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seraphiism · 7 months

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─── 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐈𝐒𝐌'𝐒 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓

✧ ˚ · . welcome to kay's 2023 writing collab event! this is intended to be small, no pressure community event ( •̀ᴗ•́ )و essentially, the premise is to pick a quote from this post and write a fic revolving around said quote! there are many options, so i hope everyone will find one they'll enjoy integrating into their story (･ω･ﾉﾉﾞ

✧ ˚ · . STATUS [ 12/31 ] : CLOSED! masterlist here!

✧ ˚ · . guidelines !

01. SFW x reader fics only. 02. no dark content, no NSFW content. 03. no min or max word count. 04. pick only one quote; this means only one submission per writer for this event. i would like everyone to have a fair chance :^) this is subject to change, though! i don't expect all the quotes to be claimed, so maybe later down the road, the submission count will increase. 05. when you post your fic : ♡ provide the source of the quote ( e.g. from path to nowhere, by so and so, etc. ) ♡ mention/tag me so i don't miss anyone's work (•’╻’• ۶)۶ ( @seraphiism ) ♡ link back to this post ♡ tag your fic with #seraphiism'23

✧ ˚ · . how do i join ?

choose a quote & fandom from the lists below, then send me an ask containing: ♡ the quote you want to claim ♡ ( preferably ) the fandom you'll be writing for ( if you’re not sure, still deciding, or decide later that you want to change it, that’s fine! as long as it’s from the fandom list. you don’t have to msg me or anything! ) ♡ the blog name you will be posting your fic from please note there are no duplicates, so quotes are claimed on a first come, first serve basis. if someone else has claimed that quote, i will let you know! i'll respond to the ask and update the quote list with your blog name.

✧ ˚ · . when is the deadline ?

the deadline to post fics will be december 31st! this is a very, very lax deadline. if you don't have enough time, expect to post your fic after the date, or no longer wish to participate, that's completely okay! the point of this event is just to have fun. things happen-- school, work, life events, emergencies, creative block, etc. -- i understand, so please do not feel obligated :^) that being said, if you decide to not participate anymore, send me a message so i can make the quote available again! you are also more than welcome to post the fic before dec 31st!

✧ ˚ · . fandoms ! ( under the cut )

♡ baldur's gate ♡ code vein ♡ dragon age ( all series ) ♡ fire emblem ( all series ) ♡ genshin impact ♡ granblue fantasy ♡ final fantasy ( all series ) ♡ honkai star rail ♡ jujutsu kaisen ♡ obey me ♡ path to nowhere ♡ resident evil ( all series ) ♡ tears of themis ♡ tokyo revengers ( time-skip only ) ♡ touchstarved

✧ ˚ · . quotes !

╭┈ 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ✧. ┊ 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝗶 01. ' please don't get hurt while i'm not around. ' 02. ⁭' i know it's painful, but don't give up. ' 03. ⁭' let go. this time, it's my turn to protect you. ' 04.⁭ ' as long as you need me, i'll always stay by your side. ' 05. ' i want to watch it once more, the sunrise. ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @dxy-drxxm )

✧. ┊ 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝗶𝗶 06. ' when that time comes, i shall willingly be at your mercy and follow you to the ends of the earth. ' 07. ' it must be hard for you to understand, right? that there'd be a selfish, cruel and cold-blooded monster like me in this world. ' 08. ' i know you're suffering now. perhaps nothing i will say will ease your pain. ' 09. ' no, i don't want you to die. i won't allow it. ' 10. ' you're ahead of others in reaching the end that nobody can escape. '

✧. ┊ 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 11. ' i wonder if you remember me as i was. sometimes i think of those days. do you? ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @primoredial-jade ) 12. ' there will come a time when we must part. i only tell you this in the hope to make easier our farewells. ' 13. ' all things end, all things burn to ash, but you, my friend, burn bright. ' 14. ' when you are near, my heart is at peace. ' 15. ' i see inside you. but you're not as twisted as i thought you'd be. '

✧. ┊ 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰 16. ' what in the world is going on here? are you trying to flirt with me? ' 17. ' i pity you, human. you're so good, but there's so little of you left. ' 18. ' you've got enough sins on your conscience to suffer until the end of days. ' 19. ' if no one has ever told you about your fate, i will be the first. ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @undermine-the-instinct ) 20. ' compassion might be the most sincere emotion a human being is capable of. '

✧. ┊ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗮 21. ‘ if you have to face emotions you wanted to keep buried, secrets you wanted to keep hidden away, and pain you wanted to forget, do you think you'll be able to accept them as your own? ’ 22. ' no matter what happens, you mustn't let go of my hand. ' 23. ' i had well beyond my share of happiness. i don't need any more. ' 24. ' i know we'll find each other. i have faith we will. ' 25. ' keep just a little bit of me in a corner of your soul. '

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 26. ' may you find your worth in the waking world. ' ┊ ⁭ bloodborne 27. ' this may sound strange, but... have i somehow changed? ' ┊ bloodborne 28. ' you can close your eyes. i'll always remain here by your side. ' ┊ persona 29. ' should you ever lose hope, should you be too weak to stand, remember that you are not alone. ' ┊ persona ➺ CLAIMED ( @auraxins ) 30. ' we all make choices, but in the end our choices make us. ' ┊ bioshock

╭┈ 𝐥𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 ✧. ┊ 𝗮𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱 31. ' if you can't hold it back, it's okay to cry. you're already more than enough to be loved. ' 32. ' the past is gone, the future is far away. what are you afraid of? ' 33. ' i'm always here, so don't worry too much. ' 34. ' you who sleep for your dreams, it's okay to rest. ' 35. ' forever’s something like a sand castle, you know. it comes crumbling down at the calmest of waves. '

✧. ┊ 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 + 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 36. ' you can’t carry it with you if you want to survive. ' 37. ' i’m not calling you a ghost ; just stop haunting me. ' 38. ' then i heard your heart beating ; you were in the darkness too, so i stayed in the darkness with you. ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @decadentfantasy ) 39. ' you can't choose what stays and what fades away ; and i'd do anything to make you stay. ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @noxtivagus ) 40. ' and the heart is hard to translate, it has a language of its own. '

✧. ┊ 𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻 41. ' what we had was never enough for us, just echoes and dust. ' 42. ' but please, just hold on to me ; i've slayed these demons, they're old to me. ' 43. ' some say these things are for the best ; how are you so sure? ' 44. ' all you want so far is love, death and some kind of higher high. ' 45. ' i used to wonder what love is, but ever since you've been around, i finally think i have it figured out. ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @teyvattales )

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗹𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 46. ' you taught me the courage of the stars before you left. ' ┊ sleeping at last 47. ' the heaviness that i hold in my heart's been crushing me. ' ┊ sleeping at last 48. ' don't bring tomorrow cause i already know i'll lose you. ' ┊ daughter 49. ' and if you're in love, then you are the lucky one. ' ┊ daughter 50. ' my love, don't look back anymore. ' ┊ rm

╭┈ 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 / 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 ✧. ┊ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘅, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 51. ' life is difficult, but you are loved. ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @fuyuu-chan ) 52. ' sometimes i think you believe in me more than i do. ' 53. ' there is more love in this world than you could possibly imagine. ' 54. ' home isn’t always a place, is it? ' 55. ' often the hardest person to forgive is yourself. '

✧. ┊ 𝗼𝗺𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 56. ' i shall pray that you may continue to exist somewhere, too. ' 57. ' will i ever get to meet you again? ' 58. ' i couldn't rage when i wanted to rage. i couldn't be sad when i wanted to grieve. ' 59. ' the hurt we inflicted on each other would not be erased. ' 60. ' even if you manage to save the world, you still won't be saved. '

✧. ┊ 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗲 61. ' you must know, surely you must know, it was all for you. ' 62. ' we are all fools in love. ' 63. ' i am very sorry to have caused you pain. ' 64. ' you must allow me to tell you how ardently i admire and love you. ' 65. ' have a little compassion on my nerves. you tear them to pieces. '

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 66. ' we don’t get what we’re due, or what we’re owed, we only get what we get, and we can crumble and cry about it or we can make do. ' 67. ' if you ever saw good in me, it was only reflected from you. ' 68. ' i am not myself. i don’t think i’ve been my real self for a very long time. ' ➺ CLAIMED ( @thomine ) 69. ' if you don’t come with me now, i can’t protect you. you have to leave it all behind, and i can keep you safe. i promise i will keep you safe. ' 70. ' you’ll remember, then, that i might have saved you, that i loved you enough to try. '

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝗶 71. ' your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself. ' ┊ oscar wilde 72. ' the gods have been good to you. but what the gods give, they quickly take away. ' ┊ oscar wilde 73. ' i love you and i missed you and i’m so very sorry. ' ┊ shuly xóchitl cawood 74. ' nothing this intense can ever last. even the brightest stars burn out. ' ┊ gwendolyn macewen 75. ' i will tell you this. there’s no need for you to break. ' ┊ r.m. drake

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝗶𝗶 76. ' i will share my life with you, for good or evil, until death comes. ' ┊ agatha christie 77. ' in the whole entire world, you are the only person, the only person i love or have ever loved. ' ┊ tony kushner 78. ' i almost do not exist now and i know it ; god knows what lives in me in place of me. ' ┊ fyodor dostoevsky ➺ CLAIMED ( @ex-tenebris ) 79. ' of course we will hurt each other. but this is the very condition of existence. ' ┊ antoine de saint-exupéry 80. ' i love you– i do– but i am afraid of making that love too important. because you’re always going to leave me. we can’t deny it. you’re always going to leave. ' ┊ david levithan ➺ CLAIMED ( @aimixx )

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝗶𝗶𝗶 81. ' don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are going to have it all. you are not. ' ┊ joyce brothers 82. ' i will love you tonight, and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and still many more, so very many more tomorrows. ' ┊ vladimir nabokov ➺ CLAIMED ( @bloodandthestars ) 83. ' i’m a fool, but i’ll love you dear. ' ┊ bill trader` 84. ' it was nice to have you in my life while i did, good luck with everything that happens after now. ' ┊ iain thomas 85. ' you have broken down my defenses, and i don’t really resent it. ' ┊ vita sackville west ➺ CLAIMED ( @monocaelia )

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝗶𝘃 86. ' love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. ' ┊ james baldwin 87. ' i cannot stop you now. i cannot save you. ' ┊ amal el-mohtar & max gladstone 88. ' i love you. the most three difficult words in the world. but what else can i say? ' ┊ jeanette winterson 89. ' is there something you need? name it. it's yours. if i have it, it's yours. ' ┊ ali hazelwood 90. ' i swear i've been tender ; i've been tough when i needed to be. ' ┊ molly mccully brown

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝘃 91. ' your words are so softly spoken that no one can hear them except in deep silence. ' ┊ guigo II 92. ' tell me this will never ruin us ; god, tell me, please. ' ┊ michael wasson 93. ‘ which parts of you did you kill so you could be loved? ’ ┊ jody chan 94.' don't leave now. we have almost survived our lives. ' ┊ linda pastan 95. ' my rot is as hungry as me. & when god asks me about love, i always respond with cruelty. ' ┊ yves olade

✧. ┊ 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗰. 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 ; 𝗽𝘁. 𝘃𝗶 96. ' the truth is simple, you do not die from love. you only wish you did. ' ┊ erica jong 97. ' and i'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, i'd find you and i'd choose you. ' ┊ kierston white ➺ CLAIMED ( @mayaree-darling ) 98. ' i'm tired, can't think of a thing, and my sole wish is to lay my head in your lap, feel your hand on my head, and stay that way through all eternity. ' ┊ franz kafka ➺ CLAIMED ( @astrxealis ) 99. ' still, there is this terrible desire to be loved. still, there is this horror at being left behind. ' ┊ michael cunningham 100. ' i don't care, i love you anyhow. it is too late to turn you out of my heart. part of you lives here. ' ┊ anne sexton

questions? ready to send a message?

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ send one here!

#my god i hope people enjoy this . i am Nervous #and it took like 8+ hours to do #but i hope it’s fun!#and that the quotes are appealing #tumblr haaaates this format so if you see smth off . no you don’t .#.: events - seraphiism’23

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sketchguk · 1 year

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Heyyy omg the squirrel neighbour thing is sooooo cute!!!! thats definitely a soonyoung x mc thing aww. Youre right its nice to get a bit if exposure before posting the collab! I'm very excited about the collab too, it sounds so good! I'm going to study business admin for my masters ehe. its nott much but its not too difficult, and i dont really doo that well in school, so its better to take an easy course ! I will have to balance it wiht work too sooo. I hope i can get an admission somewhere nearby! I dont really like traveling that much </3 A couple months ago i broke up with my bf of 2 and half years :(( Its been hard but i guess it'll get better with time hopefully. So i kind of stayed away from social media and stuff and got bit moody .. But im doing little better now. The taehyung in your fic seems like hes going to hurt me too but in a good way ahaha! cant waitttt <333

prev ask was me soulmate anon sgsgshas i forgot to say. and you went to a lot of concerts omg!!! have you seen BTS or Svt before too?? How was sabrina's concert? I havent heard much about her ....

Soonyoung is the modern day Cinderella ahah. Birds, squirrels, cats, even Bookkeu love him dearly <3 He just needs to get Jihoon on his side

Business administration sounds like a good plan !! I hope you find a school nearby to attend <3 Especially because you're also working at the same time !! You're seriously a boss for wanting to juggle both simultaneously. Let me know if you decide to go and I'll be here to cheer you on when you graduate !

Ahh I'm sorry to hear about you and your bf :-( Everything will work out in the end. Hope you find peace and happiness given the situation ! May you grow and heal every which way <3 And remember to do what's best for you ! I'll be here if you want to talk about it !!

Sorry that Tae's fic is angsty LOL. I just love a good jealousy fwb trope >.<

I saw bts during the lysy tour !!! That was the only time I had seen ot7 :-( And I saw svt during the BeTS tour !! Thankfully shua and soonyoung had a speedy recovery from c*vid and happily joined the stage :') Sabrina's concert was really nice too !! I loved her latest album soo much. Hot, sad girlboss vibes all around. Have you had a chance to go to concerts before/lately?? Kpop or otherwise? ✨

#ask #anon #soulmate anon #horanghae agenda

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aethesisim · 5 years

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Actually! I have some collabs with @itheaxel and they’re super friendly and- these pics are from them! I’ll tag them with #piedited if they’re not directly from me cus that’s only fair and- okay just look, she edited them so well and they’re SO NICE MY BOI AZAZAEL LOOKIN SPICY AND HER BOIS LOOKIN SPICY AND HMMMMMM

#ts3 #the sims 3 #thesims3 #sims3 #aethesisim #pi collab #piedited #this is honestly BLESSED #i'll post my side of the collabs when I get the chance to get to them :<#there's more pictures ill!! post them later!!#oc: azazel

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jingerhead · 2 years

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haven't heard anything about there now, steady love in a bit anything new there 👀

honestly ik i literally brainstormed it w you but i speak for the people here tell me everything you want to about the mermay au

Oh Blind Neil my baby, I ended up putting that on the backburner to update for a while as I work on newer things hehe. Honestly I just think it works super well the way it is right now too, like I could post another part of it whenever I wanted to and not have to worry about completing any sort of story there. I'll get around to updating it sometime, promise!

And oh man the mermay au....I am just so excited about it. It was 90% inspired by @fortheloveofexy and @rhyva beautiful collab they did which you can look at here (AND YOU SHOULD BECAUSE ITS INCREDIBLE). Here's some basics about the story without spoiling it hehe:

Neil is a half-mer, meaning Mary was a mermaid and Nathan was a human. Nathan is a ruthless pirate captain that hunts mers in the sea, usually killing and selling them to build his fortune. He captains the ship The Butcher and at one point captured Mary, who he decided to keep instead of sell or kill. He used Mary as a weapon, forcing her to use her singing to lure in other ships to plunder and destroy them, keeping her under control once they had Neil.

Mers don't have the ability to become 'human' once they are out of the water. If they are left outside of the sea and dry out, they will die a slow and painful death. As a half-mer, Neil can go from 'human form' to 'mer form', which is a painful process and unsatisfying no matter where he is. If he hasn't gone in the water for long enough, his body will physically ache and itch for him to go into the sea. If underwater for too long, his body will physically ache and itch for time on land.

Nathan has never allowed Neil to go into the sea. He needs Neil for something important and can't risk him escaping.

Meanwhile, Andrew is a mer of the open sea living with his small pod. The best place for them to live is in the twilight zone, their dark colored tails able to blend in far better around there. Most mers find a general location and settle down, but Andrew's pod has always remained on the move, settling down for a little bit before moving on.

But that all changes when the group come across a hunting cage deep in the water, and Andrew gets caught while trying to save the rest of his pod. They can't get him out of it before he's taken out of the sea, captured by the crew of The Butcher. They don't kill him, at least not yet, keeping him alive in a tank on the ship.

That all changes when Andrew is rescued that night by a human on board, who can trance the crew keeping guard with his voice and smells like one of them.

And the rest is a mystery for now hehe, here's a little snippet to read if you'd like!

~*~

“What are you doing here?” Neil asked, pressing a hand to the wood. “They’ll catch you again. I can’t set you free a second time.”

There was a short noise from the other side of the boat, something Neil would’ve assumed was a scoff, but it was difficult to tell. “I’m not defenseless. I was saving my pod.”

“Your pod?” Neil asked.

“Yes.”

Neil didn’t ask further. He shifted until he could sit back against the wood of the boat, tipping his head up to look at the ceiling. “You didn’t answer my question.”

There came a short clicking and whining sound, an expansion of noise that almost made Neil flinch. His mother had been able to speak the same language as humans, never using her old one or echolocation to communicate, but Neil could still understand the sounds. He had to assume it was biology that let him. “You’re interesting,” the mer explained. “You let me go.”

“You weren’t special.”

“And yet you did it anyway.”

The mer was right, but Neil was also telling the truth. If he had the chance, he would’ve set any his father had captured free, even if he himself was trapped. As much as he ached to touch the water just once in his life, it had to be torturous for a mer to be pulled away from it. Not only that, but Neil had seen what those people did to the mers Nathan traded.

It was his fault his mother was caught. He wouldn’t let that happen again to any other.

Hearing another click and whine, Neil blinked away from his own thoughts, brought back to the conversation. “What do they call you?” the mer asked.

Many names. Junior, Son, Mer, Nathaniel, Abram, The Thing, Fish…

He was quiet for way too long. The mer had to be getting bored on the other side of the ship. “Neil,” he finally answered. The first thing he called himself. “You?”

“Andrew,” the mer replied. Neil heard a light knock to the wood, close to his hip. “You smelled like us.”

#jinger answers #aftg #aftg wip #aftg fanfic #andreil #andreil wip #andreil fanfic #jinger's works #andriel #andriel wip #andriel fanfic #tfc #all for the game

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cierrabiscuits · 3 years

Text

Koutaro Bokuto x Fem Reader: Eligible Bachelor

Summary: Some of the MSBY team are scheduled at a charity event and are auctioned off for dates, you being the manager go with them. The team is well aware of your crush on Bokuto and put a plan in motion. What’s the worst that can happen.

Words: 5.1K

Warnings: Angst if squint, happy ending, MSBY 4 being sold as dates for Charity.

Authors Note: Hello! This is my first time posting a fic so go easy on me, I hope you all enjoy it and get a good laugh out of it like I did! This is part of a collab with @ambershaydeoffical! Please support all the talented writes who participated.

Update: I made a route for Sakusa! Find that here

Update: I made a route for Atsumu! Finda that here

Story

“Alrighty boys are you ready to go on in?” You said staring at the four well dressed men behind you.

“No, and I want to go home.” Sakusa adjusted his black facemask. He wasn’t keen on coming to this event whatsoever.

“Sakusa I know, but I really need you! Besides what would you be doing anyway? It's Valentine's day and you're as single as single gets. Live a little. Maybe you will find your Mrs.Clean tonight! Ya never know!” You said as he rolled his eyes and scoffed.

“Omi-Omi don't be that way. Our lovely manager here worked hard to get us this opportunity, and it's benefiting a charity you scrooge.” Atsumu smacked Sakusa’s back.”I think your just upset because you know all the ladies are going to bid on me.” The blond setter smirked at the very pissed Sakusa who just glared at him.

“NOoO It's going to be me who gets all the bids. I still have my tan from Brazil and I’m alot cooler than all of you.” Hinata piped up, proudly adjusting his tie that had little volleyballs on it.

“Well if we don’t get our asses in that building, aint none of y’all getting any bids, besides I’m freezing to death,” You said rubbing your arms. The dress you wore done little to protect you from the cold night.

“Take this please, I don’t want to freeze to death. I like you warm and alive.” Bokuto, who's been oddly quiet, spoke up wrapping his grey tux jacket around your shoulders leaving him in his blue button up. You could smell his cologne on the jacket, you could drown in this and wouldn't complain. Your cheeks ran hot and you managed to let out a “thank you” through chattering teeth.

“Okay let’s get going.” You said wrapping the jacket tighter around you as the boys followed you like baby ducks. Bokuto walked up beside you while the two boys bickered over who would have the most bids in the back, Sakusa wanted no part in it and stayed to himself. You look at Bokuto who seemed nervous. You decided to hype him up a bit before he went into emo mode. “Bokuto you are going to have some gorgeous high profile women coming after you tonight, I’m jealous of them.” You didn't lie, you had the biggest crush on Bo, ever since you took the job as the MSBY manager. You never have a frown on your face next to him- until now. You knew he’d have a woman, that's not you, by his side tonight. You’d bid on him until your bank went in the negative but you don’t get paid like the women at this event do.

“You wait and see, I’ll have the most beautiful one by time the night is out.” Bokuto said, smiling at you. You felt a pang of sadness creep on you, if he only knew.

The warm air of the ballroom felt nice against your cool body. You gave Bokuto his jacket back, you secretly wished you could keep it forever. You took in your surroundings, the ball room was filled with women in designer dresses and you could see the small stage in the middle of the room.

“Guys I have to find the event coordinator and see what time you guys need to get on stage. Please be on your best behavior, there are cameras everywhere. Atsumu keep the drinking to a minimum, Shoyo for the love of God go to the bathroom now, Omi keep these fools in line and you better be nice to people and last but never the least Bokuto, If you dance please be careful, I don’t want to take you to the ER again because you hit the Cha cha slide too hard. And with that I’m out. I’m counting on you guys.” You said giving them a thumbs up as you got lost into the sea of people to hunt the event coordinator.

“Thank you so much Y/N! Everyone is looking forward to the auction. We have some models and a couple pop stars who will be in the line up as well as a few volunteers . I want your boys to go at the end, as they say ‘always save the best for last’.” The coordinator spoke over the bustling crowd. She went over the rules and where they needed to go and what time to line up. You soaked in all the information the bubbly coordinator was giving you. “I have to go let the rest of the people know the game plan. Please have your guys here and lined up in half an hour. Thank you again!” And with that she disappeared into the crowd. Now here came the hard part.

You scanned the large ballroom to find your heathens. Sakusa would be the easiest to find because he is most likely on one of the four corners in the building. Hinata was most likely with Bokuto, and Atsumu was a wild card, he could be at the bar, maybe even on the dance floor trying to impress girls with his dance moves(That suck by the way). You recall the time you found him passed out in a bush drunk off ass at a gala last year. You make up a game plan, you would get Bo and Hinata first, then find a hopefully sober Tsumu and lastly get Sakusa (you figured it best not to drag him around the ballroom) You spot Bokuto’s tall figure next to a snack bar, and as you figured Hinata was with him. They were both stuffing their mouths with meat kebabs and other foods like wild animals, they sure love to eat you thought.

“Bokuto,Hinata, they are getting ready to line everyone up, wait for me over there.” You said pointing towards an area that was not too terribly crowded.

“HEY HEY HEY Y/N try one of these things, they are so freakin good.” He shoved a cake pop in front of your face. You took it from the gray haired boy.

“Thank you Bo, but we really need to go.” You took a bite from the cake pop. “Wow that is really good.” You said finishing it in one bite. You heard some snickers from a group of girls, they made a smug comment about you eating it all at once. You normally would throw hands but you had an image to uphold. You shouldn't let it bother you but it did.

“Hey don’t let that bother you, besides I like a girl that can eat.” Bokuto said, patting your head. He is literally the human version of sunshine.

“Thanks Bo. But really we need to get the move on, I still have to hunt Tsumu down. Can you and Hinata wait for me over there.” You said pointing to the area again.

“Roger that.” They said unison.

“I’ll be right back.” You said going back into the crowd. You checked the dancefloor first and he wasn't there(You were relieved he was not.). You made your way to the bar and found him surrounded by women who were mesmerized by his thick accent. You waved him down and he nodded and turned his attention back to the group he had attracted.

“It looks like It's time fer’ me to go, make sure you all bid for me. I’ll be a waitin’” He said getting up and following you. The women he had been entertaining giggled as he walked away.

“Look at you being a player. I didn’t expect that from a man who yells at girls when they cheer for him.” You leaned into him so he could hear you over the crowd.

“I’m just tryin’ to raise some money, it's strictly business. My heart belongs to volleyball for the most part.”He said winking at you. He truly is just a fool in love with the sport.

You led Atsumu to the group and went to retrieve poor Sakusa. You looked around for a few minutes and felt a tug at the back of your shirt. You turn around and see Sakusa towering over you.

“This is new, I’m used to finding you sulking in a corner.” You said staring into his black eyes.

“I watched you gather everyone up, I figured I would come on over to make it easier for you.” He began to walk towards the rest of the group.

“I guess being 6’4 has its perks huh Omi? You're like a watchtower.” You said looking up at the tall spiker.

“Yeah, guess so.”He said playing with one of his dark curls.

“Okay we have everyone, so you guys are going last, I’ll leave who goes first to you guys. Now let's go get lined up.” You lead them to the stage and let them line up. Atsumu insisted on going first, Hinata would go after him, then Sakusa and lastly Bokuto.

“You owe me some umeboshi after this.” Sakusa said, taking his mask off and putting it in the pocket of his tux.

“Sure thing. I'll even throw in a thing of nice smelling hand sanitizer for the trouble.” You crossed your arms and smirked at him.

“I’ll hold you to that.” He said, filing behind Hinata.

You looked at Bokuto who appeared to be a nervous wreck. He had a small layer of sweat on his forehead and his hands were shaking slightly. “Hey it's going to be okay, I’ll be right here.” You said pulling out your handkerchief and dabbing the sweat off his forehead. “You're amazing and dare I say you're the best looking one.” You said making him blush.

“Ummm HEY.” Atsumu said glaring at you, obviously butt hurt from your comment. Sakusa was unamused and took it upon himself to kick Atsumu. That gave you the opportunity to turn your attention back to the nervous male beside you. Before you could comfort him the loud speaker cut you off.

“Ladies and gentleman, would you please give your attention to the center stage, the date auction will begin momentarily.” The coordinator announced causing everyone to tense up a bit.

“Come on guys loosen up a bit, I’m going to be in the front taking pictures for our instagram page. So show off a little! Show them you are proud to be a part of such an awesome volleyball team!” You hyped them up one last team. “With that being said I want a group picture so bring it in guys.” You said pulling the camera and ushering the athletes into the frame. “Say cheese.” Atsumu wrapped his arm around Sakusa who didn’t have the chance to push him off, Bokuto gave Hinata bunny ears. It was a chaotic photo, but It caught their true essence.

“I want a picture with you before you go Y/N. Pleaseee.” Bokuto gave you puppy dogs eyes and you couldn't deny him.

“Sure Bo. Atsumu here.” You handed him the camera and got beside Bokuto. He wrapped an arm around your waist and held you close to him. You could feel his muscles through the tux that fit just a little too good.

“Aww you look like a cute couple.” Atsumu teased as he brought the camera up to snap a picture. You couldn't make a comeback as embarrassment washed over you. You looked up at Bokuto who had a blush adorning his handsome face.

“Y/N I’m going to do something, don’t get mad.” Bokuto said, picking you up bridal style before you could even protest.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Atsumu said, snapping more pictures.

“Bokuto put me down, I'm heavy!” You shriked gripping onto his tux.

“No you're not. I could carry you around all night like this if you wanted me to!” He smiled down at you! You felt your face light up like a Christmas tree. No matter how big or small you were, Bokuto always made you feel like a princess.

“As much as I’d love you to, we gotta get this ball rolling.” You said as he gently placed you back on your feet. “I’ll be taking that.” You said snatching the camera from Atsumu who was smirking. He seemed to be hiding something from the way he was acting. He is definitely sus you thought. You waved the boys goodbye and made you way to the front of the crowd. You got the camera ready as the spotlight of the stage flickered on.

“Thank you all for coming out tonight! We hope you are ready to see the heartthrobs we have lined up for you!!” The announcer said setting the tone. “Valentine's day is all about love and being with one another. So if your single, ladies, pull those yen out and let’s get to business!” The crowd cheered and applauded as the auction began.

You didn’t pay much attention to the men coming on stage, your only worry was the last 4. You scrolled through the camera to see the pictures Atsumu took of you and Bokuto. Bokuto had such a wide smile on his face in the pictures, your smile was just as big, even though your face was full of panic in the one where he effortlessly picked you up. You’re pulled from your day dream when you heard the announcer’s voice.

“We have some special guests tonight from the MSBY volleyball team! We’ll start first with Miya Atsumu!” The announcer said as Atsumu walked on the stage like he owned it. He flipped his hair and looked at the group of women he serenaded earlier and blew them a kiss. You got lucky and snapped a picture of it, he may be annoying as hell but he knows how to get women. He had about ten women fighting over him, his bids kept going up and up. After a cutthroat battle he was sold for roughly 200,000 yen. He smirked and walked off the stage. You couldn’t help but chuckled to yourself, he’d be one of a kind if he didn’t have a twin.

“Up next we have Hinata Shoyo!” She said as the tangerine headed boy shly walked on stage. He looked confident for the most part and he thankfully went to the bathroom before this. He had on one of his classic charming but cute smiles. You could hear girls behind you talk about how cute he was. His skin was glowing under the spotlight thanks to the Brazilian sun. His bids went up high, he ended up being sold for 120,000 yen. He waved at the audience and bounced off the stage.

“Let’s welcome our next bachelor who just so happens to be the tallest one tonight, Sakusa Kiyoomi!” You watched on edge as Sakusa walked out, he didn’t seem nervous but he wasn’t all that interested either, he stood in the middle of the stage like a statue. To make matters worse he wasn’t smiling. You grabbed his attention for a moment and smiled as wide as you could and pointed at your face, you felt like one of the psychotic moms from toddlers and tiaras but you had to do something or he wasn't going to get any bids. You mouthed the words “Smile please” at him and he finally took the hint. He had an awkward but cute smile on his face finally. You relaxed a little and resumed taking pictures. His bids began to go up and quick. Sakusa looked at the exit of the stage and smirked at someone and turned his attention back to the crowd. You could only guess he was looking at Atsumu who was probably pissed at how high Sakusa’s bids were. Sakusa was sold for a whopping 500,000 yen. You know Tsumu’s ego was damaged beyond repair right now. Sakusa bowed and left the stage.

“Now let’s end this night right! We have one more contest so let’s welcome Bokuto Koutarou to the stage!” You felt your heart drop and the announcer said his name. You had to watch someone you loved dearly be bid off to some rich girl who would probably steal him away. You tried to knock away negative thoughts but you couldn’t help it. He looked sinfully good when he walked on stage. What nervousness he felt was gone and now it’s nothing but his overwhelming confidence. He carefully watched one specific area of the crowd. You snapped pictures of him (a lot of them being for your personal collection) as he walked around the stage flexing and showing off. His eyes met yours a lot and he seemed to be smirking at you. But his attention always went back to the one area of the crowd. You heard his bids go up, one particular girl was bidding for him like her life depended on having him. Her voice came from the direction he kept starting at. He looked nervous when anyone but her called out a bid. You began to get ate up with pure jealousy, you wish you could take him off the stage and run away with him right then and there. The bids kept going up and up and the girl that kept bidding on him got him for 150,000 yen. He looked ecstatic. He looked at you and smiled before he went off stage. Your heart dropped and you wanted to leave, but you still have work to do.

“That concludes the auction tonight! If you won you can meet up with your bachelor over here on the left.” The announcer pointed towards the group of men. You made your way to find the guys so you can take more pictures and let them know where you’ll be when they get done.

“You guys did awesome!” You said running up to them. They gave you a soft smile. You notice Bokuto was MIA. “Umm guys, where is Bo?” They hesitated for a second but your conversation was cut short as the boys dates for the evening came up.

“Sakusa was it?” A well dressed man walked up to the tall volleyball player. You noticed a small girl clutching his dress shirt. She couldn’t be any older than 8. “This is my daughter, she wanted someone to dance with her but in all honesty I’m trying to make some business deals while I’m here, keep her company for me.” The man patted his shoulder and slipped some extra money in Sakusa’s shirt pocket, leaving him slacked jawed.

“All the umeboshi your heart desires, a big box of the nice face masks you like, and whatever else you want, just please be nice to this poor girl. She looks sad.” You whispered into Omi’s ear trying to persuade him a little more.

“I didn’t come here to babysit, but I guess I can.” He said low enough that the girl couldn’t hear. Omi peered down at the small girl, she actually had moles on her face kinda like he does but on the opposite side.

“Umm hi.” She said looking up at the tall man. She seemed nervous. You nugged Omi in the side to get him to say anything.

“When was the last time you washed your hands?” He asked the girl and you could have choked him. The girl giggled at his statement.

“I wash my hands all the time! Look my mom even bought me this!” She pulled out a small key chain with a rabbit on it, attached was a small bottle of hand sanitizer. “Would you like some?” She said opening the cap. Sakusa held his hand as the small girl poured some into his hands and she gave herself some as well.

“Good.” Sakusa said, pulling his mask from his pocket to put it back on. The little girl grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dance floor. You knew this was way out of his comfort zone, but he was still doing it.

“Omg your hair is so cute! Can I touch it?” You whipped your head around to see a young bubbly girl talking to Hinata.

“Umm s—s sure.” He said nervously as the girl ran and hand through his hair. You couldn’t help but laugh a little. The poor baby seemed so embarrassed. The dance floor was filled with couples and the girl dragged Hinata to the dance floor before he could even get her name. You turned to Atsumu who looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Young man I’m getting my money's worth tonight so let's go dance.” An old lady who you thought resemble Baba Yaga from spirited away stood in front of poor Atsumu.

“Yes ma’am.” He said, forcing a smile. He looked at you pleasing eyes that screamed “please save me Y/N”. You shook your head at him.

“Pay attention to me boy, I paid good money for you.” The old lady said whacking Atsumu with the cane she carried.

“Yes ma’am, sorry ma’am.” He said walking with the old woman to the dance floor. You had to turn your head and laugh, between Sakusa getting stuck babysitting a kid and Atsumu being stuck with a senior citizen after talking all that smack, it was priceless. You guess them ladies Atsumu talked to must not have liked him that much.

You searched around for Bokuto to make sure he got his date for the night, you were also curious who she was and how pretty she was. You felt that jealousy creep back on you. This was going to be a long night. You finally spot Bokuto talking to a drop dead beautiful girl, she looked familiar but you couldn’t quite place her. She and Bokuto seemed to be having a good time, she was laughing at something he had said. Your heart shattered. You look back up to see Bo making eye contact with you. All you could do was smile and get lost in the crowd before he could see the stray tear falling down your cheek. You needed to get outside for a bit, you felt like you were suffocating. You fought the crowd and finally made your way to the exit. You pushed the metal door open. The cold night felt good against your hot skin. You walked down a path in front of the building and tried to collect yourself.

“Another year alone and single.” You blurted out to yourself. You find a small bench and decide to sit down for a bit. The night sky brought a sort of comfort to you. The stars twinkled and the moon casted a peaceful light. The cold was getting to you but you were afraid to go back in. You mentally couldn’t handle it.

“PARKOUR.” You felt your soul leave your body as you saw a shadow jump over the bench you were sitting on. You flinched back ready to fight off the attacker only to be met with Bokuto standing in front.

“BO you scared me to death!” You said inhaling a deep breath and clutching your chest.

“I’m sorry my parkour was so awesome it scared you.” He said, taking his jacket off and draping it yet again around your cold body. Your nose flooded again with the scent of his cologne. It’s calmed you down in a bittersweet way. “But angel what are you doing out here, you’ll get sick if you're not careful.” He kneeled down a bit and pulled the jacket around your cold body more.

“I could ask you the same things Mr. Parkour, you have a beautiful woman in there waiting on you, so stop wasting your time on me.” You said trying to hold it together.

“Well I’m more concerned with the real beautiful one sitting right in front of me.” He said grabbing your shaking hands. Your eyes went wide with what he said.

“Bo I’m confused?” You said looking into his golden eyes.

“Well that woman you saw me with is not really my date, yes she did bid on me, but she was never my real date. She is actually the guy who owns our gym's daughter! She agreed to bid on me, but in return she wanted a date with Atsumu’s brother and he agreed to do it! The team helped me do this so I could be with you tonight, but I guess it didn’t go as smoothly as I planned. I’m sorry I made you sad.” Bokuto sat beside you on the bench,

“Bokuto are you low key confessing to me?” You looked over at him and he smiled and shook his head.

“Yes and let me do this properly.” He cleared his throat and held his hand out for you to grab, which you gladly accepted. “Y/N please let me be your date tonight and from here on out please!”

“So like boyfriend and girlfriend Bo?” You said wanting to make sure you got the message right.

“Yes Y/N, please be my girlfriend. All that flexin on the stage was for you baby!” He stood up and flexed again making you laugh. “But in all seriousness, I freakin love you. So what do you say Y/N?”

“Yes. I would love nothing mo-“ Bokuto cut you off by lifting your body into his strong arms. You giggled as he swung you both in circles. He slowed down and seen you finally smile again

“Now that’s a pretty sight, you're not going to be sad on my watch anymore. Now we better get back inside before we freeze to death!” Bokuto wrapped an arm around your shoulder as you two began to walk back. “Wait I have something for you!” He dug through his pockets and pulled out a small jewelry box and handed it to you. You opened it and there was a necklace with a small owl charm and a “B” charm next to it.

“Bo this is so cute! Can you help me put it on!” You said handing him the necklace. He struggled to get it on but finally got it. The silver was cold on your skin, but you didn’t mind at all.

“Omi actually helped me pick it out, believe it or not. He said if I would have went alone I would have got something stupid.” Bokuto said, sliding the jewelry box back into his coat pocket. You hate to admit it but Sakusa going was probably a good thing.

“Bo I really love it, thank you.” You said leaving up and kissing his cheek. “Now let’s go back, I’ve got to check in on everyone.” You walked into the ballroom with your arm hooked around Bokuto’s bicep.

You scanned the room to see if you could find any of the guys and the only one you could see was Hinata laughing with his date. They seemed to be hitting it off pretty good. “Bokuto let’s go get something to drink.” You both walked towards the bar, you see that girl who bid on Bokuto sitting next to Osamu. They both seemed to be having a good time.

“Thank you again! The planned worked Y/N is my girlfriend now!” Bokuto walked up to them and showed you off.

“I’m so glad!” The girl said, clasping her hands together. “You are a cute couple.”

“Speaking of a cute couple.” Osamu chimed in and pointed towards his brother Atsumu who was being dragged around by that old lady. “I may have given her some free Onigiri vouchers and a few hundred yen to bid on him.” The twin laughed at his brother's despair.

“Your evil, but I like it.” The girl said as they clinked their drinks together.

“You guys enjoy it, we still have to hunt for Omi.” You bowed and clung back on to Bokuto.

After circulating the ballroom a few times you finally find Sakusa and the little girl sitting at a table. Sakusa looked dead tired and the little girl was stuffing her face with cake

“Omi you look like a tired dad.” Bokuto said bursting out laughing at his teammate.

“I see your plan worked.” Sakusa said, looking at the necklace through tired eyes.

“Yes it did now this cutie is all mine.” Bokuto said peppering your cheek with kisses.

“How disgusting, when you grow up don’t date idiots like him.” Sakusa looked at the child who just nodded her head. It was hilarious to see Omi so out of his element. “That was directed at you Bokuto not Y/N.”

“Omi, he is a idiot but he is my idiot.” You patted Bokuto's back.

“Omi-Omi let’s go dance some more. I like this song.” The little girl tugged on his jacket.

“Fine.” Omi sighed and followed her dance floor.

“Now that we know everyone (for the most part) is okay let’s dance!” You said leading Bokuto to the dance floor.

You danced to every single song and Bo didn’t break anything when the cha cha slide came on. He swung you around all night without a care in the world.

“Let’s end the night with something nice and slow.” The Dj said putting on (Insert your favorite slow song)

“May I have this dance pretty girl?” Bokuto asked, holding his hand out to pull you closer to him.

“The Macarena may have wore me out, but I guess I have enough wind in me for one last song.” You teased wrapping your arms around his neck. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and began to slowly dance you around the room.

You see that little girl struggling to keep up with Omi’s big steps as he attempted to dance with her, he was at least trying you thought. Hinata was slow dancing with his date of the night, they both seemed comfortable and content with each other. Atsumu was still with that granny but he seemed to have accepted defeat as he danced around with her. Osamu danced with the gym owner's daughter and made it a mission to kick his brother when they got close enough, he even messed him up enough to cause the old to hit him with the cane again. You felt Bokuto's grip tighten and he dipped you down enough to finally kiss you on the lips. He pulled away and brought you back up to continue dancing.

“ I love you Y/N.” Bokuto spoke softly in your ear.

“I love you too.” You said as the song faded out.

“And one more thing Y/N” Bokuto said, leaning down to whisper in your ear. “I told you I would have the most beautiful girl here.”

Fin

#Bokuto X Reader #MSBY X Reader #Haikyuu Fluff #Bokuto Fluff #Bokuto Angst #Haikyuu Angst #kotaro bokuto x reader #Koutarou X Reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x female reader #bokuto x y/n

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kreidewaltz · 3 years

Text

top of the castle | t.k.

pairing. tsukishima kei x f!reader

about. your only goal is to be on top of everything. every change he gets, he pushes your buttons and does things that stirs something inside you. it's totally not your heart beating wild in your chest.

word count. 6.3k (this is my baby)

genre & warnings. fluff. angst. swearing. sky castle and highschool au. lots of swearing. happy ending. parents are kind of a jerk. subtle pining. enemies to lovers. bestfriend!kuroo. film major!tsukishima and y/n.

author's note. ik i posted this super late but here it is!! this is part of the promptly yours collab by issy :D ty for being understanding kisses you !? this is my first time writing an e2l go easy on me pls :( quick overview: sky castle is a neighborhood for the rich, and they do everything to be ahead of the other families! big thank you to @rintsuru for beta-ing this mwah i'll edit some stuff here tomo :') reblogs & feedbacks are appreciated ty <3

part of the promptly yours collab ✪

“during the dinner, entertain the guests, and kaa-san will be proud of you.” your mom says whilst brushing your hair multiple times. she sends you a threatening smile in the mirror which forms annoyance in your mind, yet a fake smile ghosts your lips. you clench your fist on your pockets, fingernails digging hard into your palms. last night she came to your door, unannounced, and mentioned that she’ll be having a private party after sending your applications to SNU Medical School.

“time to relax after working hard, a reward too for the parents.” you recall her saying, while running her fingers on your head before she shuts the door. the excitement evident in her movements when you hear the repetitive clicks of her heels. you play with the hem of your pajamas as you mimic your mother’s voice in distress, huffing after while you cross your arms on your chest. if she sees you roll your eyes or heave a disappointing sigh, expect a lecture about manners that'll go on for a few minutes.

when you entered middle school, she started to be strict and always repeated that you’re “only going to be successful when you’re on the top of the castle”. the metaphor she often forces in your mind—enjoying your success and growing money. watching other people force their way to the entrance, but this is where her persona morphs into something sickly sweet. she uses her shit ton of money to compromise, and those people leave as if they never disturbed your castle. in her eyes, you’re the embodiment of an independent, hardworking, and stepping on others kind of student which is something you want to erase.

“sit straight, act interested, act modest—”

“bring down the rivals, except kuroo.” you cut your mother off while a subtle smirk appears on your face, running your makeup brush on your powder blush before putting it to your cheeks. she stops for a moment, the silence makes your palms sweat on your school blazer, but relief washes over you when she murmurs okay, good. the moment is interrupted when your dad screams on the other side, assuming that he’s finding her and checking the table set-up for approval. she gives your shoulder a harsh squeeze before leaving you alone in your room, looking at yourself in the mirror.

“bring down tsukishima.” raising your brows, you try to keep yourself sane because people saying his name irks you. his stupid voice and looks down on you just because of the height difference. he looks down on you when he’s done harm to you years ago, and to the Hara family. when the school year started, you had no clue that he attended Yongsan School for Seoul. his presence immediately annoys you to your bones and when he talks, you have the urge to tape his mouth and watch him struggle and enjoy that he’s suffering. when he enters the room, you almost stand up from your seat and protest but you keep your lips shut. attempting to bottle your resentment and continue with the basic introductions and orientations for the school year.

what he did in middle school is the main factor why you resent him.

“your highness!” he yells as soon as you enter the classroom, sending tsukishima a sarcastic smile before you sit comfortably. you try your best to not be grumpy at eight in the morning. good thing that the teacher isn’t here, or you’re in for another lecture about that you should get along and be humble with your classmates.

lame lame lame.

“yeah, i’m a princess hm!” you point a finger at him while you put on a grumpy expression before putting your hands on your waist. huffing a few seconds later, you look through your bag and prepare your cute notebook and pencil. you begin to check the schedule for the day on the first page before reviewing the past few lessons, skimming it with attention that you mentally practice yourself, and clench both of your fists in excitement when you got the right answer. you cross your legs while checking your notes, eager to start the day because you're feeling productive, and seeing the stamps of stars on the first page makes you ecstatic.

“hara y/n, did you hit tsukishima?” your teacher’s voice is stern which scares you, but what frightens you is your mother hearing about the issue. you fiddle with your fingers as you rub your eyes, desperately trying to hold the tears threatening to fall. you and tsukishima are left alone in the classroom, with the teacher sitting across from you. the beautiful sunset view from the window is giving you temporary solace, releasing a sigh before answering.

“no, sensei! he- he hit me!” your voice unintentionally going higher, not realizing that you’re getting defensive. you stand from your chair and stare at him, fuming with anger when you see the smirk forming on his face. the teacher sighs in disappointment since he knows you’re one of the top students this year. your attendance streak is all green, never missing a day. what they don’tknow is how your mother forces you to always go to school no matter what happens, that school is the only path to success.

i hate tsukishima, hmph.

“she did, sensei. you saw her holding the book.” your patience is on thin ice because he has the audacity to lie in front of the teacher when he knows he did it. he slaps the book against the back of your desk and you feel the impact on your shoulders, resulting in a high pitched scream and break the momentum of your classmates writing and your teacher narrowed his eyes at you, shaking his head in displeasure before writing on the blackboard. then you hastily grab the book he's holding and about to throw it on his desk but gasps echo on the room. from their perspective, you're about to hit tsukishima with his book while he's looking across, focused on the discussion that's interrupted.

"you hit me with the book!" frustration slowly seeping out while you bounce on your desk angrily. your pigtails get tangled which fuels your irritation. life likes bad boys, you thought while mocking him by copying his expressions, forgetting for a moment that your teacher is watching you make faces on your own. tsukishima waves his hand, fisting his other hand to put it in the pocket of his purple jacket. the loud bell rings and ends the discussion, and you sulk on your seat while he prepares his things. your teacher walks out of the classroom to call your mom, you assume, because of the way he takes a glimpse at you while holding his phone to his ear.

i don't want to go home.

“i didn’t do it!” you keep repeating the same sentence as you set a foot in the house. your small hands clutch the strap of your backpack tight, agitated on what she’ll have to say on what happened. your teacher called your mom and had a quick discussion while you bowed to your mom before going home. the awkward silence caused you to grab your backpack and stand behind her, looking down on your shoes to distract yourself. when the both of you entered the car, she didn’t spare you a glance, even on the rearview mirror. the good thing is your favorite song is playing which soothes your worries temporarily. but the car ride was mentally exhausting and your nervousness kept boiling in your chest.

"the one time life is well! and you had to do that." sitting on the edge of your bed, disappointment and frustration join forces in your head while you clench your fist tight. tears trail down your cheeks freely and you have to grip your shorts so you wouldn't explode. hearing her sigh loudly makes you look at your hands to distract yourself from thinking while you sniffle quietly to yourself because your mom tells you to mask your true feelings with other people.

"i'm your princess! i didn't do it!" bouncing on your bed to defend yourself while she doesn’t say anything. she goes to your study table and grabs some of your books and pens. you looked at her in distress, tears forming in your eyes, since your mom's punishments are something you avoid if you have the chance.

“ah long time no see! come in!” your mom cheerfully greets when you see the Oikawa family entering the house, bowing down in respect with a sickly sweet smile plastered on your face. he acts like a prince charming when he bows, trying to charm your mother. she acts as if she’s swooned by his alluring smile before she rushes the family to enter the extravagant room, eyeing oikawa while he fixes the buttons of his school blazer. you and oikawa had a while you’re flipping the pendant of your necklace, the loud banter on the stairs a few meters away gets your attention.

“oh! kuroo looks dashing as usual!” she clasps her hands together, the gold rings on her fingers clashing and creating light noises which only you could hear. after they pick up on your mother’s voice, kuroo abruptly stops arguing and casually puts his right hand in his pocket. his mother gives you a soft wave and pecks your mother on the cheeks. you’re not in europe. the thought comes to mind while they chit chat. his father comes to the dining table, leaving you with kuroo for a few minutes. you extend your other leg in the front, putting your hands on your waist, and when you catch his monotone gaze. kuroo looks to the side while the tip of his ears slowly become red.

“ah! i’m glad our parents are okay.” you whisper in front of him while you pat your cheeks and put on your serious expression because your mother always tells you to act elegant when there are guests. a sympathetic smile appears on his lips, knowing why you changed your face in seconds—because you have a reputation to hold.

“mhm, okay talk to you later.” he says before lightly bumping your shoulder with his fist which you return with the same force while a smile dances on your balmed lips. the both of you don’t notice his mom’s gaze softening because of your brief chat.

“yuuji! you should’ve brought your vest!” your mom giggles when she hears the voice of the Terushima family. her covers her mouth with her hand (also her way of showing off her accessories). his mom’s voice is pretty loud so you hear her clearly when they’re on the stairs. a childish whine leaves his lips while his almond eyes begin twinkling in excitement seeing the grand decoration on the entrance. “oh hi y/n! pardon me, and yuuji.” his mom is always enthusiastic and humble.

you raise a brow when you notice the piercing on terushima’s ears. “you pierced?” you point a finger at his ear before the smirk on his face grows, knowing that you’re not allowed to get pierced or tattooed under your parent’s household.

“yeah, you want one?” he leans in with a teasing smirk on his face and slowly licks his bottom lip, and you get a glimpse of his tongue piercing. a tsk leaves your lips before you push him away with your clenched hands. your mom intrudes in your conversation and pulls you to her chest. your mom’s thoughts about you not listening to her and actually getting piercings are running like a hamster on a wheel. his mom covers her face with the palm of her hand, thinking that she won’t get used to terushima bragging about his piercings and possibly influencing his friends to get one. your mom giggles about him and repeatedly pats his back, escorting the Terushimas to their seats at the table—a long and wide one she bought for this day, and a few hours later, the cleaners will struggle to put the furniture back on the basement.

“ah n/n! wait for tsukishima, alright?”

your mom waves her fingers with a smile plastered on her face, leaving the entrance in your hands. going rebel sounds intriguing but you decided to go against it. you intertwine your fingers together and put them behind your back, walking around back and forth along with an occasional twirl because the black skirt whirling is satisfying for your eyes. annoyance bubbles in your chest when she mentions his name, and the fact you’ll escort them all the way to their seats at the table. relief courses through you when she picks their seats further away from your vision.

good, i can’t stand his golden eyes at—

“dear y/n, always elegant like her mother!” your dad mentions while the food is being served. the maids delicately hold the plates even though the appetizer only consists of green leaves, a drizzle of oil and other vegetables mixed in. a confident smile comes to your face while the boys giggle along with their parents, knowing that they nudge their waist to go with the flow and attempt to be your parents’ right hand and be their disciple. kuroo kicks your feet under the table while a subtle smirk on his face, and before you could misunderstand his intentions, he eyes the other parents then quickly rolls his eyes after. the clanking of the plates and forks begin to ring your ears and you immediately connect the clues on what he likes to say.

look at them, trying to get on your parents’ side.

you lightly slap his knee with your foot to get his attention, and you successfully do so while not realizing that about to take a bite of the vegetables. while kuroo thinks about embarrassing himself, again, despite that your parents and the other boys are lost in their own conversations, you take a big bite of everything that’s on the plate, not noticing your mom’s stern gaze on your figure. when he’s finished fixing his hair, he raises his brow while you cross your arms over your chest, nodding in defeat while rubbing your forehead, mimicking those disappointed adults you’ve seen in dramas. he covers his mouth while his eyes crinkle, controlling the laugh he desperately wants to let out. you massage your shoulder for a moment because it’s getting uncomfortable but you have to keep your act—act like you have your shit together in front of the guests.

“oh! oikawa-kun, how’s the japanese lit for you?” initiating a conversation between your rivals while the parents reacted quietly to themselves, as if they’re going to witness harsh exchange with words until emotions overtake your head. this is the sky castle, you think while straightening your posture, satisfied when you get a glimpse of him jolting on his seat before putting on his charming facade and entertaining your question.

“easy peasy! bet i’ll get a perfect score.” he runs his hand through his hair, fixing his school blazer and acts mighty with the other people around.

terushima begins to tease him by making faces to push oikawa’s buttons, and you tap your mouth with the tissue before dropping the bomb and witness his face morph to dread. “you know that i check the papers too, right? you’ve got three mistakes already.” bring down people so you can walk forward, you think while oikawa’s eyes are large like the globes you use for geography class. you loosely intertwine your fingers as you press your cheek on your palm. your mom peeks at you, amused, at your actions that she fights the urge because a smile is threatening its way on her deadpanned face since the beginning of the dinner. the other parents whisper to themselves, especially Oikawa’s parents who look at you with distaste occasionally when they talk. the maids are astonished with your attitude since you're a sweetheart, in the time where your mom is out and does her daily shopping to further decorate the house.

as the dinner continues, you're mentally patting yourself on the back for doing a great job to keep your castle undisturbed. you didn't notice the blonde fighting the urge to smirk to himself because it's the first time he witnessed you being brazen. he takes a big sip of the water, stretching his hands and resting it on his back as he catches your eyes which widens his smirk. resulting to strengthen your rage—and the fact that you're enjoying how attractive he looks.

ugh, let's get this over with.

“what? never expected me to be on top?” a condescending tone laces your voice as you cross your legs, the exhaustion you carried throughout the dinner is dissipating when you rest your back on the chair. feeling a certain pair of golden eyes piercing your soul, you intentionally ignore the sweating of your palms and curl your toes inside your shoes because you keep moving as long as you feel his eyes focused on you. the sassy persona you’ve worked hard lasting long is crumbling, as if tsukishima is taking his time to disassemble the pieces.

“finally we’re away.” terushima whispers to no one before running his fingers on his hair. all of your parents settled on the tea room as your mom calls it to chit chat and relax for a few hours and you know she'll subtly brag about your achievements in school and the furniture around the house that are only available to the rich she quotes.

"away from our parents who force their dreams to us? hell yeah." oikawa added before stretching his neck, the table erupting into laughter because what he said is the truth.

"hey! too mean." narrowing your eyes at him and seconds later you realized how contradicting you are. you scold the brown haired for being mean (when he only said the truth) yet you call oikawa earlier on the dinner for having three mistakes on the test of film studies. the silence stopped you from saying something further so you sit back, looking at the lights and decorations hanging on the wall so you won't embarrass yourself further.

we're even i guess, oikawa whispers under his breath before looking at you, his smile not reaching his eyes. you slap your cheeks while you're looking hard at oikawa, not noticing how the blonde plays with his fingers before looking at you, his eyes glimmering of mischief. since tsukishima knows what pushes your buttons and he always uses it to his advantage.

"stop the good girl act. you feel that way too, idiot." he cleans his glasses with his vest while his eyes narrow and look at you. as you look up and stare at him, you’re perplexed seeing him without his glasses and get amazed on how golden his eyes are. while your arms are flat on the table, his words earlier came back crashing on your head. good girl.

“good girl act, huh? why? you want me to be a bad.. bad girl tsukishima-kun?” you retort back quickly, and you’re pleased with your counterattack since hearing low whistles and gasps beside you fueled your ego. you raise your brow with a mocking smile on your lips to taunt tsukishima even more, intentionally ignoring the repetitive beating of your heart. you felt kuroo kicking your ankle under the table but you dodge his kick since you didn’t want to be bombarded by his remarks because you know he’ll never let you forget about this moment.

“and what if i do, princess?” he raises his brow in return, resting his chin on his palm while cocking his head to the side, amused with your response but he wouldn’t let you know that. you’re obviously dumbfounded, hating the way he uses that nickname casually in a conversation. the uneasiness you’re feeling doesn't go away when you feel eyes on you, eagerly waiting on what you’ll have to say. you clear your throat and you’re about to say something when-

“okay! y/n you got ice cream?” terushima jumped in the conversation before the tension rose on the table. at first you’re bummed when he cuts you off suddenly but you’re glad because you’re not going to talk to tsukishima after this. nope, you keep repeating to yourself. you nodded and led the way to the kitchen, slapping your cheeks lightly with your fingers to snap out of it.

“y/n, suck it up and do the first move.” kuroo murmurs louder to mortify you before taking a bite of the ice cream from the glass, his smug expression makes you want to punch him right there. you playfully kick his chair while you mindlessly mix the spoon on the glass, the ice cream melting as time ticks by.

“what- i’m not- you jerk!" their eyes fall on you since your voice tends to get loud when you defend yourself, and you forget about that while kuroo annoys you on purpose. you grumble shut up under your breath, cupping your cheeks while a frown takes over your face. you angrily grab the scooper to get more desert, also denying the thoughts running in your mind and shake your head in the process while whispering no, that can't happen!

"you're screwed, my friend." kuroo waves his spoon in front of you and you grit your teeth in annoyance while a frown takes over your face. a part of you wants to give in and admit you’re feeling something for him but you’ll stick on what you’re good at-denying. you pout in defeat and sulk in your seat, your eyes falling on tsukishima sitting in the corner. he’s in his own world, taking a bite of the ice cream and repeatedly tapping his foot on the floor. you assume it’s because of the music he’s listening to because of his tangled earphones put on. when he caught your gaze you turned away a little late meaning he saw you. shame clouded your head and desperately try to distract yourself from him, and look at oikawa acting high and mighty, anything, so you won’t spiral back to your thoughts full of tsukishima.

“the hell!? no i’m fin-” he waves his hands and doesn't listen to your stalling, since he knows you’re doing that to convince yourself and not him. you scowl at him and cross your arms together, chanting to pull it together since you get aggressive when someone’s caught you so you cross your arms together and clench your fists. (you thought you’ll have wrinkles earlier than others because of how much you’re frowning).

“i saw what happened, don’t even.” he cocks his head to tsukishima’s direction with a grin on his face and he knew he conquered victory between the banter. you sent him a sarcastic smile before checking the others chat to themselves and hear the faint laughter of the adults in the other room. your mind starts to imagine what it's’ like to talk to your crush.

no didn’t say that!

“this is fun.” he added, which deepened your scowl and you clearly heard the teasing tone laced on his voice. you roll your eyes playfully while he ruffles your hair, and you’re bummed because you know he is right. don’t pull the bad girl card, he murmurs and twirls the ends of your hair. your thoughts halted when you heard the two words that brought you back to the situation earlier. you hold your breath while stretching your arms straight on the counter, hurriedly thinking of a witty response.

“hey! he looked good…” you closed your eyes quickly then you got a glimpse of tsukishima smirking and the way the nickname, princess, rolled off his tongue is making the tip of your ears faint red and sensitive. where’s the y/n that hates tsukki with all her guts? kuroo whispers and laughs hysterically after which caught the attention of the others. you know he’s teasing you for fun since you two often have light hearted banters. the urge to punch him in the face crosses your mind because there are times he knows and you know he’s right, it’s on you not wanting to admit it. his hand ruffles your hair once again before smoothly interrupting oikawa’s bragging, while your thoughts go on an overdrive in your head.

"miss pres! wait for me!" you stopped in your tracks and waited on the right side when you heard akari jogging to you. a dejected pout appears on her lips. she hangs onto your arm and grips it tight, catching her breath because you didn't wait for her outside after the film classes ended.

purposely digging her nails as her payback, because you didn't wait for her outside after the film class ended.

"damn, it's hard being the best friend of the student council president." she says with a defeated tone while fixing her skirt. your face scrunched up in response before walking together on the hallways. akari begins her rambling about the upcoming output your professor mentioned. you tightened your hold on the folders, frightened that the stack of folders will slip out of your hold since fate can be cruel, you muse while pushing the folders close to your chest.

"i can carry folders too, you know." her laughter echoed in the hallway when she saw your reaction! furrowed brows, a pout on your lips before you hesitantly gave half of the folders in her waiting hands. before you could explain what the folders are, you hear her gasp when she sees the title, in bold letters—CLASS 3 FILM STUDIES TEST RESULTS. she overheard you and the professor and learned that you're also checking the papers because professors trust you that much. akari likes seeing you lose your cool in public so she lifts the side of the folder. though it gets exhausting, you endure akari and her antics since despite her teasing she knows her boundaries. she's a good friend because holding the titles student council president, and top student scares away potential friends you could have. students gossiping about your family and status doesn't make things easier. so when she approached you in the library and blunty said you're taking her seat, you're grateful despite interrupting your study session.

it's safe to say that you didn't give each other good first impressions.

"miss pres, faculty room right?" akari's voice breaks your train of thought and wonders how you didn't hit anyone along the way since you take a few turns before seeing the faculty room.

"mhm."

“kari! let’s go back! i can convince sensei.” you whine quietly and stomp on your feet, you’re definitely ignoring your heart about to jump out of your chest when you see a glimpse of a blonde in front of the faculty room. after the party you held a few days ago, you didn’t pay attention to him and avoided him at all costs because you’re trying to figure out if feeling something to your rival is a big deal or not. you tighten your hold on the papers, a pout coming to your lips while akari is amused on what’s happening right now. she’s clearly not expecting you to go to the other way and avoid confrontation with the blonde.

“he’s there! i can’t face him!” you added and jutted your lips into a pout. in your head, you could roast him with other people because you have a perfect reputation to keep. she sighs for a moment while you stand there, she transfers all the folders in her other hand before smacking you in your arm. a shriek leaves your lips, not expecting your friend to hit you in the hallway. you knew you lose the disagreement when you see her as if she’s saying really? i’m done with you through her face. she puts a hand on her waist while she steps on the floor. a habit of hers that you noticed through time. you fix your hair that’s blocking your sight before nodding your head.

“fine… whatever.” you narrow your eyes and point a finger on her direction, acting like you’re threatening her but it didn’t have an effect at her. both of you silently walk towards the faculty room and finally see tsukishima in all his glory. he’s slightly slouching in front of the door because of his height. you quickly look at the other classrooms, acting as if you never saw him and ignore your heart beating at a quick pace. you’re in front of the room, just behind him and realize how tall he is. he looks back and catches your gaze before he smirks and waves at the professor inside. (they are clearly victims of the good boy facade he puts, you think). akari whistles to herself before going inside and gives the folders to your professor while you follow behind.

“ah thank you y/n! and akari. you can have your lunch now.” you bow quickly and smile before you shut the door gently. you fix your blazer and pat your skirt before going to the cafeteria with akari. on the way she keeps teasing you about how you daydream of tsukishima when you’re in class. she keeps mentioning his smirk when you’re eating and you almost choked on the food, since yes, maybe his smirk is attractive you think, maybe, you repeated.

“how’s life with rich people?” she whispers since she accompanied you to the library because you’re planning your scenes already and what emotions you’ll pick for the montage output. you stopped writing and closed your notebook, and rolled your eyes playfully because you know what she really wants to ask.

“i know you’re asking about oikawa, so go.” you say while crossing your arms on the wooden table, and stretch your back after writing for twenty minutes. on the time you’re working, she’s humming random songs and twirls her pen on the papers she brought, scribbling lines and occasionally add doodles on the paper.

“tsk, at least i’m proud of it.” she comments while you gasp, wondering why kuroo and her keeps forcing you to admit you like him. it wasn’t that you’re uncomfortable, your answer remains the same, you have a reputation to take care of.

“anyway! i heard you were mean to him.” she adds while burying her head in her open book, it’s obvious that she’s bored but she accompanied you nonetheless. you stopped twirling your hair and you processed what she said. how did she know, you lamented to yourself while your brows furrow.

“terushima… he doesn’t shut up. he might’ve mentioned that.” akari massages her scalp while looking at you, she’s attempting to relieve the minimal pain she’s feeling in her head. you continued to write on how the scene will go but your sentences ended in scribbles. you’re terribly annoyed that terushima talked about the party even, it wasn’t necessary, you thought while biting your lip.

“agh! whatever. it’s the truth.” you cried out after contemplating for a few minutes. you lean back on the chair, drinking from your water bottle to hydrate yourself once in a while. you sigh in satisfaction when the cold water goes to your chest, awakening your sleepy eyes. the silence helps you gain your focus and plan your outfit and makeup on the montage, but akari breaks the silence with a question.

“yeah sure.. the truth. so when are you gonna admit that you actually like tsukishima, huh?” akari prompts her elbow while a cocky smile goes to her face. you hum and stopped writing, utterly confused with her expression.

“well i like him but- what?! you and kuroo should be locked away somewhere.” you rambled after realizing her true intentions of why she asked that question. you kicked her foot slightly under the table to get back at her. she hisses slightly while you bow quickly to apologize. you sigh before grabbing your phone and usher akari to take a selfie in the library, even though her face looks funny on the picture, you’ll still keep it. while she looks through the photos you took, you look at the window and many thoughts keep overlapping but one thought stands out. should i finally admit that i have a crush on him? what if he doesn’t like me though? those are the thoughts you pondered on on the way home and the next few months.

it’s been five months since those thoughts spiralled on your head, almost haunting you every night. this day marks the start of vacation, no more school work to do and you’re not pretending to be a good student on campus all year. it's been a few months since you passed the montage output and you remembered how your professor’s mouth is open while watching yours, it boosted your confidence. you picked unrequited and longing which seems two complicated emotions to work on a montage but that’s what you like about it. when you did your shoot months ago, you couldn’t forget the horror on kuroo’s face when he saw the smudged make-up on your face while your dress looked elegant.

you waved him off that time and continued to film the flowers dancing to the wind, the group of birds flying high, and you accidentally filmed tsukishima walking away while the sun hit his direction and it created a warm yet nostalgic vibe. that time he didn’t give you insults or anything but god, he was cocky. kuroo and oikawa noticed how things changed on the two of you, because normally they’d be seeing you going at each other’s throats. but you did your own thing, and you didn’t complain about filming him and instead he saw you giggling to yourself while looking at the camera. the black haired finally connected the puzzles together and came to a conclusion: you’ve come to terms that you like tsukishima.

“i really like him! believe me.” you defended and hugged the pillow laying on the couch. you invited tsukishima to your house to convince your parents that you like each other even though you’ve been together for a few months already. when you often walk with your boyfriend (calling him that still makes you blush), you always see oikawa and kuroo snickering to themselves, and you teased kuroo that he replaced you with another. sadly, your mom didn’t like the idea and she went to another country to calm down, you think. that time you realized where you got your sulky attitude from. your dad acts casual and asks questions one at a time. you’re grateful because you couldn’t handle many questions at once and the accusations you’ll hear from your mom isn’t what you wanted right now. your dad giggles when you act pouty and defensive, while tsukishima bounces his leg to relieve the slight to little nervousness he has, he convinces himself. it didn’t help when kuroo grip his shoulder tight and give a little speech on how to protect you and show how to care.

“she does… unfortunately.” he whispers the last word which infuriates you and hits his head with the pillow lightly. your dad didn’t hear what he said so he glares at you, shaking his head, as if he’s saying not to hit your boyfriend. you pout and cross your arms, and give him the face that’s supposed to threaten people but it doesn’t work for him. (one time, you realized you’re friends with people who have resting bitch faces).

“do you want me to be your enemy again?” you threaten him but you fail because a big smile goes to your face. you fix the hair clip on the back of your head to keep your hair away.

“sure if it means i can see you be angry but look cute.” he retorts back and while you're about to explode, from your peripheral vision you see your dad giving him a big thumbs up and an awkward wink. he sends him a nod and acts cool.

"hmm, now i get why you like each other y/n." your dad comments he pats the space beside him. tsukishima gently rubs your lower back before letting you go, even though his heart is beating wild in his chest. you sit beside your dad before tightly embrace him, relieved of his reaction to your new relationship.

"thank you dad. we'll protect each other, don't worry. you can kick him if he broke up with me though." you whisper the last part so the blonde wouldn't hear you (he's suspicious based on the narrowing of his eyes and the gaze you feel at the back of your head). he pats your back while giggling lightly and stand up. he enjoys seeing you lost in your world and see the genuine happiness glowing in your eyes. this is something he should've done sooner, he thought because all these years you're caged in this house, alone and lonely.

“tsu-ki-shima-kun, let’s go?” you tease him because he once told you that calling him like that stirs something inside him. you giggle and look to him softly, an indirect way of asking permission to loop your arms together. you respect his boundaries, always, even though it didn't seem like it a few months ago. he nods and pushes his glasses, and you loop them while seeing his ears down to his neck go a little red.

“hey, let’s go to the library. it’s quiet there.”

you get out of the house and wave to the idiots (kuroo and oikawa) as you call them before going to the library with him. you had nothing to study for and you knew why he wants to go there, with you, you just know.

this is the sky castle, the place where you bring down people to walk forward. but after thinking about it, walking together with tsukishima doesn't sound bad.

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thetonecontrol · 5 years

Conversation

Interview with Electronic Audio Experiments

Righteous Ryan: When did you decide to become a builder and what motivated you to do so?

Electronic Audio Experiments: Even before I taught myself how to play the guitar I was always interested in what makes instruments work, so naturally I was a pedal nerd as soon as I learned what they were. After studying electronics for fun on the side (took a couple extra courses during undergrad and then read books on my own) it became a natural progression of my interests to start tinkering with my own. I did a few tagboard clone builds before I realized I wanted to have more control over the design process. And that's still my primary motivation: I love the design process with all of its challenges and room for artistic decisions.

EAE as a company formally started in approximately winter/spring of 2015. In February of that year, Boston was slammed over 5 feet of snow. I spent a lot of time in my crummy basement apartment eating frozen pizzas and breadboarding what would eventually become the Longsword V1. I used it on a couple records I was a part of (Perfect Moments by Tiny Fractures and the Native Wildlife s/t - both on bandcamp, for the curious) and that generated enough interest to do a release that summer. The rest has been a whirlwind!

RR: What motivates you to create original circuits?

EAE: Short answer - it's really satisfying to me, basically my favorite pastime.

Longer answer - I love the challenge of making something from scratch that hopefully lets my personality come through. I should qualify; I am not reinventing any wheels here. Designing "from scratch" is like building something out of legos. You can't really design new pieces (which leads some of the more cynical folks out there to say there's nothing new under the sun) but there are lots of building blocks and lots of ways to arrange them. The artistic merit is in the details, and the fun is in the thrill of the chase. It's an obsessive process but endlessly gratifying.

RR: Are you currently working on anything new?

EAE: Oh god, too many things. Here's a sampling:

Halberd - this is a drive which started as the preamp block of Sending, but heavily mutated into its own thing. It features pronounced treble attack/clarity, stupidly high output, and a strong second harmonic response. Been "finalizing" it for a while but I'm trying my damnedest to release it this summer. (If you want to hear a rough demo of an earlier iteration, check this video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpGgzl3lOgs)

Sending V2 - I'm trying to add some features while I do an SMD conversion - mostly modulation and CV control over delay time. Currently on the back burner while I get the Halberd sorted out.

Hypersleep - this is my weird multi-tap chorus/vibrato/reverb-ish thing (nb: this is also in Ian's video linked above). It's also on the back burner while I get the Halberd sorted out. I really want to put it to production but it depends fully on whether I can source enough MN3011 BBDs to make it happen. If I can get enough to build 50 I'll do a limited run, but I'd really prefer to do 100 if at all possible... so we shall see what happens.

Super secret collab with Electrofoods Pedals - stay tuned, I am very excited

Surveyor - IVP side of the Dude Incredible, will be released later this year. It's ready to rock.

Various contract designs - Caroline Somersault (just wrapped up), Caroline Megabyte (working on the second round of prototypes), Dunable Eidolon (close to done, just needs some code fixes), another 2 or 3 projects all TBA.

RR: What is your design process like?

EAE: Whenever I design something new I have to answer two questions. 1) does it exist already? and 2) does it address a need or want in my own sonic pursuits? For instance, drive pedals will reflect my tone in whatever band I'm currently in. If it's already been done I can go buy it. If it hasn't been done then the work can begin.

If the design is simple or contains simple building blocks I often go straight to the circuit board layout and if necessary, debug from there. I can often turn a project around pretty quick if that's the case. If I'm not sure whether or not a building block will work, I can try simulating or breadboarding. Circuit simulation is extremely powerful but requires interpretation of the results, which also sometimes differ from reality. Breadboarding is great for audible characterization of a new idea, but the added parasitic capacitances can dramatically alter the frequency response of a circuit - especially a high gain drive or something with lots of complex filters. So there's usually a loop of steps where I move between a breadboard, circuit simulations, and a working prototype until everything works out. Sometimes I just have to resort to plain old math to get what I want.

The first pass of design is a go/no-go check. Does it work? Once it does, I refine it until it can produce sounds I truly like. This is also the step where I do the most work to address noise, oscillation, unwanted artifacts, etc. The final step is to identify which controls I want to keep, and then I determine the tapers/ranges of those controls.

Once there's a working prototype I do extensive beta testing with friends, local musicians and engineers, etc. When testing at home I can lose sight of how good (or not good) a prototype sounds. So a sanity check helps! Once this feedback is incorporated into the process we can go to production. At that point we get the artwork done and start working with our local SMD shop to get boards going.

RR: What's your setup (guitar, amps, pedalboard)?

EAE: I've been awful about maintaining a static setup. I realized that when you're not in a band you can just buy whatever sounds good instead of worrying about serving a song or particular mix. I have a wide assortment of guitars and amps that I use to test pedals during the R&D phase but listing those won't really tell you a coherent story. BUT I started a new band and we're tracking a record (we just did guitars + drums at GodCity) so I can tell you all about the gear I used for that. It's a post-metal sort of outfit so there are lots of heavy sounds but lots of unique mid-gain tones as well. This is also a great chance to plug some work by my friends...

Guitars - Travis Bean TB1000S, which is essentially vintage correct after some restoration work at Electrical Guitar Company (new bridge + pickups). Sounds like a piano. A very angry piano.

My very heavily modified Classic Player Jazzmaster with EGC JM500 pickups and a Robot Graves neck. It can do pristine, chimey cleans or a savage clang depending how much gain you use.

Amps - Traynor YBA1 MKII - Basically a marshall-ish amp with really big transformers. I modded the preamp to roughly superlead specs, but it's got way more bandwidth than a typical marshall.

Traynor YBA3 - not mine, lives at GodCity. Was extensively modified by my friend Scot from SnK pedals, who is also a gifted amp tech. It's loud and clean with a sound that's almost like an ampeg.

For cabs we mostly used an emperor 6x12 with an assortment of speakers. The mic was placed on a Texas Heat.

For my own use I have a pair of Joe's TL806 cabs (Thiele 1x12 design) with EVM12Ls.

Pedals - Halberd proto - great for slamming tube amps!

Electrofoods Oprichniki - the highest gain big muff variant around. I don't even know if it should be called a muff variant because of how twisted and souped up the circuit is. It is an absolute beast.

Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler - another extraordinarily high gain fuzz which sounds like absolutely nothing I've ever heard. It's a nice contrast to the more scooped flavor of the Oprich.

SnK VHD - a high gain distortion, used extensively for lead parts especially. Super tight and clear.

Sending V1-ish prototype - also has a tone control. It works ok I guess. Still very much a work in progress!

Lastgasp Misty Cave - weird drone-y reverb/flange thing? Hard to describe. Sounds heavenly.

Hypersleep proto - for room-ish reverb

Red Panda Tensor - Used for a particularly glitchy "solo"

Dirge Slowly Melting - I saw the end of the world, and it was terrifying

Lots of other stuff - I forgot!

Other - Yamaha FX500. The ultimate digital pad machine.

Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo - my drummer owns this, holy hell it is magic

My modular synth - a whole goddamn mess of its own

#The Tone Control #Righteous Ryan #EAE #Electronic Audio Experiments #Interview #Podcast #Fuzz #Pedals #Amps #Guitar #Distortion #Overdrive #Music #recording #fender #Traynor #Caroline Guitar Company

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