Bonus Round 1: Quotes

[referees]

Bonus Round 1: Quotes

SASO 2015 is over, but this round is perpetually open to new fills (no new prompts).

PLAY BALL! For this round, we'd like you to take inspiration from songs, sayings, poems, and other kinds of famous words.

Because this is our first full round, please read this post carefully before proceeding!

This round ends at 7PM on June 13 EDT. Countdown Timer.

RULES

• Submit prompts by commenting to this post with a quote attributed to a specific person or character, along with any ship/ot3/etc. from one of our nominated fandoms.
  • Example: "Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here!" -Kermit the Frog
  • The quote can come from anywhere. Famous people, poetry, songs, books, movies, your neighbor, etc.
  • Your prompt MUST include some kind of relationship. (This is not the sports anime gen olympics.) Platonic relationships are indicated by an "&" between the names (e.g., Yachi & Kiyoko). Non-platonic relationships use "/" (e.g., Yachi/Kiyoko). Please don't say "Any pairing," either!
• Fill prompts by replying to the prompt with your quote-inspired fanwork.
• Remember to follow the general bonus round rules, outlined here.
• You cannot fill your team's prompts or your own prompts.

FORMAT

Bonus round shenanigans all happen in the comments below. Brand-new works only, please.

Required Work Minimums:

• 400 words (prose)
• 400px by 400px (art)
• 14 lines (poetry)

There is no max work cap.

Format your comment in one of the following ways:

If PROMPTING:	If FILLING:	If FILLING as a TEAM GRANDSTAND participant:
PROMPT: TEAM [YOUR SHIP] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to, including Grandstand or Sports Teams Write it exactly as it appears on the team roster or your team will not receive points Place the prompt's relationship in the first bolded line of the comment. Including the canon isn't required, but it's nice. Visual example	FILL: TEAM [YOUR SHIP], [RATING] Replace [YOUR SHIP] with the name of the team you belong to Write it exactly as it appears on the team roster or your team will not receive points Replace RATING with the rating of your fill (G - E) Place applicable major content tags and word count before your fill (when applicable) NSFW FILLS: Post written/text fills directly to the round with clear tags. Please link to art/visual fills. You can include a small safe-for-work preview if you'd like. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" /> Visual example	FILL: TEAM GRANDSTAND, [RATING] Replace RATING with the rating of your fill, G - E, as explained in the rules Place applicable major content tags and word count before the fill, where applicable NSFW FILLS: Post written/text fills directly to the round with clear tags. Please link to art/visual fills. You can include a small safe-for-work preview if you'd like. To place an image in your comment, use this code: <img src="LINK TO YOUR IMAGE" /> Visual example

Posts not using this format will be understood to be unofficial discussion posts, regardless of what they contain. They, like all comments in this community, are subject to the code of conduct.

SCORING

These numbers apply to your team as a whole, not each individual teammate. Make as many prompts/fills as you want!

For prompts: 5 points each (maximum of 50 prompt points per team per round)

For fills:

First 3 fills by any member of your team: 20 points each
Fills 4-10: 10 points each
Fills 11-20: 5 points each
Fills 21+: 2 points each

All scored content must be created new for this round.

Etc.

If you're hunting through the prompts looking for what to fill, a good trick is to view top-level comments only.

Have a question? Check The FAQ first. If you still need help, feel free to contact the mods. Happy fanworking!

Comments

PROMPT: TEAM MANAMI SANGAKU/TOUDOU JINPACHI

[manatou]

Makoto/Haruka (Free!) OR Fukutomi/Arakita OR Manami/Toudou (Yowamushi Pedal)

"I burned so long so quiet you must have wondered if I loved you back. I did, I did, I do." - Annelyse Gelman, Everyone I Love is a Stranger to Someone

FILL: SWAG 2016

[araakita]

No Major Content Warnings

Arakita has a problem.

That problem being that for the longest time he has had a crush on Fukutomi. Not one of those simple things you could try to dismiss or forget about or just let go of--believe him, he had tried that--but more like a real thing. Something he has thought about for a while, something that he wants.

And the ideal goal would be to finally say all of the things he's been wanting to say to Fukutomi, to finally put them out there and in words rather than keeping it all inside. To thank Fukutomi for all that he's done for him, for picking him up when he was at the bottom and didn't think there was anything left for him, for giving him something to reach for and the will to move forward again.

But it's not only that. Yes, those things will stick with Arakita forever and meeting Fukutomi is something he's always thankful for, but realizing that he had an actual crush on Fukutomi, that he wants to act on those feelings and be more than just friends encompasses so much more.

Initially, Arakita hadn't understood Fukutomi. At All. He didn't get what he wanted or why he even cared or what he felt. Arakita had disliked him, then. Maybe because he's difficult to read, maybe because Fukutomi's weird and intensive way of pushing Arakita was annoying back then, but those feelings had quickly faded and transformed to ones of friendship instead.

As they have spent time together and gotten to know each other over their years together, Arakita has found himself pulled in closer and closer by everything that Fukutomi is and everything he falls in love with. His ambition and reliability, his weird and unique sort of sincerity and intense gaze, and his strange quirks and awkward habits and mannerisms that Arakita is so grossly fond of.

All of that compiled together has led him to one very clear answer: that he has a huge ass crush on Fukutomi and should probably consider doing something about it.

But the solution to this problem, that's what isn't so easy. Feeling those things, falling in love and coming to terms with it, that's the simple part. But acting on it is another story. It's not like Arakita can just walk right up to Fukutomi and blurt out how he feels, or just pull him aside and kiss him without warning (although he'd like to, because fuck words, he sucks at those sometimes... most of the time.)

Well, he potentially could do those things. Hell, it would probably be easier than sitting around and thinking about it, wondering what he should say or how he should act or if there's even a chance of Fukutomi feeling the same.

But any of the initial solutions could end in even bigger problems or heartbreak or disaster. And that's just a big fucking no thank you.

There's also one more fact to consider in this whole mess: that Arakita has to gather up the courage to say or do anything about it in the first place.

(Yeah, that's kind of a big problem. And simplifying it with big is too much of an understatement. Probably.)

Finally, he decides to set a deadline for himself. Before graduation, he wants to confess to Fukutomi to tell him how he feels.

Toudou had made some off-handed and dramatic comment about not wanting to graduate with any regrets. Arakita rolled his eyes and scoffed at him then, but the idea actually isn't a bad one. Not that he'd ever admit to taking Toudou's advice, though. He'd never hear the end of it and he has to uphold some sort of reputation in these last few months together.

So one day, close to their exit from Hakone but far enough away that it's not an immediate end, Arakita texts Fukutomi to meet him. Although there is a possibility he wouldn't see it in time, Arakita knows that Fukutomi is eternally reliable about these sorts of things, about following through with the trust people place in him--Arakita has been doing that, placing all of his trust and loyalty in Fukutomi, for three years, after all.

(Besides, with a pre-arranged meeting, it's at least a little more certain that Arakita will actually do what he sets out to rather than changing his mind last minute.)

When Arakita shows up at the spot--outside of the club room that has been their home for three years, although they've since retired from since the end of Interhigh--Fukutomi is, of course, already there, waiting.

Arakita almost wants to roll his eyes, fond complaint on his lips, something like Fuku-chan's always gotta show me up even though I'm the one who arranged this.

But instead, he lifts his hand in a wave, stepping closer to Fukutomi. "Fuku-chan."

"Arakita." Fukutomi acknowledges his greeting with a nod. "Hello."

"Hey."

"What did you want to talk about?" Cutting right to the chase, then.

"Uh..." Now that this, his time to do what he had planned to, anything he had thought about saying, that he had practiced in his head leading up to this, immediately disappears leaving a blank spot in his wake. Not surprising at all, but still...

Fuck.

"Are you alright, Arakita?"

"I... I wanted to..."

Screw everything, he finally decides, blurting out without any grace or eloquence whatsoever, "I like you, Fuku-chan!"

Fukutomi is quiet for a moment, and Arakita waits for the worst. Then, "I like you too, Arakita. We have been friends and teammates for--"

Ah, yeah. Fukutomi is the most awkward and oblivious person probably in the history of ever, of course he would never pick up on the extreme amount of burning this crush has graced Arakita with for the past who even knows how long. And of course he wouldn't pick up on it even with Arakita here and literally screaming it for the whole world to hear, yet the one he wants to know and hear it the most doesn't realize it's for him, it's always been for him.

"Are you... no, not like... ugh! Are you serious, Fuku-chan?!"

This is just going great. He almost wants to just give up here and never exist ever again.

He's backed himself into this corner, might as well follow through. Arakita's always been good at impulsivity and not backing down. He sighs, throwing up his hands in the air as he looks away from Fukutomi. This might be easier to say if he can't see Fukutomi looking at him.

"Look! I... I just wanted to say that I like you, Fuku-chan! Like more than friends like you!" The words are rushed, and a little panicked, but now that Arakita has started, he can't stop. "And I don't know if you feel the same... Hell, I don't expect you to. But I just wanted you to know that before... before this... all of this is over."

He potentially could ramble on and on, louder and louder as they often get when he's nervous or embarrassed. But Arakita stops there, heart trying to break its way out of his chest as he stands there, realizing that he actually said it.

Fukutomi is silent for a moment, and Arakita doesn't look at him yet. Out of fear of what the response will be, or if he'll even get one.

Finally, Arakita turns to leave and murmurs, quiet and defeated, "This was stupid. Sorry for bothering you, Fuku-chan. I'll just..."

But there's a hand on his arm then, strong and certain, pulling Arakita right back in before he can leave. For a moment, it gives him hope that this isn't over, that he'll somehow succeed and get the result he wants.

"Yasutomo, wait."

"What? You wanna let me down to my face or something?" Arakita looks down, still, his face burning like it's on fire.

"No. I wasn't expecting..." Fukutomi trails off for a moment. He doesn't let go of Arakita's arm and holds him close until--

Fukutomi kisses Arakita, then. And Arakita freezes, unsure of how to react let alone if this is even real, even though this is what he's wanted for so long.

When he's sure this isn't some cruel dream, he leans closer, despite the awkward angle, and kisses Fukutomi back. It's not long, but it's good. So good to be free of the constraints of fear and rejection.

Fukutomi still holds him close when they pull back from this kiss. "I didn't think you felt the same."

"Ha, well that's where you're wrong." He laughs a little now, feeling lighter, free.

"How long have you...?"

"Long enough," Arakita says, still a little on high, the rush of his heart and having Fukutomi obtainable within his grasp for once rather than two steps ahead a little distracting to form full and detailed explanations.

Fukutomi doesn't respond for a moment, like he's mulling the idea over, before he loosens his grip on Arakita's arm, reaches down to take his hand instead. Their fingers twine together, a comfortable fit, like the pieces of a puzzle have finally slotted together after spending forever searching for that perfect piece to finish it off.

"I like you too, Yasutomo. I have for a while, but I never told you. I'm sorry I never..."

Arakita kicks his shoe gently, a way to dismiss the apology. "It's not like I was any better about it." He smiles, relaxed and content now that he's no longer fearing being rejected or that this was a dumb idea.

"Would you like to make up for lost time?"

He looks down at their intertwined hands, then back at Fukutomi, grinning. "Not gonna fight you on that." And he leans forward, kissing Fukutomi again.