seen from Bangladesh
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Italy
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Bangladesh
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
sometimes all we can do
is wait till the darkness comes
to take us back home.
and when that day comes—we’ll be
waiting, won’t we? have we
ever belonged here?
the lost and the beloved
are suspended just the same,
one and then
the other.
the unbelonging // e.v.
The feeling of grief
The feeling of growing up
The feeling that you’ll never be a child again
That you’ll never kiss your parents on the cheek again because something happened to make you resent it.
The feeling when you’re old enough to not see your parents in an innocent light.
The feeling when sins are sins.
The feeling when love is not the same love you felt when you were younger.
The feeling when you realize your childhood’s gone.
The feeling when you look at everyone and see that they have their own thoughts, their own feelings, their own lives.
What’s a feeling you can only describe, but never name?
When was it ever a last time?
When did it ever end?
rugbymangaweek day four: rpg au I'm really far behind but whatever This is heavily based off Makoto's rpg au in chapter 6.5. Everyone makes an appearence except Madoka (I'm sorry baby)
Akira closed his eyes, trying his hardest to shut out all noise that might distract him, all worries that might distract him. However, closing himself off from the surrounding battle was futile – there was no escape from the clash of swords, the yelled orders, the screams of the dying, and the roars of the dragons. And Akira was about to plunge into all that, him, a junior wizard who had zero fighting experience and an un-aggressive disposition.
rugby club initiation
rugbymangaweek day three: lgbtqia Now I really hope I haven't said anything shitty in this. If I have, please tell me and I'll change it! Queer is used here as an umbrella term. Word count: 2118 In which the first year trio find a weird note summoning them to the rugby club.
how to get a date and nationwide fame - a fail safe guide by Makoto Sakai
rugbymangaweek day two: otp Okay so this is set in an au where Makoto and Hiromi and Chisato weren't childhood friends and met at the start of high school. Word count: 1602
When Makoto first met Hiromi, his face was covered in blood and he was staring up at the sky, re-thinking his career plan of becoming a rich and handsome professional soccer player. “Makoto? Hey, Makoto! Are you okay?”
#rugbymangaweek has started!!! I'm so excited day one: training camp/favourite character word count 1214
Training camp was possibly one of the worst concepts ever thought up by some overly friendly sports enthusiast, Mao decided, and that includes getting one’s nickname printed on their uniform and sharing changing areas. For one thing, you had to practically live with your 15 teammates for a whole week. That wouldn’t be quite so bad if this particular team wasn’t so big on affection. Or dumb jokes. Or cuddling. Or being super friendly in general.
harmony to my melody
Natsuyuki week day four (give or take): music The song
It was Valentine’s day when Natsuki first discovered the grubby, handwritten piece of sheet music in his locker. It had evidently been slipped underneath the locker door, thus saving the sender from gazing upon Natsuki’s many band posters inside, but it was definitely addressed to him. At the top of the paper was a black ink scrawl reading: for Natsuki Usami.
The piece itself was a song for guitar and voice. Natsuki skimmed through it swiftly, noting every key change, chord progression, melodic feature and performance direction, all written out carefully in slightly smudged black ink. It had no title.
Natsuki stared at it thoughtfully before placing it in his schoolbag amongst his textbooks. He was always happy to get new sheet music after all, so there was no reason for him to reject it, with all the effort that had obviously been put into it.
…
Later that day, Natsuki lay down on his bed and picked up his guitar, strumming it a few times before tuning, turning the pegs with practiced ease and using nothing but his own ear to determine if the strings were at their correct pitch. He bent over the neck as he did so, his shaggy hair brushing against the back of his neck and his glasses slipping slightly down his nose. Distractedly, he pushed them back up and turned his attention back to his instrument.
He picked out a few aimless arpeggios for a while, his back on the bed and his legs resting on the wall, guitar heavy on his chest in its own familiar, comforting way. It vibrated softly against him as he shifted to strumming chords, and he closed his eyes, soaking up the rich calming sounds of the metal strings humming in harmony.
After a while he grew bored of improvising and drew the mystery song out of his schoolbag, regarding it slight wariness. It had been posted into his locker, so what did that mean? He had a secret admirer who knew he was in a band? Who knew what instruments he played? Who was talented enough to write an entire song about him? Natsuki wasn’t that good at composition himself, he struggled with putting words to the scraps of melody he found and then forgot again, losing new ideas under his fingertips.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, placing the song in front of him and picking out the soft chord progressions, chord I to IV, I to V, and variations of. A few bars in the arpeggios start, harmonising with the underlying chords very nicely in a synchronising rhythm. The sound became rich and full, but at the same time, calming and peaceful. Natsuki closed his eyes and let himself be caught up in the swell of the harmony.
Softly, ever so softly, he started to sing the lyrics that someone had written for him.
“Sorry to bother you this late,” he sang softly, letting his voice intertwine with the sound of his acoustic guitar, “but the night is just too long.”
“I suddenly wanted to hear your voice,
So laugh for me in that sleepy tone.”
People had always told him he had a good voice, but Natsuki wasn’t sure if he was doing this composition justice. His singing voice was too low, too monotone to really make the lyrics sing. He sat back on his bed, still picking out the chords thoughtfully. He loved the song, he wanted to play it, to play it right. But how?
…
“… Which is why I want you to sing it,” Natsuki concluded, waving the sheet music in front of his best friend’s nose, who was turning an almost unhealthy shade of red. “Y’know, so we can play it in the band and stuff. It could be our first song.”
“That’s fine,” Yuki said weakly, taking the music with trembling fingers, “but why do I have to sing it? Why can’t Haru, or Akira? Or you? You have a lovely voice-“
“Haru’s can’t sing for shit and Akira’s voice is even deeper than mine,” Natsuki said, wondering if Yuki’s nervousness was due to the fact that he was scared of singing in front of people. He couldn’t see why, he always sang in tune and his voice had a quality to it that Natsuki seemed to find very pleasing. But then again, Yuki was always funny about these things. “It has to be you.”
Yuki looked downright miserable. “But we haven’t even decided on a band name yet.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
It was true though. Currently all four of them were sitting in Yuki and Haru’s garage, sharing the drinks an cookies Kate had brought down for them and crossing out potential names on a massive piece of paper they had laid out on the pool table.
“I still think we should’ve gone with professional badasses,” Akira grumbled, fiddling with the kets on his saxophone. Natsuki had no idea why Akira kept bring his sax to band practice, since both he and Yuki had both forbidden him to play after he played ‘never gonna give you up’ for about two hours straight.
“More like professional sadasses,” Yuki said, making Natsuki chuckle.
“Should I write that down?” Haru asked.
“Anyway,” Natsuki said, placing the paper in the middle of the table for everyone to see, “I was given this anonymously and I think we should play it together. What do you guys think?”
Haru pulled the paper closer to him. Yuki flushed. Akira pondered the idea.
“It’s only for the guitar and voice though, isn’t it?” Akira said.
Natsuki shrugged. “We can always write parts for the keyboard, bass and drums,” he nodded at Akira, Yuki and Haru respectively.
“I guess,” Akira said, not sounding convinced, “but didn’t someone write this about you? Wouldn’t it be a bit weird if one of us sang it?”
“I thought about that,” Natsuki said, “and I figured that Yuki should sing it. Because he’s… um…” Natsuki hesitated, trying to figure out how to put it into words without making it sound weird, “he’s the person who can convey the composer’s feelings the best. To me. I think that the composer would be happiest if the song was sang truthfully.”
There was a bang and a string of curse words as Yuki tried to slide down in his seat and hit his head on the edge of the table. He emerged spluttering, face as bright as his hair. “W-W-W-Why would you think that!?”
Natsuki shrugged. “Because we’re best friends?”
Yuki sank under the table again where he said in a small voice, “fuck you, Natsuki Usami.”
…
Natsuki waited until the end of practice to approach Yuki again. His friend spent the rest of the time sitting on the other side of the room to Natsuki, gripping onto his fish stickered covered bass for dear life and fingering ostinatos feverishly, his hair flopping over his eyes. Natsuki found it a bit odd, Yuki always looked relaxed when playing music, relaxed and happy. He looked nicest when he was happy, after all.
The happiest Natsuki had ever seen Yuki was probably when they first met, in a tiny practice room at the darkest part of the music department (all the other rooms had been taken). Natsuki had walked in to find a red headed boy smiling slightly as he bent over his guitar, scribbling down notes on a blank score. However, the moment the door had clicked behind the intruder Yuki’s smile faded and he looked up at Natsuki with wary eyes.
Ten minutes later, they were having the best jam session of their life.
Natsuki remembered with beautiful clarity the way Yuki could barely yell out the words to Bohemian Rhapsody because he was a.) laughing so hard he was almost crying, b.) headbanging aggressively, and c.) killing his guitar in time with Natsuki’s fast paced riffs. After that, they made a unanimous decision to form a band together, and here they are.
“Yuki,” Natsuki said, touching Yukis shoulder gently to prevent him from leaving, “are you really that against singing that song?”
Yuki looked away, making it clear that he didn’t want to talk about it. “I wouldn’t say against it, I just…” He trailed off.
Natsuki sighed. “You don’t have to sign it if you don’t want to, it’s okay.” He reached behind him and drew out his own acoustic guitar, handing it to Yuki. Anything to make him smile again. “But at least give it a go.”
Yuki looked up, perplexed. “What, now?”
Natsuki nodded. He went to hand Yuki the music, but the boy shook his head. “It’s okay, I don’t need it.”
Yuki caressed Natsuki’s guitar as he would a lover, before placing his fingers on the frets and the strings. He closed his eyes and took a breath, and Natsuki instinctively took one with him.
Yuki started to sing.
“Sorry to bother you this late,
But the night is just too long.
I suddenly wanted to hear your voice…”
Natsuki was right, it did sound much better when it was sung by Yuki. That probably wasn’t just because of his voice, however. There was something else…
“After walking for as long as it can take, a migratory bird will take flight,
When the morning comes, just take me with you…”
Yuki’s fingers were slipping slightly on the frets, making his strings rattle. His voice had been hesitant at first, but now it was growing louder, stronger. And he was looking at Natsuki now, looking straight at him.
“Man, the rain isn’t stopping.
Tell me those things no one gives a damn about.”
Yuki’s signing was sending shivers down Natsuki’s spine. The way he was singing… It was like he was singing the truth, right from his heart. Natsuki felt like he was being shown something incredibly secret, intimate.
“We’ll both be hurt if we miss the chance,
But neither of us say what we’re thinking.”
Natsuki swallowed, letting Yuki’s music wash over him. He knew now, that this was how the piece was supposed to be played.
“To you, who listened to this rotten voice,
Hello goodbye…”
Yuki held the last note, his wavering slightly. His fingers strummed the final chord, letting it hang in the air, heavy with a thousand words left unsaid between the two, shining, glittering in the dim light of Yuki’s garage.
Yuki handed back Natsuki’s guitar with a small smile, still looking into Natsuki’s eyes. “That’s why I didn’t want to sing it,” he said softly.
Natsuki let out one long, slow breath. “You know,” he said finally, “you’re really good at songwriting.”
Yuki ducked his head and examined his shoes. “Only when I get inspiration,” he admitted. “And it was damn tough trying to fit that under your locker door.”
Natsuki smiled.
Together, they placed their respective instruments in their cases and hoisted them onto their backs, as they always did. The only thing different was that Natsuki reached out and grabbed Yuki’s hand, holding it like it was the most precious thing he had ever laid hands on. He could feel every string shaped callous in his fingers, every token of his hard work and passion. It was like the essence of Yuki was mapped out under his fingers.
When Natsuki mounted his bike in order to ride home, Yuki finally let go of his hand and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Natsuki nodded and waved goodbye, Yuki’s song ringing in his ears the entire way home.
A few hours later, he wrote three words at the top of a handwritten music score.
For Yuki Sanada.
barrel roll into my heart
Natsuyuki week day 3: teaching Dragon rider au - word count 2630
Yuki was woken at the crack of dawn by Haru nuzzling him enthusiastically, eyes bright and tail waving like he was a puppy about to be taken out for a walk. Yuki took one look at him and flopped back down on his side of the giant nest, trying to grab the last few moments of sleep before getting up. Today required him to be wide awake, after all. “Haru… Leave me alone…” Yuki grumbled, trying to pull Haru’s scaly wing over his head to block out the light of the sunrise. He could feel Haru’s fleeting disappointment at this but in this moment he didn’t care enough to make his dragon feel better. The rider-dragon mental bond was handy at times, but not when you’re trying to keep sleeping while your dragon is practically bouncing with excitement.
“You should listen to your dragon, you know,” an amused voice said from above Yuki’s head, “or else they’ll try to eat your hair again, like they did last week when you didn’t give them any salmon.”
Yuki winced at the memory and opened his eyes properly to see Akira Yamada kneeling next to him, arms folded and eyes twinkling. Behind him, his own dragon, Tapioca, rested her white, feathery head upon his shoulder. He petted her gently.
“Anyway, your lesson begins at dawn, didn’t Keito tell you?”
Yuki looked up at the sky, open and vast. There were no trees this high up the rock face, no shelter. The Enoshima tribe had made their nest on a mountainside, two hundred meters high; looking down onto a lake in the middle of a vast valley carved out by ancient glacier paths and filled in by dense forest. The nest itself was huge enough for a community and their dragons to live together comfortably among the layers of fur and leaf matter which formed the home humans and dragons had worked together to build, many decades ago.
The sky itself was coming to life, the emerging sun dying the clouds pink and the surrounding mountains a cloudy blue, reflecting off the lake and casting the first of the shadows across the rocks. Haru’s scaly hide was affected too, shimming in that soft pink colour that appeared whenever light hit him. He lifted his head and basked in the sun’s rays, showing off the virility of his pearl scales to their full extent. Every inch of him was positively vibrating with the desire to spread his wings and fly.
Haru was a rare type of dragon the tribe had discovered by chance when hunting down by the lakeshore. A couple of large dragon eggs had been washed ashore that morning, but everyone had assumed they were dead, as dragon eggs cannot usually survive in water. It was strange that the eggs had no mother, as mother dragons always protected their brood fiercely and hardly ever left their side except to drink water because their mate would hunt for them until the baby dragons could fly. Dragons typically mated for life. Riders could only live alongside dragons who had lived with the tribes for generations, because it was impossible to form a mental bond with a dragon who was already grown, and wild dragons would never give up their eggs to humans.
However, there the eggs were, shining like gems amongst the dull pebbles. The riders decided to take them home, because eggshell with that kind of lustre was a prized item to have – not only did it make the nest pretty but the reflective qualities scared away preying birds who come looking for babies, human and dragon alike. But once they had flown back to the nest, the eggs had started hatching.
Out of the eggs came two tiny dragons no one had even seen the likes of before. They were covered in fishlike pearl coloured scales from head to toe and were sporting not only a healthy set of lungs but also working pairs of gills obviously meant for underwater. Before then, riders hadn’t even known that water dragons existed, let alone had expected to welcome them into the tribe.
The baby dragons were paired with the two youngest members of the tribe, Haru with Yuki, and Coco with Erika. From then on the duos had grown up together, strengthening their mental bond until it was finally time. The day they learned to ride.
“I hear Natsuki is taking your lesson today,” Akira said, tickling Tapioca under the chin and evidently not paying attention to Yuki’s impending sense of dread that must’ve shown on his face. “So you better not be late or else he’ll get irritated. Hey, are you feeling okay?”
Yuki took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, tried to submerge the rising water levels in his head. Haru sensed this and immediately spat directly in Yuki’s face.
Yuki spluttered and cursed, trying to ignore Akira’s chuckling. Haru noticed, however, and spat in Akira’s face as well.
“OH MY GOD!”
…
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Natsuki; Yuki reflected as he climbed up the rubble to reach the launch platform, boots dislodging stones and back aching from carrying his heavy pack, it was more like he didn’t get on that well with him. He liked him, in a certain sense, but he had always been very wary of the boy’s permanent irritated expression and cold manner of expressing himself. He was slightly older than Yuki, slightly taller and good looking, all of which were reasons for Yuki to feel inadequate to him. It didn’t help that Natsuki was a natural dragon rider and had shown up everyone else their age.
Haru, of course, loved him. But then again Haru loved everyone. As soon as they reached the launch platform Haru sped up and practically flung himself at Natsuki, who only had a few moments warning before he was hit by just-had-his-final-growth-spurt six meter long overly enthusiastic dragon.
“Haru…” Yuki groaned, jogging over to where Natsuki was wrestling with the dragon in question who was attempting to lick his face, “how many times have I told you not to greet people like that… You’re far too big for it now; you’ll just do someone an injury…”
Sakura, Natsuki’s own small, sleek black dragon, looked on with a kind of fond amusement.
Eventually, Yuki managed to pull Haru off Natsuki and apologised profusely, his face burning as bright as the early morning sun which was catching in Natsuki’s soft looking hair and illuminating his face, making it glow. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry…”
“It’s okay, it’s fine,” Natsuki said, waving a hand, “I just hope you can control your dragon better when you get into the air.”
Yuki sunk even lower into his private hole of shame. Haru felt this and his tail drooped, knowing he had done something bad. He pushed his snout into Yuki’s bright hair in an attempt to comfort him, pushing off his fur-lined hood in the process and exposing his head to the freezing air.
“Anyway, do you have your equipment?”
Yuki nodded and swung the heavy pack off his shoulders, depositing it as gently as he could on the ground in front of Natsuki for his inspection. Each rider had to design and create their own riding equipment that fits both themselves and their dragon, and because Yuki had a breed of dragon that had never been ridden or even seen before, he had the extremely challenging task of designing the gear from scratch.
Natsuki laid out each strap and hold and saddle gently out on the rocky floor and examined the quality of the craftwork, approving each segment with a curt, silent nod. Yuki stood by him, hands clasped and heart beating loudly. What if Natsuki decided that something crucial was too unsafe and he would have to spend another few weeks redoing it all? Natsuki’s long, calloused, fascinating fingers turned each piece over and over, so slowly that Yuki thought he might internally combust from the stress.
His saving grace was Haru, who was still feeling joyously excited at the prospect of finally spreading his tightly furled wings and soaring into the sky with his precious bond-mate on his back. Yuki closed his eyes and let Haru’s feelings wash over him, a trick he had been doing ever since he was little and woke up in the dead of night because of his bad dreams. Haru always had nice dreams, so Yuki shared those dreams with him so he wouldn’t feel so afraid anymore.
Finally, finally, Natsuki stood up and gave a small smile in Yuki’s direction. “Good work.”
Yuki felt his heart soar.
Together, they saddled up their dragons (Yuki with some difficulty as Haru didn’t want to keep still) and double checked every last buckle and knot. There were some similarities between Natsuki and Yuki’s equipment; they both had streamlined dragons so their saddles were narrow with handholds at different points on the straps on the dragons’ backs so they could lean forward until they can lie flat to increase speed while hunting. The stirrups where also easily adjustable so the lengths could be shortened while flying so the rider could stand up to gain more control. There were no reins however, because riders and dragons were mentally linked. They rode as one.
“Okay, the main thing you need to remember is to stay tuned in to your bond-mate,” Natsuki said as he climbed into Sakura’s saddle, indicating that Yuki did the same, “because if you don’t your communication will be muddled and you’ll probably crash.”
Yuki gulped, feeling that familiar sinking sensation in his stomach again.
“But you also need to be fully aware of your surroundings,” Natsuki continued, “but that shouldn’t be hard if your bond is good and strong. If you’re in one mind with your dragon then you’ll be able to sense everything just as sharply as he does.”
Yuki nodded. “So… Any tips on actually flying?”
Natsuki smiled dryly, quirking his lips upwards. A cute expression, if not an irritating one.“You just have to feel it, I guess.”
“Right. Cool. I’ve totally got this.” Yuki said. “That’s very helpful,” he added under his breath.
Natsuki rolled his eyes and edged Sakura closer to the edge, his thick leather boots pressing tightly to her sides. He was trying hard not to shiver too much in the cold mountain air, Yuki noticed, even though he was wrapped from head to toe in the same bulky clothing Yuki was wearing, designed to blend in with the rock face and keep them warm. His hands gripped tightly to the first handhold.
“Are you ready?” He asked Yuki, making Yuki draw his eyes away. Yuki stared down the cliff face into the two hundred meter drop below, and swallowed hard.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
Natsuki nodded, and suddenly he was gone, having been launched off the suitably named launch platform and into the sunrise by Sakura who was roaring in delight of being in the air once more.
Yuki could feel Haru’s eagerness spreading through him, felt the dragon quiver underneath him. This was no place to hesitate, he knew. He had trust and faith in Haru and in their bond, after all. And besides, he wanted nothing more in that moment than to follow Natsuki, to join him in the skies.
And just like that, he was grasping onto the handholds and was leaning forward, both his body language and his thoughts urging Haru to go on, to run towards the edge and launch them off into the air, until they’re soaring, soaring through the sky. And just like that, their bond magnified, so strongly and so brightly Yuki couldn’t tell who was human and who was dragon. And just like that, they had left the ground behind.
Yuki gasped, reeling back slightly as a great rush of air hit him right in the face and chest, almost strong enough to knock him off Haru’s back. He quickly shifted his handholds until he was lying flat in-between Haru’s wings, sheltering himself from the wind and trying his best to let Haru fly as freely as possible. Haru was exhilarated by this, or was Yuki? The sight of the valley, the nest and even the launch platform fading away beneath them, was one with filled their hearts with joy, the sensation of them moving through the air was one that sent exhilaration coursing through their bodies, the way their forms moved as one felt like the most natural, the most easy thing in the world.
Both dragon and rider reached the conclusion together: they were born to fly.
They soared around in a curve and immediately sensed another creature in the air beside them. Their outright joy of seeing Natsuki must’ve come from Haru, Yuki decided. It couldn’t be his own. However, as soon as he had thought that he began to feel fear set in as he wobbled dangerously on his saddle.
“Yuki!” Natsuki yelled, his voice almost being swallowed up by the wind rushing past, “Your bond is slipping! Whatever it is that you’re thinking, don’t fight it! You’re fighting both Haru and yourself!”
Yuki tightened his grip on the handholds until his knuckles went white. He knew Natsuki was right, hell, his life was on the line if he didn’t fix this quickly. He could feel Haru’s confusion as well, but it was clashing with his own emotions as if they were out of tune with each other.
Don’t fight it, he thought wildly. Whatever you’re thinking, don’t fight it.
What was I thinking about?
The answer, surprisingly, came from Haru. Natsuki. You were thinking of Natsuki.
Yuki let out a deep breath and gave in. Yeah, I was.
So look at him! Embrace your feelings, our feelings! Embrace it and then we can fly!
Yuki gave Haru one quick pat before looking back at Natsuki. Once again he felt the swell in his chest when he saw him, his face, his smile…
He was smiling. A real, true, massive smile that seemed to split his face in two, his nose screwed up and his eyes closed, happiness seeming to spill out of him and into Yuki. Natsuki’s smile was filling his very being, filling him with pure joy that was almost tangible. Yuki wanted to store this moment inside of him forever. He wanted to see Natsuki smiling like this forever. He wanted to keep flying with Natsuki like this forever.
Haru did a barrel roll in jubilation, but Yuki didn’t even slip. He knew every movement Haru was going to make, and he knew why. Right now, Yuki was also doing barrel rolls, barrel rolls in his heart.
The sun was brighter now, filling the mountain valley with light which glinted off the lake and the snow on the mountain tops. The mountains stretched out forever around them, and they could see every crack, every crevice, and every place to be explored. Yuki’s whole world was stretched out before him, and it felt incredible.
When he looked at the boy riding alongside him, Yuki felt his own face crack into the biggest smile of his life, because this moment, this very moment, was the strongest emotion he had ever, ever felt. Maybe it was the change in atmosphere, maybe it was the motion, maybe it was the flying itself. Or maybe it was the realisation that he and Natsuki Usami were meant to bond in their own way so they could feel like they were flying through the skies together, forever. Over the mountaintops, through the clouds, into the sunrise and each new day.
Because every day will feel like flying if it was spent with Natsuki Usami.
