#` ☆ study. ⁞ azuma. ◞

[kingslayerstew]

seven hells ser ilyn you will get us in so much trouble some day

[hikikomoriheadphonegirl]

[flowerakatsuka]

kuroba isn't the only person on staff at yotsubana florals, say hello to the other employees of the store!

[ txt transcription + more info under the cut! ]

NANA MIDORIYO ( meant to sound similar to " nanmo da yo, " a phrase meaning " don't worry about it " in the Hokkaido dialect )

~ 26 years old • she / her • 5'1" ( 154.9 cm )

One of the employees at Yotsubana Florals and a college friend of Kuroba's. Originally from Furano, Hokkaido. Dreams of starting a flower farm, works at Kuroba's shop to save towards that goal. Has a fiance back in her hometown named Azuma Shiraki, ( meant to sound similar to " azumashi, " an adjective from the Hokkaido dialect that describes something as comfortable or calming. ) Very sweet and care-free, a bit air-headed at times. Was one of Kuroba's fans back in college, but after a certain " karaoke incident, " she befriended them once she realized they were pretty down-to-earth and easy to talk to. A bit of a busybody when it comes to others' romantic lives, especially Kuroba's

Comes from a big family that runs an osen in Furano, youngest of 5 kids and grew up around a lot of her extended family.

Azuma was a friend of hers since middle school, but didn't confess his feelings to her until she came back from college. They've been engaged for a little over a year, he plans to move to Tokyo once they're officially married and go to school for agricultural economics, ( he wants to be helpful with Nana's dream. )

Kuroba calls her " Nanamo. "

HISOKA KIBATSU ( meaning " secret " & " unusual " respectively )

~ 17 years old • he / him • 5'8" ( 172.7 cm )

Another employee of Yotsubana Florals, a 2nd year student at Akatsuka Highschool and a friend of Kuroba's younger brother, Keshiki. He's a member of the school's Beautification Committee and idolizes Kuroba after finding a hydrangea care guide they wrote up for the incoming underclassmen years ago. Hopes to study botany in college. Comes across as a reserved and serious kid, ( if not a bit of a hardass, ) but is actually on the strange side and only really cares about plants. This extends to his grades, with Science being the only subject he does well in. Collects floral-themed socks and wears them according to the flower's blooming period.

Only child, raised by a single working mother. Grew up in Tokyo, but lives outside of Akatsuka so he commutes to school by train, ( usually with Keshiki. )

He met Keshiki in their first year of highschool, when the latter stopped by the Beautification Committee to check it out despite not wanting to join. Hisoka told him to get lost since he was wasting their time, but switched up real quick once he heard someone call him " Yotsubana. " Despite that rough first meeting, they actually ended up getting along pretty well and became close since then.

Popular with girls, but is extremely indifferent about it and shrugs them off. This kinda pisses Keshiki off, ( like be grateful, damn it, ) but he usually shuts up once Hisoka tells him he'd rather hang out with him.

Kuroba usually calls him " Hisoka-kun " or " Hiso-kun. " Hisoka is very keen on calling them " Sensei " in return, even though they'd prefer he'd not. Also, has called them dad at least once and is forever embarrassed about it.

AAAAND, for a little bonus : here's what they think of the shop's most loyal loiter and temp employee.

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 3 - One Step Up

*Door opens*

Kumon: We’re back~!

Juza: We’re home.

Taichi: I’m starving~.

Tenma: Looks like Omi-san’s in charge of dinner tonight.

Tsuzuru: Smells like it’s something with a demi-glace sauce…

Omi: The beef stew will be ready soon.

Kumon: Woo~! I was hoping to eat some meat~!

Kazunari: The Yosei Uni Gang’s really building up their forces~.

Muku: Kyu-chan’s the only new one, though.

Yuki: But he’s got the presence of about two or three people.

Tsumugi: How’s college life been going, Kumon-kun?

Kumon: It’s super interesting! Unlike with my classes in high school, I actually feel motivated to study on my own.

Kumon: Plus I get to be with Nii-chan!

Banri: I figured you had had that planned from the start, but you actually didn’t decide on where you were gonna go for school until much later, right?

Kumon: Hey, I thought about it a lot, y’know.

Kumon: And I didn’t just think about Nii-chan, I also made sure to think about the best college for me to go to.

Azami: The growth of someone with a brother complex.

Yuki: They still ended up at the same college, though.

Kumon: That’s ‘cause Nii-chan and Tenma-san seemed like they really liked it there!

Tenma: Well, you are right about that.

Juza: Glad ya got accepted in.

Taichi: You’ve been doing great with writing essays and doing job interview prep~.

Kumon: Hehe. That’s thanks to you, Nii-chan, and Tenma-san for teaching me so much!

Chikage: It’s so touching to see Tenma becoming the tutor.

Tenma: Thanks for that.

Kazunari: Yawn~…

Tsuzuru: You seem tired, Miyoshi-san.

Kazunari: I had a deadline for some urgent work yesterday. Hardly got any sleep~.

Tsuzuru: Good work.

Muku: You suddenly seem like much more of an adult, Kazu-kun.

Kazunari: What I do is kinda just an extension of what I did in college, but once that label of “student” is gone, it makes you a little more conscious of it.

Omi: It’s a lot of work and responsibility, but it’s also a lot of fun.

Tsuzuru: Is that so…

Kazunari: You’ll get what we’re talking about in a year, Tsuzurun~.

Izumi: Omi-kun’s right, your impression of things changes once you graduate from college.

Azuma: I enjoy seeing these changes every year once spring comes.

Homare: Yes, however, there are still some of us that haven’t changed much at all.

Azuma: It’s thanks to everyone that spring is nice like this.

Tasuku: Well, even though some of us haven’t been through any major changes, I’m sure we’re all busy with something, right?

Guy: It appears that you’ve been getting more and more requests to do guest appearances, Takato.

Sakuya: Ah, actually, I’m about to get an offer to perform on a slightly bigger stage too--.

Tsumugi: Really? That’s great.

Tasuku: That’s probably the result of steadily building up your experience. Shows how much you’ve become recognized as an actor.

Sakuya: Thank you so much!

Citron: I have started getting pressured to do arts and culture-related work from all over the place~.

Itaru: And I’m still annoyed that I’m stuck being treated like some mid-level NPC…

Chikage: That’s normal for having worked there for five years.

Guy: Speaking of that, I’ve been entrusting Mikage with more work, too.

Hisoka: I know how to make a few appetizers now…

Tasuku: What, like toasted marshmallows and marshmallow pizza?

Hisoka: Well, yeah, but there’s other stuff too.

Homare: To be dabbling in dishes other than ones with marshmallows… that’s quite remarkable progress!

Misumi: Speaking of new things, my friend Mii-chan just had a litter of kitties~.

Muku: Congratulations!

Yuki: Why are you congratulating the Trianglien for it?

Izumi: Seems like everything’s going smoothly for the company while each of you is moving forward and changing in your own ways.

Izumi: That reminds me, the kid we met today also said he was going to be a new high school student starting in the spring.

Kumon: Huh~, what was he like?

Tsuzuru: He was an interesting one, for sure.

Masumi: He wasn’t interesting, he was annoying.

Itaru: He was an avid Masumi fan.

Izumi: He said he used to live in a rural area and that he’s been supporting us for quite some time via our streams.

Sakyo: Is that the power of MIZUNO Enterprises…?

Sakyo: We’ll have to keep up our efforts to reach an even wider audience.

Izumi: He said he was really looking forward to seeing one of our performances live.

Tasuku: There is just something different about seeing a play in person.

Sakuya: There really is. He was really looking forward to seeing it, so we’ll have to do our best not to disappoint.

Izumi: Ah, right! The idea came to me when we were talking to that kid, but--.

Izumi: How does a workshop aimed at beginners sound for the upcoming event?

Izumi: When I realized that people were interested in theater because of MANKAI Company’s performances, I thought that maybe promoting theater as a concept could be necessary too.

Izumi: And I think it’d be a good experience for us to share the joy of plays with them more directly and to have fun together.

Sakuya: That’s true, that could be a really good idea!

Citron: It sounds very fun!

Chikage: But wouldn’t people who have more experience with theater, like Tenma, Tasuku, or Tsumugi, be more suitable for teaching people than us Spring Troupe members?

Tsuzuru: He’s got a point, most of us are still pretty inexperienced actors. I mean, almost all of us were complete amateurs until a few years ago.

Masumi: I can do it.

Itaru: You’re probably the least qualified to teach.

Izumi: That’s the point. You all still feel like amateurs and remember how you felt when you first stepped on stage just a few years ago.

Izumi: I’m confident that you guys will be able to convey theater from a perspective that’s closer to a beginner’s.

Izumi: It’s not a workshop for actors, and it’s definitely not just for teaching like Yuzo-san’s workshops…

Izumi: I think it should be about just trying to enjoy theater together, just like if you were reminiscing about your old selves. That’s the best we can do, I think.

Izumi: And it could be an opportunity to expand our fan base too…

Izumi: I think it’s only because of how everyone is now that we can try to make people more aware of theater.

Sakuya: Yeah… I get it. Up until now, we’ve just been doing our best in regards to ourselves, but now…

Itaru: Exactly. Maybe we’ll be able to have some fun together.

Chikage: We could be our own motivation.

Tsuzuru: Maybe I’ll even be able to get a hint for our next play.

Citron: I will take on any challenge!

Izumi: Alright, it’s decided!

Izumi: Once the date is decided on, can you take care of the flier design, Kazunari-kun?

Kazunari: You betcha!

Izumi: I’ll take care of the printing and distributing myself then.

Masumi: I’ll help.

Itaru: We’ll also need an announcement on our social media, right? Leave it to me.

Chikage: It’d be a good idea to also put something on the theater noticeboard, right?

Izumi: Alright, I’ll leave all the announcement-related stuff to you two, and then… Sakuya-kun and Citron-kun, can I leave outlining the workshop to you guys?

Sakuya: Roger that!

Citron: We will think of an eggciting workshop that will eggcite everyone~!

Manager: Ah, everyo~ne, it’s almost time~!

Kumon: We gotta turn on the TV!

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[centrally-unplanned]

This was a good article on the cultural trope of the "menhera", mentally-ill girls with a focus on self-harm that is its own aesthetic and trope. It has relatively little "academic culture studies bullshit" you have to wade through to get to the actually good information, fresh air for me!

The history of the term it outlines is a datapoint for pattern confirmation of how so much internet culture evolved from the 2000's to the modern era. Early 2000's 2ch pioneered the term self-referentially, a tag for their own identity as depressed, largely-male otaku & neets. Discussions of self-harm came up in those threads, but menhera was never used in them; it was a more general term. Then, starting in the mid-2000's, 2chan had a growing population of highly social-political, vaguely-right-coded posters, in newly founded boards like nyusoku, who started using the word for outsiders; both other online-types but also young girls as part of gender discourse. Here is was primarily pejorative; attention seeking BDP-cursed losers.

But like so many things these communities were never isolated, nor were they monocultures; plenty of women and others with different views hung out on them, discoursed about it, and so on - and the terms captured real things in the culture, so the first mover lock-in was a go. And then in the 2010's, the internet massively changed with the rise of smartphones. In Japan "everyone" was already online a little bit earlier, but still the growing ease of uploading diverse content allowed ideas that were previously inaccessible in text-heavy forums broke out via comics, photos, videos, etc - with the people best positioned to take advantage of that being those who had been around the web for a while, and knew all this weird 2ch stuff. A raft of mainly female artists started drawing autobiographical-ish comics explicitly labelling themselves as menhera; all the same so-called negative behaviors, but made cute, funny, and self-aware.

That early media proceeds to be humorous and mocking, but still "authentic" to the artists, who are depressives themselves. But after that initial earnest era, the symbols get tropified - now you can just cosplay Needy Streamer Overload and it is just a look, a costume you take on and off as you see fit. As the article is obligated to do when it quotes Hiroki Azuma, it is now part of the "database" of internet culture.

You can sub a lot of culture objects in Japan & America both into that same timeline - a mixed of social & technological forces pushing niche internet ideas into the mainstream where they are sanitized. Though here Japan's depolitical culture made this transition easier - I don't think wearing "self-harm bracelets" to give you that ~slit-wrist aesthetic~ plays quite as well in the West because of expectations that sensitive topics be treated with more seriousness. But you can learn as much from the divergence as you can from the consensus, so that just adds to the parallel for me.

[moonlight-translation-archive]

A3! Mikage Hisoka | SSR - Aiming to keep you in check | Translation

----------------

The Role of the Novice King / 1

Izumi: (I’m pretty sure those materials were here—) 

Hisoka: Zzz… Izumi: Whoa?!  Izumi: T-That was scary…  Hisoka: …Director?  Izumi: Good morning. It’s surprising to find you sleeping in this place.  Hisoka: …It was chilly in the courtyard and attic because of the cloudy weather, and Arisu was so noisy in our room.  Hisoka: Azuma is not in the dorms either. The only place where I could sleep peacefully was here.  Izumi: That makes sense. But, why don’t you just stay awake?  Hisoka: …The winter troupe will drink together and have a chess tournament tonight.  Hisoka: I’m sleeping now because of that.  Izumi: (But you’re always sleeping, Hisoka-san.)  Izumi: Is the chess tournament for your role study? Your role in the event was… Hisoka: The… king… Hisoka: Zzz… Izumi: Fufu, he fell asleep in mid-sentence. Have a nice dream. 

Izumi: (I interrupted Hisoka’s nap, but, on the bright side, I got the materials I needed—) 

- Doorbell sound - 

Izumi: (...A guest?)  Izumi: Yes? Member of a troupe: Hello~.  Izumi: Ah, hello. Thank you for the other day.  Member of a troupe: I should say that. You did a lot for us that day.  Izumi: It was nothing, really. But… how can I help you today?  Member of a troupe: Oh, I’m sorry to show up without notice. But we were sorting some props and found some useful ones. So I brought them to you.  Izumi: Props…  Member of a troupe: You mentioned you wanted these props we didn’t use and were about to throw away if there was something still useful. Remember?   Izumi: Oh, yeah…!  Izumi: Thank you, and sorry to make you bring them.  Member of a troupe: Don’t worry. I was near here.  Member of a troupe: I’ll leave them here, then. See you some other time.  Izumi: Of course, thank you! 

- The member left - 

Citron: Was that a friend, director?  Sakuya: Whoa, there are so many props!  Izumi: Nice timing. Can you two help me carry these props? 

The Role of the Novice King / 2

Citron: –Phew~. And that’s all!  Izumi: Thanks.  Masumi: What’s that?  Izumi: Someone from a troupe I helped before gave me these props they no longer use.  Itaru: Again…?  Chikage: Don’t you think we start to look like a junk removal place?  Izumi: A junk removal… Hey! Many things there can still be used!  Tsuzuru: In any case, we should sort out what we can use in performances or practices and what we cannot.  Hisoka: Yawn… Good morning.  Izumi: Hm? Are you awake now?  Hisoka: I wanted to eat marshmallows.  Citron: Help us organize these blobs, Hisoka! Tsuzuru: Organize these props.  Hisoka: …Sounds like a lot of work. Chikage: Your luck ran out when you woke up. Quit complaining and come help us.  Hisoka: Sigh…  Sakuya: There are many things here.  Masumi: Everything is trash.  Itaru: I’d agree, but one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  Tsuzuru: Ah, we can use this pot in the dorms… wait, where is the bottom?!  Tsuzuru: What play could have needed this…? Itaru: That’s quite intriguing. Look, over here are bending chopsticks.  Izumi: Fufu, that comes from a company that does some surreal comedy. This box feels light. Maybe there are costumes inside… Izumi: …A crown?  Sakuya: Ah, there seems to be a cape underneath!  Izumi: (A crown and cape… Ah!) Izumi: Don’t you want to use them, Hisoka-san? Your role for the next event is a king, after all.  Citron: Oh! It could help in his role study if he wears it!  Hisoka: Role study… But it’s not a very complicated role…  Citron: Hisoka, you can’t become a king poltergeist. Hisoka: …I wasn’t planning to.  Tsuzuru: He means overnight.  Itaru: A strong statement from a former crown prince despite his broken Japanese.  Chikage: Indeed, one can’t acquire a regal aura immediately. Hisoka: When you say it like that… I feel like I have to do a role study for it.  Citron: Then me and Itaru will help!  Itaru: Eh, me too? Sure, I guess…  Hisoka: This became more problematic…  Chikage: Good luck.  Citron: Let’s start right away!  Izumi: But first, let’s tidy all this up. 

Itaru: Okay, now that we finished tidying up everything, may the role study begin.  Hisoka: … Citron: In the first place, it’s the flavor of a king. Itaru: Behavior.  Citron: I’m pretty sure the costume for the performance will have a fancy cape. So try to make the cape flutter smoothly.  Hisoka: …Okay.  Hisoka: Like this? Itaru: Exaggerate it some more. It would look cooler if you lift it higher.  Hisoka: …Like this? Itaru: No, it’s more like… this!  Hisoka: …Is this okay?  Itaru: Hmm…  Citron: Non, non. That makes it look like you have chuunibyou instead of a king. It needs more elegance.   Itaru: Severely criticized by the royalty.  Hisoka: Elegance…  Hisoka: Like this?  Citron: Yes, yes! Perfect!  Hisoka: …I could use this as a reference. Maybe. Hisoka: Then, I’ll take my leave…  Citron: Moving on to the next one!  Hisoka: …There’s more?

The Role of the Novice King / 3

Hisoka: …Marsh… mallow…  Izumi: You’ve worked hard, Hisoka-san. Here, take a marshmallow. Izumi: How was the practice for your role study?  Hisoka: …It was useful at the beginning.  Izumi: What do you mean?  Izumi: —Wait, that black rod thing isn’t…  Hisoka: Ah, I brought the whip with me. I’ll give it back to Citron later.  Izumi: A whip!? Why would you need that?! Hisoka: “What insolence! What disrespect! You, lick my boots!”  Izumi: HUH?!  Hisoka: …And we had a whipping lesson.  Izumi: So it was the King of Hearts becoming the King of Harm… Hisoka: It happened during Arisu’s performance too.  Izumi: (Right, it did happen something like that…) Izumi: But Hisoka-san’s role doesn’t have that personality, right…?  Hisoka: No. That’s why I said it was only useful at the beginning. It was a behavior lesson.  Izumi: (I was the one who suggested it… I’m feeling a bit guilty about this…)  Hisoka: Yawn… So sleepy… Hisoka: I finished my king role study. That’s why… director, lower your head for a moment.  Izumi: Eh? L-Like this?  Hisoka: “I bestow this upon you. Consider yourself honored.” Izumi: …The crown?  Hisoka: This is also part of the king’s role. 

Choice 1: You’re right. 

Izumi: Fufu, you’re right.  Izumi: So, this is how it feels to receive the crown from the king.  Hisoka: How do you feel?  Izumi: Hmm… a bit nervous, but excited? Something like that…  Izumi: Like if you receive a special gift.  Hisoka: …I see. 

Choice 2: You were like a real king. 

Izumi: It felt like you were a real king.  Hisoka: Do you mean I acted like Citron? Izumi: Hmm… It was a little different… But I could feel a royal aura coming from you.  Hisoka: Even if I didn’t move the cape?  Izumi: Cape…?  Hisoka: …I was talking to me. I’m glad you felt I was like a king. 

Izumi: Then your role study seemed to work well.  Hisoka: That’s why I gave the crown and cape to you, director.  Izumi: It’s an honor, but… someone else needs it more than me. So I’ll have to decline.  Hisoka: Someone else needs it…?  Hisoka: …I think I know who it is. Then, I’ll give it to him later.  Hisoka: I’m tired. I’ll sleep until the winter troupe comes. Director, please… wake me up…  Hisoka: Zzz…Zzz… Izumi: Good night, your Highness.

---------------- Translation notes: 

-> Citron's mistakes

Original: お豆腐の整理 (otofu no seiri) → 小道具整理 (kodougu seiri) Adaptation: Organize these blobs → Organize these props. 

Original: 胃腸炎と咳 (ichouen to seki) → 一朝一夕 (icchoisseki) Adaptation: Poltergeist → Overnight

Original: 立ち飲みシュウマイ (tachinomi shuumai) → 一立ち居振る舞い (tachiifurumai) Adaptation: Flavor → Behavior

Notes:  When Hisoka says “It happened during Arisu’s performance too”, he might be talking about receiving Citron’s help in the Witness From the Past backstage (MLAM Hisoka’s SSR). 

[lilaroxa]

RF1: Year 1 - Spring 24

I've found it! The source that makes me think there is a war going on between Elves and Humans (at least in the RF1 era).

On Spring 24, Raguna speaks to Tabatha in the general store. I think their conversation is quite interesting, so I'll quote it below: Tabatha: "Mr. Raguna, we really talked about a lot of things." Raguna: "Yeah, we did." Tabatha: "Mr. Raguna, talking to you, I really feel my belief that dwarves can be friends with humans can be realized." Raguna: "Tabatha, even though you are human, you always refer to people as “humans”. Isn’t that a little strange?" Tabatha: "Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m an elf." Raguna: "What?" Tabatha: "It’s not the norm, but I’m working in the human world." Raguna: "I never would’ve guessed!" Tabatha: "That’s because I usually keep my ears covered!" Raguna: "I’m surprised…" Tabatha: "I’m sorry I surprised you. Even now you know I’m an elf, I hope we can still get along." Raguna: "Yes, of course we can." Firstly, I love that Raguna was curious enough to ask Tabatha why she speaks the way she does. He definitely got some bonus points Tabatha for being direct and asking her.

I also think it's sweet that Tabatha forgot that she didn't tell Raguna about her being an elf. I interpret her forgetfulness as stemming from how much she feels like she can be herself around Raguna. Or perhaps, she decided to experiment with Raguna's amnesia. If Raguna has forgotten everything about his past, wouldn't that make him kind of an adult human "blank slate"? Wouldn't he be the best way for her to get her answers about human nature?

Unfortunately, there aren't any events where we can see Tabatha speaking to anyone else but Raguna (except in the beginning with Bianca, but the scene is more about her than Tabatha). So, I'm not sure if she refers to humans as "humans" with anyone else.

But the big question remains: why does Tabatha cover her ears?

I think the main reason is that she wants to pass for a human as much as she can. That way, she can study them more closely and understand them on a deeper level. After all, humans surrounded by humans will always act naturally. She wouldn't have to worry about people treating her differently or her ears attracting unwanted attention.

But then, later that evening, Raguna visits Russell at the library after hours.

Russell confesses that Cecilia is his adopted daughter and that he found her on a battlefield in a distant land.

While this could mean that Russell used to be part of the Norad Army and participated in battles far to the north of Kardia against the Sechs Empire, I'm not sure if he would still call it a "distant land". If it were against the Sechs Empire, wouldn't he have just said so?

To me, it sounds like he's talking about a third land - Azuma (the East), or the Elven Kingdom. Considering that Cecilia is half-elf and half-human, I'm more inclined to believe that the "distant land" he's referring to is the Elven Kingdom.

What's more, the way Russell talks about war, seems to align pretty well with what Tabatha speaks about when she wishes for a world where all races and monsters could live in peace. Russell shares that "War made [him] hollow inside" and that only "this land, the books of our ancestors... and that child made [him] whole again".

Tabatha, possibly having become accustomed to hearing about or possibly even seeing human warriors, people like Russell who had become hollowed by war, I don't blame her for covering her ears.

On one hand, she could be doing so out of fear. But I believe that she came to Kardia to seek the truth, and as I said before, the more she blends in as a human, the more she can learn about them.

Additionally, Tabatha seems to be averse to fighters. Whenever Raguna heads off to the next cave, she asks things like "Are you a fighter or a farmer"? She always seems very intent on testing Raguna's nature, or asking him questions that would provoke him to explain his motives.

I'm sure I'll touch on this more later as we progress through the story!

** TABATHA ROMANCE SPOILERS BELOW **

This theory also supports Tabatha's true reason for coming to Kardia. If she could prove to the humans and elves that two individuals could love each other despite their race, maybe the war could slowly come to an end. It also helps that Raguna is an apt fighter and would make for an excellent human ambassador for her cause. Or, if I'm wrong about the war, at least she gets to be the bridge between humans, elves, dwarves, and monsters.

It's a little clich��/cheesy, but I like it.

** TABATHA ROMANCE SPOILERS END**

Row 24 goes to Tabatha and her bravery!

LILA'S RUNE FACTORY TEMPERATURE BLANKET

Phew, it's finally out in the open. Thanks for reading this far if you're still here. If you can't tell, Tabatha's lines about peace have never left my brain, ever since I played the game as a kid!

One of my goals with this project was to sit down and ask myself the big questions about the Rune Factory universe. It's been so much fun creating fan theories about the franchise! Thanks again, everyone, who has come along with me on this journey so far!

[taruchisguide]

A3! 7th Anniversary: Revival Token Choices

[A3! 7TH ANNIVERSARY: REVIVAL TOKEN CHOICES]

A visual and text chart of all the cards available in this year's anniversary revival token pool. Earned tokens can be used up until February 14 13:59 JST. Thank you and shout out to An, who helped translate Chikage's SR, Tenma's R, and Reni's SSR titles for me!

Twitter Version Here

↓↓↓ Text version below!  ↓↓↓    

🌸 Spring Troupe Revival Token Cards 🌸

Sakuya Sakuma: The Garden that Bounded the Four Seasons (Act 12 Advancement Campaign), Packing Crimson Tomatoes (YABATAN VEGETABLE), Gentle Oni's Weapon (ONISAN KOCHIRA)

Masumi Usui: Sweet Ripe ☆ Spring Fruit (SUMMER VACATION Collection), Rumored Lady (La Vie En Rose), Promising Young Employee (SPRING SUIT COLLECTION)

Tsuzuru Minagi: Captive Fairy (Fairy in the Bottle), Huggy Bear (Welcome to the Bear Shop), Oriental Note (MY FAVORITE FRAGRANCE)

Itaru Chigasaki: Delinquent Upperclassman Behind the School (Nostalgic Gymnasium zwei), Puppet of Uro (ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTION), Night's Farewell (All aboard!)

Citron: Childhood Friend's Caretaker (SCHOOL UNIFORM COLLECTION), Accessorized with Flowering Dogwood (SUMMER YUKATA COLLECTION), Spirited Arrow (Thus Begins the Horseback Archery)

Chikage Utsuki: Tailor-made (Graceful tailor), One Hundred Gazes (Summer Hyakki Yagyo), Hit the Target! Perfect (Hat Trick)

△△△△△△△

🌻 Summer Troupe Revival Token Cards 🌻

Tenma Sumeragi: Determined Move-in Day (The MANKAI Dorm in Those Days: Spring-Summer Edition), Happy and Joyful Mariachi (To the Person I Want to See, but Can’t), Your Magnificent Self in the Endless Summer (Thinking of You Under the Light Crimson)

Yuki Rurikawa: Audacious×Rocker (69'n' Roll 4ever!), Stockings and Stilettos (FAVORITE SHOES COLLECTION), Rose Quartz Palette (Beautiful eyes)

Muku Sakisaka: Makeup: Ice (Yummy☆Cosmetics), Aquamarine Dream (Beautiful eyes), Curiosity Guide (Jurassic Memoir)

Misumi Ikaruga: Prodigy Top Dancer (Welcome to BURLESQUE), Exhilarating Back Shot (Kiss Shot), The Floral Prince (fairy-tale kingdom)

Kazunari Miyoshi: The Cat's and My Secret (Sunday With a Cat), Wink When the Rain Pauses (In the Sky After the Rain), Dance of Prayer (Dancer of Rituals)

Kumon Hyodo: Jump In! Parkour (3,2,1, START!), Mischievous Fairy (Fairy in the Bottle), Underclassman's Assignment (Nostalgic Gymnasium)

△△△△△△△

🍁 Autumn Troupe Revival Token Cards 🍁

Banri Settsu: The Garden that Bounded the Four Seasons (Act 11 Advancement Campaign), Gaze of the Taiko Player (World's No. 1 Ohina-sama), Delicious Assortment (BOUQUET CREPE)

Juza Hyodo: Novice Photographer (June Tuxedo), Elated Cigar Box (Hyakka Ryouran), A Single Breakthrough Skill (Majestic Magic Teacher)

Taichi Nanao: Smile☆Decoration (Toppings of Your Choice), My Ideal Way to Soak (Midsummer Paradise), Emperor Penguin's Invitation (WHITE WINTER COLLECTION)

Omi Fushimi: Grateful to This Once-In-a-Lifetime Experience (Farewell!), Kitsune Waiter (The Ayakashi Ryokan is Open), Run around the field. (Us Back Then)

Sakyo Furuichi: Seize Your Fate (EnDgame StuDy), Master of the Royal Palace (Beautiful Country), Magical☆Keemun (Magical Toys)

Azami Izumida: The Pleasure of Battle (SURVIVAL STRATEGY), Tub-Washed Laundry Method (WASH & DRY), Unique Sole (FAVORITE SHOES COLLECTION)

△△△△△△△

❄️ Winter Troupe Revival Token Cards ❄️

Tsumugi Tsukioka: Renewed Move-in Day (The MANKAI Dorm in Those Days: Autumn-Winter Edition), Blessed Ribbon Wands (June Promise), The Shirt's a Perfect Match (VELUDO WINTER COLLECTION)

Tasuku Takato: Astride a Noble Steed (Thus Begins the Horseback Archery), Focusing on a Single Point (Hat Trick), Hunter of Justice (Many Many Candy)

Hisoka Mikage: Admired by All the Students in School (Nostalgic Gymnasium), KING・OF・PUMPKIN (AUTUMN HALLOWEEN COLLECTION), Yappy Ventriloquist Pillow (Hyakka Ryouran)

Homare Arisugawa: Sense Ruler (Tarot of Fate), The ABC of a Man who Can (Night Walker), Bubbly and Jittery (NOSTALGIA)

Azuma Yukishiro: Empress Beauty (Heaven's Arcana), Tempting Chocolate (99％ CACAO:HOLIC), Sexy×Rocker (69'n' Roll 4ever!)

Guy: Roses et chocolat (Moment of Bliss), The Ultimate Pair (Graceful tailor), Smart LIVE! (Our 2nd LIVE)

△△△△△△△

🎭 Other Revival Token Cards 🎭

Isuke Matsukawa: No SSR, No SR, The Prince of April 1st (April Fool's 2017)

Ken Sakoda: The Newcomer Host of April 1st (April Fool's 2018), No SR, No R

Yuzo Kashima: The Champion of April 1st (April Fool's 2019), No SR, No R

Tetsuro Iwai: April Fool's Carpenter (April Fool's 2020), No SR, No R

Kaya Mizuno: The Company President of April 1st (April Fool's 2021), No SR, No R

Madoka Ikaruga: Wizard of April First (April Fool's 2022), No SR, No R

Reni Kamikizaka: Us on April 1st (April Fool's 2023), No SR, No R

[the-himawari]

A3! Izumida Azami - Translation [N] MY WORST WEDDING

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

Azuma: Say, Azami. Have you ever used this face mask that’s posted on this website?

Azami: Ah… that one? That one caught my eye, but I haven’t checked it out yet. Why’re you askin’?

Azuma: I actually have a connection with an acquaintance. I asked them to send me a few. I think they’re going to arrive tomorrow, so I’m going to share some with you.

Azami: Seriously? Thanks.

Azuma: By the way, isn’t Autumn troupe coming up with date plans for their role study?

Azami: …How do you know about that?

Azuma: Fufu. I heard from a little birdie.

Azami: Taichi-san blurted it, didn’t he? …They basically forced it to work though.

Azuma: I see. Have you gone on any dates recently, Azami?

Azami: T-the hell!? Of course I haven’t!

Azuma: Fufu. Judging from that reaction, I assume you haven’t been able to come up with a plan yet. You can talk to me anytime if you’re having trouble.

Azami: …I’m not gonna talk to you.

Azuma: My, my. That’s too bad.

-pause-

Kumon: And then today, a friend in my class…

Azami: They did?

*notification sound*

Azami: Hm? …I got a LIME from Azuma-san.

Kumon: What’d he say?

Azami: The face masks he mentioned yesterday arrived. He promised to share some with me. I should go get them from Azuma-san’s room once I get home.

Kumon: I see! I’ll go and hang out with you then!

-pause-

Azuma: Welcome.

Kumon: We’re here!

Guy: Please take your take.

Azuma: Here they are. The face masks we talked about.

Azami: Thanks. I’ll use ‘em right away.

Azuma: By the way, have you come up with a date plan?

Azami: …You’re bringin’ that up again?

Guy: Autumn troupe was coming up with date plans in order to prepare for their roles. Was that right?

Kumon: Ah! I heard about that too! You haven’t finished yours yet, Azami? I don’t think you need to think that hard, though~.

Azami: …What would you do then, Kumon?

Kumon: Hm~. I mean, it changes from time to time. But, for how I’m feeling right now~… First, we’ll meet up at a baseball field early in the morning to play catch. We’ll go to a ramen shop, eat our fill, and then we’ll burn it off at a batting cage! After that, we’ll eat a special combo meal at a diner~…

Guy: That certainly sounds like a plan Kumon would do.

Azuma: It sounds more like a high school boy’s afterschool hang out than a date plan.

Azami: I think it’ll turn out a bit different if you consider your partner.

Kumon: Ehh! What do you suggest then?

Azami: I’m not sure… but you can’t go wrong with shoppin’ together or goin’ to a planetarium, right?

Kumon: …

Azami: …What?

Kumon: Aw, look~. So you can think about it properly too!

Azami: …Shut up.

Azuma: Fufu. The date plans the two of you came up with are nice and fresh. I think going on an evening date and gazing at the stars sounds wonderful. Then we’d head to a bar. And after a long night, naturally, we’d…

Azami: I-I don’t wanna hear what you’re gonna say!

Kumon: Azuma-san looks like he’s enjoying himself…

Guy: Don’t tease him too much.

Azuma: Fufu. Sorry, sorry.

---

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Seasonal Event - Anniversary Game: Episode 3

Sakyo: If you’re that fired up… Do you happen to like chess, Hyodo Jr.?

Kumon: I’ve never played properly, but I’ve always thought it’s really cool!

Sakyo: Ain’t that nice. This’ll also be a good opportunity for you to learn how to play.

Izumi: Then, we can say Kumon-kun will definitely participate.

Kumon: Yay! Thanks!

Kumon: Hey, hey, Azami. Wanna join me? You said you know the rules yesterday!

Azami: Ah… Well, sure. I don’t really know chess either, but I’m interested.

Izumi: Okay! Then, we’ll be counting on you too, Azami-kun.

-

Azami: (What happened at school and this request might’ve just been a coincidence, but it’s seriously eating at me.)

Azami: (Obviously, I’m also honestly interested in chess, but…)

Azami: … *sigh*

Sakyo: Oi, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? You’re looking at me and sighing.

Azami: I ain’t looking at you!

Azami: (He got it wrong ‘cause I sighed at a weird time. But telling Sakyo about this won’t lead anywhere…)

Azami: I just remembered back when you were playing the role of a tyrant king, you were a pain in the ass with your role building.

Sakyo: Ah, that did happen. Were you thinking about the Chess Garden event?

Azami: I’m not really familiar with the theme… I gotta make sure I won’t struggle with my role building.

Sakyo: ... 

[Paper rustling] 

Sakyo: Oi, Bon. 

Azami: Huh? What’s that? 

Sakyo: It’s a strategy book written by a chess champion. If you know how the pieces move, you’ll understand the contents of this book. 

Sakyo: It might not be directly related to the contents of the play, but it’ll be helpful to some extent. 

Azami: I didn’t ask for it, though. ... Well, I’ll take it just in case. 

Sakyo: Just be honest about your feelings and take it, seriously... 

- 

Izumi: So, the members who have been decided to participate in Anniversary Game are... 

Izumi: Azami-kun, Kumon-kun, Hisoka-san, Azuma-san, Tsuzuru-kun and Chikage-san. 

Azami: I’ll be in your care. 

Azuma: Yes, likewise. 

Chikage: By the way, was it a conscious decision not to include any members who participated in past events? 

Izumi: It was. The other times, we played the roles based on profile sheets given to us by the other party... 

Izumi: But this time, the script will be written entirely by Tsuzuru-kun, so the new members won’t have to feel bound by the roles that were played previously. 

Tsuzuru: But I still want to keep the same setting, so I’m thinkin’ the roles will be based on chess pieces. 

Tsuzuru: I’ll also be in touch with the other party while deciding the setting and the characters. 

Izumi: Once the script is a bit more fleshed out, we’ll discuss everyone’s roles. 

Chikage: Understood. 

Azuma: Since the theme is chess, Homare said he’d have loved to participate had it fit his schedule. 

Hisoka: He asked me to join in his place, so I made him pay me in chocolate marshmallows for it. 

Kumon: Ahaha, I see. We have to work hard for Homare-san's sake too, then! 

Azami: By the way, does everyone here know how to play chess? 

Azuma: I play here and there, as a hobby.

Chikage: I’m at about that level, too. 

Hisoka: Me too... 

Kumon: Is that so? I still don’t understand the first thing about chess... 

Azami: Same here. That's why we gotta put some effort into studying. 

Tsuzuru: I also don’t know anything further than the rules. Let’s do our best together. 

Azuma: In that case... How about we start a chess crash course? 

Azuma: I think I can teach you the basics of chess, such as the rules and how the pieces move. 

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

[izumi-fanclub]

A3! Event Story Translation “Ah, My Dearly Beloved” [ Chapter 3 ]

We have a very special guest star for today's episode.

Syu

Yo, hope I’m not intruding.

Chikage

Syu-san.

Itaru

RNG must be crazy for you to show up.

Syu

I was just passing by when I ran into this guy and he invited me in for a drink.

Guy

I heard from Azuma that we have some good local sake, so I took the liberty of inviting him over.

Syu

I came for the sake, but I also need to talk to you about something so it all ties in together.

Izumi

What about?

Syu

Ever heard of an inn called Sayuru Pavilion?

Izumi

It’s a famous long-established ryokan. The foliage there during autumn is popular so it’s hard to make a reservation…

Azuma

We were just talking about it earlier.

Syu

Talk about good timing. So you must’ve heard there’s a Noh stage there.

Azami

Yeah, we saw the pictures.

Syu

It’s basically just decoration now since it’s barely used, actors are only onstage once per year.

Chikage

Are you referring to the “Night Party” by any chance?

Syu

Hohh… So you know. That’s not typical information you’d see out in the open.

Chikage

Just learned some things brought up in work conversations.

There’s a group of influential people called the “Scarlet Poet Society”, they have an evening party where they gather in secret annually…

That’s as far as my knowledge goes about it.

Omi

It’s like something out of a drama or movie.

Itaru

That’s so IRL animecore.

Syu

Here’s the kicker.

Those night party performances that are performed on the Noh stage? Our troupe’s in charge of that every year.

Izumi

No way!?

Guy

How impressive.

Syu

We got asked to do it again this year, and the theme was “Four Seasons.”

I figured the MANKAI Company is a better match for the theme than us.

They got interested in the company since it was my old troupe and you guys won the Fleur Award.

Izumi

So Syu-san, what you needed to talk about was…?

Syu

How about you put on a play at that party instead of us?

Izumi

We’d love t—.

Syu

There’s one condition, however.

Sakyo

A condition?

Syu

The lead has to be a teenage boy. Don’t got a clue why it has to be different this time around.

Well, whatever’s up, the story’s not half bad.

Izumi

To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s alright to hold a soiree there, but if Syu-san recommends us personally then it shouldn’t be risky…

Sakyo

If Syu-san partners up with them every year, then they must be influential and not just some name.

It’s a great story too, it should be fine to take it up.

Izumi

Then it’s decided. …We’ll gladly take up your offer.

Syu

As you should.

Sakyo

And the script?

Syu

I’ll get it prepared for you. I know your style anyway.

Izumi

Thank you so much!

Azuma

…Well, now that all the work talk is over with.

Syu

Yeah, sorry for taking up so much of your time. Now that negotiations are in order, let’s get to stuffing our faces.

Guy

I shall get us some snacks.

Izumi

I’ll go help!

Azami

…Hey, Sakyo.

Sakyo

What?

Azami

That ryokan, Sayuru Pavilion… it feels familiar, have I been there when I was a kid?

Sakyo

…No, I don’t recall anything. Maybe it was before I joined, go ask the boss.

Azami

(That’s such a pain though.)

Chikage

I’m home.

Azami

Welcome back.

Chikage

Studying ancient literature?

Azami

Yeah, Itaru-san just went out ‘cause of a work call.

Chikage

I see. Sorry for disrupting your studying.

Azami

Whatever. It’s fine, I could use a break.

Chikage

…Are you having a hard time with it? Azami

Eh?

Chikage

It doesn’t look like you’re making much progress from the number of pages.

Azami

I mean…

Chikage

…Now what are you reeling back for?

Azami

It’s like a defense mechanism thing.

Chikage

Well, go take your time. I’m gonna eat dinner.

Azami

Sigh… I’ll never get what’s up with that guy…

[ Prev. ]

[ Next ]

[nilikhangdiwa]

2024 Fic Wrap Up!

it's that time of the year again! the 2022 one can be found here and the 2023 one can be found here!

this year's stats... it's only MOSTLY a3 instead of completely entirely a3!! woah amazing!! that's on me getting into persona this year

---

1.

when tomorrow comes knocking at our door

sakyoguy, canon compliant

mmm... old man yaoi... even better, DOMESTIC old man yaoi... this one was a secret santa present for vini who requested old man yaoi! nomadic bartender came out a little bit before so you can see that i was mentally ill and crazy. btw if you haven't read nomadic bartender, HIGHLY RECOMMEND. it's one of my favorite a3 events ever ever ever!!!!!

---

2.

seasons change but people don't

samlil, post-good end

i. think this was a comm. i don't know. all the samlil i ever write is for quill whether explicitly or otherwise. this follows the end of the good ending where they both are able to leave the casino and live together out in the real world... oughhhfhsjkh i feel so majorly ILL about samlil all the time even when i'm not talking about them!!

---

3.

run for roses

lone wolves week 2024

this was my entry for this year's lone wolves week! i was only able to get 2 chapters in because i was really busy with junior thesis around this time and i had to finish writing something else for an exchange (see number 5). nevertheless, it was super fun!

on chapter 1... the first one was because the chikage gekka ssr backstage made me SICK. like. if you haven't read it. please do. i'll like the translation here. it drives me SO MAD. like the ring is so important to chikage and losing it would make him spiral SO BAD. also after i posted this my friend was like AHA I FUCKING KNEW IT SOMEONE WAS GONNA WRITE ABOUT THE RING like OKAYYY JUST BECAUSE I'M PREDICTABLE OKAY!!!

chapter 2... i like little catholic boy hisoka. that's the entire thing basically. i have no words i just think they're really really neat. :((

also i got really obsessed with run for roses by nmixx, hence the title. it's just such a banger okay!

---

4.

banri settsu's no-good, very-awful first day of school

banri & kazunari, humor

okay this was super silly and self-indulgent for the FUNNIEST reason. basically, my friend is going to (university) to study animation. our mutual friend graduated from that same university and course. we were like IT'D BE SOOO FUNNY IF (mutual friend) ENDED UP BEING YOUR TEACHER and that's how this was born.

what's funnier is that the friend in question? yeah, their sister was one of my thesis advisers. i walked into class and went "................. oomf, is your sister's name (redacted) by any chance....................... dawg i think she's my prof." so, that was a time! (i got an A. thanks oomf's sister)

---

5.

(all i want is) Your Grace

madomasu, fantasy au, meet cutes, 5+1

this was written for a little server exchange! i was spinning it around which is why i wasn't able to finish run for roses lmao.

actually, i ended up worldbuilding a lot for this fantasy world, although most of it doesn't end up in the fic itself. the way magic works in the fantasy universe is kind of how language itself works... conveying a meaning and conveying power to make it do stuff. so different people do magic differently! like tsuzuru has script but citron does it moreso via music, etc.

in this one, citron was originally from inverno (winter kingdom) but ran away to live in vesna with itaru. i have azuma as the queen of inverno if i'm not mistaken? and then... i think azami as the future king of haust? with sakyo as his guard? or something... ermm.

then sakuya is the current king of vesna after his parents died and left him the throne at a young age... with chikage being his most trusted adviser and close confidant... and also basically being in charge tbh. he does a lot of things for selfish reasons (whatever's good for him) but he's also grown to care for sakuya so he sometimes does things for him... but he'll never admit it... august was the king's guard and then chikage was the knight's commander... something something very trusted. i'm sick. i love this au.

---

6.

Verdant

chikaita, tojomachi, harugaoka quartet

this just in: the harugaoka quartet liker likes the tojo backstage. so i read the backstage and it's SICK. it's TWISTED. it's ILL. they were not just schoolmates. they were LONELY. but they were LONELY TOGETHER.

here's a scuffed tl of the play part in case you're interested because it genuinely makes me so insane. names carrying meanings and wishes for your children... this is JUST LIKE GEKKAGUMI. ANYWAY.

god they're so in love. this made me SICK. i'm SICK.

---

7.

Tritanopia

bansaku, royalty au, soulmate au

this was a little exchange with raina! i wrote her this, she wrote me kazuchika in exchange. hehe. :3 i love royalty aus and i love soulmate aus (this will be apparent).

i like soulmate aus but i also like thinking about how they would work/be regulated if they were considered to be a part of daily life. normal occurrence. everyone has a soulmate it came free with your living in this universe.

this one is the "when you first meet your soulmate then you see color" au. which is fun to think about because like if you've never seen color how do you conceptualize it. when you see color for the first time everything is just different...

i don't know, i just like thinking about soulmate aus. there's something about it. also something something the whole soulmate thing is how banri doesn't get his ass killed. but yknow.

---

8.

Ambrosia

chikamerl, chikatsuzu, kniroun week, kg adjacent

did i. okay yes i did. i did ramble about chikamerl in the 2023 wrap up so i will spare you all the horror of it. i just missed them. qkg compliant. technically a sequel to the previous chikamerl fic.

i. don't know what to say that doesn't involve just me going through the entire qkg lore so just. take it. my beloved mentally ill anime boys.

---

9.

Birds of a Feather

itaru & sakuya, kniroun week, role study

the concept for this was "sakuya doing role study for mordred" but it turned out a little more chara study... ermm. it just features itaru rambling about kniroun lore while sakuya does his best!

if i may be honest this is probably my least favorite kniroun week entry because dawg i could have done so much better. i could have COOKED HARDER. but it's fine! it's perfectly lovely as is <3

---

10.

Cineris

merlmord, tsuzusaku, kniroun week, playverse

i'm not normally a tzsk shipper but merlmord drives me MAD. there's just something about them.

it was super fun writing in merlin's pov because he's such a little shit. he's putting on the nice guy act but he wants to tear murder kill destroy. merlin writing so mentally ill that you would have thought i already finished p5r by this point "what does that mean" don't worry about it.

and mordred too has that... there's this balance between the guy who genuinely just wants to do good and the guy who wants to prove himself. which, of course, are not mutually exclusive, but especially younger,,, mordred is so lawful neutral, you know?

i like them. very much. also there's more made up kniroun lore in this one. i love made up kniroun lore.

---

11.

When the Sky Falls

runull, tsuzumizu, kniroun week, kniroun origins, playverse

err. runull loredump here. i don't know what to say aside from just talking about why runull makes me crazy for the 27438975483rd time.

this one's in second person because it's supposed to kind of mirror the second person visual novel style of kniroun origins, and "you" don't have a name because you typically just input your own name when you're playing the game.

---

12.

A Normal Day on Knights of Round Chobitter

chikaita, kniroun week, cbt oomfs to lovers

what if chikaita were mutuals on knirountwt. that's it that's the entire fic. this one was just silly and cute and itaru finding comfort and happiness in loving something and sharing that love with the world is something that can be so deeply personal thank you.

---

13.

beautiful (just not today)

juza-centric, body dysmorphia, it's not transfem juza but it's not NOT transfem juza, also body horror

i'm gonna be real, i wrote this up in like an hour on a whim. this is based on the makg au which is based on that one dollhouse set featuring azuma and muku on the cg.

the fic says no context but i'm here to provide some context as a treat! the important context is that there's a gallery with wax statues, each with a nameplate on it alnd protected by a glass case. the statues are of the mankai members (and other side charas like godza, sakoda, mizuno, etc). the characters in the dollhouse event have been turned into porcelain dolls (azuma, hisoka, yuki, banri, and itaru), and the goal is for the other still-human characters to become dolls too. to be pretty and loved. so some characters (including juza) have been partially turned porcelain (dollified) in some body horror shit. the parts that have been turned porcelain on a person also become porcelain on the wax statue. doll meter.

juza has. complicated feelings about this whole thing. because it's juza. i wrote this based off rui's interpretation of juza (since she's the one writing juza in this au). but he... kind of wants to become a doll? tbh? like.... to be pretty... loved by the little miss of the dollhouse who turned them into dolls... etc.

in the rp, juza is the first other character outside of the dollhouse set who fully becomes a doll. fun! fun. makg ily. i will fix the minigame mechanics soon.

---

14.

Keep Up

bantai, canon compliant, fire up! mantou fist, character study

this was a comm for my friend lyric which featured the funniest message ever: "but i am very different from banri so i could never really figure it out. i thought u would be the person to turn to for it!" LIKE. OKAY. ABAC I GUESS (ASSIGNED BANRI AT COMMISSION).

while i was outlining this fic in my head i was actually mumbling to myself about what happens as i was walking to uni campus. so random people walked by me hearing mumble shit like "and then banri goes god fucking damn it nanao taichi you fucking idiot" because he IS.

there's a deleted scene from this one where taichi actually gets a fever from overwork and banri looks after him while also calling him stupid and not understanding how you could possibly work so hard that you physically get sick. me too, oomf. banri gets complimented for working hard and literally cannot wrap his head around how to respond to it so he just goes nah and deflects. u just like me fr. maybe this is why lyric commed me.

also, i was writing this around the time the haikyuu movie came out, so i got to watch it! kenhina as my chara study for bantai (unironic).

also with regard to one of the lines in the fic, i also posted this on my priv: (the typo is supposed to be what taichi *heard)

---

15.

oomf gets killed by juban (not clickbait) (a little bit clickbait)

crackfic

another one for the callout fics series! there's not much context to this, only that i wish for melody and bellie to one day be juban together in an rp. that would be so funny.

---

16.

The Case of the Triple Oddity

citron & taichi, fluff

this one was a cute little thing i wrote for the annual pride exchange! there's not much to say about it and neither are they particularly fruity in this, but it's just a cute little thing. all in a gay's work!

---

17.

Nanao Taichi's 6-Step Plan to Figuring Out Which Crush is Real (So You Can Confess and Get the Romance of Your Dreams)

taitenyuki, taichi & muku, getting together

this one was a comm from someone who requested silly taichi flirting and taitenyuki! it was my first time writing taiten or taiyuki (although i do love taiyuki and should write more taiyuki). i asked some of my friends for silly movie-esque ways of flirting and got the stuff you see in the fic.

meet-cutes was so funny given that they already know each other and literally live together. i think that taichi deserves a lot of love and a lot of kissies!

---

18.

some things just make sense

sakushu, post-canon

... so you can guess when i started playing p5r.

anyway, can i interest you all in the sakushu agenda? i just think there's something about them yknow. something so. so! okay. i don't remember how i got started on this. probably when i was on vc with quill playing p5r.

in my head they used to live in the same small town. sakuya's got relatives there so he was there for a while. they got together and cared each other very much. they were each other's first... a lot of things. they ended up breaking things off when sakuya had to leave because they weren't. like. long distance wasn't good for them. but they still care each other.

i think after this fic they hang out a lot. reconnect. they both are in tokyo for the long haul... they can try again. right person, wrong time, but now it could be the right time. idk. i like sakushu.

also i hadn't finished playing p5r when i posted this, i think i was literally only like up to like. 3rd palace? or so? so i was very worried about writing akiren and that's why he has like 4 lines LMAO but i was very mentally ill about akiren since the moment i laid my eyes on his stupid catboy face <3

---

19.

The Spring to Your Smile

taisaku, fluff

this one was a comm for raina who requested cute sakutai fluff!

i've been to a handful of arcades in japan, so i used what i knew to write it. i actually really like taisaku, so it's kind of a shame that i don't write it enough! this is actually my first taisaku fic... that's crayz...

there's something about them yknow. so lovely. shaped. i wish them a very happiness. taichi will spoil sakuya so much.

---

20.

love me, love me, love me

akiren-centric, canon-compliant (kind of)

the fuck you mean this is only fic 20 out of 30. did i really write that many in the last 3 months of the year. christ. okay anyway.

so i finished p5r in august and er. basically went crazy. now my head is full of p5r. (i also finished p4g in 2024, though i haven't written any p4 fics. the p1 manga as well!)

the idea for this one came to me in a burst of inspiration in the middle of me rambling about one of the 749832742 aus i have come up with to ruin akiren's life. guess my favorite p5r character. i dare you.

this fic is for a specific interpretation of ren's parents. i don't actually have one solid hc for how i think his parents are like, so i just do whatever fits the vibe. there's something here about how his parents are like... highschool sweethearts who had a kid they weren't ready for... so they got married but it strained their relationship with each other and with the child. yknow?

also, yeah. the title is literally aishite x3. so, yknow. thematic.

i also made it a point in the end note that arsene isn't in joker's mask because OURGH there's something about what that means symbolically that makes me unwell.

---

21.

baptize (don't worry about tomorrow)

shuakeshu (kind of??), drinking, alcoholism

so i'm like. half a psych major. and basically i was trying to come up with what a lot of the persona game mechanics mean in terms of psych concepts. so like, for example, tv dungeons are manifestations of psyches where the id is repressed too much, while palaces are manifestations of psyches where the id is not controlled and allowed to just run wild, that kind of thing.

i explain this in the end notes of the fic, but basically i think there's two routes for call of chaos if it hypothetically just allows your instinct to do whatever: thanatos (anger, destruction) or eros (horny).

also really funny because like i think a few weeks later someone posted an akeshu fic where akechi uses call of chaos on himself and then gets horny or something? i was like welp. that's freud for ya!

anyway i was talking to quill about how call of chaos works. because the initial thought was actually "i sure hope akechi doesn't get permanent brain damage from fucking up his brain chemicals so much." and then quill points out, that's kind of addiction bait. and then i was like HMMM. INTERESTING.

so in this fic it manifests in alcoholism because alcohol tends to reduce inhibitions the same way call of chaos does (although it's a depressant. LISTEN DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS I'M NOT A MED STUDENT.) also because i love giving random charas drinking problems. and smoking problems. yippee!

anyway the funniest part is that i was writing this in the middle of my industrial/organizational psych class. lmao

---

22.

Coming Up Aces

akiren-centric, post-canon, 5+1

this is actually. basically the first fic i had in mind after finished p5r. because i'd been reading p5 fics and akiren's life fuckin SUCKSSSSS after canon. which is perfectly reasonable to assume and i think is probably true.

but also. he's my baby. so i wanted to give him some nice things. hence, this fic. just... something about how much he's grown and changed as a person in the year that p5r takes place. all the things he's learned from all the people he's met.

it's something like, he's changed so much and all his stats are at 5 now. but he's always been just. justice, as a central theme to p5. yk.

this is also written with like. very, very background shuake. like, i think it's most evident if you read the erudite section. because the essay he writes and submits is... basically about akechi. there's so much background shit in my head about this fic but it all tastes like akechi. is akechi dead in this one? err, who knows? i don't know.

actually, that part was my favorite to write, drawing from some stuff i learned in my own jpn lit class. the heike monogatari is like an account of the genpei war. minamoto no yoshitsune (same yoshitsune as in the game, yeah) was one of the great heroes who fought against the taira clan alongside his brother, yoritomo. but as the story goes, yoritomo was the reason yoshitsune died - betrayal.

yoshitsune is a tragic hero in japanese literature. maybe THE tragic hero ever. and so we get these kinds of notions of japanense heroism:

aside from that, there's something in there about how akiren recites more in class because he's looking for someone to debate with like he did with akechi or even makoto sometimes, but no one really engages him the same way unless its like the teachers doing presentation discussions and shit. also, sato mentions that the class is doing sengoku period next. which is a funny reference that is also akechi-coded because haha akechi mitsuhide.

in my head like. the history and literature classes are connected, and typically study the same period at around the same time. so both just finished heian/kamakura, and are moving onto muromachi period.

i love all the stupid cringefail npcs i've created for this fic. i have so, so, so much to say about it. akiren's got a mini confidant with both hiroki and sato. also, katsumi and ennis from harugaoka quartet get namedropped, and itsuko in part 5 is named after my extended uraomote universe homare, who is kondo's wife.

also, fun fact. i... submitted the lit review for my thesis late because i was writing this instead. anyway.

---

23.

feels like summer when i'm with you

ichijyushi, beach

this one was for the hypmic gotcha for gaza on twt! crazy... me writing hypmic fic in 2024 was not on my bingo list, but hey! it was fun, actually... i kinda missed it. ichiro isn't a character i write often, but he comes relatively easily to me.

i like him a lot. buster bros still number one! not much to say about it, but i like ichijyushi and jyushi's cringefail crush on ichiro.

---

24.

midsummer love (now and forever)

fling poly, beach

"is this fucking fic titled after summer time love by kazunari miyoshi" yes. also i didn't realize i got two beach fics in a row, but hey! this was also for the hypmic gotcha for gaza. they specifically requested a beach fic, so i was like dawg, i GOT YOU. ramuda pov my beloved, i haven't written you in so long...

fling posse makes me really happy, so i'm glad to have been able to write them again! there's something about them that makes me... yeah. :3

---

25.

the woes of being a plus one

tsuzuomi, halloween

this actually isn't the next fic i uploaded, it was actually the shusumi one, but i'll get into that later because i split it into 2 chapters. this one was for lav for a halloween server exchange!

i... learned that writing tsuzuru is kind of ass. i'm kind of ass LMAO. i don't have much practice writing tsuzuru not in conjunction with harugumi, so writing tsuzuomi was a bit of a challenge... but i had fun, and they're cute!

i asked my friends what would be a funny couples costume, lav said sun and moon, and i was like bet? bet.

---

26.

Monsters of Veludo

azashifu, monsters of verity au, enemies to . something

this one was written for the mankai charity zine! oh BOY i have words about this au. this was one of the aus i pitched, along with devil's gambit and fmab... silly. anyway.

most of the background au stuff of this au is in the little accompaniment pdf of the mancha zine, so actually, you should read that! but generally, the premise is more or less that acts of violence create monsters - like, literal shadow creature stuff. in the series, there’s 3 types of monsters, based on how horrific your violence was, but in the fic, i only included the coolest one: the sunai (what shiffy is).

theres like a future scene in my head where like after azami kills someone for the first time, intentional or otherwise - and this is after he and shifuto start to become friends - shifuto sees him and knows something is different and. "oh, azami... what have you done...?"

hmm i have a spinoff au of this that's not othe same universe because that one is manknai compliant and features itaru, tsumugi, juza, and homare as monster abominations (and sakyo.) kiketsu au my beloved... i'm happy to talk about that one too tho!

---

27.

ideals of the blank future and beyond

shusumi, risky game, actors au

yeah so this happened. sumire is so gekkagumi. she's so forgetting who you are and living as someone else. she's so struggling to move on and move past what happened. she's so it should have been you why did you leave me here. you can't hate her enough to hurt because you'll never hate her as much as she hates herself.

and so i wrote sumire risky game.

this started because, as i usually do, i was assigning charas of my most recent interest (p5r) to a3 plays. and then shusumi mentioned, and then i was like, ohhh, it'd be so fucked up if risky game.

the other cast are akechi as ledley because it'd be so funny and i wanted to make him say the little chicks line, haru as eda because thematically appropriate, ryuji as oliver because... i mean yeah. and then makoto and nicolette (dominic) because i just think it's so funny to make her play a little spoiled rich boy.

in this au, it's basically all of the phantom thieves in a theater troupe. they're putting on risky game right now, and it follows the plot of the risky game event story, etc etc. there's just something about it. they made wadakuma play catherine in the esute risge stage and i was like oh my fucking god.

it's mentioned in the fic that kasumi was a gymnast and sumire is an actor. basically like. kasumi and sumire's career paths diverged when they were younger, sumire goes into acting a la yumi p4 and kasumi continues with gymnastics. the year kasumi dies, sumire "lives as her" (though not literally, since no persona au). so she goes back to like gymnastics and all that to try and keep kasumis memory alive, but yk she kinda ass at it. she's super out of practice and she has no love for it aside from a misguided sense of keeping her sister's spirit alive. theres a line in the grave scene where sumire says shes been keeping up acting the past 2 years. that includes the year she was acting as kasumi.

i don't have any experience writing play scripts, so i just kind of copied oomf's from the times he's asked me to check his.

i will not start rambling about risky game and norman, but just know that it's SO FUCKED UP. god. it's so fucked up. they make me so upset.

other stuff gets mentioned in the end notes of the fic! so if you're curious, you can check that out. i have other thoughts spinning around my mind (such as yusuann clockwork heartbeat, shuann stray devil blues, shuake scarlet mirror, etc... also several people have suggested shukita nocturnality and like. i see it.)

---

28.

assexual attorney

crackfic

yeah i have no words for this. ryu just hates being associated with banri at all ever, and then this was born. i love my friends, SWEAR.

---

29.

burning red

shuakeshu, soulmate au, post-canon, canon compliant

i didn't realize that this is actually my second color-based soulmate au fic. i'm typically a soulmark, names sort of girlie. anyway. this fic was for a persona winter exchange that i joined.

actually, it was supposed to be a different fic. i have that other fic plotted out, but i wasn't able to finish it because it's quite. long. and dramatic. and plot heavy. but it's vampires + soulmates + royalty. something about akechi being a vampire prince being betrothed to akiren the human prince and then... they're soulmates...? but vampires don't have soulmates.................. wow that's so weird. anyway, i'll post that fic one day.

until then, burning red! the title is from red by taylor swift (sorry) but like i think it's very. yeah. losing him was blue like i've never known... missing him was dark gray all alone... forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met...

umm. the colors are fading because akiren genuinely believes that akechi's dead. but they won't ever go away for real while akechi is still alive. soulmates tied not only to cosmic power but also persona perception. cognition. very p5.

the part about robin hood using samarecarm to heal akechi and save him after shido's palace is also ... yeah. quill's hc is that's how it happened and i was like omg real. so true.

i'm gonna be honest, i'm personally of the belief that akechi should stay dead at the end of p5r (thematically), but also i will not complain because i love making akechi alive.

---

30.

Sentimental Value

tsuzumizu, itaru & tsuzuru

this one's for the a3 holiday exchange! it's tsuzumizu but actually, mizuno isn't there. i wanted to write something about tsuzuru looking for a christmas gift for mizuno, but with a spin on the whole, "just write him a play!" because... y'know, i feel like he would. of course. think of that. that's his default, actually. and what better person to ask than mr. gift giving himself, itaru chigasaki?

i actually wrote this while i was on vacation lmao. on my shitty ahh phone. the screen is glitching so it gets hard to write fics on there, but. yeah! and it's up~ also, gratuitous annoying itaru. i love annoying itaru.

---

bonus!

20:01

akechi-centric

wrote this the night before my birthday as a personal birthday gift to myself. "akechi trying to kill himself?" yes. listen. mr. "i didn't plan to live past 18" OKAY. OKAY. did he actually want to die (in this fic)? personally, i think not. but it's up to interp. i dunno man. he just possesses me.

also i hope you guys like the akiren characterization, because i love to passively characterize ren in akechi-centric fics.

akechi is stupid !!! it's only the question of is he just naturally a dumbass or is he willfully being ignorant? he always thinks ren can see right through him, which he can, but the core that he thinks ren sees is always like. some kind of curled up sad crying pathetic thing. when thats not what ren sees. this is a constant in my fics its always akechi being like oh he thinks im pathetic. oh hes gonna try to kill me. like NO BITCH GET A GRIP!!!

need this guy to get some therapy.

---

bonus!

with(out) this

juban

i got really mad at this one juban fic i kept seeing that really irked me from the description alone so i was like bro i bet i could write a better one and i don't even LIKE juban. so yeah.

---

THAT WAS 2024! grah. that's so many. hope to write more in the coming year! let's see... my tenma zine fic will make an appearance in the 2025 wrap up, as well as probably... more shuake fics. fuck this baka life.

[spadeselfshipcorner]

🩷The Milluki Masterlist!🩷

Yes, this is once again my inner list maniac wanting to group things together aaa idek why I'm making this because this is what tagging is for but making lists is too much fun, soooo here's where I'll group all my Milluki content! Yippeee!

Art:

Milluki Body Study

Milluki Hand Study (Sorta Milluki x S/I)

Together (Milluki x S/I)

Sleepy (Milluki x S/I)

Dragon Ball Z (Milluki x S/I)

Gazillion kisses (Ask)

Valentine's Day 2024 (Milluki x S/I)

Dumpling (Ask)

Cow Onesie

Milluki as a Pokemon NPC

Hiccups (Ask)

Scary dog Privileges

Bear hug

Milluki Doodle

PMD Team Dango (Milluki x S/I)

Glasses Milluki (Milluki x S/I)

Pick me Up (Milluki x S/I)

Feel (Milluki x S/I)

He's already perfect! (Milluki x S/I)

The Prefect (Milluki x Weston)

Karaoke! (Collab Millu x Kika & Mikki x S/I)

---

Milluki Daily:

Day 1 (Theme: Bored)

Day 2 (Theme: Doll)

Day 3 (Theme: Windy)

Day 4 (Theme: Stretching)

Day 5 (Theme: Clumsy)

Day 6 (Theme: Kitty)

Day 7 (Theme: Trauma)

Day 8 (Theme: Grateful)

Day 9 (Theme: Bangs)

Day 10 (Theme: Street Fighter)

Day 11 (Theme: Jojo)

Day 12 (Theme: Beach)

Day 13 (Theme: Good burger)

Day 14 (Theme: Cuddles)

Day 15 (Theme: Nekomimi)

Day 16 (Theme: Loops)

Day 17 (Theme: Spring)

Day 18 (Theme: Ken)

Day 19 (Theme: Suit & Tie)

Day 20 (Theme: Bold)

---

Writing:

Nerdy Milluki HCs

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Screenshots/Scans:

Every Manga Milluki

Milluki's silly manga faces

About Milluki's eyes

Milluki's hairstyles

Boyfriend shaped (Ask)

Nervous (Ask)

Hamster cheeks (Ask)

240p Musical Millukis

Milluki's hands

Azuma Koki as Milluki

HxH MTD Milluki Sprites

Broad shoulders (Ask)

Monkey phone!

York Shin auction (Ask)

---

Clips:

Every 1999 Milluki

Milluki being excited

HxH The Stage moment

Killua attacks Milluki

---

Misc:

Milluki Moodboard

🍡Danger Dango Playlist🍡

1999 Milluki Gush Post

Lil Hama bead fella!!

The Sims 4 Selfie (Milluki x S/I)

Milluki Stimboard

Small Merch collection

Milluki merch Printable sheet

Milluki clay figure (self-made)

Milluki Pinterest Collection

Proship/Comship & Kink blogs DNI

[linkspooky]

Choujin X, Chapter 39: As You Sleep

Holy character development Batman! We are in this latest chapter seeing the results of Tokio’s year of training and learning to be more independent, not only in just questioning the established authority around him but actually taking responsibility for himself in the investigations. On the other side it seems like Azuma is stagnating or at least not progressing as fast as he wants to which is causing a rift between him and Tokio once again. More on my two favorite boys underneath the cut: 

While Tokio seems to have improved by leaps and bounds, I don’t believe this is as shocking of a change in his personality as it seems to be. In the first volume extras there was a character profile for both Tokio and Azuma, where it mentiosn that Tokio despite not seeing himself as smart or talented was able to get into the same high school as Azuma just by studying hard for it. 

Tokio always had the potential to be just as smart of Azuma, but often self-sabotaged and gave up too quickly because he didn’t believe in himself. This is also something Azuma observes in his own flashbacks of Tokio and resents him for. 

While Tokio’s self sabotage and failing to live up to his potential just comes from regular old lack of self confidence, Azuma has secretly harbored a fear that Tokio thought he was better than Azuma from the beginning and only pretended to be weak around him because he was looking down on him. 

While it reeks of Azuma’s own insecurity, it is at times understandable why he’d feel that way, Tokio is naturally talented and capable and for a long time doesn’t make use of those talents and when it seems he finally does he starts far outstripping Azuma. Though, a lot of that may just be Azuma’s perception, Tokio is improving by leaps and bounds but he started off much less skilled so his improvement is more obvious. Azuma is doing the same thing he always does, but he’s been at this for years, his improvement is going to seem more gradual because he’s already that skilled. 

One big way that Azuma’s insecurity towards Tokio comes from Azuma’s warped perception rather than the truth is the first event after the time skip, Azuma fails to stop a plane crash that results in the deaths of many people while Tokio seems to have succeeded and become a hero of a nearby district. Of course the truth is they both failed, Tokio’s battle ended in a victory yes but it was at the cost of basically every friend he made during the year timeskip a pyrrhic victory. 

Whereas Azuma’s regrets bout the plane crash are so strong, he’s literally searching the shore for corpses so he can return them to their dead families. Azuma’s perception of Tokio as a hero that’s suprassed him is a false one, based on both his own insecurities and the inability of the two boys to properly communicate with each other. On top of that, the way Tokio left is most likely a big issue, because despite all the problems in their relationship Azuma wanted to be someone that Tokio admired, and Tokio just separating himself from Azuma probably led to Azuma’s fear that Tokio didn’t need him anymore coming true.

As the fledgling vulture takes flight, Azuma realizes that their relationship is no longer what it once was, and there’s no going back for the both of them. I elaborate on this because while we’re shown a lot of progress for Tokio in this chapter (that’s mostly just investigation and exposition scenes which I’ll be skipping over) there’s several indications that Azuma is stagnating. 

Azuma doesn’t speak out against Tokio in the meeting, but at the same time we’re shown him in the background drawn in a pretty shadowy way. 

Azuma also does the opposite of Tokio in this regard, while Tokio disliked the plan but openly spoke out about it, Azuma keeps his head down and does the work anyway despite disagreeing. Which is likely due to a lot of things, including his cop father being his main influence. In his character profile it says “to see what is right and not to do it is want of courage”. 

Azuma’s a character obsessed with justice, ideology and doing the right thing, but he’s also someone who tends to be blind to his repressed feelings and darker traits. Which is why as mentioned in the panel above, lately his prescription is getting worse from both stress and overwork. His glasses and dwindling eyesight are both a sign that there is something he’s not seeing. 

There’s also the mounting Batista and Azuma parallels, Batista is a character never depicted with their eyes shown. Even when we see their unmasked face, their eyes are sewn in the wrong place all over their face. Batista also seems to have been driven to villainry by the falling out between their brother and themselves. 

This chapter also draws focus to the fact that despite Tokio has made leaps and bounds in his growth, he’s repeating some Kaneki lines here in regards to his fear of losing others. 

Tokio’s desire to separate himself from Azuma was not entirely about his need to be independent, because he could have just said goodbye to Azuma and been like “I need my space for a year, it’s nothing you did to me I’m just taking this time for myself” but chose the cowards route of just cutting off all contact from him without a proper goodbye. Which reeks of Kaneki the protagonist of Ishida’s previous work Tokyo Ghoul, who also made a decision in the midpoint of the story to abandon all of the friends he made so far at Anteiku out of fear of losing them. 

In this case Tokio is more self confident, but he’s being driven by his fear of losing people. That fear is probably made worse by the fact that friends he made over the year he was gone, all died right in front of him and he became the lone survivor. All of this to say, I think the dysfunction in Tokio and Azuma’s relatoinship is a two way street. Azuma is secretly jealous of Tokio and tends to stew in his resentment, but it’s a problem that could be fixed with better communication which won’t happen because Tokio cut him off. 

Tokio chose the easier way of just cutting his friends off out of fear of losing them, and now that he’s back he’s basically making no attempts to talk to Azuma even after Ely directly told him to. 

Azuma’s growing more and more distant from Tokio, and Tokio won’t try to bridge the distance because he’s too fearful of losing him so might as well keep him at a distance to start, and so these two things hand in hand are likely to play a role in the dwindling of their relationship real soon. 

[jujumin-translates]

Event | Ayakashi Summer Festival | Chapter 6

Izumi: The summer festival has finally begun. Fufu, the atmosphere combined with everyone’s outfits is incredible.

Hisoka: It’s not just us, the people from the shopping district are wearing ayakashi costumes and accessories too…

Omi: I saw a couple I usually see at the grocery store earlier and they were wearing ayakashi masks and looked happy while getting ready for the event.

Azuma: Your costumes are very fitting and cute on you, Haruto and Shift.

Shift: Hehe, thanks!

Haruto: Thanks.

Shift: By the way, is Omi-san the only one not wearing any makeup?

Haruto: It’s because of his role, isn’t it?

Omi: Yeah, it’s because I’m a tsuchigumo. Plus my character has a lot of human qualities in the play.

Shift: Makes sense!

Masumi: Seems like the festive is really popular because of the ayakashi theme.

Misumi: Kazu said that too~!

Guy: I’m sure we’ll get lots of visitors then.

Shopping District Chairman: Thank you, everyone, for your help with the preparation so far. Today’s finally the day for the summer festival.

Shopping District Chairman: Let’s make sure to do our best so there will be no injuries and everyone who comes will leave with a smile on their face. Do your best, everyone.

Izumi: Well then, Misumi-kun, Azuma-san, and Guy-san can start by patrolling around and Hisoka-san, Omi-kun, and Masumi-kun can help out at the stalls.

Izumi: I’ll go around the whole festival and help out wherever people need it.

Masumi: I want to help with you. I’m coming with you.

Izumi: I’ll come and check on you and the others when I’m free, Masumi-kun. For now, make sure you help with the stalls so that all the attendees can have fun.

Masumi: Got it. I’ll do my best.

Haruto: Ugh… Usui really never changes, huh…

Shift: Well, we’ve got a contest to get ready for, so we’re headin’ to the stage.

Haruto: You all better be ready to bring it.

Misumi: Kaaay!

Izumi: Good luck, guys!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Azuma: Seems like no one is injured or unwell.

Guy: Yes, it does appear that way.

Misumi: Ah! Omi and the others are helping out at the chocolate-covered banana stall!

Masumi: Welcome. We’ve got ayakashi chocolate-covered bananas.

Hisoka: Would you like a sweet and cute ayakashi chocolate-covered banana?

Attendee A: Waah, cute! They’re decorated to look like youkai!

Attendee B: This one even has marshmallows on it! That’s so Inste-able~!

Attendee C: Mama! I wanna eat a chocolate-covered banana!

Omi: Here you go, two chocolate-covered bananas. Thank you for your patronage.

Azuma: Looks like they’re getting lots of business.

Guy: It’s started to get crowded. Perhaps we should help organize the line.

Misumi: Right! Anyone who’s getting a chocolate-covered banana, please line up over he~re.

Azuma: The line for the chocolate-covered bananas starts here.

Guy: We will inform you where to get into line.

Attendee D: I’ll take one ayakashi chocolate-covered banana, please!

Omi: Thank you so much! Here you are.

Azuma: Now the line has been rearranged and the walkway is easier to get through.

Guy: Yes, there should be no problems with things like this.

Misumi: This shop is really popular, so Masumi and the others are gonna have to work super hard~.

Azuma: They are. They look quite busy now, so we can talk to them later.

Guy: Yes. For now, let’s try and head over by the stage.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: Waah, there’s a lotta people~!

Azuma: The contest is about to start and it seems to be getting people excited.

Madoka: Ah, Nii-san.

Misumi: Madoka~!

Madoka: Your costume is amazing.

Misumi: It’s a daidarabotchi costume. Yuki made it~!

Madoka: I see. It really fits you, Nii-san.

Misumi: Ehehe, I’m glad you think so~!

Guy: I thought your promise to meet up with Ikaruga was later, but you’re already at the stage.

Madoka: It was. But watching plays is also a good way to study for scriptwriting, so I decided to watch some of the plays.

Azuma: You’re quite studious, Madoka.

Misumi: I’ll give you a reward for being so hardworking, Madoka!

Madoka: Eh, a reward…?

Guy: I see, that’s a good idea.

Azuma: Fufu, I think so too.

Misumi: Ah, it’s almost time to go and help out at the stalls.

Misumi: Madoka, I’ll send you a LIME later, so come to the place I send you on LIME when you get hungry!

Madoka: ? O-Okay, got it.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Misumi: Hmhmhm~m ♪

Azuma: You seem to be having fun helping out, Misumi.

Misumi: Yeah, I am! And it makes me even more happy seeing other people go around the festival looking happy too~.

Azuma: I feel that way too. I hope Guy is having fun going around the festival on his break.

Madoka: There you are, Nii-san.

Misumi: Madoka! Welcome~.

Madoka: This is the stall you told me to come to on LIME and this is… A donut stall?

Madoka: A donut stall at a festival…

Azuma: Unusual, isn’t it?

Misumi: They’re decorated to look like ayakashi~. Here’s one for you, Madoka!

Madoka: Thank you, Nii-san. Umm… How much do I owe?

Misumi: It’s on me!

Madoka: Eh, are you sure?

Misumi: It’s okay, I wanna do this!

Madoka: But…

Azuma: I think Misumi would be happier if you let him spoil you, Madoka.

Misumi: Yeah, yeah!

Madoka: …I’ll take your word for it, then. Thank you, it looks good.

Misumi: Ehehe, you’re welcome!

Attendee A: Excuse me, I’d like three ayakashi donuts!

Misumi: Welcome, coming right up!

Madoka: Well then, I’ll go back to my seat by the stage…

Azuma: Ah, wait a moment.

Azuma: I thought you should know that this stall was actually Misumi’s idea.

Madoka: Eh, it was Nii-san’s idea…?

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[centrally-unplanned]

Sweeping election talk to the side for a bit, what would be a good introduction to Otaku Studies?

The History of Otaku book that I obviously need to write of course!!!

But otherwise you can take this a lot of different ways based on your definitions - many would be recommending histories of "anime" for example. For my own bet that is a separate topic, and you want those books that are focused on the fans and the cultural histories.

For my money I think Patrick Galbraith's works are the best starting point for someone newer to the field (which doesn't include you I think!) "Otaku and the Struggle for Imagination in Japan" is a good one, and you can pair that with the ethnographic "Otaku Spaces". Depending on your tolerance for academia-speak he also edited an essay collection "Debating Otaku in Contemporary Japan: Historical Perspectives and New Horizons" which isn't bad. Here the consensus opinion is right.

You will see a lot of recommendations for books by Japanese essayists, namely Azuma's "Otaku: Japan's Database Animals" or the Saito's "Beautiful Fighting Girl". These are obviously books anyone who is Doing Otaku Studies is required to read; but I do not think they are good intros. How do I say this...Azuma and Saito did not set out to write objective studies of otaku? That isn't their bag? They write like social critique essays for newspapers in Japan, they are public intellectuals. As such they are bringing a very different perspective to the whole endeavor, one that if it was your first book on the subject you would maybe fail to tease out. But they are definitely things to tackle once you get into things.

I ofc have like hundreds of different articles and such on specific topics saved to my various notes over the years, but none of those are really intros!

I should go out and catalog the Youtubers and such who dig into this stuff, for more accessible sources. I will say, when you do that, you will find a lot of them are pulling from the same few books and articles, often the ones named above. They are good sources, but it does lead to a bit of a spiral when to comes to analysis.

On a final note, I am actually musing doing a project on precisely this, a series of book reviews of the "canonical otaku texts" and putting them in discussion with each other. And maybe having something of a "syllabus" at the end of recommended versus cautioned texts (Susan Napier, my mortal enemy, I will get you!). Gotta bump that up now that politics is finally Over Forever...