#did a different coloring from san's set <3 i really like this one

[fencer-x]

SasaMyaa FujiSai Event (afternoon) Report

So! Today I attended the afternoon part of the SasaMyaa "Fujisai" event, a kind of post-Graduation Movie event to look back on it and have fun with the cast, which included the VAs of Sasaki, Miyano, Hirano, Kagiura, and Tashiro and Kuresawa as well. For ease of readers' understanding, I'll use the character names for the VAs throughout this report.

The stage (Yamano Hall, in Yoyogo, Tokyo) was set up to look like an actual festival, with little booths for games around the stage. This will become relevant later XD The audience was overwhelmingly women, but there were a few guys there too (including a few clearly there on their own as fans and not as boyfriends/husbands to their fan-wives).

The event opened with a small video recap of the movie, and then Tashiro and Kuresawa came out to introduce everyone as the MCs for the event. There was a huge monitor over the stage, through which were streamed live feeds of the actors (ostensibly for closeups so that the people in the back could get a good look at the stage, but also probably for future DVD releases).

All the actors introduced themselves, but when it came to Hirano's VA's turn to introduce himself, he shouted "Hirano~!" as a prompt for the audience. Except the audience had no idea what we were supposed to respond with (Taiga???), so he was greeted with DEAD SILENCE. Poor guy XD But then after a brief discussion of why he bombed so hard, Kagi's VA decided to try it too, and "Kagiura~!" was greeted with "Akira~!" from the audience XDDD He then explained that he'd really wanted to do a call-response with a different phrase, so we all let him say, "Hirano-san is so…" and then we responded with, "…nice!" He did this several times throughout the event--Kagi's VA is very clearly the biggest KagiHira shipper out there XD

The next segment was spent discussin favorite scenes from the movies, decided in pairs (SasaMyaaand KagiHira, and then Tashiro and Kuresawa chose by themselves). This was made even better because, in MST3K style, the guys would riff on the scene while it was being played on the monitors lol. Sasaki's VA in particular loved lampooning his own performance. The favorite scenes were as follows:

1) SasaMyaa: the opening scene on the train platform 2) Kuresawa: Miyano and Satoko's conversation in the park 3) Tashiro: Sasaki summoning Miyano to the empty classroom after he got his acceptance letter 4) KagiHira: the very last scene with the smooch in the committee room, but SPECIFICALLY the crumbs of Kagi and Hirano you get in that scene

The next segment was UPCOMING NEWS!

Sanrio collab! I know zilch about these characters except that Hello Kitty is paired with Ogasawara, and that feels Correct. (Dec 18 to Jan 8)

Illustration Exhibition for SasaMyaa/KagiHira + Yurukyun BL from gene pixiv (Dec 23 to Jan 15)

The stage play is going to stream on U-next! It'll be a lot easier for people to see it now, and I'm hoping that means a DVD release is right around the corner. It deserves it!!

Then it was TIME FOR SOME GAMES. The object was for each of the four main cast members to play each of the three games for 30 seconds each, 90 seconds total, and whoever got the most points in each game in total would win. The games were:

1) Super Ball Scoop (scooping up as many little rubber bouncy balls from a bucket of water using a scoop made of tissue and ergo prone to breaking after just a few scoops) 2) Ring Toss (toss rings onto a stake) 3) Shooting (use a little cork gun to knock over targets) [one extra challenge here is that the targets were all color-coded in the characters' colors and you were only supposed to knock over your own character's targets--except Miyano's blue and Kagi's teal are VERY SIMILAR COLORS so the VAs were whining about not being able to tell them apart XDDD]

All in all, these were the final totals after everyone's attempts: Miyano: 33 points Kagiura: 65 points Sasaki: 83 points Hirano: 64 points

A clear win for Sasaki's VA XDDDD

The next corner was a weird goofy 'fortune telling' corner where Tashiro and Kuresawa's VAs pretended to be fortune tellers for the two couples, except the VAs weren't playing their characters, they were just randomly improving being some kind of couple, idk XD the KagiHira segment went totally off the rails and resulted in Kagi and Hirano's VAs rushing each other on stage into a passionate hug, which you can understand the audience was THRILLED by XD

And last but not least for the event was…an original short story live reading. This was brand new content, performed live in person. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC.

The setting was one month post-graduation (so a bit before current canon, but not too much), and it opened with Miyano and Kuresawa waiting for Tashiro to meet up with them. After Tashiro arrives late from helping an old lady carry some heavy bags home, they recall the previous year's cultural festival (aka their second-year festival, Sasaki and Hirano's third-year festival).

Elsewhere, Sasaki and Hirano are hanging out, having run into each other. Hirano asks what Sasaki is up to, he says he's killing time to meet up with Miyano for a date later--what about Hirano? Hirano is, of course, cagey, but says "something along those lines." They too recall the previous year's cultural festival and how Tashiro had spilled juice on some cardboard boxes, sending Miyano running to them looking for spare cardboard boxes they could use.

Hirano had tried getting in contact with Hanzawa to find out where more boxes were, but he was out of reach, which really ticked Hirano off. Miyano "casually" mentioned reading in a BL manga recently that getting a hug from someone was a great stress-reliever, as it triggered a release of endorphins and made you feel much calmer. Hirano thinks this is bunk and goes off to look for Hanzawa himself.

Left alone, Sasaki brings up all the stuff he's been having to do to prep for this festival…and booooyyy has it really heaped a bunch of stress on him, and does Miyano think that a hug might help? It sure would be nice…

Just as he's about to laugh it off as a joke, like usual, Miyano grudgingly agrees, if Sasaki really is that stressed.

Back in the present, Miyano recalls this moment himself and squeaks.

Hirano gets a text (from presumably Kagi) and parts ways with Sasaki, telling him "Say hi to Miyano for me." When he meets up with Kagi, Kagi asks if he's been waiting long, and Hirano brushes him off, saying, "Nah, I was just talking to Sasa--er, an old classmate of mine." Good for you, Hirano; you've finally learned to avoid triggering Kagi's jealousy unnecessarily. Gold star!

Hirano mentions remembering that previous cultural festival, and Kagi recalls it too--especially the part where he'd heard that hugging someone could help reduce their stress and had taken his chance with Hirano then. When Hirano had been confused (but not pushing him away) about why Kagi was hugging him, Kagi had explained that it was part of their 10-second-touching time, doing the countdown and everything (bruh idk why but it did something to me finally hearing actual mention of that rule in the characters' voices! Felt like it's closer to being animated, even though it's definitely going to take some time…)

The main thing I took from this short story was: KAGI AND HIRANO STILL AREN'T DATING IN FUCKING OCTOBER??!?!?! FUCK ME.

Aaaand that was about it! I can't attend the evening show, but I'm excited to hear what happens there! Hope you enjoyed this little peek!

#sasaki to miyano #sasaki and miyano #reports

[jamesunderwater]

hi!! could i please hear about your country roads wip? thank you :)

Hi Fyre!! ohhh I'm so excited to share about this one because my thoughts on it have changed recently. prepare for a lot of ramblings...

so it started out as this 70s vibes, roadtrip-across-America, queer found family type fic that had a trans Lily Evans run away from home and cross paths with the Black brothers, who were also trans teen runaways. the three ramble around the country collecting other queer companions and wind up in a small town in midwest America where the closeted James Potter works on his parent's farm.

I did start writing this and I like what I have so far, but a few months ago, I think I was listening to an audiobook or something about queer history, and I started thinking about the lesser-known experiences of AIDS. specifically for trans people, people of color, sex workers, bisexual people, and anyone essentially not living in a big city (or honestly anywhere that wasn't san fran, nyc, philly, or maybe chicago).

so yeah - I decided I wanted to turn it into a fic that was really endeavoring to honor those experiences. not just for representation, but to also witness how HIV/AIDS was not and is not a gay white man's disease, how there are in fact so many other identities that can be at risk for contracting HIV too, and how back then, no one really even knew who was "safe" and who wasn't. i also wanted to show what chosen family really meant in the context of that time.

So my plan is to workshop each of the characters again, and then see what the story turns into. it will still have the same general concept -- queer road trip, found family, etc., and hopefully start with Lily running away and end with them all coming to the Potter farm -- but will be set in the 80s and by that very nature will be heavily about HIV/AIDS. once I am sure I actually have the time/energy to really give to it, I plan to reach out on different discords and blogs to see if someone who is a queer person of color wants to write it together or something? or at the very least find people to alpha and beta read it for me as I go, but I'd really prefer at least some of it actually be written by people with the identities I don't share.

idk, it's a big endeavor and maybe I am biting off more than I can chew and it'll never happen? who knows. but the idea of writing it feels like a love letter to some of my lost loved ones, so i'd like to at least try and do something with it.

thanks for asking! <3

#country roads fic #wip tag #the marauders #hp #queer marauders

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Epel Felmier Dorm Uniform Personal Story: Part 3

"Let me goooo!!"

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

―Time machine delivery day

???: …pel... Epel!

[Ignihyde Dorm – Lounge]

Epel: Yeaaahhnn…?

Epel: Eh… Woah, when did I fall asleep!? 'N wait, why're ya… why are you here?

Vil: I came to check up on you, since your deadline is noon today. Good grief, I cannot believe you fell asleep on the floor like this.

Vil: So? Is the time machine finished?

Epel: Ah… We did. Please look at this!

Epel: You know how there's the story that the "Fairest Queen of All" made some poisoned apples?

Epel: I tried using that as my motif.

Epel: First, you can see that the whole exterior is painted the color of a ripe and shiny red apple.

Epel: It should make anyone want to reach out to grab it… Basically, I wanted to focus on making it look as delicious as possible!

Vil: Mhm… Continue.

Epel: Yessir. Another cool thing I added to the machine is a design that disappears when it's stopped, but appears when it's activates.

Epel: I'm going to turn it on to test it out, so please watch.

Vil: ! There's paint on the tire that was tucked underneath… Is this a drawing of a skull?

Epel: Yes! 'Cause it's said that a skull appeared on the poisoned apple that the Queen made before it turned all shiny and red…

Epel: I tried putting the skull mark somewhere that can't be seen from the outside until it starts up.

Epel: This here's my best attempt at an "appropriately beautiful" time machine!

Vil: …Let me ask you one thing. What was your reason for changing the motif to the poison apple?

Epel: Uhh… When I tried to incorporate the peacock into the design, I really couldn't tell if it was any good, or if it was terrible…

Epel: But then, I reckoned no one's better'n me when it comes ta makin' apples all pretty…!!

Vil: …...

Vil: …Heh. Finally, you were able to find a design that just screams "you."

Epel: …! Yes, sir!

Vil: Alright then, I'll leave the key to this magical wheel with you, Epel.

Epel: Eh? Why me?

Vil: I'll be heading back ahead of you, so you should deliver the time machine to the film club.

Vil: It still needs to be delivered by noon, as scheduled, so don't be late. Understand?

Epel: …If you're in a rush, you should just take it yourself… Wait, hold on!?

Epel: Does that mean that I'm allowed to ride it all the way to the set, then…?

Epel: Oooooooooooo yayyy!!!

Idia: Urgh… Epel-shi, so noisy… You're making my sleep-deprived head throb...

Epel: Ah! S-Sorry, Idia-san.

Epel: I can't believe I'm gonna get to ride on a magic wheel, I've been wanting to do this forever… And it's one I actually designed.

Epel: ―Okay, I gotta go fast all the way to the main building!

[Main Street]

Film Club Student A: Hm…? What's that? Something's coming at us from the main gate.

Rook: That's a magical wheel. The one riding it is… Ah, Monsieur Pommette, or rather, Epel-kun.

Film Club Student A: The vehicle looks shiny just like a real apple… And it's so beautiful, it really goes with his Pomefiore dorm uniform.

Film Club Student B: And on top of that, while he's driving that thing, Epel-kun has a different kind of glow from his usual fragile looking self.

Film Club Student C: I agree. His dignified gaze, his dauntless grin… I'm so drawn in that I cannot look away.

Rook: Did you hear that, Vil? Everyone has nothing but praise for Epel-kun!

Vil: Fufu, it seems it was a hit with the potatoes.

Epel: Ah… There they are! Vil-san! I've come to deliver the product, as promised.

Epel: Gotta put it in park… alright. Uh, alright, I'll be leaving then.

Vil: Not yet, Epel. Stay right there.

Vil: ―Film club members, lend me your ears! I have an announcement to make on our next film.

Vil: About the previously undecided lead role… I've decided to give the part to Epel here.

Epel: Eh… Ehh!?

Vil: You all saw it, yes? Saw how Epel looked while riding the time machine.

Vil: I believe that there is no one more suited for the lead role than this one here. Are there any objections?

Rook: His arrival on the time machine earlier definitely did look to be like a scene one would see in a movie.

Film Club Student B: That's true. I have to give props for how awe-inspiring it was. I suppose I can let him take the spotlight this time.

Epel: W-Wait a moment. Wasn't I just here to help with the design…?

Vil: It's been decided. I'll make sure to thoroughly train you into a proper actor, so best prepare yourself.

Vil: First, we'll need to get you in costume. Costume designers, take Epel to the club room.

Film Club Students: Yes, sir!

Epel: I-I never said anything about doing… Let me goooo!!

Vil: …The way his eyes sparkle when it's something he's interested in versus not is much too different. Really, he truly is a troublesome little apple.

Rook: I agree that the Epel-kun we saw just now was glowing much differently than yesterday…

Rook: Were you perhaps planning this as your finale the whole time?

Vil: ―Now, I wonder.

(Part 1) (Part 2) Part 3

#twisted wonderland #twst #epel felmier #vil schoenheit #rook hunt #idia shroud #twst epel #twst vil #twst rook #twst idia #twst translation

[eepyartz]

Did you know i have a nanbaka oc-? Heres some info

《 тнιѕ тємρℓαтє ωαѕ crєαтє∂ вy 》

:leaves: υρα :anger:

∂σ ทστ rємσvє мy crє∂iτs

╔════════↝✾↜════════╗

gєиєяαℓ ιиfσямαтισи

╚════════↝✾↜════════╝

❝❞

ทαмє

NanaJunni Aiko Sugoroku

ρrσทυทciατiσท

Nana-Juu-Ni  Ai-Ko Su-go-ro-Ku

мєαทiทg

The number 72

Aiko-Little loved one

ทicкทαмє(s)

Nana , Chīsana (meaning tiny) , JuJu-San NaJuni

αgє

16-18

gєท∂єr

Female

вirτн∂αy

December 21st, 2004

ʑσ∂iαc

Sagittarius ♐️

╔═══════↝✾↜═══════╗

ρнysicαℓ

╚═══════↝✾↜═══════╝

❝Why is this course so,difficult..❞

нєigнτ

5'5(165.1 cm)

ωєigнτ

46kg (101 lbs)

вℓσσ∂ τyρє

B

αℓℓєrgiєs

None

Nails

-Medium length and sharp

-Their painted in the colors of purple, green and yellow one color on each nail

∂isσr∂єrs/cσท∂iτiσทs?

Separation Anxiety

Possible Anger issues

iทsσмทiα?

No, she likes staying up late

╔═══════↝✾↜═══════╗

αρρєαrαทcє

╚═══════↝✾↜═══════╝

❝mm..my hair is already pretty❞

нαir cσℓσυr

Lavender with blonde streaks

нαir ℓєทgτн

Mid-back length

єyє cσℓσυr

Dark red, but in different lightnings it looks like a different color

scαrs & вirτнмαrкs

Most of her scars are from being experimented on which can be seen on her bandaged arms

She has a mole above her eyebrow

-Along with #72 tattooed on her upper part of her left shoulder

None

sкiท τσทє

Almond

Race

-Blasian (Black Asian)

cℓστнєs

-She wears a dark navy blue colored Sleeveless turtleneck bodysuit shorts (or Halter Unitard) under her prison uniform like its a jacket with the upper half wrapped around her waist

Physical Appearance

She is a almond skinned young lady with messy curly hair that falls to her back colored lavender with blonde streaks

☆ Nanbaka OC Template ☆-[BC]《 тнιѕ тємρℓαтє ωαѕ crєαтє∂ вy 》

[C] ∂σ ทστ rємσvє мy

вσ∂y τyρє

-Slim Pear body shape

╔═════════↝✾↜═════════╗

ρєrsσทαℓ ιиfσямαтισи

╚═════════↝✾↜═════════╝

❝Hm..?❞

sєxυαℓiτy

Straight Ally

σccυρατiσท

Inmate

ℓiкєs

-Staying up late, Sleeping in the guard room

-Being around her brothers

∂isℓiкєs

-being away from her brothers too long

-Samon (sometimes)

-sudden loud noises

нσввiєs

-Drawing brought her some sort of comfort while she was in different prisons

ƒєαrs

-Being Separated from her family

-Losing her loved ones

-Going back to Elf/Losing control of herself

ωєαкทєssєs

[look at fears]

Family

-Hanji Sugoroku (39-45) Father

-Penny Sugoroku (36-47) Mother

-Hajime Sugoroku- Oldest brother

-Hitoshi Sugoroku- Second older brother

Enhanced Abilities

-jumping

-Strength

-Eyesight

ƒigнτiทg cαραвiℓiτiєs

-Stealth

criмє

[Unknown] but, its assumed attempted murder

sєทτєทcє

To be locked up in nanba prison and stay there

cєℓℓ & вυiℓ∂iทg

Cell 13,Building 13

вαcкgrσυท∂

She was born into a happy family but, she sadly didn't get to spend many years with them after being taken so, suddenly at the age of six by some man

iทƒαทcy

She was quite a calm baby she never really cried much

cнiℓ∂нσσ∂

The last time she was happy other than her baby years, she was kinda more talkative than she is now

α∂σℓєscєทcє

Not much is know about theses years of her life but, she doesn't have any good memories behind it

╔═══════↝✾↜═══════╗

ρєrsσทαℓiτy

╚═══════↝✾↜═══════╝

❝I don't really like talking to people much..❞

(brief description of personality)

• She's a very shy and soft spoken individual, she's not really the talkative type after being experimented on by Elf. She used to be but, not now it'd take her a good little while to come out of her shell again

☆ sτατisτics ☆

☆ 8/10 cσммσท sєทsє ☆

☆ 9/10 iทτєℓℓigєทcє ☆

☆ 7/10 sταмiทα ☆

☆ 6/10 ωis∂σм ☆

☆ 5/10 cнαrisмα ☆

☆ 8/10 αgiℓiτy ☆

☆ 6/10 ρατiєทcє ☆

☆ 5/10 τємρєr ☆

☆ 3/10 sєℓƒ cσทƒi∂єทcє ☆

☆ 5/10 sєℓƒ єsτєєм ☆

☆ 6/10 sєℓƒ cσทτrσℓ ☆

☆ 10/10 ρнysicαℓ sτrєทgτн ☆

☆ 7/10 мєทταℓ sτrєทgτн ☆

☆ 9/10 rєƒℓєxєs ☆

☆ 5/10 ∂єƒєทsє ☆

☆ 8/10 єscαρiทg ☆

Trivia(Facts)

-She has two sets of shackles on her one on each one of her wrists and one on each of her ankles. The ones around the wrist turn into like claws

-The ones on the ankles change into anything that help her climb walls(?)

-She tends to accidentally stray off from her brothers when shes with them in different buildings wondering the halls

-She likes drawing with chalk

-She gets shy so, she hides behind hajime

-she has a secret stuff animal that she named peanut and its a teddy bear 🧸 that hitoshi looks over for her

-When she gets sad she just lays on her teddy bear for awhile

Voice Claim

Mha-Bubble Girl

Voice claim- Adult

Mha- Mei Hatsume

#oc info #nanbaka oc #original character

[paleparearchive]

Somebody's Story

Rembrandt's initial 4★ story (3/3) ( 1 - 2 - 3 )

Location: library (morning) | Characters: Rembrandt, Courbet, Aoi/MC

Rembrandt: Huh, the door is stuck? I don't think I hit it thaaaat hard.

Aoi: What should I do, I can't even get the first aid kit because of this…!

Rembrandt: Hahaha, there's no need to panic. See, I'm alive, right?

Aoi: But…!

Rembrandt: Hmmm, then… Can you give me your hand, Palette-chan?

Aoi: Eh? … Ah.

Rembrandt: Right, your hands on my head. Don't move theeem.

… Pain, pain, go awaaay!

Aoi: Uh, uhm…

Rembrandt: Yup yup, I'm all better now. Your hands are magic hands, Palette-chaan.

Aoi: No, I didn't do anything…

Rembrandt: At least now we don't have to worry about this anymore. Now we just have to worry about the door, right?

Aoi: (I don't think it can be cured with just that thing… On the contrary, I think he was concerned about me panicking.)

(He doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get locked out, Rembrandt-san is surprisingly mature…)

Rembrandt: Well, it sounded pretty loud, so Courbet-kun will probably come to the rescue. Until then, let's just organize the study as we originally intended.

Aoi: … No, that is indeed not the case. You hit your head, so you should rest.

Rembrandt: Okaaay. Then it's time for me to listen to you, Palette-chan. Hold on. I'll get out my notebook for notes now...

Rembrandt: What should I ask you? We won't go out of here unless the sun sets…

Aoi: … If that's the case, would you allow me to listen to your story? I would also like to know many things about you, Rembrandt-san.

Rembrandt: … Hmmmm. There's nothing interesting about my story, you know? The time I've spent is empty, with no substance.

Aoi: That's not–

Rembrandt: … Ah. But–

After Palette-chan came to the museum, things have been a bit different.

Aoi: …!

Rembrandt: I don't know how to say it… Regardless of the intention, all the time we spend is colored on its own. Fun, vibrant... Hahaha, it's a little too bright for me.

Even now, I'm glad I'm not the only one trapped hereee. If you're all alone, you can't listen to anyone.

Aoi: Rembrandt-san…

Rembrandt: I always fall down or fall into the river, but today was rather good for me. Earlier, I fell down and hit my head with all my might. Hahaha, how did I fall down thereee?

Aoi: I should have organized it on a regular basis. I think I'm partly responsible for this. I'm sorry.

Rembrandt: Huuuh? It's not your fault at all, okay, Palette-chan? This kind of thing happens all the time.

Aoi: Oh... Please be careful. I'm always a little worried about that.

Rembrandt: Hahaha, thaaanks. You're kind.

… I still want to hear your story. When you're involved, everything seems more interesting.

Aoi: … Is that so? I'm glad you think so, but…

Rembrandt: Fufufu, well then, let's get right to iiit. Let's see, first–

*knock knock*

Rembrandt: !

Courbet: Hey, what was that noise back there? Was it you, Rembrandt?

Rembrandt: Wow, you really came to the rescueee. Actually, I think the door is broken and we can't get out.

Aoi: Courbet-kun, can I ask you to try to open it from your side?

Courbet: Is the deputy director with you as well? … Alright, just wait a minute.

Aoi: I'm glad we got out safely… Courbet-kun, thank you.

Courbet: Geez, be careful.

Rembrandt: But it was worthwhile. Let me interview you again.

Aoi: Yes!

(... If we had just kept talking... I wonder what he would have asked me. I hope I'll have time to talk to you again, Rembrandt-san.)

#card tl #card translation #palepare #palepare tl #palette parade #palette parade tl #translation #rembrandt #rembrandt van rijn #4★

[onehunnit]

Cinema Studies Minor Gets Super Into Analyzing K-Pop Videos 2.1

Disclaimer: I'm still a student, no where near an expert, I will be wrong in some technical aspects. Also my interpretations are my opinion which means you may disagree and that's okay. Awesome even! Just be normal about it fr. This is also very out of order bc that's how my brain works. Also I am but a baby loretiny, which means my interpretations are shaky at best compared to what's been established. But the lore is confusing anyway so....

The World EP.FIN: Trailer Analysis pt 1: Sections

Why Not Film?

K-Pop's Obsession with Wong Kar-Wai

Ateez and Metropolis

Why Not Film?

I mean like filming on film stock. Because there is a film grain/noise... (overlay? mask? idk man i'm not an editor I forgot my terms) texture to parts of the video that I think is supposed to evoke the idea of a security camera (I would have LOVED some high-angle shots to drive this home but oh well) BUT could also just be representing that it's old/in the past because it is also in black and white.

the texture is especially evident on San's face. I think they just put a noise filter over this part, which creates grain that you'd find on old film

So why not just film on film stock? It's expensive and cumbersome my guy. they filmed this between schedules like.... digital editing and stuff is just so much easier.

Which leads me to the next section:

K-Pop's Obsession with Wong Kar-Wai

STEP PRINTING!!!! 8/10FPS!!!!! STREAKS!!!! WE! LOVE! IT!

I fucking love this effect which WKW first did by filming (on stock) at 8 frames per second (fps) and then repeating the same frame 3 times to create that streakiness. Filming at a low frame rate then playing it at a higher one (usually 24 fps, which I'm guessing is also what they used for this trailer, 24-32(ish) fps is the cinematic standard) creates fast motion. This process is called step-printing.

The subject(s) would stay still/ move very slowly while filming to give the effect that everything is moving fast around them while they're normal speed. Super cool, gives sense that time is passing around them and/or isolation from others, which is what I think is intended here since HJ and the teezers are isolated from society as they're trying to fight against the government. sweet sweet storytelling through style. OBSESSED!

Here is an example from Chungking Express:

But also: K-Pop in general is OBSESSED with WKW's style. I will make a list of MVs that rep that eventually, but off the top my head, Mamamoo's mv for wind flower is inspired by Fallen Angels. The color grading, cinematography, the scene references etc.

Ateez and Metropolis

Now for something completely different: Before I get into it I really want to emphasize how fucking instrumental cinema was in globalization, because when cinema first became an industry it TRAVELED like TRAVELED. and resulted in a mix of styles since the fucking like 1920s. AMAZING

Okay so speaking of 1920s, let's get into IT! German Expressionism was a film movement that was born out of post-WW1 Germany and society's need to express (ha) the horrors of war they went through and since hyperinflation fucked up the economy so much, film companies were like "spend whatever" and blew budget on super elaborate film sets and facilities.

Expressionism is focused on the physical and really emphasizing features and such. It's hyperbolic as show in the screen shot from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari:

The subject's face is deepened by the make-up and lighting and shows their state of mind, a mindless corpse being controlled by another power (think Master/Puppet, but we don't have time to rly get into post WW1 Ger's anxieties)

It's also hyperbolic, as I said, which sometimes takes form in the sets. Specifically the establishing shots. These would traditionally be miniatures or painted, as they are easy and you can see how they're similar:

1- Metropolis & 2- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Notice anything? The lines maybe? Perspective? Symmetry? These are all qualities seen in German Expressionism which I will get into in a momement but first. Let me explain why I use Metropolis as an example. In short, they already referenced it in Guerrilla:

click to get the whole picture! Guerrilla MV and the film poster for Metropolis, the book cover is similar.

See the lines and perspective? The establishing shot at the beginning is the same, let's compare it to Metropolis again:

THE WORLD: EP.FIN Trailer & Metropolis

German expressionism is alive and well in film style and I'm so in love with how the director utilizes it.

Next, we're going to talk about structure and lines, along with style and how it helps the narrative.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

#x.txt #x.cinema analysis #ateez #I will reach image limit so I'll just do a pt 2

[tiger1719]

Chapter 1

Kuroo x reader

Y/n quickly made her way to Karasuno High School, it was bit of a walk for her but it wasn’t like she couldn’t manage it. It was a beautiful day, pedals lightly dusting the ground. The sun wasn’t too hot, softly warming the ground.

“Okayyyy just about half a mile left to go.” She smiled, already seeing the school in view. She held her book bag close to her and mentally prepared herself for a good day.

After getting her schedule and what class she would be in, she made through the third year hallway, quickly finding her class 3-2. She set her things down on an empty desk near the back. Y/n quickly glanced at the girl next to her. She blushed softly, the girl next to her was without a doubt beautiful, her hair was black but it suit her very well. The said girl glanced back at Y/n, making Y/n blush more for being caught and quickly smiled at her.

“Excuse me, I’m Y/n L/n, you can call me L/n. It’s nice to meet you.” She bowed politely.

“ Kiyoko Shimizu, are you the foreign exchange?”

“Ah yes.” Y/n smiled and sat down in her desk.

“How are you liking Japan?”

“It’s beautiful.” She smiled. Before Kiyoko could respond the bell rang, signaling the start of the day.

Classes weren’t as bad as Y/n perceived them as, all of her work was completed. The english obviously coming easy to her. She was happy to have a successful day. With all the paperwork she had to fill out for the school, she already signed up for a club, she chose being the volleyball manager. It took her a bit to find her way to the gym, luckily finding Kiyoko.

“Shimizu! I’m glad to see you here.” She smiled softly at her now first friend.

“Did you sign up to be manager?”

“Yeah, it was only club I could really make time for.” She chuckled nervously. Kiyoko giggled softly and the two third years walked to the doors of the gym. Y/n noticed two boys in front of the doors, before she could speak to them.

“Excuse us.” Kiyoko spoke to them, both the boys looking at them. Y/n slightly awwed at the one with the orange hair. He was cute, only a few inches shorter than her. Both moved so the two could walk in. Y/n opened the door, flinching slightly to see a male with a buzzcut around her height, right at the door. He seemed to completely ignore her and focus on Kiyoko.

“Kiyoko-san! Good to see you, I can get that for you!” He said glowing at her.

“It’s fine I can get it myself.” She replied and both the girls walked away from him. y/n was glad to have ignored what he said after.

Y/n could feel two pair of other eyes on her, one being a rather handsome male with short dark brown hair, and the other with silvery hair, both a little taller then her. Y/n smiled shyly and introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Sugarawa Koushi. And I’m Daichi Sawamura.” Both said to her smiling, both having a soft tint of red on their cheeks.

“Nice to meet you both,” she said back. Y/n never thought of herself of being very attractive, she was on the taller side, standing at 5’7”. She had a very fit figure, considering how much she spent working out. Her hair was long but not too long, it was hard to tell though. She had her hair in a low bun, she called it a sock bun, since she used a sock to make very neat and tight looking bun. There was no fly aways, a very sharp side part and her baby hair beautifully swept into her bun. She wore light amount of foundation, some eyeshadow and mascara. Some contour to highlight her cheekbones and some blush for color. She wore some chapstick on because she didn’t like wearing lipstick or lipgloss.

After finally meeting Daichi and Suga, Y/n helped Kiyoko with the manager duties and also helped with practice. She found it easy to get along with the two other third year, they asked her questions about America and how she was liking Japan.

“I’ve been really liking it so far. It’s very peaceful here.” She said smiling. “It’s definitely a different change of pace but I like it.”

“I’m glad you are.” Sugawara smiled.

Y/n understood some of volleyball, she played when she was younger and liked it, but it eventually became too competitive for her and with trying to join the military, it only got in the way. She helped when she could, mainly watching the team with interest. She quickly looked at the time, it was getting close to the end of practice. Not even a minute later Daichi called saying practice was ending, the boys quickly putting everything away.

“Are we being a little too harsh on those guys?” Suga asked

“That’s true. You’re stricter than usual, Daichi-san.”

“Do you have a special reason in mind?”

“Morning practice is at 7:00 tomorrow, right?” Tanaka said louder then usual. Y/n had heard Kagyama and Hinata’s conversation.

“Of course, why would you ask that all of sudden?”

“Oh… uh, well… Was the vice principal��s wig okay?”

“Hey! Stop talking about that!” Y/n gave them a confused look. She was going to ask about but considered it was a better option not to mention it. She was sure she hear about it another time.

“See you all tomorrow.” Y/n said softly, picking up her bag and heading out the door.

“Bye!” The others said smiling. She smiled back and walked quietly to her house.

“Man…. I love it here already. Everyone is so nice.” She said softly to herself. She knew this year would be full of more surprises.

Tags: @artsamber @knightofmight

#haikyuu!! #kuroo x reader #karasuno #nekoma #marines #haikyu x you #haikyuu x y/n #hinata shouyou #kagyama tobio #daichi sawamura #sugawara koushi #tanaka ryuunosuke

[alikaheroes]

WOW!! What a night. I can finally say I’ve seen @halsey in concert 🥺😭❤️ So thankful! Such a fun time! 💖💖 #LoveAndPowerTour

*Added July 16

Halsey: Love and Power Tour 2022

Five Point Amphitheater 

Irvine, CA 

Saturday, July 9, 2022 

The FivePoint Ampitheater is outdoors and looks amazing

Cornhole games!

Got my Whispers bag for merch (will print the poster at home LOL) 

Chicken strips, fries, and a Pepsi

Random friends: Mom with her daughter from Long Beach, guy from Long Beach, Marine girl from San Clemente

The Marias were so good, I highly recommend them.

They played “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High” by the Arctic Monkeys and I loved it

about-face ads, free shipping! With purchase of $50 or more 

Chapter 1: The Capture 

Love the intro like from the IICHLIWP trailer

THE TRADITION 

CASTLE! Mic flip!

Halsey asking if we know what to do when the chorus drops and me shouting OH YEAH!! 

Halsey saying to STOP THAT TRACK

She doesn’t usually like to pit cities against each other (random guy shouting, WHAT IRVINE??)

Show is almost 2 hours long, baby, gonna need a lot of energy! She can see everyone all over 

My OMG realizing she’s restarting Castle 

EASIER THAN LYING HIGH ENERGY 

you should be sad is the best country song ever, we all stomped our feet! 

Firework shower with the Yeah-Yeah-YeahYeah Yeah 

I loooove the rock demo version of 1121 and of course the Die For Me track-I SOLD 15 MILLION RECORDS FOR A BREAKUP NOTE 

CHAPTER 2: RELEASE

The intro for Graveyard from the LA show with the Euphoria vibes 

“I really like you guys. You’re a cool ass f*cking crowd, I really f’ing love you guys. Wanna sing along with me going forward? 

COLORS!! The Badlands feels are so real 

How are you guys feeling right now? 

Absolutely never ever stops to blow my f’ing mind that I get to perform on stage and perform in front of a crowd that looks like this!

First show she ever played around these parts, Observatory? Asked Sheperd 

Played for 100 people (might be generous) 

Lighting power run through the kitchen, no fries that night 

Don’t wanna spend too much time talking, last night of tour little emotional (aww) 

How many people is this your first time seeing me in concert? How many have seen me before? 

Oh My Good Goooood? Loudest response for this tour of that question

Can tell you been rocking with me from the beginning 

Whether here for beginning, or 5 min before walked in building

Really grateful to have you here

Make sure tonight is the best concert you’ve ever seen in your f’ing life 

Hurricane with the Room 93 visuals ahhh 

LILITH!! My favorite! I shouted YES because it wasn’t on the setlist the night before and I was too happy to see it! I’m all “AW YEAH” during the beginning before I sing along. I also love the visuals with the Titane vibes

I heard the Lighthouse Siren and was sooo hyped, them O’Jays Ship Ahoy vibes at this concert had me emotional. 

“This Woman Will Not Go Quietly” line from the film 

One of my favorites, the rock Banshee vibes, beautiful visuals, I’m so in love 

killing boys - The whole crowd shouting “I’mma Uma Thurman your ass” was poetic

“You’re gonna hear the weird sh*t before you get the hits because that’s my style, but you begged for this so you better f’ing sing!” 

GIRL IS A GUN!!! 

YES!

TALK 2 (Chapter 3: Reflect) 

Be Kind drawing time!! 

Done paintings every single time something different

Those close in her life, do you plan? I mean, come on

No, Absolutely Not 

Do you plan what you’re gonna say? Set list before you get there? Same. 

This tour has been a lesson for me in embracing surrendering control (mild cheer for that—I did for the song Control) 

Used to get on stage wanting so badly it all to be perfect

Looks back on pics of sparkly costumes doing choreography and goes who tf is that? 

You guys know that feeling? It’s not just a musician thing. You see pics of yourself when you were younger you’re like who tf is that?

Kinda the same thing, 50 million pictures like that on Google

Ask at the beginning of show, what matters more to the story, is it good or is it true? 

Look at self in pictures, true to herself then, being true 

Some songs that she’s written doesn’t relate to same way? Does that make them untrue? Words not me anymore even tho they were at some point…little bit of a mindf*ck. Idk, kinda crazy

Most true version of myself is up here with a pen in my hand, canvas in front of me, and like 20,000 people that I love with my f’ing heart (I screamed WE LOVE YOU) 

When I look back in a couple years, won’t think omg who tf is that, will think wow, I was so lucky to be that person once in my life, so thank you. 

Songs about difficult times, used to be very sad alll the time. Still pretty sad all the time but wanna say if you’re here and share that same mentality, look back at version of you that related to sad songs and not that person anymore, sing your heart out tonight. Get it all out. When you leave, don’t take that old person with you, you’re not that b*tch anymore. You gotta exercise the demons and leave them on the floor 

This song is called 100 Letter 

100 Letters, everyone had their phones up with lights

TALK 3 (Pre 929)

In the spirit of the show of not letting things being perfect. 

Like the worst ever sang, on the verge of tears the entire time. 

imma gonna fight this I’m not gonna f’ing cry, I’m gonna do it! 

I did not do it. I failed. Miserably haha 

G-damn not even halfway through the set and I’m already crying 

“Where the f you at?” I coughed. 

HALSEY CHANT

Are you trying to make you make me cry? Are you guys playing a game with me? This is some sick f’ing twisted sh*t you’re doing. And you guys trying to make me cry more this is some sick sh

Believe me sang song 100 times it doesn’t make me cry anymore 

About to cry because knew what song comes after it, haven’t played it in years 

Probably most important song written for self in entire life.Really wanted to perform it in front of you guys tonight 

Dad to finally call me, he did (AWW) 

I wasn’t in love them (but I sure as F am now!!!) 

Done being sad, no more being sad long night ahead of us, TIME TO BE GAY

HONEY 

Me: HONEYYYY 

Went into 3AM

ME: YESSS

She’s laughing during it so cute!!

Fireworks and playing with guitarist

Talked about how fast song is and you don’t need to know the words 

TALK 4 (Thankful to fans, curfew) 

I know for a fact people on my team backstage rn like, “She good?” 

Are you OK? Did somebody slip you something before the show? WTF is going on?

Soaking up every second possibly can because this is the last night and love what I do so f’ing much

I hope from bottom of night you can see it all over my face how much I love being up here and being with you

Why get out here and do a show 2 horus long

Other do hour, get on stage, F off and leave

Wanna be here every f’ing second until the cops come up and yank me off stage for breaking curfew

F’ing love what I do!

Thank you for letting me do it love you guys so f’ing much! 

STOMPING FEET

So Good - like a couple weeks new don’t get too excited. 

“I love getting to play this song when he’s standing back there” LOVE TO ALEV

BAD AT LOVE - YES 

HOLD ME DOWN 

SHE DID THE SPLITS 

TALK 4 (BAND/Ring Announcer)

Most incredible musicians and people and friends 

So lucky all agreed to come on the road with me

Could’ve been doing something much cooler, I promise haha 

Usually make fun of them during this part 

Drums - next season of Bachelorette

Keys - Terrified of goldfish 

Make something up and embarass them

Too heartfelt, need you guys to be so loud for me 

DRUMS: Harry (will you guys please give it up for Harry!) 

GUITAR: Liv 

Don’t f’ing look at me I’ll cry 

KEYS Bonnie 

Halsey says she’s calling them out like a ring announcer

AND OVER HERE CHECKING IN AT 245 POUNDS HE IS TOUGH (I audibly said omGGG LITERALLY MY BRAND WITH MY WRESTLING LOVING SELF I lost it here) HE HAILS FROM IRVINE CA

YESS WHOOO

That’s my impression…this is why everyone on my team is gonna say somebody drugged me

Last show with tme as well, grateful to have support on road 

Part do 2 more songs, prepare to leave, comeback and do encore 

HALSEY CHANT 

For what? What did I do? I didn’t even do anthing

WHISPERS

GO BACK AND F HIM 

GASOLINE! FIRE (I love hearing my name in it) 

Chapter 4: Reflect

Flashing lights and rock music

Jumps up with flames and PYRO

NIGHTMARE 

Statistics for Abortion (my camera shut off for it ofc but it was PHENOMENAL) 

TALK 5 (Abortion Rights/Political)

Put in show 5 weeks before Supreme Court decision and statistics were much different then

We’re here in our little island 

Second to say as long as I have a microphone and stage if your well being livelihood and happiness at stake I will always f’ing be political 

In case you couldn’t tell, so many people in the crowd I recognize I’ve met so many times, who stories I know, parents I know, journeys through school work and life that I know, break f’ing heart if something going on in this world cause you bodily harm to get care you need and I did nothing about it

If politics aren’t your thing all good, 

Just learned a valuable lesson don’t come to a Halsey concert then.

Little bit of time

CHANT

MY BODY - Audience: MY CHOICE 

“THANK YOU!”

Music is political. Everything is political. Brave to leave house come here exactly as you are. Clothes you were. Words you sing. People you love. Things you do. Everything is f’ing political 

Running up that hill with the flame bar

WITHOUT ME 

Went into audience, guy had sign said his BF broke his heart, Halsey said “F HIM” to flip off hurtful ex

Confetti!! 

Acapella, 

“Put you up there, I don’t know why” - audience

I Am Not A Woman I’m a God 

Irvine. Thank you guys so much for an incredible night. So glad I got to close out this tour with you. This will be my last tour here for a really long time playing shows here in the states so I really love you and I really appreciate you for a great night. Did you have fun? Get home safe. I love you!

Y’aburnee playing on way out 

Shareable Review 

#Halsey #personal

[olivia-soffey-author]

Painting The San Diego Sky

The San Diego sky is beautiful tonight. Vibrant hues of tangerine melt into a deep shade of magenta over the San Diego Skyline. I peered through a crack in the door to the back porch as I intently studied my new foster mom. Her dark brown skin glowed in the rays of the sun. She carefully spread oil paint across the canvas with a pallet knife while humming a happy tune to herself.

When you're a foster teen, you cycle through a lot of moms, but I've never met anyone quite like her before. Her name is Penelope Kingston. I don't know what kind of job she has, but she wears a pink suit every single day. She owns one in every shade from blush to cerise. Some were covered in various prints and patterns while others were plain. Her closet looked more like it belonged to a Barbie doll than it did a person. Tonight, she was wearing a rose-colored sundress, and she'd woven a flower crown of fresh carnations into her boho braids. She joyously danced along to the tune in her head as she added more color. I've never met someone who is so unabashedly themselves before. I wonder how it feels not to care what anyone thinks of you.

During my deep contemplation, Penelope caught sight of me spying and beckoned me outside. I trudged outside with a guilty expression, resembling that of a puppy that had been caught chewing on its owner's shoes.

She giggled. "Don't look at me like that, Fierro. You're not in trouble."

The corners of my lips turned upward in a half smile.

She proudly showed off her painting. "What do you think?"

"It's pretty," I said honestly. The painting was a vibrant interpretation of the sun setting over the San Diego skyline.

She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "You're right. It is pretty, but it's missing something." She handed me a fine-tipped paintbrush. "Here, add something."

I shook my head and tried to give the brush back to her. "No way, I can't do that. I'll probably do it all wrong and ruin your artwork."

"There's no wrong way to express yourself creatively," She chided. "Besides I have plenty more paintings."

I hesitantly dipped the tip of my brush into brown paint and added two small birds sitting on a telephone wire.

"It's perfect!" She squealed, pulling me into a tight hug. "You've got a real artistic eye."

"I barely did anything."

"That's alright! Everyone's artistic journey starts somewhere." She reached behind her easel and pulled out a blank mixed-media sketchbook. "Here

"You can ask me anything."

"Why do you wear your hair like that? What's the point of all the flowers?"

She paused for a long moment. "Well, how did you pick your current hairstyle?”

I ran a hand over my buzz cut. "I don't know. I've never really thought about it before. I guess it's because it's easier to take care of, and I'm less likely to get lice in a group home."

"Does your appearance make you feel confident?"

I gave an indifferent shrug.

"For me, my look is about more than convenience. It's about self-expression. My hair makes me feel like me, you know?"

"I don't think I know who I am," I confessed.

Well then, we need to help you find yourself.

In the following weeks, I took Penelope's sketchbook with me to school and tried to draw some random objects I saw. So far, I had drawn a pen, a service dog, a basketball, a 3-D model of the human brain, and a bag of chips stuck in the vending machine. They all looked terrible. The lines were all wonky, the depth was all wrong. Oh well, I tried. I tucked the sketchbook in the back corner of my closet. In other news, I started growing my hair out. I couldn't stop thinking about my conversation with Penelope. Did I feel confident in my own skin? Should I? I didn't have answers to those questions, but a change of style couldn't hurt. Right now, my hair is spiked up in several different directions. It was still too short to properly style, so I was stuck looking like a chicken for the time being. Did I feel more like myself? Maybe. I don't know what myself is supposed to feel like. When you spend your entire life just trying to survive, you don't always have the time to discover yourself.

On the last Saturday in May, I came downstairs to find Penelope eagerly waiting for me. "Put your shoes on. We're going on an adventure." She threw a tote bag at me, which I caught in midair. I peeked inside to find it full of art supplies. "Your sketchbook has been collecting dust for too long. Let's fill it up today!"

"But I'm not any good at drawing. I don't think I'm meant to be making art."

"Don't be ridiculous. All expression is art and expression is for everyone," She insisted. "The most important question is, do you have fun when you're creating?"

I thought about it for a long time, then said. "I had fun painting with you on the patio."

"Perfect! Let's make something together!" She led me to her strawberry-pink Mercedes and hopped in. "Alright Fierro, if you don't like art what kind of things do you like to do?"

"Napping," I said without hesitation.

She laughed. "Okay, what else?"

"I like to go for walks."

"Great! What do you enjoy about the walks?"

"I guess I enjoy being outside in the fresh air and watching the birds."

"Buckle up, I know exactly where we're going."

We drove in silence for several minutes. I could tell the lack of conversation was killing her, but I was too shy to say anything. Eventually, she couldn't bear it any longer and spoke up, "So I've been thinking, we should decorate your room. It's so empty and depressing right now."

To her, my room probably looked like a barren wasteland. In comparison to the rest of the house, it was pretty desolate. Penelope's home was a lot like her. It was filled with color and personality, and decorated with love. Every room was themed after a different color of the rainbow and adorned with vibrant floral wallpaper and an eclectic collection of up-cycled furniture. Every surface was littered with trinkets and knick-knacks. The word Minimalism was not in her vocabulary. My room was the opposite of hers, it was completely bare apart from a twin-sized bed and an old trash bag filled with my humble belongings. "No, thank you. I want to keep it the way it is. It will be easier to pack up when I have to leave." I stared blankly out the window, so I wouldn't have to make eye contact with her as I spoke.

"Fierro," she whispered with so much sadness in her voice it broke my heart. "You know I care about you, right?"

I nodded.

"I know it will be hard for you to ever feel fully at home somewhere, but I want you to know I don't have any plans to get rid of you. So you can relax, alright?"

"Alright," I said, just to appease her. I'd heard that one before and I know how it ends. If I know one thing for sure, It's that parents never stay. Even if Penelope is telling the truth, and she won't transfer me to another home, I'm still sixteen rapidly approaching eighteen. Once I age out of the system I’ll be all on my own. If I let myself love her, I don't think I'll be able to live with the pain of letting her go.

We pulled into the parking lot and I read the large green sign. San Diego Zoo.

Woah, isn't this place crazy expensive?" I remarked. I can't afford this. My bank account has negative ten dollars in it!"

She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Chillax. This is my treat. You need to learn to let lose a little bit."

We purchased our tickets and entered the park. I glanced at Penelope expectantly as she studied the map. "Where are we going first?"

"That's up to you. Where is your artist's intuition leading you?"

I pointed to the aviaries on the map.

She beamed. "Excellent choice."

We stepped into the elegant glass dome and the birds erupted into a cacophony of chirps and caws to welcome us to their habitat. First, I tried to sketch the hummingbirds, but they moved too fast for me to capture their likeness. I opted to try drawing the peacock instead. His slow strides and lack of flight made him the perfect model. I crouched down to his level while being careful not to touch the feces-covered ground. I took out my sketchbook and a pencil and Penelope did the same. I was unsure where to begin, so I glanced at her page for inspiration.

He noticed my wandering gaze and decided to assist me. "Let's start with simple shapes. What basic shapes can you identify?"

"The body kind of looks like an oval, and the neck is sort of S-shaped like a snake. The head is round, but pointy at the same time, like a teardrop," I observed.

"You have a great eye! Now, etch those shapes onto the page as lightly as you can and darken them once you're satisfied with the way it looks."

I followed her instructions, and soon I had a basic sketch of the body head, and neck that looked halfway decent.

“Let’s start working on those feathers. Start with the largest ones at the base of the tail and work your way to the smaller ones at the tip.”

I sketched the long curved shapes and tried to mimic the pattern to the best of my abilities. I also added the legs and feet along with some details on the face. I flipped the sketch around, so the peacock could view it. He pecked it and then let out a squawk of approval.

Penelope began coloring in her sketch with an indigo pencil.

I carefully mirrored her light strokes. “How do you make the colors look so vibrant?”

“Try blending different colors, start with the lightest hue, and fade into the darkest shade.”

For the next hour, my focus was zeroed in on the drawing. I seamlessly blended shades of indigo, midnight blue, cerulean, turquoise, lime, gold, and emerald until I was satisfied with the results. I wiped the sweat off my brow and rushed over to Penelope to show off my work.

She let out a delighted gasp and pulled me into a tight hug. “Fierro! It’s beautiful! You should be so proud of yourself!”

An overwhelming sense of warmth flared in my chest. Is this what little kids feel like when their parents hang their artwork on the fridge? I wouldn’t know. For the brief time, I knew my birth parents; they weren’t the type to show any approval or support for my accomplishments. They claimed they were too busy for coddling. Somehow they always found the time to tell me I was worthless and would never amount to anything. I shook my head to wake myself from the terrible memories. It didn’t matter what was said in the past. They were dead to me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, “Thank you, Penelope. Your kindness means a lot to me.”

We spent the rest of our time at the zoo in the aviaries sketching the different birds. By the end of the day, I had drawn a toucan, a macaw, a lovebird, an African pygmy goose, and a flamingo. With every sketch, my skills improved. Every new drawing looked slightly more accurate than the last. We worked on our sketches until the zookeepers came to kick us out at closing time.

On our way back to the car I apologized for using up all of our time in the aviary.

Penelope waved her hand dismissively. “Never apologize for being in a creative state of flow.”

When we got home I taped all of my artwork to the wall above my bed in a noticeable place for everyone to admire.

In the following weeks, school let out for the summer and I spent my days sleeping in and going for long walks around the city, doodling the sights whenever I felt inspired. I got a summer job hauling bags of food at the pet store. It was grueling work, but I enjoyed visiting the animals every day. Penelope and I started hosting Mario Kart tournaments in our condo every Tuesday night. Don’t be fooled by Penelope’s kind demeanor; she is one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever met. She doesn’t just want to win, she seeks to obliterate the competition. Lucky for me, I am also a merciless force of nature when I’m on the racetrack. In the group homes where I grew up, the Wii was my foster parents’ favorite tool for keeping the kids busy and out of trouble. I was the master of every game they had. It got to the point where none of the other children would play with me because they were too afraid of my awesomeness. Penelope was not intimidated by my skills. Our tournaments typically ended with us throwing all of our shells at each other until there was only one person left standing. She won some races, I almost won others. Someday I was finally going to win, then her reign of terror would finally be over. As time passed by I felt myself changing. After every day I spent with Penelope, I became a little less shy and I felt more secure. I found myself smiling and laughing a lot more than I ever did before. My hair now reached my eyebrow and was finally long enough to tame. It took some practice to find a style that looked good on me, but once I did I seemed to get compliments everywhere I went.

“It looks like you’re becoming a local heartthrob, Fierro,” Penelope teased.

I would act humble, but deep down I loved the rush of satisfaction that came with being noticed. That June and July had been the happiest time of my life. It was the closest I’d ever come to being a normal kid. When August rolled around things took a turn for the worst.

It started late one night as I was dragging the trash out to the dumpster. Even after dark, the California heat was brutal and unforgiving. The sweltering humidity further exacerbated the foul odors emanating from the dumpster. When I went to open the lid, I spotted a flier for a community art gallery. I knew Penelope would love that, so I reached down to pick it up. Before I had the chance to grab it, someone else picked it up.

He let out a scoff and read it aloud. “We invite all members of the community to showcase their artistic talents in our free open community art gallery. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting, we want to see your interpretation of landscapes with emotions. All types of paintings, from oils to watercolors, acrylics to pastels, are welcome. We want to celebrate the diversity of our community and the richness of its artistic expression.” He crumpled up the flier and threw it at me. “Is this the kind of garbage you’re into now? Are you the kind of guy who paints his feelings? I thought I raised you to be tougher than that.”

I looked up to see my father standing in front of me with a belittling expression on his face. My heart pounded so violently, I thought I might be having a heart attack. “What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be doing four more years. Please tell me you didn’t break out!”

“Don’t be absurd. They let me out early, on good behavior. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. You left me no choice but to track you down.”

After my mother died, my father was granted custody of me. He didn’t know the first thing about raising children, and he barely had enough money to take care of himself, much less a child. This led him to take part in a major money laundering scheme, so he could afford to send me to daycare. Everything was going fine until the FBI caught wind of what he was doing, and sent him to prison. That’s how I ended up in foster care. He was supposed to be in the middle of a fifteen-year sentence, but it appears that is no longer the case.

I crossed my arms and tried to act tough. “What do you want from me?”

He leaned against the dumpster and lit a cigar. “I want to see my son. Is that too much to ask? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

I’d done my best to stay as far away from him as I could. I hadn’t seen him since my social worker stopped forcing me to go to visitations. She noticed how miserable the visits made me and chose to spare me the pain.

My father scanned me up and down appraisingly. “You’ve gotten fat,” he remarked, his voice laced with disdain.

I had put on some weight since he’d seen me last. My ribs no longer protruded from malnourishment and neglect. My shoulders grew broader and my arms became thicker. I was no longer the fragile wisp of a child he could bully and demean however he felt like. Every pound I had gained was a blessing because it meant I was no longer starving. “My weight is none of your business. I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“It was just an observation. You need to learn how to accept criticism. You’ll never get anywhere in life if you keep being so sensitive.”

"It's better to be sensitive than a convicted felon."

“Don’t disrespect me!”

“Or what? You’ll hit me like you used to?”

He took a step forward, his cigar smoke wafting into my face. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about. I remember every time you hit me, every time you belittled me, and made me feel worthless."

He looked away, a hint of shame flickering across his face. "I was a different person back then. I'm trying to fix things right now."

I scoffed. “Is that why you came here? To deliver a half-assed apology.”

He hesitated. “Not, entirely. I need to ask you for something.”

“What?” I said through clenched teeth, losing all patience for the good-for-nothing deadbeat I call dad.

“Listen, I need to borrow some money.”

I let out a laugh so loud I startled myself. “You’re delusional. What on earth makes you think I would ever give you a single cent?”

He took a long drag of his cigar and released it in a pungent cloud of smoke. “My girlfriend is pregnant, and we can’t afford to pay her medical bills. We have nothing, Fierro. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn’t desperate.”

“Is the baby yours?” Was my dad having another child? He couldn’t even care for the one he had! I threw my hands up in the air. “You know what? I don’t care! You abandoned me, and then you have the audacity to track me down and beg for money!”

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“I never want to speak to you again!”

“Son.” He took a step forward toward me.

“Didn’t you hear me the first time? Get out!” I threw an empty soda can at him.

He raised his hands in surrender and began walking away. He didn’t say a word, but he turned back to look at me one last time.

“If I ever see you snooping around here again, I’ll file a restraining order! Do you hear me?” I screamed into the darkness, but it was no use. He was already gone.

I didn't tell Penelope about the confrontation with my father, but she could sense that I was quieter than usual. She didn’t force me to share, and I appreciated that. I didn’t want to talk about it. A feeling of guilt clawed at my gut. Maybe I should have given my dad some money. It’s not the baby’s fault my dad is a deadbeat and a dirtbag.

I tried my best to forget all about my father and the conversation we’d had. I was doing a decent job at ignoring his existence until I got the phone call that changed everything. It happened in the middle of the night. I was too hot to sleep, so I sat at my desk making a watercolor painting of the night sky. Then my phone rang, startling me out of my deep concentration. I picked up my phone to see who was calling me at such an ungodly hour of the night. It was my social worker, Mindy. I felt a rising wave of anxiety in the pit of my stomach. It was uncharacteristic of her to call me so late. I knew something was wrong. My entire body trembled as I pressed the answer button. “Hey, Mindy. What’s going on?”

“Hello, Fierro. I’m sorry to call you this late, but I have some upsetting news to share with you.”

My heart pounded violently in a fast rhythm. I suddenly felt like I was going to vomit. Was I going to have to move again? “What’s going on?”

“It’s about your father. He was run over by a drunk driver earlier tonight. He died on the way to the hospital. I’m so sorry.”

My entire body went numb. I had no idea how I was expected to respond to this information, so I said, “Thank you for telling me.”

“I’m going to speak with your foster mom to make sure you’re receiving proper support during this difficult time. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

“Thanks. Have a good night.”

“Fierro, wait!”

I hung up on her. I didn’t want to talk. I needed to be alone with my thoughts for a while. As terrible as it sounds, the first emotion I felt was a relief. I wasn’t being taken away from Penelope. I could stay here with her, but at what cost? My father was dead and one of the last things I ever said was, “I never want to see you again.” I sat alone in silence, waiting to feel some overwhelming sense of grief or guilt, or any emotion at all, but deep down I felt nothing. Inside I just felt hollow. I expected Mindy to call back and scold me for hanging up on her, but she never did. Once I got tired of blankly staring at my bedroom ceiling, I tiptoed downstairs for a change of scenery.

Penelope stood at the kitchen counter stirring a mug of coffee with a far-off look in her eyes. Once she heard me enter the kitchen, she rushed over and pulled me into the warmest of hugs. Tears dripped from her eyes as she held me close. “Fierro, Mindy told me the news. I’m so sorry. I know how you must be feeling right now.

She didn’t have a clue how I was feeling. I barely knew how I felt. Whatever emotion it was certainly wasn’t sorrow. She seemed more upset about the loss than I was at the moment. And yet, after about a minute of silence, something overcame me. I hugged her back and let the tears fill my eyes. I wasn’t crying for my father. I was crying for myself. I cried for my past self, the lonely child whose father was never there. I cried for my present self, who only wanted to be loved. I cried for my future self, who would never have the chance to make things right.

Penelope stroked my hair as I sobbed into her shoulder. “You’re going to be okay. I’m here. I got you.”

I stayed in my room for several days only coming out for occasional meals. I wasn’t hungry most of the time. I took the week off from work. told my boss I’d be going out of town for the funeral. That was a lie, I had no intention of going to the funeral. I’d already missed the wake. It felt disrespectful to go see him after the way I ended things. I rolled over in bed and stared at the exotic bird calendar Penelope had bought for me. Today was August 5th, the day I’d been dreading. Not only was it the day of my father’s funeral, but it was also my seventeenth birthday. Happy birthday to me, I guess. I used all my willpower to drag myself out of bed and down the stairs.

When I came downstairs I was greeted with a stack of pancakes with a birthday candle sticking out of it. The words happy birthday were spelled out in maple syrup. I guess Penelope remembered what day it was. She'd gone out with friends last night. I had hoped she would sleep in and forget all about it. I had to practically push her out the door last night, so I could cry myself to sleep in peace.

Penelope sat in the chair directly across from me and gave a comforting reassuring smile. Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

I forced a smile in return. “You remembered.”

“I would never forget it.”

Of course she wouldn’t, she was too good of a mom to ever let it slip from her memory.

She gently rubbed my wrist. “Listen, I’m not going to force you to go anywhere or do anything today, but if there is something you’d like to do, let me know, and I’ll make it happen.”

I stared down at my plate of pancakes. “I’m not really in the mood to do anything special.”

She gave an understanding nod. "Alright, how about a walk?"

"Just a walk? No surprises?"

"No surprises," She promised.

After breakfast, we slipped on our shoes and began our walk to the pier. The weather was perfect. The sky was a brilliant shade of baby blue that stretched as far as the eye could see, not a single cloud could be spotted along the horizon. Warm rays of golden sunlight illuminated the city in a warm glow. I cursed the sky for being so blue. How could everything be so beautiful on the day my father is going to be buried? Locals walked their dogs and tourists took selfies by the waterfront. Isn’t it cruel how life goes on like nothing happened after you’ve lost everything? I stood at the end of the pier and watched as a father lifted his young son onto his shoulders so he could enjoy the ocean view. I averted my gaze and stared out at the still waters instead. It felt like the universe was giving me a colossal middle finger for ever believing I could’ve had a father like that.

“Do you mind if we stop for a moment?” Penelope asked.

“That’s fine,” I said as I gazed vacantly at the tranquil turquoise waters.

She sat on a wooden bench and pulled out her sketchbook along with a set of oil pastels. She motioned for me to sit next to her as she began sketching.

She ripped out a blank page and handed it to me without saying a word.

I glanced between the empty page and the peaceful sea. I wasn’t in the mood to draw it as it was. I felt wrong to draw such a happy sight on a day like today. Instead, I chose the darkest, murkiest shades of gray, green, and navy. With harsh, powerful strokes I drew fierce powerful tidal waves crashing into sharp, jagged rocks beneath a blackened sky. Using the white pastel I added fragmented bolts of lightning tearing through the sky. I focused all the anger and heartbreak I felt toward my father and directed it into the piece. Once the drawing was completed I let out an exhausted breath. I felt like I had just fought a war.

Penelope glanced over at my work. She didn’t say anything, but she gave me an approving nod. We spent the rest of our time together enjoying each other's company in silence until we began our walk home. Penelope finally broke the silence as we walked past the cemetery. “Do you mind if we stop for a moment?”

I eyed her wearily, but I didn’t argue. I didn’t know what to expect when she led me deep into the cemetery. I feared maybe she’d force me to attend my father’s burial, but instead, she led me to a joint tombstone that read, Jeffrey and Maria Kingston. Loving Mother and Father. Penelope set down a drawing of a dark-skinned little girl being held in a loving embrace by her parents on top of the grave. She shed a single tear and then continued our walk home as if nothing had happened.

“You’re an orphan,” I said. It wasn’t a question, it was an observation.

She nodded. “I am. My father was a soldier. He gave his life in the line of duty. My mother died of cancer not long after. I grew up in foster care just like you. I never had anyone to care for me. That’s why I became a foster mom; so I could make sure another orphan could have a better life than I did.”

Hearing her story made me view Penelope in a new light. I always believed her joy and kindness came from a place of naivety. I thought she was happy because she didn’t know what it was like to suffer, but I was wrong. She understood pain more intimately than most people do and she chose to be happy despite everything she’d been through. “Thank you for giving me a chance. I can hardly remember what my mother was like, but if I did have a mom I would want her to be exactly like you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s been an honor to call you my son.”

As we walked back to her house, I couldn't help but think about the drawing she had left on her parents' grave. It was a powerful reminder of the love and connection that existed between families, even when they were separated by death. And it made me realize that, in some small way, I had found a new family with Penelope.

When we got home, Peneolpe set the crumpled flyer for the community gallery on the table. Without any preamble, she said, “I think you should submit one of your pieces to the gallery.”

“Me? No. I brought that flyer home for you. I’m not any good.”

“You don’t need to be modest. I’ve seen your recent work. You’re very talented. Besides, this gallery is open for everyone, you don’t have to be a pro to submit.”

“I’ll think about it.”

She smiled. “That’s all I ask.”

For the fifth night in a row, I couldn’t sleep. So I dug through my portfolio for something worthy of being displayed in a gallery. My eyes caught on the drawing of the stormy sea I made today. Plenty of my drawings were pretty, but one was meaningful. It was infused with all of the grief, anger, and sorrow, I was experiencing, and that made it significant. At that moment, I decided this was the piece I needed to submit to the gallery.

Over the next few days, I worked on the drawing, refining and perfecting it until it felt like a true representation of everything I was feeling. Finally, I mustered up the courage to submit it to the community gallery, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. A few weeks went by, and I received an email that left me ecstatic - my piece had been accepted for the gallery exhibition. I couldn't believe it. On the day of the exhibition, I arrived early, dressed in my best clothes, my heart pounding with anticipation. As I walked through the gallery, I saw my drawing on display alongside other beautiful pieces of art. It was a surreal moment, one that I had never imagined possible. I looked around and saw Penelope beaming at me from across the room, her eyes full of pride. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had accomplished something truly meaningful.

I looked at the empty spot by my beside my painting where my father could have been standing in another life If things were different. If he were a better father, a better man. Now the thought of him didn’t fill me with the same level of rage and sorrow like it used to, and that was a start. I wasn’t plagued with the same sense of hopelessness I used to feel because I knew Penelope would never abandon me like he did.

A professional-looking man, wearing a sharp business suit and designer glasses stopped in front of my painting to carefully appraise it. He stared at it for a long time, not saying a word or showing any kind of emotion.

“Is it any good?” I asked nervously, unsure of how to react when someone scrutinizes your artwork.

“Did you make this?” He asked.

I nodded.

“You know, I see a dozen paintings of the pier a day. They all want to paint the pretty scenery. Yours is special, It’s not just pretty I can tell there’s a deeper meaning buried in here. I’d like to buy it.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “You really want to buy it?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t mean it. You’ve got a bright future, kid,”

I smiled at Penelope and for once I believed that was true.

#women writers #writerscommunity #short story #short stories #short fiction #creative writing #fiction #fiction writing #creative works #realistic fiction #coming of age

[mainswhere]

Does topaz studio have panorama

#Does topaz studio have panorama how to

Sometimes things get a little crazy when you paint what you dream!…. The last step was using Topaz (see sidebar for website link) ReStyle Swamp and Sherpea Blue preset set to Screen blend mode in the plug-in and 44% layer opacity in PS to adjust the colors to match my dream. The little bubbles were from Lizard Queen Water brush 8. The bubbles were created using Grut’s FX IL Rinse Drip from his Inky Leaks Set (I love this brush set) and used Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layers with black layer masks to paint in the different color bubbles. The clover is from PixelSquid, my favorite resource for all kinds of odd things. So what I did here is basically just sketch this out and paint it. I see a lots of stories going on here – like flowers actually filling the sky with planets or moons? Or bubbles being shot at a target? Really? And what about those giant 3-leaf clovers guarding the bubble machines? Hum! So there you have it, the inside workings of my sleeping brain. Well that is what a lot of this image is showing – one of my very vivid dreams. Have you ever had a dream that just seems so vivid that you remember several parts of it. The last step added the text using Naive Deco Sans font.

#Does topaz studio have panorama how to

On a layer on top, a Spotlight Effect was created on the flower (see my How to Add a Spot of Light blog). (See my How to Create a Subtle Dodge and Burn Effect blog.) Some selective sharpening was done with a 50% gray layer and painting was done on the flowers using my SJ Pastel 3 Brush (see my How to Create my Favorite Brush blog). Once in topaz, I’ll make fine adjustments to the precision contrast to taste. A little burning was done on a layer above to emphasize some of the flower lines a little. I like to start off with a somewhat neutral-looking but properly exposed image in Lightroom, without any additional contrast applied, and then send the photo into the Topaz Studio 2 plug-in. Back in PS, On1 Photo Raw 2018 (see sidebar for website link) Effects was opened and their Glow Filter Orton Hear a Who preset at 75% opacity and the Noise Reduction filter Shadows preset was applied. Then the Precision Contrast filter was applied at 0.84 opacity and the Lighting Shadow set way down to give it a very dark background. This image used Topaz Studio’s (see sidebar for website link) Impression default with some slider changes including the Painting Progress slider at 0.60 – then painted out most of the effect off the flower. In Photoshop just practiced some of the things I have been learning about the various plug-ins filters. Used setting from Urban Walk 15 Vintage Street preset in Lightroom. Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving in the US with this perfectly colored Bird of Paradise bloom that was growing in my front yard.

#Does topaz studio have panorama

[boyswthluv]

(210917 | music bank) seonghwa ✵ deja vu

bonus: during hongjoong's rap

#seonghwa #ateez #flashing tw #ateezedit #ateezgif #ultkpop #malegroupsnet #mgroupsedit #boyidoledit #kpopgfxnetwork #kpopco #kpopccc #park seonghwa #deja vu #atz:seonghwa #laura.atz #gifs:stage #laura.gifs #did a different coloring from san's set <3 i really like this one

[pan-fangirl-345]

Hidden Panthers

Summary: Soulmarks aren't rare, and neither are soulmates, but what is rare, is a person who doesn't want to meet their soulmate, but Toho Academy has two.

Or: Five times Aomine was curious about your tattoo, and one time he saw it.

TW: a small amount of angst, I suppose one part might be comparable to a panic attack, and some swearing, but I promise it's mostly fluff.

A/N: I had an idea! Since I have no requests currently in my inbox, I thought I would jot it down before I forgot about it.

1.

"You guys do realize that you should be practicing, right?" you asked when you walked into the gym and the boys were all shirtless, showing off their soulmarks.

"They're trying to prove who's is the biggest," Momoi informed you, making you snort.

You were almost one hundred percent certain that you had them all beat, except for maybe Aomine.

Your soulmark was a special image somewhere on your body, and animal, a place, something like that. They were colorful, and looked like tattoos.

The mark on your body corresponded with the one on your soulmate's body.

You knew that Aomine had your matching tattoo, not that he knew that, and that was okay.

The black ink of his tattoo was stark against his tan skin, but you knew that he wasn't showing it off with pride, it was him just proving a point.

Top dog on the team, biggest soulmark, he was unbeatable.

Aomine had made it clear that he didn't appreciate the thought of soulmates, that he was fine with not knowing who they were, not knowing who you were, in your case.

"What's yours (Y/L/N)-kun?" one of the boys asked and you snorted, a hand flying to cover your mouth, sometimes you hated hanging around teenage boys all the time, it made your mind go to weird places sometimes.

"Sorry boys, you don't want to see my mark, trust me," you muttered, touching your shoulder softly.

Aomine's eyes were on you, burning a hole through your body, but you ignored him.

"What is it?"

"None ah," you said.

"None ah?"

"None ah ya business," you replied, dropping your bag by the bench.

The boys peeled off into laughter, and Momoi gave a small giggle.

You smiled softly, tugging your sweatshirt off.

The boys were getting to practice, though Aomine was still watching you, watching you with those startling blue eyes.

"Are you going to practice or are you going to just stare at me like a creep?" you asked, crossing your arms over your chest, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Nah," he muttered, moving to head out the door, but you moved in front of him.

"Nope, you're here," you told him, throwing your arms out. "If you're here, you're practicing, even if that means you have to practice with me."

Aomine squinted at you, and you were 99% certain that he was going to try and shove you out of the way, but he sighed, heading back to work in drills with the other boys.

Momoi was watching you, eyes glinting in the way they did when she watching a game and her data was proved correct.

"Momoi-san," you said, "why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's just a hunch," she murmured, wandering off to watch Aomine play.

You frowned after her, wondering what the hell she was talking about, but you shook it off.

Those two were weirdos.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.

"So, (Y/L/N), what's your soulmark?" one of your friends asked, and you sighed.

"It's nothing all that impressive," you lied, flipping the page of the textbook you were skimming through.

"But what is it?" she persisted.

"A pain in my ass," you muttered, touching your shoulder lightly again.

"(Y/L/N)-kun," one of your classmates said, "one of the basketball boys is waiting for you outside."

"Thanks," you replied, gathering your stuff up.

You were a back-up manager for when Momoi was away watching other teams play.

You were surprised to find Aomine leaning up against the doorframe, practice clothes on.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself. Are you actually going to practice again?" you asked, hauling your bag over your shoulder, wincing at the weight.

He made a small noise, which made you think that that was his version of a yes.

"Why don't you show off your mark?" Aomine asked.

"Why don't you?" you replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Soulmates are bullshit," he muttered. "I don't like being told what to do. I hate being told who to love even more."

"My soulmate doesn't want me," you admitted after a moment of walking, readjusting your bag on your shoulders. "No point in showing off something that symbolizes someone who hates that I even exist."

Aomine paused, running his eyes over you again, and you glanced back at him.

"What?"

He didn't answer, he just stood there watching you. He had been doing that a lot, and you were a little worried about it.

"Are you coming or what?" you asked, heading for the gym.

He followed behind you, eyes boring into your back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3.

"What's your soulmark?" Aomine asked.

You had gone to the roof to tell him to get his ass to practice. He had been coming more and more often, but he had been staring at you for most of it, despite urging from both you and Momoi to actually practice.

"Nothing important, not like you practicing," you deflected, standing in front of him with your arms crossed.

"Snippy," he quipped. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Perv," you muttered. "And I've already seen your mark."

"Yours is on your shoulders, right?" he asked. "You keep touching them whenever someone brings them up."

"Yeah, it's a pretty big one," you admitted, reaching to touch your shoulder absentmindedly before you registered that you were doing it. You dropped your hands to your sides again, frowning.

Despite the fact that you already knew your soulmate, and how he felt about the whole thing, the mark was still comforting to a degree.

Aomine was still watching you, he had been doing it a lot, though you weren't entirely sure why. Every time he did, it jump started your heart, making you wonder if he knew.

He made a small noise, then dragged himself to his feet.

"Gotta go to practice," he mumbled, bumping shoulders with you as he headed down to the gym.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4.

Aomine started appearing more and more after that. He wasn't following you exactly, but it was almost like your schedules had overlapped.

Then you had gotten assigned to do a group project together.

"Nice place," he muttered when he walked through the door into your home.

"Thanks," you said, shutting the door. "I'm telling you this right now, Aomine, I am not doing this entire project by myself, and if I do end up doing it by myself, you are not getting your name put on this. Do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'am," he muttered. "Do you have any bread?"

"What?" you asked, then you remembered his weird carb obsession. "Uh, yeah, just . . . give me a minute," you said, setting your things down on the couch before you headed into the kitchen.

Snacks were something you could do.

You got him a drink too, and when you set a plate and a drink down in front of him, he glanced up at you appreciatively.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem," you told him, sitting beside him on the couch.

"What are we doing the project on?" he asked.

"I have no idea," you muttered. "It would be easy to do a keynote or something, but there are going to be so many people doing that."

You pulled the project requirements out of your bag, your eyes flitting over it.

"What if we did like a . . . a soulmark examination?" you asked. "We were reading a book about how people think soulmarks mean something to the pair that share it instead of simply being an indicator, right? All we would have to do it take a picture of one of our soulmarks and make up some sort of metaphorical bullshit and make it look pretty when we present it."

"We should do yours," Aomine immediately suggested.

"Why mine?" you asked, panic starting to float into your veins.

"Because I want to know what it is," he replied, grinning at you.

"How about we do yours? You have your own fan club and I'm sure they'd be ecstatic to know what it is. Besides, yours is easier to do than mine," you told him.

"How so?"

"Mine is across my back," you informed him. "That means that I would have to take off my shirt and my bra for us to get a picture, and there are so many things that could go wrong with that. Besides, it's not like anyone in the class hasn't seen your back already, it's not new information."

"Fair enough," Aomine said. "But, when I get fakers pretending to be my soulmate, you have to be the one to fight them off."

"Deal," you said, holding your hand out to him.

He took it, shaking it firmly once, before he tugged his shirt over his head.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered, curling his shoulders forward so that you could get a clear picture of the black panther lounging across his shoulders like it was a tree branch.

You snapped a couple photos from different angles, and resisted the urge to touch it.

It was the same as yours, and you wondered vaguely if you had ever found your tattoo as beautiful as you found Aomine's.

"We good?" Aomine asked.

"Yeah, we're good," you croaked, then cleared your throat as he pulled his shirt over his head again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5.

Your project had gotten a great grade, and you were both proud of it, but now Aomine seemed to be hellbent on figuring out what your mark was.

"Just show me!" he'd whined.

He'd been up on the roof again, and you had been charged with getting him off the roof and down to practice.

"No, Aomine. Now get off your ass and get down to practice," you told him, arms crossed.

You had been in this position for the past couple of weeks, and it was almost routine now.

"I won't even be a dick about it," he had promised you, his eyes looking almost sincere as he pleaded with you. Almost.

Aomine, you had learned, had adopted you as a friend, in the last few weeks of being stuck around him.

You and Momoi had started walking to class together, and Aomine had started trailing behind like a lazy guard dog, much to the chagrin of Momoi's many suitors.

"He really likes you," Momoi said one morning.

"Oh yeah?" you asked, chuckling.

"He hasn't liked someone like this in a while," Momoi told you. "He's a long time basketball junkie, so seeing him take an interest in someone that doesn't have much of a connection to the game is a relief to me."

"Momoi, I thought we agreed that you wouldn't profile me," you told her, giving her a small smile.

"I can't help it," she whined, taking a hold of your arm. "You have to tell him (Y/F/N)!"

"Sorry Momoi-san, I can't do that," you replied. "He doesn't want that."

"How do you know if you won't tell him?" she asked, pouting.

"Momoi-san, he's made his stance on soulmates exceedingly clear, and he likes me now because he doesn't know. I want it to stay that way. I'd rather be a friend than anything else. Besides, he doesn't like me like that," you informed her.

"I've been friends with him since we were kids," she said, glancing at you with those eyes. "I think I know when he's interested in a girl."

You snorted, but your conversation tapered off when Aomine joined you again.

"Seriously, what the hell is your soulmark?" Aomine demanded. "I have asked literally everyone I can think of that might know. No one in this entire fucking school seems to know what it is."

"Sorry Aomine," you said, slipping into your classroom, throwing a grin over your shoulder at him. "A girl needs to keep her secrets, besides, you aren't the only one with a soulmark thing."

His growl resonated into the classroom and you chuckled lightly as you sat down at your desk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+1

Of course, the one time the teams tries to do some team bonding they chose to go to the fucking beach.

Of course, Aomine had also been the one to suggest the beach. The others thought it was because he wanted to see girls in bikini's, but he had glanced at you and winked.

He wanted to see what your mark was.

"I hate you," you snarled, cornering him, before he left for his house. "You scheming son of a bitch."

"Such vulgar words," he teased, giving you a dark look. "And I have no idea what I could've done to make you hate me, baby girl."

"You know exactly what you did," you growled, ignoring the pet name. "The whole beach thing was your idea."

He grinned, and you suddenly understood why your mark was a panther.

Something flashed through you, and your let your own grin show through.

"You want to play games Aomine-kun?" you teased, keeping eye contact with him. "Fine, then let's play."

"What do I get if I win?" he asked.

"You'll have to choose that for yourself, if you win," you told him, storming out of the doors.

When the day came to go to the beach, nothing was out of the ordinary, save that the boys had decided that one of them had to be with you and Momoi at all times.

"You guys don't need to babysit us," you chided when you climbed onto the bus. "We tend to stick together anyway, and pervs, unless they're in groups, tend to pick the girl that splits away from the pack. Momoi-san and I can stick together and reduce the risk. This is more for you guys than it is for us anyway."

"Yeah, we don't need a guard dog," Momoi agreed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'll stay with them," Aomine offered, wrapping an arm around your shoulders and Momoi's, and you rolled your eyes.

"You just want to know what my soulmark is," you told him, glancing up at him.

"Wait," Sakurai murmured, "even Aomine doesn't know what your soulmark is?"

"Nope," you said, popping the 'p'. "He's been trying to figure it out for weeks now. That's why he suggested going to the beach."

"You clever son of a bitch," the captain said, and you shrugged.

"He and I have a small little wager going," you admitted, shrugging his arm off your shoulders. "If I can keep my soulmark hidden from him for the whole day today, he drops it."

"And if he wins?"

"She's being cryptic about that," Aomine said, and his eye twitched lightly.

"If he sees it, he can decide what he gets for winning," you told them. "He'll understand if he sees it."

And so the game began.

"Are you going swimming, (Y/F/N)?" Momoi asked you.

"Are you?" you asked her.

"No, I want to work on my tan," she admitted, waving a small bottle of tanning lotion.

"Then I'll stay with you. I have some reading I need to catch up on anyway. Besides, I want the sunscreen to sink in, I burn easily," you admitted, having applied it as soon as you got to the beach.

You were wearing a one-piece bathing suit (since it was harder for something to happen with one on), but you had thrown a thin white crop top on over it to cover your shoulders.

After Momoi asked you to get her back, you settled onto your towel, pulling your assigned literature book out of your bag, finding your page.

"Seriously, why don't you just show us what the damn thing is?" Aomine asked, settling down next to you forcefully.

"Because it's a part of my body, meaning I can show it off when I want, or cover it up when I want. Besides, I told you earlier, my soulmate doesn't want me," you said, flipping your page leisurely. "Don't need them hating me more than they already do without knowing my identity."

Aomine was clearly displeased, but it wasn't like he could argue with you about it, soulmarks were a very personal thing to some people.

"You're at the beach," he began a few minutes later, tone incredulous, "and you're reading a book. What is wrong with you?"

"A lot, which issue are you referring to?" you asked nonchalantly before he scowled at you. "I don't feel like going into the water," you told him, glaring at him over your sunglasses. "I have work to do, and this is a good time to catch up on it. Besides, shouldn't you be with the rest of the team? This was for you guys."

Aomine scowled, but stood up, heading for where the team was playing a game of beach volleyball. Or, they were attempting, none of them seemed to be having much luck with it.

"You know, not very many people can keep Dai-chan at bay as much as you're able to," Momoi said, making you snort.

"You just have to know how to deal with it. You can do it."

"But not for long, and not once he makes up his mind about something. You've kept him at bay for months, I've never been able to do that. My top score is a week."

"Does it bother you?" you asked quietly.

"No, not at all," she said, a little too quickly. "Okay, well, it bothers me a little. I've known him since we were kids, and you can handle him better than I can just after a few months, but I know why."

"Honestly Momoi, I don't think it's because we're soulmates, because he doesn't know. I think it's just I refuse to let him win at all."

"You two are definitely two of the most stubborn people I have ever met," she agreed, rolling over onto her stomach.

"I'm not sure whether that's a compliment or not," you muttered.

Momoi giggled and you smiled. It was nice, hanging out with her. It was nice to have a female friend.

"I'm a little peckish, do you want a pretzel or something from the concessions thing?" you asked, gesturing to the snack shack type thing that they had set up a few meters away.

"No, I'm all set, thank you though," she said.

"Alright, just thought I'd ask," you told her, standing up, wiping sand off your legs as you headed over with your wallet.

You dodged a pair of kids that looked like twins, who were trying to splash each other with water, and you laughed as one of them tackled the other.

"Idiot, you can't just wander off," Aomine chided as he sidled up next to you.

"I didn't," you pointed out. "I told Momoi where I was going."

Aomine frowned, glaring at a guy that stepped too close for his comfort.

"The point of this trip was so that the team could bond," you told him, "so that means that you should be over there with the team."

"You're a part of the team too right?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at you.

"Technically, yes, but I'm talking about the part of the team that plays on the court. I just tend to make sure that your ass shows up."

You glanced at Aomine, who was frowning.

"Out with it," you demanded, glancing around as you walked to make sure neither of you bumped into anyone.

"Does your mark make you uncomfortable?" he asked, carefully choosing his words.

"No," you admitted. "It's comforting actually, but there's no point in showing it off. Besides, it makes my back really hot when I'm out in the sun. That makes me uncomfortable."

You placed your order, which consisted of a fruity drink on ice and a small snack that would hold you over until lunch.

"What have you eaten today?" he asked.

"Nothing. I had coffee this morning and then left the house. I don't normally eat breakfast," you told Aomine.

"How are you alive?"

"Have you taken health classes?"

"Not what I meant, asshole," he snapped. "You're gonna run yourself into the ground."

"Aomine, I'm fine," you assured him. "Besides, I'm drinking plenty of fluids."

He frowned, but he seemed to realize it was useless to argue with you about it.

"Go back to the team, Aomine, I'm fine," you told him, shoving him towards where the boys were sitting in the sand.

You tossed your snack wrapper in a garbage can that was placed strategically, glad for the little bit of food in your stomach.

But then the kids ran by again, and one of them got you instead of their brother.

"Sorry!" he called, darting away.

Normally you wouldn't have minded, the water felt nice against your skin, but you knew that your cover-up would start to be see through, and with the breeze blowing off the water, it was sticking to your back.

You sighed, slipping it over your head as you headed for your towel.

After drying your shoulders off, you set your shirt out to dry, then began rooting around in your bag for your backup, before remembering that you had forgotten to put it in your bag before you left.

"Fuck," you muttered, glancing at where Aomine and the other boys were chatting.

You supposed that it was fine for now, but you would have to be careful if they came back over.

"Momoi, please, for the sake of our friendship, you can't say anything to the boys about this," you said when she looked over and saw your back.

"Why are you so worried about him finding out?" she asked, carefully running a hand over your back, tracing the lines of the mark.

"Because, he might be a dick, but he's a friend, and I don't want to lose that friendship because of some dumb cosmic presence that decided we were meant for one another."

"Do you love him?" she inquired.

You licked your lips, then pursed them.

"Do you love him?" she repeated.

You waited for a few moments before you confessed, "I might. Whether it's love or a crush, I can't say for sure."

She sucked in a breath.

"What?" you asked.

"You know that he likes you back, right?" she asked quietly. "You know that it has nothing to do with the Mark. It's not like he's seen it and knows that you're the woman he's going to marry."

"He'll hate me if he finds out."

"No, he won't."

"I think he will."

"How long are you going to keep this from him?" she demanded. "He at least deserves to know that you're an option!"

"I'll wait until he's married if I have to," you snapped, making her rear back. "Satsuki, in the end, this is my choice to make, and I've made it. He can't know."

"It's his decision too," she reminded you. "This isn't a one way street!"

"Right now, it is," you snarled. Then you softened your tone. "If I'm ever put in a situation where he finds out, I will let him make his own decision, but right now, it's my decision, the ball is in my court so to speak, and this is the move I'm making."

"I think it's the wrong move," she whispered.

"Luckily, it's not your move to make," you replied. "I don't mean to be cruel, Satsuki. I want him to be happy. I just don't think that he'd be happy with . . . me."

"How are you so sure?" she demanded, looking close to tears. "How are you so sure that knowing you're his soulmate would make him miserable? Why can't you accept the possibility that maybe him knowing would make him love you even more?"

You remembered all the times he had raved to you about how soulmates were bullshit. You remembered every vehement denial that he wanted to know who his soulmate was. Every venomous word and the pure hatred in his eyes.

If he looked like that just because of the idea, how would he react to the real thing? Something physical he could take his anger out on?

You highly doubted that Aomine would ever physically hurt you, but the idea still sent a shiver up your spine, despite the warm weather.

"Call it a gut feeling," you murmured, wrapping your arms around yourself.

"I just want you both to be happy," she whispered.

"I can't speak for him," you told her, "but I'm content with the way things are right now."

"Content and happy aren't always the same thing," she argued.

Something in your eyes must've told her that you weren't in the mood, because she sighed, going back to her tanning.

You laid on your back, trying to think of ways to hide the mark, but it took up the entire expanse of your shoulder blades, there was no way to hide it unless it was completely covered with a shirt or you laid on it.

"Momoi-san, (Y/L/N)-san, do you wanna come play two truths and a lie with us?" Sakurai asked.

"Sure, I would love to," Momoi said.

"What about you?"

You paused, thinking it over, before you grabbed your shirt, throwing it over your head after beating most of the sand out of it, making sure that no one saw it.

It wouldn't do much, you didn't think, but it would make you feel better all the same.

"Okay," you murmured, wandering over to fit in the circle with the boys.

They had decided that the person to their right was going to have to guess which was the lie, and you despaired to find that Aomine was on your right.

"Since the girls have now decided to join, new score," the captain said and you winced.

"Ladies first," Aomine said, giving you one of those glances that made you want to kiss him and punch him at the same time.

You decided to find a good compromise and you pinched his arm, hard.

"Okay," you murmured, trying to think. "One: when I was six, I popped my elbow out of my socket throwing a tantrum. Two: I have more than five dresses in my closet. Three: my music selection has a disturbing amount of love songs."

The others started whispering amongst themselves, and Aomine squinted at you.

"Number two has to be the lie. I've seen your music selection, and you mentioned the arm injury when you first became the manager," Aomine declared confidently.

"Wrong," you told him, grinning. "I have six dresses in my closet. I wasn't throwing a tantrum when I popped my elbow out of my socket. I fell off the monkey bars at the park."

Aomine glowered at you, and you laughed.

"You're just shitty at paying attention."

The boys were surprisingly bad at this game, either that or you were just good at guessing when someone was lying.

"One: I hate cherry lip gloss. Two: I can play the guitar. Three: I've never had a celebrity crush."

"Every girl has a celebrity crush," Aomine muttered, but then glanced back at you, frowning. "I say one is the lie."

"Nope! I can't play the guitar. I was taking lessons until I was eleven but I can't remember any of it."

"Wow, despite how much time you guys spend together, you really don't know much about her, do you Aomine?"

"Shut up," he mumbled, cheeks flushing.

Momoi, who was situated on your left, seemed to be very concerned with how good you were at guessing hers.

"That's the sixth one in a row that you've guessed right!" Satsuki cried, and you laughed.

"Sorry Momoi-san, but you're just very transparent and I'm too competitive to lose."

Aomine hadn't managed to guess any of yours, and you could feel him simmering beside you.

"Alright, since Aomine sucks at this, and (Y/F/N) is simply too good, let's change it up a little."

Suddenly, they were all going against you.

"I take it back, we all suck at this," Imayoshi muttered a few rounds later when they had yet to get one right.

"Sorry guys, I'm just good at hiding things," you said. "Remember, I've been hiding my soulmark from you all since the beginning of the year."

"That's it!" Satsuki cried, pointing at you, making you jerk towards Aomine to get away from her. "If we can get one right, just one, then you have to show us your soulmark!"

You wanted to decline, you wanted to act your way out of it, you knew what would happen if you lost, but that glint in her eyes made you want to prove her wrong.

"Deal," you told her.

"Okay, think about your answers carefully," Aomine said.

"Shouldn't they be saying that to you?" you asked him as you thought of something to say.

After listening to the ocean for a moment, you said, "One: I sleep like a baby during thunderstorms. Two: snapping turtles scare me to death. Three: I have a college age reading level."

Everyone started deliberating, and you smiled, leaning back, soaking in the sun.

"We have an answer," Imayoshi said, and you cracked open an eye.

"Shoot," you told them, sitting up.

"It's number two," he said.

The blood drained from your face.

You knew that they had taken a wild guess, but you hadn't expected them to get it right.

You took a deep breath, closed your eyes, and nodded, not trusting your voice.

You took another steadying breath as you stood up, brushing yourself off, trying to control the shaking in your hands that was slowly spreading up your arms.

You vaguely heard Imayoshi telling you that you didn't have to, that you had the right to say no.

You wanted to take the out he was giving you. You wanted to act your way out of it, you wanted to try and run, and you wanted to tell them that you backed out but . . . .

But you had been keeping this to yourself for a very long time. And you wanted to know sooner rather than later whether Satsuki was right or not. You wanted to know whether this was as terrible as your mind was making it out to be.

You got a firm grip on your shirt, and you were about to lift it off, but suddenly Aomine was in front of you, his hands covering yours as he stared you down.

His eyes were boring into yours, and his hands were firm, but gentle, in their grip.

He was telling you that you didn't have to, that as much as he pried, he wasn't going to let you feel pressured into doing this.

You stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before you shook your head, lips pressed together in a hard line.

"You deserve to know," you whispered, barely able to keep your voice from shaking.

Aomine nodded, slowly moving his hands, before he settled back down where he had been.

You took one last, steadying breath, turning your back to your team.

You tugged the shirt over your head, pulling the straps of your suit to the side so that they could see the expanse of the mark across your back.

Your entire team was silent as they realized what they were seeing.

"Holy shit," someone breathed, though you weren't sure who it was.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, though you weren't entirely sure who you were apologizing to.

Momoi was suddenly in front of you, pulling the straps of your bathing suit back up.

"(Y/F/N), you're shaking," she murmured.

"I know," you told her.

"He's gone," she informed you, and you collapsed into the sand, letting out a shaky breath you hadn't known you were holding.

"How pissed with me is he?" you asked her.

"I-I don't know," she confessed. "I've . . . I've never not been able to read him. He . . . he was completely blank. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," you murmured, staring at the sand in front of you. "I should have taken the out. I should have stayed home. I knew what he was trying to do. I knew that you wanted me to tell him. I knew how he would react. And a small, foolish part of me dared to hope that I was wrong. A small, naive, stupid, masochistic part of me believed that it wouldn't matter. I should know by now that I'm rarely wrong about this kind of thing."

"But I know him!" Satsuki said, looking close to tears. "I know how he looks at you! I see the little things! I don't why he . . . ."

"Don't worry about it Satsuki," you told her, standing up, turning to your team. "Sorry guys."

You headed for your spot, gathering up your things, making sure that you had everything that you had come with, just to give yourself something to focus on.

"Are you going to be okay?" Sakurai asked.

You saw that the whole team, save one member, was standing there in various states of shock, anger, and something akin to pity.

"I knew it would happen eventually," you murmured, then told them, "I'll survive. I'll be myself at practice on Monday, promise. Have a good rest of your weekend guys."

You dug your phone out of your pocket when you were far enough away from the team.

"Hello?"

"Taiga, hey, can you come pick me up?" you asked. "Something went down with Aomine."

"I'm on my way," he said. "Hold tight. Wait, where are you?"

You sent him your location, heading for the parking lot.

By the time Kagami actually found you, you were pretty sure you had cried yourself out.

You didn't remember crying, but Kagami had taken one look at you and wiped at your cheeks.

You had gone with Aomine when he had challenged Kagami at the street court, and you had stayed in touch with the red-head slowly becoming friends with each other.

He knew about your mark as well, though he had promised to keep it to himself. He hadn't told Kuroko either, which surprised you.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"He knows," you admitted, letting him wrap an arm around your shoulders. "He saw it."

As you explained what happened, Kagami got quieter and quieter, and when you glanced at his face, you were surprised to see a serious amount of anger on his face.

"Taiga?" you asked quietly.

"I'll murder him," Kagami growled. "He's such a fuckin'-!"

"You don't have to murder him," you told the red-head, who looked shocked at your response.

"But-!"

"No, I knew it was going to happen. I knew that I would lose him, I was just trying to hold on for a little longer. He hasn't done anything wrong," you said. "I guess that means that I don't have to hide it anymore."

"He's an idiot," Kagami declared.

"I already knew that though."

"Did he even explain himself to you?"

"No. But he doesn't need to. I already know that he doesn't want me. I knew when he started pawing around about my mark. I knew, but I didn't stop him. I led myself to this point."

"Stop taking responsibility for him being a dick!" Kagami snapped. "Do you realize how many people would kill to have you as a soulmate? Or to have one like you?"

"That's not the point!" you told him. "The point is that the one person I want to want me as a soulmate, doesn't. And there's nothing I can do to fix that! Because he seemed to like me just fine thinking I wasn't anything special to him, but the moment fate steps in, I'm fucked. So unless there's a way to pretend like this mark isn't a permanent reminder that the guy that's supposed to be perfect for me, hates my guts, then I guess this is my life now!"

"Kuroko is so much better at this than I am," Kagami muttered to himself. "Look, have you tried calling him?"

"He made it pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with me."

"Try it anyway."

"I think I'm good. My heart's been broken enough today, thanks."

"Seriously, this is fucking insane," Kagami stressed, opening a door for you. "From what I've seen, your the one person he actually listens to and hears."

"Because he didn't know what I was! I took advantage of that, and now I'm paying the price for it. I should have just told him and dealt with the consequences when I didn't want him! Now it hurts that much more and I have to watch us go back to being strangers. Maybe I should just transfer."

"Um, (Y/F/N)," Kagami said, tapping your shoulder.

"No, I'm serious! Why torture the team with our angst when I can just move schools? There are plenty in the area. Maybe I could move to Seirin. My parents-"

"(Y/F/N)!" he hissed, turning your head to look at something.

"Fuck," you muttered, locking eyes with Aomine, who had his hands thrown up like he had been using them to make a point to Kuroko, who was glancing back and forth between the two of you.

Kagami dropped his hands from your face and you took the opportunity.

You turned and bolted from the Seirin gym.

You should have been paying attention. You should have made Kagami take you home, you should've asked where you were going before.

Multiple people shouted after you, but you ignored them.

You had to get away from him, you had to make sure that he didn't think you were trying to-

Do what?

You slowed down with a sudden realization. If your life had been a cartoon there would've been breaking sound effects and skid marks behind you.

Why should you care what he thought when you had walked into that gym? He didn't care anymore, not now that he knew what you were, why should you?

Fuck what he thought!

If he wanted to let you go, who gave a fuck what it seemed like? You were friends with Kagami, and by default, Kuroko.

How were you supposed to know that he would go to Kuroko after this sort of thing?

Was it really that weird, that wrong, for you to do what you had just done?

You took a deep breath, letting yourself relax. You were probably over thinking things yet again.

A street court caught your eye and you stared at it for a few moments before heading over.

Someone had left a ball there, whether from pure forgetfulness, or a trust in humanity that someone wouldn't take it.

You pushed on it, checking the air, before you dribbled it around.

You could have gotten on a team if you had wanted, but after middle school, you had had enough of the inter-team drama, and had decided to give it up. So you had managed the boys team to be close to the sport without having to deal with a lot of the drama.

You practiced with them sometimes, when Momoi was managing and you had nothing better to be doing.

You made a few lay-ups, a few foul shots, and moved onto half court shots, soaking in the sound of the ball falling through the net.

The heat of the day was soaking through your t-shirt, soaking into the mark, and you touched it lightly, wondering what you were going to do on Monday.

You had promised the team that you would be back to normal, but would you be able to fake being okay well enough to fool them? How much would it take to fool Aomine into thinking that you were okay?

"Why him?" you asked yourself, tilting your face up to the sun. "Why did it have to be him? It could have been literally anyone else, and you chose the one guy that would never be able to love me for what I am, for what we are."

A breeze rustled the trees around you and you breathed it in, moving to leave when you caught sight of him standing in the entrance of the court.

"Shit," you muttered, looking for another way out. There was no chance that he hadn't seen you, even Aomine wasn't that much of an idiot, but you were seriously considering climbing the fence to get away when he spoke.

"I'm sorry," he started.

"No, stop, I don't want your apology," you told him, wrapping your arms around yourself, not able to look at him. "You have nothing to apologize for. I knew when I made that damn deal that I was risking our friendship, I was just tired of having to hide the damn thing. You of all people realize how much of a pain in the ass it is to cover up. And now that I think about it, it's probably better that this happened now. I can't imagine how badly it would've been if I had gotten even closer to you.

"Besides, now you're free to make your own decision. Satsuki got what she wanted in the end. Go figure, I guess. Anyway, you don't have to worry about it. You won't have to worry about me doing anything now that you know. And I already told you that if you won you would get to decide what you got for winning. You won't have to deal with me after this, I promise. I'll disappear since that's what you want."

"So when you told me I got to choose, you were basically telling me that I could choose whether I wanted you or not?"

"Yeah, pretty much, and I shouldn't've. I already knew which one you were going to choose, I was just being naive."

"That's not how it works dumbass," Aomine said.

You screwed your eyes shut, turning your head away from him.

"I know," you whispered. "Why are you even here?"

"I was looking for you, obviously," he grumbled.

"Why? I already know that you don't want this, you made that abundantly clear with your stories and reactions to me at the beach. What are you trying to do here, Aomine?"

"Trying to tell you that I like you," he stated. "But you keep trying to push me away."

"Huh?" Your eyes flew open at the words, and you stared at him.

"Idiot," he murmured, walking over.

You backed up, trying to keep the distance but he backed you against the fence.

"Do you want me to be honest with you?" he asked softly.

You nodded, wondering what the hell he was doing.

"I might be in love with you, and not because you're my soulmate," he said, which made you cock your head in confusion.

"But . . . all that stuff you said about hating soulmates and not wanting to meet yours . . . ."

"I didn't think you were my soulmate moron," he murmured, reaching out to toy with your hair. "I'm okay with it being you. I'm grateful for it actually."

The look on your face must've said it all because he sighed.

"You should've told me sooner," he told you. "I want to go out with you. No secrets, no lies, no weird games where I'm trying to get you to take your clothes off."

"You had me until that last one," you muttered, taking the hand that was playing with your hair.

He laced your fingers together before you could take your hand away.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it," he told you, wrapping his other arm around your waist. "So what do you say? Go out with me?"

You watched his face as much as you could in the crappy lighting, waiting for any sign that he was joking, waiting for him to yell 'Psych!' and walk away.

But his arm stayed wrapped around your waist, and he seemed too busy watching you to question what was taking you so long.

"If I say yes, am I going to be the laughing stock of the school?" you asked.

"No, I may be a dick, but I'm not that mean," Aomine told you.

"Okay," you whispered. "Yeah, I'll go out with you."

The smile Aomine gave you could've lit the whole court.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I hope you realize that Kagami and Tetsu think we're both crazy now," Aomine said.

"They already knew," you told him, wrapping an arm around his neck. "You have to be crazy to put up with the both of them."

Aomine snorted, nudging your forehead with his.

"I'm sorry that I ran from you," he said. "I shouldn't have done that."

You waited, sensing that he had more to say, he was just gathering his thoughts.

"I don't know what I was thinking," he muttered. "I just had to get away from my own stupidity I guess. I should have guessed that I was your soulmate. You were so on edge whenever I brought it up, but when someone else brought it up it was more like you were sick of the questions. I know you enough to know that if you reacted differently to me that it was because of me. I just . . . I acted on instinct."

"You don't have to explain anything to me Aomine," you told him, burying a hand in his hair. It was softer than you had thought it would be.

"No, you deserve an explanation. I am the whole reason you're even at Seirin."

"I was at Seirin because I wanted to talk to Kagami and that was where we ended up. We could have just as easily gone to his place or to mine."

"Tetsu's been trying for years to get me into the whole 'soulmate' thing, so he was the first person I thought of that could me explain what the fuck was going on. I wasn't upset that it was you, I was upset because you hid it from me and that you thought I was going to flip out about it. I mean, I did, but just not the way you expected."

"I figured you would yell at me, maybe push me around a little bit," you confessed. "I didn't think you were going to run like your ass was on fire to go talk to Kuroko."

"I wouldn't hurt you, for multiple reasons, the main one being I like you."

"I know, but the mind is a strange thing, and mine has a tendency to think worst case scenario first."

He hummed, and you saw the tension melt from his shoulders.

"Come on, let's get out of here," you told him. "Maybe you could go practice with Taiga and Kuroko."

"I want bread, we should go to a coffee shop or something," he suggested.

"Actually, yeah, that's a better idea," you agreed. "I really don't feel like explaining to Seirin what this whole thing was about. I'll call Taiga and explain, how about you call Momoi-san and tell her that everything's okay, 'cause she was really worried when I left."

"Yeah, I got it," he murmured, digging his phone out of his pocket, but he didn't unwrap his arm from around your waist.

"Hey, Taiga," you said when he picked up his phone.

"Where the hell are you, idiot?" Kagami asked.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you even more. Everything's fine now. Aomine kinda cornered me in a street ball court."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we worked things out. You don't have to worry about it, I promise. We're gonna go to a coffee shop somewhere nearby. I'll call you when I get home so that you know that I got back safely."

"Alright, but if he starts being a dick again, just give me a call."

"I will, thanks for everything Taiga," you told him, ending the call.

It wasn't really explaining things, but you could always tell him about it later, which you were probably going to have to do.

"-fine, Satsuki," Aomine was saying, looking exasperated. "She wants to talk to you."

"Hi Momoi-san," you said when he handed you his phone.

"(Y/F/N)! Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Momoi-san, breathe," you ordered, laughing. "I'm fine. Aomine and I worked things out, I promise."

"Are you dating? Because if you aren't then that's not working things out!" she cried.

"Momoi-san, we worked things out," you assured her.

"So you're dating then?"

You pursed your lips and glanced at Aomine.

"You'll find out soon enough I suppose," you told her, hanging up before she could say anything else to you.

"I think she likes you more than she likes me," he said, and you could hear the repressed pout.

"Nah, you'll always be Dai-chan to her," you told him. "You're her best friend, I just happen to be someone she needs to like because of my affiliation with you."

"You make it sound like this is some sort of business thing," Aomine whined, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

"I'm not used to you liking me, Aomine, you're going to have to let me adjust to this. I have been deliberately avoiding the fact that I like you all year."

"Fair enough," he muttered. "But don't expect me to be all conservative about this."

"What's this?" you asked him.

"Us, the fact that you agreed to go out with me."

"I retain all rights to pretend like I don't know you if you get too dramatic," you warned him, which made him scoff, like he wasn't expecting you to go through with it.

"Bold of you to assume that I'm joking," you said, letting his arm slip off your shoulders and he paused.

"You can't be serious," he muttered.

You kept walking.

"(Y/F/N)? You aren't serious right?" he called after you, slight panic in his voice when you didn't turn around.

"Right?" he asked.

#aomine x reader #daiki x reader #aomine daiki x reader #daiki aomine x reader #knb #knb imagines #aomine daiki #knb aomine #knb x reader

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ortho Shroud Fairy Gear Personal Story: Part 1

"The finest 'evolution'"

Part 1 (Part 2) (Part 3)

[Gymnasium]

Ortho: Yep, the adjustments for my body and the beacons are done. Now, all that's left is…

Deuce: Ortho, we've set up the equipment like you asked.

Epel: Sorry to keep you waiting. We also got all the stuff you asked us to bring.

1: It was so heavy… 2: Is this all you need?

Ortho: Thank you! I was just thinking about moving on to the next step.

Deuce: What's the next step?

Ortho: The projection mapping rehearsal!

Ortho: I wanted to make some final adjustments, so that I can raise the accuracy of the "illusion camouflage."

Sebek: Yes, you can never be too careful… That is a good attitude to have.

Ace: Why are you the one who's acting all proud here…?

Jack: Yeah, but this really is quite an incredible spectacle to see.

Jack: There's a ton of lights, some cameras and monitors, and an enormous screen…

Epel: And finally, just as you asked, Ortho-kun, we collected as many colored clothes as we could from the guys in our dorms…

Grim: We ain't got any idea what you want all this for, though.

Ortho: Ehehe. Well first, can I have you two, Ace Trappola-san and Jack Howl-san, change into these clothes?

Jack/Ace: Eh!? Is this…?

Ace: I thought we were going to be rehearsing for the fashion show… Why're you makin' us change into our P.E. uniform?

Jack: Seriously. 'Cause our outfits for the stage are super delicate, we have to be super careful taking it off, too, y'know...

Ortho: I'm sorry. In order to make the illusion a success, I want to test out many different patterns.

Ortho: Especially since we won't know the color of the dress that the Fairy Queen will be wearing tomorrow.

Jack: The color of her dress? Is that related to the mission somehow?

Ortho: Of course it is! It's not an exaggeration to say that it is the most important concern to succeed in this illusion.

Epel: R-really!? But, what do you mean by "the most important concern"?

Ortho: Ehehe. I think it'll be faster if I showed you rather than explain.

Ortho: Everybody, watch the screen!

[screen turns on]

Epel: The image projected on the screen is… The Fairy Gala venue?

Deuce: It totally looks real. Not just the trees and flowers, but if you look closely, you can also see birds and butterflies flying around.

Jack: If I listen closely, I can even hear the birds chirping and their wings flapping… It's like we're really there.

Ortho: Don't be too surprised just yet. We still have to perform the illusion.

Ace: …Oh. I think I know what you're trying to do, Ortho.

Ortho: Really? Okay, then, I'll ask you to stand in front of the screen, Ace-san.

Ace: Okaaay.

Deuce: Seeing Ace in his P.E. uniform against the backdrop of the Fairy Gala venue… I gotta admit, it's kinda surreal…

Ortho: Please keep your eyes on Ace-san. Here we go… 1, 2, 3!

[activates illusion program]

Deuce/Jack/Grim: ACE DISAPPEARED!?

Ace: Ooh, did it go well?

Sebek: …We can't see Ace's body, but I can hear his voice. What is going on!?

Sebek: ...... Wait, AAAAAAAH!? It's a m-monster… There's a monster without an upper body strutting around!!

Ortho: Sebek Zigvolt-san. Thank you very much for the expected reaction. I'm pleased you're surprised.

Ortho: Haah, it looks like it still needs a few adjustments. I'm going to turn off the light and videos off for a moment.

[turns off projection]

Ace: What's wrong, Sebek? That's such a miserable-looking face. Ah, let me guess… You were so frightened that your knees almost gave out?

Sebek: ABSOLUTELY NOT! I WAS JUST STARTLED BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME LEGS WALKING AROUND BY THEMSELVES!

Epel: I was surprised too… Hey, Ortho-kun. Can you explain what just happened?

Ortho: Yes, of course. Tomorrow, we will be performing an illusion that will make the Fairy Queen disappear.

Ortho: And just now, I activated the program assuming that the queen would be wearing the color red.

Ortho: That is why his top half with the red shirt was able to blend into the background, but…

Ortho: But all the other colors, like the black portions of the sportswear, didn't really work well with Ace-san's movements…

Sebek: How bizarre…! But if left like this, the whole venue will be in pandemonium!

Ortho: Yep. That's why I want the program to instantly adapt to whatever color or material the dress is made out of.

Sebek: …I see. So that is the reason why you had us collect a plethora of different colored clothes.

Ortho: I'm glad you're able to understand quickly.

Ortho: So, that's why I was hoping I'd be able to enlist all your help with the preliminary testing and any remedial tasks. Can I ask that of you all?

1: Of course! 2: We'll definitely succeed!

Deuce/Ace/Epel: YEAH!

Ortho: Hmm… In order for it to look completely transparent, I think I want to decrease the latency of the projected image a little more...

Ortho: Ace-san, can you try walking at a speed of 2.78 kilometers per hour this time?

Ace: I don't understand when you say "per hour" like that! You want me to go faster? Or slower?

Ace: But anyway, how about we take a break soon? I'm so tired from changing my clothes and moving around so much…

Jack: I agree. My eyes are hurting from staring at the monitor for so long…

1: Grim got bored and went to sleep already. 2: I'm kind of zoning out…

Ortho: We can't take a break like this! The show is tomorrow…

Ace: Hmmm, yeah, but…

???: Excuse me. May I have a moment?

Part 1 (Part 2) (Part 3)

Requested by @girl-in-the-tower and @rotattooill.

#twisted wonderland #twst #ortho shroud #ace trappola #deuce spade #jack howl #epel felmier #sebek zigvolt #twst ortho #twst ace #twst deuce #twst jack #twst epel #twst sebek #twst grim #twst translation #twst fairy gala

[twstarchives]

Let Me Go!!

Card: Dorm Uniform - SSR Characters: Epel, Rook, Vil, Idia

Chapter 1

—INTERIOR HALLWAY—

Epel: Um... This is where the film studies club meets, right?

—CLASSROOM—

Epel: Excuse me...

Rook: Hello, Epel-kun! I see Vil asked you to lend a hand here.

Epel: I’d say it’s more like I was forced... Did he ask you too?

Rook: I’m helping on my own accord. The pleasure is all mine if I’m able to be with Vil.

(Clap, clap!)

Vil: Film studies club! Everyone gather around.

I’m going to discuss the details for when we begin our next student-produced film.

I’ll hand out the script first. Everyone, take one each.

Epel: Whoa, this script is so thick. They must really go all out with their activities here...

Vil: The next film we’re producing will be about time travel.

It’s set in the present day. The students of Night Raven College use a time machine...

And travel to the era of the Great Seven’s Fairest Queen of All.

Rook: The era of the Fairest Queen of All... How très bien!

What a fascinating idea, don’t you think, Epel-kun?

Epel: Hah... I guess.

Vil: The leading role is still undecided. I’ll let you know once I’ve chosen them.

Now, the time machine is the key item in this story... Epel!

Epel: ! Yes?!

Vil: I’m putting you in charge of designing it.

Epel: What?! I-I’m just the help. Why am I in charge of something so important...?

Vil: I’ve deemed you the most suitable for this.

Epel: (What gave him that idea?! I’ve never designed anything in my life. I want to say no...)

Vil: The time machine will use a magical wheel as a base. You’ll be customizing the exterior.

This way, we can shoot driving scenes.

Epel: You said magical wheel...?!

Vil: Yes. I’ve already arranged for one to use in our shooting.

I’ve asked Ignihyde’s dorm leader, Idia, to modify it, so you will work with him to complete it.

Epel: Got it!

Vil: ...You sounded very genuine there. Well, if you’re feeling motivated now, then that’s fine.

The theme of the time machine’s design should be “something beautiful and fitting for the setting.”

Your deadline is in three days at noon. Is that clear?

Epel: Yes, Vil-san!

(I was so reluctant about having to help out the film studies club... but I didn’t expect there to be a magical wheel involved!)

(That feeling of the passenger becoming one with the vehicle as they ride on... Just watchin’ it gets me all excited.)

(Maybe if I made a design that makes Vil-san’s jaw drop, he’d even let me take it for a test run.)

(Okay, I’m gonna do my best!!)

—IGNIHYDE DORM - LOUNGE—

Epel: I’m Epel, a first-year from Pomefiore. You’re Idia-san, right? Let’s work hard together.

Idia: Ugh... The glittery Pomefioran is here, hurray...

O-Oh, um... Vil-shi explained everything to me. We’ll use this lounge to work...

Epel: Okay, thank you.

Oh, that’s the magical wheel we’re going to modify there next to you, right? It’s so cool...!!

Idia: Hah... I only agreed to this ‘cause Vil-shi said he’d compensate me...

But working with other people... really makes me irritated by the second.

I need to finish this and go back to my room ASAP before my sanity gauge runs out.

Epel: (I know Vil-san’s taste pretty well since he’s been training me for months ever since I enrolled here.)

(I need to aim for a fancy design that goes with the setting and also satisfies Vil-san.)

Idia-san. Let’s do our best designing this magical wheel...!

Idia: Yeah. Let’s get this done as fast as we can...

Chapter 2

—IGNIHYDE DORM - LOUNGE—

Epel: It took all night... but it’s done! Idia-san, the coloring for the magical wheel is all finished.

Idia: Congrats on getting it done. You told Vil-shi you’d show it to him once it was finished, right? Shouldn’t you call him?

And end this so I can be alone.

Epel: Yes, I’ll go do that!

Epel: Here’s the magical wheel, painted to look like a time machine.

The design was inspired by the peacock engraved into the Fairest Queen of All’s favorite chair.

Vil: ......

Epel: Um... Vil-san?

Vil: Epel. Are you satisfied with this design?

Epel: What do you mean, am I satisfied...?

Vil: I ordered you to design something “beautiful and fitting for the setting.”

However, this piece conveys nothing from the creator’s heart.

You wouldn’t consider this design “beautiful,” would you?

Epel: ...! Well, I...

Vil: To me, this looks like you only tried to match the setting.

Redo it, Epel. And don’t think about coming back to the dorm until it’s finished.

Epel: What?! Vil-san, wait a seco— ...He’s gone.

...Dammit! How can he be angry that I made it exactly as he said...?!

But I get to work with a magical wheel, which I love so much. No way am I giving up after failing once!

I need to make something that I think is beautiful, that matches the setting,

And something that would make Vil-san satisfied, right?

I’m gonna do it!!

...... But what would that be...?

—IGNIHYDE DORM - IDIA’S ROOM—

Idia: Hehee! I got that kitty accessory I wanted! It’s a rare strength item that boosts my speed by 100!

Hehehe, now, the boss from this ultra-hard quest... You should tremble in fear of my dodging power.

(Running footsteps!)

        (Epel barges in)

Epel: Idia-san!

Idia: Eee! E-E-E-E-Epel-shi! It’s rude to come into someone’s room without knocking!

Epel: Oh... S-Sorry.

It’s just, we have to redo the time machine...

Idia: Hah? He rejected that flashy design?

Epel: Yeah... So please help me make it over again!

Idia: (I can’t believe Vil-shi. He should’ve done this himself if he was going for something specific. Why’d he leave it to someone else?)

(I can’t stand them taking away my gaming time anymore. I gotta get this done now and chase out Epel-shi...)

H-Hey, Epel-shi. Do you have anything you’re good at?

Epel: Huh? Why are you asking?

Idia: ‘Cause wouldn’t this get done faster if Vil-shi just made it himself instead of having you make it over again?

But he still put you up to it... So shouldn’t you consider that maybe you’ve got some kind of secret talent?

In online games, leveling up skills you’re good at makes getting through the game easier.

Epel: But I’m just good at things like carving apples. I can’t really use that in desig——

(...Hm? Apples...?)

I figured it out!!

Idia: Ee! I-I-It scares me when you yell out of nowhere! Wh-What did you figure out?

Epel: I figured out what I can make that’s as beautiful and fitting for the setting as I can!

Idia: I-I’m glad to see you came up with an idea. Well, let’s get on with it then.

Epel: Huh? But you stayed up all night last night. Are you sure you shouldn’t rest a little...?

Idia: Heh, staying up all night is nothing to me. I stan a group of idols who look elderly but with hearts eternally 17...

And even Moirai on the Edge can do live performances for 72 hours straight.

We’ll prevail over this ultra-hard quest!

Epel: M-Moi...rai? I-I don’t know what that means, but let’s work hard!

(This time, we’ll make a design that Vil-sanーno, that anyone would approve of!)

Chapter 3

ーーThe day the time machine is due.

???: ...el... Epel!

—IGNIHYDE DORM - LOUNGE—

Epel: *Yawns*...?

Huh? Ahh! When did I go to sleep?! And Vil-san, what’re you doin’ here?

Vil: Your deadline is today at noon, so I came to check up on how you were doing. Honestly, I cannot believe you were sprawled out asleep on the floor.

So? Have you finished the time machine?

Epel: Oh... I did. Take a look at this!

There’s a story where the Fairest Queen of All made a poisoned apple, right?

So this time, I used that as my inspiration.

The color of the whole body represents a ripe, red, shining apple.

Like one you reach out to take without even realizing it... Anyway, I made sure it looked delicious!

Vil: Hmm... Go on.

Epel: Right. The other thing I worked especially hard on was this design that’s hidden when the machine is stopped, and only gets revealed when it starts up.

I’ll turn it on to let you see.

Vil: ! You painted the tire kept inside... Is that a skull?

Epel: Yes! One of the stories mentioned that a skull rose up before the poisoned apple the Queen made turned red...

So I added a symbol that can’t be seen from the outside unless you start it up.

This time machine is as “beautiful and fitting for the setting” as I can make it right now!

Vil: ...Allow me to ask you one thing. Why did you change to a poisoned apple?

Epel: Um... When I tried to use a peacock in my design, I honestly couldn’t tell if it was good or bad...

But then I thought, no one would be able to resist a design that makes apples look appealin’...!!

Vil: ......

...Heh. You finally came up with a design that reflects you.

Epel: ...! Yeah!

Vil: Now, I will leave you with the keys to this magical wheel.

Epel: Huh? Why me?

Vil: I’m heading back to our set. You’ll deliver the machine to the film studies club yourself.

You have until noon to bring it, just as we discussed. Don’t be late. Understood?

        (Vil leaves)

Epel: ...If he was in such a rush, he could’ve just taken it himself... Wait, hold on?!

Does this mean I can ride it back to the set... maybe?

AHH~! ALL RIGHT!!

Idia: Ugh... Epel-shi, you’re too loud... Your voice is ringing through my sleep-deprived head...

Epel: Oh! S-Sorry, Idia-san.

I’ve always wanted a magical wheel... And I get to ride one I designed myself. I just can’t believe it...

Alright, let’s get to the school building!

—MAIN STREET—

Film Studies Student A: Hm...? What’s that? There’s something coming towards us from the front gate.

Rook: That is a magical wheel. And the one driving it is... Monsieur Cherry Apple, Epel-kun.

Film Studies Student A: It’s so glossy, like a real apple... And his Pomefiore uniform looks so nice. It’s beautiful!

Film Studies Student B: Driving that machine, Epel-kun’s got a radiance that’s different from his usual frail beauty.

Film Studies Student C: Yeah. That piercing cold look and his unconsciously curled-up lips... I’m so drawn to it; I can’t look away.

Rook: Did you hear that, Vil? Everyone is praising Epel-kun!

Vil: Hehe, these potatoes’ reactions are perfect.

Epel: Oh... There he is! Vil-san! Just as promised, I’m here to deliver this.

Let me stop the machine... Okay. Well, I’ll get going now.

Vil: Hold it, Epel. Stay right there.

Film studies club, your attention! I have an announcement to make regarding our next film.

For our undecided leading role... I’ve decided to cast Epel right here.

Epel: Wh... What?!

Vil: You all saw how he looked riding that time machine, yes?

I believe there’s no better person out there more suited for this role. Are there any objections?

Rook: It’s true, the sight of him riding that time machine up here almost felt like a scene from a movie.

Film Studies Student B: Yeah! Hats off to you for how dashing you looked. I’ll let you have my seat today.

Epel: W-Wait a second. I thought I was just helping with the design——

Vil: I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll thoroughly train you to be an actor, so do prepare yourself.

Now, you must do a costume fitting. Costume committee, take Epel to our club room.

Costume Committee: Okay!

Epel: I-I still haven’t said anything about doing th—let me go!!

Vil: ...I see now how drastically the sparkle in his eyes changes depending on whether he’s interested or not. Honestly. He’s a difficult apple to deal with.

Rook: Epel-kun was shining like a completely different person than he was yesterday, yes...

But perhaps were you anticipating this finale from the start?

Vil: Well, now. Who’s to say?

#twisted wonderland #epel felmier #personal story #dorm uniform

[vicious-vixxxen]

DRABBLE BURST TIME: Ceo Shouto (or Aizawa dont mind either way) with a taller, and bratty male secretary who’s been teasing him all day :)

((Love love LOVE this, and I’ve yet to write for Shoto, so hope you enjoy ;3 also totally got out of hand, does this even count as a drabble lol)) Shoto Todoroki X Bratty Male!Reader

“Holy /shit/, Midoriya-San, you’re getting absolutely stacked!” You practically squealed, grinning from ear to ear as the greenette did his best to make himself look smaller- which was no easy feat, seeing as how he was well passed 6’4, rivaling you be three inches, and over two hundred pounds of pure, raw muscle.  It wasn’t every day you got to see the Number 1 hero, as he usually took his conference calls with Todoroki...well, over a call. As the title suggested. Duh. But when he came in it was always a treat, because try as he might to feign embarrassment, he never once rebuffed your advances to fawn over him. Blush a deep crimson high on his cheeks, delving deep into the collar of his hero suit as you moved /too/ close, and touched a little /too/ much. Over his arms, and his shoulders. All too aware of the eyes boring into your back all of the sudden. “That’s quite enough, Y/N,” Shoto drawled from behind you, ever the warm facade of impassiveness. You’d worked for the man for nearly two years now, and you could always tell when it was put upon, or when he was well and truly bored and everything, and passive was just the resting mood to get him through the day. “It’s good to see you, Midoriya,” Shoto smiled, soft, and kind- bringing Deku into a hug- eyes ablaze, and never leaving yours, as you snickered at the way he had to step on his tiptoes to properly hug his old friend, and colleague. “I was just telling Midoriya here that if he isn’t careful, he’s going to get someone pregnant with just a flex of those biceps. And I swear he’s grown two inches since last I saw him! Hasn’t he?” You asked cheekily, before sizing Shoto up, and grinning devilishly. “Though I suppose to someone of your stature it doesn’t make much of a difference.” Midoriya tensed, gawking at you, looking between Shoto’s steadfast impassive expression, and your smirk. “Only joking, of course, Todoroki-San. I’ll leave you and Mr. Midoriya to it then, and I’ll call up a bottle of champagne like last time. Just don’t go getting sauced on me again, Midoriya-san, or i’ll have to cart you home myself.” You beamed, winking at Midoriya for good measure, before shooing he and Shoto back into the CEO’s office. But not before Shoto caught you by the wrist, and tugged you down to his height, lips ghosting the shell of your ear. “Thin. Ice.” He whispered heatedly, face never revealing it however, as he let go and readjusted your cufflink. “Is that supposed to be a pun?” You whispered after him, laughing at how the man’s shoulders tensed just before the door slammed shut. You could never get enough of his temper.

Todoroki’s meeting with Midoriya ran much longer than it ever had before. By the time the hero walked out, excusing himself quickly to get a jumpstart on his nightly patrol, most of the agency had already cleared out for the evening. Save for a few stragglers on the lower levels, but seeing as how you worked at the very top, it was just you. And Shoto. Not the first time, and not the first time it’s been done so purposefully. Clever man.

“Y/N? Would you come in here for a moment, please.” Shoto called out, and the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. A heat curling in your gut, as you logged out of your computer, tidied up your space, and headed into the man’s office. Eye’s immediately falling on Shoto, standing at the front of his desk, leaned back with a glass of champagne still in hand. Though it was almost empty. Shutting the door behind yourself, you crossed your hands behind your back innocently, tilting your head to the side. Curious. “You think this is a game? That this is funny?” Shoto asked seriously, and you simply feigned innocence- brows drawn down low, as you closed a few more feet between the two of you slowly. Not missing the way Shoto’s eyes raked your body once, then twice, a soft, yet audible gulp heard from his side of the room. “I must admit to having no idea what you could possibly be talking about, sir,” You offered quietly, taking another step. Then another. And another, “I should’ve fired you a long time ago, constantly pulling stunts like that. How do you think it reflects on me, hm? Having an insatiable fanboy at my front desk, as my secretary. Fawning over every male hero who walks through that door.” Shoto sounded upset, though you knew the real reason why. It always worked him up, you doing what you did. But that was part of your fun together. Part of what made /this/, so exciting. “I think,” You began slowly, closing the last of the few feet between you and your boss slowly, looking down on the shorter man now, with a hum in your throat. Reaching off beside him to grab the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket it sat in. Swishing it around carefully, judging it’s contents, before smirking. “-you should try and reel in some of that jealousy. It’s bad for your business.” You’d never been able to help that- teasing him. Taking a swig from the bottle with a sharp hiss at the carbonation. Smacking your lips together, as Shoto stood at his full height finally- still a whole head shorter than you. A blush, no doubt from the alcohol, coloring his cheeks, just barely. “You’re a brat,” He hissed up at you, rough, sure hands clawing at your hips, to bring your fronts flush together. Flicking his hair from his eyes, exposing both beautiful irises to you. “But i’m your brat. Not theirs. Don’t forget that,” You reminded him softly, taking another swig from the champagne bottle. Setting it aside, and cupping his cheek with the same hand- brushing your thumb over the man’s scar carefully, before coaxing his lips open, and sealing yours to them. Letting the rush of champagne flow from your mouth to Shoto’s. Waiting for him to swallow, before kissing him. Eating up the soft, needy sounds he let loose. Always so put together, so strong. But when it was just the two of you, like this, Shoto could finally relax. Barely flinching as you lifted the man onto his desk, and slotted your hips together. Chuckling darkly at the hitched, breathy moan Shoto released as your cocks dragged together deliciously, even through the fabric of your slacks.  “Mine,” Shoto breathed, statement and assurance and agreement all wrapped into one, as you ravished the man’s collar in bites, and kisses. Careful not to leave any marks that wouldn’t fade overnight, as you worked on undoing his pants, and yours. “Mine,” You echoed, or growled, really, as you took both you and Shoto in hand- biting your lip as you realized how wet the man was already. Precum from Shoto’s cock enough to slick the both of you up deliciously as you stroked. ((Ending it there just to tease sksksks and to make it more drabble sized-ish, cuz I could go on forever, I LOVE size difference, any way you spin it, so this is just...ugh. Hope you like it!))

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