting frustrated, if the hand gripping your thigh as he tried to name all the muscles there was any telling.

On his fifth try, you gave him some help and just decided to move on, seeing that it wasn't needed for him to know blood vessels just yet, there was only one other thing he had to do.

Male and female anatomy.

You had tried to avoid the topic but that seemed almost impossible at the moment.

“Is something wrong Y/n?” As he spoke you became all too aware of his hand still on your thigh and how he was staring right at you like he could tell exactly what you were thinking, “the next topic is the reproductive system correct?”

“Erm, ye-yeah, but we don’t have to-”

“Don't be silly, we have to get through all the material that will be on the test. May I have the textbook to reference from?” he spoke as if he was ordering food, completely nonchalant. As if his hand wasn't reaching into your skirt and sliding your panties to the side.

“This unit does not require the breasts so you can keep your shirt on.” he continued to slide your underwear from your legs flipping your skirt, pushing you onto your back. Maneuvering you to how he wanted, you holding your legs spread open and close to your chest, he got to work.

“The outer lips, formally known as the labia majora,” he spoke as he ran a finger down, spreading them open to e your hole clench around nothing.  He let out a breath and intently stared at your core.

“Labia minora, inner lips.” running another finger along your lips he collected the wetness that had collected on them, bringing it to his mouth, maintaining eye contact as he licked it clean. “A woman creates a natural lubrication to aid in intercourse.”

Deliberately avoiding your clit, he moved to the urethral opening, passing it quickly. Moving to run a hand along your stomach placing where he thought your cervix and womb lay.

“The clitoris, an organ that is completely dedicated to pleasure.” his thumb rubbing small circles around your bud was the final opus for you to let out all the soft whimpers you had so desperately wanted to let out.

Eye’s shooting to meet yours his thumb moved quicker, drawing more pants and wanton moans from your throat.

“Please Toshi, I wanna-”

Your beg must've ripped him away from whatever daydream he lost himself in, roping his thumb away from your clit, a whine escaping you, he moved to his final destination.

“The vaginal hole, where a man enters a woman and makes her his own. It leads straight through the cervix into the womb.” right as he finished two fingers shoved their way into your pussy.

Reattaching his thumb to your clit, he coaxed moan after moan out of you.

Hitting a spot somewhere deep in you, cunt spasming as he rode out you high with slow strokes, “the g-spot, a small area that aids with the female orgasm.”

Taking his fingers to his mouth once more, he watched you let your legs down and close your eyes to help calm your roaring heart. In your bliss, you felt two lips connect to yours, a soft dance between new lovers.

A forehead rested on your hands and ran up and down your sides placing you back into a sitting position.

“y/n?”

“Hmm?”

“We still have one more thing to do.”

Oh right, this lesson was a two-way street.

Crawling to kneel between his crossed legs you palmed his bulge as he leaned back on the chair, bringing his hands behind his head. He watched you take his cock out of its restraints, wrapping your lips around the tip leaning his pre-cum.

He let you pace yourself, don't complain when you came up to explain what you were doing to what.

On the contrary, you could tell all he wanted to do was push your head down and keep it there until his load stuffed your throat. Realizing this was probably the last time you would have control over the boy.

But all seems worth it when he shows you the A+ on the anatomy test.

Maybe Ushijima Wakatoshi is a good student after all.

#ushijima x reader #ushjima wakatoshi #ushijima wakatoshi x reader smut #ushijima smut #ushijima x reader smut #haikyuu x reader smut #haikyuu smut #haikyuu x reader

[thera-daydreams]

PLUS ONE

》 A TRESE TWOSHOT 《

[Maliksi x Reader]

📝 Summary: In which your beloved best friend snatches you from your apartment at dawn asking you to be his plus one for his cousin's wedding. Unbeknownst to the clueless you, everything is just going according to Maliksi's ultimate masterplan. With the help of friends and family, the Prince of the Tikbalang finally gets the girl he's been longing for. And oh, Señor Armanaz gets his dream daughter-in-law and the promise of grandchildren within the year.

📌 Warning: May contain some slight NSFW for spicy suggestiveness and cussing. No smut or anything super SPG—this girl can't write that for her life—but just be prepared. It's Maliksi we're talking about. We've got friends-to-lovers, obliviousness, pining, fluff, and a tikbalang simp. Figure it out. 😃

(word count: 7,454) ♥︎ Part Two: ?

》 AUTHOR'S NOTE 《

Not an Inday spinoff, but a lengthy oneshot in celebration of this blog getting 90 followers. Just ten more to 100, yay! Thank you so much for the love and support, everyone. I also promised that I'll be making this brainrot that @binibiningbabaylan and I have fangirled over a few days ago (find the original post here) when I finished the latest chapter of Inday. Here it is! 🥰

Before I forget, I was also inspired by the cute fic made by @crispybasil titled "Sunshowers" and the "Trese Boys As Things My Guy Friends Do" made by the amazing @smolla-than-a-bug (I bow down to your wonderful works in the Trese fandom). I definitely see Maliksi to be the type to go on spontaneous roadtrips and be the boyfriend to drive you around eveeeerywhere (while also driving you crazy). 🚘

There are also some songs mentioned throughout this work. You should probably listen to them while reading for the full experience. Ending was somewhat rushed but eh, I'm too exhausted and I've rewritten it too many times. Also, if someone makes some actual tikbalang smut, tag me please. Anyways, enjoy! 💕

The way it all started was hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. It happened like a blur. Literally. One second, you were snoozing in your bed. The next? You had a seatbelt on in the shotgun seat of a sophisticated-looking car. Your brain didn't even get to process it yet.

"... So let me get this straight," you grumbled, still half-asleep from your sleep marathon. You just finished a hugely successful project at work yesterday, got promoted, and wanted to make up for the restless nights you spent overtime in the office. Of course you were irritated from being disturbed. You were on vacation leave for two entire weeks, originally planning to go into temporary isolation by deactivating your social media accounts and reserving a beach cabana for yourself in Batangas.

Well, turns out, you weren't going to Batangas anytime soon. All because your unreasonably spontaneous bestfriend of ten hectic years stole you from your apartment at 2AM. Was this considered kidnapping? Was this him just being more in touch with his tikbalang side, taking unsuspecting women in their sleep and leading them to their inevitable death? (He was going over the speed limit, so it was a valid thought.) Will wearing your shirt inside-out save you today? Lord, masyado ka pang pagod para mag-isip ngayon.

"Go on."

"You abducted picked me up in the middle of the night because you want me to be your plus one at your cousin's wedding in Tagaytay?"

"Yup. And technically, the venue is right on the outskirts of Cavite going to Tagaytay," he corrected you as a matter-of-factly.

"Same thing, whatever," you huffed tiredly. "Your cousin's wedding is at 6AM today. In a few hours. In four hours."

"Uh-huh."

You groaned exasperatedly, "Mal naman, eh! You didn't even let me bring anything. Could've at least given me a heads-up a few hours ago. I'm practically emptyhanded right now save for my phone! Sinungaling ka, you said this was just a normal midnight drive—not a freaking wedding!"

The Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang, son of the Great Stallion, heir to the Armanaz herd, and the Top Drag Racer of C-5 Expressway—if that was even one of his Game of Thrones-like titles—grinned as he continued driving beside you. He let you continue ranting in the passenger seat while he mulled over his ultimate masterplan that would change his entire life later on. He was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, so all this wasn't his thing. But for you? He'll make plans, alright.

"Wala man lang akong dinalang masusuot o kahit konting makeup para maging presentable sa harapan ng buong pamilya mo," you exclaimed, in absolute despair. "Do you know how out of my league you are? Your rich-ass family might judge me—hell, your dad might see me as a hampaslupa if I show up there in my pambahay and tsinelas!"

"Psh, I'm not out of your league," Maliksi waved it off, smoothly turning a corner. "And calm down. We've known each other for a decade! My dad practically loves you as his own daughter. Heck, the entire family knows you and keeps telling me they want you adopted in already. Lolo Andres and Lola Perlita said they'd have the paperwork settled. You just need to sign them."

It would be even better (and easier) if you married into the family. To him, specifically (as if he'd let anyone else have you). God, he was already being so obvious in his advances, but you were just so damn oblivious whenever it came to romance. None of this needed to happen if you just got it through your thick skull that he was madly in love with you.

"That's not the point, idiot!" you slumped back into your seat, hopeless. "Do you think the bride and the groom will get offended? Shit, baka masumpaan ako kung magagalit sila, Mal. Mukha akong patay galing sa South Cemetery."

The long-haired tikbalang rolled his eyes, "Huwag kang mag-alala. Nothing's going to go wrong. Chill ka lang diyan. I've got everything under control, babe."

Babe. Yes, he even called you babe but you thought it was him being a himbo and a massive flirt. Now, it was his common term of endearment for you, but you still assumed it was him just being irksome to you and that you couldn't stop the man from saying it anymore. Thus, you let it be (the most obvious hint of his attraction to you, bestie).

"... Ugh, why didn't you ask Hannah or Amie to go with you?"

He just smiled knowingly, shrugging and making up an excuse, "Nagmamadali ako, eh. Hannah and Amie are also coming, but they already have the other tikbalang as dates."

"'Luh, ako pala ang backup choice mo?"

"Heh. Whatever you want to think."

Little did you know that you were always his first choice. Always. Even when he pursued Alexandra Trese many years ago, trying to convince himself you were just his best friend, it was always you. How did he come to that realization? Well, an international band he was a fan of released a song a couple years ago and he heard it being played in a club in BGC. The song title?

It Was Always You by Maroon 5.

Needless to say, after hearing the song and being unable to get it—get you—out of his mind at night, he stopped courting Alexandra. Unfortunately for him, that time, you'd started dating other men. Therefore, he was left on the sidelines... until your latest and most painful breakup, at least. That was five years ago. You still hadn't dated anyone since then, kind of traumatized from getting into another failed relationship like that.

In the present day, as if the fates were playing on you two, one of your favorite artists played on the radio. A very ironic song given the situation you two were in.

Best Friend by Rex Orange County.

Maliksi knew it was a favorite of yours. He knew it by the way your eyes lit up like a star brightening the twinkling night sky. Like the sun first rising in the morning at Apolaki's command. Like the moon extending its gentle rays from the magic of Mayari herself. If there was anything he wanted to ask of the old gods, it was you—everything else be damned.

"I wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake," you half-sang and half-screamed happily, somewhat out-of-tune. "I can't wait to be your number oooooone! I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine—"

Maliksi glanced at you, not minding that his eardrums were probably getting microscopic ruptures from your aggressive singing. As much as he wanted to stare at you all day, he had to keep his eyes on the road. But the lyrics you were singing were wrong; the Prince of the Tikbalang was already yours from day one.

"Babe, McDo drive-through tayo for breakfast. Let me make it up to you. Gusto mo ng caramel sundae for your promotion gift? Sige. Ako bahala. Chicken nuggets din? Mabubusog ka ba niyan? I don't think they serve those this early..."

》》》

"Sandali lang!" you shouted out from inside an empty room. You'd just arrived at the venue—the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Silang, Cavite (practically the gateway to Tagaytay)—an hour or so ago. The hired makeup artist just left so that you could privately change into the outfit that had been bought specifically for you. Curse Mal and his ability to buy anything (perhaps anyone) he wanted. "Bwiset, Mal, you didn't tell me we'd be part of the damn entourage. We have to be walking the aisle in thirty minutes, simbako! You just love rushing me, don't you!?"

If only you were the one walking down the aisle today towards him.

When you exited the room, Maliksi couldn't help but let his jaw drop as he skimmed your figure, clad in the luxurious, silky satin blush midi dress he bought in one of those fancy stores in Makati yesterday. He imagined that it would look great on you, but now, seeing it on you in person... you looked divine (and frankly, he wanted to see it off your body to see what was underneath—but don't get too ahead of yourself, Mal). It was a whole 'nother level from his imagination. The deep cowl neckline and thin spaghetti straps showed your lovely collarbones... as well as a peek of your cleavage. His favorite and the best part of it all? It was backless, allowing him to gaze at the tempting curve of your spine.

He hadn't realized he had grown silent until you smiled and closed his mouth, tapping his chin.

"Lalangawin ang bibig mo, Mal," you laughed softly. Never had you seen him so speechless. You then flicked your hair back, ridiculously posing for him like you were on the cover of Vogue magazine (haba ng hair mo, gurl!). "Do I look that good? Char lang."

"... You look absolutely ravishing—I mean, uh, stunning. Hot. Yeah." That was all he could say. He mentally punched himself for not showering you with more suave compliments.

Still, your face brightened up, not knowing that the man in front of you just fell for you a thousand times harder, "Wow! Really? Damn. Ang galing talaga ng MUA na kinuha mo, ginawa akong artista. Give me their contact number later! May work event pa naman ako in two months. I'm shocked, it's like they made me rise from the dead! Even my eyebags are gone, Mal! How'd they do that?" Heck yeah, your confidence was boosted. He offered his arm to you like a gentleman, making you half-heartedly roll your eyes (you took it anyway). From holding it alone, you could tell that your best friend was a sinewy man (well, you knew that already after seeing his tikbalang form before—the little shit didn't even wear a loincloth like all his clanmates; your poor eyes were eternally scarred).

You looked him up and down. You wouldn't lie—Maliksi is and always has been an attractive man. Now? With his hair in a ponytail (pun not intended), definitely one of the hunkiest men you've ever known. "You're not looking too bad yourself, horsey."

"Ako pa!" He puffed his chest out in pride. You chuckled at his reaction.

"By the way, how do you even know my dress size and my shoe size?"

"Babe, I've known you too long. You know almost everything about me, I know everything about you."

You snorted at his confident tone, "'Di nga? You don't know every single thing about me, Mal. Assuming ka masyado."

"Alam ko nga anong cup size mo. Wala lang 'yang shoe and dress size."

You slapped his shoulder, cheeks quickly flushing red, "Huy, umayos ka! Walang hiyang tikbalang na 'to." With this guy as your best friend? You heard dirty jokes at least once a day. "Don't be inappropriate here!"

"What? It's only fair I know!" He looked down on you suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "You already know I always go commando, so of course I know that your bra is a size—"

"Shhh! Baka marinig ka, 'nyeta."

"So? Let them hear. My best friend has a nice set of melons!" he shouted. You were grateful there was no one around. Hopefully.

"Oh my God..."

Your best friend chortled at how flustered you'd become. He led you to where some of his family was waiting, with a couple of his relatives already greeting you. You instantly and quite easily mingled with them, your worries of them not accepting you far from even true (they all knew how much their prince loved the innocent you).

"Kayo na talaga, pare?" one of his older tikbalang clanmates asked while you went away to be fawned over by his aunts.

Maliksi chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched you from afar, "Heh. Hindi pa."

Another one of his clanmates—a younger one—laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Talaga? That's cap, bro. You two are like a married couple already and you guys still aren't a thing?"

"Ilang taon na ba kayong magkakaibigan?" the older one asked him.

"Almost ten years," Maliksi responded, a smile unconsciously pulling his lips up as he remembered your moments together. He watched you converse with his female relatives (who adored you the moment Maliksi brought you to a family event many moons ago).

The two tikbalang snickered as they saw the look on the Great Stallion's heir.

"You're down bad," the younger one said, snapping a photo of his lovestruck kuya. "You've got it so bad for her, dudeparechong!"

"Balak mong ligawan anytime soon?" the older tikbalang inquired.

"Heh. Balak ko na ngang pakasalan. Kung pwede, ngayon."

They looked at Maliksi as if he was crazy. He was very much serious, though, even if there was a huge, lopsided smile on his face. The Prince of the Tikbalang raised a brow at them.

"What? Don't give me that look. Our ten years of being best friends is practically the courting and the dating stage already."

"Eh... you're right. Don't waste anymore time. Go and marry her today, dude. Suporta kami sa'yo, basta groomsmen kami sa kasal niyo, ha!"

"Ge. Without question."

Meanwhile, on your end with the ladies of the family, they started pestering you on your love life (like all typical Filipino aunties). Chismis everywhere.

"O, iha, single ka pa ba?"

"Kailan ka magpapakasal? Malapit ka nang pumasok sa thirties mo."

"Do you want kids? How many?"

"Are you and Maliksi a couple? You look good together! Kayo na, 'di ba?"

"Will you be getting married next? Are you engaged? When's the wedding? Invite niyo kami!"

Before you could get overwhelmed by their questions, Maliksi swept you off your feet to lead you to the entourage that was lining up outside the chapel area. Again, it happened like a blur. He laughed at the partially nauseated look on your face.

"You okay there?" he asked, grinning.

"Your family thinks we're together," you muttered quietly, not meeting his eyes. You weren't sure why you felt... tingly about their statements.

He tilted his head at you curiously, gently setting you down on your feet and helping you stand.

"Do you hate the idea?" It hurt him to ask you the question, but he wanted your thoughts on it. Perhaps doing this was a bad idea. Maliksi was competitive in many things, including wanting you to be his, but if you were so opposed to it, he would never force you into something you didn't want. He let go of your hand; you didn't even notice he'd been holding it until he let go. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Your wide-eyed gaze snapped back to look up at him, "No! No, it's not that! And... it's not bad." Your hand felt strangely empty now that his was gone. Biting your lip, you disclosed, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Mal. Don't ever think that."

With that, you shyly interlocked your arm with his, tearing your eyes from his to mask the growing warmth you felt spreading in your veins. You two didn't say anything else when the ushers let you walk down the beautiful, petal-covered aisle together.

The man beside you was starstruck. Hopeful. Maybe both of you did have a chance. Maybe somewhere in the depths of your soul, his feelings for you were being reciprocated. For the rest of the sacred ceremony in the gorgeous main pavilion, both of you relished in short, comfortable, and low conversations. He even cracked jokes every once in a while—really funny ones that made it challenging for you to you stifle your laughter.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Maliksi fervently prayed to Bathala that he'd experience the same opportunity he was seeing with you someday. One day.

Even while the sun was brightly out, the sky began showering down light rain onto the land. You were in awe as you looked out the window.

"Hala, totoo nga pala! Tignan mo!" you laughed, tugging Maliksi's suit sleeve, pointing at the window.

"Na ano?" he curiously inquired, not understanding what you were referring to.

"Na kapag may tikbalang na kinakasal, umuulan habang may araw pa," you replied, eyes filled with childlike mirth and wonder. A rainbow had even begun to form by the clouds. "Look, it's magical! Ang ganda pala ng view dito kasama ang old Spanish architecture. Timeless na timeless. It's so pretty, 'no? Picture tayo 'maya, Mal."

Unlike you, it wasn't the sky outside that the prince was looking at. Amidst the loud cheers for the newlywed couple and the bubbles the guests were blowing, his vision could only focus on how magnificent you looked while being amazed. You were his best view. (Ed from 90-Day Fiancé, kabahan ka na, may katapat ka sa pickup line mo.)

》》》

"Smile for the picture!"

You giggled as Maliksi was dragged into a photo-op with the bridesmaids and the important older wedding sponsors a few feet away (funnily, he looked a little constipated around them). All of a sudden, when he was heading back to your direction, you were roughly pushed into the said man's arms. When you turned around, there was nothing (except maybe a gust of wind that came out of nowhere).

"Ooh, gotcha. Careful," the tikbalang steadied you, strong hands holding your biceps. "Natapilok ka?"

"... Huh, hindi naman," you wondered suspiciously, looking around. "I think someone pushed me? Parang tinulak ako... but wala namang tao."

"Weird. Maybe it was just the wind."

It actually was. Really. Maliksi knew for a fact that it was those two taong hangin who were spying on you from the corner, trying to pair you up. He gave them a thumbs-up while your back was turned in the opposite direction. Hannah and Amie returned the thumbs-up before vanishing. Suddenly, the two wedding photographers had moved on from the bridesmaids and were right beside you.

"What a lovely couple you two are!" she praised. Before you could correct her, she held up the black contraption she held towards you two. "Pose for the camera, lovelies!"

And so you did, the photographer guiding you two on what to do. Maliksi wrapped his arm around your waist and you leaned on his side, looking sidewards to the camera with one leg cocked in front of the other. Her assistant, who was holding a polaroid camera, printed out two photos for you.

"Thank you," you told him, taking the photos from his hands then flicking them rapidly to make the images develop. You and Mal were about to walk to the reception area when the photographer stopped you, handing the male beside you a business card.

"If you two need a photographer or a videographer for your wedding, call me," she signaled to both of you before running to another guest, bringing her assistant with her.

You gawked, "Mal, did you just hear what she said?"

"Loud and clear." A grin was on his face. He seemed very pleased at what he heard.

"... How can she even tell if someone is married or not?"

Maliksi's free hand took your left hand, tapping the ring finger, "Nothing here."

"Ooooooh. I get it now." Your brows creased. "Huh. This is like the fifth time today the people here have mistaken us for a couple."

Maliksi shrugged, teasing you, "Who knows? Baka may potential tayo, babe."

Before you could ask him what he meant, he was hurriedly towing you to the reception venue. While he was doing that, you stared at the now-developed polaroid photos you were holding. Huh. Maybe you two did look like a couple.

"Come on, they're serving some snacks at the welcome reception area. Peach pie and mango float-flavored. Paborito mo, babe."

》》》

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. You were actually enjoying the event—the host was great, the food was great, the music was great. Everything was great... that was, until the games.

"Alright! Now that the bride's garter has been removed, let's have the bouquet and garter toss... starting with the females!" the host announced. "Dear bride, please stay here in front. And all single ladies—and by single I mean ready to mingle and are not married—please rise and stand here on the dance floor. Let's play matchmaker tonight, everyone!"

"Uy, single ladies daw," Maliksi nudged your side. "Sign mo na 'yan." You snorted like a pig.

"Nope, ayokong madamay sa bouquet toss," you whisper-yelled at your best friend. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?! Besides, they won't notice if I don't join! Special tactic ko 'yan sa weddings: pretending I'm not single. Katabi naman kita."

More women came to the front, making you feel assured that you didn't need to participate. The host was about to say something, when the bride interrupted to whisper something into his ear.

"Hala, halaaa! Sabi ko all single ladies, pero may isang single lady na nagtatago pa!" he announced, making you freeze. Please don't let it be you. "What's her name, beloved bride?"

"Y/N L/N." You nearly spat out your champagne. You? Did they just call out your name? How did they know?

"Oh fuck," you cursed quietly.

"'Di ka makakatakas dito, babe," Maliksi jabbed, making you stand up. "Tinatawag ka na."

"Baka may ibang Y/N L/N dito," you resisted, attempting to sit back down. "I can't do this, Mal."

"'Sus, ikaw pa. And it's just a symbolic ceremony!" he encouraged, as if he didn't have any underlying intentions. "I doubt the bouquet will go to you anyway."

Sheesh, what a big fat liar you are, tikbalang prince.

You expressed your dissatisfaction with the situation, "Bwiset, fine. I'll just... dodge it. Or evade it. God, I swear..." You calmed down, confident. "I'm not going to worry. I've never caught the bouquet at my own friends' weddings anyway."

When you were at the dance floor, Maliksi snickered, seeing the bride—his cousin—wink at him. After all, he had thoroughly bribed her earlier.

《《《

"It's about time you settled down with someone, Mal," the bride commented while he slipped her the newest Hermés designer bag filled with a bunch of jewelry (plus some bills) two hours ago, right before the reception began and while you were in the restroom freshening up. "Hehehe, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course. I'll make sure she participates. I'll also try to throw it in her direction."

"Good. Thanks."

"You better invite me to your beach wedding. I can tell how much you love her."

"Not a problem. I'll even make you a sponsor."

The bride stared at her bouquet, already practicing how she was going to throw it, "Tito's going to thank me so much for ensuring that he's going to get grandkids soon, hihi."

》》》

Back to the present, on the other end of the room, Maliksi saw a familiar duo give him a sign that they were ready. Bingo. Time to execute the most important part of his plan.

《《《

"I don't care how you do it," he told the two wind elementals after he bribed the bride. "I've already instructed the bride on what she should do, pero siguraduhin niyo lang talagang lumipad sa kanya ang bouquet."

"Mmhmm," Amie flipped her hair, a hand on her cocked hip. "And what do we get in return, oh great Señorito Armanaz?"

"Sagot ko bar-hopping niyo for one month."

The two girls pretended to think about it, making Maliksi roll his eyes. He had to pull out the big guns, huh?

"Fine. Magbibigay ako ng cash deposit plus pwede niyong gamitin ang black card ko for a one-week shopping spree in Ortigas." There. Bullseye. That's what they liked.

"Deal!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hannah let a cool gust of wind enter one of the nearby windows, testing out how they're going to do this. "Ano pa bang pinaplano mo for Y/N mamaya?"

Maliksi hummed, "Basta."

》》》

You tried your best to hide within the densest part of the group of women. The bride seemed to have her eyes on you, weirdly enough, and she looked almost feral wanting to throw her flowers into someone's face.

That someone being you. Most likely.

"Target locked on," you saw her mouth move. She positioned herself like she was about to throw a football at someone (ahem, you). Holy shit, was she talking to you? Miss ma'am, it was a bouquet toss not a bouquet throw. The bride seemed to notice this, and once more regained her elegant composure.

"3, 2, 1," the host counted down. "Go!"

Surprisingly, the bouquet flew very high into the air (it was a wonder it didn't get tangled in the ceiling decor), but quite a distance away from you. You grinned, knowing it was too far to even touch you. Squeezing through the crowd of women eagerly awaiting the bouquet, you went to return to your assigned table.

Ah, what a wonderful evening.

Sike!

Something painfully landed right into your face, leaves and flowers getting into your hair and mouth.

... Wait, leaves and flowers?

Before you could comprehend it, the bouquet dropped right into your arms. What kind of ungodly, inhuman force allowed this to even happen?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our lucky girl for the night!" Everyone clapped, with some—those guests you knew—even cheering your name unbelievably loud. The host approached you, a glint in his eye which you couldn't understand. "Miss Y/N, kindly sit here while we await the lucky guy who catches the garter from the groom."

What just happened?

"All single gentlemen, please proceed to the dance floor. Remember, the man who gets the garter gets to slip it onto the lucky lady's leg later!"

Oh, God. You pinched the bridge of your nose. What you'd give to be back at home or to be in that resort in Batangas you'd planned on going to for a solo vacation.

"To make this even more exciting," the host stated, handing you a black blindfold. "Our lucky lady has to keep her eyes closed until her lucky man for the night captures the bride's garter! When the music plays, only then can she uncover her eyes."

See? Humiliating, just as you expected. Still, you wrapped the blindfold around your head (albeit hesitantly). You attempted to guess who it might be, thinking of all the tikbalang friends Maliksi had introduced to you back then whenever he invited you to his clan reunions.

"Groom, are you ready?" the host asked, microphone loud and clear.

"Ready na ready!"

"Single gentlemen, are you ready?!"

"Ready na ready! Awoo, awoo!" they loudly chorused, exactly mimicking Spartans about to engage in battle. You sweatdropped in the seat you were in. This was actually kind of scary. Maybe you felt a bit objectified.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

There was a brief moment of silence, which made you concerned. Ba't ang tahimik? Then, everyone erupted into roars and bravoes much louder than when you caught the bouquet—perhaps even louder by tenfold. What the heck was happening?!

The music played. Very raunchy, spicy, babymaking music. You expected it to be the typical Careless Whisper by George Michael or Pony by Ginuwine (corny songs which you could probably laugh at, at least), but no. Nuh-uh, this was probably worse. The DJ must be pretty young, the song of their choosing being a slowed, bass-boosted, sexier remix of Earned It by the Weeknd.

Ano 'to, bold? Fifty Shades of Grey? The hell was this?

Alright. This was embarrassing. Thank the heavens there were no children at this party. From the music alone and its implications, this was strictly for adults.

You removed your blindfold (that was okay now, right?) as the guests whistled playfully. You peeked one eye open reluctantly, then inwardly groaned. Oh, no. You should've expected it to be him of all people from how loud the reactions were. And all those yells from the crowd were from his family.

Son of a—

"Well, this has proven to be a very interesting arrangement!" the host proclaimed. "Our lucky man for tonight is none other than our great clan leader's heir, Maliksi Armanaz! Congratulations, sir! You get to slip the lacey little garter on Miss Y/N!"

The said very smug tikbalang stood a few feet away from the chair you were sitting on, smirking at you. His hair was no longer in that mesmerizing ponytail—instead, he'd tied it into a more sinfully attractive man-bun, loose strands framing his face and accentuating that sharp, angled jaw of his (say yes and thank you to Manny Jacinto's jawline, besties).

"Let's cheer him on in his new mission, everybody!" the host pushed. Was this that glint in his eye earlier? And was that a one thousand peso bill sticking out of his pocket?

The groomsmen, Mal's cousins and uncles whom you've met before, hollered words of encouragement to the tall man (who was, oddly enough, not one bit fazed). In fact, Maliksi seemed like he was famished as he stared you down.

You swallowed, feeling like you were going to get eaten (heh, say that again). Maliksi had shrugged off his dark suit blazer to the beat of the song (holy fuck, he also unclasped the suspenders attached to his pants right before your eyes—asdfghjkl). Were you prepared for this? No. Will you ever be prepared? No!

"Mr. Armanaz, before you begin," the host interrupted. "We have an additional challenge for you in this mission. Kaya mo ba? It was a request of the newlywed couple."

"What is it?"

"Use your teeth!" the bride and the groom cheerfully shouted, clapping with the other guests. Whatdidtheysaaaaay???

The cocky bastard didn't even hesitate, his smirk at you growing wider; those pearly whites of his on full display. Was it just you or were his canines a little sharper than usual?

"Anything for the newlyweds. Challenge accepted," he dashingly replied, winking at you. You sputtered indignantly. Pisteng yawa. Putangina. Putek. Pakshet. You swore you thought of every swear word in the book at that moment. What did that YouTube parody song about Filipino mythological creatures say again? About the tikbalang? Ah, yes. Half-macho dancer and half-stallion. Maybe the joke was true, especially when you saw what Maliksi did next.

He bit the shred of lace, loosening his necktie (bestie, you good there?), unbuttoning some top buttons, and rolling up the sleeves of his collared white undershirt up to his elbows (consequently showing off his toned, veiny forearms—those lucky bridesmaids behind him nearly fainted). Honestly, you felt like you were about to lose your mind from embarrassment. With how tantalizing your guy best friend was being? Let our response be: San Pedro, kunin mo na ako. Was he doing all this to tease you? To rile you up?

Because damn it all, it was working. In your ten years of knowing Maliksi Armanaz, withstanding all his daily dirty jokes and flirtatious attempts, never had you seen him like this. So... wolfish. Ravenous. Like he was a man that hadn't been fed in years.

He stalked closer towards you, falling to his knees in front of your legs. Your gown had a long slit that extended up to an inch or two below where your left leg began—your best friend was eyeing his target already, knowing where to place the garter. Normally, you would never even wear something as revealing as this gown. It just wasn't your type, but Maliksi was the one who bought this for you for this specific occasion, so you had no choice. It was this or your pantulog he stole you in just hours ago. At first, you were confident in the gown. Now? You felt too... naked.

Somehow, in the heat of it all, you'd muted out the noise of the venue. Maliksi teasingly lifted your foot up, fingertips slyly grazing the thin shoe straps around your left foot—his calculated touch leaving fire in its trail. Once the garter had been successfuly inserted past your high-heeled stilettos, the man kneeling in front of you kept his hands to himself. Despite the fact that now there was absolutely zero skin-to-skin contact between you and this man, your body felt hotter than it ever was before as he expertly slid the lacy bit of cloth up your ankle at an agonizingly slow pace.

Maliksi's warm eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown, a tinge of red in them—of his true beast—while he maintained striking eye contact with you, pulling the garter up your calf with his teeth. Smoothly tugging... tugging... tugging. Tangina, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes alone; like he was telepathically telling you to keep your eyes open.

To keep your eyes on him, where he was knelt inbetween your legs, his hands intentionally locked on his back. Did you ever imagine this? Him between your legs? Maybe. Once or twice. But you never thought about it seriously; Maliksi dated girls left and right in the past.

His lips... his lips were so close... so close to your leg that you could feel the heat of his breath along with the lace. Were you about to die? Perhaps you already did. Maybe you were in heaven. Up... up... up... snap!

Suddenly, he stopped, grinning up at you mischievously and letting the elastic bounce back to the skin of your left knee.

"I'm not going any further, don't worry, babe," he whispered, noting that your eyes had become misty and glazed over. Internally, he grew worried. "That's enough." Did he think it was from discomfort? From you being uncomfortable? Bitch, no. It was the exact opposite. You had never been this turned on in your entire life.

You felt like your soul had left your body at that moment. Did you just have a heart attack? Was your blood pressure okay? Before you or Maliksi could stand, however, someone bellowed from the wedding sponsor tables.

"Higher! That's an order!"

Fucking hell, it was Maliksi's father who shouted. He wasn't in the huge tikbalang form you'd normally meet him in, but he was still very intimidating in his humanoid form, commanding attention and subservience wherever he went. You could tell where Maliksi got it from.

Instantly, the other guests—already half-drunk and wanting the spirit of partying to continue on—joined in.

"Higher! Higher!"

The host cheered, "You heard Señor Armanaz! Higher!"

Maliksi gave you a questioning look. Even if it was his father who spoke up, he still wouldn't do anything you didn't want. Well, you two made it this far; there was no point in getting embarrassed now. You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding. You probably couldn't erase the redness on your skin with how much you'd blushed from this night. It was as if the heat was tattooed onto your skin.

"Go on, Mal," you whispered to him, bending your torso down closer to his face, eyes half-lidded from want. "Finish what you started, babe."

With those sultry bedroom eyes he'd never once seen you show him before—plus you turning the tables with that familiar term of endearment, how could he refuse? Like a switch had been flipped inside him, he immediately complied, taking the frilly scrap of stretchy lace between his teeth once more, moving it further up to your thighs until where your high slit ended—centimeters below the warming juncture between your legs.

Your legs felt wobbly... boneless, as you stood up from the chair, the fabric of your gown cascading over where the lace sat securely on your upper left thigh. The party was still going strong even after you two finished the garter wearing tradition.

"'Atta boy! That's my son!" Señor Armanaz blazoned, standing up and raising his glass for a toast. "Cheers to the newlywed couple! May they last forever!"

You guys weren't the newlyweds, but it did sure feel like it. If the clan leader was hyped up, everyone was hyped up. Heck, the groom and the bride didn't mind one bit what had just transpired on their dance floor. In all the chaos, Maliksi took you out of the reception area and somewhere quieter. More private.

You would need to have a serious, urgent talk with your boy best friend.

》》》

You two silently sat on a stone bench in a gazebo somewhere in the reserved venue for the wedding, trying to cool down and get yourselves back together (at this point, you needed ice from that steamy, half-scandalous event you just went through). Here, there was no one else except for the chirping of crickets, the lush trees surrounding the area, and the golden fairy lights strewn all over the roof. Awkwardness was something you'd expected after what just happened, but somehow, you still felt comfort in this man's presence. For the past thirty minutes, both of you just stayed still, lost in your thoughts and reflecting.

"Mal?" you finally spoke up.

"... Hmm?"

"Ano tayo?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Your fingers instinctively reached out for his, just like they always did when you were anxious. Sensing this, he grasped your hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soothingly. He massaged the skin of your fingers, distracting you from your nervousness. It seemed like both nothing and everything changed between both of you. The gesture was the same, but so different at the same time.

"Mahal mo ako." It was not a question. It was a statement. A truth—one that you'd been too blind to see before. One that you only discovered while you stared into each other's eyes in that party not as best friends. You realized with a jolt in your heart what he really felt for you, and now, what you really felt for him. In those thirty minutes of silence, you knew. You just knew.

"Yes. I do."

"... Just as a best friend?" you probed.

"..."

Finally, you gazed into his eyes, previously so dark and full of hunger. Now? Just reluctant. Vulnerable. Open. Unsure of what to do next.

Seems like you had to be the one to take initiative tonight. Taking out your phone, you opened your music app and pressed play on a certain song. Ikaw at Ako by Johnoy Danao. You removed your heels (which were starting to blister your ankles and toes), then pulled him up to stand.

"Dance with me," you murmured, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist. He was stiff. Tense. What was he to do when the woman he's been pining after for so long let him hold her? All his gallantry and ability to romance disappeared out the window the moment you let him touch you so intimately.

You two weren't even waltzing. Just swaying. Slowly, you leaned your head on his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

"... I love you," Maliksi admitted in the middle of it all, feeling like he was dreaming. Your head on his chest kept him grounded to reality, however. "More than anything in the universe. I fell for you ever since you patched me up when you were nineteen and I was a reckless drag racer who didn't have a purpose in life. 'Nung dinala mo ako pabalik sa Armanaz Tower on the verge of death. Simula noon, ikaw lang."

"I realized that," you smiled, reminiscing the old memory. You were just a broke college student that time, coming back to your dorm from making your group thesis at a classmate's house. Imagine your panic when you found a half-man, half-horse bleeding out by some bushes on the way home at night. Despite your fear and your little money (only enough to feed you for the week), you went out of your way to buy a first-aid kit at the nearest 7/11. It was scary, but you managed to mend the creature's wounds by the side of the road. When he was finally able to speak, turning fully human (which you admit, freaked you out initially), you arduously carried him back to his address—to his father and his clan, even if you had classes the very next morning. Because of your heroic deed of saving their precious heir, the tikbalang clan had become indebted to you: a teenage girl on the verge of a mental academic breakdown, just making her way through the cruel adult world. How old of a memory that was, you thought, yet you still recalled it in perfect detail. "Just a while ago."

"Ah." He swayed you gently.

"Lahat ng ito, plano mo?"

"... Yes," Maliksi fessed up. "Except for this part where we're here dancing in this belvedere. Wala sa plano ko. Gusto ko sanang magconfess doon sa may fountain para sweet, pero..."

You lifted your head off his chest, smiling at him with one brow raised, "You know, between both of us, you're supposed to be the spontaneous one. Planning isn't usually your thing."

"I know. It's a failure, huh?" Maliksi sighed.

"Nah." You shook your head, then suddenly locked lips with him. It was so fast and surprising he didn't even get the chance to return your first kiss. For once, you caught him off guard. You pecked him on the lips again. "It's not a failure."

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Maliksi. Ten years. We're twenty-nine now, and only tonight do I realize how blind I've been. We've been going around in circles, wasting so much time. Ayoko nang mag-aksaya ng oras," you whispered guiltily against his lips. How could you have been so blind? Andaming nasayang na taon. Making up your mind, you told him, "Yes. Sige, I accept. I'll be your plus one."

The tikbalang was flustered and baffled from the kiss, as well as your revelation, "... But, you already are?"

"No, silly. I meant that I'll be your plus one for life. For as long as you'll have me," you laughed, now processing that you were currently dancing barefoot with your boy best friend and had just kissed him in a wedding you didn't even plan on going to. The universe had a mysterious way of doing things. "Guess I'm the spontaneous one now, huh?"

Maliksi was tongue-tied. "Seryoso ka ba? Is... Is this a marriage proposal?"

"Whatever you want it to be," you echoed his words back to him. "Best friend, plus one, girlfriend, wife—mmpf!"

He kissed you so hard your lips bruised. After an impromptu makeout session which was definitely more in character for Maliksi, you both pulled away, panting heavily in search for air, still desperate for passion. He cupped your cheeks, giving you a sweet, featherlight Eskimo kiss.

"You're missing one more title."

"Hm? What do you mean, Mal?"

"Love of my life." He kissed you again, this time lifting you off your feet and spinning you around (his sneaky right hand was resting on your bum, too, giving it a tight squeeze). You know in the Princess Diaries where the main character's foot just... pops whenever the prince charming kissed her? Yeah, that happened to you on that humid summer night. This was right. You two were meant to be together. Everything was falling into place.

The bungalow you reserved for your Batangas vacation leave ended up being the site of your very eventful honeymoon with the Prince of the Tikbalang (with his libido, it wasn't that difficult to continue where you'd left off in the garter toss; that scrap of lace came off your leg the same way it went on). Actually, nauna pa ang honeymoon sa actual wedding (it was definitely spontaneous). Right after your confession in that alcove, you two went to Maliksi's father to ask for his blessing (which he gladly gave, cackling and saying that it took you long enough) before you guys went driving off to Batangas that night. You and Mal indeed had lots and lots of fun in that resort (I'll let you imagine the rest). More beautiful memories were made from that point on—this time, not just as best friends.

All that and your small, intimate wedding occurred in early April. Just when you thought that it'd be impossible to fulfill Maliksi's life goal of having a baby within the year (nine months of pregnancy meant that the earliest you'd give birth would be January next year), the impossible happened.

Exactly thirty-two weeks later, on New Year's Eve, the Armanaz herd welcomed one prince and two new princesses into the world. Triplets who were instantly adored by everyone in the clan.

Señor Armanaz had never been happier, and so were you and your husband. Your best friend. The love of your life. Your forever plus one.

Maybe being spontaneous wasn't so bad after all.

Taglist: @belladaises @binibiningbabaylan @4kodzuk3n @sparklingmallow @severuslovebot @holyshxtangel @marinac15 @space-flamingo @pippethealien @kashasenpai @disappointmentpastry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @seijohoe @monimiin @ibelievein2dmensupremacy @tinybonksharkcop @methehipster @banisuoh @genshin-idiot @lemonnie-kimmie

#trese #trese 2021 #trese netflix #maliksi #maliksi x reader #tikbalang #trese fic #x reader #trese x reader #thera.writes

[madeincosmos]

Things learned at school that I am still unlearning

1. You only have one chance to do anything, and if you fail you’re either stupid or lazy

2. Asking questions gets you in trouble

3. There’s only one correct way to do things, and it’s up to authority to decide which way it is

4. Your work is only worth as much as the local authority decides it is worth

5. You are only supposed to work on things that are assigned to you

6. You need explicit permission each time you want to do anything that wasn’t specifically assigned to you, including taking a pee

7. Cooperating with other people is cheating

8. Your work doesn’t have to serve any purpose other than measuring how much you’re worth, it will likely be discarded right away

9. You must be smart but not too smart, doing things ahead of the schedule gets you in trouble

10. Knowledge comes from lectures and books rather than experimentation

11. Education has to be serious, if you’re having too much fun you’re going to get grounded

12. Moving your body is forbidden, except for 2h/week when you will be measured on your ability to play ball games

13. There can be only one top performer, and it matters who this is

14. If you re-use something you've done before, that's cheating

15. The quality of your work can be summarized with a single number

16. It's important to be a "critical thinker", but only about things you've been told to be critical of

17. Drudgery in school is necessary as a preparation for even worse drudgery at work

18. There is no feedback, only evaluation and judgement

19. It doesn't matter if my writing actually helps me understand what I'm thinking about or is useful to anyone, as long as it sounds good and has no obvious errors

20. If an authority says something I think is incorrect, misleading, or confused, I may get punished for trying to correct or clarify

21. You are trapped in this institution. No matter how poorly it's run or how miserable you are, you can't leave

22. If you do good work that doesn't check some arbitrary boxes, it's not good work

23. You can’t choose your own projects. They need to be given to you by someone in authority. Anything you come up with doing on your own is inherently nonproductive

24. Good writing is verbose writing. Brevity will be punished

25. If there is a problem with how you do at school, you are the one who's at fault

26. The whole point of spending most of your waking hours at school for a dozen years or so is to determine if you’re a “good student” or not

27. You need to do exactly what you're told to do, asking for reasons why you're supposed to do it and about possible consequences will get you in trouble

28. You're not allowed to resolve conflicts on your own, an authority figure will step in and decide who's in the wrong (usually both) and how they need to be punished

29. Everyone needs to do exactly the same thing at the same time

30. The best response to a problem is to punish everyone equally

31. Nobody cares about how things look like from your point of view

32. There’s no context, no parallels with other disciplines, no connections between things you might have learned elsewhere, only individual bite-sized chunks of knowledge

33. Any interaction with an adult might be used to evaluate, judge or punish you

34. Your interests or personal life don’t matter, you must only speak when prompted, and only about the things the authority figure wants you to speak

35. If you made a mistake, it means you are worthless

36. You’ll never need to iterate on one thing for a long period of time, everything you create will probably end up in trash anyway

37. Experts are always right and never make any mistakes

38. You’re required to do every single thing anyone ever asks you to do at 100% of your capacity, everything is equally important and there are no priorities or tradeoffs

39. If you don't have an official certificate signed by some recognized authority proving that you're capable of doing something, you should probably leave that to experts in the field

40. Collaboration on a group project means that whoever cares most does all the work

41. School is the only source of knowledge. there's no other way to learn

42. Vacation, unlike school, is fun and exciting

43. Caring a lot about anything is nerdy and low-status

44. I can't make food. I only eat what I'm given

45. Learning only happens in a building, sitting at a desk, and listening to someone talk

46. The only way to solve problems is a top-down authoritarian decision that puts everyone in their proper place

47. You’re not allowed to ask anyone for help

48. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of something interesting, you need to drop it immediately and move on to the next thing whenever asked or you will get punished

49. Every time you interact with an expert or someone in a position of authority, you are being evaluated. Make sure to impress them with how much you know

50. There is one correct answer to every question, and it applies equally well to everyone

51. If what you’re currently doing isn’t working, your only option is to TRY HARDER

52. Learning is something you do because it is Simply What Is Done, and you would be punished otherwise, not something you do because you have an intention or goal that learning will help you achieve

53. Only activities assigned to you by someone else have value, doing whatever you feel like doing is wasting time

54. The only way to achieve anything meaningful or important is through brute force, left to your own devices you’d just bum around

None of these is true in real life.

#school #school life #student #studentlife #studentproblems #studyblr #studying #studentmemes #student memes #learning #students #unlearning #it doesn't have to be this way

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Do you think maybe it's time to just accept that you were wrong about Mileven being over in S4? I mean, let's be realistic here, the Occam's Razor explanation for Mike reading a letter during a VO of El narrating a letter to him is that the letter is from her. And the person who leaked the airport reunion is the original leaker of Lenora Hills and Vecna, both of which are now proven (and they don't ship Mileven so have no incentive to lie). I think the writing is on the wall here.

I don't think there's evidence of anything just yet, and I'm pretty good at questioning my existing hypotheses when new information comes around.

No leak is proven until we see the end result. Even if this person broke the news of Vecna and Lenora Hills, it doesn't mean everything else they say is correct. The events are independent of each other. Have there been other claims that turned out not to be true? Do we know to what degree the leaks were proven true? We know that Vecna is apparently a thing, but that was a rather detailed leak, so it's possible some parts were right and others weren't.

As for the airport thing, we knew they were shooting scenes there, but that's all. Unless there was a similar leak, the claim was that there was a Mileven reunion at the airport where Mike brought her flowers while Will and Jonathan talked about a burrito. That "leak" was debunked when the person who said it admitted to trolling. It was an easy one to debunk anyway considering they claimed to overhear it while passing through the airport, like the set wouldn't be secured or anything.

Nothing in the letter El sent is particularly romantic. She looks forward to seeing him, but, yeah, of course. There's no I love you or anything like that, though. There's also no actual scenes of them together in that trailer. Maybe don't spoil the reunion, but you'd think they'd give us at least one, even if they're just standing next to each other. Is that not curious to anyone?

As for Mileven being over, I suppose it's a matter of semantics. I meant it was over in that Mike had thought it was over (hence his confused response to her saying she loved him and not responding to her kiss), and that they hadn't even brought it up until then. I do think Mike may seek the comfort of normalcy that he can get from their relationship, though. It's a gift for a closeted gay teen to be able to say "I have a girlfriend, but she moved to California." It'll be interesting to see how he interacts with both her and Will once he actually gets to see him. For that matter, did those holiday visits happen, and, it so, what was that like?

It's reasonable to say they could still be "together," but there's nothing in that teaser to support it. We can say they aren't on bad terms, but that's about it. I don't think Mike and Will got together during the interim period, as there's no evidence of that, either.

But, seriously, we last saw Mike in the season 3 epilogue, and that had him in front of a closet all uncomfortable from El's confession and kiss. We don't (officially) see him about until the 004 teaser, and now he's positioned with a closet behind him with a sign on his wall pointing an arrow right at it. Does that not seem a bit coincidental to people? Throw in Will doing a project on Alan Turing, and I'm sitting here going "C'mon guys, this is a bit on the nose."

I'll just say this: if these boys aren't gay, then we're well into the baiting zone by now. I imagine both of them have a ways to go, but I honestly feel like it's more a stretch to explain away these as coincidences than it is to interpret them as intentional. Each additional piece of gay symbolism makes it harder and harder for it to be an accident.

Occam's Razor wouldn't apply here the way you suggest. We can't take just the teaser as evidence of anything, as we know context is missing and Trailers Always Lie/Never Trust a Trailer. Instead, I'm reconciling the new information with what we already know. With thing being equal, the simplest explanation can indeed be the correct one, but things are not equal here. We have an existing body of evidence with context (seasons 1-3) and then a bunch of new information without context (teasers 001-004).

Still, I welcome challenges to my thoughts. There's nothing categorically bad about my ideas being proven wrong, even if I may be a bit embarrassed about it.

#stranger things 4 #will byers #mike wheeler #byler #eleven