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#all the older ensemble members are so funny
qqtxt · 1 year
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[🌸] just like the movies w/ txt
✿ pairing: ot5 x reader / idol!txt / non.idol!you / a couple of curse words, mentions of food and eating / very cheesy and clichè tropes / fluff galore bc i’m a soft bean ✿ mini-fics with each member for the same situation / less than 500 words for each member / altogether, word count: 1,846 words ✿ in which these are the members imagined as cheesy romantic tv tropes 📺 ✿ a/n: bruh all i did was watch b99 and it was that one episode with raymond and kevin in the rain :”) #iykyk. also i know there are more clichè tropes that are angsty but... listen here, i ain’t about that so let’s sit in fluff shall we– [masterlist 🌸] / other members under the cut! / @kflixnet​ 💖
🎧: movies by conan gray: “i want a love like the movies.”
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[🐰] soobin / seeing you happy makes me happy today was a fun-filled day of going to a theme park together with the boys and yeonjun hates to be that person but he most certainly will be. throughout the whole day, he noticed how soobin’s been on cloud nine. regardless of what ride he’s on, what food he’s eating, what attractions you’re seeing; none of it matters. all that matters is the smile on your face that automatically makes the corner of his lips tug up; it’s inevitable. like an unforeseen force that makes soobin feel like all is right in the world, everything is exactly as where it should be.
even now when all of you were bundled up in a souvenir shop and beomgyu’s putting on questionable headbands on you that elicit the sound of your laughter that rings like music to soobin’s ears. from a distance as yeonjun stands with soobin, he nudges the latter by the shoulder. it’s like he’s snapped soobin out of his daze, glancing to the older boy with a huh? “wipe your mouth. you’re drooling.” yeonjun snorts, eyes pointing to soobin’s lips.
soobin has this sheepish smile on his face, covering his mouth, but then his eyes trail back to the sight of you laughing with beomgyu. soon after, your eyes are searching for soobin to show him your funny ensemble and it makes him smile so wide that it’s useless for him to cover his own mouth.
“disgusting.” yeonjun scoffs a laugh, but his actions prove otherwise when he slings an arm around soobin’s shoulder to drag him to reunite with you. 
tl;dr: soobin’s a quiet and attentive lover, so it’s no surprise that he gets joy out of seeing you being happy. he finds himself being loud and chaotic with you sometimes, but in his natural habitat of being a quiet person, he already feels so much happiness just by seeing you being happy.
[🦊] yeonjun / dancing in the rain normally, yeonjun was level-headed enough for almost anything in the world. except you. you were the only exception that allowed his mind to go off the rails every once in a while. when you two got caught in the rain on your way back from the convenient store in the middle of the night, instead of rushing for shade, yeonjun boldly stands on the sidewalk and holds his hand out to you.
“may i have this dance, my lovely?!” he raises his voice to reach you past the rain making its way to divide the pair of you. his glasses were all fogged up, droplets of water pitter-pattering its way to drench his clothes and yours combined... but it wasn’t enough to drown the bright smile on his handsome face. “what if we fall sick?!” you yell back, yet, your body betrays you when your hand already reaches out to slip into his own; the contact of your skin in his already makes his cheshire grin appear as he pulls you to his chest.
“we’ll have more time together, then.” he starts by gripping onto your hands to place them onto his shoulders for you to hold, then with both of his hands on your waist, he sways you to the non-existent music playing in his mind... when in reality, it was the beautiful sounds of your laughter with the rain tapping on the ground.
tl;dr: yeonjun’s about having a grand gesture once in a while that definitely stems in your memories for plenty of days to come. he doesn’t shy away from it and instead embraces it wholeheartedly, even if it may seem silly at the moment. but he knows that it’s memories like these that make you two smile fondly during your time apart and even chuckle about it when you’re next to each other.
[🐯] beomgyu / tossing rocks at your window it was late into the night and any rational person would be asleep but... choi beomgyu wouldn’t be choi beomgyu if he wasn’t standing outside your window tossing rocks to get your attention. initially, it scared you thinking it was an intruder but when you took a peek, you recognise that smile anywhere.
you lean up to the window, opening it before he has a chance to throw another rock at your direction. his arm is up mid-air, now caught red-handed but it seems like he wants to get caught as he waves at you.
"hello there, gorgeous!”
“are you insane?!” you half-yell, well-aware that your voice wouldn’t echo as much as his has considering how his voice bounces off the quietness in the streets. “what’re you doing here?” you ask softly, so soft that he barely catches it but he does; he always does. he drops all the rocks and grins up to you, hands now in his pockets as he rocks on the balls of his feet, “i missed you, of course! so i came by.”
“at two in the morning? choi beomgyu, you need to get some rest!”
“i’ll rest with you!” he offers, brows raised, full smile on display that the moon seems to cast a glow on him... making it irresistible to reject. “please?” he starts to pout, pulling out his best puppy eyes. he gapes, mouth hanging open with your name clogging his throat when you close the window and the curtains on him. his nerves are on fire but then he hears the door opening and you’re just within sprinting distance for him to crush you in his arms.
tl;dr: beomgyu’s a little reckless sometimes but he comes from a good place with the purest of intentions. he doesn’t shy away to show you what he wants. so when he misses you at the odd hours into the night, what does he do? show up at your door, of course. is it rational? not all the time but sometimes, love doesn’t make you think whether it’s rational, it makes you feel like it is. as long as it isn’t life-threatening, well, it's more than okay.
[🐿] taehyun / sofa > bed there are nights when taehyun decides to come home to you instead of the dorm. nights where he longs to be in your presence, even if he knows he has to leave in the morning... it was all worth it, to him. he texted you not to wait up for him but his heart swells when he sees you asleep on the sofa, phone in your hand with the glow of the television illuminating your features.
he quietly makes his way in, discarding his bag and is quick to prepare himself for bed. except, the bed is the sofa where you are. after ten minutes, he’s dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of boxers, making his way to the living room to switch off the television and peel your phone from your hand to set it on the table. 
he scoots onto the sofa with you, curling you in his arms and his heart skips a beat with the way your arms already clutch onto him, face buried to his chest as you move to the back of the sofa to grant him more space to join you.
“hi there, pretty,” he murmurs into your ear softly, kissing the side of your head as you grunt to a wake, yet sleep still weighs heavy in your system. “what time is it?” you mumble to his neck as you shift up, pressing your face there and he sighs, curling his arms around you tighter as his eyes flutter shut, “late. but we can sleep now.”
“don’t wanna move to the bed?” you ask, even though the answer is clear when you tangle your legs with him, arms hooking around him like a lifebuoy you drag into your stream of unconsciousness. he shakes his head and kisses the top of your head as he curls into you, “no. let’s sleep here.”
tl;dr: there’s something pleasant in being romantic in the mundanity of life and that’s one of the things that taehyun appreciates and does so well. he doesn’t express himself too well with words but you don’t feel any less loved with the way he shows how much he wants to be with you. that just so happens to be sleeping on the sofa with you at 3 a.m. even though there’s a bed big enough for you two to sleep in; wanting to be as close as possible.
[🐧] kai / kiss me, if you dare. kai being shy was a combination the boys truly enjoy seeing especially with the way his cheeks tint with pink and his naturally confident demeanour crumbles within seconds of being around you. sure, you two had been dating for a while now but they found it so refreshing and pure for kai to be so deeply infatuated with you as if you two had only been together for weeks compared to the months building up to your history.
another game night, a game of truth or dare. secrets being revealed, past histories surfacing and a dare being made to your face to kiss huening kai right now or put your foot in the toilet. it was a challenge and you knew it; moments of intimacy of you and kai were revealed as far as shamelessly cuddling and being cute with one another but nothing borderline inappropriate. 
kai should’ve known that knowing look in your eyes when you don’t seem fazed by beomgyu’s dare, leaning up from your seat, reaching across the coffee table where all of you were huddled against to grab kai by the collar. he lets out a soft squeak just as you yank him up, lips meeting one another. if it wasn’t for the crazy howling and shouts from the boys, they could’ve heard the way kai was internally screaming.
it’s not like you haven’t kissed kai before (plenty, plenty of countless times, in fact) but when you pull away and smile at him, kai swears that it feels like the first time you’ve kissed him.
“great, we broke him.” taehyun scoffs a laugh when you let go of kai and the boy is now staring at you from across the table in a daze.
“way to go, beoms. we lost the connection of huening kai.” yeonjun smacks beomgyu’s arm, all of them now ringing with laughter including yourself as kai has this shy grin on his face, shamelessly asking: “can you do that again?”
“oh god. eat each other’s faces later, you sinners!” soobin groans, proceeding to spin the bottle to keep the game going.
tl;dr: kai was shy by nature but he’s bold with his advances once he has the confidence to do so but... that doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate his partner taking charge once in a while. he can get uncomfortable having the spotlight on him so when you take charge and aren’t afraid to show affection to him in front of others... you’ve officially won his heart in this life and the next.
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cutiecorner · 1 year
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Happy Holidays everybody! I hope everyone is having a wonderful season! Since I recently got an ask about my personal reqs for where to start with batman, as a Christmas gift to me and y'all I'm finally making a curated list of my favorite batman media! This is 100% skewed to me, it's essentially just a list of all the batman stuff I've consumed, but I might throw in a few others for folks with different tastes! Also, most of these can be found on HBOmax as of now, but I'm including links to where you can watch online where possible! See you under the cut for a very, VERY long guide! Enjoy!
TV!
Hands down, the definitive piece of batman TV is Batman: The Animated Series. Soooo much iconic batman stuff was coined in this show. Also, it has hands down the best characterization of Bruce himself imo. If you're getting into Batman due to dadfred & babybat, here's a list of standout episodes for you!
Beware the Grey Ghost: A whole episode about Bruce's childhood special interest. You even get to see actual baby Bruce!
Eternal Youth: Absolutely precious Alfred episode, with Ivy as the villain no less. Sooooo many adorable moments, like, I don't even wanna spoil it. Just watch it.
Heart of Ice: For one, an absolutely excellent episode of television, and also a tooonnn of cute Alfred and Bruce moments!! Real dad moments for sure.
Harley's Holiday: 100/10 episode in general, and full of Harley and Bruce moments!!
The Lion and the Unicorn: Another Alfred focused episode!! Bruce Dick and Al being famiwy...
I have more, but those are a good place to start. Have a fave villain? Watch all their eps!! Discover new ones! Watch it from the beginning! Watch around and see what floats your boat. There's a redesign in season 3 (The New Batman Adventures) and they bring in a littler robin, Tim Drake. Warning for TNBA in general though, they tease at some really uncomfortable relationships here and there. But overall it has a lot to offer!
After btas I started on Justice League (2001)! I super love it, I adore the other members of the league so much and there's plenty of interesting stories. Justice League Unlimited is great too! Fantastic Bruce/Diana stuff, even though I'm not big on the ship their interactions are beyond precious. These are ensemble pieces so they're not all bats, but they're highly recommended if you're interested!
For some quick silly adventures, Justice League Action is fantastic! It's super funny and cute. There's plenty of batman centric episodes, and it's super lighthearted and fun! No robins or alfred in any of the Justice Leagues (very sparcely in JL/JLU) though, unfortunately. Speaking of silly fun batman shows: Batman the Brave and the Bold is a total blast! There's soooo many heroes in it, if you like any other DC characters there's a good chance they appear!
I just recently got into The Batman (2004), and it's really growing on me! The first season especially is really creative and cool. It's a younger take on batman, and it has seeerrious early 2000s boy/Ben ten/bionicles energy lol, but if that's nostalgic for you you'll LOVE it.
If you like adult cartoons, Harley Quinn is pretty good and funny! Of course it's about Harley and her gang over the bats, and the first season especially can get kinda ick in the adult cartoonyness, but by the third season it gets great (VERY good Bruce stuff in the third season! Honestly in all the seasons). Overall I definitely think it's worth a watch. It is not appropriate for kids though, make sure to look up warnings! If you're especially sensitive to gore/violence maybe skip it.
I haven't watched much of these, but I've heard good things if live action is your style! Gotham follows the villains and older generation before Batman came along. Supposedly very good Alfred and Bruce content, with kid Bruce! For my Alfie lovers, Pennyworth follows the adventures of Alfred along with the Waynes, taking down conspiracies back in England during the 60s. As completely up my alley as those sound, they're not really my thing because they are pretty violent, so beware!
Movies!
Starting off with animated movies, the btas movies come very highly recommended! Especially Mask of the Phantasm! I was super not excited for the romance plot, but it 1000% won me over, it's fantastic. Lots of young Bruce stuff (like early early 20s), which is wildly endearing, and very good dadfred moments!! The Mystery of the Batwoman isn't as great, but it's good fun. Sub-Zero is really good if you like Mr.Freeze! For The Batman 2004, there's the Batman vs Dracula! It is wild but so much fun!
On the animated movies front - Batman and Robin: Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs Two Face are absolutely delightful. They're based on the 1960s Batman show, and they go all in on the campy goofy energy!! They're such a good pick me up if you're having a rough day.
As for live action movies, I honestly cannot recommend the 1990s Batman movies enough. Yes, they don't have a great reputation among mainstream comics fans, but they're straight up just wrong. Batman Forever and Batman and Robin are some of the most fun batman content ever created! There is so much creativity and energy and love in these movies, they are the definition of a good time. Absolutely guaranteed to provide childlike wonder, 1000/10.
If you're into the more gritty stuff, The Batman (2022). It's a cool new take on Bats, I think it's an interesting direction artistically. Once again violence isn't super my thing, but I appreciated the Alfred moments and Bruce's potent autism swag. Also, though it's probably a genuinely good movie, I am physically unable to take anything seriously and really enjoyed watching it ironically (there are so many serious moments that land as... pure comedy). Though please be sure to look up trigger warnings first, it's a lot.
Comics!
Full disclosure, I'm not a big comic book reader "^^ I really just read the comic versions of the shows I like and a few miscellaneous others I run into. Here's a list of some of the comics I've enjoyed, but they have no rhyme or reason, they are not cohesive lol. If you're more into comics you want to look elsewhere for advice "^^
All Star Batman: First Ally - I have no context for this series as a whole and I do not care: I'm here for pretty art, Alfred backstory, and father and son behavior. I own a hardcover copy.
Batman: Zero Year - Stumbled upon by accident but thoroughly enjoyed. I don't agree with everything in these (batman writers obsession with characters slapping each other my BEHATED) but its pretty cool overall. Featuring my The Alfred Ever and baby Duke Thomas! There's Dark City then Secret City!
One Bad Day: Mr Freeze - I'm not gonna lie this comic is like... bad. Okay so that's not entirely fair: I adore the art, the baby Dick Grayson content, the Alfred content, and honestly most of the story until the end. Spoiler, but they nerf the daylights out of what makes Freeze such an iconic character. Like, I get what they were doing but... come on. Insinuates a bizarre message too. Still worth a peruse for the good moments.
Batman: the Adventures Continue - a continuation of the btas comic series (the batman adventures)!! It's interesting to see them put more modern storylines in the btas universe. The last few issues (holiday special!) Are at very least worth a read.
While I'm here, The Gotham Adventures is also cute and cool, takes place in the btas universe with the tnba style + continuity.
Same as above, if you like the Justice League cartoon check out the tie in comics, including the recent continuation Justice League Infinity!
Oh I guess this do counts: The Wayne Family Adventures is a very cute comic on tapas! It's very cute, and actually published by DC comics!
My best word of advice: follow your interests! Indulge! There is no right way to explore this franchise! There's so much to discover and there's a little something for everybody. There is no obligation to know every little thing about the mythos, you do not need to read from issue 1 or know all the current updates to be a "real fan". Actualy, do us all a favor and stick it to toxic comic fanboys by having as much fun as you can! Pick and choose! Try it all! Be gritty! Be goofy! Be both! Spend hours poking around on fandom wikis to learn about what you want to learn! There's no wrong way to play, I'm just so happy youre here. Now go forth and be batfans!!!
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skrillien · 9 months
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My honest review of the book of mormon, and musings about south park:
my grandmother took me to see the book of mormon on broadway tonight, bless her heart... i don't recommend seeing TBOM with your grandparents, by the way. i mean, mine is cool, but on principle...
anyway, i had never seen the show or listened to the soundtrack before, only heard good things about it ("it's funny/really good") and knew it was created by matt stone and trey parker- i went in basically blind. coming into the theater, i didn't have any expectations, because as a creator i don't want people to base their expectations of my work on what i'm known for. i don't want people to crack open something like love me dead expecting my little mikey.
so i went in expecting nothing. maybe a more serious narrative than i should have expected from matt stone and trey parker. not anything negative about the mormon church, because at one point in time i'd seen every single episode of south park ever aired and they make it clear they have no ill will toward the so-called church minus thinking their beliefs are silly.
so, anyway, i sat down and watched a two-hour long south park episode performed live on stage.
i stopped watching south park at some point because i just felt the humor became too topical, too on-the-nose. older south park episodes very rarely felt they were satirizing a specific news story or scandal, and then we got an entire season about the 2016 election. it really wasn't my cup of tea and turned me off of the show entirely.
watching the book of mormon tonight really brought that joy to me again, of turning on an old south park episode for the first time and laughing your 12-year-old ass off at the crude humor. it was so random, so fucking ridiculous. i was in tears. toward the beginning, i found myself critiquing things- the stereotyped portrayal of africa that we've all seen a million times when africa is, largely, much more developed than western media gives it credit for [and not to claim that none of the problems the play portrays exist in real-life africa, it is a vast continent after all. but when real-life africans get asked shit like "where do you get phones" "where do you get clothes", we can all agree it's an annoying and tired trope], but by the second act they practically spelled it out for me. it's a farce. none of it exists to inform you or be taken seriously.
while some of the jokes are punching down and not in good spirit even with this reading (namely, the gag of elder cunningham forgetting nabulungi's name... though i wonder if it was meant to riff off the joke we all make about forgetting bagel coreograph's* name and didn't land well just because of the character they chose for it being an african woman) it's that same "it's fiction, it exists to laugh at, and if you think it represents reality that's your gullibility" mentality i like to stick by that lets me sit with it. i think it's just as funny as old south park episodes were then, just as offensive too- i'm more mature now and can't find it quite as funny although i still enjoyed the show.
the actors were all fantastic. cody strand was perfect in the role of elder cunningham, and kim exum's voice was incredible. all the ensemble members shone, too! on the technical side, i want to shout out the lightwork for the show. particularly during "you and me (but mostly me)"... there was a part where the lights fanned out from the stage and engulfed the entire theater- the effect was incredible.
and i couldn't find anywhere in the post to fit this, but i do want to point out a few disability and accomodation things for anyone considering seeing the show on broadway- the theater has no elevator, which was a little hard on my grandmother (as we had mezzanine seats). there were augmented listening devices and closed captions available, and i took advantage of both; the listening device was a little uncomfortable to wear, but i could hear much better with it- though the signal was a tad finnicky. the captions were spot-on, though sometimes they updated too quickly or not quickly enough. overall, the theater is working with what they have, but i do hope the accomodations improve in the future. and the show itself, of course, is definitely for those who like nonsense humor and don't mind being offended- anyone who likes south park will probably like the book of mormon.
(*benedict cumberbatch)
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funakounasoul · 1 year
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Miko Month: The Meta History
I gave a quick history on Miko's childhood a few days ago. But what about her "meta" childhood? How did she even come to be? This is a thing I talk about every Miko Month, but it's always fun to revisit. Even on Tumblr, I’ve mentioned the history before, but I think it’s been AGES since compared to Twitter’s “every Miko Month” lol
So sit back, get comfy. We're going back to...Halloween 06? WAIT-- YOU?!
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PREHISTORY
Halloween 2006...From 5th grade all through high school, I was a member of almost every single iteration of Band (marching, wind ensemble, jazz, pep, etc). Marching season was almost over and we get to wear costumes for the Halloween parades we do for nearby schools.
I was The Goth-Vampire-Knight-Thing, of course (for those who haven’t seen my Twitter, basically it’s this outfit I put together for my junior and senior years of HS, and that was, actually, how I described myself to anyone who asked). My best friend at the time, though, was showing off the prototype version of the cosplay we were both going to have for a con in '07 - the Azumanga Daioh school uniforms. Here are the finished ones (featuring me and my friend!)
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Anyway, by the time we finished the third grade school parade route, we were high on sugar or something and were really goofing around. My friend, to both of us, didn't QUITE look like Yomi and, I dunno, we started goofing around and somewhere along the way "Koyomiko" was uttered. By the time we got back to our school, it was "after school" time and I was just waiting for my mom to come pick me up. We were STILL goofing around, and jokingly tossing around "Koyomiko" this, "Koyomiko" that. 
 And some gears started turning as I went home that evening...
I do NOT have the original sketch of Miko anymore, but she was literally drawn on November 1st (hence her canonical birthday!). And I went to school that next day telling my friend how I made a kid for Tomo and Yomi. She humored me, at least (she wasn't really a yuri fan lol)
A few days later, I would try to draw her digitally. I still used Pixia at the time...as well as tiny Wacom tablet. TINY TINY. Graphire 4 I think? Anyway, THIS is the pic I showed to the world:
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DEVELOPING MIKO 
As I said, I decided that she was a child of Tomo and Yomi. Because I love Tomo and Yomi. And they have a kid somehow (science!) Her original full name was, legit, Koyomiko Takino-Mizuhara. I couldn't decide what the dorks would decide to use as a surname lol
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This became my Thing for FOUR YEARS! Sure, I did regular canon Toyomi yuri and other fan art and stuff, but the Takino-Mizuharas were basically my main shtick. I coined the term "Azu-Kid." Miko's content was akin to Yotsuba's. Except lesbian moms. And Osaka as an "auntie."
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I met Leigh through this silliness. She even brought out her own OCs from a different thing to have as friends for Miko. She was the sarcastic, smarmy, *half*-French (in this iteration) Sachiko Nakamura. Also, her older brother (and INITIAL love interest for Teen Miko)...Hayato
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(ahem, yeah, it's really funny, considering what happened over time) COUGH. Anyway. Eventually, I wanted Miko to take the spotlight instead of her moms (which are the bulk of the original content - Toyomi parenting). It started out just as a new generation of Azu, but, over time, I wanted something different. I didn't want to do just comedy. I wanted some drama. So I tweaked it a bit and "Reminiscence & Reflections" became the new draft. At first, the old Azu gang were still part of it, but in the background. And then...they disappeared.
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Oh, you bet I was ready to start a webcomic, you betcha! It took a bit, especially moving in with Leigh, trying to get through college (and failing), and less time to art. But eventually, I thought I had it all ready. And I posted this:
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I started drawing up the pages on paper and then...then...Why wasn't I happy? Why is it so BORING?! I even thought about sprinkling some supernatural-y stuff in, but it wasn't working. I would slowly stop drawing Miko for a bit. SM and Pony art prevailed. Here's an example of what I DID draw during this “drought period”:
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Enter me also unsure of what I wanted to do in the real world. I was in a brief stint at a call center. I was still in the initial lecture phase when I just had...this epiphany. I started scribbling down notes, thoughts, doodled some uniforms and weapons. Oh my god. This was it.
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Well, almost. It would take a few more tweaks during the year of 2013, but basically, Raison came to be! And by July 2014, the rest was history~ 
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mydictionary-yume · 30 days
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2, 3, 7 + 10 for your A3! self insert!!
YIPPEE YIPPEE TY<3333
2. When in canon does your self insert come in? do you have a scene in mind for your entrance?
It’s in her story post ehehe<3. She comes in right at the end of Act 8 as an ensemble member for Spring Troupe!!
3. How do the other characters generally feel about your self insert?
I’m not answering for all thirty-something of them individually, but the general consensus is that she’s pretty chill👍. A little wild at times but overall a silly goofy pal. Except for maybe God-za but they’ve got their own issues to sort out.
7. Would any other characters (besides your f/o) have a crush on your self insert?
Mayyyybe Tai.chi? But he’s already got Free at the point Lu joins so eh? It would be kinda cute and funny if Ei.ji did, tho. That would be a fun plot actually…. Oh no….
10. How do the other characters feel about your self insert and f/o’s relationship?
I’m just gonna answer for a few charas hehe
Masu.mi: Poor guy was kinda her wingman and saw it coming. Now she’s just more annoying bc she will NOT shut up about his(totally biological trust me) older brother more than she already did. He cannot escape. Deep down he is a little happy that her issue has resolved tho and that she’s happier<3
Citron: Son???? Daughter-in-law???? DAUGHTER-IN-LAW!!!!! Yippee!!!<3333(that said he was a big part of the reason their confession happened but still<3) Bro will not leave Mom Mode I love him.
Ten.ma: Saku’s wingman-ish, saw it coming, is very silly about it.
Ban.ri: Teases her about it, but she gets to tease him about HIS pink partner now so they’re even >:3c
Azu.ma: ALSO saw it coming, heard a lot of Lu’s love issues before and ALSO teases her about their relationship. It’s all from a good place(I hope).
Ask game
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maraczeks · 3 years
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superstore s5 thread pt 5
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yutahoes · 3 years
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Music, Dance
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loosely inspired by the lyrics of Music, Dance by NCT 127
pairing : gunman! Yuta x stripper! Reader
genre : smut, slight fluff
warning : Alcohol, Lap Dance, Slight striptease, Teasing, Lots of hickeys, Breast fondling and sucking, Oral - Female and Male Receiving, Fingering, Unprotected Sex, Gun, Mention of killings, Drugs, Cursing
(I would also like to warn you about a badly written scenario with a badly written smut 😅)
word count : 5.5k
(Please forgive me. I went all out and crazy over this 😭)
summary : You are his star, the hottest, the shiniest. He is your music, the only one you wanted to dance to.
For @neosmutcollective ‘s 3rd Event: Risqué
She's the star. The gem shining brighter than the lights illuminating the place. 
And his gaze can't leave her. 
The way she walked to the platform, full of confidence with a cocky expression, attracted him. She knew full well that all eyes were on her. And they are, as they should be. 
She smiled at the people before holding the pole on stage, swaying her hips along with the bass music booming through the speakers. The flickering lights made her sultry movements shine. Her haughty smile at the men who crave for her, made him breathless. As her body swayed on the music, she playfully attempted to remove her red brassiere which made the men holler. 
Who wouldn't? She's perfect. Her voluptuous body. Her sinful movements. She's addicting to look at. A real jewel. Her eyes caught his and she winked, making him smirk. A strain on his pants is evident. All this, because of her. Only her. 
His star. 
--
She smiled the moment she came inside the door of the private room. "You're here…" she started, strutting in red high heels. "Senpai." 
Yuta smirked. He might be here too often. But can he blame himself when this is the only place he can go tonight? "You don't like it?" She laughed, sitting beside him on the red velvet couch. She poured beer on his half-filled glass, drinking some and leaving a red lipstick mark on the glass then handing it to him. "You're wearing lipstick tonight." He claimed, drinking beer on the same glass. 
"I'm not in the mood for some action." She rolled her eyes, standing up. He watched as she sway her hips, walking in her red high heels to where the audio player of the room is. "The usual, isn't it?" She didn't wait for his answer as she played a sultry song with piano and keyboards in the background. He leaned on the couch, putting down the glass of beer to fully focus on her.  
The girl went up to the table, her heels clicking across the hard wood while slowly turning around the pole of said table. Her eyes stared at him, those black orbs pulling him in. Sensually, she swayed her hips downward. Her fingers majestically grasping the pole. He was enticed. Her seductive gaze. Her haughty expression. It made his pants tighter.
Noticing this, she raised an eyebrow then parted her legs in front of him while sitting on the edge of the table. She stretched one leg, her heel gliding to his thigh to his crotch. Yuta gasped. “Do you like this, senpai?” Her voice was low, laced in sex. She played with the bulging in his pants using her foot as he closed his eyes in pleasure.  
The music stopped that made her chuckle. "It’s three am, I'm done.” He’s close. Too close. “Do you need anything else?" He glared at her. She's really something. “Next time, come earlier.” She said with a smirk then showed her palm. Yuta was chuckling as he opened his wallet to pull some cash as a tip for her but she took some more from his wallet that made him shake his head. “I’ll wait for you, senpai.” She winked before standing up and walking out of the door. 
Yuta shook his head, chuckling to himself. She’s one of a kind. 
--
"Where have you been?" Doyoung asked as soon as he entered the door to their hideout. "Taeyong hyung is looking for you." 
Yuta dropped his keys on the table, opening the suitcase full of armed weapons. He took one gun, reloading some bullets. "Where?" 
"27th street," Doyoung said while looking at his computer, "12th building." The older smirked, cocking the gun he's holding. "Are you going to bring just that?" Yuta pointed his gun to the dummy on the side, pulling the trigger that the bullet shot through the middle of the dummy's forehead. 
Things were pretty bad in the 12th building. But he's not a hired gunman if he ran away. It was just two big men, why is Taeyong so scared of them? Without even a sweat, he shot both guys on the head. "Where were you?" The leader asked, getting the suitcase full of money then another suitcase with the drugs in it. "Are you with that girl again? I swear Yuta, one day I will hunt that girl down…" 
He pointed the gun on Taeyong's head, "Do that TY, and I swear the next bullet I'll shoot will be in your brain."
"So you're already crazy for this girl?" He teased but Yuta just glared at him. "Call Jaehyun, ask him to clean this up." The gunman hissed. He hated this. 
--
The next time came earlier than expected. There wasn’t much to do in the organization anyways so he watched her in her stuff, being other men’s eye candy. The thought that these sleazy men were putting their hands on her made his blood boil that he’s suddenly annoyed now. Should he kill someone today? He's been in a sour mood lately. 
“You’re early.” The girl teased as she entered the door in her red ensemble and high heels. Her lips were flaming red that made him hiss, no action. “You look unwell.” 
She swayed her hair as she opened the audio player for another instrumental music. “I’m not in a good mood today.” She turned to him, her tongue swiping along her bottom lip. 
“I can change that.” She smirked then knelt on the couch that she’s sitting on his lap. “Can you pay extra today?” Yuta nodded and she smiled. “Remove my lipstick,” she ordered. He looked at her in confusion, why wear that if she wanted it removed? “Kiss me.” 
He smirked. “That’s against the club rules.” 
“I make my own rules.” Her voice is confident. She wanted this. “Kiss me, senpai.” He didn’t need to be told twice as he leaned in to place his lips on her. She rolled her eyes when he broke the kiss, “You kiss like a dad saying goodnight to his daughter.” She leaned in to suck his bottom lip, making Yuta gasp. Her lips were so soft, her tongue slithering inside him tasting like mint, lime, and alcohol. When she break away from the kiss, she tapped his cheek. “That is how you kiss.”
She really does know how to turn around someone’s mood. But had she done this with other guys? It’s against the rules to touch a dancer inappropriately. The reason why, even if he wanted to touch her, his hands remain on his side. Naturally, it’s also against the rules to kiss the dancer, moreover sex. And she’s willing to break those rules for some cash. Is she in dire need of money? 
“I still have my lipstick,” she said while swiping her thumb against her bottom lip, a faint red stain can still be seen. “This is trouble.” He looked curiously at her. But her, wearing lipstick is so hot. “I can’t mark you.” Her voice was low, seductive. 
“Why not?”
Her lips were automatically placing small kisses on his jaw. “Your wife will see.” Yuta laughed, funny of her to think that he has a wife. "You don't? A girlfriend then?" He shook his head. 
She looked surprised and he chuckled. "Why would I be here if I have a girlfriend?" 
She raised an eyebrow at that. "You'll be surprised at how many guys here have girlfriends and wives." She sat properly to face him. "So have you danced before?" Yuta gave her a curious look. Danced? "Don't tell me you're a virgin, senpai." 
Is that what it meant? He smirked, shaking his head. "Have you danced before?" 
She beamed at that. "That's my job." She leaned closer, her lips on his neck. She sucked on his skin, letting her tongue lick the spot before kissing it. "Maybe you just need to find the correct music to dance along." She did the same to the other side of his neck, him groaning at the warmth of her mouth. 
The girl had to smile at her masterpiece, giggling at the purple marks she did to him. "It's three am. Your time is up." Her fingers trailed from his neck down to his clothed chest then to the tent of his pants, taking time in playing with his growing bulge. "You have to go back before those marks disappear, senpai." 
But his focus was on her middle finger rubbing the tip of his clothed member. He muttered a breathy curse that made her smile. Her fingers moved up to his torso that made him open his eyes. "I'll see you soon, senpai." She sucked on his bottom lip while standing up. The lack of contact made him sigh, breathing heavily as she walked out the door. 
He wanted her, so bad. 
--
The guys were staring at his neck when Yuta entered their safehouse, grinning like wolves to themselves. "What?" He asked, pissed off, then sat on the vacant spot on the chair next to Jaehyun.
Taeyong just shook his head before handing out his phone to Johnny and Doyoung. "Get ready for our next transaction two days from now." It was passed to both Jaehyun and Yuta that made the latter surprised. 
"Club Fancy?" He asked which made Taeyong nod. 
Why there? Of all the clubs in town. Why does it have to be that club? "We need you there Yuta if something happens," Johnny ordered. And he wished nothing happened. He doesn't want anything bad to happen. Especially to her. 
--
The lights were flickering as different women grace the stage with their seductive moves. But none of them fascinate Yuta. Weirdly, there are five of them in one area, drinking slowly and cautious of the surrounding. Someone here is their enemy tonight. 
When the speakers boomed a sensual song and a silhouette of the girl on the platform can be seen, Yuta sighed. “They won’t come. Let’s go.” But the four just stare at him then at the girl who was shining under the spotlight. The Japanese man hissed as he sat down, why would she wear that set tonight? All black leather, with a garter belt and pantyhose, black stilettos showing off her confidence. She's out here to take everyone's attention. 
“That’s your girl?” Johnny asked and he glared at him. 
“Let’s have a little show,” Taeyong exclaimed and Jaehyun chuckled. 
Yuta was pissed off at this point. He’s sure they’re just teasing him. Is the transaction in this club even real? Instead of enjoying himself through her little striptease, he was more than worried. He doesn’t trust these guys. What if they do something to her? 
Her eyes were glancing around, illuminated by the stage lights, as if looking for someone. Her gaze kept on looking at the area where he usually sits alone. A warm feeling crept up his body. Is she looking for him? Surprisingly, his eyes met hers and she smirked before twirling around the pole to give attention to other men worshipping her on her feet. She is. 
Once the set was finished, he told them to leave already but it was Johnny who teased that he just wanted a private time with ‘his girl’. That sounded nice. But she’s not his. 
She passed by their table with other girls and her manager but she stopped in front of them. "Senpai," she greeted that made the other guys snicker. "You're back early," Yuta smirked at her. "And you brought friends." Her eyes traveled on each of his colleagues' faces as if memorizing it. 
"It's an official business." 
"Here?" She asked then raised an eyebrow at him. "And I thought I could spend some alone time with you." She said loud enough for the other guys to hear. They only smiled knowingly at that. 
Does she really have to do it today? But two can play this game. "You want to spend some alone time with me?" 
"Of course, you're my favorite." Damn it, she's so good. He smirked at that. Her favorite. "Finish your business. I'll see you at six am later." She flipped her hair before following the group of girls to the other table. Six am? The club is already closed at that time. 
Fuck, he thought. "We need to finish early." 
--
It's two hours past the assigned time when the five decided to leave the club. Yuta's eyes wandered to her before leaving the club, another male's hand on her thigh that pissed him off. 
Taeyong stopped on his tracks when ten other guys, all clad in black, blocked their way. Yet, even if three of them are skilled in guns it's still no match to ten amateur shooters. Yuta was once again pissed off that he suffered a gunshot wound on his shoulder. Totally a first. 
He was lucky that police sirens can be heard that made everybody scram out of the place. Even if he wanted to come back inside, to make sure she's safe and to see her, he can't. Not when Johnny is already dragging him to the car while muttering how stupid it is that he got hurt. 
It annoyed him. Did he really think that he wanted this? What annoyed him the most is that he can't see her. Will she be waiting for him? Should he just go to the club and come clean to her? Tell her he's shot and maybe he can bring her to his place. But damn, with his injury he can't do anything with her. Why doesn't he even know anything about her? Name. Number. None. 
As much as it annoyed him, he waited until the bandages are gone and the wound is completely healed. Until he knew that he can hold her in his arms. He pondered whether to watch her perform, ask for a private lap dance once again, or just wait for her. Yet in the end, he wanted her alone so he waited until six am for her. Unsure if she’s here today. 
What should he tell her? Sorry that she had to wait. Did she wait? Tell her that he’s been shot. But she will surely ask what he does for a living, what happened. Is he ready to tell her everything? That he’s an evil man, a greedy man who kills people just to spend some time with her. 
There are two things that can happen when she finds out the truth. First, she’ll avoid him like the plague. He’s a dangerous man, he’ll understand. Second, she’ll stay and enter his world. And that scared him more. 
But when she went out of the club, he stopped then gaped at her. She looked different in the natural light, with less make-up and more clothes. If possible, she’s prettier. A contrast to the fox she is inside the club, an angel. In no time, he was out of his car that surprised her. She looked surprised. “Long time no see.” 
“Sorry.” The only thing he can mutter right now. “Things happened.” 
“What things?”
He can’t. If she finds out about it, she’ll be in trouble. He can’t risk that. “Just things.” He mumbled. She raised an eyebrow at him, arms crossed on her chest. “Do you need a ride home?”
A smirk appeared on her lips. “I think I want to ride something else.” Fuck, he really can’t escape her. 
--
Yuta wasn’t sure why of all the places, he brought her to his apartment. The girl marveled at how elegant everything looked, plopping herself on his couch. Yuta went to the kitchen to bring out two glasses and wine that made her giggle. Early morning and wine. “This is one amazing crib,” she exclaimed, eyes not leaving the interior of the house. “You’re a really wealthy man.” He shook his head. He’s not. “So what do you do for a living?” She asked casually, pouring wine on both glasses. 
“Things.” He took the glass of wine, drinking it without removing his eyes on her. He sat on the chair opposite her, the wooden coffee table separating them both.  
She smirked. "Will you tell me in exchange for something?" She asked in that haughty voice of her which made him nervous. Why is she so interested in the things he does? She arched her hips, pulling down her panty from under her skirt. He watched as she removed one leg then raised her other leg that has the fabric of her underwear, hanging on her foot. "So what do you do for a living, senpai?” 
Yuta laughed before taking her underwear then holding her foot. He kissed her calf, licking the skin where his lips were earlier. “I steal jewelry..” His kisses went up to her leg that he’s now kneeling in front of her. “I rob banks.” By now, his lips and tongue were on her thigh. “I deal with drugs.” 
He sucked on the skin near her throbbing core, his head under her pleated skirt. “I kill people.” A gasp can be heard but he wasn’t sure if it was because his tongue entered her or his confession. She tastes so good that it’s addicting. Her moans and her scent, indulging his senses. He held both her legs to wrap them around his head, pushing him further inside her. Her hands thread on his hair, tugging it and he smirked as he felt her clenching on him. 
He removed his tongue inside her then flicked her clit that earned a moan from her. She looked so erotic: hips arched, lips agape and, eyes closed. He wanted her real bad. He sucked on her clit, pushing a finger inside her to stimulate the spot that made her scream in no time. Her moans of pleasure were so stimulating that he pushed her to her limit. 
She shook in orgasm but he kept his finger inside her, even inserting another one. He sat on the table while watching her ride his fingers. “Senpai,” she said in a breathy moan. “Are you going to kill me?” Another finger was inserted and she grabbed his arm, the wounded arm from before. Yuta smiled, he’s relieved that he waited or else this will be trouble. Her nails dig on his flesh, turning him on. "Senpai," she called as her body squirmed for her second orgasm. 
Her breathing was ragged, heavy pants against his shoulder. “You’re really going to kill me.” 
Yuta laughed, a sound vibrating against the walls of the house. “I can’t do that to you.” The girl tapped the space on the couch next to her and Yuta obeyed, sitting next to her. She sat on his lap, her wet core rubbing against his thigh. “You really want to ride something else?” 
She grinned. “I feel safe in your lap.” That startled him. He’s not a safe man. There’s blood in his hands, a lot of people he killed. Her fingers grazed the scar on his arm. “Were you shot? That’s why it took a long time for you to come back to the club?” 
“Were you waiting?” 
“I wish you wouldn’t do something like this again.” Her lips hovering against his, “If I give you something, can you stop meeting with them?”  
Yuta smirked. She slowly removed her shirt, his hands traveling on her back and stopping to where her brassiere is. He marveled at how soft her skin is, that she is his for today. His mouth found her naked breasts, his hands on the curve of her waist. He didn't know how he managed to get her inside his room without breaking their steamy kiss but he did. A chuckle escaped his lips when she pushed him to bed, shimmying out of her skirt that she's naked now. She found her place on his lap once again, hands trailing under his shirt. 
He loved how dominant she looked while slowly removing his shirt, her fingers tracing the tattoo he had. "So hot." She whispered, licking his earlobe then heading south to trace the inks on his skin with her tongue. But she's hotter in this position that he can't help but jerk his hip up to grind on her. She moaned before licking the lines visible on his abdomen as her hands started unbuckling his belt. 
His remaining clothing was quickly discarded, his cherry cock springing hard for her. He watched as she rubbed her wet pussy lips against his length as if teasing him, staring in her haughty expression. Yuta groaned when she slowly sat on him, entering her core with ease. She's so wet and so tight. His self-control thinning out to not fuck her mercilessly on the mattress. She started riding him, controlling their thrusts. One hand was holding Yuta's chest for support, the other on the headboard as her body bounced above his. The man licked his lips. Her breasts jiggling at the motion, her mouth agape as soft whimpers can be heard, her eyes closed tight while her head rolled back. Fuck, she is so hot. 
He sat up, holding her waist to help her ride his cock while his mouth started to attack her mounds causing her to move forward. His cock hit a different angle that made her moans louder. He could feel her clenching on him that made him smirk. Already? Yuta started jerking his hip up, meeting her thrusts halfway that made her scream. His control is now gone. He just wanted her to orgasm, to make her shake in his arms. 
Her body was closer to his, nails digging on his shoulder that made him groan against her ear. She came with a shudder but he didn't stop thrusting inside her tight core. He could feel himself getting thicker by the second and with another thrust, came inside her. His lips were on her, whispering apologies for cumming inside her but she just shook her head, smiling at him. 
"Shouldn't I know your name by now?" She whispered, breathing heavily beside him. Her fingers started trailing the tattoo marks in his skin. "I can't call you senpai forever, you know?" 
Yuta chuckled at that. "If you find out my name, you wouldn't be able to escape me." 
"What if I don't want to escape?"
The guy smirked at her haughtiness. "Yuta," he whispered, lips hovering against her. "And I want you to shout that name when you cum." 
The girl giggled when he hovered above her in bed, his mouth started sucking supple marks on her skin. Her fingers thread on his hair, tugging on the strands as she kept on moaning his name over and over. It turned him on, knowing that it was her who's giving her this much. "Yuta." she whispered, “Please, Yuta." 
He started kissing her breasts then licking up to her neck. He held both her legs wrapping them on his waist before thrusting into her so deep that she screamed while fisting the bedsheets. "Now move, Yuta." He kept on slamming into her as she scratched his arm in pleasure, repeatedly whispering his name in every thrust. "Oh my God. Yuta!" She shouted while he kept hitting her pleasure spot, pushing his cock into her so deep that she started shaking in orgasm while calling for him. 
He kept giving her multiple orgasms in exchange for her calling his name, only his name as if chanting a magic spell. Yuta kept filling her up, kissing every skin in her body. He liked this feeling. That she's his. That they're the only ones who matter in the world. And he wished every day could be like this. He needed to stop working with them, put his life into order and get her out of the club. They can start a new life together and every day will be exactly like this. 
“Will you stop dancing in the club if I promise to stop doing this?” Her gaze on him was warm, looking surprised that he even said those words to her. “Let’s run away. Just you and me.” 
A heavy breath escaped her lips. "I can't." She nuzzled her head on his chest. "I still have to finish something." 
"Then I'll wait for you." 
--
He let her do what she wanted. He let her go her way, whatever she wanted, that's her. She knew where she's attracted. To the stage, with everyone's eyes on her. And Yuta had no problems with that. He'll wait for her, he promised that. 
"Why are you here?" She asked, smiling like a teenage school girl then running to him in her heels. "Did you miss me, Yuta?" she grinned, sitting on his lap. His hands were automatically on her waist, like previous nights when she did the same action. 
He thought he was okay with her like this. Clearly, he's not. 
His tongue darted out to lick a spot on her neck. "You have a hickey," he claimed while touching the spot he just licked, a faint purple bruise can be seen. 
She gulped hard. "The client paid extra so I thought it's alright." 
"Do you think it's alright?" She shook her head but he gripped her hair, pulling it. "You wanted to be a slut?" A glint appeared in her eyes and she nodded that surprised him. "Do you know what sluts do?" 
She gasped. "That's against club rules." 
"I'll pay extra since you love money so much." She gulped when he started unbuckling his belt, revealing his semi-hard cock. "Now, suck, my slut." She was kneeling in front of him. The warmth of her mouth engulfing him, the softness of her tongue in contrast with his hardness. Her hand gripped on the base of his cock as the other played with his balls. "Fuck, that's so good." He growled, tugging on her hair. 
She started using her tongue to lap him up from the shaft and tasting the precum seeping on his tip. Her hands started jerking his cock then licked the underside of his balls that made his eyes widened. Fuck, that is different. Where the hell did she learn all these techniques? A smirk appeared on her face when she returned to sucking his cock in such force that made him groan. He's so close. 
The girl started deep-throating him, pulling back then bobbing her head once again. Yuta groaned at the sensation when she bobbed her head faster, eager to get him to his release. "God." Yuta groaned, saliva dripping on his balls. "You're so good." His hand tightened on her hair as she deepthroats him once again, eyes rolling back as he felt his release that made his body tremble. 
She slurped his cum, even lapping up the tip of his cock to clean him up. He saw her gulp, swallowing the heavy load in her throat then placed a soft kiss on his cock. His thumb wiped her mouth and she sucked on the finger that made him smile. "That was the best blowjob ever." 
The girl licked her lips then smirked. "And it will cost you." Yuta took out his wallet but she slapped his hand, sitting on his lap once again. "You're gonna have to fill me up later." Is it a cum fetish? Why is she like this? 
Yuta nodded then leaned in to kiss her, tongue exploring her wet cavern. His phone rang that halted their make-out. What the hell? Why now? She stared at him and he just looked at his phone for a while, a message from Taeyong. 
He groaned which was immediately drowned by her lips, her hand taking his phone away. "What's your plan?" She whispered but he only stared at her when another message came. Taeyong gave the name of a building, telling him to come immediately. "Stay." 
"This is the last time." He kissed her once again. "I'll come back real quick." She called his name in a desperate attempt to stop him. "I promise, this is the last time." 
"Yuta, I have to tell you something." 
"Later." He kissed her again then springing into his feet, leaving her on the couch. "Wait for me." And he was out of the door in no time, phone on his ear.  
--
Another dealing and he didn't know exactly why the five of them were needed this time. When police sirens were heard, he already knew why. They're cornered. A total first. Who the fuck caused this? And why now? 
With Doyoung's quick thinking, he and Yuta had an escape on one of the backdoors. But the younger was easily caught by one of the armed men, even overhearing that they were caught because of Doyoung's phone. Yuta escaped outside, watching as the four were held by bulky policemen. This is bad. He even left his gun inside because of the commotion. 
"Stop right there.” He heard someone say. He was about to turn to know who it was when the voice continued, “Hands up.” followed by a clicking sound of a gun and cold metal on his nape. He followed the order, raising his hand above his head. A hand went on his waist as if looking for something that made him smirk, obviously a woman’s hand. 
“Go south. I might have been hiding something.” The metal behind him was pressed on the back of his head that made him chuckle. “I can give you a better night, you know?” 
“I know.” That voice. “Now move, Yuta.” Her. 
He was pushed on a wall, a gun still pointed at the back of his head. When he felt it gone, his hands were bound behind him as the cold metal can be felt on his wrists. Handcuffs. “Who are you exactly?” He wasn’t surprised when he turned to see who it was. Of course, it’s her. His star. "Is this your plan?" She remained expressionless, one hand getting out her phone while the other was on his chest to stop him from going somewhere. "All of this, pretending to be a stripper and fucking me, just to trap us? Am I an easy prey for you?" 
There was surprise in her features as she looked at him. "No, Yuta. You're not." She returned her phone back to her pocket. "You weren't our target at first but you made connections with the syndicate we're after and now, the five of you are under the radar." She explained. "I did warn you to stop meeting up with them." He rolled his eyes at that. "We should be at your place right now if you just did your promise." 
Now that he's staring, he can’t deny that she looks so good in her ponytail and black ensemble. Red lips ruining his focus as his mind whirled on those soft plump lips marking his skin. Her soft skin on his fingertips. Her warmth felt through his body. She looks different when she's serious, more charming. Hotter, even. “I genuinely like you.” 
She stepped closer and his heart skipped a beat at her scent. She’s still addicting. “So do I, Yuta.” 
"Then you should let me go." 
She shook her head. "They already saw you." Her fingers trailed from his shoulder to his chest, making him smirk. “Don’t worry. Please bear with this for a while, I’ll make sure that they will treat you well.” He raised an eyebrow at that, looking skeptical at her words. Can he still trust her? But she leaned closer, her lips sucking on a spot on his neck that made him groan. “You will miss me while in prison." She touched the hickey she just made. "So I guess I’ll have to see you before these marks disappear from your neck.” 
"You can do that?" 
"Be a good boy and I'll just might do that." He can see people walking to where they are. "I might even help you get out of prison." 
"Why are you helping me?" He asked but the girl smirked at him, "You're my music, senpai." 
“Miss Y/N.” A policeman greeted her with a salute. Yuta realized that this was the first time he heard her name. She nodded before two guys held his arm, dragging him away from her. “Chief has been looking for drug organizations for so long. It only needs her so they can get more information for other organizations.” One guy said to the other. 
“Chief was right to name her the star of the police force.” The other claimed. 
Yuta smiled. His gaze fell to her, watching as she was standing in front of someone in another police uniform. She turned to him and their eyes met that instant. Yuta smirked when she winked at him. Truly, one of a kind.   
His star. His music. 
He hoped he could dance with her again. 
472 notes · View notes
itspufflehuff · 3 years
Text
Spidey - Sebastian Stan x Holland!Reader
Summary: Being Tom Holland’s twin sister isn't all that bad. You each live your own lives and have your own successes. You don’t get to visit Tom on set much but when you finally make it to Comic Con will there be a special someone there for you to meet?
Hi! This is my first post in here so please let me know what you think! If you ever have suggestions or you find a mistake in my writing feel free to message me. Thank you and enjoy!
MATERLIST // TAGLIST
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | 
Word Count: 2,840
~~~~
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Being Tom's twin wasn't as intimidating as people expected.
Sure he was Spider-Man but you still had your own success. Tom went for the big screen but you went for the big stage, Broadway.
You started with local shows, then you went on to be ensemble on West End. Soon you became an understudy for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It wasn't too long until you got the lead as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked. With the attention you got as Elphaba you were scouted to audition for Broadway.
Seemingly around the same time Tom's fame skyrocketed so did yours. You two were so proud and happy for the other.
You decided to move out to New York seeing as how you were performing eight times a week.
Tom was your best friend so after every show, he called to ask how it went and to update you on his Spider-Man shenanigans.
The years came and went. You were still going strong on Broadway taking up different roles and Tom was still Spider-Man. He always talked about how fun it was being apart of the Marvel cast. You had still yet to meet anyone besides his Spider-Man co-stars like Zendaya and Jacob. Whenever they were doing a press event with the entire Marvel cast you were busy doing a show. Then one day you got a call to play Spider-Gwen.
You were so shocked when you got the call. You happened to be in your dressing room getting ready for a rehearsal. You sat there shocked, "Spider-Gwen?"
"Yes! Sony is making an animated Spider-Man and they think you would be perfect as Spider-Gwen. You wouldn't have to leave New York too long, just for some auditions. If you get the part you can do your recordings there."
"I don't know what to say." You were shocked. This is amazing! Imagine Tom's face when he finds out you're Spider-Man, well kind of.
"Say yes!"
"Yes!!"
~~~~
This was your first time attending Comic-Con. You never had a purpose to go before or even time. Now that you're apart of the Into the Spider-Verse cast you were attending so many different types of events you never did before. It was quite fun.
"Tom!" You shouted as soon as you saw him. You were in the middle of an interview but you didn't care. You hadn't seen your brother in ages. Tom laughed and walked over to you.
You two hugged and the interviewer spoke, "Our two favorite Spideys! Tom, how are you? What do you think of Y/N being Spider-Gwen?"
He laughed, "I'm doing well, I think it's great we have another Spider-Man in the family! But just so everyone knows I am the better Spidey." Everyone laughed.
"Sure you are." You playfully rolled your eyes.
"You're just a cartoon, I actually have to do flips and stuff," Tom argued.
You let out a 'pfft' before you spoke, "I could do the same things you can, you're not that special Tom."
"Alright, let's see it then!" He challenged.
"What? Right now?"
"Yes right now, come on let's go."
"Tom, I'm in heels."
He playfully rolled his eyes, "Heels aren't even that hard to jump around in, Y/N."
You looked to the interviewer who watched you twins bicker, "He did one dance wearing heels and he thinks he's amazing," turning to your brother you continued, "Newsflash Tommy I do that eight times a week."
The interviewer let out an 'ooo' as if you got him good. Everyone laughed as the interview wrapped up, "Well thank you for your time Y/N and thank you for joining Tom."
"Come on I want you to finally meet everyone." Tom grabbed your arm and pulled you along.
He basically ran through the crowd dragging you along behind him. When you finally got to where the rest of the Marvel cast was you and Tom were immediately surrounded by interviewers before you got to meet anyone.
Knowing neither of you were going to get through without at least one interview you both gave up trying to get by and stopped for an interview, "The Holland twins it's so amazing to see you both here today! How are you both?"
You answered first, "Thank you, I'm so excited to be here this is my first time so I'm a little nervous."
"Don't be nervous sis, just watch the pro." He smugly adjusted the jacket he had on.
You laughed and rolled your eyes as the interviewer asked another question, "Has there been any sibling rivalry now that both of have taken on the role of Spider-Man?"
You both looked at each other then Tom spoke, "You know what I was never mad because I know she's trying to be like her big brother which is flattering really."
You didn't notice before but next to Tom a couple of his castmates were doing an interview as well. The only reason you noticed them was because one of them came up to Tom and said, "Seriously Tom keep it down! Man, dude can't even do an interview without being a diva." You recognized him right away Anthony Mackie and next to him Sebastian Stan. Both you and Sebastian laughed at Anthony's obvious joke.
Tom looked down slightly embarrassed as he was trying to act smug before your interview was interrupted. "Y/N were you intimidated to take on Spider-Gwen knowing your brother was Spider-Man?"
"Umm, not really." you laughed, "I was actually really excited and thought it would funny to take on the role. I'm sure the casting directors thought the same thing."
The interviewer nodded, "Has there been a time where you two fought to prove who the better Spider-Man is?"
Before Tom could answer you did, "Well just a few minutes ago Tom tried to have a competition between us to see who was better at doing flips."
The three of you laughed, "And did you?"
"No, of course not! It is way too crowded in here and I'm in heels. I'm used to dancing in them not doing stunts. Maybe we can have that competition another time." You suggested to Tom.
He smiled mischievously, "You're on. May the best Spidey win." He held his hand out which you took. You both shook hands in front of the camera closing the deal to have a competition soon.
You didn't know this at the time but Sebastian couldn't take his eyes off of you for the rest of his interview. He knew who you were but never got the chance to meet you in person. Now seeing you several feet ahead of him he couldn't look away. You were more beautiful in person and your smile was radiating. Even after his interview ended he stood to the side watching you.
His eyes followed you as you smiled and waved to the interviewer. You were headed his way, quickly he turned and engulfed himself into a conversation with Chris Hemsworth.
Tom began introducing you to everyone as his little sister. He was only seven minutes older and always treated you like a kid for it. You were most excited to meet Robert Downey Jr. seeing as how he and Tom were so close. You two hit it off right away, he treated you like you were apart of the family.
You made your way down the line, meeting each member of the Marvel cast. You finally made it to Chris Hemsworth, Anthony, and Sebastian, "Hey guys I want you to finally meet my little sister, Y/N."
They all looked to you at you, well more like down at you. They were all so tall towering over.
Thank God I wore heels today.
"Pleasure to meet you," Chris grabbed your hand.
"Finally the famous Y/N! Now tell me was Tom always such a diva or is it just because he's Spider-Man that he's acting like a big shot?" Anthony asked.
You and Tom laughed. He did tell you about how he and Sebastian always teased him.
"Yeah and what about that juice obsession? Like, come on man you're too old for that." Sebastian joined in.
You looked to him and laughed, "You know what I've been telling him the same thing like come on Tom we're in our 20s and you're still hooked on juice like it's you're only will to live." You joked along and turned to Anthony, "As for the diva attitude he's always been this way like we get it you were Billy Elliot get over it!" Everyone laughed as Tom stood there pretending to look offended.
"Well, at least I never went out on stage looking like the green goblin!" He fought back.
"Hey! Elphaba is a very complex and demanding character. You're just jealous you don't have half the talent I do."
"Oh puh-lease, I totally do. Tell me who was it that taught you to dance?"
"Ok fine you have that but acting and singing was all me! All you can do is act and dance. I'm a triple threat."
That shut him up as everyone laughed at him, "I like this one." Anthony said. He reached out to shake your hand which you gladly accepted. He moved to the side, Sebastian happily took over his spot in front of you.
He reached out to shake your hand and when you grabbed it he pulled you in closer, "Just so you know you're my favorite Spidey." He whispered into your ear. A smile arose onto your lips as you pulled away, "Thank you."
"May I also add I think you have a beautiful voice, I want to one of your shows but wasn't able to catch you after the show."
A blush crept up to your face, "Thank you, again." A nervous laugh escaped, "I would've loved to have met you then. Sometimes I escape through the side exits. I love my job but I don't always love the crowds."
"I know what you mean, sometimes after movie premieres, I sneak out through the employee exit just to get away from the crowds."
Neither of you noticed but you were still holding onto each other's hand. It wasn't until Hemsworth cleared his throat beside you two, "Sorry to interrupt but we're heading to the panel room."
You both looked at him and quickly let go of each other's hands. "I'll meet you guys over there." Sebastian nodded to him. Chris looked over to the both of you, "Ok, well once again it was nice to meet you Y/N. I hope to see you soon." He gave you one last smile and walked away. You turned back to Sebastian. He spoke before you did, "I'd love to see you again late."
"Yeah, I'd love that too. I have a panel in twenty minutes. I was going to meet my brother after and join you all for the rest of the day, maybe we can talk more then." You smiled at him.
"Great, I'll see you then." He grabbed your hand gently, pulled it up to his lips, and placed a kiss there. He walked away to where his castmates went leaving you standing there with your heart beating fast.
You meet up with your cast and took photos with fans. Sebastian took up all of the thoughts in your head. You tried to focus on what was happening but your mind wandered off the feel of his lips on your had and how his eyes looked so deeply into yours.
Surprisingly enough your panel flew by. You were able to get Sebastian out of your head and get lost in hanging out with your cast as you answered fan questions. By the end, you walked out the door to see Tom waiting for you talking to some fans.
"Excuse me, I've got to go. It was nice meeting you all!" Tom excused himself from the group and walked towards you. "Ready to go?" He put his arm around your shoulder.
"Let's go." You said with a bit of excitement and nervousness.
Tom didn't notice, however. "So how many of your questions were about me?"
You were lost in thought once again unable to get Sebastian out of your mind, "Huh?"
"I got so many questions about the new Spider-Man in the Holland household." He chuckled.
Finally understanding him you laughed along, "Oh, yeah, I lost count after five. Someone asked about our rivalry so I started a rumor that we haven't spoken in months and I am actively hiding from you during this event."
Tom laughed, "Lucky for you, Mackie and Sebastian started a rumor that I'm a diva at home, so you're scared to be near me."
You laughed louder than you expected, "What?"
"Yes! They asked me about you and Mackie joined in saying you met everyone earlier and told them I've always been a diva. And of course, Sebastian had to join in," He imitated their American accent, "Poor girl looked terrified to be around him."
You both laughed as you walked into the room where the rest of the Marvel cast was.
The moment you walked in Sebastian's stomach flipped, in a good way. You were laughing when you walked in. It was the most amazing laugh he heard, he wanted to able to keep making you laugh like that. He watched as you walked around the room greeting everyone. You stopped at RDJ and Chris Evans. You all talked, but you were too far for Sebastian to hear what about. He saw you smiling from where he was at and he loved it. He excused himself from his friends and made his way to you.
"So, Y/N, what's it like to perform on stage like that? I mean it's all live and you have so much to remember, lines, songs, choreography, blocking." Evans sighed as if the thought of it made him exhausted, "I mean it's incredible."
"It was hard at first but this is my life. I love going up there each night. Sometimes we make mistakes but as long as you don't let the audience know it was a mistake then it doesn't matter. Plus we get to improve sometimes or make scenes better each night by seeing how the audience reacts."
He watched you talk about your work. The way your eyes lit up he could tell you really did love your job. Of course, he already knew that though. When he saw your performance as Eurydice in Hadestown. You had just happened to be there that night as the understudy, but he was glad to see it was you. He recognized you from the pictures on Tom's phone. He knew you were an actress on broadway so when he saw you he knew it was you. He fell in love with your performance that night. Your voice was so beautiful and the emotions you gave were so raw. Your energy was incredible it was as if you fell into the character.
"You should see her perform," He chimed into the conversation making his presence known.
Everyone turned to him, "I never did ask, which show did you see?" You tilted your head.
"Hadestown."
You broke out into a smile, "I know exactly which performance. You know that was the only time I played Eurydice?"
"Really?" His head hung in disbelief. From that performance, he would've been fooled to think you played that character a million times over, "Well you were incredible if I'd known you would be playing the lead I would've told Tom to set us up to meet."
You both smiled at each other for a moment before Tom spoke,  "Yeah, that's my sister. I don't like to admit it but she's an amazing actress. Maybe even better than me."
"Maybe? More like definitely." You challenged.
"What show were you working on before coming here?" RDJ asked.
"I was doing an off-broadway production of Mamma Mia. I let my understudy take my place so I could tour and do some promoting for Spider-Verse."
Tom excused himself so he could talk with some of his other castmates. Slowly RDJ and Evans left the conversation leaving you and Sebastian.
"You know I live out in New York as well," Sebastian said casually.
"Really? I just assumed all you movie stars lived out in LA."
"Heck no! I'm a New Yorker. I love it there" He smiled looking at you.
"Maybe we can meet up there someday, now that we're acquainted and all." You suggested nervously.
"Yeah, that would be great. Which part of New York are you in?"
"Ironically Midtown," you laughed. It took him a second but he got it, "Ah yes Spider-Man goes to Midtown." He dropped his head with a chuckle.
"38th and sixth." You clarified. He looked up with eyes wide, "You're kidding? I live on 43rd and ninth! That's like ten minutes away from me." You both stood there in disbelief.
"All of these coincidences, you would think we'd met by now."
He laughed, "Well, we have now. I'd like to keep meeting. If that's ok with you?"
You looked up at him smiling, "I'd love that."
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justinunlocd · 3 years
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STORY TIME!!!
When I was in the sixth grade, I started playing in band. We had two days to look at the band and orchestra instruments, and for some reason percussion chose me; probably because of the few years before playing in Mr. Kevin Downie’s Orff Ensemble. If my memory serves me correct, Mrs. Carolyn Valiquette, my band director at the time, assigned us the task of writing a short piece for our band with a classmate; I was partnered with John Case. We wrote this piece called “Immortal,” and she liked it so much, we were able to play it at the last sixth grade band concert. I remember my older brother and grandmother being there to watch me play...
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Later in middle school, eight grade year actually, I played a little solo at contest and got a “I” rating on it. It was a Handel violin sonata in F and Mrs. Celeste Smith gave me the opportunity to play it during the last band concert. I remember distinctly saying, right before I was about to play, “you ain’t gon say something?” She chuckled and obliged me a short introduction about me working on that piece and how proud she was of me. I was elated...
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Ninth grade was the start of high school, which meant marching band, and I was playing snare drum with Amy, Drew, Pauline and Collin. That was the same year I started working on four-mallet technique and went to play in the front ensemble the next year. Sophomore year was also the same year the Derby High School Wind Ensemble was severed to play at KMEA. That year, I made it into the top band and was one of the four percussionists featured on our performance of David R. Gillingham’s “Concertino for Four Percussion and Wind Ensemble.” That was such a fun piece! I got to play this chromatic xylophone part in unison with Jason Lord. Glenn Woolard and Pauline Kennedy were the other feature soloists. That was probably the highlight of my high school music experience honestly, at least on the concert percussion side...
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Then we get to Twelve Grade, I audition for the solo competition with the Wichita Youth Symphony. Unfortunately I only get a runner-up spot because [redacted] although I had the better performance of the excerpt I chose, Ney Rosauro’s “Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra No. 2.” However, it would only be a few years later I would be able to play the piece’s first movement, and cutting in the cadenza from the third, with the WSU Symphony Orchestra as a soloist for their Concerto-Aria Competition. That was Junior Year, and don’t we love a good vindication story?...
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But I’m getting ahead of myself, sophomore year of college was the year I had a realignment of my purpose, and for the first time, chose to purposefully and intentionally move in that direction. It was November 22, 2010. We had a percussion ensemble concert that night, with guest artist, the one and only, and Wichita State University School of Music Alum, Kevin Bobo! We played his piece “Boboland,” where I got to play on the same marimba as him for a moment, it was hilarious and I still remember that moment fondly...
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Funny enough, I was still an engineering major Sophomore year. At the same time, I was leaving my Physics class early to go to steel band rehearsal, and skipping Statics altogether to hang out with Patrick, Da’Kneisha and Sparkle LOL. It wasn’t until the end of that concert, where my mom sent me a text message that said something to the effect of, “if you change your major to music, we support you,” and so I decided to change my major to music, and also choose to put my pursuit of happiness above everything else...
Oh yeah, and then the percussion ensemble I was in, Impulse Percussion Group, won second place in the Konrad Wolff-Ilse Bing Chamber Music Competition to a bit of controversy à la “is percussion a chamber group/instrument...” yup, even in 2013, that was a scandal that we even participated, let alone placed...
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Then for my second senior year, I finally played my senior recital and graduated college with my music degree. I already had a job setup at my church that I went into full-time one week after I graduated. (I do NOT recommend jumping from college immediately into job, it was a horrible mistake, but life happens fast.) I worked as the music director for the church for only three years before I realized my mental health was taking a toll. I became less of myself when I was at the office, I despised having to appear busy when I already completed my daily tasks (especially when I asked my supervisor for work to do, because according to him, “no one here has down time,” and he had nothing for me to do...) anyway, while on Facebook, I saw a post for an emergency percussion GTA position at WSU and I immediately contacted my old percussion professor, Jerry Scholl, on what I needed to submit to apply. Within a few weeks, I worked up the excerpts, recorded them all, and was accepted to begin my masters degree at WSU. And yes, I was fleeing a toxic work environment...
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Cut to August 13, 2020. I’ve graduated with my Masters in Music. I’m a year and some change out of school and still only working gigs as to not get into a 9-5/M-F job. I’ve started modeling seriously and got signed to not one, but two agencies. But my focus wasn’t honed in with music, what do I seriously do with this degree and the accomplishments I’ve earned and worked for after college? And then I reconnected with my old best friend Da’Kneisha Nikoyle Blount. We had a conversation the day before and also on the day of our friend’s wedding. We talked about how we should do music again, we just talked about it, almost in jest, but also in a reminiscence. Who knew what we got ourselves into...
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Our first music video.
Then a few articles here and there.
An inauguration.
Then a billboard.
An MLK event.
Contacted for a premiere piece.
Then our first concert.
A benefit concert.
A church service.
Recording in the studio.
A fundraising event.
A video shoot...
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And now, as of May 5, 2021, I’ve performed and premiered my first wind symphony piece as a member of @tupacmeetsbach with @dnikoyle. The piece is called, “Stained with Beauty - for Solo Soprano, Solo Marimba, Wind Ensemble and Choir” and is an elaboration and development of the original song written by Da’Kneisha. The piece comprises of four movements, and is roughly 25 minutes in length. This piece is our baby and as Renee would say, “one of the most honest and innovative music projects.” I’m so thankful to all the musicians who rehearsed for months to make this performance happen!
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Thank you to Dr. Timothy Shade for reaching out to us and providing us an ensemble to realize this piece. Thank you to the choir who became a nice supportive background for Da’Kneisha. Thank you to the stage techs and sound engineers for filming and recording this premiere. Thank you to my parents for financially supporting me during the pandemic to allow me to sustain while working fervently on this piece. And a special thank you to my best friend and partner in rhyme, Da’Kneisha, for your heart, your mind, and your friendship!❤️❤️❤️
Y’all have really made my dreams come true and I can’t wait to start working on the next piece already!!!
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Why You Should Watch SKET Dance
Why You Should Watch SKET Dance
If I were to tell you what I took away from SKET Dance from old lessons to new, I would say that it said something along the lines of this:
“You are not the mistakes you made in the past. You are not defined the person you were before. If anything, the past is something that you cannot change, but you can surpass those regrets and try to change for the better. Trauma is something that cannot be left behind, but it can get better, especially when you are surrounded by the right people and support. Helping people doesn’t always change the world, but it can change the world of that person and maybe even yours.”
That cheesy quote took a while to write (so did this whole post), but that’s because I wanted to get it right. I wasn’t even sure where to start with this post of sorts.
I will warn ahead of time that if you aren’t familiar with anime, SKET Dance might be an overreach. It does have some references that are niche, and it has a lot of “manzai” (tsukkomi/boke) jokes with tons of mentions. There is fanservice, but no more than you’d see in some of the other series that were released under Shonen Jump. Sometimes the humour and everything can be a little cringy, but I think that’s a given with the fact that you are watching anime.
(This is spoiler-free, gluten-free, no trans fat, and took me too much time.)
Story
I get that it’s like Gintama, but I wouldn’t say it’s a “poor man’s Gintama”. Instead, take it for what it is. It’s like comparing a younger sibling to the older sibling. You’re not letting SketDan shine on its own, and it deserves to.
SketDan has a really simplistic story. It’s about a school club that wants to help people. There is no big war, massive battles, or over-the-top villain that needs to be crushed. I can’t say that it’s episodic, but it definitely leans towards the more “slice-of-life” approach. It has its own arcs that come one after another in good bits and pieces. This series balances itself so well with its drama and comedy. The backstories were done so well, and they didn’t even get to all of them! In fact, one of the best ones was left just in the manga.
The story is made by the characters. It doesn’t rely on the environment or the world around them. Instead, the world to them are the people they are surrounded by. No aliens, samurai, ninjas, or great big event, it’s just them, their high school, and their unconventional club.
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Characters
This has got to go down as one of the best ensemble trios in anime. All of them do get their time to develop, and they balance each other out so well. You’d think these characters were friends for their entire lives. I can’t even say who’s the best because I think they’re all the best!
Bossun is a sensitive guy who’s insecure about being the main character of this series (yes, he does mention that). He doesn’t have any spectacular “Shonen Jump” skills. He has no “bankai”, “rasengan”, or “Kamehameha”. He has a hat and goggles. His power is concentration. These are completely valid reasons to be worried about your character status because, on the surface, Bossun sounds downright pathetic (and he knows it). But through the story, you get to see why he’s actually one of the best main characters out there (even if the cast doesn’t want to acknowledge it).
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Himeko is one of the coolest characters in this series. I haven’t seen a weapon of that kind… ever. She isn’t afraid to slap the stuff out of anyone and will do anything for a friend. I don’t want to get into her character too much due to spoilers, but it’s revealed early on that she is quite legendary. She’s quite important for the humour of this story. It’s often brought up that she’s the “tsukkomi” (the one who responds to the “boke” stupid).
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Last but not least of the great trio, we have Switch. This is probably the character I was most blindsided by. Even though I knew his backstory beforehand (nobody stops me from clicking from “show spoiler” button, it’s quite a problem). He’s the local otaku and database. And he’s probably the most observant. Even though he never “talks”, he’s one of the funniest characters in the series even when he isn’t in the limelight. I legally cannot dig into more about his character due to spoilers. You really need to see it for yourself.
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The supporting cast is nothing to put aside either. A lot of them become more and more important as time passes, and the roles they play soon play right into the main plot of the story. We’ve got someone who speaks in “yabasu”, a ghostly occult member, a samurai, a captain, a tsundere, a visual kei star who doesn’t speak in any actual language, a 1.8m tall woman who can literally murder you with a slap, a voice actress idol movie star, and a teacher who makes drugs and bombs. That doesn’t even touch on the student counsel. Anyways, discovering these characters is part of the charm.
Art
There are too many good faces in this anime. While the art isn’t always consistent, it’s never “bad”.
The faces in this anime are on-par with other comedy anime. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Music
*downloads all the music*
I’m going to pretend like I haven’t listened to some of these on repeat since I finished the anime. Not all anime will literally have a designated band that are made after the characters. That was a really nice touch. There are a ton of special insert songs that go with certain arcs too.
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SKET Dance is like any other anime in a way. It benefits from having a good OST. A good OST will add to the story. It will add to the anime, and it will convey all the right feelings. It helps with the comedy, the drama, and the random “what am I watching” moments.
Seiyuu
I wanted to save this category for last. This anime actually changed the way that I look at all the main seiyuu of this anime. It’s not that often that the Vomics (voice acted comics) have the same cast as the anime. They fit their characters so well, and I really can’t express that enough. I associate their voices with their character. It’s like how you can look at a picture of your favourite character and remember exactly what they sound like (or maybe that’s just me).
I haven’t actually heard a lot of lead roles by Hiroyuki Yoshino because he has such a uniquely odd voice. I think the last anime I watched where he actually played the protagonist was Kekkaishi which was quite a while ago. He did well for that role too. Another anime where he played one of the main characters was in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar which didn’t have a very enjoyable cast compared to other anime including SKET Dance (but still worth checking out if you like tamer isekai). I’ve also seen him play a suave character, but I actually skipped most of his lines going, “Not this again.” Present Mic is a character that he seems to be popular for, but those specific niche characters didn’t give him nearly the range that Bossun did. From the moments we were laughing with him and at him to the serious moments that really made me go quiet, it felt like he was truly the character.
Ryouko Shiraishi is such an underrated seiyuu. She admits that she doesn’t have a very cutesy voice, and due to that, the number of female characters she can play goes down, but I wouldn’t dismiss how great she is. For one, she’s really good at the Kansai dialect. Second, she plays a lot of younger male characters. She makes Himeko really cute but also really tough and spunky. She carries a lot of the humour as the reactor “tsukkomi”. And if you’ve watched Demon Slayer, she plays one of the demons and is so good at it. I really like her unique voice because it deviates from the norm just like Himeko’s character.
Gintoki—I mean Tomokazu Sugita is great as Switch, and even though sometimes we forget that he’s a legitimate voice actor who can actually voice act and not just scream on command. Of course, he’s funny. That goes without saying. Almost all of his well-known characters are known for being funny. Even the guy in real life is really funny. I’m not sure how much explanation would be needed for him.
Summary
Overall, I had such a good time with this anime. It made me laugh, feel the feels, and really smile (I mean the type that people really ask you what the heck you’re watching because you’re smiling like you just watched someone you hate fall down the stairs). It reminded me of what I liked from comedy anime, but it also reminded me what I like about anime that take it to basics with just its characters. Actions and battles are good once in a while, but the characters are the heart, soul, and being of this anime. If you’re looking for a good laugh or smile with a ton of gags and jokes with a great ensemble cast, look no further! SKET Dance is here!
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I’m going to recommend this anime to anyone who has read this, @azroazizah​, @brettyblease​, @tsukiomoon​, and anyone else who likes those Shonen Jump shenanigans.
P.S. It is totally worth picking up the manga after watching the anime.
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killercarmen · 4 years
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Hey guys! I just posted the first chapter! It’s pretty short, but I just wanted to get it out there. Thank you for being so interested in it, and here you go!
Mystery Universe
CHAPTER 1
It’s a quiet morning in the forest, the sun barely rising and the birds are only starting to stir. The only thing that disrupts the stillness is a little grey car, driving down the winding road. Inside sits a teenager, no older than 18, humming along to a familiar song. His family suggested he settle down for the summer, to pick up a job and spend a few months in one place. Previously, he had been driving around the country, taking in the beauty of it, as he discovered himself. But that journey started nearly a full year ago, and so he was advised to relax in one place before making a decision; to continue, or to go home. He wanted to find somewhere small; something quiet and simple. He had had enough adventures for one lifetime. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the teen turned left onto the road that would lead him to a summer full of strange and unusual things.
———
Steven had heard about this town from Connie. She had some family that lived in a neighboring city in Oregon, and when visiting them with Connie they mentioned it. It was a one off comment, just mentioning a strange tourist trap within the town, but for some reason it stuck with him. He decided to have a look, to see if this would be the place that he would spend his summer. He drove past a water tower with the name of the town painted onto it in dark red lettering: Gravity Falls.
Steven drove around the town, taking in the sight of things. It was quite small, probably smaller than Beach City. Another thing he noticed is that it was quiet. Sure, there was the ambient noise of people, but it was a lot quieter than Beach City, and basically everywhere else he visited. He watched as people went about their day, doing normal human things. That’s something he had enjoyed during this trip; Human things. He had gotten more in touch with his human side within the last year; going so far as making a conscious effort to not use his powers. That took some time to get used to, and thanks to a little more than a full year of therapy, it now takes a lot to have him turn pink. He still gets panic attacks, usually at night, when his brain has time to overthink. But no one is around to see him glow.
He smiles at a woman he realized he had locked eyes with. Well, eye. One of her blue eyelids seemed to stay shut, stuck in a permanent wink. She waved at him, and he waved back.
He came to the edge of the main town area, where the road took a sharp turn into the forest. He passed my several signs, mounted on trees, all pointed down the road. They said various things, from “Amazing!” to “Beware!” The last one he saw was a sign that read, “This Way to the Mystery Shack!”
He kept driving, a sense of anxiety started rising in him as he got closer and closer. But it was a good kind of anxiety; the kind you feel on Christmas eve as a child, unable to sleep in anticipation for what the morning brings. He felt this now as the Mystery Shack came into view. It was an old house, probably 40 years old or so, and it looked pretty run down. On top of the house stood a grand sign that read ‘Mystery Shack,’ but the ‘S’ of the Shack had fallen, and was now resting on the roofing below the main sign. He drove past a totem pole, and pulled into a parking space. He got out of the car, and took a deep breath, the air smelled heavily of pine and dirt.
As he walked towards the Shack, he heard a voice. He saw a man in front of the entrance to the building, leading a crowd of people. As Steven got closer, he saw the crowd staring at a podium with something on it.
“And this,” he whipped a small blanket off of the item on the podium, “Is the rock that looks like a face!” The man leading the group said.
At first glance, the man just looked like a guy in a suit, but the more Steven looked, the more things he noticed about the man's ensemble. He wore a fez, an eyepatch that was probably just for show, and held a cane topped with an 8 ball. He spoke with a booming voice, like an announcer at a sports game. Steven went to have a closer look. The man seemed to be trying to answer the confusing questions of one of the tour members. Steven joined the back of the group as they began to move to their next exhibit. As Steven passed by the man, he felt something grab at the back of the collar of his jacket.
“Woah, kid. Want to join the group, you have to pay. My tours ain’t free,” the man rubbed his thumb against his fore and middle finger in the universal sign for ‘money.’
“Oh! Right,” Steven pulled out a wad of cash he had in his pocket and handed the man a $50, “Here you go!”
The man looked at the bill in amazement. He looked back up at the kid and smiled.
“Welcome aboard kid! My name is Stan Pines, but you can call me Mister Mystery. And welcome to my humble museum for the strange and unusual!”
Mister Mystery put his arm around Steven and led him back to the group, which had now entered the building. Mister Mystery let go of Steven and resumed his position at the head of the group.
“Behold! The Sascrotch!”
The mad pointed towards what looked like a stuffed Sasquatch suit wearing underwear. Everyone seemed to be amazed at it, but Steven let out a small laugh. It was so obviously fake, it was funny. But, ‘it’s the nature of tourist traps.
As the group continued, so did he, lingering in the back and taking it all in. The exhibits appeared all to be fake, but they were entertaining nonetheless. Soon enough, he had found his way into the gift shop, and he bought a bumper sticker that said, ‘What is the Mystery Shack?’ As he was leaving, though, he noticed a small sign in the window.
‘Help Wanted.’
And that when he decided that this would be where he spent his summer.
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jinxvrse · 3 years
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SALT CIRCLES
— in which the jinx dorm has a little infestation problem
characters / the jinx ensemble, han seoyeon
words / 4.1k
warnings / none — if i missed any please let me know!
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“My friend is coming over soon, she knows what to do.” Yue had finally put her phone down for perhaps the first time in the last thirty five minutes.
“How odd,” Blue commented, Yue pretended not to hear it.
“So before whoever that is comes over can we go over what exactly is happening again because I’m having some trouble really understanding this whole thing.” Jiyoon’s anger was visible in her voice, fists bunched with a face nearly a redder shade than her ginger hair.
Rosie just swallowed the heavy lump in her throat, mostly scared that that thing was going to appear over her head again and swipe her into whatever land it came from.
“Isn’t it simple? Roro summoned a demon and now our lives could possibly be endangered.” Miran’s smile told Rosie everything she needed to know about her thoughts on the situation, her happy-go-lucky tone was the bigger tell despite her grim words.
Miran was most certainly excited about the prospect of something supernatural going on in their dorm, no matter how dangerous the idea of it was. She was always a fanatic for this type of stuff so it was no surprise to Rosie or any of the others that she couldn’t care less about the ‘could possibly kill us all’ aspect of this.
“It's actually not that simple but I don’t know the acute details of what Rosie did.” Yue spoke up, her voice still as monotone as ever.
“Oh and how do you know so much about all this freaky stuff? In fact it was your ‘thing’ she was using to get it to come here in the first place.” Jiyoon was surely irritated but back talking to Yue was something many people were too afraid to do.
The other girls bit their cheeks upon the interaction, the atmosphere of the room proving far too tense for the five of them. They watched in anticipation for Yue’s next moves, wondering if she’d stay calm this time or match Jiyoon’s anger, maybe more.
“Don’t misplace your anger with me, Kim Jiyoon.” Yue’s voice never changed, although anyone could note the venom sitting behind her words. “Believe me, I know a lot more than you do and you should just trust me and my friend on this one.”
The room eased a little without the threat of a potential fight happening right there in their living room but the situation at hand was far too distracting for them to completely calm down. With Blue curled up in a corner, Rosie and Miran attached to each other by the hip and Yue and Jiyoon standing far from each other in different corners of their room a painfully long silence would be overtaking the group before the mystery friend would come and deal with the issue.
It would be another thirty five minutes before Yue’s friend buzzed into their apartment. Each girl was eager to see who this person was, sitting on the very edge of their seats to see who would walk through the door. However, it was their surprise when a woman roughly the same age as them appeared behind Yue and not some wizened old crone who knew years of ‘demonology’ there to fight the demon away.
“This is Han Seoyeon,” Yue nearly shoved the girl inside the apartment, “and she is going to solve all our problems.” The rest of them greeted her with awkward and unenthusiastic waves.
Seoyeon had bright red hair, almost redder than the t-shirt Rosie had on. Both her arms were decorated with tattoos, some in colour and some just linework, but she was illustrated like a high school desk with drawings of crystals and flowers. One tattoo stood out the most to Rosie, a detailed bright purple amethyst drawn on Seoyeon’s left arm, just looking at it calmed her down almost to a point where she worried no more about the imminent threat living under her bed.
“What does Seoyeon do?” Blue put on a smile for the girl, trying her best not to appear antsy for their house guest.
Seoyeon returned Blue’s smile with one of her own, her pearly white teeth grinning back at the girl. “Officially I’m a bartender at a place in Hongdae, unofficially I’m a witch.”
Jiyoon let out a pained laugh, clamping her hand to her mouth out of feigned politeness. “I’m sorry, you want me to believe that witches are real?”
“And you’ll believe a spirit’s living in your house? I’m used to skeptics but it’s especially funny coming from someone who appears to be haunted from the energy I’m feeling here.” Seoyeon’s smile never faltered, there was a specific confidence that she emanated and it definitely inspired Rosie in ways she never thought she could feel.
“What? Do you need to see it in action to believe it?” Seoyeon found a seat at one of the dining table chairs, taking it as though it were her throne with her legs crossed and a hand coming to lean against her chin.
“You, Jiyoon, are feeling anxious above all but you’re hiding it behind anger because what if this thing really does kill you and you can’t protect Yoonsung and Jiah, your little siblings, right?” A smirk painted her pretty face when she saw Jiyoon contort in confusion.
“H-How do you know their names?” Jiyoon could barely utter out her sentence, this was probably the first time any of them had seen her lost for words in years.
“I’m a psychic, not a powerful one but I can find out a few things about someone if I focus hard enough.” The redhead tapped at her forehead, signalling a third eye. Rosie might actually believe one would appear in a matter of seconds but her forehead remained eye-free.
Miran let out a light giggle at seeing Jiyoon so dumbstruck, immediately pulling herself together with a serious expression once she caught Jiyoon staring her down.
“Now will you let me do my job?” Seoyeon stood up again, her head held high and her eyes scanning the room around her.
The girls had no qualms about anything she had to say anymore, they had just about seen and heard everything they needed to believe they were in this predicament and there was no reason to not let her carry out her investigation. Despite this they were still seemingly surprised when they watched as Seoyeon started to do her thing.
Little tendrils of pink and green fluttered through Seoyeon’s fingers, the distinct smell of burnt sugar surrounding the girls and filling up the room. The feeling was light on her palms, like fire without the heat, ticklish against the smooth skin. She watched as the girls’ eyes followed the magic jumping from her fingerprints.
Her fingers ran through the walls of the dorm living room, tattoos and veins glowing the same bright pink and green colour, each line fading and reappearing with her heartbeat as she walked. It left Rosie in awe, she never thought magic could really be real, not until seeing everything she had witnessed in the last twenty four hours.
She glanced over to look at her other members, their faces not nearly as shocked as her own. She could get behind Miran not being entirely surprised, seeing as she was always a believer and lived in her own little land, but the other two were more grounded in real life than they were. Rosie remembered how skeptical Jiyoon was of her story when she told her earlier that night or how Blue laughed thinking it was a joke. Maybe Yue’s insistence finally made them believe her but would they have done so without the older girl’s slightly threatening presence?
“The good news is it’s not a malevolent spirit, just a tricky one.” All the girls sighed in relief upon hearing Seoyeon’s words.
“What’s the bad?” Blue questioned, hands massaging her temples like this was all some bad dream.
Seoyeon exhaled deeply, there’s no way things could possibly get worse for them, right? “It’s not leaving for a while, it’s screaming at me that it loves this place too much.”
“So we just have to deal with a literal demon living with us?” Jiyoon groaned, barely hiding her annoyance from the other girls.
Blue simply laughed, the exhaustion was getting to her. Anyone could see so with her dark circles and slouched stance, after all she had been up for so many hours doing this and that around the dorm in an attempt to fix the problem herself. Seeing how her laughter continued on creepily in the background maybe she was going hysterical with everything going on.
“There are ways to force the spirit back to wherever it came from but I am definitely not powerful enough to do that, many aren’t.” Seoyeon casts her eyes over to Yue, lazily staring at her for a second before diverting her gaze elsewhere.
“I am so going to have to move out.” Jiyoon mumbled, the disbelief settling behind her eyes.
“Well for the time being why don’t you just give ‘em a name, treat it like a nice lodger and it’ll leave eventually.” She seemed so nonchalant as she talked, like this was an everyday occurrence in Seoul or whatever witch land she came from.
“That’s all I can do for you but before I go I have to ask, how exactly did you bring this spirit here?”
Everyone’s eyes fell on Rosie, the stares causing her to recoil back into her seat on the sofa. Their stares spoke a thousand words to Rosie and it only made her feel more reluctant to actually say anything, she’d much rather run back to the safety of her bed and pretend this was one hell of a dream.
“I saw this one video on TikTok that said if you’re lonely summon this spirit to be your friend for a couple hours,” Rosie hung her head low as she spoke, avoiding the likely judgemental stares from her group mates. “It was stupid I know and I didn’t even believe it would work but...I had to try it.”
She raised her head slightly, catching a glimpse of Seoyeon with a hand to her chest, a warm smile on her face. She wasn’t outright stating it but Rosie could feel her sympathy radiating off of her like sunbeams, she’s glad Yue called her over because at least someone in that house would try to understand why she would do something like that.
“I found a bunch of witchy stuff in Yue’s room and got to work.” She shot a apologetic glance in the Chinese girl’s direction, “if you want the details, I was using this diamond necklace of mine as a pendulum to communicate with the spirit and I must’ve let it into the house as we talked because the diamond was swinging all on it’s own like crazy.”
Rosie recalled the memories of last night, she was the only one in the dorms, the other four all doing things that didn’t seem to involve her. It was the third time that week, she was just tired of being left out and the feeling of loneliness had been boiling in her blood for far too long.
Jiyoon already had a best friend and the last time they’d had a genuine conversation outside of the practice room must have been months ago. Yue and Miran had become awfully close in the last few months, often leaving the others out of their shared world, and Blue had been out doing god knows what with someone she was never going to text back. Heck, even her own brother was barely responding to her texts, probably off somewhere getting high and pretending she didn’t know about his problem.
There was no need to wiggle her way into places she wasn’t wanted so she decided she'd find someone else to talk to, despite how extreme the solution she came to must’ve seemed to others.
Even if the spell hadn’t worked, there would have always been that thought settling in the back of her mind hoping that it did so that maybe she wouldn’t have to deal with knowing the fact that no one wanted her. A fact that had become as clear as day when she watched each of her members frown in disappointment at what she’d done when they had finally come home to a teary-eyed Rosie, an oddly humanoid shadow standing behind her to confirm her story.
“Well who hasn’t accidentally summoned a spirit in their youth?” Rosie hadn’t realised a silence had formed since her last words until Seoyeon cleared her throat, the lopsided smile still on her face. “Next time I’d recommend you use salt circles, it’ll protect you a little better.”
Yue rubbed her eyes, chuckling softly at Seoyeon’s joke. She flashed a smile at her friend before retiring to her room, the rest of the girls could chat with her or show her out because, quite frankly, she was tired and just wanted to go to bed.
Closing the door behind her, Yue sighed at finally being alone, flopping onto her bed and closing her eyes. Images of Seoyeon’s magic raced through her mind, the sight of the pink and green was oddly addicting, pulling Yue up from the bed and staring into her hands in front of her.
Each vein began to run an icy blue, backlit behind her pale skin. Tiny translucent wisps prickled all around her body, congregating within her palms like an ice that burned through her veins, taking over her entire body in a wave of cold fire.
She winced upon the feeling, not because it hurt, it was more of a tension within her hands, made her eyes itch, that was all. No, the problem was that she liked it, all of it, the feeling of power in her hands, like she could do anything. She could do anything but that’s what got her here in the first place, running to Seoyeon for help because she wanted to hide all of it.
Even though she promised herself she wouldn’t practice anymore, she was always a little bit curious as to how much magic she could gather all on her own. Yue was admittedly a little rusty, mostly due to the blockage that had built up within herself from the years she had abstained from all of this. It took her several minutes to get the candles to burst aflame but it made her feel...something, something that excited her just a little bit too much.
She stared into the flame of the candle closest to her, it flickered violently with just her gaze, the red wax dripping fast into the plate it stood on.
The minute she heard the click of her bedroom door opening she turned around, the candles had blown out immediately with the whip of her head. Darkness cloaked the room again leaving Yue and her visitor alone with just the sliver of light from the window to illuminate them.
She identified the other as Seoyeon from the shine of her red hair, “Don’t scare me like that.”
“Smells like pine in here.” The witch simply chuckled, crossing her arms and leaning the door closed with her back. Yue’s grateful it was her, god knows what she would’ve done if any of her group members had come in instead. Seoyeon’s intuition probably caught her practicing through the walls, she’s smart enough to see through them after all, her eye was always working overtime when they were kids.
“You know you could’ve done that in seconds, no need to call me over here in the middle of the night.” Yue rolled her eyes, it was just like Seoyeon to bring that up. It had been a long time since they’d interacted like this and she was still doubtful as ever to her own power.
“You know why I don’t do that anymore.” Yue responded through gritted teeth, “and besides, you did do that in seconds, you’ve grown a lot since I last saw you.”
“Seokyung’s better than me, but you were always the best out of all of us.” Seoyeon walked over to Miran’s bed, sat right at the edge facing Yue. “It’s clear Jiyoon wants the spirit out, Blue too.” She chuckled, “I don’t think the other two really want that though.”
There was a beat of silence following Seoyeon’s words, neither of them really wanting to address the rather big elephant in the room at that very moment.
“You could help them, Yue, you know that.” Seoyeon spoke in Mandarin, her accent still the same as when they were kids, hearing it warmed her heart.
Yue didn’t respond, her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes boring into the witch’s. If she wasn’t going to say anything then Seoyeon was simply going to have to press harder.
“Listen, I know what happened was bad but you can relieve your group mates of the thing that’s stressing them out, not me, not anyone else, you.” The smell of burnt sugar began to fall into the room once again, combating the fresh pine of Yue’s magic. “There’s a full moon in two days, you gotta do what you do best!”
Seoyeon knows she can’t force Yue into doing anything, being her friend for over a decade told her that, but she can at least get her to try. Maybe if she could get Yue to open herself up to her own abilities, they could repair what was left of their fragmented friendship.
Yue’s eyes never left Seoyeon, she wanted to believe her, she really did. However, all she could remember was the flames, the haunting memory of the heat coming into dangerously close contact with her as they spread. The thick, black smoke circling the house, the deafening cries of her friend, the silent tears that fell as she watched it all burn.
“Stop, Seoyeon. I just can’t! Is that not enough for you?” Yue cried out, her voice just a decibel below a scream anyone could’ve heard.
Seoyeon knows she’s struck a chord in Yue, hanging her head low. She remembers the fire too. She remembers her heart dropping to her stomach when she saw Yue standing outside in shock, the sickening feeling of relief when she caught her father dragging her mother and sister out of the pile of ash that she called her home.
They tried to move past it, all those years they’d spent with each other far away from Luoyang. Seoyeon knows she’s moved on but maybe Yue hadn’t, that’s why she refused to even talk about what happened since they had left, why Seoyeon could feel that the other hadn’t practiced in so long.
It made her mad, if she could get over losing her home, her family, over something she didn’t even do then Yue could at least try and fix her own problems without running to her and then throwing it back in her face. She threw a hand to the amethyst on her arm, pressing over the tattoo lightly to calm herself, however, it was no use as the anger seething through her caused her to speak without thinking.
“And you call yourself a witch.” She muttered under her breath.
“I don’t!” The flames lit up again, burning dangerously high above their wicks, “Now shut up or get the fuck out of my house.”
Seoyeon waved off the younger girl’s anger, calming down the candles with the flick of her hand. She walked over to the bedroom door but before she would leave she turned to face Yue again, her bright red hair shining around her like a halo.
“You can’t fool me Yue, I’m a damn psychic.” Was all she said before leaving the room, leaving the door irritatingly ajar.
The dancer heard Seoyeon’s goodbyes to the girls through the door, a guttural sigh leaving her mouth when she heard the front done close. She got up from her seat on her bed, feeling all her bones crack upon the stretch, but as she walked towards the door she caught something upon the handle.
Staring back at her was a burned in sigil carved in the wood, each line a very familiar mark that had been seared into her brain from the moment she could see. It was for protection, something to ensure nothing bad could enter the room, Seoyeon must have etched it there on purpose.
“Typical.” She muttered, eyes trained to the mark on the door. She hadn’t seen or made one of those in years, all in hopes that her supernatural past wouldn’t follow her into her new life. Yue supposed she should thank Seoyeon for thinking about her even when she was yelling at her to leave.
“Hey, are you okay? You seemed off earlier.” Yue’s eyes broke contact with the door upon Miran’s sudden entrance, a small smile painted on the girl’s face.
She cleared her throat, grumbling a bit in an attempt to clear her mind of the negative energy surrounding it. She walks back to her bed and pats at the spot beside her, inviting Miran to join her on the blanket.
“I’m okay, just stressed. Y’know, idol shit.” Her laugh is uneasy but Miran’s presence is hardly threatening to her.
Miran frowned, clearly unhappy with the answer as she shuffled closer to her roommate, head resting on the older girl’s shoulder.
Yue noticed how quick she often was to figure out something’s wrong. Maybe it was because they had become inseparable in the last few months that Miran was always able to sniff out sad feelings, or maybe she was an empath that had snuck her way into her life on purpose. Yue goes back and forth on her theories when it comes to this stuff but there’s one thing she knows for sure and it’s that Miran would always be there.
“Just bad memories resurfacing is all, nothing to worry about.” She threw a smile Miran’s way and rested her head against the pillow, the other girl joining and curling up to her in a tiny ball on the bed.
“You can talk to me you know, I might not be able to solve all of it but I can help you speak through it and that might help.” Miran looked up at Yue, eyes wide and full of sincerity.
She knows Miran only wants what’s best for her, she’d never have offered if she didn’t. Still, there’s a stain on her heart that stops her from being fully honest with her, there were far too many things Yue hadn’t fully accepted for her to even begin to think about telling anybody else about them.
“Is this about Seoyeon and the demon? Is there something I should know? I won’t judge you if there is, it’s just that there’s obviously something happening and you seem to have way more answers then you’re letting on to and I’d hate for this to get between us as a group.”
Miran would not stop talking, her words were barely permeating through Yue’s brain as she gazed off into the distance behind her. She’s sure she’s seeing things when she spots the shadowed form on Seokyung on Miran’s bed, just to be sure she blinked and shook her head but when she opened her eyes again she’s still there, staring back at her.
Yue tried to shake off the visions, pinning it to her sleep deprivation but the sight of her former friend haunts her, leaving a sick taste in her mouth. She tried listening to Miran to distract her but it was no use as the image of Seokyung began to burn, flames lighting up the bedroom, flickering around her skin and burning away her features.
“Just shut up, Miran!” Her eyes widened once she had been brought back to reality, the flames withering away as she realised what she had just said to the younger girl.
Miran stayed silent, swallowing the lump forming in her throat and pushing back the slowly growing feelings of regret. The sight of her looking so hurt made Yue want to crawl into a corner and die, like she’d just wounded a puppy.
“Shit, Miran I’m sorry, I just need a moment alone.” She didn’t want to hurt her best friend anymore but just looking at her made her insides freeze up, “please?”
She didn’t say anything, instead removing her arms from Yue and walking out of the room. Once she heard the door click shut Yue slapped her face into her hands, trying her best to erase every bad memory from the last twenty four hours. Seokyung’s appearance had to be the spirit playing it’s tricks on her, what else could it have been?
Fuck, this demon was going to be way harder to live with then she thought it would be.
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bruh-haikyuu · 4 years
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A/N: ITS FINISHED WHAT THE FFUCKK 7000+ WORDS THIS IS A BEAST. ENJOYY!!! :DD Thank you for all your support!
Fem!MC in this is the guitarist/lead vocalist of the rock band PARANOIA! She also went to the same middle school as Konoha, but because she’s deemed as a prodigy, they didn’t get to talk so much. I hope you all enjoy the interesting take I’ve put in MC’s personality!! :))
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (Coming Soon!)
ensemble. | konoha akinori
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part 1 - overture.
word count: 7287
warnings: slight angst, a lil’ bit of manipulation
(n.) an orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, suite, play, oratorio, or other extended composition
You’re not the type of person to care. Things flitted over your head so easily like they’re nothing more than a light breeze. But were you an airhead? Not exactly. President of the Light Music Club and one of Fukurodani Academy’s prized minds, people sought of you as a genius or a prodigy. But you never really understood what they meant.
Weren’t you just a high school student like them?
You just got bored very easily. That’s all there is to say. Sure, you hopped between multiple clubs and interests in your first year, but wasn’t that initial year your chance to discover yourself? At least that’s what your parents told you. And you did! Eventually. The Light Music Club was the only club you felt the most interest and where you could be your fanciful, “blunt” self without everyone else worrying about you.
What’s up with that, you asked yourself much too often to be comfortable. Worrying’s for old people like parents, or grandparents or even middle-aged women who’d found no hope for love. Exams are temporary, people are temporary, and if they’re going to last for only a while, why think so much about it? You could never get why everyone made being a high school student so complicated.
But it’s kind of frightening. Being a high schooler but not completely understanding what it means. What were you then? Maybe you were just as “alien” as everyone called you. Put yourself in other people’s shoes, was what you were often told by your bandmates when you’d told them about your woes.
“I’ve decided!” you announced today as your bandmates slash club members sat around you in a circle. “I’m going to get a boyfriend.”
“...L/N, this ain’t another one of your social experiments, is it?” your drummer Reo sighed, exasperation dripping in his voice.
“Yes, and no,” you said, crossing your arms. “Reeeooo, it’s not wrong for your little ol’ club president to find love, right? Besides, I’m already a second year, it’s only a matter of time until I graduate. So why not make full use of it now?”
Bassist Iori exchanged a glance with Reo before chuckling deeply. “Always the unexpected one, huh, Taichou*? Alright then, you have our full support, this is bound to be funny at a point.”
“What is your type anyway?” the first-year keyboardist Tsumugi (occasionally MugiMugi much to his dismay) asked. “Right now, I mean... Since you switch between interests so quickly, senpai.”
“Well it’s neither of you, if you’re curious. Reo’s got a girlfriend already. Iori-kun’s too stingy. And MugiMugi seems like the kind of guy who’d get married to his own mom.”
“Oi, senpai!”
It was true. They heavily reminded you of your three older brothers. And you were thankful to the heavens that they all decided to move away once they graduated high school. One more ounce of “brotherly defense” and you were sure you were going to run off to live in some live house.
“Still not sugarcoating your words, I see. But I’m glad you’re not going to force us to date you, ” Iori muttered, finding interest in the pegs of his bass. “Do you even have someone you like? You seem to be, uh...”
“Very much married to your guitar,” Reo followed. Your drummer and his short-cropped hair was particularly quick to catch on cues and make a humdrum comment about it. It’s very obvious that he tries (keyword: tries) to empathize with you, but the fact that you just become a deeper enigma everyday just pisses him off.
You frowned, getting up from your rickety chair. “Lennon-chan is a very valuable item to me, but I won’t stoop so low as to marry it! I’m interested in a human. Hu-man. We went to the same middle school, so if you were thinking that my affections are baseless, then think of another question for me to answer.”
How unbelievable. You didn’t understand how people thought you were less of a person than they were. You have a set of lungs, human skin without a zipper that opens up to your Martian scalp and a teenage heart for another to hold. What’s so hard to believe that you were able to like something long-term?
“So, who is it then?” Tsumugi asked.
Tapping your finger on your chin in mock wonder, you gave them an impish grin. “Konoha Akinori.”
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
Second-year student Konoha Akinori was not a big fan of surprises. He only enjoyed them when he was surprising the person. Other way around... not so much.
Which was not aiding to the reason why he was standing at an impasse with Fukurodani’s resident free-spirited prodigy L/N Y/N.
Your eyes twinkled brightly as you edged closer to him in the school’s near-empty courtyard. “Hello, Konoha-kun.”
“H-hello, L/N-san.”
What was going on? Why was this happening? Was this some sort of prank Bokuto had pulled on him? If it was, then how unfair. To have the prettiest girl in their grade approach him so suddenly... The entire thing reeked of craftiness, and Konoha resolved that Bokuto wouldn’t have gone so far to pull his leg. But why was this happening, again?!
“L/N-s-san, you’re a bit too close,” he choked, back pressed against a wall. Much to his gratefulness, you pulled back to let him breathe. If you had advanced one more step, he’d turn into an oversized tomato soon. Konoha Akinori the Human Tomato—that didn’t look so good on his college applications...
This girl’s danger, he thought. He knew about you. Heck, he even went to middle school with you. Sure, Konoha appreciated your beauty and talent as a person, but your alleged habit of jumping around interests just because “you were bored” terrified people to no end. You were a troublesome one, weren’t you?
“Konoha-kun, is it true you have a crush on me?”
Troublesome! Konoha cursed. His first real confrontation with an attractive girl and it had to be completely direct? No frills, no shoujo sparkles? How unpleasant. At least you shouldn’t pin him to a corner wall like this! Konoha just wanted to melt into a puddle and become absorbed into the soil.
“L-L/N-san, a lot of people have a crush on you!”
“I know. But I’m asking you. Do you like me?” your poised smile was the photograph of absolute nuisance. Blunt this, blunt that, was the way people described you, but Konoha never expected you to be this plain-spoken. Was there even a right answer when it came to your questions?
“L/N-san, you can’t just ask me something like this! I-I mean you’re pretty and smart and everything, so of course I had a crush on you, but isn’t this a little too late for that?”
Konoha swore your shoulders drooped at his words. But even that slight action was enough, to form a small incision to his heart. Just how human were you to have so heavy of an effect on him?
At that point, he was sure you were going to give up and leave him alone—possibly looking for another boy to meddle with... Until you chirped again in your nonchalant manner.
“But do you still like me?”
“I-I don’t know—”
“Then, why don’t we find out?”
‘Find out’? This was getting increasingly complicated. Out of all the people you could’ve trifle with, why did it have to be him? If only you were just more cute, instead of just plain out... surreal.
“We can go out for two months. You can find out if you do still have feelings for me, and I can learn why people make high school love seem more complicated than it should be,” you explained, counting off your reasons with a raised finger in each hand. “If it doesn’t work out by then, we’ll break up and I’ll leave you alone for good.”
In the silence that followed, Konoha was registering the information that had left your lips. Your words glitched in his mind like his mother’s old computer; always loading, never processing. There were so many questions he wanted to ask you, but he’d expected you to fling them back with more perplexing questions of your own. So he said nothing. In the silence that followed, he didn’t notice the glower that surfaced on your features as he let your offer dangle in the wall of space between you.
“We can go out and you can make Bokuto-kun and KomiKomi stop harassing you about being lame when it comes to girls.”
“How—” No. He wasn’t going to ask how you had his entire case figured out. Because he knew whatever reply was going to come out of your mouth was just going to be an indifferent: “It wasn’t a difficult process”. At least, Konoha knew that much about you.
Of course, the feeling of having a girlfriend—and someone like you, surprisingly—was going to be more than enough to rub into Komi and Bokuto’s faces. In fact, they’d leave him alone for eons if he did!  It was a tempting deal, and he ached to shake your hand and get it over with. But your own motives... “Complicated,” you’d said. The way you’d said it to him was almost pitiful. Konoha guessed you really did live on a different wavelength than other people.
Still avoiding your anticipating eyes, he replied, “Give me time to think about it.”
You didn’t particularly enjoy being forced to wait—not because you were an impatient person. “Thinking about it” only blooms ambivalence in return. And the longer someone thinks, the more doubtful they’ll become of their genuine resolve. If Konoha became cynical of the truth, your little ‘investigation’ would definitely go awry. What would happen to your ‘love’ then?
“Alright, but don’t take too long,” you spoke, raising your hands to your hips. “I’ve got your number so I’ll send you a text and you can save mine.”
Watching you spin on your heel and your back slowly shrink into the horizon, Konoha did a double take, finally taking in your final words to him.
“Wait, how’d you get my number?!”
Stopping in your tracks, you turned your head. Shooting him an impish grin, you broke the short absence of noise, and all at once Konoha really felt like he was in trouble.
“It wasn’t a difficult process,” you said.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
“That’s...” Sarukui rolled the zipper of his jacket between his fingers before deciding on an appropriate word, “...very unsettling.”
In the privacy of the boys’ club room, Konoha crossed his arms. He’d made a face, just enough to border between pity and discontent. “Unsettling’s right. Do you think she’s a creep for just having my number like that?”
Tapping his chin with his index finger, the lax-faced boy replied, “I mean we are in the same grade. And she was class rep in our first year too, so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if she just had our numbers kept with her.”
From the corner of the room, Washio rumbled, “She’s actually not that bad. Though I admit she’s very strange.”
Turning his attention to the burlier male, Sarukui put his hands together, “That’s right, you’re in L/N-san’s class, aren’t you?”
“I remember that time she offered to lend me her World History flashcards because I forgot mine,” Washio recalled, moving towards the center of the room. “It was great for a while since she’s the smartest person in the class... but then...”
“...Then?”
“It didn’t matter because I couldn’t read anything she’d wrote on it. There were a couple of cards where she wrote backwards and all while she kept switching between kanji, hiragana and katakana mid-word... A prodigy’s brain is truly terrifying.”
Even though the story was rather amusing, the three only let out a despaired sigh.
“Aah, but it’s true that Y/N-san’s a really nice person,” a voice piped up behind them.
Their manager Yukie silently trudged into the carpeted floor, her usual skittish smile broadening against her face. The four second-years pooled around the room, one visibly concerned, the other confused, the third conflicted and the last... slightly hungry. Drawing out her breath, the hungrier one explained.
“She doesn’t seem like she has any bad intentions to me, it’s just that she tends to look into things too much... I mean, Y/N-san always gets to the point without any reason for her actions. But that’s because she doesn’t know how to explain it in her own way. If you think about it... don’t you think she’s actually really shy?”
‘Shy’ had no business with the way you’d confidently strode up to him, asking for Konoha to go out with you. Though he was blatantly thinking of the fact that you’re just messing with his head, Yukie made a point.
You’d barely made any friends in middle school, always separated from the crowds... but you’d react like it didn’t matter. You were always on a different wavelength with the special treatment the teachers gave you, so he hadn’t bothered to talk much with you either. The whole time you were so quiet back then, was it because you were trying to understand the situation?
Now Konoha felt really bad for calling you a ‘creep’. “Geez...”
“Hey, hey, hey! G’morning!”
Like the heavens had heard his woes, they sent him Bokuto for God knows what reason. Barreling inside the club room, the wing spiker was an untamed ball of energy and mischief that Konoha didn’t want anything to do with right about now.
“Y’know, a couple of girls approached me today at lunch. I was super shocked and everything,” Bokuto trumpeted, unravelling his tie. “My chances have grown pretty big since I started using my straights, don’t you think?”
“Not bigger than your head, I hope,” the blonde scoffed.
Raising an eyebrow at him, Bokuto laughed raucously enough to make the entire room silent lest for the drop of a pin. Slinging an arm around Konoha, he poked at his sides making the boy flinch and jump.
“Heey, Konoha-kun... You don’t have to be so mean when you’re jealous~” he grinned. Konoha rolled his eyes in retort. “You’ll get your big chance one day.”
Bokuto’s attempt at being passive-aggressive was just so Bokuto that anyone in the right mind would’ve found it extremely annoying. Konoha didn’t even know if he was even “jealous” anymore; the entire concept of having the ace constantly pester him everyday for the rest of his life for being so lonely was exceptionally haunting.
And to think that he’d constantly thought the things that came out of Bokuto’s mouth could be genius... maybe it had just been provoking. Blood boiling. As the others stifled their quiet snickers, Konoha reached for his pant pocket, the stiff outline of his cellphone taking the shape of his palm. Perhaps he could humor you. Just this once.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
“Good morning, Aki-chan!”
Snapping his head quick enough for whiplash, Konoha’s widened stare locked itself on your beaming profile. Putting two and two together, he reddened at the affectionate name you had gifted him.
“L-L/N-san, you don’t have to call me that...”
As you bent down to slip your outside shoes from your delicate feet, the boy couldn’t help but to ogle at your tantalizing figure, but quickly averted his gaze once you smirked at his actions. Keep it together, teenage hormones! he scolded himself.
“Why not, though? I mean, we’re dating now. You can call me by my first name too if you want, you know.”
That’s right. Fueled by the frustration he’d harbored for his friends, Konoha took the action of texting you back, saying that he’d taken up your offer. Your reply was nothing short of innocent giddiness and delirium that he’d felt the searing tightness of regret in his chest.
But it wasn’t like you wouldn’t be able to see through his intentions soon enough. If anything, you’d even brought it up during your “confession”. You’ll be fine, Konoha had convinced himself. Like the rumors said, if you didn’t like it, you’d probably just leave. You knew that much, at least.
“I don’t think couples immediately start calling each other by their given names on the first day they go out. Besides, isn’t this just a trial run?”
“You’re supposed to get the entire experience in a trial run, right?”
“Well yes, but—”
“Don’t you want to get as much out of two months as possible?”
He’d almost forgotten about the limited time he’d have to use you against Bokuto and Komi before you mentioned it to him again. Two months is long enough, he thought, the effect will last even longer if they knew I was dating L/N-san.
“Right, L/N-san.”
“Y/N.”
“Um... L/N...chan?”
“Y/N-chan.”
“Anyway!” Konoha slammed the door to his shoe locker for emphasis, privy to his crimson cheeks. “Homeroom’s about to begin. D’you want me to take you to your class on my way?”
You looked up at him placidly, “Class 5 is on the end of the hallway though... Won’t that mean I’d be taking you to your class?”
Moving behind you to give you an encouraging push on your shoulders, your new boyfriend sighed hurriedly, “Yes, yes. Let’s just go already, L/N-san.”
And like it was your birthday, your face lit up like Christmas lights. Pulling the arms that rested on your arms so it wound securely around your torso, you looked over your shoulder to send the flushed second-year a grin.
“Oookay! The Aki-chan-Y/N-chan train is leaving the station, hold on tight~”
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
The face Iori gave you made you think your lungs would fall off from laughing. Your light-haired classmate blinked twice before realizing that his knife was close to grazing his finger. Giving the fragrant chocolate one last slice, the bassist turned to you for affirmation.
“Taichou’s cheating on Lennon-chan... How daring...”
Veins popping from the grip on the rolling pin, you leered at him from where you were standing. “Do the three of you still think I’m married to my guitar?”
“Of course—Ow! Don’t hit me with a pin if you know I’m right!”
“Now, now, L/N-san, Tsuyoshi-san, don’t get too excited about making cookies back there,” your bearded Home Economics teacher (who’d heavily reminded you of an endearing bear) guffawed heartily, before turning to the left side of the class in utter concern. “W-wait, Shirofuku-san, don’t directly eat the dough!”
Nudging you with his elbow, Iori whispered, “So... two months? How do you know the guy’s not just using you to get back at the Volleyball Club?”
Turning on the tap, you let the cool torrent of water pool in your hands before replying to your bandmate earnestly.
“Oh, he is using me to get back at the Volleyball Club. I figured it out when he texted me back. ‘S not a big deal, though.”
Iori’s shoulder drooped in melancholy. It was sad, on the verge of plain out pathetic. You were his friend, for Heaven’s sake. Yet, he knew you were lonely. Of course, he felt eternally relieved that at least he and the rest of PARANOIA could temporarily lift that despondency from you. But due to God’s intent, neither of them were fated to completely understand your dispositions. And for that, he lamented behind the wall that the world planted around you, unable to reach out nor sympathize. If this Konoha guy was your last resort to your long-term goal of universal comprehension, then it better not be a big deal.
“People say it takes about 2 to 3 months to fall in love with a person. If these two months don’t turn our relationship in the path we want, then... I don’t care if we break up too. It wasn’t like I expected much from myself in the first place.”
“Taichou...”
In the solemn silence that followed your words, your nose perked up at a certain toasty smell coming from behind your friend.
“Iori-kun, the chocolate.”
“Don’t change the subject. You need to consider if this “relationship” will really make you happy.”
“Iori-kun, it’s burning.”
“I know despite your flaming desire for love, you—Aagh!! My chocolate! Taichou, why didn’t you say anything?!”
You scratched your nape as you watched your frantic classmate splash the bowl of darkened chocolate with a flood of cold water, kindling plumes of sweet-smelling smoke to rise softly in the class.
Happiness. You frowned back at Iori’s words (as the latter sobbed at his valiant efforts in scraping his overly-meticulous work from the steaming bowl). I’m already happy enough though.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
“L/N-san... You don’t have to follow me to lunch on the first week,” Konoha grimaced at the girl trailing behind him through the staircase.
“Why not though? We’re—”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he rustled, “We’re dating. Yes, yes... But don’t you usually sit with your band during this time? Won’t they ask where you are?”
You hummed hopping down the last few steps before turning around gracefully in front of your boyfriend. “Mm... I think they’ll be more thankful they’re getting a day off from me. Don’t worry though, I won’t say anything if I don’t have to!”
Oh boy.
“L/N-chan’s at our lunch spot...” Bokuto murmured blankly.
Amongst the burly volleyball players eating their lunches in the courtyard, you seemed like a dainty flower about to be devoured by a pack of Titans—as if you weren’t the more threatening one in the bunch. While the familiar third-years gawked with their heads short-circuiting in your presence, the meek first-year setter politely bowed, his obvious ignorance of you surfacing.
“L/N-chan’s eating lunch with us...” you watched Bokuto aimlessly mumble against the yakisoba bread in his mouth.
“Bokuto! Don’t go to the light! W-we’re sorry about this, L/N-chan,” Komi shook the owl-headed spiker in his trance. Thrusting his own box of food towards you, he reddened. “P-please have some of my sausages as an apology, O’ Great Deity!”
Sarukui pulled the libero back by his blazer, sending the boy flying backwards with his bento still thankfully intact. “Hey, Komi, don’t just suddenly ambush a girl like that... Say, L/N-san, you want to try some of my tamagoyaki*?”
“Saru, you leech!”
Anyone who was passing by could indefinitely tell that this group of people was undoubtedly hazardous. An overly-excited Bokuto who had sparks and smoke coming out of his head, an apprehensive Akaashi trying to calm their spiker down, Komi and Sarukui wrestling over their lunch boxes, a bulky but terrified Washio who was slowly edging away from the crowd, a Konoha who was gradually regretting his choices and a L/N Y/N, though seemingly frail, was able to create chaos with a bat of an eye.
Watching the entire ruckus go down, you did feel a bit bored. Gaze flickering to your side, your mouth watered, “Ooh, Aki-chan, is that spicy konnyaku*?”
“Huh? Yeah, you want some, L/N-san?” your boyfriend said, offering you his food nonchalantly.
Dipping your chopsticks into his box, you flashed him a beam brighter than any sparkling night. “Thank you for the food~ Mm, not spicy enough...”
In the silence where you chewed the stinging cake, the Volleyball Club’s bedlam had finally subsided. Their star-struck gazes at you replaced with incredulous glares at Konoha who proceeded with his meal in peace.
“‘Aki-chan’...” Komi repeated. “What’s going on with you two?”
Leering in mischief, Konoha grinned. Chest puffed out like a breasted bird, he set down his food before taking your hand and raising it for the rest to see. At the warmth of his hand, you couldn’t help but redden from the blood that rose to your face. Moments like this really did remind you why you thought he’d seemed so attractive from the beginning.
“Oh, I haven’t told you yet? We’re dating,” he smirked, making sure that he drew out each syllable, prolonging his announcement as much as possible.
“Huh?!”
Dwarfing the previous catastrophe into the size of an ant, the boys went frantic again. Even Bokuto who’d seemed so shocked by your attendance, snapped out of his daze from the outrageous amount of disbelief.
“E-eh?! Konoha and... L/N-chan... no way. That doesn’t make sense... something’s not right...”
You smiled behind the soft pads of your fingers. Noticing Konoha’s worried gesture, you played along, much to his delight, “What is it, Bokuto-kun? You also have girls surrounding you. What’s so different?”
“Ehhh? Lost your chances, Bokuto?” Konoha continued, the smirk on his face growing wider.
“Dammit! The Great Deity’s going to get stained... she’s going to get stained...” Komi wailed.
“Bokuto-san stopped breathing! Konoha-san, do something!”
He felt like it had rained after years and years of a drought. Refreshing. Cool. Satisfying. The same people who’d teased him for lacking a ‘chance’ was now melted in the head from his relationship. It was exactly how he wanted it to be. And you played it out so perfectly for him. A beautiful ‘girlfriend’ with a heart of gold.
Sighing, Konoha smiled at your giggling face. He wondered. For someone so advantaged and strange, you only seemed like a high school girl to him right now. Just his ‘girlfriend’ for two months. Not the genius L/N Y/N, not the zealous musician L/N Y/N. Just... L/N Y/N.
The shrill shriek of a chime brought you to wake, as you pulled him up from his seat while snickering. “It’s getting very loud here, isn’t it? Come, Aki-chan, I’ll take you to class again.”
Tightening his grip on yours, he gave you a knowing nod before following you to escape the scene in a trail of laughter. As the bell subsided in your wake, you didn’t even realize you’d arrived at the second-year hallways. And all that while interlacing hands.
Quickly retracting your hand, you sheepishly glanced at your shoes, “Ah, sorry. You probably don’t want to have that much physical contact so soon.”
Damn, if you were already pretty with even a poker face on, seeing your blushing face took the cake. “N-no, it’s fine. Thanks for backing me up back there. I don’t think anyone would’ve believed me if you didn’t say something.”
Tilting your head sideways, you said, “It was getting a bit dull, so I was glad we made it more lively. You’re very entertaining, did you know?”
“And so are you, Y/N-chan,” he smiled, ruffling your hair.
In the light of the midday sun, Konoha Akinori was blind to his own natural appeal. It was unfair and admittedly cool of him to just ensnare you with a dazzling twinkle, all while taking you by surprise with a reposeful call of your name. Your middle school classmate who’s now your temporary boyfriend... you just wanted to have him all to yourself forever.
He couldn’t deny it. You were magnetizing. Attractive in a way that lived beyond beauty and intelligence. Konoha couldn’t believe that someone so strange would make his chest go tight. It disappointed him that it would only be temporary. Once the two months expired, you’d treat him like no more than a stranger. But just this once, he wanted to relish this quiet moment with you.
Suddenly, like an iron wall had emerged from the ground between the both of you, your phone rang. You didn’t know if you felt relieved that your embarrassment was interrupted or were you annoyed because of it.
Quickly reading over the text, you smiled eagerly. “Ooh! Iori-kun finally finished the reservations for the live house!”
Konoha had almost forgot you were in a band. A rock band that consisted of you and three other male members. Lips faltering, he bit his tongue. They’re her bandmates, Akinori! What are you so jealous for? It’s not like you’re her real boyfriend or anything...
“Got a performance coming up, L/N-san?”
“Yep! It’s our first anniversary show since we formed PARANOIA,” you said, trailing off before a light bulb flickered in your head. “Do you want to come and watch? It’s in a few months.”
And like a cupid had shot his heart, Konoha found himself with a ticket for one to PARANOIA’s Anniversary Concert by the end of the day. Concert tickets that would expire the same day as your relationship.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
If you could list down all the things that happened this past few months, you’d probably end up describing it as “adventurous”. Even for you who’d expect a couple things or two from the start, the things you could do while in a relationship took you by surprise most of the time.
Little by little, your boyfriend had opened up to your usual audacious advances. Compared to the cuter, more nervous Konoha who you approached two months back, this Konoha was more bold, and vivacious. And unbearably even more attractive than you’d hoped he’d be. But he was considerate as usual—though you wished he wasn’t, because this ‘modesty’ of his was especially embarrassing on your end.
His friends slowly got used to your presence (while Bokuto was still slightly dazed from your relationship status). You came to the Volleyball Club’s practice matches, both under Konoha’s request and your own bored intentions. And it came to your attention that he flaunted his feathers more vigorously when you were around. Fukurodani’s Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of None... was much more of a show-off than you’d thought. How amusing, you’d think.
On the other hand, your bandmates had kept hanging on to their belief that you were still easily aroused when it came to your guitar (though you were very sure that it was more of a teasing gesture than their own immature stupidity). For this reason, you’d dragged a pale-faced Konoha to your practices in the Light Music Club more often than he’d hoped. He was your stamp of proof that even you had standards—a terrified-looking stamp that flinched whenever Reo spoke to him.
“Reo, you ever thought of putting on a Precure shirt on when you talk to people?” you’d said to him one day, as Konoha’s ears perked up from your conversation.
“No,” the drummer had replied vacantly, giving his other bandmates a boiling glare when they stifled their giggles.
“Ehh? Why not? Your gorilla face is just too intimidating for the world to get used to, so if you wear a shirt from the cute anime you love—”
“L-L/N! You promised to never say I liked Precure out loud! K-Konoha-san, please forget about this!”
And that day, you’d seen Konoha laugh. A genuine laugh not laced with nervousness or pity. A laugh caused by your own honest-to-morbid humor. It had been a pretty laugh. And Konoha admitted he hadn’t laughed so freely in such a long time.
There was also countless things he’d never done in such a long time, and all that was revived in a mere two months with you in tow. Eating spicy hotpot with you until his lips grew swollen, visiting a CD shop to spam all the music players in the store to play the same song, teaching someone to serve a ball, studying together in the library (though he ended up studying much less with your intricate rambling). Your penchant for boredom made you seem brighter to him. And Konoha began to wonder if it was a crime to finally realize he had feelings for you, even when he’d used you to get his friends off his back.
She’s better off not dating a jerk like me, he’d decided.
But it hurt. It was like a thousand daggers had pierced through his heart every second he thought that it’d be over soon. It hurt to admit that Konoha thought you were funny, pretty, smart and so goddamn endearing.
He loved you. He loves you. But just because he does, doesn’t mean you do.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
“Thank you for your support for this past year! Please continue to give PARANOIA your love for the following years to come!”
Your throat felt hoarse from the singing, but as soon as you stepped inside the dressing room, it was all squeals and giggles again. Even the high-strung Tsumugi, forehead shining in sweat, was jumping up and down with an equally excited Iori in his embrace. And for a while, Reo seemed much softer than his usual demeanor.
“Reo-kun~ That a smile on your face?” Iori teased once the four of you had settled down.
“Shut up, ‘Ori, you’re grinning like an idiot too,” he shot back.
Tsumugi piped up, untying his tie from your stage outfits, “It’s good that we’re smiling, isn’t it? We played really well, we should at least appreciate ourselves for that effort.”
Moving towards your unsuspecting underclassman, you poked him behind his ear, amusedly watching him flinch and swat your hand away. “Ah, MugiMugi’s talking like a wise, old man, but that totally contradicts how much you were hopping around during our last song, right? Young people are cute, aren’t they?”
Blushing profusely, he scoffed, “Don’t call me cute when you have a boyfriend. That’s just troublesome, senpai.”
And like the devil had ushered for him, a knock sounded on the door. Reo, closest to the entrance, swung the door open and gave their guest a pleased smile.
“Ooh... it’s Konoha. Thought it’d be my admirers or something,” he muttered in a mock pout.
“Ehh, you have plenty of admirers out there, Mizushima-san,” Konoha chuckled. “But I’m here for your guitarist.”
When Reo, Tsumugi and Iori moved out of your way to rush to the exit to “leave the both of you alone”, you placed your hands on your boyfriend’s shoulders. “Say, Aki-chan, let’s go on a date right now.”
“Right now?! Where?”
“There’s an arcade nearby,” you chirped before leaning over to whisper flatly into his ear, “It’s our last day. Let’s make it count.”
He nodded, but his face faltered at your forced grin as you led him out the door in your typical “Aki-chan-Y/N-chan train” fashion. Last day, huh? That’s right. Konoha had nearly forgotten about it. And the fact that you’d brought it up panged across his chest. This “train” of yours could just be the last time he’d ever be so close to you. The real you.
After that, nothing.
Determination crowning his face, he grabbed your hand as you exited the live house and rushed to get to the arcade as soon as his legs could carry him. Too soon. Two months passed by too soon. Not yet. Not yet.
It couldn’t end like this.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
“For someone with really good analytical senses, you suck at claw machines.”
You elbowed his side, laughter bubbling from your lips. “Look who’s talking! You looked like you were going to eat me when I scored a point in that air hockey game.”
Stopping in his tracks on the quiet sidewalk, Konoha winced at the memory. Perhaps he should’ve held back, considering you were a girl. But that would’ve been a stupid move altogether, knowing that you’d expect his moves. Konoha won anyway, much to his surprise—but only to have the game spew out a total of zero tickets before you realized the machine was faulty.
“What did you get with your tickets?”
Rummaging in your pocket, you pulled out a plastic package with a silver chain glinting inside it. “A souvenir for you. Mm, if I had more tickets, I would’ve gotten you a rice cooker or something~”
Taking your offering, Konoha raised his eyebrows. “A flower necklace? Shouldn’t you keep this sort of present? I mean, you won it and everything—”
“Keep it. It’s a gift for putting up with me this entire time.”
“Ah... thanks.”
Konoha wanted to say something. Anything to make the moment last. Alas, nothing. You didn’t say anything either—not like you could. It’s over now. Everything has ended. Did you grow to love him in the end? You didn’t know.
“It’s... getting a bit late. We should go home,” Konoha said. Though he wished he didn’t. “I guess this is goodbye... Thanks for being my girlfriend, L/N-san.”
You said nothing in reply as he slowly turned his back to you to leave. It was a temporary thing, things that come and go. And he’d used you to his own advantage against his luckless friends. But why were you so worried about his goodbye? You’d pulled off this entire thing in hopes to feel a romantic love that you couldn’t comprehend. It was supposed to be fluffy and heart-pounding like your mother and your brothers’ manga had described it to be.
But it was painful. Like a skyrocketing jolt of pain that nearly made your knees buckle. Why? You didn’t even know if you could love someone when you’ve been isolating yourself for so long... You loved your family, you loved your band, but did you love Konoha? You didn’t get it. What’s with that...
“I don’t understand...”
Hearing a quiet sniffle with a familiar lilt, Konoha spun around to be met with your teary gaze. And it was like the entire word had been sucked into a meaningless void, and the both of you were left to inhabit this desolate world.
“H-hey, L/N-san... d-don’t cry, come on,” he rushed to your aid as more tears rolled down your cheek soundlessly. Oh, how Konoha wished he knew how to comfort a crying girl. “Look, I’m here. I-it’s okay, it’s okay. Agh, I’m not very good at this... um...”
“I’m sorry I made you do this,” you wept. “I’m sorry I forced you into dating someone you don’t like. Everything’s all wrong...”
“Y-you don’t have to apologize! It was fun, everything was fun with you,” he blabbered, hands rubbing soothing circles on your arm. “I-it was my fault too... I just wanted to get back at Bokuto and Komi that I—”
Crap, he said it.
“I knew you were using me for that. I’ve always known.”
Konoha froze. Of course you’d find out, he’d established that point the moment he texted you in agreement. But something about your revelation made it feel like he had committed homicide. He really just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
“I thought I wouldn’t mind if you broke up with me since you’d accomplished your goal... but I’m so upset. You used me but you treated me well. You used me but you made me feel loved. You don’t seem to have any feelings for me, but you made me like you... like like you. I don’t get what you’re trying to do. Konoha-kun’s so confusing...”
The entire time you’d been making him feel butterflies in his stomach... you were trying to understand him? Konoha frowned. Gutting any residual feeling of doubt, he grabbed a plastic package in his coat pocket and shoved it in your hands.
“You don’t have to understand anything if it makes you happy!”
Your blood ran cold. He’d never shouted at you. But the determined expression on his face urged you to open the package sitting daintily in your palm. It was the same chrysanthemum necklace you’d given him. Was he giving it back? No... this necklace was slightly different from the one you gave him.
“I got it for you when you were out to the restroom. I was planning to confess to you with this after our date, but you made it seem like you didn’t like me. What’s with that, huh? Of course I like you! You don’t think I regret using you for a petty revenge every single moment we went out? When you made it so hard for me to not fall for you?”
Konoha couldn’t even hear the words coming out of his mouth. Whatever they were, he hoped he got his message through to you. Good and honest. Honest and true. Panting, he watched your tears slowly subside.
Wiping the droplets with the sleeve of your jacket, you weakly punched him on the chest. “You’re an idiot for falling for me.”
Ruffling your hair, he sighed, “That makes two of us. Idiot.”
As the silence dwindled, you played with the hems of your skirt as you spoke quietly, “So, are you going to do it?”
“Do what?”
“Confess.”
“Ha... now? Right here?” he groaned with a cheeky cadence.
“Don’t mess around. I’ll definitely cry again if you don’t do it.”
Chuckling, Konoha pulled back from you with the necklace he’d gifted you back in his hands. “Yes, yes. How bossy...”
He bowed. In the middle of a public sidewalk. But it didn’t matter, because whatever was going to happen next was in your control.
“L/N Y/N-san! I’ve always liked you since middle school when we were on cleaning duty together and you helped me erase the blackboard. My feelings died out for a while because I thought you’d be too distracted to acknowledge me, but after two months of your “trial experiment”, I’ve grown to like you again. So please! Go out with me.”
“Ehh... that was much blander than I’d thought...”
Suddenly, Konoha knew how Reo felt when he’d wonder whether or not you were giving out enlightenment or backhanded comments. Clicking his tongue, he crossed his arms. “How would you do it?”
Proudly clearing your throat, you bowed as he did. “Konoha Akinori-kun, the ignorant fool from Class 2. I’ve come to realize my feelings for you. Though I don’t remember the ‘you’ from middle school, I’m glad you were there to remember me anyway. You were right. The time we spent together was fun; I don’t think I’ll ever get bored with you around... If you will, please accept my humble feelings. I want to keep understanding things with you. That itself would bring me the greatest joy in the world.”
“That... that was actually pretty good. Though, let’s talk about the part where you called me an ignorant fool—”
As Konoha spoke, you reached into his pocket to extract the necklace you’d given him earlier. Placing it in his palm, you smiled warmly, relishing in the blush that dusted his face. “I’ll be in your care, Aki-chan.”
Slipping his own necklace into your hold, he clasped your hands together. “So will I, Y/N-chan.”
And like déjà vu, your stomach rumbled loudly. Embarrassing, you groaned.
Taking one hand in his, the both of you walked through the sidewalk. “Wanna eat? I’ll pay.”
“...Sichuan hotpot*...” you said under your breath.
“No way! I’ll end up with diarrhea like last time. We’ll just eat fast food...”
“Ehehe, Aki-chan can’t handle spicy food~”
“Y/N-chan, pick on me one more time and I’ll split the bill.”
As the two of you burst out in laughter, your arms swung back on forth against the course of the wind. Neither of you even thought of letting go.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
“K-Konoha’s wearing a flower necklace... Dude. If you have a secret you want to tell us, we can always financially support you...”
“Bokuto, I don’t know what ridiculous things are going on in your head, but I know they’re absolutely wrong.”
Buttoning up the last button of his shirt, he slipped the silver chain behind the fabric, it’s steel coolness imprinting itself near his tepid heart. Noticing the faint chirps of little sparrows, Konoha turned his attention to the light streaming from the west-side window. Autumn’s here.
“Hey, are you going to eat with L/N-san again today?” the ever-smiling Sarukui called for him from the door.
“Ah, yeah. She said she wanted to show me a new song she was working on.”
Chuckling, his friend let out a long breath, “Lucky you.”
Konoha smiled. Lucky indeed, he thought as you waved at him from where you stood below. In the green of the plush fall grass, yellow, pink, red and white blossoms surrounded the courtyard where you’d first approached him. Yellow, pink, red, white, and two silver chrysanthemums to welcome the new season.
══════ ⋆★⋆ ══════
Glossary:
taichou - captain/leader
tamagoyaki - japanese rolled omelettes
konnyaku - japanese yam cakes
sichuan hotpot - a REALLY spicy hotpot with sichuan peppers
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welcometomy20s · 3 years
Text
February 7, 2021
This is Part two of the introduction of Nijisanji. I have written for an audience who has just gotten to know vtubers through hololive and wants to explore more. This part cover all of Nijisanji members who has debuted in the year 2019.
2019 Part 1 (Jan-Apr)
Warabeda Meiji - Another eleven year old, but likes FF14 and K-On! So frequently described as an 11 year old third season. But she is genuinely cute! And a really good singer, so much so that her K-On cover gets banned for being too close!
Gundou Mirei - Actually a teacher, but definitely a ditzy and lazy one, that is incredibly sexual to an uncomfortable degree, you know, a fan favorite, including of mine. Watch her 3D streams and you will be amazed. Has a ship with Shoichi as mentioned before, even though she’s a self-professed bisexual. It’s odd but, you know, it works!
Yuzuki Roa - Kind of innocent devil like Towa, but more like a kid than an older sister. Really like Belmond. Was friends with Chitose, a retired member, and got a costume based on her a bit, and maybe is retiring herself, considering she hasn't uploaded for quite a few months now. Well, whatever. She’s cute and innocent.  
Onomachi Haruka - Another of the rare, truly seiso people in the team, but can go wild if the vibe goes that way. Lost and found a llama in minecraft once.
Seto Miyako - Kind of a quiet girl who might be psychopathic... you know the type. Her true tendencies pop up during gaming. Also tweets a lot... make sense.
Kataribe Tsumugu - Basically retired, but her concept was so shocking that it took Naruse Naru’s return of old design to push her into the bottom of the list.
Otogibara Era - She’s a Cinderella if she has gone completely out the window. People routinely separate the original Cinderella side as Era, and her true side as Gibara.
God, how do I describe her. Gibara is just great. Her adult comments are something to behold, let’s say she gels with Tamaki very well. She returns to monke often, and does other types of screams too... seriously look at her gacha stream and witness Gibara in her full glory. Also incredibly lazy and definitely cannot live by herself.
But as you have guessed it, she is an incredible singer. (It might be the case that incredible singing is associated with madness) Had knockout hit with her 3D stream, trending number one on twitter and 30,000 US dollars in superchats!
Lize Helesta - Queen of Shizuoka, I mean Heleste kingdom. Usually behaves like an empress, but as with most royalty has a real competitive spirit, so she knows how to badmouth when she needs to. So, she’s a really stingy person as well... not really fitting for a royalty, but you do know some people that act like that.
She’s a strange person. Look at asphalt or a handstand in order to sleep. Friends with Ange, who was a childhood friend, even with an age difference. Also does radio stuff with Lulu as well. Reveres Mito, wonder why. Again, incredible 3D debut.
Ange Katrina - Nice low-middle voice with a smooth upper body, and surprisingly small but that got fixed as 3D started. Think she’s cute, but blushes when people agree. Just a cool gal who I enjoy very much... her streams, I mean.
Inui Toko - She’s a cerberus, and now works at a cafe. A little bit out there, but definitely a tsukkomi. Usually does little gaming outside Minecraft, so mostly talks and sings. A unique laugh and loves Ensemble Stars. Hangs out with red and blue people, like Lize, Ange, Roa, Ayame, Suisei and so on. Actually is boing boing, Ange felt betrayed.
And as mentioned above, a great singer, and can play many instruments as well!
Saegusa Akina - High tension singer, who is quite sickly and is terrible with girls. But he got better as time went on and the ship with his gen mate Manami started to sail. Actually he hangs around with many girls... maybe it’s just Manami?
Arizona Manami - Ito Life’s daughter... so you know what she looks like. Calls herself the queen of sensitivity, and yes she does very suggestive streams... but she’s pretty innocent and childish... so she’s kind of like Melody in a way. Has a very fond-looking relationship with Akina as mentioned above.
Suzuhara Lulu - Just your typical art student. She’s a rich girl, so she knows very little about the outside world. Definitely has stamina of a thousand horses, famously played 11 hours of Dark Souls, then straight onto 10 hours of Ring Fit, and never got phased. Seriously, she never gets phased. She rode the freaking snake without a problem! Apparently really beautiful in real life, really has large expressions.
There’s a rumor going around that she’s actually some kind of an eldritch god... and I don’t know where that comes from at all. Look at her, she’s such a sweet gal, look at her dancing and singing... she’s a true idol, that’s what she is... (don’t hurt me.)
Yukishiro Mahiro - First-year high-schooler. Good variety of content. Her personality is of a rude kouhai. One viewer described her as a bad-tempered chihuahua. Really likes Kanae, which is okay, I guess. There’s not much more than that.
2019 Part 2 (May-Aug)
Ex Albio - A hero from a different world. Originally portrayed as a rude snarky figure, much like Kazuma without charm or luck but with perseverance. Got his fame through his noob Minecraft experience, as with Minecraft servers, they are ripe with collab opportunities, so he started to collab especially with Ars Almal, which he thinks as a mentor... and so they both talk in high register. Eventually became a couple.
Has a thing where he questions something and immediately denies it, which is quite funny. Eventually got a dark alter version due to the imagination tournament I talked about earlier, which brings the fact that he can’t fight until tragedy occurs.
Levi Elipha - Actually only six years old, and apparently dense, like physically dense. Great singer and good physique, does some English songs as well.
Nui Sociere - A 25-year old witch, but more like a NEET with an addiction to horse racing. Very much like Megumi in terms of magic abilities, but capable of melee.
Kind of sounds like Doraemon when she screams... usually plays JRPG... and well, just look at her. Damn... well, least you have something to look forward to.
Hayama Marin - Hayame is Hayame. She’s just a little kid with a pure mind. Yeah.
Hayato Kagami - CEO of a toy company, so called that. Polite and diligent, but like a CEO of a toy company, completely becomes a boy when getting a bit excited.
Actually is a great singer, maybe a trained singer as well. As a good example of rich getting richer, fans have a tendency to throw red superchat, a typical stream might hit 10K USD, even though there’s nothing particular going on.
Yorumi Rena - Idol magician, but no actual proof of her magic abilities. Plays APEX a lot. Very much an outgoing person with lots of collab from everyone. Hakase calls her mama. Sleep promptly at midnight, except when ARK was involved.
Also makes 8-bit art proficiently, does all her loading screen. A bit of a lewd mind.
Hakase Fuyuki - HIgh school girl who likes to experiment, but it’s obvious none of it ever works. Tries to ship Yorumi and Kagami, and calls him papa. Just absolutely in her own world and everyone is just privy to it... also incredibly bad at gaming.
Mayuzumi Kai - A white hacker. Very cool, but has a thing for comedy, almost to the level of Joe Riikichi, but laughs very little himself. Make sense, since he lost his parents at an early age and lived in the system, therefore is a night streamer. Very good with kids as a result, and very kind and polite as well.
Ars Almal - A mage who specializes in lightning. Started out by apologizing, gets bullied for her round face, usually by Shiina. Cute voice with toxic words with a knack for pranks and taunts. Actually is quite boing boing. Good at Minecraft construction, but get rough and dirty under the wheel, as in Mario Kart. Became a kitsune, and then immediately got compared to Fubuki... much like Fubuki in a sense.
Aiba Uiha - Another idol who is a bit out there, has a tendency to be clingy. Also has a large physique... kind of a denatured Lulu is what I’m getting at. Sisters with Ara Chae, incredibly bad eyesight, apparently. I can see that, actually.
Eli Conifer - A flower fairy and maid with a unique phrasing. Likes to immerse herself in games, very knowledgeable, especially with teas, and also handy at housework, and superb at drawing and singing. Ryushen and Rion think she’s a badass, and they might not be entirely wrong on that aspect, actually.
Kokoro Amaiya - Dragonborn, I think. But there’s no dragon anymore. Has that mumble-speak that people really don’t like. She’s very much kid-like in a sense, uh, so get put into the loli category much like her fellow peer. Incredibly weak.
Ratna Petit - Adventurer with an independent streak. Does games and ASMR, tries to be grown up during collabs, but retreats into a kid in solo streams. Got the infamous random deletion of the account that Kiara famously got.
Nijisanji ID Gen 1
Taka Radjiman - Another CEO, this time a food CEO. Usually streams games, but much like other CEOs here, a pretty good singer as well. Obviously a good cook as well.
ZEA Cornelia - She’s an automata. ZEA is short for Z-type Executive Automation. Likes to sing, and sung many songs including La Vien en Rose by IZONE! I really like her, her streams are bit odd and ZEA can carry a stream like no another.
Hana Macchia - A design student, much like Lulu. Likes drawing as you expect, also like gaming as well. Does some barista stuff as well, a kind of the ambassador of Nijisanji ID, since her father is American and her mother is Japanese, and she lives in Indonesia.
Papa Macchia appears on stream from time to time, and apparently was the progenitor of Hana’s gaming prestige as he played Doom and Half-Life. She’s on the cute side of things, but blushes when she gets called that. Also cries in horror, but screams in excitement... just overall a well-rounded in strangeness. I really like her.
2019 Part 3 (Sep-Dec)
Sukoya Kana - Incredibly smart, but also has an otaku and perverted side. Likes acting, as you might have guessed and bad at housework. Has a quiet voice, but gets savage when a game is involved. Pretty good at english as well. Does a radio show as well.
Oh, yeah, likes to throw up. It’s a thing. Also plays drums. She’s pretty cool.
Shellin Burgundy - Before Kanata did her PPT intro, Shellin was the first one. Professes himself to be a detective, but little lightheaded for that. Good narration voice, though, which means he’s a good singer as well. I kind of like him. He’s good.
Hayase Sou - An outdoorsy girl who likes cosplay and road biking. Kind of talks like she’s middle age, but she acts pretty young. And of course she likes shotas.
Fumi - It took over a year for her to debut. She’s a hikikomori gundam otaku and a goddess. A bit airheaded and pretty bad at gaming, and since she is 67, gets called grandma infrequently. She’s fun to watch. Has a ship with Nagao.
Hoshikawa Sara - Half Japanese and half English. Definitely a cool and tough, ready to take whatever sex jokes and insults you throw at her. Hangs out with Mahiro a lot, or with male members like Yumeoi, Ebio, Shellion or Kanda. Has a wide voice range, with a wide personality as well. There’s a sense of healing to her, honestly.
Obviously gets fangirled by many, including Matsuri, whose frequently red superchats her much to her confusion and relative embarrassment.
Yamagami Karuta - She’s a tengou in training, since she is filled with desires, mostly to connect with people. This is real, apparently. Has a ship with a staff member...
Matsukai Mao - Smartest devil... no, she’s an airhead like the rest of them. Apparently she can spit out crude oil... which is pretty useless. Definitely an unlucky, miserable person who needs to be protected at all times, and she relishes that like the devil she is.
Hangs around with Luis a lot in real life, apparently. Also plays APEX and stuff.
Emma August - Demon Lord that was thrown in an uprising, living with Morinaka Kazaki, and got a new house in February of last year. An alcoholic and a masochist, who gets berated by Kazaki of all people. Definitely not a loli, that’s for sure.
Luis Cammy - An expert thief, which excites Shellin very much. Seen as the leader of the gen, but found out to be much of a kid as the gen mates, especially around Shellin. They are a couple now, apparently. Oh yeah, she did an Outlast stream with a cat outfit and invited Shellin because she was scared? Now there's a loli version of her... yikes.
Fuwa Minato - A host, but a teetotaler, because of health problems... yet drinks Monster energy like it’s no business. A bit out there, as Nijisanji people are. A bit of a trickster, a bad boy if you will... right there with being good at games as well. He’s pretty cool.
Shirayuki Tomoe - When I first saw her, she felt like one of those people in mahjong tournaments. Well, she’s a queen of the night, so night-time streamer, although she has daytime streams as well. Strong drinker. Talks about SM, but also effortlessly friendly and a lovely person. I think she’s attractive, but I can see why people call her cute. She hates bugs, loves cute things, odd thoughts... feels like an aunt to me.
Very bad at reading kanji, not that she’s good at anything else. Likes to practice, hence preserved her way in the Mario Kart tournament. Does talk and ASMR streams with a third of her viewers being women. Likes Mirei, makes sense. Oh, she’s a nudist.
And don’t forget the relationship between Kana and her. Purported to be the most real of the ships of any vtubers. I believe it’s called Crossick. I don’t know too much.
Gwelu Os Gar - Presenter for the elf kingdom, hired as a presenter, since Nijisanji got so big and there’s only so many Kakeru around. Unfortunately seen as boring, and transitioned into kind of a Maimoto character.
Already married, I don’t know why that’s significant but there you go. Oh, and an actual dad! That is pretty significant. Although Setsuna also has a child, and had to retire to take care of the little baby. Teaches math to others, so that’s cool.
Mashiro - Recent high school graduate. He’s a boy. Yes, he has heels and boobs, but he’s a boy. And yes, he is a bit out there, stealing candies from the office.
Naraka - Another oni, and a loli-baba. Obviously a fan of the fellow oni, Mikoto... which has a queen kid relationship. And yes, her chest is smaller than Mashiro... sad.
Kurusu Natsume - 19-year old college student who likes music and sheep. Very smart and very normal. Has an ASMR test stream, which was pretty fun.
Nijisanji ID 2nd Gen
Rai Galliel - An interdimensional policeman. Likes cheese, but hate porridge due to only eating one for four months. Likes baking, pretty cool personality, if a bit straight edge.
Amicia Michella - A freelance illustrator, so the drawing is superb. Like sleep but also sports. Also penguins. Likes to play horror games pretty calmly. Raises two dogs, well one of them passed away late last year. Sang a 10cm cover?
Miyu Ottavia - A business student, and likes otters and is optimistic. Mostly plays RPG and online multiplayers. Tries to be cool, but look at her! She’s very cute.
Riksa Dhirendra - A 24-year-old freelancer and works as an editor and translator. Looks mean, but is actually a very decent gut. He is pretty competitive. Plays RPG.
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1863-project · 3 years
Text
I’m at the end of my first-ever Omega Ruby run, and I’ve honestly had a great time getting to know Hoenn. I just have to evolve some Pokemon and catch the Regis and Deoxys before I move along (I’m waiting to trade with folks to finish the Dex properly, but I can do that at any point), but I think it’s worth doing a retrospective on the characters and Pokemon I met along the way.
As a region, Hoenn is unique in that it has a LOT of water routes. You spend a large portion of the second half of the game traveling via Surf. The Azumarill in my party, Pikablue, ended the game knowing Waterfall, Surf, and Dive (it also carries Play Rough), and it was one of the most crucial members of my party for transport purposes.
When I won the Hoenn League, the team May (named ‘Hatshepsut’ in my playthrough because we love cool historical figures in this house) had with her was her evolved starter, a Blaziken named Cluck You, along with Pikablue the Azumarill, Pangaea the Groudon, Charles II the Shiftry, Friendo the Latios, and the team anchor, Bastet the overleveled Skitty. I beat Steven because Bastet dodged a Zen Headbutt from Metagross and gave me the time I needed to revive both Blaziken and Groudon in the back, and their fire moves handled the rest. Bastet went on to become the first party member to reach level 100, way ahead of everyone else. She was absolutely incredible and I love her. Her final moveset: Heal Bell (surprisingly useful, especially in Doubles), Thunder, Ice Beam, and Play Rough. She’s a Dragon Slayer.
As soon as I got my hands on the Eon Flute I started running around to check every Mirage location that came up in the hopes that it would be a Mirage Cave. I knew that was where Tynamo was, and I needed Eelektross to complete the Submas team I was building (the other nine members are in SwSh at the moment; Eelektross will hopefully someday join them). On November 30th, my persistence paid off, and I went and caught three Tynamos so I could have the entire evolutionary line in my National Dex in Pokemon HOME. As it turns out, Eelektross still hasn’t been added to HOME because Third Rail has become a vital member of my party in postgame and I love him and he loves me. (I’m just Emmet, really.) The Eon Flute is also really nice in that using it allows you to literally fly in real time over the entire region, and I prefer doing that to using Fly because it’s just so aesthetically nice. Friendo just swoops down and picks me up, and we have a nice time exploring together. It’s especially pretty at night when everything is all lit up. It’s a lovely little feature exclusive to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and it’s so great.
Character-wise, Hoenn has produced some notables. Magma and Aqua are two of the most beloved villain teams in the entire franchise, and the reboots gave them so much more personality and gave the leaders and admins some excellent updated designs. (Years ago, when the remakes were first released, my dash was filled to the brim with Hardenshipping.) I had OR, so I had Magma to contend with, and one of the single most entertaining things in the entire game is Maxie’s losing animation. It’s perfect, it suits his character so well, and it’s just really funny. Also, shout-out to the Team Magma grunt that I met in the Extremely Obvious Hideout who told me how proud he was of kicking his soda habit whilst standing next to the vending machines. I love that guy. In terms of reformation, Magma and Aqua come around very easily when they realize that they’ve had a very bad idea - they ultimately were well-intentioned but made a really horrible mistake and set out to set things right (with the player’s help, of course). It ultimately makes both teams very likeable.
In terms of other characters, not every Gym Leader from Hoenn is a complete standout, but a few are very, very popular. Flannery is a perfect time capsule of 2003 fashion and I love that so much, and I don’t think I need to say much about Wallace. He’s just Wallace. He’s so freaking entertaining. Steven is also a very popular Champion, and he plays a pretty big role in the plot, so you see a lot of him throughout the game. (He and Wallace are also a very popular ship, with Originshipping - named for the Cave of Origin which Wallace has to grant you access to - actually being referenced in Pokemon Masters on, of all days, Valentine’s Day. Make of this what you will, but I’m here for it.) The Gym Leaders all received redesigns as well, with a lot of them benefiting greatly from it - I like Roxanne’s new school uniform so much better than her old one, for example, and once again, Wallace outshines everyone with an ensemble that would go wonderfully at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. I wish we got to know the Gym Leaders a bit more as people, because they don’t get to stand out as characters as much. Galar actually did this very well by allowing us a lot of interactions with the Leaders outside the Gyms and as teammates and rivals in the Galarian Star Tournament. A big part of the reason Wallace is so popular as a Gym Leader here is that you see him outside the Gym multiple times and can even compete with him in Contests. You get to know him as a person more and not just as the eighth Gym Leader, and it makes him a much more interesting character.
In short, here’s how the League stacks up for me:
Roxanne: Benefited massively from her character redesign, which gives her a lot more personality. Would like to see her and Steven interact since they’re apparently friends, which I imagine revolves around going out and licking rocks together or whatever geologists do with their geologist friends.
Brawly: He still isn’t very distinct. He’s a surfer who trains Fighting-types, which is a bit of a subversion since you’d expect Water-types from someone like that, but nothing about him really pops for me.
Wattson: Gives off Grandpa Vibes. Wattson actually gets a lot of expository development via his work on New Mauville and Sea Mauville, where you find out he halted the projects to protect the Pokemon ecosystems in both locations. A lot of employees were angry about this and he was even investigated briefly for stopping the projects, even being called a traitor to the company (which appeared to overwork its employees and prevent them from unionizing), but it was apparently evidently clear that he did things out of environmental concerns, and the employees were able to find work on other projects elsewhere. This actually slots nicely into the themes of the game involving environmentalism and how to ensure the livelihoods of people and nature both.
Flannery: Time capsule from 2003! I was, of course, around in 2003 (I turned 14), and Flannery was at the peak of fashion back then. Flares were in, and I miss that trend so much. For that alone, she’s one of my favorite Gym Leaders in this generation, but I also appreciate that she’s shown trying to find her footing and figure out who she is instead of pretending to be someone else. There’s a certain performative aspect to being a Gym Leader, but it needs to come naturally from them and be an extension of their own personality, not be artificial. I would, however, love to know who her grandfather is. It’s still never been confirmed. (As a side note, a lot of people headcanon her to be Kabu’s niece, since he’s from Hoenn, which is cute.)
Norman: A Dad. More specifically, the player character’s dad. There’s really nothing that stands out about him except for that damn Slaking, which gives a lot of people trouble. I did, however, appreciate the conversation he had with Wally’s father as Wally and the player character departed together, because I’m actually pretty close to my own father (who I’m very similar to in many aspects). I’m 31 years old and I still get emotional every time my parents tell me they’re proud of me. Notably, Norman is the only player character father we have ever seen in Pokemon, though, which is odd.
Winona: In-game, she doesn’t feel like she has much of a personality, although she goes off on aesthetics pretty well. It just weirds me out that that’s her hair coming out from under the helmet and not wings attached to it. She could have been really cool but she gets the short end of the development stick.
Tate and Liza: The two of them intentionally playing up the ‘weird twins’ angle by completing each other’s sentences actually comes across really cutely because they’re kids. You can also run into them in the Lilycove Department Store being children and buying toys, a good reminder that they’re still very young and evidently very skilled for their ages. Battle-wise, my Azumarill knew Surf by this point so I ended things quickly because I’m into Doubles as it is and like using spread moves when I can.
Wallace: I’ve discussed him a lot above, so I don’t need to say much else, but he really is the most notable Gym Leader in the region, and not just because he’s the last one you face. He has a lot of personality and development, you meet him outside the Gym several times, his niece Lisia is also out and about in the game and the family resemblance is notable, and you find an old magazine in Sea Mauville featuring a woman on the cover who looks like Lisia - likely Wallace’s older sister, Lisia’s mother. The entire family gets more development than a lot of the other Gym Leaders in this region.
Sidney: The first member of the Elite Four you face...I’d actually like to know more about him. He seems like an interesting person, and I personally enjoy Dark-types myself so I always appreciate seeing Dark-type users not being portrayed as evil. His upbeat nature is nice, and it’s a pleasant surprise to run into him at the Battle Resort, even if he was only there to track down Steven.
Phoebe: I love how much her appearance contrasts with her Pokemon typing. She’s a Ghost-type trainer and you’d never guess that from her outfit! Her grandmother is the old woman on Mt. Pyre, which is why Phoebe has an affinity for Ghost-Types, and I’d love to see more interactions involving them together. You can run into Phoebe on Mt. Pyre after you beat the League and talk to her briefly - she was likely visiting her grandmother - but sadly she doesn’t get much development outside of that.
Glacia: An Ice-type trainer who we learn next to nothing about. Glacia is mentioned outside of the context of the Elite Four by an NPC in the Mauville Food Court who says she was slurping down ramen so intensely that she broke a sweat, but that’s all we know about her aside from that she’s originally from a different region, and she tells us that herself. Not very memorable.
Drake: Yet another Dragon trainer late in the game, and not one of the more notable ones. Lance and Clair are remembered for being cousins and for being the first Dragon trainers you really come across in the series, and later Dragon-type trainers like Iris (who becomes Champion of Unova in B2W2) and Raihan are carried by their personalities and distinct looks. Drake is just an old sea captain with Dragon-types, and he doesn’t really jump out at me much either.
Steven: A major player in the plot - one of the most active Champions we’ve had in the franchise - and a perpetually popular character. I never minded running into Steven out and about in Hoenn, even if it meant I’d have to listen to an infodump about rocks, and his Champion battle was actually fairly difficult for the team I brought in despite having two team members with Fire-type attacks to handle the Steel. As I mentioned above, it was my Skitty that made the decisive dodge to allow me to bring in the team member I needed to deliver the final blow, meaning this is now the second time in my life I’ve beaten the Champion with an unevolved house cat. (Rick Pratt the Purrloin is a vital member of my beloved Young Ones Galar Championship Team.) Overall, Steven’s a very likeable Champion, and I did enjoy the little detail of the rocks on display in his home - he has them labeled so you can see where he found them, and they’re from every region featured in the games up to that point.
Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire also have the Delta Episode, which features Rayquaza (which you’re forced to catch) and a character named Zinnia, who isn’t in RSE at all and is new to ORAS. Besides being named after my favorite flower, Zinnia’s personality is actually very interesting because although she comes across as cheery it’s clear she feels the weight of a massive responsibility and that the cheeriness is covering a lot of pain. Her Whismur named Aster is evidently named after someone important to her who is no longer around, and it’s never revealed in-game who the original Aster was. Whoever Aster was, though, Zinnia misses her deeply. In a 2015 interview, Ohmori Shigeru stated that the original Aster was the person who held the position of Lorekeeper before Zinnia, but we don’t know anything more than that - a shame, really, because that makes for some interesting backstory.
Overall, I had a lovely time in Hoenn, and I’ll be moving on to Kalos in the next few weeks once I finish up this Dex business first. I just wish I got to get to know so many of the characters I’ve met a little better, but I adore the team I put together and I’m super proud of them and all they’ve accomplished.
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recentanimenews · 3 years
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OPINION: The Lessons I Learned from Renge that Changed My Life
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  Non Non Biyori, now on its third season, is a joy for many reasons — its celebration of simple rural life, its down-to-earth depiction of childhood, and its quiet but undeniable sense of humor, just to name a few. But among all of its strengths, one factor has far and away stolen the spotlight time and time again, and that is the adorable youngest member of the cast, Renge. Despite having no established main character — each skit usually focuses on the perspective of just one or two members of its ensemble cast — Renge frequently ends up being the most interesting character involved in any situation. Partly because her naivete puts her in silly situations, but largely because her curiosity and open-mindedness allow us to see things from new perspectives, which can be just as insightful as they are funny.
  While that childhood innocence expresses itself in things we take for granted, we shouldn't miss out on Non Non Biyori's greatest message — even if we’re older, we should all be a little more like Renge.
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    Where the other children are of the age where they think they have things figured out, feigning maturity to impress the others as children do, Renge isn't at all embarrassed to admit she doesn't know something. Seriously, turn on any random episode of Non Non Biyori and skip to a part that has Renge in it, the girl never stops asking questions. Do they live in the sticks? How does multiplication work? Is anything truly round? No thought is too simple or too abstract for Renge, and her curiosity pays off for her — while the older kids and adults in her life fumble trying to pretend they have all the answers, Renge's acceptance of her own ignorance just makes her smarter every day.
  I've found it empowering to embody Renge's inquisitive nature because despite being four times her age and living in a world that expects me to have it all "figured out," the truth is I'm pretty dumb and there's way too much I just don't know. That means when I get curious about a subject, I try to educate myself about it as much as possible — recently that meant a binge of podcasts about old-timey pirates, but it can be as small as looking up a word when I'm not 100 percent sure I know what it means or double-checking a fact I'm pretty sure I know but might be misremembering. I also try to always have a long-term learning goal going at any given time, whether that be a language, some kind of math concept, or even just research on the production of a show I really liked. The point is to keep challenging myself — when you're always learning something new, it reminds you that you don't in fact have it all figured out, and never really will, but as Renge shows us, that's a good thing.
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    Another great thing about Renge is that, despite being only in first grade, she is already quite the artist. Renge tries to capture the new things she finds in the world by drawing them for herself. When the gang lands a trip to Okinawa, everyone plans things they want to do, and the top of Renge's list isn't just to see the sights. No, she goes a step further — she wants to draw the things she anticipates the most, including dolphins, despite being told how unlikely it is she'll get to see them for herself. She gets good at it, too! Some might chalk that up to the animators drawing pictures for a 7-year-old, but when you think about it, it only makes sense that she would improve with so much practice.
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    Now, despite fleeting aspirations to become a manga artist in middle school, I'm no van Gogh myself. That doesn't mean I can't imitate Renge's hunger for self-expression, though — in fact, I'm doing that right now, by thinking and writing about a show I love. The medium may be different, but the gains are the same — when Renge draws her surroundings, she is truly taking in the things that interest her, understanding them on a new level by trying to replicate them. Writing about my favorite shows inherently asks me to engage with them beyond the simple act of consuming them, and by doing that I learn more about the anime itself, what it is trying to say about the world, and even myself by figuring out what makes me connect with it. Writing isn't the only way to do that, of course — the same thing is accomplished through fanart, cosplay, fan fiction, or any other creative endeavor that requires you to put a little bit of yourself into the mix. The important part is that you're engaging with the stuff you find interesting because doing that not only helps you understand the world better but also yourself — and you might pick up a surprising skill or two along the way. Renge sure has, and she just started elementary school!
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    The last thing Renge does is probably the most simple one because it's something you can do basically all the time — play, or to be more specific, improvise. Play is good for kids because it gives them an outlet to interact socially, develop problem-solving skills, and stretch their creative muscles. That last part is the one I'm focusing on here — when Renge and the other kids are bored, they often make up scenarios and roles to embody for themselves or play nonsensical games with each other. My favorite example of this is in Non Non Biyori Repeat Episode 2, where the gang teaches Hotaru how to play "knock-down-the-ruler" — a seemingly simple game where you use a pen and a ruler to knock someone else's ruler off the table — and go on to accidentally confuse her by making up rules and special moves as they go along. That's just one example, of course, as Non Non Biyori is filled with examples of the kids, but especially Renge, starting with simple premises and adding or subtracting from them as they see fit.
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    We're not all kids putting buckets on our heads to pretend we're superheroes, but that doesn't mean we can't embody the spirit of that boundless childhood imagination in our everyday lives; I try to make mundane situations into forms of play themselves. When I walk to and from work, I make it a point to mix things up sometimes, taking longer or more unusual routes for my commute to change up the scenery. If I've been making the same thing for breakfast for too long, I try to mix up the ingredients a little without looking anything up ahead of time — just going with the flow based on what I have in front of me and what I think might taste good. When playing a video game I've already played a million times before, it keeps me on my toes to make up restrictions for myself or to set goals that force me to go out of my way and do things differently than I normally do. And just like for kids, changing things up from time to time keeps my imagination active, not only letting me enjoy the little things in life more but ensuring my brain is always working so when a more serious problem arises and changes life up for me, I'm well-equipped to figure out how to improvise through unfamiliar situations because I do it all the time.
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    Renge may be young, but the way she navigates life is not only smart but easily imitable. The next time you're watching Non Non Biyori, when Renge does something funny, ask yourself: What is she learning from acting that way? What is she gaining by challenging her boundaries and preconceptions? Often, the answer is that she is learning and growing, and though you might not be a first-grader in the Japanese countryside, you might find it rewarding to be a little more like Renge yourself.  
What's your favorite hilarious Renge moment? Let us know in the comments below!
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      David Lynn can be found obsessing over Fate/Grand Order on Twitter @navycherub.
By: David Lynn
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