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wosowrites · 10 months

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Jessie Fleming (In Front of the Camera part 2)

warnings: none

prompt: in which three months later, you prepare a proposal to jessie during a pre-season promo shoot.

a/n: so so so cute and here’s the ask

You knew you were going to propose to Jessie Fleming when Canada got eliminated in the semi final of the world cup. Germany went through against Sweden, Germany won. You fell to the ground after penalties. Jessie had scored, you had missed. You had missed and then Oberdorf scored and Germany were World Cup finalists.

You had never cried so hard. You felt the weight of the pain of all your teammates on your shoulder and despite them telling you it wasn’t your fault, despite Bev holding your wet face in her hands and begging you to hear her when she said she was proud of you, the only person that got through to you was Jessie.

You were lying down on the middle of the pitch when your girlfriend sat down beside you. Her cheeks were red and wet with tears and her eyes were bloodshot. "I’m-" you started saying, changing your position so that you looked up at Jessie and not at the sky. "Do not apologize. This was not you. We all did little things that made it have to go to pens. Julia missed a basically open net, Chappys clearance wasn’t strong enough and Popp scored, I didn’t put enough pressure at times. Every single person made mistakes. You hear me? Your shot wasn’t bad. It was strong but you got unlucky. I love you. I’ll never stop loving you. I’d love you if you had sent the shot to the moon and I’d love you if you had scored it," she said, her eyes tearing up.

Your nose was running and tears were falling again. Jessie crossed her legs and you moved up so that your head was buried in her jersey. She didn’t even smell bad. She was just Jessie. Always comforting, always perfect. And that’s when you knew it was time to buy a ring for her.

You didn’t sleep that night. You were rooming with your best friend, Vanessa, which you were thankful for because due to the fact that it was her first world cup and not her last, she wasn’t feeling the pain as intensely as some.

"Vanessa?" you said. It was 1:00 am and you would be shocked if she answered. "Oui," she said. You were the two most fluent french speakers on the team and sometimes you spoke french together. "I’m gonna propose to Jessie," you said, looking up at the ceiling. You heard rustling in the bed beside you and suddenly the room was illuminated with light. "WHAT!" she practically yelled, a huge smile on her face. You turned on your side and looked at her, relieved to see a smile on at least one of your teammates faces. "Yeah. I knew when… well i’ve always known I would marry her but I knew it was time on the pitch. After the game when everyone tried to tell me that they loved me and the only person who could get through to me was Jessie," you said with a small smile, now both propped up on your elbow.

"We do all love you, you know. Maybe even more now than before," she said. "I love you, Van. And I want you to help me pick out a ring," you said. "Really! Well- I can’t sleep… can you?" she said. "No. Not at all," you said, letting yourself fall back onto the pillows. "Okay then," she said. And then Vanessa had grabbed her computer and sat down beside you on the bed. She slithered under the covers beside you and you sat up. She typed into the search bar 'jewellers near me' and clicked on a website.

You spent the entire night looking at engagement rings, and although the next morning your eyes were puffy from crying and from the lack of sleep, you had found a ring. It was in your budget and very minimalistic to fit jessie’s liking. A simple silver band with an oval diamond in between two smaller circular diamonds.

The girls that didn’t play in the NWSL were staying in Auckland until even after the third place game but until then they still had football duties. However, Bev had given you all the day off to do your own thing.

You talked to Vanessa in the shower as she did her makeup and skincare. "Okay so were going into groups based on what we want to do. I think it’s breakfast at a cafe with Julia, Jess, Jordyn, you, Niche and Kailen right?" you asked Vanessa through the sound of the shower. "Yeah. And then we’ll make up something to sneak off and go to that jeweler and get the ring!" she said, sounding extremely excited. "I cannot wait," you freaked out, shampooing your hair.

You needed this. Badly. And you were hoping that if you told the girls your plan to propose, they would have something happy to think about other than the World Cup elimination.

"Okay i’m ready, be quick okay?" she said as you got out of the shower with a towel wrapped around yourself.

You agreed and dried off before slipping on the yellow and blue patchwork shorts you had stolen from Jessie. You then put on a black hoodie due to the cooler winter weather, some gold jewelry and then sunnies over your head (also jessie’s). After putting on airforces and nike socks you left the washroom and ushered Vanessa off the bed.

You made your way down to the lobby for 9:00 where all the girls but your girlfriend were. They looked tired, a little down, but overall okay.

"Since when does Jess take the longest to get ready?" you asked Kailen. "Uh she was looking for her blue and yellow shorts. She wanted to wear them- oh. Yeah the shorts you have on right now," she cracked a smile. "Oops-" you said. "Okay well while she’s not here. I need to tell you all something. After breakfast Vanessa and I need to go to this jewelry place-" you took a deep breath "-I’m gonna propose to her. During the pre season photoshoot. Kind of a throwback to when we first went public and i’m gonna get the Chelsea girls to help me," you said with a huge smile.

Julia, Nichelle and Jordan squealed whereas Kailens jaw dropped before she attacked you into a hug. But then the elevator dinged and Jessie walked out.

"Hey baby," you said, walking up to her and going in for a kiss. But before you could kiss her, she put her hand on your shoulder blades and pushed you away, looking down at your-her shorts. "My shorts! Y/n!" she groaned. "I’m sorry!" you said with a small smile, not actually cross with you. She tried to stay mad but she couldn’t. She gave in and kissed you sweetly, her arms around her waist. "You guys are disgusting you’re gonna cut my appetite. Let’s go," Nichelle joked.

Two and a half weeks later.

The ring was chosen. The stage was set. The girl was there. Although you had thought you wanted the help of the Chelsea girls, you decided that you wanted to shock everyone. The photographer, the videographer, the gaffer, everyone. So, only Keish and Ashley knew the morning of. You were all in Chelsea kits, standing on the Cobahm pitch. The pictures of individual players had already been taken and so had the team photo. Now they had asked you, Keish, Jessie, Millie, Sam, AKB and Guro to film a video full of football related transitions to promote the 23/24 chelsea fcw season.

Cameras rolling. You felt the weight of the ring box Ashley had slipped to you a couple minutes earlier. You watched Jessie juggle the ball, the camera on her and then it was your time.

You started walking towards her and into the frame of the video. Your movement catching her off guard made her mess up and the ball went rolling away from her. "What are you doing?" she said to you. "Y/n! You’re not supposed to be in frame right now," the videographer said with a sigh.

But then you had pulled out the box from your pocket and he shut up. Jessie’s jaw dropped and everything went quiet.

Everyone was watching.

The second you were on one knee, Jessie spoke. "Yes!" she basically yelled, making you let out a loud laugh. "Jessie! Let me propose," you told her off. "You don’t have too. Yes. I want to-" she started saying but you cut her off. "Jess. I love you darling but I prepared a whole speech so let me do it!" you laughed, your eyes teary. So were hers.

"I knew I was going to marry you when we were 19. You missed a penalty for UCLA and we lost. You were so so angry at yourself, but man you looked so cute. We kissed for the first time a whole year later, and after that it was just a matter of time for me to know when I would be doing… well… this. Jessie… I missed the most importent penalty of my life and not once did I feel like you were angry at me. I’ve never gone a day without feeling unloved ever since you’ve told me you loved me. And I never want to not feel that feeling again. I want to make myself yours. So… Jessie- baby, can I be your wife?"

"I already said yes! Yes yes yes!" she screamed. "Really?! Oh i love you!" you screamed. You stood up and slipped the ring on her finger. You picked her up and spun her around, her squealing and you still sobbing of joy at the fact that she had said yes. When you finally placed her on the ground she grabbed your face and kissed you quickly.

The clapping, whooping and sobs from some of the more emotional teammates and staff went on for minutes. You hugged every person there. Emma congratulated you and Jessie over and over, Millie had Magda and Pernille on a facetime call. They were both sobbing. "I can’t believe our kids got engaged before us!" Magda cried. "That sounds so wrong Magda," you said, not managing to stop crying no matter how hard you tried. "Whatever! Oh im so happy,"

You left together after finally managing to get back to filming the promo video. Once you sat on your couch at home, it was time to call people.

You called all your Canadian team teammates to let them know that the wedding was on, and then Elysse who was with Logan, Michaele and John Fleming, Tristan Fleming, your whole family, Jessie’s and yours UCLA friends. It took six hours to get through everybody.

"Okay. Phones aside now. Just you and me," Jessie said. You smiled at her and put your phone on the coffee table. "How do you feel?" she asked you. "How do I feel?" you asked in confusion. "Yeah. Any regrets or..?"

"Oh come on Jessie. I feel like i’m engaged to the love of my life. I feel like i’m a World Cup bronze medalist and that life is working out for me right now. The UWCL is ours this year, I feel it. And we’re going to get married… and the next few years are going to be the best few years of our lives," you said, getting away with yourself and already imagining the wedding you would be having, the lift of the trophy.

"I feel the same. But mostly I just feel thankful that you’re all mine," she said, a look of hunger in her eyes. "All yours," you breathed, leaning back on the couch as she placed herself to hover over you. Jessie placed kisses on your neck and then down onto your collarbone. You let a breath out and smiled in content, your hands wandering her waist and then slipping down under the band of her shorts.

"What-" kiss "do-" kiss "-you" kiss "-want" kiss "-for dinner?" kiss. Jessie asked you. "You," you answered simply.

"That can be arranged," she said, slipping her hands over your abs. "Good, because nothing tastes better than you. Especially because I’m about to be your wife," you said, flipping her over and looking into her eyes. You tucked her loose hair behind her ear and attacked her neck, leaving love marks all the way down.

#woso fic #woso imagine #woso x reader #woso #chelsea fcw #jessie fleming #vanessa gilles #canwnt #sam kerr #woso couples

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chaxiu · 1 year

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object impermanence

pairing: iwaizumi hajime x female! reader

summary: a love letter to small towns, and all the other things we outgrow. inspired by "the dry season" by hannah gramson.

⎯⎯⎯

The thing is this: if there’s anything you’re sure of, it’s that Iwaizumi Hajime loves his hometown, small as it is.

He loves the quiet streets, the roads that he’s been walking since he was old enough to take those first steps on his own, face screwed up in extreme concentration in a way that his mother loves to mimic even today. He loves the grandmother around the corner that always tells him Goodness, Hajime-kun, you’re getting so tall, even though he hasn’t grown even a fraction of a centimeter since his second year of high school, much to his dismay and Oikawa’s delight. He loves the konbini next to the school that always keeps his favorite popsicles in stock (the ones that come with two sticks and are perfect for splitting,) even in the heat of summer when everyone and their mother is scrambling to buy anything that’ll keep them cool. He loves his school, his team, and his friends: he loves the foundations he’s built here, the foundation he’s become. He loves his family, and the agedashi tofu that his mother makes for him whenever she thinks he’s done a good job at something or he needs something to cheer him up or she just wants him to know that she loves him.

He loves you: you know this. Have known this, ever since he’d started offering to walk you home from school, ears red, hand scratching the back of his neck as he looked anywhere but at you. You’d grinned at him, then. “Are you gonna look at me at any point the entire way?”

The red had spread to his cheeks. Part of you wanted to reach up and poke them, see if they could get any redder. “Shut up,” he’d said, wrenching his gaze to yours with what looked like some difficulty. “Do you want me to walk you home or not?”

You did, although he didn’t need to know just yet quite how much. Instead, you had grinned at him, shuffling a little closer and letting that stand as your response.

One day bled into two, then into a week, and before you knew it he was standing in front of you, hands clenched into fists as he yelled into your face: “I like you!”

“I know,” you’d said.

He’d stood there, mouth still half-open, until you decided to take pity on him, reaching up to cup his face in your hands, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before stepping back. He’d reacted almost immediately, grabbing your hands in his and pulling you to him, close enough that your foreheads almost knocked together.

You remember thinking a lot of things. How his eyes were greener than you’d ever noticed, that he smelled like salonpas and clean cotton. Mostly, you remember thinking about how rough his hands were: callused and sturdy, far bigger than your own.

They’d held you so tenderly. Fingers loose around your wrists, palm cupped underneath yours: soft, so soft.

Tonight it’s hard to remember a lot of things about Iwaizumi: the exact way his chin dimples when he grins, or how his voice rasps in the morning without the tinny sound of your phone’s speaker laid over it. You still remember his hands, though. You don’t think you could ever forget.

A crackling yawn comes through the speakers. “Babe? You there?”

“I’m here,” you say, quiet. “I always am.”

Night for you means morning for him, and Iwaizumi wakes up diligently every week for your scheduled calls, even if it means you get the pleasure of hearing his earth-shattering yawns every five minutes for the entire duration of the call. It’s what both of you signed up for, you know: it’s part and parcel of being in a long-distance relationship. And California to Japan is about as long-distance as it gets: your friends in college, when you tell them about him, all cluck disbelievingly. “So far away,” they all say. “That must be so difficult.”

“I love him,” you always say back. There’s no point in talking about whether or not it’s difficult. What matters is whether or not you’re willing to do it. At least that’s what the two of you had decided, when you sat down and talked it out a month before he was set to leave for California.

“I don’t want to let you go,” he’d said, eyes holding yours steadily. “I want to make us work, do you?”

He’d said your name, cradled in between his tongue and the roof of his mouth like it was the most precious thing he’d ever held, and you knew then you would never forgive yourself if you hadn’t tried.

“Yeah,” you’d said. It had been worth the tightening in your stomach to see the way his face lit up like the sun. “Of course I do, Hajime.”

“Hajime!” comes from the other end of the call, heavily accented and distorted almost beyond repetition. You catch a glimpse of blonde hair on the screen: Iwaizumi’s roommate. All you’ve been able to discern about him is that he’s a beanstalk of a man – long and lanky, with no coordination whatsoever – and is from the south of the U.S., which Iwaizumi tells you is apparently famous only for cowboys and meat. He seems nice enough, from what you can tell; still, hearing Iwaizumi’s first name in his mouth leaves a sour taste in yours.

It’s not like he means anything by it, you know. It’s only a difference in culture: Iwaizumi has told you about how it still shocks him, sometimes, to hear near-strangers call him by his first name. It’s not the same, you want to tell him, but there’s no way to tell him how it makes you feel without sounding ridiculous. That it feels like letting go. That it feels like your hold on him is weakening, somehow.

Back home, it was only his parents and you that regularly called him Hajime. Mattsun and Makki called him Iwaizumi, or Iwa, if they were feeling particularly chummy; Oikawa, of course, stuck with the tried-and-true Iwa-chan. At school, you’d been the only one to call him Hajime, and everyone knew what that meant. Now, everyone does, and it pokes at something tender in you, something you hadn’t even realized could be hurt in the first place.

Iwaizumi swivels around in his chair, saying something in English. You tuck your chin into your forearms, resting on the desk, watching his expression as he barks out a laugh, loud and harsh and your favorite sound in the whole entire world.

The last time he’d come home was almost three months ago, sun-tanned and with even broader shoulders. Still, there was the same familiar press of his hand on your back as he’d gathered you up in a hug. “Missed you,” he’d said, and you’d known that he’d meant it.

“Missed you more,” you’d said, and you’d meant it, too.

The thing is this: you’re absolutely certain that Iwaizumi Hajime loves his small town.

You’re also sure that he’s outgrown that love.

Two months and two weeks ago, you’d bounded up the stairs to his bedroom, hand poised at the doorknob to let yourself in when you heard Iwaizumi’s voice, gruff and irritated as usual but with a thread of tension through it, brittle in a way you’d never heard it before.

“-- I know it’s a good opportunity,” he’d said. “Utsui Takashi is a legend. I’ve wanted to work with him since forever –”

The person on the other end had cut him off with something you couldn’t hear. Iwaizumi had heaved an enormous sigh.

“Yes, even though he’s Ushijima’s dad. You know, you’re the only person in the world who’s still holding on to that grudge, I bet. But it would mean that I’d be committed to live in the U.S. for the next five years after I graduate, at least. Maybe more, if they decided to give me a job there. It might mean staying there permanently. And… I’m pretty committed to coming back here.”

Another pause.

“I know she’d understand, if I told her. But I don’t think I could do that to her. I don’t think I could make her wait for me like that. She deserves more than half a relationship, and I want to give that to her.”

A longer pause, this time, then an irritated growl. “I know I’m losing a good opportunity. I just – I can’t. I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay? Utsui-san said I could have time to think about it, anyway. I’ll have plenty of time to figure out how to let him down gently.”

Your hand was shaking, you’d realized with a start, pulling it back to your side. You’d turned and walked straight back out of his house, swiveling at the doorway to rap three times on the frame, letting the sound echo limply through the rooms.

Iwaizumi had come downstairs and grinned at you. “Hey,” he’d said, as if he wasn’t giving up his life for you.

“Hey,” you’d said back, as if you weren’t letting him.

You’d meant to talk to him about it, you really had. But he’d seemed so content in Miyagi, in the same little town you’d both grown up in, the one both of you had known since birth. And a part of you, a selfish part, a larger part than you’d like to admit, had been whispering the entire time: Would this be so bad? He could be happy here. You could make him happy here.

And then he’d left, and now you’re here, sitting at your desk in your childhood bedroom, watching him tip back in his chair dangerously far, laughing so hard you’d probably be able to see his molars if it weren’t for your shitty camera quality.

You’re happy he’s happy. You don’t think you could stop being happy for his happiness.

There’s just this part of you that wishes he could find that here, still.

But you know contentment isn’t happiness, no matter how desperately the both of you have been trying to pretend it can be. He’s happy there, where he’s constantly challenged, constantly pushed to be better, better, better. Where he gets to chase his own dreams and not be constantly haunted by his what ifs.

Here, you think you could give him everything you had and it still wouldn’t be enough.

Iwaizumi would pretend it was, if it came down to it. If you let him. He loves you enough that he would. He’d press a kiss to your forehead before leaving for work in the morning and a longer one to your lips when he came home in the evening. There would be quiet dinners and bland weekends, a soft existence spilling out before you every day.

But there would still be a hunger in him.

It would be so selfish of you to keep him. You don’t know how to stop wanting him to stay.

“Hey.” Iwaizumi says your name, soft, a fondness in the sound that even bleeds through the screen. His roommate is out of the screen again, accompanied by a bang you assume is the closing of their door. “Is everything all right? You’ve been kinda quiet these past few weeks.”

Your stomach hurts, because of course he noticed, it’s Iwaizumi. You force a smile to your lips, although the muscles in your cheeks tremor with the effort. “Yeah, Hajime. Everything’s okay.”

“You know you can always tell me anything, right?” he asks. You know that if he were here there would be a hand intertwined with yours, or a gentle kiss pressed at the crook of your neck, right where it meets your shoulder.

That’s the problem, though. He’s not here. He can’t be here. You can’t – won’t – make him be here.

“Hajime,” you say, because some days it’s the only thing you have left to say.

He waits, silent. You can just make out the rise and fall of his chest over the pixellated laptop screen.

Coming back here, Iwaizumi had said, back when you had overheard him all those weeks ago. He’d said here, not home. Not coming back home.

“Hajime,” you say again, because you can. “Hajime, I think we should break up.”

A thud, and then Iwaizumi disappears from your vision with a muffled curse. He must’ve tipped back too far in his chair in surprise – you’re always warning him about it, ever since he’d told you about the odd chair that they’d given him in his dorm room, the one that rocks back a little too far – and fallen over. Part of you wants to laugh. The other part of you aches, a little, that this is the last time Iwaizumi will do something stupid with you here to watch it, you here to gently chastise and tease him after.

“Be careful,” you say, almost on reflex, as his head appears back on screen, hair mussed up and face red. “You’re going to crack your skull open someday.”

“I’m not going to – why are we even talking about this right now? You just said you think we should break up.” He takes a seat back in the chair, although he doesn’t tip back this time, you note.

“You should still be careful,” you say. He’s placed his hands on the desk, where they’re in view of you and the camera, and you can see the way they’re opening and closing hopelessly, as if he’s looking for something he can hold, or something he can hit.

“What the fuck?” he asks, disbelievingly. Then, “Is this a joke?”

“No,” you say. “It’s not a joke, Hajime.”

“Why are you saying my name like that,” Iwaizumi demands. His hands squeeze into fists and stay that way, white-knuckled on the desk.

“Like what?”

He shakes his head, rough, like he’s trying to get water out of his ears. It’s a familiar gesture, one you’ve seen him do many times before. Some distant part of you wonders if it’s too late to take it all back.

“I don’t fucking know, like – like you’ve given up already. Like you’re letting it go.”

“I’m not giving up,” you lie. “I just think that this will be better for us. In the long run.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Iwaizumi asks.

“I heard you talking,” you rush out. “To Utsui-san. It’s a good offer. I think you should take it. If you don’t mind taking advice from an ex, that is.”

“Is that what this is about?” he asks, then says your name again, so full of something that makes your chest ache. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll turn him down, I’ll come back to Japan. It’s okay, baby. We can still be okay. I love you so much –”

“I love you too,” you say, even though something in your throat is making it so that it hurts to speak. “But – Hajime, I think you love me like you love Miyagi. Or the grandmother who gives us those sweet potatoes in the summer. Or that park that you always take me to, the one with the bugs you say you don’t want to catch but I can tell that you do. Hajime, do you understand me?”

Iwaizumi opens his mouth. Closes it again. “I love all of those things,” he says. “I love you the most. What’s wrong with that?”

“You love us,” you say. “We could make you content. But the offer, Hajime. It would make you so happy to be able to study with him. Really, truly happy.”

He doesn’t contest your words. You’d known he wouldn’t, had half-hoped he might. Instead: “I could still come back after,” he says. “If you were willing to wait for me.”

“You know that’s unfair to ask,” you say. There are tears at the edge of your vision, threatening to spill over. You don’t bother to wipe them away. “Unfair to me, and unfair to you. You have to keep looking forward, Hajime. I think this – all of this – belongs in your past.”

He says your name again, voice cracking, spilling over.

Iwaizumi Hajime loves his small town. Iwaizumi Hajime loves you.

Both of those love him enough to let him go.

“Can I change your mind?” he asks, and you shake your head. The action dislodges a few tears, and they run down your cheeks, plopping onto the fabric of your pants and no doubt leaving a stain.

“I love you,” you reply, like an apology, like a goodbye.

“I love you,” he says, like a prayer.

“Okay,” you say. “Okay.”

“Don’t forget to keep taking your vitamins,” he says, voice brittle. “And go to bed early and don’t forget to give yourself breaks and make sure to go for walks, every once in a while, okay? Just to get some fresh air. You can’t forget any of those things just because – just because I won’t be there to remind you.”

You nod, not trusting yourself to say anything back for a minute. “Don’t stress so much,” you say, forcing it out past the lump in your throat. You may never get a chance to tell him again. “I’m sure Utsui-san will recognize how hard you work. You’re going to be incredible, Hajime, do you understand?”

Iwaizumi nods, stiff. His shoulders are shaking.

“Bye, Hajime,” you choke out.

He says your name – just your name – and you nearly fold, nearly give in, nearly buy the next ticket to California just to press your face into the crook of his neck and reassure him that none of it meant anything at all.

Instead you give a little half-wave, click the button to end the call, and shut the laptop woodenly. Your childhood bedroom has never felt so small, with the peeling posters and the small bed, tucked into a corner, with the knicknacks and stuffed animals cluttering up the shelves someone else must’ve come in and dusted, in your absence.

Outside, your little town remains quiet. You allow yourself to mourn alongside it.

#haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyu!! x reader #haikyu x reader #hq!! x reader #hq x reader #iwaizumi hajime x reader #iwaizumi x reader #haikyuu!! x reader angst #haikyuu x reader angst #haikyu!! x reader angst #haikyu x reader angst #hq x reader angst #hq!! x reader angst #first fic screaming crying throwing up #iwaizumi x reader angst #iwaizumi hajime x reader angst

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araveninthedarknight · 6 months

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Christmas Magic in the air

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Christmas Magic in the air

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Warnings: Extreme fluff, Mostly out of character Roa faction, Christmas romance fluff, Oc is a trans man (because I am gonna be the representation I wanted when I first started reading fanfics, though its only mentioned once or twice in the story), hopeless romantic fluff. Shitty writing, Also, I am clearly in a Christmas mood (this was written October 16th,2023 but I am posting it November first)

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Yamaguchi Magoroku had met Sora Kenji while they were both in Suzuran together; they had secretly dated since the events of the fight against the three school alliance led by Amagai Kohei. Both men had loved each other longer than that, and when they had started their secret romance, they had not expected it to bloom the way it did. You see, Sora Kenji was transgender and he worried that he was going to lose the love of Magoroku very fast once he learned that. When the taller of the two who was 5 '11 found out though it was the opposite of what Kenji had expected. It had made his high school sweetheart even more overprotective of him, made him want to keep him on a chain attached to him so they wouldn’t have to be apart. For the longest time, they spoke of the dream to move in together once graduating from the Suzuran school, and as the day of graduation skidded upon them like a speeding car, the Roa faction member pulled out two sets of keys, a bright smile on his face as he had secured a small apartment for the two of them. Summer turned to fall, which brought the joys of a cozy and warm home that smelled of Cinnamon and spice incense and a warm dinner. There was always some type of seasonal ambient music playing through the bluetooth speaker of the shorter male’s phone. Kenji was only five foot three and hated how short he was, so he tried to make up for it by doing the cleaning and cooking if Magoroku set out the proper things for it before leaving the house to go help Roa where they now worked together. Fall soon chilled into winter, and on a chilly November night, a fire crackling on the tv while playing Christmas music, two bodies sat snuggled on their couch wrapped in a large blanket, the smaller man sitting to his tall lover’s left, head laying on his chest. He had no clue that one of the reasons the entire Roa faction had been out more was that the once bubble gum popping male had gotten a few extra shifts to buy a gold wedding band with a ruby set into its thicker band. He was just waiting to find a time that felt right to propose.

“You know, this may sound silly, but I always used to dream of being kissed under mistletoe in the snow at Christmas, and proposed to on christmas eve in the snow fall with like, a beautiful lit tree behind me and my partner. I was told that it was more ‘girly’ by most because it sounds like a romance movie, but I always just found something so romantic about Christmas.” Kenji’s voice is deep but soft, he had a naturally deeper voice than his boyfriend, but they both loved it.

“ I feel like Christmas is definitely something that I could understand as being romantic. Especially if you are with someone you love.” Magoroku looked down at his darling, the shorter male’s raven hair was styled into a messy shaggy hairstyle with curls, his honey skin was glowing in the dimly light room, the pair had been wanting to start decorating soon, so they had boxes from their second room that they used as a storage room out, getting Christmas ready slowly. He knew when he would propose and how now. The excitement that ran through Magoroku was something that he was sure his darling could hear, his heart racing as he planned away in his head. He wanted it perfect, and he wanted to film it and make it for a part of his home video. He knew he would say yes, they had been talking about wanting to get married since their last year of high school started, and now that it was over, he knew they would take the leap this Christmas.

The tree had been set up, the apartment smelled like baked Christmas cookies and warm dinner, the Christmas tree incense was lit and going in the living room, holiday music playing through the record player speaker, and a candy cane apron was perched over the top of Kenji’s clothing as he baked and cooked for the night ahead. The Roa faction was coming over for a Christmas eve celebration, to open gifts and have dinner, as a group of happy friends before they all went to do their plans for the next day. Magoroku was out getting the last minute stuff and picking up Mario, and soon the other faction members arrived, carrying gifts to be set under the beaming tree the couple had decorated. The group planned to have different people host each year and the two had volunteered. Everyone was soon gathered around the table laughing, looking back on their school years now that they had been out of it since summer, quickly approaching the one year mark. To Kenji, things felt right, they were warm, happy moments that he had always wanted with friends. Tomorrow, Christmas day, was just for him and his darling Magoroku, but tonight was friends that were like a close family, and he wouldn’t want it any other way. Dinner had been a hit, and now the rather large group was huddled by the tree, the small apartment not bothering any of them as they packed in like a can of sardines. Magoroku had planned with the others to let his present to Kenji be last, it was supposed to snow around 11:30 pm and that was the perfect time to do his plan. The presents were opened, some were more gag gifts with real ones given after to make the mood light, some were very deep and meaningful, and some were just what the other needed. As Mercy gathered all the discarded gift wrapping, Binzo slipped out, supposedly to use the bathroom, but in reality, he was hanging mistletoe from a spot near a lit Christmas tree outside, the cozy neighborhood that the soon to be fiances had settled into being perfect for the occasion. Luckily for him, the spot was only a few buildings down from the duplex that the hosts lived in and he was good friends with the old lady who lived close by.

“Oh look, it is snowing! We should all take a walk in it and take a group picture.” Bizo pipes after sneaking back inside, a bright smile on his face as he sent a wink to the way of his school friend to inform him the plan was a go. He knew that Roa was hiding the ring in his pocket until the right time, which was now because Kenji was in the kitchen with a Ito and putting left overs into containers for everyone to take home.

Roa passed the ring in the black velvet box to his smaller friend and claps him on the back, “Mercy and I will be recording from different angles while Binzo stays up with the mistletoe so its perfect, though it is currently hanging from a post as a marker for where the plan goes into motion at.” The six foot three man whispers, the pride he felt for being apart of this was something that was no surprise of anyone else, because they all considered the shortest male as their brother and friend.

Soon enough, seven pairs of feet made their way to the best light display in the area, a grin laying on the face of Kenji, who held his lover’s hand as they walked in the falling snow, his heart full and his body bundled warm and cozy for this trek. He however felt confusion settle in the depths of his mind as his partner pulled his hand away and settled in a spot that Binzo was clearly perched on. Kenji raised an eyebrow as Ito nodded once, telling the short and perplexed male to go forward. Roa and Mercy pulled out cameras, Kansuke was softly playing music on his phone, just loud enough for the camera to hear, it was soft Christmas music that was all instrumental and sounded extremely romantic. Everyone had a part and suddenly, a feeling burned in the pit of Kenji’s stomach as he realized something, though currently he was unsure of what was in fact going on.

Magoroku grabbed the hands of his soon to be fiance, making sure that neither of them had gloves on for this part before doing so. He made deep eye contact and started speaking in the most love filled voice the other had ever heard. “Baby, we have been together through high and low, the worst of times, the best of times, and even the times that seemed almost like we would be bored if not for each other. We fall more in love every day and spend most nights talking about what the future holds. In November, you told me something important, something I will always remember now as we are here tonight. We planned our future out in high school, and I can’t let a moment slip away with you. I want to make sure that we will be forever one. You said that most found your cheese views on the Christmas eve proposal in the snow and locking it in with a kiss under mistletoe was cheesy, I find it to be the sweetest thing ever. And tonight I want to make that all come true for you. Sora Kenji, the love of my life, the one who brings out the best in me. I love you with all my heart and here I stand tonight to bring your wishes come true, and hopefully if you say yes to the question I am going to ask, I can promise a future of even more of your dreams come true. Will you marry me?”

By now, all seven people had teared up, even Binzo and as Kenji replied, his voice shook and cracked, a smile laced on his face as the Christmas lights cast their glow onto the group through the falling snow, “Y-yes. I will forever say yes to marrying you, Yamaguchi Magoroku.”

Binzo dropped the fishing wire that held the mistletoe down from the small tree he stood behind on a ladder while the ring slipped onto the newly engaged man’s finger. Magoroku looked up, smiled and kissed his lover’s lips, hands wrapped around the smaller’s waist as he leaned down to kiss him.

It was that night that the movie clip for their engagement would be marked off for their wedding, and Christmas dreams came true. Christmas really was a magic time of year.

#high and low the worst #high and low fanfic #christmas fanfic #h&l oneshot #yamaguchi magoroku #Brooke queues it up

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putschki1969 · 1 year

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December 25: Wakana Activities & 「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」

Note: Okay, I know this is long overdue but I have simply not found the time and motivation to write up a detailed report ever since coming back from Japan. The trip itself was quite exhausting due to a busy schedule and being sick for almost the entire duration of my stay T_T. Then I made the huge mistake of going straight back to work on the 27th so I have just felt utterly drained for the past few weeks. It’s a huge shame because I really didn’t want to wait this long to write down my impressions. I mean, it’s hardly a “first impression” anymore if my thoughts have been marinating in my brain for nearly a month. But hey, better late than never, right? If anyone is interested, here’s a link to my December 17 report. I am definitely planning to write reports of some of my other activities but who knows how long that’s gonna take. Please don’t hold your breath. Without further ado, let’s get to it 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Before the Live

In the morning I went to visit Koishikawa Korakuen with a fellow Kalafina fan (Akuma from Taiwan in case some of you know her). I had already spent all of Saturday doing various Wakana activities with her so it only seemed fitting that we would dedicate the morning of the 25th to a lovely Wakana activity as well. Wakana visited this gorgeous landscape garden back in April 2022 (Source:Wakana Instagram). Koishikawa Korakuen (小石川後楽園) is actually one of Tokyo's oldest and best Japanese gardens so I was excited to check it out. While the late winter scenery is probably the least spectacular, I can still recommend going there if you are ever in Tokyo and want an escape from the hectic city life. It was a gorgeous, sunny day so I got to take some lovely pictures and thankfully, some of the autumn colours still remained. After spending a couple of hours there and basking in the winter sun, I got a little antsy so we decided to head to the venue. In the past, most fans would try to arrive as early as possible to line up for the merch sale. However, lots of things have changed since the pandemic so venues actually discourage people from lining up early in advance. Despite knowing that we wouldn’t be allowed to line up yet, I still wanted to know the venue’s exact location and check whether anyone had arrived yet. When we finally got there, no one was there except us and the door staff told us to come back in two hours XD It was super hard to find a café or restaurant near Kioi Hall so we had to walk all the way back to Yotsuya Station. I felt really sorry for Akuma because I dragged her back and forth, she must have been so exhausted. Guess I can’t help but be one of those annoying people who are low-key control freaks and who won’t leave anything to chance. I’d rather be 2 hours early than even 1 second too late. Anyways, at a tiny shopping mall, we found a small café and had some cake and coffee. We went back to the venue once we saw the first few tweets of other fans starting to line up. Most people got there around the same time so it quickly became quite crowded in front of the venue about 45 minutes before the live. I am glad we ended up being pretty far ahead in the line because I don’t think the people in the back had enough time left to buy anything. It took quite a while for staff members to check our tickets and temperature. Everyone was also taking their sweet time deciding on what merch to get so there were literally only a few minutes left till the live once I had bought everything (I got the shirt/pamphlet set with the postcard, the pink gloves, the little drawstring bag and the keyholder). All items are still available in Wakana’s Official Online Shop so be sure to get them.

General Impressions

Venue: This was my first time at Kioi Hall. It’s located in a nice area near Yotsuya Station. Venue, You have to walk around 10 minutes on Sophia Dori which is a lovely thoroughfare. I hear it’s super pretty during cherry blossom season. After Opera City, this was only my second time in a classical hall in Japan. Not as big as Opera City Hall but equally impressive in terms of acoustics and grandeur. But oh boy, they really could have lowered the temperatures, it was boiling hot inside. I don’t know how people managed to sit there with their winter coats fom beginning to end. I was literally melting and I didn’t even wear a warm winter jacket. Kioi Hall is a rather intimate venue with a capacity of about 800 seats. None of the balcony seats were occupied iirc but we managed to fill out pretty much the entire central ground floor. So yeah, definitely not a sold-out concert but very well attended nonetheless (which obviously made me happy because I still recall her Voice tour where they had picked venues that were way too big for Wakana’s fanbase). Outfit: Her dress didn’t impress me all that much to be honest. The bold red looked lovely on her but the basic A-line was a little too plain for my taste. No lace, no embroidery, no frills, no layers, no sparkles... I am also not a big fan of straps when it comes to evening dresses. Wakana has the most beautiful shoulders, it’s a crime to not show them off. In my opinion, she should always wear something that is off-shoulder, preferably a majestic ball gown. The highlight of the dress was definitely the back (as seen on the image above). Whenever she turned around to have a little sip of her water we were blessed with the most gorgeous sight.*drools* Wakana truly has a beautiful back and it’s rare that we get to see so much of it XD. Ticket System: As you may know, I’ve had a few issues with SKIYAKI but at the end of the day I have to admit that it is an extremely convenient service. All steps were foreigner friendly and I didn’t run into any issues with the app. Still, I can’t recommend it with a clear conscience because of what happened with my credit card T_T As you know, I got a Christmas Special Fan Club ticket and I was pretty lucky with my assigned seat. Row 4, smack in the middle with a perfect view at Wakana. Thankfully no tall people in front of me.Fun fact, right in front of me there was a woman who wore one of Wakana’s dresses, the EXACT same one I had brought to Japan with the intention of wearing it at the concert. However, a few days earlier I had found Wakana’s red checkered pants and ended up buying them so of course I couldn’t help but wear them to the live. Still, I found it funny that someone had the same idea. She also wore Kalafina’s pinky ring so she was clearly a super obsessed fan.I am still wondering what her username is on Twitter. I guess she must be following me if she knows about all this fashion stuff. Arghhh, I wish I had approached her after the live but as always, I was way too socially inept... Cameras: I am pretty sure I mentioned it already but there were a lot of cameras all across the hall. Not just the tiny ones which are used for news reports and such. They had a whole-ass camera crew on-site. No idea what they are planning to do. Either we will be getting a broadcast sponsored by BS Fuji or they will use the footage for a home video release. They might also add the footage (or at least parts of it) as bonus content for Wakana’s 3rd album. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. There’s no way they hired all those cameramen and equipment for nothing. Vocals: For the most part, Wakana was in great shape. It’s such a pleasure to hear her in a classical hall accompanied by strings and piano. And honestly, a couple of these acoustic arrangements were out of this world. So freaking good! I feel like her microphone was maybe a bit too loud at times or the instruments were simply too quiet but it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment. Plus, they can always fix that with a bit of studio magic if they really end up releasing the concert. Nevertheless, I’d really like to have more strings in future concerts, just to add a little more oomph. Maybe I am the only one but I feel like I need at least a string quartet XD Setlist: Overall, I was quite happy with the setlist since it contained all three of her new songs and some of my faves but I probably would have made some changes if the choice had been up to me. Can’t lie but I was hoping and praying for “breathing” as intro. Instead we got “Yakusoku no Yoake” which is always nice, don’t get me wrong, but meh, we already have a performance of it on DVD/BD and let’s be real here, “breathing” is the superior song, at least in my opinion. Am I the only one who is kinda growing tired of “Ai ni Dekiru Koto wa mada aru kai“? I feel like the song doesn’t have a standard ballad structure so it’s quite hard for me to get into it, especially considering its crazy length. Personally, I would have much preferred her to sing “Inochi no Namae” or “Kimi wo Nosete” from her Cover Album. Also had my issues with “Nagareboshi”. I don’t outright dislike this song but it has always been a bit of a snoozer so naturally. I wasn’t overly excited when she announced she would be singing it as her final song. I mean, it kinda works as a wrap-up for the evening but I would have honestly killed to hear an acoustic version of “Ai no Hana”, it’s literally the perfect winter song!! Such a missed opportunity, I feel robbed.T_T Last but not least. let’s talk about her Kalafina song choice. Wakana often manages to pick my least favourite Kala-songs but I realise that I am pretty much alone with that opinion, especially regarding “Kimi no Gin no Niwa” which is obviously a fan-favourite. To her credit, she pulled it off well but ughhh, I cannot stand that song. I am still salivating when I think about her 2018 Symphony Orchestra Concert where she performed “Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku”. Who do I have to bribe to get something like this on DVD/BD??!!

Song-specific thoughts

M01 約束の夜明け(Yakusoku no Yoake): As mentioned earlier, I was low-key hoping for “breathing” but I really like “Yakusoku no Yoake“ so it’s not like I was disappointed or anything. It might even be one of my favourite tracks from her 1st album. The beginning always blows me away, it’s by far the best part of the song and Wakana knocks it out of the park every single time. However, I think that some sections of the song aren’t particularly flattering to Wakana’s vocals. I know for a fact that she can handle much higher parts but I guess it’s the singing style she keeps using for this song hat makes it sound like she is out of her comfort zone. Oh well, she still does a decent job of powering through those sections. Overall, I quite enjoyed the performance and thought it was a fitting intro.

M02 442: Absolutely blown away by the acoustic arrangement and Wakana’s powerful performance. They better release the video footage soon because I am dying to hear this again. I am telling you, she SLAYED! “442″ is undoubtedly one of her best songs that highlights all of her strengths as a singer so it’s always a joy to listen to it.

M03 オレンジ (Orange): Yet another lovely arrangement. Much better than the studio version if you ask me. I can’t remember any details but I definitely liked it.

M04 夕焼け (Yuuyake): Initially I did not care much for this song but every time I hear it live, I fall more and more in love with it. It’s just so precious.

M05 myself: Oh yes!! Jackpot! This was utterly beautiful. It’s the type of ballad Wakana excels in, when all that tragedy is laid on thick and you are being hit right in the feels. Hearing it in a classical setting makes it even more heart-wrenching.

M06 時には昔の話を（Toki ni ha Mukashi no Hanashi wo): This will never get old. There’s a reason they chose this song to promote Wakana’s cover album and it’s because it’s such a perfect fit for her.

M07 愛にできることはまだあるかい（Ai ni Dekiru Koto wa mada aru kai): I guess I already shared my thoughts about this. I think Wakana really likes the song so I feel kinda bad for not being into it. Maybe it’s because I never watched the film? The lyrics are lovely but the song just doesn’t resonate with me. Or rather, I have to be in the right mood for it to resonate with me. Isolated, I believe it can be quite powerful. Despite its understated nature there is a bit of a build-up after all. But it falls a little flat for me if you place the song right after a bunch of other ballads.

M08 君の銀の庭（Kimi no Gin no Niwa): Well, it was unfortunately the wrong Kalafina-“Kimi~” song for me but hey, what can you do about it? Whatever my thoughts might be about this particular song, I truly appreciate the fact that Wakana still makes a conscious effort to include Kalafina pieces in her setlists because on the one hand, she wants to honour that legacy and on the other hand, she knows that it will make her audience happy. During the MC leading up to the performance she actually explained how picking a Kalafina song is always the most difficult part of putting her setlists together. Overall, it was a solid performance. She did quite well covering the other parts.

M09 Winter Wonderland: I definitely did not think that Wakana would sing this. Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up with them but I have a bit of an aversion to most Anglo-American Christmas songs (including this one) so when she announced the title of the upcoming song, I felt more than a little disappointed. Especially since I had no idea how it would fit her singing style. However, I am happy to report that I was proven wrong. This far exceeded my expectations and it actually turned out to be a very enjoyable performance. I would say this was only the second song of the night (after “442″) where we got to hear a more fierce and daring approach by Wakana. Still not a fan of the song but damn, Wakana’s version sounds good!

M10 Silent Night: Now we are talking. A Christmas song I actually like. And as expected, Wakana nailed it. I mean, she was literally born to sing songs like this. With everyone always comparing Wakana’s singing to an angel’s voice falling down from the heavens it’s only natural to think that she would do an amazing job with Christmas carols and hymns. A little nitpicking though, I wasn’t fully invested in the arrangement which may or may not have been a bit too pop-ish, I don’t know.

M11 標 (Shirushi): I was really hoping that we would get to hear this brand-new song and I am so glad that my wish came true. Knowing the entire backstory to this and having Wakana share a few bits and pieces again during the concert really made it very hard for me not to cry like a little baby. For those who don’t know yet, this is basically a daughter’s declaration of love to her father (Wakana’s father passed away not too long ago). This song was more or less custom-made for this occasion so it hits a little closer to home than others. While I cannot relate at all to a strong father-daughter relationship, this still hit me right in the feels. I did expect something woeful with heavy strings but it was actually quite understated. Filled with a lot of gratitude and pride. I wish I could say more about it but it’s so hard for me to recall details of a song that I have only listened to once. If I had to compare it, I would probably say it comes closest to “Ato Hitotsu” as far as the overall sound is concerned. It is longer though.

M12 明日を夢見て歌う (Asu wo Yume Mite Utau): I was of course super excited to also finally listen to Wakana’s other new song. This however was a bit of a letdown if I am being honest. It was written by Satoshi Takebe whose collabs with Wakana are always a bit of a hit-and-miss for me. It’s like “Kimi dake no Stage” 2.0. If you enjoy that song you will also like “Asu wo Yume Mite Utau“ I think. The emotion is all there in the lyrics and I can feel what kind of message Wakana is trying to convey to us but meh, the song doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. Fun fact: For the longest time I thought it was “Ashita” in the title but it’s actually “Asu”.

M13 Flag: Another absolutely gorgeous acoustic arrangement that really blew me away. Right up there with “442″ and “Winter Wonderland” in terms of fierceness.

M14 Happy Hello Day: Can’t believe this was the first time hearing the song live at a venue. Experiencing it right there while breathing the same air is so much different than just watching it on a live stream. As much as I appreciate the influx of online broadcasts, nothing beats the euphoria of actually being there at the venue and enjoying a song that makes you feel so incredibly connected with your favourite artist. I truly had a blast during this performance.

EC01 記憶の人 (Kioku no Hito): What a pleasant surprise. I am very much in love with this song and it’s definitely among my favourite Wakana solo songs so I can never get enough of it. Beautiful performance.

EC02 magic moment: A bit on the fence about it. We all know that I am not the biggest fan of the song’s structure, it starts really melodious with its symphonic grandeur but then it somehow become quite messy to my ears. I can’t explain it very well but there is just a lack of flow. However, that doesn’t mean that I cannot appreciate Wakana’s vocal prowess in it. Just thinking back to her performance during the “magic moment” live tour gives me goosebumps (although I obviously only ever experienced it on blu-ray). I would say that performance still remains her best one yet. This one wasn’t quite as epic but maybe that’s just because of the added studio magic in the blu-ray.

Fan Club Exclusive Part

Very happy to see that almost everyone had bought a special Christmas ticket. At the end of the main part of the concert, audience members were asked to leave the hall if they didn’t have a fan club ticket and only a handful of people actually left. Still surprised that they just trusted us to be honest about this. Typical Japanese mindset I guess. I mean, people could have just remained at their seats, no one would have checked their tickets again. However, I think they had most people with regular tickets seated in the back area so it was easier for staff members to figure out who was required to leave. At this point none of us knew what to expect but I had a feeling we would get a special encore. When Wakana and her musicians returned to the stage in their cute Christmas getup I was pleasantly surprised to realise that we would be getting a little talk corner. Mind you, it wasn’t anything super special, just some random small talk among them, they all basically just shared some Christmas anecdotes but hey, it was fun. I vaguely remember Wakana talking about trying to find the perfect colour for a new winter coat but she ended up with a boring grey one XD I had almost given up hope that they would perform another song when their talk just kept going on and on. It was already way past the scheduled time for the live to end so I thought we would run out of time. But then Wakana surprised us all by announcing that they still had a short performance in store for us. Until the very last moment I had hoped that I would get to hear “Ai no Hana” but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. As mentioned earlier, I wasn’t too thrilled about “Nagareboshi” but it was a fitting send-off. I believe everyone thought that this would be it but when we left the hall, we were all given a paper bag containing even more awesome goodies. Our Christmas present from Wakana was made up of a postcard with a handwritten message and signature as well as a pretty glass fitting perfectly into her series of previously released glasses. *weeee* All of this was definitely worth the extra money. If you ever wonder if it’s worth going for pricier tickets, here’s your answer: It absolutely is! You typically get a lot of bang for your buck so always go for the expensive option if you have the means. And I am actually so glad that the Christmas present didn’t turn out to be a fugly t-shirt, I am just not a t-shirt person.

After the Live

One of my Twitter followers had arranged a dinner/after-party with a bunch of fellow Kala-fans. While I am most definitely not very fond of large gatherings like this, it wasn’t too bad. We had some tables reserved at a Chinese restaurant nearby. In celebration of Wakana’s live, we wanted to eat a ton of gyoza and xiao long bao. It was delicious! Sadly I didn’t get to eat all that much because I left quite early (I mean, it felt late to me but who knows how long the others stayed). I was flying back to Vienna the following day so I wanted to get at least a few decent hours of sleep.

#kalafina #wakana #report #Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～#wakana christmas special #long text post #I just cannot shut up #this took me a whole month #hope I didn't bore anyone to death

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pianocat939 · 2 years

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I hope it’s not a burden to request a Yandere x dragon reader specifically Yandere raspberry cookie

And the reader is extremely secluded and they have a garden and one day raspberry gets into a fight near there Garden

i’m sorry if its not good

Don’t worry, that’s enough information for me to think of something/get the main idea.

I’m gonna do this in hcs because it’s easier for me to organize

Tw: Sexist implied comments (not directly stated tho), Blood (it’s jam ofc), stabbing, corpses, injuring corpses

Gratitude Slashes

• Just outside the walls of the Hollyberry kingdom, resides a cottage secluded by a vast garden.

• Flowers, decorative green plants, and of course berries would cover the entire place.

• One would think a cookie would reside in such a lovely and serene place.

• But no, a dragon did.

• The dragon was an “odd” one to say the least.

• Unlike their kin, they would rather be equal with the fellow cookies. Not classifying them by strength, or faithfulness, nothing.

• As such they decided to live a solitude life in a plant haven.

• Today, they are watering their plants, tending to each one carefully.

• It was a warm day, not cool or blazing hot, just perfect for spending leisure time outside.

• That was until loud noises came from the back of the garden.

• “I, Raspberry Cookie, will make sure you bleed strawberry jam until you can no longer attack the Hollyberry Kingdom!”

• “Oh I bet you will pretty mistress!” A criminal mocked, waving his sword around in a ‘elegant’ manner.

• Angered, the female cookie made the first move, thrusting her sword in a form of intimidation

• However, the criminal’s confidence did not waver.

• As the two start to duel, the owner of the garden watched in worry.

• Their precious garden! Oh how rash those movement were, enough to slice off their poor Petunias.

• In the end, the criminal was given eternal slumber, bleeding out on the green grass.

• “Hah, don’t move your sexist ideals onto me…For I, Raspberry cookie, am a proud female knight who will bring honor…to this kingdom.” She huffed, breath unstable. She also took some major damage.

• Exhausted, Raspberry decided to rest on the soft foliage. While she lay, her eyes started to become heavy; her thoughts starting to slow down.

• Right before she slept she saw the movement of feet.

——————————————————

• The poor Petunias! Y/n dragon’s pride and joy!

• Some of the bushes and flowers were damaged, slash marks all over plant.

• “So rash! Just like Pitaya!” They complained, trying to bury some healthier soil so that the plant could recover faster.

• Meanwhile, Raspberry woke up in a bed with her wounds bandaged and treated.

• Raspberry looked around in confusion, for she didn’t remember such a place.

• Due to the soreness in her body, she rigidly got up and headed towards a nearby window.

• When she peered outside she was in slight shock.

• A dragon was just outside, seeming to be touching the garden.

• Raspberry briskly rushed outside, wanting to investigate such a creature.

• “Excuse me, dragon, but what are you doing here?”

• The dragon looked back at Raspberry with an unimpressed look. “I think I should be asking that to you. Since you are the one slashed my Petunias during your little hunt-down.”

• “Well, apologies. I did not mean to hurt your flowers. Now, I’m assuming this is your residency?”

• “Yes, and before you ask if I was the one to bandage you wounds, also yes.”

• “Hm I see…Dragon. I appreciate your hospitality, though I must leave now. Farewell, odd Dragon.”

• Raspberry left, leaving the dragon.

• “Funny.”

——————————————————

• “Fresh Flowers! In season now! get them while they’re healthy!”

• The marketplace was always bustling with vendors and shops. A usual thing in the Hollyberry Kingdom.

• Raspberry sauntered around, having some spare time for herself.

• The goods and entertainment seemed extra attractive today. Perhaps it’s a fortunate day.

• “Raspberry Cookie! How are you?”

• “Well, I was looking to buy something today.”

• “Oh I see! Would you like to look at my flowers? They’re extra bright in color today!”

• Raspberry inspected the flowers, seeing the pinks, yellows and blues. One flower caught her eye though.

• It was a dark pink Petunia, similar to Raspberry’s hair color.

• Then she remembered the day when she met the dragon.

——————————————————

• “Looks like someone couldn’t get enough of wrecking my garden hm?”

• “Not this time dragon…”

• Raspberry then handed the petunias, “Take this as a gratitude and apology gift for taking care of me and for destroying your flowers.”

• The dragon gladly accepted the flowers, admiring the dark but vibrant color.

• “Thank you. Would you like a drink? You did come all the way here after all.”

• “Why yes. Indeed I would like a drink.”

——————————————————

• “This newcomer then asked me, ‘You’re a female knight?’ ridiculous, really.”

• “Idiotic.”

• It had been a few months since the two have met, and they’ve gotten quite close in such a short time.

• Raspberry would now visit twice a week. Three if she was free.

• Despite their differences, they’ve agreed on one thing: Some cookies can be stupid occasionally.

• “My kin—Pitaya Dragon, often wrecks anything they find. ‘To find strong opponents!’ they say, but really is that something you need to do everyday?”

• The two laugh, humoring themselves with memories of the past.

• “I should be taking my leave-” but Raspberry was cut off.

• “Hah! Gotcha’!” A random bandit yells, swinging their net and throwing it.

• Y/n Dragon dodged the net with ease, only tangled their feet in it when they land.

• Raspberry cookie charged at the tiny bandits, face unamused.

• The group tried to evade her attacks, but she was too quick.

• She finished each and every one off, merciless kicking their corpses.

• “I don’t know what they were thinking; you can’t catch dragons with nets.”

• Raspberry did not answer, instead she aggressively stabbed the corpses with her sword.

• “Don’t. Ever. Come. Near. My. Dragon.” With every word she stabs with her sharp sword.

• “Woah, they didn’t do anything that bad did they? No need to be so…hostile.”

• The knight froze, looking back at the dragon. “But they tried to. I can’t let anything happen to my liege—my dragon.”

• “What? What do you mean?”

• “I’ve decided since the day you took care of my wounds that I would protect you and serve you.”

• “Ok…But do you absolutely have to mutilate their bodies even more?” The dragon was not terrified of the sight of the bodies, after all their kin do similar things as well.

• “Anything to show my gratitude and that I will not hesitate to end the lives of those who threaten you.”

• Y/n Dragon was now going to have a cookie like Pitaya Dragon by their side. Except for gratitude not power.

——————————————————

I think this one is ok, the organization is a messy at some parts but still enjoyable.

Sorry if this slightly got gore at the end.

- Celina

#raspberry cookie #cookie run kingdom #yandere cookie run #yandere x reader #cookie run #yandere #Yandere raspberry cookie

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darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght · 5 months

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Chapter 5- Part 5

Well, while I don’t think Xera will be using Kricketot right away, it’ll still be good to have in case we need extra Bug-types in the future.

She has been named “Viola”- you know, the musical instrument.

Gym? You have a Gym? Gym Leader?? Bug-type Gym Leader??

Hey wait get back here, you can’t just drop that you’re a Gym Leader and then leave without elaborating! And besides, neither Xera nor this other lady gave you their names, does that really count as meeting them in that case?

Oh, mark my words, Xera will…eventually.

Alright, well- with that event done, let’s hear what the child has to say, then we’ll get going.

Well, that’s one way to hammer in the idea of “stranger danger.” And after wandering around in the rain all last chapter, I don’t think Xera’s changing that kid’s perception any time soon.

Now, we keep going east, and…

That…just looks like an entirely new area. Yeah, I looked at the map, and it looks like this path just leads back to somewhere in Opal Ward- so, not where we need to go.

But I’ve looked around everywhere else in Peridot Ward, didn’t I? And there’s still no way up to that upper area- did I just miss something? That area looks like it’s still in Peridot Ward, so?? Hello??

HOW DO I GET UP TO YOU PEOPLE!?

Maybe I really did just miss something somewhere- I’ll look around a bit more. Maybe it really is somewhere in Opal Ward?

No, didn’t find anything except for this.

Ah man, I’m gonna have to grind on wild Pokémon, aren’t I? Can I at least train on Pokémon from the dumpsters? Gullet was semi-high-leveled at the time, so??

No dumpster Pokémon either, but I found that instead.

Okay, well- no more Trainers to fight, then. So that means it’s time to battle some wild Pokémon instead. I admit- while I’ve been trying to go through this game as blind as possible, I did decide here to look up something. Namely, I looked up the wild Pokémon encounter areas in Peridot Ward and Lower Peridot Ward to find where the highest-leveled Pokémon could be found, sue me.

And from my brief research, it seems like the best places to train will first be by Headbutting the tree in Seacrest’s Garden (which we can do, Streak knows Headbutt), then by fishing in the indoor pool with the Old Rod.

Well, no use putting it off anymore. Time for some level grinding! Oh, these poor wild Pokémon…

One VERY long grinding session later…

Anyways, after almost two hours of wiping out Reborn’s Swablu population and finishing with a nice fish dinner, the team looks like this:

And I know it was almost two hours, because I had these two episodes of Saltydkdan’s Season 3 Friendlocke playing in the background, and they both played all the way through by the time I was done grinding!

All that time aside…it’s time, folks. We leave the Pokémon Center, and we go west to-

To…find that scared Teddiursa again, apparently. I guess it also doesn’t come out during the Rain?

But just in case this is the time we can catch the Teddiursa, I did go and buy one (1) Poké Ball.

And it didn’t even matter because we still can’t catch it…for some reason! Well, alright then.

So now we keep going west to-

…To…see Teddiursa again. Alright, maybe fourth time’s the charm?

No it is not! Yet again- how am I supposed to catch it?? Does Xera need to encounter it five times before she’s allowed to catch it?

But in coming up here, I noticed that there’s a house up there that I didn’t go into before. So, let’s fix that before going back to Fern, shall we?

And get ourselves another free Potion! Yeah!

A Protein, huh? Not sure when or if I’ll be using these stat-boosting items, but like- good to have I guess?

But more importantly…

I think it’s time we showed Fern what Xera and her team can really do, shall we?

#pokemon reborn #pokemon reborn spoilers #pokemon fan game #pokemon reborn screenshot let's play

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hahahahahangst · 1 year

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Not a big deal (Dean Winchester birthday fic)

Context: Season 5/6 transition. Emily (Dean and Sam’s little sister) and Dean just moved into Lisa’s house. Settling into normal life is hard, but they’re doing their best.

Warning! This fic is set in Be The Young, my supernatural fanfiction. Although, there are no TWs here (this is all nice and fun, I promise I can write happy things (?))

“Good morning.” Smiled Emily, entering the kitchen. She looked around. “Where’s Lisa?”

Dean finally raised his eyes from his cup of coffee. “Extra shift at work.” He exhaled, clearly tired.

“That’s a shame.” Said Emily, starting the coffee machine. “But on the other side, I managed to get rid of work today.”

“Good.” He drank more coffee, sleepily staring in front of him. “God, I am so tired.”

“Why don’t you call in sick today? You’ve been working non-stop since we got here. It’s been what, two months? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you take a day off.”

“Well, cars break even on the weekend.”

“Yeah, but you’re not the only mechanic in Cicero.” Dean scowled at her, understanding the hunting analogy. Emily smirked. “Just saying, you know. If you were totake one day off, today would be the perfect day.”

“We’ve been off from our actual job for a month now.”

It was Emily’s turn to scowl at him. “We’re retired. Not the same thing.”

“Whatever.” He dismissed her. “Why today?”

Emily, confused, waited a second to see if he would start laughing. He didn’t. “Dean, come on.”

“What? Is it your birthday? I didn’t think you would care.” Emily kept staring at him. “...Ben’s birthday?” She covered her eyes with her hand and started laughing. “Lisa’s..? Why are you laughing?!”

“It’s your birthday, Dean!” Like raised from a trance, Dean turned towards the calendar that was hanging on the wall next to the door.

“Oh, right.” He shrugged. “Why does it matter? We’ve never celebrated a single birthday.”

“And?”

“And I’m surprised you even know my birthday!”

“What do you mean? Me and Sam have been buying you that pie you like so much every single year for what, five years? Of course I know your birthday!” Dean turned towards her, confused.

“You have?”

“Of course!” She laughed. “What do you say if this year we celebrate properly?” She hopped off the counter and retrieved his empty coffee cup to move it to the sink.

“I don’t know, Emily, it’s… it’s really not a big deal.”

“You’re right: it’s a normal people deal.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You’re gonna play that card?”

“Yeah.” She proudly replied. Dean still didn’t seem on board. “Come on.” Dean exhaled.

“Alright… what did you have in mind?” He said, giving in to his sister’s request.

“It’s a surprise-”

“No, no, come on. You know I hate surprises.”

“You’ll love this one.” She smiled. “Trust me.”

Dean stared at her for a second. “Alright.” He allowed. Emily excitedly giggled. “Okay, so I’ll pick you up at 7, okay? Just be ready by then.” Dean rolled his eyes, but accepted nonetheless.

At 7 o’clock, Emily arrived back from all the errands she had to run, a bunch of plastic bags in the back of her car, and honked. In a matter of seconds, Dean opened the door and walked towards the car. “Get in loser, we’re going shopping!” She joked, rolling her window down as he approached her. With a grimace, Dean went around the car and sat next to her. She started driving away.

“So, where are going?” He asked.

“Not saying.” She smiled. “But hopefully you’ll love it.” As they moved away from the city, Dean started to grow more curious. When Emily parked, he inspected his surrounding from the car. It was dark, but in the shadow he could distinguish the shape of some sort of house. “Alright, come on.” Said Emily, exiting the car. She retrieved all the plastic bags from the backseat and started walking towards the cabin. Dean followed her, uncertain.

Emily opened the door and turned on the light in the cabin. It was very simple: there was a couch, a tv and a fireplace. That was about it. She had spent the entire morning cleaning it after years of abandonment.

“Where are we?” Asked Dean, confused.

“I present to you the Singer family summer mansion.” She said, theatrically gesturing towards the inside of the house.

“This is Bobby’s?”

“Yeah, says he hasn’t been here in decades, but he still had a key.”

“Well, why are we here?”

“For your birthday, why else?” Emily closed the door behind her and started lighting the fire place. “What? Were you expecting strippers and poker?” She joked.

Dean shrugged. “Well, a little bit.”

“I know you far too well to do something like that.” She stood back up from the fire and placed all the plastic bags on the table. “So, we got all party necessity: food…” She listed, taking out some chinese food containers. “...food….” She took out some fast food. “...we also have beer.” She unwrapped a six pack. “Anything we’re missing?” She smirked, looking at Dean.

“Well, if I were to guess I would say that bag contains pie.” He said, pointing at the last plastic bag.

“...and you would be perfectly right!” She smiled. “We got not one, not two, but three pies.” She placed all the pies on the table. “But no birthday would be complete if we didn’t have candles!” She took out a smaller plastic bag containing blue birthday cakes s[elling out number 3 and number 1. Dean could not contain his smile.

“Are you going to sing me happy birthday?” He joked.

“Oh, of course not.” She said, serious. “We’re adults.” She stopped for a second and smirked. “The candles will. Here…” She opened one of the pies and placed the candles on top of it. When she lit the first one up, it started emitting sounds. As Dean focused, he recognized Rumble on from Led Zeppeling being very crackly played by the candle.

“Happy birthday!” Smiled Emily, holding the cake in front of his face. “Make a wish!”

#happy bday dean winchester #24th january #dean winchester #dean winchester bday #dean winchester birthday #dean winchester bday fic #sister winchester fic #little winchester fic #little sister supernatural fic #be the young #sister fic #supernatural fanfiction #Supernatural angst #supernatural sister fic

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adultswim2021 · 9 months

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Tasty Twosday (Tuesday)

Assy McGee #16: “Showdown in Magic City” | June 9, 2008 - 12:30AM | S02E10

Hey gang, long time no queef. I was back yesterday, and I actually sat down to watch+review this episode, but I wound up rage-quitting because the Adult Swim app wouldn’t let me rewind the episode to check on some very important detail. Oh well.

Also, I need to really apologize again. I am being targeted by harassers who think it’s funny to take my Tuesday posts (which, I’ve established, are rare because of my work schedule) and titling them stuff about “Tasty Tuesday”. There is nothing tasty about this day, this post, or this episode. In fact, it’s repugnant.

In this one, Assy and Sanchez investigate a Miami crime syndicate who are targeting jai alai players in Exeter. They wind up getting a little more than they bargained for when they sniff around their Miami turf. Sanchez is kidnapped, and they leave behind his mustache with his whole upper-lip attached. Gross! The ending involves a daring rescue and Sanchez’s disgusting disfigured face.

This one has a couple of moments that are at least somewhat funny; the theme song suddenly having lyrics is great. Actually, that’s it. That’s the only thing that’s great. Damn. Sad, but true.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

The Boondocks: The Complete Second Season (June 10, 2008)

Okay I’ll do the AI thing for this, because I really struggle with talking about DVD sets I never owned. Just go look up a review, sheesh:

The Complete Second Season of The Boondocks on DVD is a must-have for fans of the show. The season features all 13 episodes, as well as bonus features such as deleted scenes and commentaries. The episodes are just as funny and thought-provoking as the first season, and the bonus features are a great addition. Overall, this is a great DVD set for anyone who enjoys The Boondocks.

This did not mention the two originally-unaired-on-Adult-Swim episodes. Those are on there.

MAIL BAG

So, I saw the Venture Bros. finale over the weekend. I binged the last couple seasons as a refresher, as well as watching the seasons 1-4 and season 5 recap videos. Season 5 would’ve been good to watch again, but you know. I really liked it! I watched an ILLEGAL COPY because I knew I was going to buy the blu-ray eventually. But guess what? It’s sold out at all the places that still carry new blu-rays! So I ordered it on amazon like I should have, and it says it won’t come for AN ENTIRE MONTH. What the hell? I guess it’s heartening that the blu-ray is selling so well. But damn!

do you like assy mcgee better than axe cop

I haven’t seen a TON of Axe Cop. But, yes.

are you gonna do more Tasty Tuesdays in the future? That was fucking weird.

I need to reiterate that Tasty Tuesday is being forced onto me by some malicious trolls who hate me and they hate you and they hate our freedom. I’ve recieved many threatening letters from them telling me that if I make posts on Tuesday that “it’s over for you” referring to me. This is a twisted game they are playing. I would call it “twisted Tuesdays” but I don’t wanna give these FUCKERS ideas.

I think my ideal tasty tuesday is spaghetti, steak, and a handburger. I eat all of that before 2PM and I also have a full-fat coca-cola while on my work shift. Then I just snack all night. Nilla Wafers, pretzels, you name it. Happy Tasty Tuesday, Adult Swim 2021!

Wow, what a spread, sounds good to me. But, I refuse! I will not participate in this custom because it simply isn’t real and it’s being perpetrated by enemies.

Are you going to do tasty tuesday again? I've seen some weird stuff on this website but this particularly is pretty bizarre imho

Okay, I’m convinced that the person whose hacking my blog and making it say “Tasty Tuesdays” on my Tuesday posts is the one writing these Mail Bags. Fuck you, pal. If you are just a fan/best friend, I’m sorry.

what is tasty tuesday? say it! say IT!

NO!

Will we get an update for Tasty Tuesday I wonder>

>_<

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #assy mcgee

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morphogenetic · 1 year

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Mediaposting 2023, #12: Succession Season 2

i think I like season 2 Overall less than I do with season 1, but when the episodes are bangers (6, 7, 9, 10) they are fucking BANGERS.

i also have literally no idea where season 3 and 4 are gonna go. like other than the one spoiler I know about s4 [which I'm not really surprised happened at this point] and the fact that kendall gets a shaved head eventually....NO idea what happens. at all. other than the repercussions that I'm sure happen after ep 10 lol

more spoilery thoughts under the cut (though tbh they're more about what I think is gonna happen next season)

-I knew about the "can't make a tomlette without breaking a few greggs" line. vaguely. what I did NOT know was that the line was said in THE SENATE

-honestly just so many good tom and greg moments. "we here for you" is still so fucking funny. the water bottle thing. Tom complimenting greg on his blackmailing skills. it's all so toxic and so so good

-speaking of Tom. "i wonder if the sad I'd be without you is bigger than the sad i am with you" is such an augh line and it's phrased in such a tom way. divorce arc so real

-shiv was so real for letting rhea be ceo and then immediately leaving bc of the cruises stuff. she girlbossed too close to the sun in episode 6 but then girlbossed her way back down to earth too

-i REALLY want to see if Roman actually gets therapy or if they just let him suffer like they did w kendall only getting two days of rehab. im also feeling like he might get more attention next season since shiv was more focused on during s2, when kendall was most important for s1, so maybe each season is more focused on one particular character?

-it's also fascinating to me that even though Roman is clearly the comedic relief sibling...he's smarter than he looks. he couches it in a lot of acting like he doesn't know anything - and he doesn't a lot of the time, lol at him buying the wrong soccer team - but like...the piece of episode 10 where he doesn't think the buyout will work? and in a way where his dad won't really get mad at him for it? he's kind of incredible at socially engineering people, in the way that youngest siblings often are. i don't think he'll ever lead the company but he could definitely be a way bigger player next season

-i know the entire point of kendall is that he's incredibly inscrutable and hard to figure out and like, a+ to jeremys acting on this, but he is even more inscrutable than usual this season. which felt weird after season 1 where he was definitely complicated but at least I could understand what the fuck was going on with him. now I'm a little ???? about it. i guess that's what happens when he's more of a background player this season though

-...but the divide between ep 9 and ep 10 kendall is both wild and totally expected. constantly going between defending his dad and treating him like a God and then saying he's a horrible person? on point. 10/10 no notes

-also I didn't really start paying attention to this until near the end of the season but the way that people have conversations in terms of the physical space between them is so important. it stood out to me with Logan and his kids. with Roman and Logan they sit apart but not distant, like business partners. logan and shiv? at first they had business partner spacing, then they had family member spacing. logan and kendall? circling each other like fucking sharks until the very end where kendall kisses his dad on the cheek right before betraying him. God. peak

-(SPEAKING OF THAT. THE PHYSICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SHIV AND TOM DURING THE THREESOME CONVERSATION USED TO SHOW THE EMOTIONAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM. CHEFS KISS)

-ending the season on a boat was perfect after the season ends up being about the cruises drama. so perfect. i know it has the metaphor of pushing someone overboard too but (gestures) Boats

-i feel like I need to rewatch this season specifically when everything ends because a lot of the episodes felt....not pointless, totally, but more filler-y than season 1? like I really don't even remember what happened for most of the season outside of a few specific moments and I literally just watched it. idk. i mean the same is kind of true for season 1 but season 1 felt like it had more defined mini-arcs and I can remember more of what happened in that way

-i could write a whole thing on the pierces bc I think that was the most compelling part of the season outside of eps 9 and 10 but. ill spare you the details

-i like how by the end of the season greg is totally unimpressed by the size of the boat. luxury corruption arc

-tom and greg are absolutely having a screaming match next season about having the documents even after burning them and i cannot fucking WAIT

#(finished yesterday technically but I wanted to make this post sooner rather than later so)#mediaposting #successionwatch #junpei.txt

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sonneillonv · 2 years

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Okay! So I binge-watched A League Of Their Own and my opinions are thus (spoiler warning):

I don’t really like Greta and Carson. Like... I don’t much like either of them as people AND I don’t really like them as a couple. Absolutely no interest whatsoever in watching them make out and go through drama. No stakes whatsoever for me when Charlie came home - it was just another drop in the drama bucket. Here we go again 🙄. Charlie seems sweet, I guess we’ll see his true colors now that he Knows. But frankly, I think both of them act like assholes to others and to each other, and I honestly have a really hard time buying that they’re in love because it doesn’t feel like love to me. It feels like someone desperately painting love on a false front, hoping that’ll turn a cut-out into a real building. I can’t get into it. Like when Greta told Carson not to always come to her with her problems, and Carson was like “??? I’m just trying to TALK to you?” I just. Noped the fuck out. There’s nothing wrong with having a just-physical relationship if that’s what two (or more) people want, but you have to discuss that. It has to be okay all around. I think Greta spends the whole season taking ruthless advantage of Carson, taking exactly what she wants from her and slapping down what Carson wants, giving her just enough little bits of sweetness so she doesn’t wiggle off the hook entirely. Carson had more chemistry with Max, tbh, and I’m not quite sure I ship them...? Because there’s that whole ‘invisible white privilege’ thing going on...? But I definitely like their potential more than I like Greta and Carson’s actuality.

I am REALLY fucking invested in what Clance and Guy are going through. That sweet baby boy better come back alive and intact from this war or I s2g I’m gonna set a few tumblr posts on fire. And Clance had better get her comics out there. She is WAY too good to keep her drawings on the kitchen table, and now that she’s moving into more ‘real’ work (like, it can still be superheroes but it will resonate more with folks if it’s about real issues) I seriously think she has nowhere to go but up. I hope to god she and Max can work it out, because I do NOT want to lose Clance to homophobia, I love her so much.

Maxine Chapman has never done a goddamn thing wrong IN HER LIFE and yet she goes around apologizing to people all the time, and it pisses me off. That thing with Bert? Are you SHITTING me? He shows up to her home where she never invited him, where her best friend lives to whom she is not out yet, and hands her that suit and has the unmitigated GALL to be pissed at her because she’s not ready to be out and proud like him. And then SHE apologizes to HIM? Oh fuck no. He could have gotten her fucking lobotomized with that shit, he should have been apologizing to HER. Like, I am not exaggerating, we literally have dialogue in the show about how one family found out their daughter was a lesbian and ‘had her put away’. Max has every reason to be completely terrified of what would happen to her as a black butch lesbian in 1943, and Bert has no right whatsoever to make assumptions about whether she should be Out and how that will affect her. I am so angry about how that scene was handled. How do you walk into a baby queer’s house with a gnc gift and NOT see the terror on her face and see her frantically trying to explain your visit to her housemate who is eying you like you’re the one who handed Eve an apple and recognize that you fucked up.

Esther’s okay, I guess. Once again, she strikes me as a little bit of a jerk and I’m just not sure I actually like her with Max. Maybe it has less to do with her and more to do with how mad I am that Max keeps apologizing for shit that isn’t her fault. It makes me think Esther might take advantage of that or something, even without meaning to. She’s presented as someone who had to fight her way to where she is now, and it makes me wonder if she won’t reflexively try to keep Max down a little bit just so she can feel secure that she’s not about to be shown up.

Lupe, Jess, and Esti are my faves right now, in terms of friendship and family dynamics. I might have a little bit of a crush on Jess, also? But I honestly think I liked Carson best during that very brief honeymoon period when she and Lupe were perfectly in sync and playing ruthless baseball and finishing each other’s sentences and mirroring each other’s signs. As soon as Carson turned against Lupe I was like “oh so the farm girl goes IN the trash, got it”. Lupe and Jess trying to co-parent Esti despite Jess not speaking her language and them not really being a couple is the most wonderful hilarious thing I saw on this show, and Esti’s fierce love and loyalty toward Jess even though they communicate almost entirely through gestures is just *chef’s kiss*. And poor Esti, god, when she made that comment about how she feels like a ghost because she can’t talk to anyone, my heart fucking broke. But even then, Jess is right there proving that love isn’t what you say, it’s what you do, and you can tell if someone loves you by their actions. Jess never treats Esti like a ghost. When she runs off to the bus station, Jess is the first to notice she’s disappeared and to CARE about what her absence means. I honestly feel less charitable toward the rest of the team partially BECAUSE they ignore Esti so much. That little girl is freshly sixteen in ep08 and Jess is the ONLY one actively taking care of her??? TF is wrong with y’all? That is a whole baby trying to make it in a foreign country where she doesn’t even speak the language! Huddle up on her, damn.

So anyway, those are my thoughts on season 1, do with them what you will.

#aloto #sonne rants #sonne watches a league of their own

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carnellousthecat · 4 months

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So, two days ago marks the first day I've ever posted to a blog anywhere in my life, and I'm thirty years old lol. Been a lurker on this site for a long time, seen the seasons come and go, the trends

okay that's enough waxing poetical. My previous post proved a couple people might read my stuff so I'm gonna find something to talk about. I think today's topic will be... Super Smash Brothers

So story time, growing up I was a microsoft kid. Dad worked at microsoft, our pcs were windows, our consoles were xboxes, you know how it is. This means the only times I ever got to play any nintendo property was over at a friend's place. Back in high school one time I went to a friend's and there was a gamecube there. My friend was playing on the 360 so I was like "can I play the gamecube?" and my friend was like yeah totally bruh or something idk, 2010s shit lol. So I looked through the games and found: Metroid Prime. I thought, that's the character from Smash Brothers! I've always loved playing as her! I knew two things about her. One, she was secretly a woman under the suit, and two, she was from a game called Metroid. So here was my chance to play Metroid Prime.

I am not exaggerating when I say, that single session of Metroid Prime got me thirsting for the entire series, something I would not experience until earlier this year, when I heard Metroid Prime was available to play on the Nintendo Switch. I legit dropped like 300 dollars on a Switch just to play that. And pokemon. I'd never played pokemon, my girlfriend seems to like it. Maybe I should give it a go?

Anyway, now we come to the last couple of days. I finally caved and decided to buy myself super smash brothers ultimate, a game I had always dreamed of owning so I could practice and stand a chance against all my friends! I've been playing it almost nonstop since I bought it, it's such a blast, even did a couple fights with my girlfriend, that was fun!

And I got to thinking. What's the pro scene like?

See, I knew some things about the smash pro scene. I watched like maybe one or two matches, I knew that meme where the sweaty smash bros player goes "four stock, final destination, NO ITEMS!" and I always thought that was just... boring. When I played with my friends it was four player free for all every time, and we'd pick random fun stages and have a blast literally blasting each other into lava or acid or the sky or something. That just sounds a lot more fun to me.

So, if that's more fun to play, why does the pro scene sound so much more boring to someone like me who's only got a passing understanding of it and has never been interested? Whenever my more sweaty friends decided they'd have enough of the party game and went "1v1! Final Destination! No-" you get the picture, I immediately tuned out. I had no chance of winning because I didn't have any of the tools I used to use to get by in the free for all games. Doing unexpected things, spotting and using the right item at the right time, being more effective at platforming when the stage is falling out of the sky or something, and being tactical with who I engaged with and who I should just do that Godzilla meme with. You know the one. Those were skills I had from general gaming, and I could employ them in ways even my non-switch owning ass self could understand clearly and instantly.

So. If I, the casual consumer, was bored and tuned out every time the game inexplicably turned into Street Fighter, and had such a blast with literally anything other than that, then, why is that like the only type of thing they play at pro matches?

Limited stages to the most bare bones and simple ones. No free for all tournaments, but one v ones and team ones instead, absolutely no items save for the smash ball usually, someone correct me if I'm wrong but from my understanding that's the type of thing they do at tournaments.

See, I was talking to my friend who's an absolute legend veteran of fighting games, has been to tournaments, has a custom "hit box" I thought he called it, basically this chunky board with buttons and sticks like an old arcade game, coolest shit I've ever seen. I was trying to explain my frustrations and he said something that stuck with me, something along the lines of, any random element introduced into a match immediately ruins it. I was trying to explain that in my hypothetical smash bros tournament the victor wouldn't be decided by a single match but probably five matches in random stages or more so the law of averages applies and whatnot (not sure that's what the law of averages is but ykwim) but, you know, even in random chaos, play enough matches and a clear victor emerges, that's always been the norm with sports. You don't do a single bout of football, you smash into your opponents again and again and again and again for hours to make abundantly clear when one team has absolutely destroyed the other and there can be no question about it.

So, what makes a good sport. Not even esport, what makes a fun and watchable sport. I have a few ideas.

Personalities. You need recognizable names and personalities that the layman can easily get to know in a way that little narratives and rivalries and legends start to form around them. This is something in esports already obviously.

Simplicity and readability. A person just tuning into a football match for the first time in their life should be able to quickly pick up what's going on.

Relatability. The sport should be a high stakes version of a game we all play. Who hasn't played catch, or thrown a football, or kicked a futbol, or swung a tennis racket at least once in their life. You have experience with the sport and you know how it's played because you have played it.

Excitement. A match of a sport should have an ebb and flow, it should change in easily understandable ways, you need to be able to tell easily when one team is winning and the other team is losing, when they're having a comeback, when things are getting exciting because they're changing.

Skill. When watching the sport it should be immediately abundantly clear to all watching who is the single best player in the world.

So putting all this stuff together, let me tell you what I learned from experimenting with the game for the past couple days.

I was on my own mostly so I had to play with bots. I missed the free for alls so I did that, four player ffa, I always liked some of the items so I turned select ones on at low frequency or whatever, they show up less often, and on every match I'd switch to a different stage that looked interesting.

I was pretty rusty so I experimented a bit with the CPU difficulty until I was just about able to hold my own just enough that the outcome wasn't always sure, I would win about 1/4 of the time, which should happen when there's four players.

But then for kicks I swapped to the one v one final destination style, with the simple stages and such. And I discovered something amazing.

Even though there was no one on my team helping me, the cpu player at the exact same difficulty as the FFA game became a complete pushover, I had to go up two difficulty levels just for it to stand a chance. I noticed from observing that the lower difficulty npc was acting in some very odd ways. Doing things players never ever do. Sometimes they'd walk slowly unshielded. Sometimes they'd just stand still, any player of smash bros knows the name of the game is keep moving at all times, depending on the character you might try to never touch the ground. And I'm sure 90% of players don't know it's even possible to walk slowly. The npc had a handicap on that made it behave in a way that was SO much easier than any real player.

So... why was the FFA harder at the same npc difficulty?

I thought about it and see, computers have an ability that humans will never be able to replicate. The ability to think instantly. They can absorb almost any amount of basic information and follow algoritms on it in a heartbeat. Essentially what this means is that an NPC player is omnipresent. It knows and processes every single bit of input, event, any change that happens to the stage even though they're on the opposite side of the map, instantly frame by frame, and this ability is SO powerful that they had to add a ridiculous handicap that made the computer players do shit real players never ever do.

And then I thought. What if a human could do that?

Imagine if you will, a huge stage, four players duking it out in FFA, items raining on them, the stage changing dramatically, sometimes even purposefully by players, the stage being selected at random every subsequent match until a clear winner from the four is declared.

But the people playing are the greatest Smash Brothers Ultimate players in the entire world.

Wouldn't you pay to see that? I would absolutely pay to see that.

See, what happens when you introduce "random elements" is that the pro player has to have a response ready in reflex time for every single possible event that could change the board state. They'd have to learn the intricacies and mechanics of every single stage in the game. They'd have to familiarize themselves with every item and be able to pick out which it is when there's a mosh pit of four players scrambling on top of it with a bunch of flashing effects and kicks. There might be item metas, which are unique to every stage, there might be special tactics about when to engage and when to stay out of a bout because it benefits that lone player in the mosh pit.

The thing about a 3v3 co op match is that there are only two possible outcomes. One team wins, or the other team wins. So yeah, it's excitingg when they're getting close to winning. You probably have one team you like that you'd rather won the match and so when it gets close to that happening or not happening you get excited.

Well, imagine if every match actually had 4 possible endings. Four personalities, four titans of Smash, who know every single stage by heart, who have items they prefer over others, who are known for being good at Corneria but not at... idk that metroid one that's constantly spinning and there's lava under it and everyone hates that map but unexplicably Sonicfox is unstoppable there. And as stocks start to dwindle, these unbeatable and instantly recognizable titans start to get picked off one by one by one.

See that's what I learned. I played free for all games with like 6 npc players and me, it was chaos, things were happening everywhere constantly all over the screen. And when I got knocked out early I stuck around to watch and see how it turns out. Maybe I'd get knocked out SUPER early and there's still like four players on the board.

Now imagine that situation at a event. One person is knocked out. And then another. And then another. It's down to three of them now and while your favorite player is out already two of them you also love but one you despise with pure rage. And the two you like are fighting each other instead of the one you hate, and they're about to both get knocked out! Then it's just down to the one you hate and the one you love, after that arduous chaos, that gauntlet of insanity it's just down to one player against the other.

And then the guy you hate wins.

But don't worry, there's ten more rematches to go, and maybe they'll get corneria! Your favorite Ducunt player might still have a chance.

This is what I'm saying. Super Smash Brothers is severly slept on, it has SO much potential. The developers crafted a game with an incredible cavalcade of mechanics and the esports only interact with like maybe 20% of them. And if you walk from the smash game to the guilty gear or tekken or street fighter booths or even other arena fighters and what have you, you're in for just about the same thing. A couple of guys or more hitting each other like it's a boxing match.

Which is exciting! Obviously! Boxing matches are fucking exciting as hell! But if you want a boxing match you could go to the boxing match booth, or you could go to the six player free for all extravaganza that reminds you of that tv show with all the squids.

I think about this kind of thing often. Games like Chivalry pit armies of 32 players against each other in huge objective based modes. It's a hell of a lot of fun to play, but what if every single player there was a master at their craft? What if that huge 32 player team was like an entire army of personalities who've mastered the art of cooperation on the field of battle, professional warriors at their peak cooperating like an entire football team, with demarcated leadership, with a single general or whatever, professional comm chatter. It would be like a world record Wow guild doing a thingy thing but it's PVP and the entire world is watching.

I would pay to watch that. Wouldn't you?

#super smash ultimate #super smash bros #fighting games

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bullfrogjoy · 5 months

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Bullfrog Joy

December 15, 2023

Good Morning! Nine more days till Christmas. Seven more days till family is here. Gonna take a break from Bullfrog Joy to just relax and enjoy. I don’t even need any snow this year. The November snow was enough!!! I am loving this sunshine in December.

Funny joyful story, at least to me. Yesterday was my day to help serve a Christmas lunch at Macomb High School. At first I felt really weird being in the school that is such a rival to my Titans, but it was OK. I didn’t tell anyone! Thought about wearing my Titan sweatshirt but decided that might not be in good taste. Anyway, the project went fine though I spilled a bit of taco meat in my trunk. (easy cleanup because the mat comes out!) After the lunch, I decided I needed a Diet Coke for the drive home. Thought about Casey’s, but I didn’t have my refill cup. Decided on McDonalds. I went inside, saw a sign that said 1.00 and ordered. Then she said, “That will be 1.99.” What??? OK, the sign said buy one, get one for 1.00. I looked at her, decided it was too much to spend on a Coke I probably shouldn’t be drinking any way, and left. She gave me a pretty weird look.

Good for me, right? Well, I drove past Ayrco where the sign advertised 32 oz. drink for a dollar. More my style! I went in…only Pepsi products. Doesn’t matter, I was really thirsty and this was a deal. It tasted sooooo good! Not gonna switch to Pepsi for good, but for a deal, I can do it!

My day ended yesterday with the last two episodes of Joe Pickett on Paramount +. I read the entire book series by C. J. Box last year, at least 20 books. They are so good, easy to read, great stories, great characters. I love Joe Pickett. I even like Nate Romanowski, who often saves Joe’s life, though he doesn’t have as much loyalty to the law as Joe does, and he occasionally rips the bad guy’s ear off. The series is really nothing like the book, but it was still fun. Season number 2 tried to incorporate three books into 10 shows. Joe is pretty much how I pictured him. Nate is so different from the book, but I began to like him a little better. I am ready for the next season!

Pretty selfish joys, huh? I have lots of things to get done in the next few days to be ready for family to show up, but sometimes we just need to “chill” a little bit and take care of ourselves. The things that we need to do will eventually get done, even if I have to stay up a little later. The house will look good, the presents will all be wrapped and the food will get prepared. (the Christmas cards might go out after Christmas…oops!) There are still eight more days.

Let’s just enjoy this season of Christmas. Go see some Christmas lights. Go out for ice cream. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Go for a walk in this wonderful December weather. Jan rode his bike to the farm today. I walked outside. I have a friend who has pledged to walk outside every day in December. If the weather stays like this she will fulfill her pledge!

So my friends, let’s work at being joyful during the next couple of week. Sometimes I am sure it won’t be easy. Other times the laughter will be loud. When I think of Mary and Joseph having a baby outside in a barn, I wonder how they did it. Want to try celebrating Jesus’ birthday outside? So thankful for my home, even if it doesn’t quite meet the white glove inspection.

So slow down a little my friends. Make some lists, cross things off as you get them done.

Jesus is the reason for the season, the reason for the joy. “Joy to the World! All the boys and girls now. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea. Joy to you and me.” Sing it out!!! I dare you! And “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her king!” Merry Christmas! See you next year!

#christmas #joy #joe pickett

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snwusberry · 5 months

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warning(s): language

masterlist | next

THIS IS FICTION AND DOESN'T DEPICT THE ACTUAL PEOPLE IRL

♧ kaya's point of view ♧

fuck the festive season.

thank you for your time.

ever since miyoung decided to pitch in the idea of having a secret santa for the family 2 years ago, it's been a mission and a half trying to enjoy christmas. especially because i don't know what in the fuck to buy mr choi.

anyway, hayoon dragged us to the mall because poor thing hasn't gone out for leisure ever since she fell pregnant in the beginning of the year. she finally popped that little fucker out in october but she's been so busy working and being a mother that she barely got any down time to truly relax and go out for leisure, she's been making so many plans to go out and have a good time all while yeonjun stays home with the baby.

we're currently staying a few weeks at the choi household where our partner's parents are living.

they have 5 kids which are all men and three of them are in stable relationships, two of which are married.

the first to get married being yeonjun who got married to hayoon 4 years ago, second being jongho who's married to miyoung, they got married last year.

the other three left are beomgyu, my boyfriend of 4 years, san and soobin.

i met beomgyu at yeonjun's wedding. my brothers who are friends with the choi brothers were invited and brought me along because i would've been home alone.

it was a beautiful, outdoor ceremony taking place at a gorgeous chapel and there sat beomgyu looking glorious right in front.

i knew what i had to do so i approached him during the reception. i thought it would be just a failed attempt but he ended up ditching the bridesmaid he was paired with and spent pretty much the whole night with me much to my brother's dismay.

he's friends with beomgyu so he was a bit skeptical and then yeosang was against me having a relationship all in all, not at all happy with the whole arrangement. he warmed up to him eventually though so it's all good.

"hayoon, you've been looking at baby outfits the entire day." miyoung

♧ beomgyu's point of view ♧

okay deep breath, you got this.

what exactly? well i'm glad you asked even though you literally didn't. i'm planning on proposing to the girl of my dreams and nightmares depending on what mood i catch her in and as corny as it sounds, i've never felt happier nor have i see myself as happy as i am with her.

"bro relax." yeonjun tells me from where he's sitting, a baby in his arms that he's feeding literal air because there is nothing in that bottle.

"how can i? what if she says no or she's not ready? or what if she thinks it's rushed and breaks up with me?" i respond with nothing but panic and worry in my voice.

"or... get this right? she says yes." soobin asks in the corner.

"i can't do this guys." i say, plopping myself down on the couch.

"that's because you're already telling yourself everything will go wrong. you need to calm down."

"that's because everything went well for you and you're happily married. what about me?"

"man, what about you?" yeonjun says. "you already planned everything and asked her to cancel her plans for this. don't be a little pussy, everything will go according to plan, okay?"

the baby - minji, who is yeonjun and hayoon's daughter -starts crying hysterically and he excuses himself to go calm her down since her mother is out somewhere. now i'm left with soobin who's also about to give me the same story yeonjun did.

"just don't think too much okay? by the end of the day you'll see we were right when you come back home with your fiancée."

"change of plans, no one's proposing." jongho walks in with san behind him.

"what do you mean?"

"san would you like to share with the class?"

"no i'm good."

"he lost the ring."

"WHAT?"

footnote: i'm gonna be so real with you guys, there's gonna be a lot of pov changes throughout this. theres a reason i swear 😭. please bare with me

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