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jckelly · 4 years

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updated intro / 25/09/20

Is that JACK FIELDING? Wow, they do look a lot like VAN MCCANN. I hear HE is an NINETEEN year old FRESHMEN who are studying AEROSPACE ENGINEERING at Luxor University. Word is they are an ARISTOCRAT student. You should watch out because they can be PHILOPHOBIC and INSINCERE, but on the bright side they can also be WITTY and IMAGINATIVE. Ultimately, you’ll get to see it all for yourself. [YUNI, 20, GMT, SHE/HER]

hello to anyone who has yet 2 be cursed w my presence in their dms, i am yuni and this is an updated intro for my demon boi jack! this one is a lilll bit more in depth but not to worry there is a tl;dr at the end ion expect u to read this. feel free to dm me if you would like to plot!

01: BASIC INFORMATION

Full Name: Jackson Noel Fielding (previously Kelly; recently changed)

Nicknames: Jack - he dislikes the use of his full first name, and only really answers to Jack, unless joking around with Caitriona.

Date Of Birth: December 4, 2001 (currently aged 19)

Zodiac: Sagittarius sun, Leo ascendant, and Aries moon.

Place Of Birth: Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

Nationality: Dual UK and US citizenship; he was born and raised in England so was a UK citizen from birth, and acquired US citizenship through his American adopted mother after being formally adopted in 2017.

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Course: Aerospace Engineering (Freshman)

02: PHYSICAL

Faceclaim: Van McCann

Voiceclaim: Also Van McCann (but w ... not a Welsh accent LOL think Northern)

Ethnicity: White (English, Irish, Scottish)

Height: 173cm (5′8)

Weight: 52kg (115lbs) / BMI 17.4

Eye Colour: Blue

Hair Colour: Brown

Distinctive Features: Freckles (many), ear piercings (one hoop in his left ear), scars on his wrists which he hides with long sleeved shirts.

Clothing Preference: Jack really only wears black, or something close to black like grey. He usually opts for simple clothes, just jeans and long sleeved shirts, and beat up black converse. His Sheffield United hoodie makes an appearance more often than not, because he has a ridiculous amount of hometown pride.

03: PERSONALITY

Overview

Positive Traits: Witty, imaginative, perseverant, passionate

Negative Traits: Philophobic, disloyal, insincere, callous

MBTI: ENTP

Religious Beliefs: Atheist

Description

The first side most people see of Jack is the side he wants you to see. A total asshole. It’s not an exaggeration - he’s pretty much infamous for flirting with everyone, dating anyone and as a serial cheater. He’ll actively try to worm his way into your life, and then just when you start to care, he does something to hurt you. He’s strangely persistent, probably helping him to push people even further, until they snap. There is nothing which satisfies him more than managing to wind people up to the extreme, get them to the point where they give up. Adopted parents, friends, nobody is immune to this side - he even tries it on the people he genuinely cares about, as if just to see if he’ll still be able to push them away.

The second side, which most people don’t see, is that at heart Jack is a kid. He’s the type of person to ask if owls have ears at 3am, or get some childlike joy out of dumb jokes. Of course, this is the side nobody but a very small number of people see. And even if you do see it, it never lasts long. He keeps his true personality under wraps even amongst those he does like, and it only slips out if he’s extremely comfortable with you. Otherwise, he’ll go straight back to being a sarcastic, flirty piece of shit.

04: PAST

Biography:

Jackson Kelly was born in a council estate in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in the UK. His life prior to adoption is not something he routinely talks about, but that’s mostly because he’d rather not give people reasons to pity him: his mother, 15 when she gave birth to him, was a drug addict; he has no idea who his birth father is or was, and no inclination to find out. Jack’s first ten years of life pretty much fell into the same cycle: get put into foster care, his mother would get clean and take him back, and then the cycle would repeat. But when the cycle ended when he was ten, and he was removed from his mother’s care for good, he wasn’t ready for it to end yet.

Sure, she wasn’t the best parent. But she was his mother. Jack quickly developed a reputation for running away, always found back at the same place. Foster parent after foster parent always ended up returning him, unable to cope with his rebellious tendencies and the constant hunt for him after he had run. As he aged, he only became better at avoiding being found. It practically became a game to him, a way for him to entertain himself. So when a wealthy American heiress and her British CEO husband decided that of all people, they wanted to foster a now thirteen year old Jack, social workers almost wanted to ask if they’d misspoke. (Jack had assumed it was a practical joke.)

Claire and George, his new “parents,” were patient. They said he didn’t have to call them mum or dad, that even after they officially adopted him two years later he could keep his own surname, that they just wanted him to be happy. They moved him to a better school, got a private tutor to make up for lost time, tried to take an interest in his favourite things. But that wasn’t enough for Jack. Eventually, the situation resulted in drastic measures: a rainy afternoon with a social worker being told that Claire wanted to move the family to her birthplace of New York, and send Jack to the school she had attended many years prior. A fresh start would be better for him, they said. As if Jack didn’t know the real reason. He couldn’t run away if he was thousands of miles away.

And that was how a fifteen year old Jack made his way to Carnifex, with absolutely no change to his desire to wreak havoc or to his somewhat disturbing attitude towards other people. Therapists paid for by his adopted parents might say he was pushing people away to manifest emotions about neglect in early life; Jack would just say that he was keeping things interesting. Either way, the next couple years of his life escaped past him, and before he knew it he was in a school office, being told that his birth mother had died.

Obviously, Claire and George freaked, as if he would do anything. Pulled him out of school for a month, flew him back to England for the funeral, and practically wrapped Jack in bubble wrap like he was a baby or something. All he wanted to do was go back to school, ignore the guilt he felt in his stomach for letting them take him away, and go back to what he did best.

Timeline:

December 4 2001 - Jackson Noel Kelly is born in Sheffield.

2005 - Jack is removed from his mother’s care for the first time. He is frequently removed from her care and then placed back in it for the next seven years of his life.

2012 - Jack is removed from his mother’s custody permanently and placed in a temporary foster home. He bounces through foster homes for the next few years, including one where he meets Caitriona and becomes close with her.

2014 - Jack is fostered by Claire and George. He resists any attempt for them to get close to him, and continues to act out.

December 2016 - Jack is legally adopted by Claire and George, acquiring US citizenship, although he does not change his surname.

January 2017 - Jack attempts suicide. He is placed in therapy and plans are made for his relocation to the US.

March 2017 - Claire and George move back to America, taking Jack with them. He begins attending Carnifex. He continues to visit the UK regularly to visit his birth mother, who he keeps in contact with.

April 2020 - Jack’s birth mother dies. He immediately disappears from school for a month, without telling anyone where he went.

May 2020 - Jack returns to Luxor. It’s later accidentally blurted out mid fight with Zander that his mother is dead.

June 2020 - Jack graduates and Leo tells the school Jack attempted suicide.

September 2020 - Jack legally changes his surname from his birth name - Kelly - to his adopted parents surname, Fielding.

December 2020 - Zander and Ches spread posters around claiming that Jack is HIV positive and gave it to Balo. They don’t provide any proof for this allegation, and Jack continues to deny it.

(These are the events ur character would probs vaguely know about!!! Anything else is personal info so they wouldn’t know unless Jack explicitly told them. Feel free to ask me if you’re ever unsure if something is ic knowledge or not!)

05: OTHER TRIVIA

- He has a fairly strong Yorkshire accent which is obviously something other characters would likely notice when interacting with him. So if he uses words you don’t know it’s safe to assume he’s just being his dumb British self so you are free to have your character question the meaning/not know. (LMK if you’re unsure tho!)

- His favourite band is Oasis (closely followed by Arctic Monkeys), favourite film is Fight Club, go to drink is either a double vodka coke or a pint of Heineken, and his favourite place is Leadmill in Sheffield because it’s where he’s seen some bands (and fucked girls in the bathroom. Such a romantic.)

- Dyslexic, but if you mention it Jack will fight you, although it’s partially why he leans more toward math based subjects where his spelling ability is irrelevant.

- Notoriously has a thing for redheads, although that doesn’t prevent him from being crude and sexual towards anyone he happens to meet or interact with.

- Chain smokes anything he can get his ratty little hands on (cigarettes, weed, meh) so expect him to smell of ciggies 24/7.

- Diehard supporter of Sheffield United and insists there is no better football team even though they really suck

- Weetabix, Weetabix, Weetabix

06: NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Within Luxor:

- Friendships: Caitriona, Balo, Avery, Zai, Oakley, Lennon

- Former Relationships: Oakley Prescott

- Current Relationship: Juliet McCoy

NPCS

- Claire Richardson Fielding & George Fielding: Jack’s adopted parents, who just want to love him despite him being terrible to them.

- Lauren Kelly: His birth mother, who he misses a lot.

- Violet Richardson: Claire’s mother, who for some reason adores Jack and considers him her favourite grandchild. Meaning Jack will probably inherit everything when she dies, although he doesn’t really think about that.

- Emily French: His ex girlfriend from back home, also known as the only girl who Jack truly cared about before Juliet. She broke up with Jack for being too toxic, which although fair, fucked him up for a little bit. Not that he’d admit it.

07: CONNECTION IDEAS/WCS

Exes (Lots)

Jack has a habit of dating people, dropping them as soon as feelings get involved, cheating on them, and generally being an asshole. So if you want an ex for your muse… yeah.

Enemies

Again, he tends to happily mess with as many people as he possibly can. So he’s probably gotten on the wrong side of at least a couple people.

Friends (fake or real)

Like when he dates, he tends to get close to people before ditching them or screwing with them. So people who think they’re his friends but who aren’t really as close as they think are very welcome. I’m also down to have a couple people who can be the few he genuinely cares about.

08: TL;DR

If you already knew Jack at Luxor:

Little has changed! He’s the same manipulative dick as ever except that he has legally changed his surname. Your characters are tots fine to comment on the change, it’s not a secret or anything.

If this is your unfortunate first experience with Jack:

Jack is manipulative, crude, outright insulting, and nasty. He enjoys nothing more than messing with people, and often acts friendly initially just to hurt you later. He is British, adopted, and I call him rat man.

#luxorintro #finally got around to it #RIP #also wow yuni #what a great van gif to use #i rlly show him in his best light #rat mAN #suicide tw #self harm tw #depression tw #abuse tw #neglect tw #drugs tw

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nightmarenoise · 2 years

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Let's completely overanalyze Cosmos' design!

Cosmos is very interesting from a design perspective. She and her offshoots. I feel like the colors used in each one tell us a lot.

I personally prefer this version, but that's neither here nor there.

For the duplicate she sent to the Sky Realm, her hair is darker to her true form and the colors of her eyes are switched .

Seeing her in the second part, I kinda assumed she split into Zooey and Geo, but the connection was undeniable. From her having what looks a lot like Zooey's sword, to the white-and-blue hair, the mismatched eyes, red and blue.

Geo inherited the blue hair and blue eyes.

And Zooey got the white hair and red eyes.

They look pretty different, which is fair, considering their purposes are basically complete opposites of each other, so I appreciate Cosmos sort of bringing them together.

An argument could be made that Sky Realm!Cosmos has more blue hair than white and she appeared more concerned with the fates of the Primal Beasts, not unlike Geo, whereas her true form has stronger visual ties to Zooey, who is more concerned with Order on a larger scale and for Skydwellers especially. Maybe because when Cosmos was first created, there weren't that many Primals to look after, so she was more focused on the Skydwellers. Again, like Zooey.

I really appreciate the color consistency, really gives them the feeling of a weird family btw.

Also @icharchivist has made an excellent point about how her true form is more concealed and how that implies her being more bound to her duty than the one she sent to interact with Lucifer.

For her last envoy, Yuni, she clearly decided to mix things up a bit, giving her white hair and blue(-ish purple) eyes.

And wow, who does that remind us of?

It sure couldn't be that the offshoot she created to judge her and second guess her arbitration regarding the Singularity was at least in part modeled after the man who promised to judge her actions regarding the Singularity, but wasn't able to keep his promise because he died?

No, surely that's just baseless conjecture on my part (:

#i know everyone already noticed this #shut up and let me feel smart #this is how i cope #gbf #granblue fantasy #gbfanni #created by the stars loved by the skies #cbtslbts #cosmos #zooey #geo #lucifer #yuni

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browniefox · 2 years

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I saw you like khr, so tsuna for the ask meme!

Wh- I- Y-yes, yes I do! Tbh surprised anybody else knows what it is lol

First Impression

Man, you have to understand, my first impression was probably like eight or nine years ago now from an 'angel with a shot gun' amv that I'm pretty sure no longer exists. Um, pretty cool lookin guy! what's up with all the fire??? Oh, he, uh, he ends up only in his underwear a lot. Weird. Too weird I should stop reading. *keeps reading anyway*

Impression now

Wow, he was kind of a little bitch at the beginning, wasn't he? But I like the character progression, especially as Tsuna comes into his role as a leader and most importantly as friend, as someone you can rely on. I like my little scrumbly. I give him a kiss on the forehead and hope he doesn't kill too many people as a mafia boss.

Idea for a Story

I wrote a few fanfics for this back in my time, but I guess I'll say one I always liked in concept but never posted? It's your usual 'Tsuna goes to the past to Primo's time' but with a twist where Byakuran and Yuni also go back to try and help him get home. Tsuna, of course, tries to conceal who he is while also trying to get home.

Unpopular Opinion

I don't ship him with anyone! None of the girls, but also none of the boys! Idk, he's fine as his own as far as I care.

Favorite Relationship

Probably him and Reborn as like student-teacher kind of platonic way. Like, looking back, there's a lot of problems with their relationship, but I do like especially in the last arc of the manga when Reborn is ready to die, but Tsuna is willing to fight for him - in my opinions, it's like the truest form of the HDW to fight for someone's else's life with little worry about your own.

Favorite Headcanon

He can use all flames! At least, it used to be one of my favs, I'm not really sure how I feel about it anymore, because it does seem more than a little OP. Here, we'll turn it down - he has cloud and sun flames as well as sky! Cloud because he was lonely before, but given the chance, he would've eventually learned how to thrive even on his own, and sun because he learned hwo to brighten people's lives.

KHR was, like, my fixation for a good two years or something. Damn, what I wouldn't get to have the chance to rework it. If anybody has any other asks to do with KHR, honestly hit me up, this fandom is still very near and dear to me.

#browniefox speaks #ask #asks #anon #khr #katekyo hitman reborn #tsuna #sawada tsunayoshi

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nunchiimagines · 4 years

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Sweet Tea Series: 6

Mint Tea

— Summary: Korea has been a desired destination of yours for years, a place where you held such a deep rooted connection for that it may finally be the place you belong. Now entering your last year at your art university, you were one of few who were successfully chosen to partake in the one year summer intensive program. Filled with excitement of integrating within a new culture, what you had planned turns for the unexpected when you find yourself rooming next to a local mafia renowned and revered throughout all of Asia. However, things become a bit more complicated when these mafia men are actually demons who find themselves attracted to you, using your variety of tea flavors as an excuse to visit unannounced.

— Pairing: mafia!demon!bts x poc!curvy!art student!reader

— Genre: angst, fluff / poly!au / supernatural!au / demon!au / mafia!au

— Status: ongoing

— Warnings: Bullying, Body Shaming, Reader overthinking, Vulgar Language, Explicit Language, Suggestive Themes, Not exactly smut but is HEAVILY implied (lol I'm trying)

— Word Count: 5.6k

~MASTERPOST~

CHAPTERS: Prev - Next

**AUTHORS NOTE**

Wow chapter 6 is finally here and very overdue! Not gonna lie, wasn't expecting to have been done so soon but I’m glad it is! I did and redid this chapter so many times and I’m finally satisfied with it. I tried going over it many times so hopefully mistakes are few, apologies if there’s a lot. Uhm...heavily smut implied themes towards the second half. I tried and even wrote out explicit scenarios buuuut decided against it in the end. Maybe in later chapters or other stories :D Also the tag list will not officially be separated from the story to hopefully prevent anyone not being tagged like the last few times.

***bold + italicized = person speaking English*** this time because only one situation has English in it. The next chapter to be updated will be Spring Day! Thanks for being so patient and supportive and please enjoy!!

__________________________________________________________

Taehyung sat on the couch inside Hoseok’s office with a strained smile on his handsome face. Across from him was Chunja, one of the most trusted workers under their mafia family. Like them, she is from the Underworld but is, instead, a gumiho (9 tailed fox). At that moment, Taehyung and Jin had visited Hoseok to go over more reports on the incident that had happened at the club a couple of months back. They had received new information on the locations, motives, and backgrounds of both Yuni and Wang. School had started for you already and that was enough of an indicator to be a bit more concerned for your safety. They had profiled all the students and staff from overseas and made sure their own people were stationed all throughout the school to watch over you. Knowing that Yuni had managed to sneak in initially, they refused to take any chances.

However, despite all that, Taehyung was clearly irritated and was directing that frustration at Chunja. Everyone was aware of it, especially Chunja, and she was very much amused by this. She was sitting there going through some files as Taehyung shot her glares. She’s really good at maintaining a stoic expression and right now she was pretending like Taehyung wasn’t glaring daggers at her. Jin gave her an apologetic look while Hoseok sighed in frustration.

“V, no matter what you do, she’s not going to tell you.” Hoseok announced typing on his laptop.

“It’s quite frankly none of our business.” Jin added.

What had been bothering Taehyung so much was honestly just plain and simple jealousy. Since having started school, the guys haven’t had the chance to see you as much during the times they’re usually free. And when you’re available, you tend to spend your time with Chunja in private. The only time they have a chance to see you was during dinner, and, even then, it’s not guaranteed. It’s not like Taehyung hated the fact that you both had become so close, it was just the fact that he was losing what little time he got to see you. Or so it felt like it. In honesty, he was just touch starved for you and your affection and just really missed you. Chunja knew of this but was prepared to take the brunt of his jealousy if it meant helping you in the end.

Your initial talk with Chunja had sparked a new found confidence that still needed nurturing. It had been almost a month since then and she had been mentoring you on ways to feel more comfortable with your body and the acts of intimacy. She even had taken you shopping to look for some lingerie that you found to be both appealing and allowed you to feel sexy at the same time. It was a guilty desire of yours to wear lingerie for a lover and now that you were given the chance, you were excited. If only Taehyung knew what was happening, he’d be more intrigued and less agitated. However, Chunja loved to tease the man and never once opened her mouth on the subject. She could tell it irritated him but she managed to get good entertainment out of it. It’s not like the others were any different. They were all curious, it’s just some were more reserved about their feelings than others. Having known these men for so long, she could read them like an opened book. Especially when it came to you.

“How about a little hint?” Taehyung offered, ignoring his older brothers.

“No.” Chunja responded back simply.

“Why not? A hint wouldn’t kill anybody.” he shot back.

“All matters discussed between Ms.Y/n and I are confidential. I was instructed by her to ensure that what goes on stays strictly between the two of us. That’s why, sir.”

Taehyung scoffed and turned away from Chunja. He respected your privacy and the fact that Chunja was only doing as she was instructed but hated being so left out of the loop. Hoseok and Jin acted like they weren’t anticipating an actual answer and were even more bad at hiding their slight disappointment. Chunja did feel a bit bad, however, seeing how distraught they looked at your absence. She smiled to herself and checked her watch. It was time for her to take her leave anyway as she stood up to exit. None of the men bothered to question her as she made her way to the door.

“I’ll tell you this,” she started off, instantly capturing the attention of all the men.

“Just know, the wait will have been worth it. I promise. That is all and I shall take my leave. Have a good day.” she said walking out the room and closing the door.

They each held their lingering gazes on the door for a bit before looking at one another. If anything, that only fueled their anticipation more and irritated Taehyung further.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Yoongi was waiting inside the public cafe for you, passing time until your last class for the day finished up. The cafe was actually a part of the university’s main building and he was granted access to the inside. He had only been there for roughly 10 minutes when a group of girls stepped off of the elevator and entered the cafe, their eyes catching sight of him immediately. He could feel their hard stares on him but chose to ignore them, using his phone as an easy distraction from the uncomfortable feeling. He was used to this but it still never failed to make him any less fidgety.

Desperately trying to distract himself with pictures of you Jimin had snuck when you weren’t looking, one of the girls was bold enough to sit directly across from him with a sly smirk. She was a pretty little thing, one of the foreigners who came along with you at the beginning of the summer. The only reason why Yoongi knew this was because they combed through everyone's backgrounds as thoroughly as possible. He still kept his attention on his phone, hoping that him ignoring her obvious insertion would be enough of a hint for her to leave. However, he was surprised when she promptly took her manicured hand and gently pushed his phone down away from view.

Yoongi internally groaned, finally giving the girl his attention despite the fact that he was now irritated. She thought his reaction to be amusing but was a bit surprised when he didn’t seem as interested in her physical looks as she had hoped. Cradling her cheek in the palm of her hand she began to giggle, using her charm to try to enthrall the man. Yoongi raised a brow at this, finding amusement in her failed attempt to captivate him. Humans were funny creatures.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked as flat toned as possible.

“Yes, actually. I’ve seen you here quite a bit, coming and going like a ghost. Most of the students actually are aware of you and a couple of other men who pop out of God knows where.” she said, using her arms dramatically to prove her point.

“Oh, really now?” he asked, a tone of boredom lacing through his voice.

“Yep! And might I add you are VERY handsome. All of you for that matter. Like, unexplainably so. Did you know that it’s become a competition to see who can approach one of you first before you miraculously disappear? Funny thing is no one is truly ballsy enough to do it or, if they are, they were never lucky enough to find you.” she explained further.

“Except for me, that is.”

Yoongi couldn’t help but chuckle at that, entirely unaware of such ridiculous circumstances. However, he did have to admit that it made him leery about the amount of attention they’d been receiving. Each day, someone was always there to pick you up. They typically fought over who would come but it was always one of the seven. That explains why so many students had seen them wandering around. He just wasn’t expecting for them to have attracted so much attention. Yoongi definitely needed to discuss this with the others, not feeling particularly comfortable with this new found information. Especially when this could be detrimental to your safety.

“So, I gotta ask,” she said, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Why IS a handsome man, such as yourself, here alone in the main building’s cafe? Waiting for someone? You don’t seem like the type to NOT have a girlfriend. Even so, we can change that.”

“As a matter of fact, I am waiting for someone and she is very special to me. So if you’ll excuse me-” Yoongi said, attempting to leave.

The girl grabbed for his arm, a wave of displeasure evident on his face. Whether or not she was aware, she clearly didn’t seem all too bothered and kept the insistent look in her eyes.

“Why so quick to leave? All I wanted to do was talk a little and get to know you better. No harm in that, right? Tell you what, this special friend of yours doesn’t have to know about what special things we can do in private. Come on, it'll be fun. Our little secret~” she cooed with a giggle.

It seems that more and more people these days were becoming a little too honest with their desired intent. Quite frankly Yoongi was starting to get really tired of it. Before he could say or do anything further, you popped up next to him, tugging on the sleeve of his hoodie. No one had actually noticed you at first, the group too focused on the interaction between their friend and Yoongi. When Yoongi turned to look at you, so did the others.

“Are you ready to go.” you asked quietly, trying to avoid all the stares you were receiving from the group of girls.

Yoongi’s eyes softened and a gentle smile made its way onto his doughy cheeks. The girls watched how quickly his demeanor changed for you, it being quite obvious where his loyalty was placed. However, that was not enough to stop the perpetrator from continuing her actions.

“Oh, so she’s the one you were waiting for. Not...what I was expecting to be honest. Didn’t think someone like you would be into girls like her. Especially those who are a bit...more body loving. Guess in today's day and age our standards have dropped. Lucky you! Even if he is missing out on something better.” she said, eyeing you up and down before glazing over Yoongi slowly.

Her statement took everyone by surprise, even her friends. You’d be lying if you said that it didn’t irritate you but you kept up an act of stoicness. It was clear she was trying to get with Yoongi using whatever method she thought appropriate, but her rude and nasty attitude was more than enough of a turnoff for him. Her friends snickered under their breaths, some with shocked expressions and others with wide eyes and smiles. You glared at them, all of them turning away to avoid your gaze in response.

“No matter. There’s always time for you to come around. I don’t foresee this lasting long anyway.” she said under her breath, winking at Yoongi before turning back to her friends.

“Damn Rhea!” one of the other girls piped in with a contradicting smile.

“What?! I wasn’t trying to be mean or anything, only being honest. I mean, come on, he could do WAY better than that. I didn’t mean anything by what I said, I swear. People are just too sensitive these days.” she explained.

Yoongi heard that last part, using this as the best time to step away from the situation. However, you weren’t about to let it go that easily. You approached the group close enough to garner their attention again. They all looked at you but you decided to stare the one named Rhea directly in the eyes. With a curt smile and clear distaste in your gaze, you spoke up.

“At least I’m happy.” you stated.

“Excuse me?” she barked back.

“I said, at least I’m happy. I may not be the prettiest, skinniest, brightest, or most talented girl but I can confidently say that I’m one of the happiest. So what, maybe he does deserve someone better but, no matter what, in the end, his heart chose me and mine chose him. And I’m happy. That’s all that matters. I hope one day you too can find that happiness instead of trying to bring other people down by projecting your own insecurities. Your opinions about me are a reflection of yourself and do not have anything to do with how I really am as a person, inside or out. Please find it in yourself to prevent senseless and needless bullying to build yourself up. It’s not only desperate but a disgusting display of character. Have a good rest of your day, Rhea.” you calmly explained before bowing and lacing your fingers with Yoongi’s.

Tugging him away before even giving her a chance to make a retort, you were entirely unaware of the inevitable shock staining all their faces, including Yoongi’s. When you reached outside, growing closer to the curb where the vehicle had been parked, you paused, resulting in Yoongi doing the same. He watched you from behind, unable to really see your face. When you finally turned around, you held a distressed look and your cheeks were burning crimson.

“That was so embarrassing!! Was I mean??? Why do I feel….terrible about what I said? It’s almost as if I stooped down to her level!! But she was...she was such an asshole!! I don’t even know her and she had the audacity to be cruel like that! Who does that? Who-”

Yoongi cupped your cheeks, stopping you from your rambling. He looked at you proudly, a fond and content gleam in his eyes. This made your heart skip a beat, your mind temporarily forgetting about the earlier incident as you became dazed in his stare.

“You never fail to surprise me. That was amazing. A bit unexpected from someone I assumed was so quiet. Regardless, I’m so proud how quickly you stood up for yourself. So don’t feel bad for putting her in her place. She had no right to say those things to you and no reason either. Plus, if I’m being completely honest,” he said whispering into your ear.

“Kind of a big turn on seeing you so assertive like that.”

Your face flared as he laughed with that gummy smile of his, satisfied with your reaction. You puffed your cheeks, hitting his arm playfully as you whined at his teasing. He took the initiative to interlock your hands together this time before tugging you inside the vehicle. You both talked to one another until you reached the dorms, his hand never leaving your thigh as he drove. Each of you spoke about how you spent your day and how the rest of the week was going to possibly pan out. Yoongi had informed you that tonight would only consist of him and maybe a couple of others. They were all still fairly busy looking for Wang and Yuni as well as dealing with a new partnership with a foreign cartel group. You worried for their safety everytime they did stuff like this and understood the importance of it. But you had to admit that you really missed seeing them as often as you used to. In fact, it was getting to the point where you were thinking it was time to have “the talk” Chunja spoke to you about.

Lately, you’d been really needy and had found yourself fantasizing about them in less than appropriate ways. You could get yourself off no problem, something you had grown used to doing. But with the soulmate bond having bloomned more since the beginning, it had become harder and harder to become sexually satisfied. You even shamelessly had wet dreams about them all at some point or another, even having relations with a couple of them at once. Luckily, they were never around when those thoughts krept into your mind (or so you thought), so they could never really catch on to it through your smell. It was only something they noticed hours after and, even then, didn’t openly mention it. When you brought this up to Chunja she explained that it was your bond pushing you to officialize your love with your soulmates. When you had the courage to bring it up finally, the guys always found themselves busy and then leaving, you not wanting to bother them any further.

When Yoongi had grabbed your hand, he pulled you from your thoughts. He held a look of concern, waiting for you to give any type of indicator that you were alright. You smiled at him, realizing that he could smell your anxiety. Rubbing your thumb over the top of the skin of his hand, you nodded for the two of you to proceed to your room. Yoongi knew something was bothering you but decided to wait a bit before prying, hoping that you’d express your concerns when you were ready.

Opening the door to your room, you were a bit surprised to see Namjoon at your counter drinking what smelled like mint tea from his koala mug. He held a somewhat disgusted look on his face, the smell being pleasant but the taste not meeting his ideal standards. However, he perked up at your sudden appearance, that charming dimpled smile of his becoming something you were very fond of. You had quickly realized that he was a huge softy with a gentle and kind heart despite being the leader of a notorious mafia group. In fact, they all seemed more like your everyday college students during the times they weren’t occupied with work, which surprised you the more you spent time with them.

“Baby girl.” he affectionately called out to you.

He got up from his seat and quickly approached you with outstretched hands. Your bodies molded together, his warmth engulfing you as he wrapped his arms around your waist. It felt so good to feel him touching you...a little too good actually. As Namjoon rubbed the small of your back, an obvious act of innocence, you accidentally let out a moan that made both him and Yoongi freeze for a moment. You buried yourself deeper into his chest, rubbing the nape of his neck with your head in an attempt to feel as much of his warmth as possible. His scent was intoxicating and you couldn’t get enough of his or any of the others as of late. You didn’t realize what you had done and the implications that had followed your actions, but both Namjoon and Yoongi were trying really hard to control their hormones.

To explain what’s happening, recently you had noticed that each of the guys had a specific scent to them, one that you had not noticed before. You had always passed it off as cologne but overtime their smells had become stronger, affecting you in unexplainable ways. For some reason, since being in contact with Yoongi earlier, you’ve felt more on edge. To then have Namjoon’s scent mixed with his has only amplified one of the most intoxicating and addicting smells you've ever inhaled. It’s making you feel in ways you’d normally wouldn’t. This, in turn, has also triggered your soulmate bond, releasing its own scent to the guys.

Their eyes became a crimson red and their blood was slowly beginning to boil. The more the soulmate bond became triggered the more intensified the smell was. They knew they needed to act quickly but didn’t know how, never in their entire lives having experienced anything like this before. Luckily though, being human, the effects were not nearly as difficult to handle as they were for demons, them being much more sensitive to the process of it all. So when you pulled away with a bright smile as if nothing had just happened, you were surprised to see Namjoon with a darkening yet hesitant gaze, the crimson in his eyes only now subsiding. You furrowed your brows, concerned for the sudden shift in mood.

“Joonie?” you asked hesitantly.

“Is everything alright?”

He snapped out of his daze and averted his eyes. Quickly letting you out of his hold, he rubbed the back of his neck, his dimpled smile reappearing but with less vigor. It felt cold when he backed away from you, a pained expression evident in your features as an unexplainable irritation was bubbling inside of you. Yoongi must’ve noticed something was off and quickly grabbed for your hand, hoping that this would calm your rapidly rising nerves. You were thankful for that and attempted to bury the unwelcoming feeling as deep within you as possible. Unfortunately, that did not help with the now awkward mood that lingered heavily in the air. Not, at least, until Hoseok barged in.

“Oh! Y/n, you’re home!” Hoseok pointed out excitedly.

Before you had a chance to even fully take in his appearance, Hoseok wrapped his arms around you and buried his face in the crook of your neck. He started blowing raspberries on your skin, the tingling sensation instantly converting to a ticklish pleasure. You bursted out laughing, such a feeling bringing back nostalgic memories from when you were very little. Yoongi took advantage of this distraction to approach Namjoon quietly.

“You need to be more careful with how you respond to her. The mark is clearly making her more sensitive to the things we do and say.” he said with slight stress.

Namjoon already held a very guilty expression, having not been so dense to have missed the hurt on your face. He was aware, this conversation having been one of many discussed over the course of the past few weeks. They smelt when you were aroused and noticed how touchy you had been as of late. The fact that it’s almost as if you’re trying to inhabit their scent was another large indicator that “that” time was approaching. But none of them wanted to enact on their desires, especially without being absolutely sure you were comfortable, confident, and ready to broach that topic. Namjoon cherished that above all else, especially when it came to you. He refused to put you in a position where you were forced to do something you were not mentally, physically, and psychologically prepared for. And as much as he died on the inside after it had happened, he knew he needed to push you away during that moment. Yoongi did too, but after what had happened at the school, he could only fathom what was going through your head right now.

“Hmmm, it smells like mint tea. Did you make some?” Hoseok asked aloud with slight excitement.

“Oh! No, but I think Namjoon did. Did you want some?” you asked.

“Of course I would!” he said kissing the top of your head.

You smiled up at him and then directed your gaze towards Yoongi. He knew that was your way of asking and he willingly agreed to it. Turning to look at Namjoon, who seemed flustered when you made eye contact with him, he averted his gaze and shook his head.

“I...I’m not a fan of mint flavored things. Sorry for wasting your tea.”

You giggled at that, him perking immediately in response. You shook your head and waved your hand to dismiss his worries.

“There’s no need to apologize. I can drink yours! Would you like a different flavor? Maybe green tea instead?” you asked.

He displayed that familiar dimpled smile, somewhat relieved to see your kind and gentle features directed at him once again.

“That would be lovely.”

A few hours had passed and it had concluded that Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok were going to be spending the night with you tonight. Your initial feelings had subsided almost entirely but there was still an underlying urge, an unexplainable yearning the more you inhaled this new concoction of smells birthed by the three males. You had announced that you were going to shower and then decide what's for dinner afterwards, hoping that the warmth of the water and a little bit of time away from them will fully bring you back to your senses. While you were gone, the guys had decided to discuss a few things, filling each other in on certain things.

“Hmmm, maybe only one of us should pick her up for now. Seeing how they already approached you hyung, do you mind doing it?” Hoseok asked.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“What about the mark?” Yoongi asked, immediately leading into the next topic.

“We need to talk to her about it. Tonight.” Namjoon announced with certainty.

Hoseok and Yoongi widened their eyes in surprise, shocked to see such willingness from him on a matter like this.

“It’s about time she’s been made aware of what’s happening. I can only imagine her being somewhat confused with these new found emotions. I know it may be more appropriate to have all of us here but I fear it may be too risky to keep her in wait like that.” he explained.

“With the way things are going in the business, who knows when the next time it’ll be when all of us are together again.” Hoseok sighed in frustration.

“Actually, I think it would make things worse if all of us were here during this talk. With how quickly the mark’s progressed, it may make her more uncomfortable and anxious than she’s already feeling. Now is definitely the best time to do this.” Yoongi offered up.

When it came to your feelings and emotions, Yoongi was typically spot on so they took what he said very seriously. They all agreed on the matter, waiting for you to come out of the shower and settle down before proceeding as planned. While you were in the bathroom, you stepped out of the shower actually feeling more aroused than you were ever intending. The way the hot water cascaded down your body, outlining the curvature of your body and reaching your most intimate places; all you could think about was it being Namjoon or Yoongi or Hobi. You attempted to keep your thoughts at bay, but the more you fantasized about it, the harder it was to not feel some type of way.

You sighed in frustration, slapping your cheeks to help you get it together. After you finished your skin care routine, you reached for the bag that held your clothes in it. When you pulled out the garments, you were shocked to see the lingerie that Chunja and you picked out the other day. Your heart stopped, realizing the mistake you made when you mindlessly reached for the wrong bag. The article of clothing was a black lace babydoll lingerie set with matching lace thongs. It was sheer enough to expose your skin and fitted in areas that accented the natural curves of your body. It stopped just below the end of your butt and even came with a matching garter. You really didn’t have a choice but to put this on, your only other option going out completely naked. You needed to avoid them seeing you like this before getting to your room. So you got dressed, mustered up enough courage, and quickly opened the door to maneuver to your room as quickly as possible. Except, that would’ve been the plan if Namjoon wasn’t standing there in the way getting ready to knock on the door.

You both stared at one another, his gaze eventually falling to your body and then widening in the process.

“F-fuck.” he hissed.

“What’s wrong?” Hoseok called out, approaching Namjoon.

Hoseok immediately stopped in his tracks when he had witnessed what you were wearing, eyes glazing over every part of your body with a predatory glint. You flushed when their gaze turned crimson for the second time that day, always having been a guilty pleasure of yours. Funny enough, instead of feeling embarrassed, you had a dark desire to have them keep admiring you and hopefully go further with less than appropriate actions. Opting against closing the door on them, like they had expected you to do, you remembered everything Chunja had told you and made an extremely bold move.

“I-I bought this outfit...specifically for you guys. I wanted you to see me in this. Just wasn’t expecting it to be like this.” you chuckled nervously.

There was still silence with the exception of approaching feet belonging to Yoongi, the last one to bear witness to the sight unfolding. This, oddly, increased your confidence in ways that were less than explainable. But you didn’t care. Not in the moment at least.

“This is what Chunja and I have been doing in secret. She’s told me how curious you’ve all been and how annoyed some of you have felt when I wasn’t around when you had hoped. I’m sorry for irritating you like that. It wasn’t my intention, but I hope this makes up for it. Which kinda segways into my next thing. I...I think...no...I know I’m ready. I believe I’ve been physically more than ready and just needed some time mentally but...I really do want to have-”

“Y/n.” Namjoon said cutting you off, a dark aura lacing through his voice.

“Do you know what you’re saying right now? What you’re implying?”

He held that same ambience as when he was being put into the position of mafia leader. It sent chills down your spine and a wet slickness pulling in your panties. This wasn’t your sweet, soft, crab loving Namjoon talking. This was the confident, authoritative, intimidating RM. The way he looked down at you, iris’ shining with a red that made blood look dull. Eyes as sharp as a dragons and his jaw clenched tightly with slight impatience. He towered over you and it felt like any minute his presence alone would swallow you up. At first you thought you were scared, fearful of the warnings behind his questions. But you soon realized that this dominating presence was fueling the burning desire to be taken and roughed up in every way, shape, and form. God if it wasn’t obvious by your flushed cheeks, heavy breathing, and desperate look in your eyes, it sure as hell was noticeable in the way your arousal’s scent flooded every crevice of your apartment.

And if you thought Namjoon was bad, Hoseok and Yoongi only added an immeasurable amount of pressure to the already overbearing atmosphere. You were feeling weak in your knees, something built up inside of the pit of your stomach when you had taken in their pure, domineering, predatory emenations. You couldn’t handle it anymore, the sensitive feeling overriding your body. Leaning into Namjoons chest and squeezing his arms for support, their presence alone sent you through an orgasm right there on the spot. You trembled when it subsided but the feeling of being turned on was still very present. They eyed you like some piece of meat, watching as a thick clear substance began spilling down your thighs and slowly pulling on the bathroom floor.

Tears were forming in your eyes, this unrecognizable and euphoric feeling being too much for your sensitive heart to handle. Everything burned; your skin, your stomach, your privates. You looked up at Namjoon who was barely touching you but making sure you were stable in his hold. You held such an innocent and child-like gaze, one filled with desperation and desire.

“Joonie. Please….I meant everything I said...so please...” you said whining.

“Which one baby girl? If this is truly what you want, which one would you like?” Yoongi asked with a seriousness in his voice, having a hard time holding back ripping you from Namjoon’s arms.

“I...I have to choose?” you whined childishly.

A chuckle could be heard from Hoseok who slicked his hair back and held the same darkening gaze shared between the others.

“Yes love. It’s your first time, remember. Three’s a bit too much.”

“I’ll...I’ll decide what I can handle…” you breathed out heavily.

“And I want...you all to fuck me. All...at the same time. I want to feel your girth, the curvature of your dicks, the bulging veins. I want all of it at once. Fill me up until I explode and ram me until I can no longer walk. I want you to bend me over and take me. Leave marks on my neck, tell me how much of a good girl I am, praise me. I want to make you all mine and show everyone that we belong to one another. Say my name. Only my name, like a chant. An unforgettable mantra. That’s what...I want.” you practically growled out.

The three men paused, frozen by the vulgar choice of words coming from their little angel. One so sensitive, so sweet, so innocent was in reality a filthy, vulgar, submissive imp. And that was all they needed to hear to proceed. Namjoon gripped your chin to position it where you met his gaze. If looks could kill, you’d be dead three times over by now.

“Not exactly how this was supposed to go but if this is what you want, we will give it to you.” he said.

“What baby wants, baby gets.” Hoseok chuckled darkly.

You lightly laughed at that, the reality of it all coming down on you with great anticipation.

“Good thing...I was blessed to accommodate all three of you at the same time...or this would have been a bit more difficult...to try and do.” you shamelessly admitted between heavy breaths.

“You really are full of surprises love.” Yoongi snickered, guiding you and the others to the bedroom.

__________________________________________________________

CHAPTERS: Prev - Next

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ethan-chapple · 2 years

Text

Is that ETHAN CHAPPLE? Wow, they do look a lot like TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET. I hear HE is a TWENTY year old CIS MAN FRESHMAN who is studying VISUAL ARTS at Luxor University. Word is they are an ARISTOCRAT student who is FOR The Unhinged. You should watch out because they can be CALLOUS and ERRATIC, but on the bright side they can also be INVENTIVE and DREAMY. Ultimately, you’ll get to see it all for yourself.

heyo it yuni, hmu or like this to plot!!

/ / / / /

full name: ethan beckett chapple

d.o.b: february 1st, 2002 / currently 20

zodiac: under construction, currently aquarius sun, aries rising, scorpio moon, aquarius venus, capricorn mercury …

nationality: american

languages: english, spanish

sexuality: he’s truthfully never put enough thought into it to give himself a label, but gender isn’t really a consideration for him when it comes to sexual or romantic attraction. he probably falls closest to pansexual.

gender & pronouns: male, he/him

course: visual arts, freshman

/ / / / /

mbti: intp

positive traits: inventive, creative, dreamy, curious, open minded,

negative traits: detached, erratic, callous, disconnected, insensitive

description: from the outside, ethan appears to be in a never-ending daydream, and it’s unclear what is ever going on in the dream. he marches to the beat of his own drum, always, and seems to wander through life happy to say whatever offbeat and weird thing which pops into his head at any given moment - without caring what the people around him might think about that. lacking either self consciousness or a desire to conform, he thus has no filter to hold him back from saying exactly what he wants to, which can also lead to him seeming naive or childlike at times, or even appear to have an innocent demeanour. however, this “endearing” feature of his personality, on the flip side, can lead to him seeming detached to the point of being callous: ethan simply is not interested in the everyday affairs of life be it his friend’s breakups or things more serious - and this has led to people dropping him from their lives in the past, as his insensitivity is too difficult to deal with. ethan himself is quite happy living in his own head and doesn’t strive for companionship, so perhaps the solitude is to an extent self inflicted, although he’s fully capable of holding on to relationships both romantic and platonic - he simply chooses, more often than not, to just let them go and spend his time being a loner whenever suits him, making him somewhat…. heartless.

/ / / / /

biography:

born in ny, moved around a lot as a child bc of his father’s job (diplomat).

only child, spoiled a lot and basically permitted to do his own thing and vibe his way through life

except ethan kind of pushes the boundaries of HOW MUCH he can vibe through life since he realistically has no career plans and thinks time is a lie anyway

his desire to go to college has always been approximately negative 3000, and pretty much as soon as his parents had dropped him off for his freshman year at nyu, ethan exercised his newly discovered independence by dropping out, spending his time playing bongos in his friend’s band, and using his trust fund to self publish a book about mushrooms.

which his parents discovered one month later when they came to visit, and were …. less than impressed by.

his mother is passing the whole incident off as an extended gap year and “nyu just not being a good fit for ethan”

buuuut his despairing parents have since enrolled him at luxor with the theory that MAYBE a travelling campus will stop him running away keep his interest enough for him to actually get a degree

(ethan himself is daydreaming about vanishing in a foreign country and changing his name.)

//////

chapple family:

father: james beckett chapple (fc: ralph fiennes)

mother: hannah chapple (nee teich, fc: rachel weisz)

/////

chara inspos: april ludgate, orla mccool, luna lovegood, syd barrett, clementine kruczynski, jughead jones, amélie poulain, every manic pixie dream girl ever but make it a toxic man, noel fielding, eleventh doctor,

wanted connections:

childhood friends: their families were close, they grew up neighbours, and as a result they got shoved together from the moment they could walk. his mother probably thinks they’re going to get married one day - or that she can manifest it. bonus points if they’re actually not that close and now move in completely different social circles but pretend to be close at christmas parties to appease their parents.

one night stand which becomes awkward when he shows up at luxor: they fucked once, they were drunk, they’d like to pretend it never happened. except now ethan’s showed up at the same college as them and they have to act like they know each other from a different situation because neither of them wants to admit how they met. bonus points if they actually exchanged numbers but one of them never texted the other. extra bonus points if the character he fucked is now in a relationship and absolutely does not want this info getting out.

bad influence friends: ethan’s helicopter mother is Not Happy about him associating himself with these people. ethan is Very Happy as a result. will they actually influence him? probably not but it lets him fulfil his tortured edgy boi fantasy.

exes who ended on bad terms - they had a big ass fight, it’s still a sore point, and they haven’t spoken .. until ethan makes an appearance at their college. oh, and he’s planning on staying there. for his whole degree. bonus points if they’re both too damn stubborn to discuss what the actual issues were which caused them to fight so they just make snide comments at each other all the time.

exes who ended on good terms - they dated for a while, it didn’t work, but now they’re friends and able to joke about their time fucking each other. bonus points if one still holds feelings for the other/nostalgia for the relationship and has to act like it’s completely fine that they’re spending so much time together now and wow it doesn’t hurt at all honest….

anything else im super down to plot lemme vibe w u

#luxintro #ta da i brought another idiot

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randomidiocyncrazies · 3 years

Note

i know you like them both so yunichika and oda/aoki for the ship ask

thank you for giving me a chance to gush about these kids!!! they’re precious.... this got pretty long so imma put it under a cut

YuniChika, the main boys of 2.43:

• when or if I started shipping it:

tbh i didn’t really ship them when i read the first book... they’re the kind of pairing that i can see people shipping and i think it’s cute, but i’m not super invested in them as a romantic pairing. I think i was more sold about them as a ship in the second book, but i can’t quite remember if there was a specific moment that made me change my mind, or if it was a gradual process

• my thoughts:

i think the anime definitely played up the tension between them (allll the blushes lol), but i’m glad people are enjoying the YuniChika content XD they’re pretty cute!

also, i think they balance each other well and spur each other to become better—Yuni and Chika are both self-centered(?) in very different ways: Yuni lacks drive because he mostly wanted to please people so they’ll like him, while Chika has the opposite problem in that he acts like he doesn’t care what people think of him.

but now Yuni is able to take a stand for his interest in volleyball and for Chika, and while Chika doesn’t really soften and still has a problem with not realizing how harsh he could be, he’s more willing to communicate his thoughts.

• what makes me happy about them:

boys reuniting! relearning how to have a relationship with one another! learning from past mistakes and trying to be better people together! HELL YEAH

• what makes me sad about them:

boys, please use your words to communicate with each other...

also, from Yuni’s perspective, it’s kinda sad when someone you used to know really well comes back into your life, but they’ve changed so much that they are essentially a different person... but of course they have a new opportunity to become closer now 😉 so i’m not that sad about it

• things done in art/fic that annoys me:

... there are fanworks for them?????????

(on a more serious note, erasing their flaws to make them more likable... please don’t make Chika ‘secretly nice’ or whatever, the kid is blunt as hell, and not realizing how his words affect others is his biggest flaw. on the other hand, Yuni can still be a little spineless at times, and sometimes his priorities are. questionable.)

• things I look for in art/fic:

hm, i’d like a future fic about them as professional players! i think their inclination is to stick together (they’re a package deal!) but it’d be super interesting to read something where they’re on rival teams years down the line

EDIT: haha Chika actually transferred to Keisei High School after their first Spring Tournament, so he and Yuni have faced each other as rivals since then (2.43 next 4years). they’re go to the same university and are on the same team now though!

• who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

uh i don’t really have specific people for this, but Chika would probably have to be with someone who understands his love of volleyball (like Oda, but if Oda wasn’t their team captain and thus too much of a dad friend to qualify as a romantic interest), and someone who can inspire Yuni would be good for him

also, i know who i’d NOT be comfy about: the first book (and anime i guess) had this weird tension between Itoko and Yuni, COUSINS who BASICALLY GREW UP TOGETHER. i think(?) their weird whatever was mostly dropped in the 2nd book and wasn’t really made explicit, but like. what the hell. (i have no idea what happens beyond the 2nd book.)

• my happily ever after for them:

the YuniChika in college arc is being serialized rn, so in a way that’s already fulfilled? (i have NO idea what’s going on tho)

in general i just hope they can play volleyball together until one or both decide not to, for whatever reason, and that they stay in each other’s lives and support each other even after they’ve retired from competitive volleyball. i think with Yuni’s personality he could be a good coach after getting more experience, and Chika... he’s really valuable as a strategist, but I think he’d always be a little brusque, so he’s respected but hard to bond with if he does take on coaching?

• what is their favorite non-sexual activity?

bold of you to assume Chika even cares about sex

anyway, they don’t go to movies for a romantic date night, they go watch volleyball matches. sometimes this backfires when Chika gets too frustrated at bad plays tho

and of course i will never pass up an opportunity to talk about Oda/Aoki, the main guys of my heart (my OTP for this series tbh):

• when or if I started shipping it:

they pinged on my radar when they were bickering in Ibara’s chapter, but i wasn’t super duper invested... and then I got to The Dog’s Perspective and the Giraffe’s Perspective (specifically The Kick™) and oh god i’ve never fallen so fast

• my thoughts:

GOD WOW Aoki really loves Oda... even though objectively Oda’s height prevents him from being a super ace, he is the coolest, strongest super ace to Aoki. i think it’s beautiful that someone can see you as your best self even when you’re feeling shitty about yourself. Aoki knows that objectively Oda faces a lot of obstacles, and wants to support him as best as he can—not out of pity (pity would’ve burned out long ago), but because he really respects Oda’s passion and drive.

also, these two have unaddressed issues that they should talk about! Oda, i know you feel inferior but you are so much better than you think you are. please accept that Aoki really does respect you, and that you are worthy of it (or like, you don’t have to be ‘’’worthy’’’’ or ‘’’’’’deserving’’’’’’’’’’ of it, because it is Aoki’s choice to support you and play volleyball with you!!! it’s not something you gotta earn, it’s something freely and happily given to you)

(ahhhhhh i die when i think of them)

• what makes me happy about them:

gosh i love their dynamic SO MUCH! Oda is exactly my type of character (passionate, determined, knowing that he can never be the best at what he’s passionate about due to factors he cannot control, trying to be kind and gracious but struggling with feelings of inferiority and jealousy, thinks of himself as a selfish person, a supporting character...) and Aoki’s devotion is really touching.

again: even when you feel like crap about yourself, there’s someone out there who thinks you’re the best thing that happened to them.

there’s also the fact that Oda thinks the world of Aoki as well (to the point of feeling inferior, which is like... c’mon Oda :/ you are better than you think you are!) he trusts Aoki a lot, despite knowing his willingness to engage in, uh, underhanded methods

• what makes me sad about them:

it’s their last year together, and they’d be approaching a new phase of their lives in different places... although Aoki offered to lower his rankings so they’d go to the same university, realistically they’ll go to different colleges, and most likely end up in different prefectures. (like, not only do i think it’s a Terrible Idea to give up your dream school so that you could stay with someone else, there is no way Oda would accept the offer without being crushed by guilt. something like that would actually ruin their relationship, which i think Aoki knows as well.)

there’s also a lot left unsaid between them at this point and i just want them to lay everything out between them and move forward together

• things done in art/fic that annoys me:

the fact that there’s NONE >:[ what does a gal have to do to get some content for them???????

• things I look for in art/fic:

at this point anything is fine.... it’s a desert out there and i’m dying

more specifically i’m Extremely Down for a get together fic; i personally only see them getting together after high school, at least several months (or even longer) studying in different prefectures and no longer able to see each other every day. (i mean... absence makes the heart grow fonder right?)

i’d also love to see Oda using Aoki’s first name, considering Aoki calls him “Shin” and all. Oda managing to surprise/fluster Aoki would be nice too.

EDIT: they’re both in the Kansai region (2.43 next 4years prologue). Oda’s revealed to be studying in Osaka, and assuming Aoki got into KyoDai, they should be around 2 hours away from each other by train? so visiting each other over short breaks would be cute! also, apparently Oda took a gap year before going to Osaka (2.43 next 4years Ch 1.2), so something set during that time would also be awesome :V

• who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

hm... if i had to imagine people well-suited to them, i’d say Aoki’s type is people who are straightforwardly passionate about their interests (Oda hooked him with his unbridled love of volleyball way back in their first year of high school after all), and I think Oda probably needs someone who is willing to indulge him a little (like Chika he can be pretty dang determined about what he wants, though without the single-minded intensity at the expense of everything else)

... this is just a roundabout way of saying i think they’re ideal for each other, especially if they resolve the problem of hiding things from the other

• my happily ever after for them:

they get careers/hobbies they enjoy, and get a place together as boyfriends/husbands. no i will not hear any criticism of this idea

i can see Aoki working in the private sector (this guy is fine with ‘joking’ about blackmail after all!) after getting his law degree. this is super self-indulgent, but given his penchant of rooting for passionate but objectively disadvantaged entities, i think it’d be pretty awesome if he works for a smaller company that truly believes in their work, instead of working at a big firm pulling in big bucks.

while I’m not sure what Oda is canonically studying, I can see him going into sports education or sports therapy—i think he’d be really good at nurturing the talents of other athletes, and he’s good at rallying the team (Aoki pretty much says he’s the heart of the team in the epilogue of the first book, though Aoki’s kiiinda biased lol). i think it’d be really cute if Oda coaches a grade school team!

neither plays volleyball competitively after high school, but sometimes they watch matches for fun (esp if their ex-teammates are playing). Oda also makes Aoki come to his students’ matches if he doesn’t have work

EDIT: apparently Oda continues competing as a wing spiker in college, playing in Kaisai’s 2nd Collegiate Division (2.43 next 4years Ch 1.2)—Aoki probably watches his matches, even when he’s busy (and Oda probably chides him for neglecting his work, but they both know Aoki can manage his workload).

• what is their favorite non-sexual activity?

hm... idk, i think they’re the kind of couple who are cool with just chilling with each other doing their own work. like, Oda planning strategies for the kids he’s coaching while Aoki reads next to him, occasionally glancing over to make comments, stuff like that

also since Oda says they mostly talked about volleyball during high school, I can kinda see them finding something new they both enjoy after they get together? Maybe shounen manga, for something fun

#2.43 #2.43 anime #2.43 seiin high school boys volleyball team #2.43 seiin koukou danshi volley bu #yunichika #odaoki #replies

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muthaz-rapapa · 3 years

Text

Let’s talk TroPreCure! (^∀^ 🌺)

i’m so stupidly proud of this dumb pun “tropurikyua~”, hahahahaha

Last post of the year and wow is there are lot to be excited for!

I even had to make a list for the stuff I want to talk about and I’m sure I already forgot one or two things but we’ll get to them as we continue to float~ along the wave to February 28th, mmkay? :)

Now for what has peaked my interest so far. And yes, we have to talk about the following first:

1) HealPre the shortest Precure season??

Unless they plan for double features in February (which I doubt but you never know), HealPre is likely going to reach only 45 episodes long instead of the usual 48~50 before TroPre I’m using this shortening of the title for now so if there’s a better alternative, tell me and I’ll switch out begins its broadcast.

Understandable because the producers probably want to get back to their normal scheduling as soon as possible (toy sales, y’know) and I suspect pushing the start of the new season back by a month is the most they’re willing to compromise.

As for me, I’m quite happy about this since HealPre’s lost its hold on my attention a while ago so the sooner TroPre gets here, the better. Though the downside might be a scrambled climax and a rushed, underwhelming ending for HealPre (I dunno if it’s January’s titles that feel a bit messy or if the hiatus is still throwing me off) but whatever. We’ll refresh ourselves with the new blood Cures so it’s all good.

2) Tropical movie announced for Autumn 2021, no All Stars??

(source)

First saw this mentioned on Youtube somewhere but it’s all over the fandom forums by now. I mean, HealPre’s movie is set for March, the usual time slot for All Stars release. If Toei intended for there to be an All Stars in 2021, there’s no way they would announce the seasonal movie before it so speculations of them skipping it this year are probably true.

To squeeze it somewhere between March and October-ish would force them to readjust their budgets as well and I don’t think even Toei wants to go through that extra hassle after all the trouble the pandemic’s caused for everyone already. It’s just easier to resume All Stars in 2022.

That, and I think Laura being a major character in TroPre despite not having a Cure title (yet) would make for an awkward situation when the three latest teams gather so perhaps that’s also one of the reasons. But I’ll get back to Laura in a bit.

3) Cure Summer is a RAINBOW Cure

So god help me if I see anyone calling her a Pink Cure.

Yes, she’s the lead Cure for this season. NO, she is not a Pink Cure.

Look, even the official website has a rainbow overlay for her profile pic and text font while everyone else’s respective theme colors are a solid hue:

Therefore, RAINBOW.

In promotional material and merchandising, they’re probably going to advertise her primarily with pink bah and at worst, she might occasionally be labeled as a White Cure with multiple subcolors (her outfit is not pink-dominant) but definitely NOT. PINK.

...also, this goes without saying but f***yea, we finally got a lead Cure practically and unabashedly wearing the LGBTQ flag and you cannot tell me otherwise, Toei!

Own up to it! Declare Manatsu/Cure Summer as the Precure queer icon!

I’m not gonna stop yellin’ until you do! 😠

4) Laura = obvious midseason Cure is obvious

First of all, Laura is a babe. I already love her the best and she’s not even Precure yet. <3

Anyways, the set-up is pretty much in the description. Important main character who’s not a mascot, stated to have a self-confident personality and just speaks her mind (oooh, I like~ :D), magical/foreign being from another world looking for Precure to save her home, possesses her own special item(s), has aspirations to become the next Queen (so she’s a princess-candidate or something to that effect, I suppose).

We’ve seen various combinations of these traits in past midseason (and a few starter) Cures so nobody should be surprised when we all guessed that one of the Cures would be a real live mermaid.

The only question is why not just make Laura a Cure from the get-go if she’s introduced to us at the beginning (like Hime or Lala) and having a team of five with no unnecessary extra add-ons later on (like Smile).

Well, there’s a simple answer for that: formula.

Toei is afraid that if they don’t spit out some new animation sequence at the halfway and third quarter points of the show, the kids will lose interest and abandon the series altogether. Which means failed toy sales. Oh nooo... [/sarcasm]

...Yea.

And this way they can also have Laura available in the Cure lineup for the next All Stars in 2022 instead of making her sit the fight out if we were going to have one in 2021. I’m convinced that’s gotta be one of the reasons. *shrug*

But ok, whatever. Her debut is gonna be later, that’s all. She’s a delayed Cure. Midseason Cure, same difference.

Moving along to the more important stuff now like what’s her Cure name gonna be, y/y?

Well, knowing Toei, a translation of the term “mermaid” into another language is the most predictable route even though we already have a Cure Mermaid. Not like that ever stopped them from repeating words before (ex. Cure Happy vs Cure Felice). Though if they do go down that road, I hope they opt for the Spanish/Italian “sirena” and not the French “sirène” because the latter sounds too close to how Cure Selene is pronounced in Japanese. And, putting it nicely, we all know Japanese pronunciation of foreign words is as off kilter as can be.

Hell, even the the Portuguese “sereia” sounds aesthetic as hell so it’d be nice if they can just remember there are other languages that exist out there besides Japanese, English and French when making the final decision at the writing table! *stomps foot* >:/

Alternatively, “nereid” or “naiad” are good choices too but they remind me too much of Greek myths and Laura’s from the Grand Ocean which covers more than just a couple of seas (Greece is surrounded by three, btw) so...

I dunno. But whatever it’s gonna be, she’s definitely got a strong association with water and her powers will probably be based on that.

As for theme color, since there’s noticeably no blue or green Cure in the starter lineup, it’s likely she will take up that spot when she debuts around ep 20.

Pink is also open since Cure Summer, again, is technically not a Pink Cure and Laura’s hair and tail fin are hot and light pink respectively but looking at Laura’s design and concept, does anyone seriously believe that?

Her upper torso consists of aquamarine while the body of her tail is definitely some shade of cyan, implying they’re aiming for somewhere around the middle of green and blue on the lighter spectrum.

And yea, I’m aware that green and blue are considered exchangeable in some perspectives with how close some of their shades are to each other but officially, I think Laura’s gonna be grouped with the Green Cures.

Cuz of the hair. If Laura’s gonna keep it the same or a similar shade after transforming, that is. The Blues have always had cool-colored hair so putting Laura in with them might disrupt that harmony whereas if you put her with the few Greens there are (including Parfait), she’d fit right in.

I mean, we’ll see but that makes the most sense, doesn’t it?

On another note, I just want to say that I love how they added frills to her arms instead of letting her elbows go bare naked. It definitely makes her look more like a genuine mermaid than if she didn’t have them (remember, half fish doesn’t mean half the body :P).

5) Magical Items

Frankly, I’m tired of seeing the transformation device being a compact again even though one of the main motifs is make-up this season. But at least, as far as Precure compacts goes, the Tropical one is my favorite cuz of how cute and delightfully colorful its toy version looks! So I guess I’m okay with it.

The Heart Rouge Rod, though? ...I dunno. I think it would’ve been fine without that...straw (?) jutting out at the top. It looks weird, doesn’t it look weird? :S

As for the collectible clip-ons, I can live without those for the rest of my life. Yeesh.

Laura’s items, the Aqua Pot and the Ocean Prism Mirror.

Again with the portable, travel-size housing. *sigh* 😩

Alright, I can let this year slide cuz Laura (I’m so soft for her, omg) probably won’t be getting legs for 20 weeks so she’s got to move about on land somehow. But unless they’re really thinking about turning this idea of carrying your apartment around in your bag/pocket/purse into a reality (cuz that would be effin’ awesome), please be more creative with your toys.

On the other hand, I’m much more interested in the Ocean Prism Mirror but from what Kusyami (the Precure merchandise reviews I follow on Youtube) said in his latest vid, this is the ED dance item so don’t know if it’ll actually have an relevance to the story or not. But I did hear him mention it having something to do with the Queen as well and since Laura wishes to become Queen, maybe it’ll be important after all? Maybe it’s her transformation device?

That’d be super cool. Let’s continue the trend of the midseason Cure having a different transformation item than the starters. Honestly, we should alternate every other year or two but we’ve gone three seasons with all of them using the same henshin gimmicks up till HealPre and I just want a break from that.

6) Fin sleeves??

These look so impractical for combat so maybe it’s exclusive to group attacks.

And/or a sort of precursor to the super forms?

*GASP* Does that mean they all eventually turn into mermaids? 🤩

7) Yui finally became Precure!! 😭

lol, it’s all crack from this point on so don’t take it too seriously but man, after Yuni’s deceptive braids, I thought I wasn’t gonna see anything that reminded me of Yui for a while and lo behold, Sango.

kehehehehehe xD;

Though Yui might be closer to Minori in terms of personal interests (fairytales and storybooks).

8) Akira, the actual Onee-chan version

I didn’t think this when I first saw her but once I read “Onee-san” in her profile, there’s no saving you now. Sorry, Asuka. 😅

Also, damn, do her sandals make her feet look big! Compare them to the heels she wears as Flamingo. Are they even the same?! lololol

9) ...this sounds awfully familiar...

Translation:

Tokimeku Tokonatsu! [Exciting/Thrilling Everlasting Summer!] Cure Summer! Kirameku Hoseki! [Sparkling Jewel!] Cure Coral! Hirameku Fuurutsu! [Flashing Fruit!] Cure Papaya!

Japanese reiteration:

Mallow/Mao: Pink no tokimeki! Lillie: Blue no kirameki! Lana/Suiren: Yellow no kagayaki!

….........

@Toei

Care to explain yourselves, punks?!

୧(ʘ ∀ ʘ ╬)

#it is 1:30 AM and im hungry and still have to do work on new year's eve so i'll come back to amuse-rage later #tropical rouge! precure #precure 2021 #cure summer #cure coral #cure papaya #cure flamingo #laura la mer

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rubymensah · 3 years

Text

rubies are red, violets aren’t blue

Is that RUBY MENSAH? Wow, they do look a lot like LOVIE SIMONE. I hear SHE is an EIGHTEEN year old SOPHOMORE who is studying MATHEMATICS at Luxor University. Word is she is a SCHOLARSHIP student who is AGAINST The Unhinged. You should watch out because they can be OBSESSIVE and JUDGEMENTAL, but on the bright side they can also be LOGICAL and MOTIVATED. Ultimately, you’ll get to see it all for yourself.

helloooo yuni w my 3rd, this is ruby and she is kind of tired of everyone before even threading w them. hmu to plot x

basics //

Full Name: Ruby Celeste Mensah

Date of Birth: August 31, 2003 (current age 18)

Zodiac: Virgo sun, Capricorn rising, Scorpio moon (also Virgo mercury, Scorpio venus, Cancer mars)

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York

Nationality: American

Languages: English, conversational French

Sexuality: Pansexual

Gender/Pronouns: Female, she/her

Course: Mathematics major, computer science minor

appearance //

Faceclaim: Lovie Simone Oppong

Height: 5′5

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Dark Brown

Piercings: Just her ear lobes.

Style: Ruby has an affinity for bright colours and floral prints, but she tends to swing more towards basics - jeans and t shirts, denim jacket, ballet pumps. She’d honestly rather get an extra ten minutes of sleep than curate her wardrobe too much, so she’d never buy anything she couldn’t easily pair with something random in two minutes and not have to think about it. She does love the 90s and incorporates it to some extent - chokers, slip dresses, doc martens - but overall she keeps it pretty simple and laid back, preferring not to stand out by any means.

personality //

MBTI: ISTJ

Positive Traits: Logical, motivated, loyal, ambitious, perfectionist

Negative Traits: Obsessive, neurotic, judgemental, sometimes callous,

Religious Beliefs: Atheist

Description: Ruby’s main trait is that she’s intensely ambitious. From a young age she’s had a very clear view of what she wants her life to look like, and she understands that the way to achieve her ambitions is through hard work. However, due to her obsessive personality, she tends to then overdo it - she’ll gladly skip every social event ever in order to study, and as a result totally misses on the “normal teenage experience.” Which is fine by her - she honestly has no interest in it. Don’t get her wrong, she completely understands .. or thinks she does ... why other students want to waste their time on instant enjoyment rather than work hard. She’d never voice her judgement. Mostly the truth just is that Ruby holds herself to incredibly high standards and if she falls short she will internally beat herself up for weeks - so out of self preservation, she makes more than sure that she never falls short of her expectations. She also has a constant internal conflict over whether she’s even classed as intelligent, whether her hard work means that she has no natural intelligence and whether that indicates she’s not smart after all - growing up being told she was gifted and clever has led to her constantly obsessing over whether it’s true and whether other people think it’s true.

biography //

Ruby was born in Brooklyn, the only child of a mechanic father and restaurant manager mother. Her family isn’t poor by any means - her father makes decent money owning his own repairs shop and her mother’s additional salary meant that Ruby grew up comfortable and wanting for nothing - but certainly not the usual demographic for Luxor.

From a young age, it was relatively obvious that Ruby was intelligent. Her school decided she was “gifted” and she ended up skipping the third grade, which is why she is a year younger than most other sophomores. As she got older, her grades continued to stay high - but she developed a very intense work ethic to keep them that way, spending most of high school studying and doing extra credit work, only joining extracurriculars which would benefit her academically and as a result “missing out” (as her mother put it) on a social life.

Her parents are supportive and always have been, but to be honest, they truly don’t “get” their daughter. They’d be much more understanding if Ruby was sneaking out to go to parties, or had a boyfriend, or drinking illegally - they respect and are proud of her, but honestly they mostly just wish she was doing normal teenager things and socialising. Her mother frequently suggests this to her, but Ruby is stubborn.

After much research, Ruby decided the mathematics program at Luxor was the one she wanted to go to, thinking the travel program would also look good on future job applications. And as per Ruby, she then decided to make that happen, thus getting herself a full academic scholarship and immediately immersing herself in the workload. Of course, all of her research did not prepare her for the absolute level of fuckery going on between rival student groups, secrets, and everything else. And let it be known she is not impressed.

extra facts //

- Has a studygram with 12k followers. Posts religiously, mostly aesthetic shots of her desk and notes.

- Named after her mother’s favourite gemstone.

- She likes math for the elegance, and for there being one correct answer with a logical explanation. She dislikes philosophical discussions with open questions and no real answers because it makes her feel out of control.

- Probably drinks too much coffee. Is always jittery as a result.

- just wants to finish her assignment can everyone please just stop w the drama

#luxintro

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seiin-translations · 3 years

Text

2.43 S1 Chapter 1.7 - Young Yunichika

7. (COOL BUT WORST) PLAYMAKER

Translation Notes

1. The term used here, 球威, means “pitcher’s stuff”, which basically refers to how effective a pitch is at being the pitch it’s supposed to be

2. Refers to the popular myth/saying/action that writing the character for “person” on your hand and then pretending swallowing it will relieve stress

3. Some neat wordplay here. アタッカー並み means on par with an attacker, but 並みのアタッカー means average attacker

Previous || Index || Next

He felt like he could see Haijima’s smug face painted on the raised set. It was after the opponent blocker fell for the decoy in front of the net and jumped. Kuroba jumped in from behind the decoy with a back-row attack. From the point of view of the opponent blocker, a new shadow suddenly shot out from above the decoy’s head. This was the combination they were best at, called a pipe attack, and it should have been already analyzed by the opponent, but it felt great to be given a face of astonishment that said, “How did you appear there!?” every time. This is the moment when I’m the coolest one on the court.

Haijima’s sets were completely different than his senpai setter’s sets from last year. Kuroba still couldn’t explain it in theory, but even though his senpai’s sets were a big arch that “went up and fell down,” Haijima’s sets “didn’t fall down.” The ball was thrown “straight” to the place where it could only be reached by stepping in the fastest, jumping the highest and swinging his arms at the highest point. If he didn’t stop it, it would just whoosh past him. In practice, he constantly missed the timing and missing the ball, which ended into arguments. While he became reckless everyday, desperate to stop the ball next time for sure—a strange phenomenon occurred today.

As long as he jumped and swung his arms with all strength, the ball would be there. The sets fitted into his hands so cleanly, like they were sticking to his hands, that there was not even a millimeter of deviation. All he had to do was to add power and hit it out with a nice feeling. He cut through the gaps in the opponents’ defense, who were unable to take a step, and landed after seizing the ball with his eyes until it pierced the court. “Yes!” he pumped his arm into the air, still on his knees.

“Yuni!”

“You were so cool!”

While his gathered teammates messed up his hair, he searched for Haijima. He caught a glimpse of Haijima, who was always on the outside of circles like these. Haijima smiled thinly and nodded.

The rotation moved once, and Kuroba came up to the front row right after he did a back-row attack in the back row. When Haijima went down from the front row to serve in exchange, they exchanged a low high-five as they passed each other.

July 26th. The first round of the boys’ volleyball division for the Prefectural Middle School Summer Games, taking place on the two courts of A and B in the Suzumu City Municipal Gymnasium. In the first game on Court A, Monshiro Middle already took the first set. For the second set, the other side came close in the middle of the game because of a disordered receive, but they didn’t allow them to form a comeback and extended a wide lead again to close out the set. It was a three-set match, so if they took this set, they would have a straight-set win.

Haijima moved back considerably in the service zone, almost to the wall, and got into the serve position. He put the ball in his left hand and extended his arm straight out in front of him. His narrow eyes were narrowed even more sharply and he stared at the other side of the net with a fixed gaze. For a moment, the stands that were cheering loudly fell deathly silent. Everyone held their breaths at the clear, intimidating something Haijima was clad in.

Taking just one second to lightly adjust his breathing, he tossed the ball up high without any perceivable jump and hit a powerful jump serve from a beautiful, textbook-like form. The gym became filled with cheers that bordered on roars once again.

But it was a bit too long. It’s out—Kuroba could see it in his eyes, but there was no time for the receiver to avoid it. The ball bounced up all the way to the ceiling with such tremendous power (1) that the receiver nearly fell over.

Ah——.

His body moved naturally before he could think about it, and he jumped. Above the net, he caught hold of the ball that returned directly and knocked it down to the opponent’s court.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Since sixteen schools participated in the first round, the passages behind the gym were crowded with players in jerseys of all sorts of colors, teachers, and management staff.

“Somehow while I was in a daze…”

“We won!”

“With a team of only eight people!”

“Yuni, you reacted well to that direct one.”

“Well, I guess. For some reason, I feel like I can see the ball really well today. Also, when I see the opponent’s faces, I somehow know what they’re gonna do.”

“What the hell’s that, that sounds cool. I’m falling for you!”

“We should have talked to the girls from class more. All I could hear was the moms’ voices.”

“Agh, I was switching the moms’ voices with the girls’ voices in my head, but you just dragged me back to reality!”

Having finished their match in good time, everyone was still in good spirits, and there was a constant stream of excited chatter. It seemed that the match that started at the same time in Court B was carried over to the third set, so muffled cheers and the sound of the ball bouncing could be heard. When he wondered why this extremely stupid conversation never ended, he realized that it was because Haijima wasn’t there to chop through the mood. He was supposed to be with them when they left the court, but…

Their advisor, who had said he was going to drop by the management headquarters, came back just then.

“Sensei, do you know where Haijima is?”

“He went back inside. The second match in Court A is about to start soon. He said that he’s going to go watch it since it’ll decide who we face in the second round.”

“Eh…He didn’t have to go alone.”

If it’s for our next opponent, then shouldn’t we all go scouting them out, not just Haijima? A tinge of dissatisfaction sprouted in his heart as he thought that he should have at least called out to them.

“Didn’t Haijima want to give you guys a break because he was worried? You’re fine now, but if you get too excited, you won’t enough energy for the second round.”

Haijima worried about them? It was a phenomenon that seemed like it wouldn’t happen even if the heavens and earth were turned upside-down. It was exactly a phenomenon. It was equal to a natural disaster that only happened once every few hundred million years or so.

But, it was true that playing two games in one day was unfamiliar terrain for them. Although everyone seemed to be in good condition right now, it was hard to predict how tired they would be in the second game.

“But, you know, I knew Haijima had volleyball experience, but I didn’t expect him to be that good. Even when I stopped by the headquarters earlier, teachers from other schools kept coming up to me and asking who that player was.”

“Hey, what about me? They didn’t ask about me?”

“Hmm? They didn’t.”

“Tch. My efforts always get overshadowed by Haijima.”

When he pouted and grumbled that, he was soothed with “You’ve got this from now on.”

“Keep this up for the second round. Don’t get too worked up about it and just have fun with everyone.”

He thought he was in good form and stood out quite a bit, but he guessed that Haijima’s skill was so outstanding that his own level wasn’t enough to leave an impression. He couldn’t believe that he was getting noticed by the volleyball team advisors from other schools, who was probably much more discerning than their own advisor.

“We’re gonna win”—Haijima was extremely confident, but at the same time, he was a realist. He never gave lenient assessments to himself or others, and he wasn’t the type of guy who would say soft and easy effort goals like “It would be nice if we could win.” He said that back then because he had a serious expectation that was possible.

He had a feeling now that it really might not be a dream if Haijima was there.

If they won four times, they won the championship. They had already cleared one match. Three more to go.

We can…reach it…?

I want to win, he thought. I want to win next time too. And after that. And then if we win after that—. When he heard it in June, he felt a lot of bewilderment, but now for the first time, he definitely wanted to win. His heart began to beat fast.

***

Right when they entered the venue since the time for the second round’s official practice was approaching, cheers similar to an angry roar rose up, and the entire team leaned back in the same direction despite themselves.

A horizontal banner—which wasn’t there in the first round—with the words “Monshiro Middle School Boys’ Volleyball Team” written with excessively good handwriting was hanging from the second-row bleachers. And next to that, there was a square flag with “Spread your wings! Kuroba UNIVERSE!”

His face turned hot.

“Wow. Yuni’s cheering squad is amazing.”

“It’s like we’re at Koshien.”

His teammates were more taken aback and put off rather than being jealous. Their parents formed a small cheering squad for the first round, but it was just a modest thing where they cheered for their children on the spot, with no bells and whistles or anything else. The huge cheering party that newly appeared completely swallowed that up, sounding their megaphones loudly and as for his relatives, they were shouting in voices that couldn’t be called refined.

“…That’s Grandpa’s writing.”

On a pure-white cloth, the words “Monshiro Middle School Boys’ Volleyball Team” were written in bold, stirring letters like a rampaging dragon in all black ink. Come to think of it, when he went out this morning, his mother was in a hurry making phone calls to here and there. It would have been better if his family had just come here modestly instead of taking the time to organize something like that and be late for the first round.

The other one, “Spread your wings! Kuroba UNIVERSE!”, had a black background and decorated with sparkly gold tinsel, and it was a lot more lowbrow than his grandfather’s single brush stroke. Right above where that deathly embarrassing flag—which he thought of as more like harassment—was hanging, he saw Itoko shouting into a huge megaphone. …If she had the time to prepare that, she could have come for the first round. You should have seen that really nice back-row attack in the first round.

Yorimichi…didn’t seem to have come. He couldn’t spot him as far as he could see. He was sure he would have heard that there was a game today through Itoko.

“Oh, Haijima, your grandma came. I wonder if my mom also invited her.”

He tugged on Haijima’s uniform and whispered that into his ear. “Huh…” Haijima didn’t look all that happy as he looked up at the stands, straining his eyes as a wrinkle formed between his brows.

“Can’t see her.”

“Right there. She’s above ‘team.’”

“Even with contacts, my eyes aren’t as good as yours. It’s fine.”

He immediately gave up and returned his eyes to the court.

“Concentrate, Kuroba.”

He said in a low tone. He can see Haijima’s consciousness narrowing and condensing. As though saying that the world he needed only existed inside that nine-by-eighteen-meter court, he raised his awareness by shutting out outside gazes and cheers. He could feel that the power of his concentration that made his skin tingle just by being next to him.

“Y-Yeah. Got it.”

Kuroba responded vigorously with all his might, but even if he took his eyes off the stands, he couldn’t get rid of the feeling of being surrounded his relatives’ faces, faces, faces from 360 degrees.

The rotation started with Haijima on the right back as the server and Kuroba “diagonal” to him on the left front. The rotation was made so that Haijima, who was strong at serving, got to serve as much as possible, and either one of the tall Kuroba and Haijima was always in the front row. There were six people, so there were three pairs of players connected by diagonal lines, and one’s partner was called one’s “diagonal.” The diagonal relationship was always maintained even when the rotation moved. However, when he became absentminded, he sometimes lost track of his current position, which was quite confusing.

Back-row players weren’t allowed to jump up to block, and they could only spike by doing a back-row attack from behind the attack line (the line three meters from the net).

As though saying that victory went to the one who made the first move, Haijima smashed in a jump serve with all his might from the very beginning. A jump serve was hit with a lot of force, and consequently had a high risk of error. In practice games, Haijima used a low-risk jump float serve, but right when he wondered what he was going to do in the official match today, he was actively using a jump serve.

Regrettably, it went behind the end line and was out, giving their opponent their first point, but the air in the opposing court was frozen for a moment.

“Don’t worry about it!”

His teammates called out to him, but Haijima didn’t seem to care about the mistake in the first place and unashamedly responded lightly with one hand, staring over the net with a brazen expression as though that was his substitute for a greeting. Even though it didn’t result in a point, he had successfully planted the seed of fear in them that made them think, “What would happen if that had gone in?”—Their amount of experience was different by one or two orders of magnitude. And more than anything, the fearsomeness of Haijima was that he had such nerves of steel.

Haijima was making the game in a literal sense. As a setter, he didn’t just set up his teammates’ offensive, but also controlled the mood in the opponent’s court. He of course knew that the difference between their amounts of experience couldn’t be filled in overnight, but he felt strangely impatient.

He felt like it took an awfully long time for his own first serve order to come around. He impatiently waited for the rotation to move, and when he went down into the service zone and was about to receive the ball,

“…ba! Kuroba!”

Haijima’s voice burst into his ear, and he jumped. He was so out of it that he didn’t hear him, as though there was a membrane around his head. He looked and saw Haijima pointing to the right position of the front row with an unusually anxious look on his face.

The color drained out of his face. The rotation was wrong. He was in the front row for one more time. Nagato, who was in the original service order, was standing confused in a halfway place.

“S-sorry.”

“No, it’s my fault too. I thought I got it wrong when Yuni moved back…”

He talked to Nagato and hurried back to his defensive position. Haijima was about to go to him to say something, but the whistle prompting Nagato to serve sounded. The cheering squad was noisy in the stands, probably because they didn’t understand why the server was suddenly changed.

Something’s wrong…I can hear the voices from the stands well, but the voices on the court are distant. He almost felt like he was standing in the bleachers right now, not on the court.

He felt the rotation was moving quickly, contrary to earlier. His sense of time wasn’t stable. The wrong service order came around this time, and he ran to the serve zone and received the ball. He stood facing the net and took a deep breath to try to calm down, but couldn’t breathe in deeply.

Haijima’s first jump serve suddenly replayed in his mind. Kuroba also practiced the jump serve. He was getting able to hit the ball squarely more and more, and practice could be exhilarating sometimes. It would no doubt feel good to carry out that kind of thing successfully in a game. He would be able to show the cheering squad his good points, but of course his accuracy was not yet usable, so he made sure to do a jump float serve as usual…

Huh? Which foot do I usually step forward with? What’s the timing for the toss? What’s ‘usual’?

His usual way of doing things had completely slipped out of his mind.

Beep—.

The whistle sounded.

He didn’t immediately understand what the signal meant. Something was wrong. His own court was in a panic. After the referee showed the opposing team’s score, he made an “8” sign with his fingers.

An eight second violation!?

The spectators were buzzing once again about the point loss that was difficult to understand to the layman’s eye. If you didn’t serve within eight seconds after the whistle sounded, your opponent scored. It wasn’t like he didn’t hear the first whistle. And yet, he himself had absolutely no idea why he made such a basic mistake.

Haijima made a hand gesture towards the bench, and the advisor, who received it, hurriedly requested a timeout.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

“You’re nervous, aren’t you.”

Haijima poked him above his heart with his fist. He didn’t seem angry, but he was definitely fed up. A series of careless mistakes that had nothing to do with the play itself.

“Do you have stage fright or something?”

“Ugh… I’ve never really been in a situation where I’ve gotten stage fright, so I don’t know.”

Was he nervous? He was aware that he was overly concerned with unnecessary things. During the first round, he was able to see the court so well and concentrate on his own task. He knew what he should do without thinking about it and his body moved. It was as if he was being made use of by being incorporated as a part of the organic matter that was the game Haijima finished weaving. He wasn’t displeased with that at all; rather, he felt euphoric. And yet, after they entered the second round, that feeling suddenly stopped, his field of vision abruptly narrowed, and only the voices in his mind increased.

Haijima sighed at him.

“Write down ‘people’ and swallow it.” (2)

“Can’t, can’t you give better advice?”

“I’ve never been nervous. I could tell you all about play, though.”

He felt like he was being shown the disparity between them again. “Can’t be helped, Yuni. If that many of my relatives came, I’d get nervous too. Don’t worry about mistakes.” Though everyone else encouraged him, the sigh Haijima alone had given him weighed heavily on him.

The thirty second timeout went by in the blink of an eye. In the end, he noisily dashed back to the court without putting his feelings in order.

Anyways, there was nothing to do but to recover from here. Right when he moved back to the rear, he immediately got a gesture for a pipe attack from Haijima. It was a fast back-row attack from the middle using the center’s A-quick as a decoy, which was the source of their points in the first round. The shocked face of the opposing blocker who was drawn in by the decoy and jumped at it when he jumped in from over the center’s head was so satisfying—.

“!?”

This time he kept blocking. The do-or-die expression of the opposing blocker appeared from the other side of the net that was like a towering wall, blocking the course. How—!? The ball crashed straight onto the block and was knocked down onto his own side. While falling on his behind from the excess momentum, words such as “What?” came out of his mouth.

As he let his mind wander for a moment and stared at the opposing court, where there were fervent roars, from beneath the net, his teammate was held out in front of him. After he borrowed that hand and stood up, he reflexively drew back his hand when he saw that it was Haijima.

“Sorry.”

An apology slipped out of his mouth. For what? Getting blocked? Drawing back his hand?

“It’s fine. There was no helping that. They’ve already guessed that you’re the only one who could hit it properly. We should have marked them thoroughly.”

Haijima seemed to have accepted the former’s apology. His eyes never left the opponent’s court, where they were exchanging high-fives and celebrating, and spoke quickly. If the only decent hitter was Kuroba, and he was marked for it…then what were they going to do?

Haijima gave him a sharp side glance. He looked fed up again.

“I told you not to let it show on your face… Shake off the guy blocking you as much as possible. However, don’t think you’re not being marked, stay calm and watch the block. I told you about straight and cross. They’re not at a level where you can’t get rid of them.”

Well, from Haijima’s level, middle school volleyball in a rural prefecture like this would seem like a piece of cake. The prefectural finals in a place like this was probably the same size as a subdivision preliminary in Tokyo. It was no consolation for him, as it only deepened his inferiority complex.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Haijima scattered his sets to other attackers, but Kuroba always had a block on him whether he hit or not. The opponent seemed to think that as long as Kuroba was suppressed, the rest of the team couldn’t hit too hard, so they could respond with receives. Unfortunately, it was an effective strategy.

Although the team was able to score some modest points with Haijima’s skillful direction, they still were unable to score consecutively due to the lack of a decisive blow. The seesaw game where stress accumulated continued. No, in terms of overall team morale, the flow was completely on the other side. There were more and more situations where the receives were so disordered that even Haijima had trouble covering them, and when he couldn’t get the set, the rest of the team couldn’t do anything.

Far from regaining his composure, Kuroba was experiencing the sensation of gears steadily becoming less and less aligned. Even though his mind was panicking, his body wouldn’t work together with it. It was like his head and body were doing on their own thing on this side and the other side of the court. While his spike success rate had decreased, moreover, at the beginning there were many times where he would slam the ball into a block and get shut-out, and it became noticeable that he was making the mistake of getting it caught in the net himself, let alone hitting the ball into the blocking.

“Just stop looking at the blocks. It’s better not to. Don’t think about avoiding them, just hit it where it’s easy to hit.”

Haijima pulled on his uniform and whispered that, but he was only extra confused by the change in instructions. Didn’t he say “Watch their blocks” earlier?

Did my jump power go down? Aren’t my legs getting tired? The instant he realized that this is what it was to play two games in a day, his body suddenly became heavy. Are my knees okay? Don’t I feel more burdened than usual? He suddenly started to worry about the growing pains that should have been unrelated to this. What if that thing that hurts so much I couldn’t sleep at night hits me during the match? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do——?

Haijima was saying something from his diagonal position to him. But he couldn’t hear his voice. He could probably hear him physically, but his heart was blocking his ears. Listening to Haijima’s just reasonings now was of no use whatsoever.

Do you, who's completely disconnected from nervousness or agitation, have the words that I want, the words that will help me? I don’t think so.

He didn’t remember at what point—Haijima turned away with a look of resignation on his face. Ah, if Haijima has given up, then this was already a complete loss, he thought.

For some reason, only a small click of his tongue and the word “useless” reached his ears without being cut off.

***

“Get in line, Yuni.”

It was only when Nagato called out to him that he realized that the game was over. A smattering of applause came down from the stands. When he absentmindedly looked at the score board that was still standing on the court, he saw that the set count was 2-0, and the winner—Monshiro Middle School.

…Wait, what? Did something…happen…? I have almost no memory of touching the ball…

Even when he looked over the faces of his teammates standing in a line along the end line, he didn’t actually feel like they had won at all. Were these really the faces of a winning team? The atmosphere was not as merry as it had been when they won the first round, and everyone looked somewhat apathetic and subdued. And maybe it was just his imagination, but the applause from the stands seemed like it was just done out of politeness.

When he was about to line up next to Haijima, who was standing there with his expression erased, he recalled it along with the flashbacks of some scenes—it was all Haijima's doing.

Haijima’s play changed after that tongue click and badmouthing.

The jump serve was of course incredible, but Haijima’s original domain was at the net. At the net, the control of the ball was not passed over to anyone—neither opponents nor even his own teammates. Rather than entrusting the set to the attacker, the cases where he hit the ball by himself by performing dumps increased dramatically. A dump was a surprise attack where the setter pretended to set the ball and returned it to the opponent’s court with their left hand, but the power of the dump released from the left hand of the ambidextrous Haijima was not confined to the level of a surprise attack. He smashed it into the opposing court with the same power as an attacker spiking with all of their strength. It should have temporarily made the opponents agitated and close the score gap considerably.

However, it was from there that Haijima showed his demon-like true power. When the opponent marked his dumps and started to block it, he switched from hitting hard to deliberately hitting the ball lightly at the head of the block where they jumped with power in preparation for a strong hit to make it drop to his own side. He pulled off the feat of getting down low to pick up the rebound that gently dropped down without a moment’s delay and swinging it to a nearby teammate with an underhand pass and the instructions “Give it to me!” This time, he used his right hand to smash the ball that was set to him by his panicking teammate into the opponent’s side.

The venue was stunned by the powerful spike that was on par with an attacker’s, or even stronger than an average attacker’s (3), and even the referee’s whistle was a beat late.

How was he able to do that…? It was technical, but more than that, what kind of nerves did he had that enabled him to play in a way that overturned the foundation of team sports like that in front of people?

To be honest, Haijima, you’re…disgusting.

When he heard “Thank you,” he hurriedly matched them in a small voice and bowed. For an instant, he felt as if the shadow of Haijima standing next to him broke out of its human shell and swelled up into a warped shape, and a shiver ran down his spine.

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#2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu #2.43 translation #2.43 book 1

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