#(Eiji's English is good here)

[izzyizumi]

m E: EIJI IS SPEAKING IN ---?!???!?!

[sophswritingthings]

Omg imagine Mizus reaction to English!readers wedding dress like their cultures are so different and so beautiful in different ways aaa!!💕💕

pairing: mizu x fem!english!reader

warning(s): swearing

a/n: you having a beautiful ballgown wedding dress made for you with the patterns of flowers and cranes on it without mizu’s knowledge to combine your culture…. UGHHH

summary: it’s the day she’d been waiting; the day you were set to be her wife. she sees you in that stunning dress of yours; and she swears she feels her heart stop.

word count: 821 words / 4,420 characters

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

“you promise me it’ll be done by the wedding?” you say the words, as if they were almost a plea. you were wearing glasses, much like mizu’s, and a hood over your head to conceal your face.

“it will be does, miss,” she glanced at you. “and you know you don’t have the wear those things around me; I won’t tell.”

she winked, smiling as she was fiddling with the sparkly tool.

“I am the one making you an english dress, aren’t I?” she cocked her head.

“I suppose you are,” you murmur, smiling a bit. “and I thank you for that. I just wanted something from home; since my parents won’t be here to see me married.”

“I understand that,” she smiled.

“thank you.” you sigh, “you really are great, you know?”

“I know,” she chuckled again. “am I ever going to get to meet the groom?”

“mmm.. well, he’s coming to find me after being out for a while—picking me up before we go home, I suppose,” you shrug. “if he decides not to be stubborn you may.”

“if who decides not to be stubborn?”

you whip your head up, seeing your fiancé standing there.

“you couldn’t possibly be talking about me,” mizu raised an eyebrow.

you giggle, walking over to mizu and standing on your tiptoes to kiss her cheek.

“couldn’t possibly be,” you whisper into her ear, feeling her twitch a little.

“as I thought.” she murmured.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” aiko smiled, bowing her head toward mizu.

“mm. you as well, miss,” she said in a low tone, trying to keep up her masculine appearance. “we best be going, then, yeah?”

you wrap your arm around hers, nodding to aiko, “yes, we best be. I’ll see you tomorrow then? to pick up the dress.”

mizu looks at you with a raised eyebrow. she hadn’t heard anything about a “dress”. she supposed you’d be wearing a white kimono, to.. blend in.

put the look on your face, combined with your words, told her you had other plans.

the couple slid out of the shop, smiling softly as the gentle snow fell onto the cobblestoned path. 

“so..” she whispers, “what’s this about a dress?”

you giggle, “I wanted something from home,” you murmur, your eyes fluttering as you attempted to clear them of the snow. “so.. I asked aiko to make me a traditional english dress. with a bit of a twist.”

she chuckled, “I see,” she mumbled. “you’ll look beautiful either way.”

you lean your head on her shoulder, “thank you.”

slowly rising out of bed, you snicker as you see mizu has already gone from bed. excited, was she?

well, it was the day of your wedding.

and though it may not be “legalized”, you didn’t care. just to call mizu your wife would be all you needed to keep yourself happy for the rest of your days.

ringo would conduct the ceremony—and you would only have a few people there. akemi, ringo, eiji, and a few of your friends you’d met along the way.

you didn’t need some big ceremony to be married. you just.. needed your love, and each other.

you had collected your dress, the weeks prior. you hadn’t let mizu see it, though, you wanted to surprise her. 

it was a beautifully constructed english dress, with the patterns of japanese cranes and flowers flowing down the rim of the skirt. it combined your cultures in all the good ways you could think of.

“I have never been so excited in my entire life,” you giggle, your accent seeping through your words as akemi does your hair. “I really haven’t.”

“well, good. you should be happy to be married,” akemi smiled softly, “especially to someone who really does love you.”

you blush a little, “I’m lucky.”

“you are,” she confirms. you knew what she’d been through, the ups and downs of her marriage status was a rollercoaster you never wished to ride.

“I know.” you whisper, “I love her.”

“hm, good,” she brushes a few strands of hair out of your face, tucking them behind your ears. “now, let’s get this makeup done so you can go and finally get your wife all to yourself.”

you stood at the alter, smiling as you waited for mizu to appear. 

and when she did, she looked absolutely stunned.

her eyes never left you. your beautiful complexion, the makeup that akemi had done suited you do well. and the way your hair was curled and pulled back..

and that dress.

a dress that was a beautiful blend of yours, and her, culture. the depictions of cranes and flowers scattered across the bottom of the dress, and the large silhouette she’d seen so many women wear—including you—back in england.

yet it seemed so different, the way the fabric shone against the sun.

she was so ready to call you her one and only.

her wife.

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

[andieperrie18]

nobody's daughters (part 1)

Series: Blue Eye Samurai

Pairing: Mizu x Widowed! Reader

Word Count: 1,900+ Words

Warnings: SPOILERS on Episode 5

Chapter Synopsis: Passing by the bridge where the local prostitutes flock, you encounter a wounded man. Or so you thought.

A/N & Disclaimer: So this chapter took a while to come out but here it is. Didn't want to rush this chapter. Considering the timeline, Mizu isn't fully heartless here as this was a period where she had just left Master Eiji. Please note that English isn't my first language and my Grammar isn't any good either so I do hope you enjoy this first opening chapter

Parts: ONE // TWO // THREE // MASTERLIST

“Another good trade, Sen,” you smiled as you held the reins of the white horse as it shifted from a walk to a trot through the dirt road on her way home. You are no great merchant and don't even have that many customers to supply, but ones that you’ve gained have become loyal customers as you.

You leaned down and as your palm glided on the neck of the mare who sighed and leaned to the touch, as you gave a small chuckle at its response. Sitting back your eyes raised to the tree covered skies, rays of sunlight peeked through each space that tenderly kissed your face. 

‘It was a vibrant day’ you thought while you continued to tread home, passing by the red bridge where you would usually find a group of prostitutes where they would flock by. They weren't really kind to you despite your consistent kind greetings everytime you passed by them, it only earned you gossip about your widowed and childless life. A part of your life that you've come to terms after a chapter vengeance finally asks due.

“Have a bountiful day of business ladies,” you bow as you reach the end of the bridge despite just like usual, none of them really replied back but a few hums.

As you’re enter another pathway, your eyes caught a glimpse of a limping figure. Your eyes squinted to get a better look of the person. Gently kicking the horse to trot faster as you gained a clearer view of the injured victim.

“Oh dear,” you whispered, jumping off the mare and jogging to the man clad in blue dragging himself, his hand gripping their bleeding side, red seeping through cloth and skin.

“H-Help me…” he gasped as you managed to catch the wounded man as he collapsed in your arms

( -+-+-+-+-)

You and your patient arrived fairly quick on a long stretch of land that was filled with a vast plantation growing fruits and vegetables in their respective sections, and at the center it was a one story house with bamboo fences surrounding it. The white mare staggered to a stop by the front of the house as an elderly couple rushed out of it and towards you with worried expressions after calling to them for a number times.

“My lady, what’s happened?” the elderly female asked, as you hopped of Sen and effortlessly pulled your patient with the elderly male offering support on the other side.

“Please prepare my quarters for me Tanaka and Midori bring my medical materials, I’ll take our poor guest to his room,” you nodded to the man made who help you carried the man before turning to the woman whom both could only nod before dashing in different directions leaving you to following the elderly male to the inside the your house then to a path towards sliding door that revealed a spacious room. 

The old man rushed to set your futon as you carefully layed the unconscious man to it all as Tanaka helps you set him properly to a better position to be operated. You told the old man to fetch his wife as he hurriedly flees off as you immediately began to work on the man’s kimono as swiftly as she could. Undoning the know of the tie at front, you grasped the end of the cloth but you halt upon slightly lifting it.

Tanaka reappears by the doorway with a box followed by his wife who carried a basin of water, the couple speed towards you as they placed the things you needed. Midori set aside the basin and began to help her husband open the box filled but stop them

“Tanaka, Midori,” 

The couple halts as you turned to them with small smile, “I’ll take things from here, why don’t you both proceed with preparing our meal for the afternoon,” you trailed as you raised to your feet and grasped the raspy hands of the couple and gently pulled them to their feed, leading them away from the man urgently. The couple looked at each other confused and looked back at you.

“Are you certain my lady?” said the old woman, “wouldn’t it be better if we are here to assist you?” supported by the elderly male. You simply shook your head with a smile as you all stopped by the entry way.

“I can manage, what I want you to do is prepare a meal for our patient, we must have regain full strength,” you encouraged as the couple looked at each other skeptically but nodded and turned away, watching them sprinting through halls towards the kitchens as you slid the door closed and rushed back to your patient.

You eyed the unconscious woman on your futon as she helplessly heaved difficult breathes unconsciously, not trying to waste any more time, you finally proceeded to remove her top to reveal her tightly bandaged chest and her continuously bleeding wound on the side of her stomach. You heard a clatter of metal as you had fully exposed her chest, finding a sheathed blade that was tied around to her side. Taking the blade and gently setting it aside, your hands swiftly rustled inside the medical kit pulling various ointments, cotton balls, thread, and needles bandages before tending the wound on the unconscious swordswoman that laid before you.

Mizu flinched half-awake as the pain of the needle entered her skin. Her blurry vision showed a her a wooden roof and a woman who was leaning over her stomach, her hands busy and gentle that did a little soothing with every tug and sew motion. The woman did notice her stares at her as Mizu tried her best to mutter something only stop to due to her weakened state from blood loss. With every pull of the needled with the thread, you see her flinch, an action you could clearly tell that this was her first time to be sew up closed. Confirming the notion in your mind.

“A Life of Vengeance huh, let me guess it didn't really start off great didn’t it?” you scoffed while you began tying knots on the sutures securing them close, not even thinking of looking at the awakened patient. Mizu groaned once more from the tugs through her skin.

“Got a name? Little avenger?” you asked as you finally turned to look Mizu who was in turn looking at you.

Despite being half-lidded, the unusual yet bright hue of Mizu’s eyes never missed you sight before she finally collapsed back to slumber. It left you staring at her for a minute as You can clearly have described it as the color sky in a bright and sunny day but the exhausted yet hardened expression on your patient showed how life hasn't been kind to her, and hues just symbolized ice and lightning.

With those kind of eyes one thing was certain, “I guess life hasn’t been kind to you,” your brows furrowed slightly as your eyes stared at Mizu’s pained expression despite being under consciousness.

(-+-+-+-+-)

Mizu woke up to a sunlit room the following day, the warm ray light coming from an open veranda that overlooked a small zen garden with a small pond by a white wall and rather curiously, a person seated over her close folded legs facing straight head with a straight back with both hands neatly placed on their lap. 

With a quieted groan, Mizu strugglingly forced herself to sit up as her vision clears and get a better focus on the person’s back facing her way. Studying said person, she had easily distinguished that it was in fact a woman, although she could still slightly see small buffs over their shoulder that would have confused if she had not gained yet a better sight.

“Excu-”, “Ah, you're awake! Thank goodness,” Mizu turned to another direction to find another sliding door, entered an old woman, dressed in the simplest kimono with a rather large tray and was now making her way towards her position.

“Madame was right on what time of day you’ll wake,” trailed the lady as she got Mizu’s side and gently placed the tray down beside the futon. The blue-eyed femme watched as gently moved while muttering a few winces of pain as she turned to face the lady then to the tray filled with covered plates that she could clearly assume would be food.

“Please eat, these are all freshly cooked and picked from the madam’s garden, she insisted on picking the ingredients herself that will help you gain back strength, help yourself,” she continued, smiling at the Mizu.

The expression had the blue-eyed woman feel a certain churn in her stomach but Mizu could tell that this woman was clearly genuine with her gesture. Not wanting to stare at her too much, her blue eyes returned to the somewhat meditating woman by the open entry way across her. Still hadn’t shown any movement even after the sudden arrival of the old lady who had immediately picked up the spark of curiosity from Mizu who stared at the  her serenely occupied matriarch.

“It best not disturbed the madame, but not to worry though, she’ll entertain you as soon as she finishes with her meditation, I’m Midori, the caretaker of the Kento household,” the old lady who had introduced herself as Midori bowed slightly all while Mizu could only mutter “I’m grateful for your assistance,” with a slight bow as she cannot exactly exude a big one with the constant twinges of pain on her side where she presumes the stab wound would be.

“Please help yourself, feel free to come out of this room but sadly milady insisted that you not be free yet without fully healing and recovering your strength, I hope you understand and please take a long rest,” the lady stood and bowed her head in gesture of her leaving Mizu alone in your unconscious company.

Mizu’s gaze went back to you and the frame of your shoulders and back that would gradually slow down yet constantly heaving bigger breaths and longer releases in every passing minute. 

But other than her company, the ambiance around her felt warm and serene, one that she wasn’t really accustomed to as her childhood was too focused on the tasks she had at hand without any regard to things too much. It was all she knew.

Her attention went back to the tray of food and went about uncovering each plate on the tray. In all of Mizu’s  life, she never really had a big meal, just decent ones that she had while she was under apprenticeship that she wasn’t to complain as she was content with having a roof over her head and decent meal under the care of the swordsmith.

 A sigh left her lips as her heart swelled with every plate of cousin composing her  large meal. She marveled at how almost each bowl was a brim full of nutrients. Mizu never really knew much difference between a meal made by a chef and homemade, but it was enough that each meal exploded with rich aroma and delicious scents that she had never thought she would never get a taste of  in her whole life.

Adjusting herself to sit properly within the futon, she placed her hands together.

“Thank you for the food.” 

Her hand found the chopstick and ate to her heart's content.

[fudan-no-nijiiro]

UtaPri and Neurodivergent Headcanons: Yamato Hyuga

This might become a series at some point, because I think it's really interesting.

That said, I want to start out with a few disclaimers:

I am not an expert in psychology.

No identity category is a monolith. That holds especially true for neurodiverse folks; it is a huge and incredibly varied umbrella.

No UtaPri characters, to my knowledge, have a canonical formal medical diagnosis.

UtaPri is a Japanese franchise, and I am not Japanese. All sorts of intercultural misunderstandings may come into play, here.

It is entirely possible that others will find some or all of UtaPri's representations of neurodivergence and/or mental illness unimpressive, inaccurate, and/or upsetting; these are just my opinions as one fan. I'm truly just here to have a good time, and I'm also fully open to disagreements with my perspective or analysis.

That said, let's move on to Yamato!

Yamato Hyuuga and ADHD (+ possible dyslexia/other learning disabilities)

Yamato shows an impressively wide range of traits common among people with ADHD. In no particular order, there's:

Physical movement as self-regulation: Yamato regularly walks around on his hands, goes out running, and generally finds ways to move his body when given half a chance. He often flips onto his hands in the anime, and mentions fitting in runs whenever he can in Live Emotion.

Special interest in exercise: Yamato regularly tries to share what he knows with his peers, both as a way to bond with them and to help improve their fitness. According to the audio dramas, he goes training with Eiji to help him build his confidence; according to Live Emotion, he keeps up on different brands of protein powder. The first chapters of the "private stories" in Live Emotion involve instructing The Player/Haruka in the finer points of sportsware. In fairness, UtaPri tends to define its boys by their hobbies, but even given that, Yamato jumps more directly into a "teaching" mode than most of the other characters.

Struggles with sudden, intense emotions: Yamato's mood changes rapidly in a way he struggles to control, but he also returns to baseline more quickly than most people would. Anyone who's seen his episodes in the anime will have an idea of what I'm talking about here—his explosions towards Syo, which (deservedly) did little to endear him to the fandom, are the main thing I'm thinking of here. There's already been a reference to this in the early chapters in the main story: Yamato's mood is ruined in a split second by Cecil bringing up his brother, though he manages to hide the depth of the problem and not explode this time. There are a lot of possible alternative explanations for this too, in fairness, such as PTSD; more information about what happened with his brother would help to make things clearer. But emotional volatility is also a trait associated with ADHD in some cases.

Struggles with studying/mental labor: One of the main story chapters in Live Emotion involves Yamato struggling with ideas for lyrics, and the way that he tries to apply himself, rapidly gets frustrated, gives up, leaves, and then gets his idea (by engaging in his special interest!) really stood out to me as a relatable ADHD moment. In the Maji Love Kingdom audio drama, he goes out of his way to attempt to hide these difficulties in this area by insisting on working alone, which shows that this is a struggle he's all too aware of.

This struggle hints at possible comorbid learning disabilities—most likely dyslexia, though there are other potential explanations. A few details in support of this:

Trouble with reading: One of the repeated dialogues in Live Emotion, as well as a detail in at least one of the audio dramas, involves that there are a lot of kanji Yamato has trouble reading. (Bonus fun fact: Japanese dyslexia and English dyslexia are at least partially separate conditions! Some folks have one and not the other, independent of their first language. It's wild, but also given how different the writing systems are, it also makes sense. Yamato is shown sounding out words in English in Live Emotion, which I thought was a great moment, but either way it's unclear whether he experiences different levels of difficulty in Japanese and English.)

Trouble with writing: In the Maji Love Kingdom drama, Yamato is shown struggling with composition (coming up with what to write), and vocabulary (he ends up needing a lot of help from a dictionary and his unit partners to come up with his lyrics. Tokiya and Cecil were such a good team to help him with this!! "Kaleidoscope" was awesome for many reasons).

In addition, the franchise's commitment to the bit regarding Yamato's handwriting is impressive as well. Here's one of his birthday messages, for instance:

I thought at first that it was just because my Japanese wasn't great that I was struggling to read his writing, but I've also seen Japanese fans on social media scratching their heads over parts of his writing in the past. Not only that, his handwriting has been mentioned in canon (mainly HEAVENS Radio, if I'm remembering right?), with Nagi in particular complaining that his writing is often indecipherable.

There is no way to be sure, but to me, this combination of traits reads as an intentional depiction of ADHD and/or learning disabilities by at least some of the writers or character designers, even if it has not been named as such explicitly by the franchise (which, to my knowledge, it hasn't).

However, more than any particular character details, the overall arcs Yamato is involved in, and in particular the thoughtful way in which they're structured, that I find most meaningful. Yamato often says things that are openly brash, antagonistic, and/or unintentionally harsh to the people around him. However, the stories he's in follow through on this beyond the initial interaction: we find out afterwards why he's behaving this way (in the sense of his motivations, his struggles that were not visible at first, and so on). Then we get to see him reflect, either by himself or with the help of his teammates, and understand what went wrong. And finally, he often has a chance to revisit the situation with people he's clashed with, and find a more constructive resolution together with them.

I myself have been diagnosed with ADHD, although in my case, it's mostly inattentive type, and I mask it pretty effectively in my daily life. Still, I have a few of these traits: I can instruct others endlessly on my special interests, I get sudden flashes of temper, and I get easily frustrated by "simple" things in a way that can be difficult for others to understand or empathize with. These traits are ones I often feel guilt and shame about.

Yamato's strong personality is often on display for all to see, and it would be easy to turn him into a caricature or even just a villain. But instead, we get insights into his perspective, see him grow and overcome difficulties, and are shown time and again that he cares about the people around him and wants to learn to work with them better. Yamato makes me feel more confident in myself: however different I am from the people around me, and whatever mistakes I make, if I can stay brave and open-hearted, I can keep learning to be better than I was before.

[one-vivid-judgment]

Remember when I said I was gonna dice into the differences between the Eng and Spanish subs of Infinite Wealth?

WELL WAKE UP BABE, IT'S TIME FOR 'Vicky analyzes language differences'!!

Believe me when I say I would've loved to start this by dwelling on character interactions and whatnot, but as it turns out, that is a VERY time-consuming task and I'm still working on it (can you believe the Eiji-Kasuga interactions in chapter 2 ALONE take up 25 Word pages? Between Spanish subs-English translation of Spanish subs-English subs? Yeah, crazy). So, for now, let's focus on something else!

The chapter titles

As we all know by now, the English names of the chapters are all based on Elvis songs. In previous RGG games (and by that I mean the ones who actually have Spanish versions: LAD, Judgment and LJ), the chapter titles were all direct translations of their English counterparts. However, this doesn't happen in IW for the reason listed above; the meaning would pretty much be diluted, even if many Spanish speakers DO know about Elvis and have listened to his music. So, what did they do for the Spanish version:

Simple! Change the titles to Spanish songs (oldies, mostly) who convey a similar meaning. Or, as we'll see with chapter 1, a radically opposite meaning to the original, but which highlights a different side of the chapter itself/the characters personalities.

This would be a PRETTY long post if I talked about every chapter here. So, for now, let's focus on just one per post, yeah? Starting up...

In English: Doin’ the best I can

In Spanish: Voy a pasármelo bien (I’m gonna have some fun)

The songs chosen are pretty much opposites in terms of... everything, really.

In the English version, we have a very mellow Elvis song. It’s more about heartbreak than anything else, which is pretty fitting when you think about what happens in the chapter. Ichiban is living the life, with a stable job and carrying on Arakawa’s legacy (Doin' the best he can), he scores a date with Saeko and they have fun. It all comes crashing down afterwards though: Saeko rejects him then ghosts him for a year, he is exposed by the Tatara Channel and loses his job, and he goes from being ‘the hero of Yokohama’ to being at rock bottom again. At some point, after being fired, Ichiban says “Everything is back to how it used to be.” He tried his best, but it wasn’t enough (“I’ll be a dreamer, I’ll be a fool”, “Doin’ the best I can but it’s not good enough for you”).

Overall, the vibe of it is more about what goes wrong rather than the good things that happen.

Then there is the Spanish version picking a very hype song from Hombres G, a band that was very popular here in the 80s (they are still active, if anyone is interested, and they have many iconic songs under their belts. We still quote "Sufre, mamón" ('Suffer, asshole') to this day where I'm from).

The vibe is the complete opposite:

Hoy me he levantado dando un salto mortal 

Echado un par de huevos a mi sartén

Dando volteretas he llegado al baño

Me he duchado y he despilfarrado el gel

Porque hoy algo me dice

Que voy a pasármelo bien

(Today I woke up doing somersaults / threw a couple eggs in my pan / doing cartwheels I made it to the bathroom / I showered and wasted the shower gel / Cause today something tells me / that I’m gonna have some fun)

Sé que tengo algunos enemigos

Pero esta noche no podrán contar conmigo

Porque voy a convertirme en hombre lobo

Me he jurado a mí mismo que no dormiré solo

(I know I have some enemies / But tonight they can count me out / Cause I’m gonna turn into a werewolf / I swore to myself I won’t be sleeping alone)

Voy a cogerme un pedo'e los que hacen afición

Me iré arrastrando a casa con la sonrisa puesta

Mañana ya, si puedo, dormiré la siesta

Pero esta noche no, esta noche no

(I’m gonna get shit-faced like never before / I’ll drag myself back home with a smile still on / Tomorrow, if I can, I’ll take a nap / But not tonight, not tonight)

So yes, this song is all about the positive vibes before it all comes crashing down. Even so, after things do go sideways, Kasuga is still smiling and not letting it get to him (at most, he feels like shit because he dragged Adachi and Nanba down with him). The song goes very well, not only with the ‘happy’ part of the chapter, but also with Kasuga’s personality in general. Especially the “I know I have some enemies, but they can count me out.” Cause boy does Kasuga have enemies after the Tatara exposé. And even after all that, what he is worried about is how his actions affect other people, his vibes are that pure.

Overall, I would say that, although the vibes are completely different, it works as a sort of contrast. English goes for the ‘downfall’ and the sensation of failing even after trying your best not to, which is was Kasuga was trying to do employing former yakuza through Hello Work; meanwhile, Spanish chooses to go for a more light-hearted, slightly unserious tone that just so happens to perfectly match Kasuga’s personality and how he chooses to see the good side of things despite being back at rock bottom.

[aichi-division]

Issey's Memoirs

Narrated by Issey Nishizawa

Hello, Mr. Reader. I am Issey Nishizawa, your faithful writer. I have a lot of ideas and a lot to tell, but Eiji told me not to go too far because, you know, it would take forever.

What do you want to know about me? My hobbies? My childhood? My travels? I don't know where to start. My family is from here, Aichi prefecture. I have two younger brothers and an older brother, who went to live in Switzerland. My father has a small business and my mother is a homeowner.

My relationship with my family is nice, well, I can't really complain. Even though I don't see them very often, I know they love me and I love them back.

But let's not talk about that, huh? Let's talk about MY FRIENDS !!!!

My best friend is Eiji. He is my soulmate. I met him three years ago. The guy HAS A VIBE! As soon as I saw him, I said: HE'S PERFECT! I don't know, it was a heart thing, you know? I saw him and I knew he would have a great talent. It was a hope, an oasis in the desert, because I had been wanting to put together a team for a while. Have you seen his eyes? They glow as if they were from a toxic chemical. It's mesmerizing. Well, I think I went off topic, but, shit, I had to chase him for a whole afternoon to get him to say something other than "fuck you".

I can make you a list of why I think Eiji is the COOLEST guy to ever walk this earth (along with Tetsuya).

Dresses great

Speaks perfect English

He is a very good composer

When he laughs, it seems as if the world stands still

He is loyal, sarcastic and quite observant.

I like spending time with him. We always talk about music, USA stuff, and many other topics. Well, he's really more of a listening guy, you know? I really like his voice, it's very calm.

Shouta is also my best friend. Yes, he's quite a bit older than me, but his mind is like a teenager's sometimes. Have you ever seen his graffiti? I think it's something he hasn't openly shown but they ARE AMAZING. He has something with art that is much deeper and higher than any other connection he has.

He is very talented and even though he has drug problems, since joining our team, he has worked very hard to rehabilitate himself. I don't think he sees it, but he really has an incredible talent in music.

I also like that he's a jerk, I mean, in a good way. He makes stupid jokes just like me. Have you seen Gravity Falls? He has more or less Stanley's personality haha I like that show, my favorite character is Mabel. I think I'm like her in many ways. Ah but I went off topic again, sorry-

Shouta is a person I can really rely on for everything. He always tries to give us his wisdom and help us, even when he needs more help than us. He is like a father…

Ujum… but hey. Did I ever tell you about the time Shouta took Eiji and I out for ice cream and ran into his ex? HIS EX WAS THE SALESMAN. It was very awkward and funny, because the guy looked really angry and Shouta was so nervous that he looked like he was going to faint.

Ah, I don't know if I told you that Shouta really likes k-pop. Sometimes I catch him dancing to some choreos alone, when he thinks no one is watching. It's very funny, he does it horribly. Although sometimes he gets it really good, especially the hip steps or something like that.

(He really likes Taemin or something like that)

And I don't know if I told you about his brother, who is the opposite of him. We met him once, he looked like an idol, he was extremely handsome and very good in-

I think I'm going too far again.

Well, Shouta has a lot of positive things, that's why I made him the leader. Sometimes I feel guilty, like, he really tries to do the best he can and I think he feels pressured. I don't like that.

I have another friend, who we usually talk online. His name is Marco, he is a CEO, he works in Sumida. We met because we played Call of Duty together. He is very talented. And he has a great voice. I like that guy.

I'm running out of space so I'll make a list of things that I like:

My favorite rappers are the Wu Tang Clan, Dr Dre and EMINEM.

My fav icecream is Vainilla and Strawberry.

I like meeting new people

I like to play a lot of video games

Tetsuya is a really cool guy, he looks like he's going to break everyone's nose: COOL

Puppies are my favorite animals

Uh... UH... THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!!!! LOVE YOU ALL

[mtdthoughts]

Possible References to The Carpenters (Migi & Dali Analysis)

Before I begin, I'd like to credit and dedicate this post to the wonderful @moscasines for messaging me and pointing out the series of observations that will be discussed below. This post would not be possible without your help, so thank you very much! 🫶

As always, spoilers for Migi & Dali are discussed!

This post is also a bit on the longer side...

To begin, the subject of this post is The Carpenters, an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of Karen Carpenter and her older brother Richard Carpenter. You can find more info on Wikipedia here.

The Carpenter siblings started their career in 1965 and achieved major success in the soft rock, easy listening, and adult contemporary music genres with hit singles such as "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun".

They've also toured continually in the 1970s, including in Japan where they performed at the famous Budokan in 1974.

This article gives some interesting insights into The Carpenter's influence in Japan, and I'd recommend checking it out! Namely, the Carpenters were known for their melody-oriented sound production that fits Japanese sensibilities, excellent vocals and English pronunciation, and their songs that give off the image of a good old American family.

In fact, the 1972 song "Top of the World" by The Carpenters was used as the theme song in the 1995 hit Japanese TV Drama "Miseinen" ("Under Age"), showing how The Carpenters' influence persisted in Japan even after their joint career abruptly ended in 1983 with Karen's tragic death from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia.

Anyway, because of The Carpenters' influence in Japan, it is possible that Sano may have taken inspiration from them and their songs when creating Migi & Dali, and here are some possible references:

One of the characters is literally named Karen, who also possesses musical talent but specifically with the piano. As it turns out, Karen Carpenter is four years younger than her piano prodigy brother Richard, which seems to around the same age gap between Karen and Eiji. Furthermore, some have claimed that the root cause of Karen's anorexia was her overbearing, perfectionist mother who clearly favored her 'musical genius' brother Richard; this idea seems to parallel Reiko's obvious favoritism for Eiji and her relative disdain for Karen, someone who "never resembled Akira or Reiko" ---

One of the most iconic foods in the story other than cherry pie and omelet is jambalaya, which was featured in the first chapter and Episode of Migi & Dali. Interestingly, The Carpenters featured Hank William's song "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" on their album 1973 album Now & Then, which sold well in the US, UK, and Japan. The song is about lost love, life, parties, and Cajun cuisine. ---

The fact that the Carpenters are American, plus the remark about the songs giving off the the image of a good old American family could somewhat explain why the setting of Migi & Dali resembles a (relatively affluent) American suburb. ---

"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is song expressing the yearning to be close to someone you love, emphasizing how special and unique that person is. Some of the lyrics are particularly interesting, such as "Why do birds suddenly appear / Every time you are near?" and "So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold / And starlight in your eyes of blue", with birds being Akiyama's fascination and "hair of gold" and "eyes of blue" describing the twins' appearance. Perhaps this song references the Sonoyamas' and Akiyama's longing to be close to the twins. ---

"Rainy Days and Mondays" is a melancholic song that describes one's feeling of melancholy and loneliness and being unable to fit in, but finding comfort in knowing that another person loves them. Some notable lyrics are "What I've got they used to call the blues / Nothin' is really wrong / Feelin' like I don't belong" and "Funny, but it seems that I always wind up here with you / Nice to know somebody loves me". This could be a reference to the loneliness that Dali suffers, though he does find comfort in Migi's love for him. ---

"Top of the World" is an upbeat and joyful song about the feeling of being on top of the world due to being in love. It could be a reference to Migi's infatuation with Sali. ---

"Superstar" expresses longing and heartache, telling the story of someone yearning for a lost love using the example of a fan and a rock star. Some lyrics that stand out are "Don't you remember, you told me you loved me, baby? / You said you'd be coming back this way again, baby". This song could be a reference to Migi's feelings towards Sali, especially after Migi was rejected for Eiji. ---

"Ticket to Ride", a song by The Beatles that the Carpenters covered, is about someone leaving a relationship with a metaphorical ticket to ride, claiming that her partner was holding her down and that she would never be free, as her partner is left upset singing that "my baby don't care". This song could be a reference to Migi's separation from Dali as Migi literally rides away with his new freedom. ---

"Goodbye to Love" explores the sadness of lost love and the realization that one might not find love again, and one notable lyric is "I'll say goodbye to love / No one ever cared if I should live or die". It could be a reference to Dali when he believed that Migi would never love him again (especially when he was about to die), or to Eiji after he killed Reiko, believing he had no one left. ---

"Hurting Each Other" is a ballad that addresses the pain and difficulty of a troubled relationship where both parties are emotionally harming each other despite their love for each other. It could be a reference to some aspects of the twins' relationship, including their fight where they literally hurt each other despite their love for each other. ---

"We've Only Just Begun" explores the optimism of a couple beginning their new life together while mixing cautious introspection for the future. Some notable lyrics are "Before the risin' sun, we fly / So many roads to choose" and "And when the evening comes, we smile / So much of life ahead". It could be a reference to the twins' reconciliation after their fight, heading towards their happiness despite the danger ahead. ---

"Merry Christmas, Darling" is about the longing and fervent desire to spend Christmas together with a loved one that is apart. Some lyrics that stand out are "Merry Christmas, darling / We're apart, that's true / But I can dream and in my dreams / I'm Christmasing with you". This could be a reference to Migi's desire to live together with Dali while Dali was isolating himself in the shadows. ---

"Please Mr. Postman", a song by the Marvelettes that The Carpenters covered, is about the excitement, impatience, and eagerness of waiting for news of a loved one far away. It could be a reference to the twins in the short sequel manga. ---

In general, many songs that were covered and sung by The Carpenters share themes of love, lost love, longing, and loneliness, which also happen to be important themes in Migi & Dali.

I encourage the reader (including myself) to check out all of the songs I listed and more, as it's very fascinating to notice all the different connections to Migi & Dali and perhaps understand the characters better. There may be more songs that deserve to go on this list, so I may decide to update this post later (and of course the reader is very welcome to let me know if I missed any 😊)

Given these potential connections, The Carpenters might be another cultural reference that had a significant impact on Migi & Dali that helped Sano shape the characters and the direction of the story. Of course, I can't discount the possibility that all of this is just a big coincidence and that this post is just a big load of crap, but this wouldn't nearly be as interesting 😜

With all this in mind, I think that Migi & Dali would make a great musical, and it's interesting to imagine the characters singing songs like these in the anime. However, I've never seen a musical before, so I know nothing about them, but I have a good feeling that a Migi & Dali musical would be good. I'd probably see it.

[ariapmdeol]

Alright. I'll bite. What's COE? I assume it's a game? And where would I be able to watch a playthrough(?) of it?

細胞神曲 - Cell of Empireo is an RPGMaker horror game by Sharktale Factory! You can find an English Translation on YouTube here!! It has the full game with all of the endings, and the first five Records of the DLC! The game itself is playable in both Japanese and Korean.

If you'd like to play it with Machine Translation yourself, I have a tutorial here! Please be aware that MTL is hard to work with, and can be confusing. IF you choose to do this, there is a walkthrough on how to get the best ending here!

TLDR: You play as Haruki Atou, 28 year old detective! When his coworker, Eiji Shinano, goes missing, Atou tracks his last known location to the mysterious cult called the Empyrean Heaven Research Institute. Atou finds himself wrapped up in a situation far larger than expected, and discovers a lot about both the Institute and himself along the way!

This game has everything: it has gay people. It has religious imagery. There is a headless rat. There's a mad scientist who asks to hold hands. The Divine Comedy is everywhere. There is foreshadowing and lore EVERYWHERE and it is sooooo fascinating!!! Genuinely I love this game so so so much!! There is a reason I have been drawing it for (checks watch) almost a year nonstop.

Cell of Empireo play order:

Cell of Empireo DLC: Records of Sanemitsu Isoi [YT tl stops here, after record 5 Hermit's Room Interlude Cell of Mirage (unreleased, fukao-San is working on it)

If you want to go in completely blind, I'll leave it there, but I'll add some of my own rambles under the cut! I'll also post the content warnings there as well o7 This game is recommended for people 17 and up, but I think you should be fine! The rating is for violence mostly. There are some flashing lights and shaking screen moments.

CONTENT WARNINGS (by me)

religious themes, human and animal experimentation/death, gore, hallucinations, suicide, murder, familial abuse, body horror, attempted SA (brief, nothing happens, i can tell you when it happens if you need a warning for this)

aaand some ramblings

There are soooo many different variations based on what ending you're on track for. It is FASCINATING to see lines change in really subtle ways because of Atou's actions.

the lore MAKES SENSE and adds things SYMBOLICALLY and there are LAYERS and you can theorize about stuff!!! This game is so good!!!

the boss fights are SO MUCH FUN. For an RPGMaker game there are so many different mechanics??? There's a RHYTHM GAME SECTION??? it's FANTASTIC

this is a game and a series about love in all its forms. There is platonic love, familial, romantic, whatever the hell flowerpot trio has going on, and more!

There are so many terrible dads that I was able to run a 'Worst Dads' Poll and people had genuine debates, it was fantastic!!

METAFICTION. IT'S METAFICTION (i am very normal)

Sanemitsu <3 Sanemitsu isoi <3 Sanemitsu Isoi my beloved <3

I have written so many theory and analysis essays. there is so much lore i go so insane it's so fun (LORE ANALYSIS NOT REQUIRED FOR A SATISFYING WATCH/PLAYTHROUGH. I AM JUST INSANE)

The information you learn along the way recontextualizes earlier parts so you want to watch Through it again to catch the details that you missed the first time around!!

Also every character has reasons and motivations for what they’re doing, even if atou doesn’t know it. They are all so so painfully human…. Emotionally devastating

[meilas]

Socks' Ultimate Phantoms list

Phantoms

Franc D'Ambrosio - Yes. Brings all the sad noises and I am here for it. Nice voice. Excellent acting and facial expressions. Very expressive eyes. Is a cinnamon roll irl. Gary Mauer - Best voice ever. 10/10 would believe this man was an angel. Greg Mills - Looks like a cinnamon roll, will kill you. I never thought tongue action could be sexy but here we are. Ted Keegan - Looks like a cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll. Surprisingly sexy. Killian Donnelly - Looks like a cinnamon roll. I can't explain why I like him, but I do. Christopher Carl - I've only heard audio of him but I like him based on how he sobbed on the golden angel. Jeremy Stolle - Nice voice. Acting is too subtle. Peter Karrie - I love how he takes certain notes up a step, just to show that he can. Slightly nasally, but tolerable. Davis Gaines - tbh all I remember really is him slowly rocking his hips while he was sprawled on the portcullis and I now judge all phantoms on a metric of how good their pants look. 9/10 his pants. Peter Joback - I absolutely hated him when he sang in English. I liked him a little better when he did the show in Swedish. James Hume - Unmemorable. Michael Nicholson - Excellent acting choices. Was thinking about him for two weeks after watching. I just really like the production in German, okay? Earl Carpenter - Better in his earlier runs. Good acting choices. Simon Pryce - Very deep voice. Stands nicely. Scott Davies - He looked like fun and I wanted to like him. Noped out of that one pretty quick. Too much vibrato. Anthony Crivello - From the Vegas boot! I actually don't remember too much about him. But I know I liked the boot! Ben Crawford - Tended to have really weird pronunciation toward the end of his run. He was decent when I saw him right after the Broadway reopening. The most remarkable thing he did was to belly slide all the way across the stage during STYDI. Other than that, I recall nothing specific. Thiago Arancam - Remarkable only in the fact that he is boring. Uwe Kroger - The boob-stroking guy. I remember nothing else. Cooper Grodin - Entertaining in the fact that his acting is so wooden. Nice voice when he's not doing blocking at the same time. Good pants. It helps that he never skips leg day. Laird Mackintosh - I think he was good? I honestly don't remember. Geronimo Rauch - I remember I liked him! Norm Lewis - Nice voice, a little boring. Sorry Norm. John Owen-Jones - Hands. Michael Crawford - Absolutely not. I do not understand what anyone sees in him. His voice sounds like it's about to snap any second, and he is very unsexy. David Shannon - Yes. Absolutely yes. Excellent acting choices and nice voice. Does sad very well. Deserved better. Saulo Vasconcelos - All I can recall is @wheel-of-fish spamming the chat with "hands" all night and that's all anyone really needs to know about his Phantom. Ethan Freeman - Looks like a goddamn stick insect during Final Lair and I am here for it. Looks like Tony Shaloub. Bronson Norris Murphy - Technically only was the Phantom in Love Never Dies. RIP. He deserved better. Anyway. His voice is a little deeper than Franc's or Gary's. I wish he had gotten a chance to play the Phantom in POTO proper. I am very curious as to how he would have played it. Looks like a cinnamon roll, is a burnt cinnamon roll. Ramin Karimloo - He was my intro to POTO on stage. I liked his performance enough that I went looking for more clips of the musical, and found the Saturday Streams. Eiji Akutagawa - Ah yes. The self-groping Phantom. That's all I can remember about him. Josh Piterman - Does sad very well. Gerard Butler - My first-first Phantom. I still like him. There's something about his voice that I do actually like, and it annoys me very much when people go "he can't sing" yes he can, everyone has the ability to sing. Just shut up and let me enjoy what I like in peace. Hugh Panaro - Great voice, excellent acting. Funny. Fun to watch. Reminds me of Franc, in that they're both innocent/childish. Hugh is more childish and angry. Looks like he could kill you, and he might, it depends on his mood.

PART TWO

[meadowmines]

RGG Tactics Who's Who

"Beefgnaw, who the fuck are all these Yakuza OCs you keep posting about"

Here you go. List will be updated as the story gets hashed out.

Hiroshi Aoyagi (aka Sojiro Amano): the protagonist of RGG Tactics. A Majima Family man with a knack for turning restaurants into licenses to print money. General manager of Kiwami Cafe in Kamurocho and later Neko-Kai Cafe in Sotenbori. A little guy with a big mouth. Loyal to a fault and stubborn as shit. Nishida's oath brother. Later forced to be Majima Construction's chief of safety and compliance and he hates every second of it.

Eiji Yamaoka: A Nishikiyama Family hitman who presents himself as a protective big brother to Aoyagi, but neither Aoyagi nor the audience are fooled by his bullshit. Clean and methodical on the clock, charming and outgoing on his own time, rarely seen without at least one pretty girl on his arm.

Yusuke Kuroshi/Homare Nishitani II: Current patriarch of the Kijin Clan, retainer to the Omi Alliance chairman, chairman of the Sotenbori Civic Association's Board of Directors, and legendary info broker. By all appearances, the exact opposite of his predecessor. Cold, calculating, refined, sometimes cruel, always in control. Or... almost always. If you've read "It's All About the Bit" you've met him.

Keiichi Sugihara (Kei-chan): Nishitani II's better half, Civic Association member, owner of a video game store with a slightly illegal console chop shop in the back room, tech hobbyist who believes in better ass-kicking through technology.

Nobuaki Chiba: Kijin Clan lieutenant. Very intimidating if you don't know him. Kind of intimidating if you do know him, but for the most part he's Just A Guy who likes beer and fried shit and sportsball and throwing some good old fashioned hands in the street. Aoyagi's first friend in Sotenbori.

Shigeo "Doc" Nakamura: A doctor working for the Sotenbori Civic Association. Nobody's a hundred percent sure he actually has a license to practice but he does good work and he doesn't ask uncomfortable questions.

Shiori Hanada: A hostess at Club Sunshine who personally puts the fear of God into some asshole who's been snapping covert hostess foot pics under the tables and selling them on the street. She later goes to work at Cabaret Grand after Sunshine's current owner becomes too shitty a boss to stand.

Daikichi "b0ngl0rd69" Tomita: A friend(?) of Sugihara's who makes him look downright normal about games by comparison. Walks around Sotenbori with an honest to God gunblade. Is absolutely aware that the number in his handle has some... connotations in English.

Akemi "Crystal Star Sapphire" Sakurai: A hostess at Jewel in Kamurocho who moonlights at a magical girl-themed cosplay bar. She is an engineering major at Touto University who combines her technical knowhow with her prop-building skill to create ice-based weapons that are as dangerous (and possibly illegal) as they are pretty.

Minoru "Unlucky" Uchida: A string of poor life choices starting on the morning of his 42nd birthday have rendered him the unluckiest yakuza alive. Every single time his turn comes up, he will get hit by a random environmental hazard--and usually one with splash damage. His only real use in battle is to be sent into the middle of enemy formations like a laser-guided misfortune missile.

Stephanie Torino: A professional MMA fighter from Arizona, in Osaka for a tournament. She does not care for men in general but she seems to have especially personal beef with Aoyagi. (strangely, she befriends Yamaoka of all people in the postgame, which Aoyagi finds both bewildering and a little insulting)

Minako "Minadeath" Takai: The frontwoman of an all-girl death metal band. One of the few units who can deal non-elemental magic damage.

Torahiko Kogawa: Cat cafe mogul and terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad person. The antagonist of the Cat Cafe Grand Prix sideplot.

Yashiro Noguchi: CEO of Millennium Holdings in Sendai, currently being blackmailed by someone connected to his former boss.

Miyuki: Mysteriously dumped at the animal shelter in the dead of night and subsequently entrusted to Aoyagi's care as his first cafe cat. Pure white with the prettiest deep blue eyes. Magnificently fluffy, amazingly sociable, and stone deaf.

Ryo Amon: Personal chef to the Amon Clan, challenges Aoyagi and his crew to a cooking battle at the end of the Chef League sideplot.

Gen Amon: Leader of a breakaway sect of the Amon Clan, takes issue with certain rules of engagement the Amon Clan adheres to. He and his team are the requisite RGG Secret Boss Battle. Yes, Aoyagi gets not one but TWO rounds of Amon Clan Bullshit to deal with in this game.

Nyamon: A huge stocky black cat with God tier stats, who mysteriously shows up at the cat cafe shortly after you beat Gen Amon's team. While most of the cafe cats will let you put cute accessories on them, Nyamon will hiss at you if you attempt to swap his aviator shades out for something else.

[lukefonfabre]

kamen rider REVIEW!!!

i was gonna do this on twitter but twitter is dead now. anyway i decided when i finished ryuki i would review every kr i’ve watched so far so here it is. no spoilers (i think) but it is fucking long. 

build - i can’t believe it’s been 5 years since i watched build… i miss her so bad every day… but also build had a lot things that i couldn’t stand. however the yaoi was really fucking good. also build is pretty strong overall despite it all. we need that energy back for kamen rider so bad but all they do now is try to sell toys. i really like sento as a protagonist because he’s so funny and quirky but also not like the usual kr protagonist who is stupid. i mean he is still stupid but in a different way. banjou is more like the protagonist type but he is actually just sento’s boyfriend. love wins. my thing about build is that i didnt care about kazumi or gentoku or katsuragi or any of the other men (evolt can stay #sexy). so sometimes i was sitting there like oh my god. enough. also the way they nerfed sawa and misora pissed me off. but that final episode hit hard enough that i forgave all the shit the last 10 or so episodes put me through. which is true of a lot of kamen riders like if they hit that ending it’s like all is forgiven baby!!! but anyway i love build. i miss her. i love her. 

ooo - i got so obsessed with ooo that 5 years ago i was in a college english class and they asked me what my favorite tv show was and i said kamen rider ooo. right there in front of everyone. ms. kobayashi really got me with that one! everyone has already said this but the relationship between ankh and eiji is so interesting both on a yaoi level and a psychological level… the human won’t let himself want anything and the monster whose existence is all about wanting things. and they’re in love. wow! the whole ooo cast is great though and i think it’s so cute that the actors still interact 10+ years later. i love hina so much… i love gotou and date and satonaka. i miss them. i’m sorry that ooo 10th was like that but i will forgive them. i guess. i think ooo’s one weakness is that the monster of the week episodes were kinda boring. like bro i don’t care about this guy getting back into wrestling what about ankh’s existential crisis!!!! but it’s ok we all have our flaws. i love you ooo. 

ex-aid - i THINK i watched ex-aid after ooo but honestly i don’t remember? wild that i went from ooo to ex-aid actually. ex-aid is a deeply controversial work because it sucks so bad but it’s also really fucking funny. but also sometimes it really is unwatchable like i tried to watch a couple of the first few episodes with eri and i was like this is horrible i’m being tortured but then when i think about parad i get hysterical. the duality of ex-aid. I think a lot of ex-aid is not very good. and yet it has something… some kind of power that makes me tell people to watch it and then they’re like this sucks and i’m like yeah! (this has happened 2 times.) but i do like ex-aid despite the fact that it’s really loud and annoying and the camera angles are weird and the belt noises are insufferable. it’s funny. i think the idea of gamer doctors fighting to the death(?) is hilarious. it definitely impacted me that’s for sure. there’ll never be another one like it… despite takahashi doing multiple krs since then (mistake). ex-aid is the demon that haunts me.

w - i think i’ve actually forgotten a good chunk of what actually happened in w but it was good. it was solid. philip and shotaro and akiko found family baby!!! and w made me tolerate a cop so that’s something. i really have nothing else to say here. ok actually w totally fell apart when it killed off the sonozakis and brought in that weird-ass doctor and that random villain who showed up at the end but philip and shotaro carried it… for me. and akiko of course she was everything to me. also again the final episode made me forgive everything because it was like they’re reunited!!! (sobbing and screaming and crying) 

fourze - for a while i didn’t hype up fourze that much because of the american high school aesthetic, which is actually really funny but not exactly my taste. but gentaro truly is a wonderful good boy. he loves his friends PERIOD. also ryusei was really funny because everyone else was like some kind of american teen drama trope (the goth girl, the jock, the cheerleader, etc.) and then there was ryusei who was like two-faced bitch alert! i love that. also kengo and gentaro were in love so there was #yaoi. that one episode where kengo was mad bc ryusei and gentaro were getting along and he was so jealous i cried. i would give anything for another kr as good as fourze tbh. 

den-o - when i first started kamen rider i was like i’m not watching that old shit (pre-neo heisei) but then i was like ok i will give den-o a chance because it was written by ms. kobayashi… and it was good. it was really fucking good. like there’s not a lot of crazy shit it’s mostly just funny shenanigans with the imagins and ryoutarou’s hard knock life but you still feel emotional about it all… ms. kobayashi’s genius. her range. even though the plot makes absolutely no fucking sense i think it’s fine. it’s about the feelings. the bonds. and also trains. 

ryuki - so after not watching kamen rider for 4-5 years i started watching ryuki with lain because they put it on tokushoutsu. and wow was i not prepared for whatever that was! i don’t think there is a way to prepare yourself for ryuki actually. but i will say that ms. kobayashi once again impacted me with her talent. her ability to create so many weird and mentally ill men… i’m obsessed. also i love shinji so much he is just an silly little dogboy who is being forced to confront the trolley problem and also fight to the death. why did she do all that to him? also why did she give kitaoka a beautiful and perfect malewife? why did she make asakura so sexy? why did she make tojo like that? why can’t ren be nice to shinji just a little? i have a lot of questions and no answers. there was never a dull moment with ryuki bc there was always some shit going on. every single guy was fascinating except the ones that were meant to be annoying as hell. and the ensemble cast of yui and ore journal and aunt sanako… love them. they are all so funny and iconic. i wish i could say more but i would spoil it. ms. kobayashi’s wild ride. as you can see ryuki has left me incoherent. i will not recover from what ryuki did to me. gen urobuchi you will never be her. 

blade - i started watching blade while also watching ryuki to prevent myself from looking up spoilers but it didn’t work. anyway the point is i watched all of blade while also watching ryuki with lain. it was interesting to watch them at the same time bc toward the end blade started copying ryuki so hard with the battle royale shit it was like ok girl i guess! blade is interesting bc a lot of krs have a strong start and then go off the fucking rails but blade is the opposite. it starts off like what the fuck is all this now then at the very end it’s like ohhh it’s about how the love was there all along. bring out the yaoi. i think at least 30 episodes of blade are complete nonsense like you will be sitting there like um okay i guess? but it’s worth it for the shakespearean gay tragedy of kenzaki/hajime. i can’t say i really liked mutsuki or tachibana but toward the end i started finding them really funny like i couldn’t really be mad because tachibana is so pathetic you just have to chuckle and mutuski has teenager disease. although it was tiring watching them both be assholes to their beautiful girlfriends for so long like ok can we get back to how in love kenzaki is with hajime PLEASE. but oh well. we can’t have everything!

if you actually read all of this thank you. i have so much to say and yet my brain is very small… i will continue making my poor quality videos to show my respect however. kamen rider the world. 

[turnupswritessometimes]

AshEiji - Twelve Days of Ficmas Bonus - New Year's Eve

A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52217968/chapters/133371553

Ash half wished that he didn't get a watch for Christmas, and instead really had gotten his old gun back. Travelling between Christmas and New Years made him feel homicidal. There were the day-drinkers in the airport, the people with three giant bags a piece and everyone seemed to be taking a range of pets back home from the holidays.

He'd nursed a whiskey on the rocks, and forced himself to count to ten. It didn't help very much. It was a marvel how Eiji could stand it; he seemed completely calm and at ease. He even managed to fall asleep on the plane, pressing himself into Ash's shoulder. That was what helped calm him down.

So he understood what Alex meant, when he'd said that Eiji was Ash's Achilles heel.

But they did arrive in Izumo without Ash murdering anyone. He felt just as twisted up as if he had, though. The gang would laugh at him for feeling nervous about something like this.

Still, he was. Because New Year for Eiji was what Christmas was for most people. This was the important one. This was the one to get right. (Though, Ash tried to reason with himself, Christmas hadn't been perfect, and it hadn't mattered.)

Eiji's mother and sister were waiting for him outside the airport. They both hugged him tightly; first his mother, then his sister - and then his sister hugged Ash, too.

He didn't mean to stiffen, but it was a surprise. He didn't have time to put his arms around her in return before she pulled away, brushing her hair from her face.

"It's good to see you again, Ash." She spoke in English, smiling warmly. "Eiji talks about you so much I feel like you're my friend."

"I do not." Eiji actually turned red, shifting his suitcase.

"You're supposed to talk about your husband. That's the whole point of being in love."

Ash took a breath - and said, "It's good to meet you, again."

He spoke in Japanese. Haltingly. But Eiji's sister gave a small squeal and grinned at him. Eiji blinked. He looked at Ash, his eyes softening like melted chocolate. His smile was softer, and Ash knew if they didn't both have their hands full of luggage, he'd be e twining their fingers together.

"And you, Mrs Okumura. Are you doing well?"

She was surprised to hear him speak Japanese, he knew. And he saw a change in her expression, if only for a moment, before she became guarded and unreadable once more. She spoke mainly to Eiji and his sister; Ash could tell because she spoke Japanese at such a fast pace, he couldn't catch any of it.

Eiji met his eye, and smiled. He squeezed their hands, hiding it between their coats. Things were different here. Ash was already attracting attention; his blonde hair was like a beacon.

He helped get their cases into the car, revelling in when Eiji's hand grazed his. They stood at the open trunk, with Eiji's family inside.

"I'm sorry," Eiji whispered.

"I'll work on it," Ash said. "No one can resist my charm for long." He winked, and Eiji laughed, tucking his hair behind his ear. He pushed the roof of the trunk down, and angled himself slightly closer to Ash.

"You've been practising Japanese," he murmured.

"Hai."  Ash leant closer too.

"Well then-" Eiji's dark eyes shone up at him. "Daisuki, Ash."

"I love you, too." And he was ready to kiss him - was leaning forward to, when the car horn sounded. He looked through the back window to see Eiji's sister looking back at them. She grinned.

"Come on, lovebirds!" she shouted, in English.

Eiji blushed again, ducking his chin into his scarf. He stepped away from Ash, and round to the car doors. Ash stood, still feeling jittery. He bit his lip. And followed him into the car.

He did enjoy being in Izumo. Loved the fact that it was different from New York; loved the countryside and the shrines they passed. Loved Eiji's home, too. That it was a modest, place that had been lived in. The fence was patched, and the garden slightly overgrown. The tatami mats and screens were well-worn, but lovingly taken care of.

And he loved seeing Eiji's old room. It still had his desk; his old school books; his old sports bag. His old plush bird sat on his bookshelf, along with childhood picture books. His whole life before Ash was here. The history of Eiji.

"Have you got any photos from Ibe's exhibition?" Ash asked, thumbing through some of the old picture books. He could actually recognise some of the characters, even if he couldn't piece it all together.

"God, no." Eiji looked horrified. "I'd rather not see them ever again."

"Weren't they brilliant?" Ash leant against the shelves. An old pin badge bad been left on the side. It was shaped like a bird, too. "Didn't he win an award?"

"Yes, but I don't want a giant photo of me at fourteen on my wall," Eiji replied.

"I bet you were adorable at fourteen."

Eiji took the picture book from Ash's hands, sliding it back onto the shelf. "You'll never find out, sweetie."

He kissed Ash, briefly, his hand lingering on Ash's chest.

But he did find out. Because when Eiji's mother called for Eiji's help, and he disappeared into the kitchen, Ash lingered. He paused outside Eiji's sister's room; she was finishing off tidying, dusting off a few glass ornaments on the windowsill.

"Hello, Ash." She raised her eyebrows at him. "I hope you've cleaned your house for the new year, too."

"I - tried," he lied. "Eiji's much better at tidying."

"I'm sure." She tucked her duster into the back pocket of her denim skirt, putting her hands on her hips.  "Has he made you pull your own weight, too?"

"I'm better at cooking." That was true, and he enjoyed doing that. "Apart from on Christmas day."

Which did make her smile. "Eiji told me." Her brown eyes softened. "Thank you, for taking care of him."

His chest felt warm. It felt like he'd finally succeeded at something: that Christmas wasn't a total disaster, because he'd taken care of Eiji.

"And since I'm such a good partner." He slid his hands into his own back pockets, smirking. He ducked his chin, so that his hair fell across his face. "Do you have any photos of fourteen-year-old Eiji?"

Which turned Eiji's sister's grin from sweet to wolffish. "Absolutely."

She had one on her desk that she handed over to him. It was a smaller reproduction. Eiji in mid-jump. Flying, Ash thought. It still looked like he was soaring, his body arcing over the pole. It was clear he was younger; his face was rounder, and his hair longer. Much longer.

"I hope Eiji's also seen your old photos," his sister said.

Ash grimaced. He opened his mouth, and wondered what lie would be believable. "It's complicated."

"It's fine." Eiji appeared at the top of the stairs, and stepped forward to put his arm around Ash's waist, taking the photo from his hand. "My hair really was awful, then."

"I like it." Ash relinquished the photo. "My hair was worse at fourteen."

"Oh, really?" Eiji's sister asked.

Eiji looked up at him, holding the photo to his chest. His gaze told him that he didn't have to say, if he didn't want to.

"It was real short." And he showed the size with his fingers. Very short. On someone else it would make them look tough. Ash, whenever he saw the photos from that time, thought he looked like a little boy who wanted to be an adult.

Eiji's sister laughed, though Eiji's gaze softened even further. Ash ruffled his hair, acting like it didn't bother him.

"Dinner's ready," Eiji said, softly. He put the photo back on his sister’s desk, brushing his shoulder against Ash’s as he passed, like a cat offering reassurance. Ash pressed back, taking a breath. Very aware that Eiji’s sister was watching them both, and no doubt wondering about the mystery that was Ash.

At least he could eat with chopsticks. Competently. And he could rush to help wash up. Over the next couple of days, he offered to help whenever he could. With tidying, and preparing meal from the jubako. Offering to run and fetch the groceries. (Even though he got lost on the way back and had to call Eiji for directions.) He spoke Japanese whenever he could, even if it was stilted and oftentimes wrong. Eiji would gently correct him, his sister would laugh good-naturedly, his mother even started to smile.

He made sure to compliment her cooking whenever he could – and it was genuine: the soba and the herring and the mochi were all delicious. She started to relax around him, though it still wasn’t clear if she liked him or not.

He found himself in the kitchen with her, whilst Eiji and his sister bickered over their deserts from around the kotatsu.

“They never change,” Eiji’s mother said, she put some of the dishes away. She spoke in Japanese, but slow enough that Ash could catch the individual words.

“It’s nice.” He smiled. Helped put the dishes on the highest shelf.  “I miss my brother?”

“Is he in New York?”

“No.” Ash put his hands on the counter, leaning on them as much as he dared. “He died.”

He said it bluntly, because he didn’t know a softer word to say it in Japanese. He heard Eiji’s mother take a breath. Glanced across to see her looking solemnly at him.

“I’m very sorry.”

Ash shook his head. He opened his mouth to say that it was no problem, but the words stuck there. He did miss Griffin. He’d lost him just as he could have been getting better. So he took another breath, and another bowl to put away.

Eiji’s mother watched him. She spoke in heavily accented English, “You are mystery boy, Ash.”

“I know,” he said. “I’m sorry. It’s complicated.”

She didn’t know about the gang. Didn’t know that Ash had been accused of murder. Didn’t know who – what – Ash had been, before. Just that he’d been in trouble. Eiji had probably called him a rebel.

But Eiji’s mother smiled at him. Genuinely, and it made him feel a rush of warmth through his chest. “But you make my son very happy.”

Ash glanced through to the living room. Eiji had turned, no doubt at the sound of English. He smiled too, his eyes shining. They looked like they had a star trapped inside them.

Ash was close to grinning, himself. “Ma’am, he makes me even happier.”

*

New Year’s Eve came. And it was a lot of watching Japanese television in the evening; a line-up of show s that the Okumuras had waited all year to see. Ash could barely follow it, but that didn’t matter. He was content to eat mochi and watch Eiji. There were more old photos of him on the side table, from a very small boy up to him finishing high school. It was strange, to see his life laid out like dominoes, until he became the boy sat in front of Ash now.

He kept glancing over, sympathetically. It was late in the evening, after the fireworks, when he took Ash’s hand, and led him from the room. His sister whistled after them, and got scolded by Eiji’s mother. He grinned, his heart leaping.

Eiji led him upwards; then over to his window. Then disappeared outside it, and Ash’s heart sunk again. He followed, of course, accepting Eiji’s hand up onto the roof.

“It’s a New Year’s tradition,” Eiji said. He settled on the edge of the roof tiles, letting his legs swing. They could see the fields around them, from here. The streetlamps only reached their feet; a gentle amber. He could see the sky, properly, the night sky misty with clouds. “To watch the first sunrise of the New Year.”

“I like that.” Ash sat next to him. Made sure their hands touched, twining his fingers with Eiji’s.

Eiji pressed against him. “This’ll be a good year, Ash.”

“Yeah?” He turned his head to kiss Eiji’s temple. Kissed it again, slower, and heard the soft sound Eiji made in return. “Even if I have no purpose?”

“Of course you have a purpose.” Eiji turned to look at him. The streetlights just caught his eyes, and they shone a soft brown. The shadows played over his tanned skin, and he was beautiful. This place was so different from New York; there was less of everything. It was peaceful. “You’re going to be one step closer to being a doctor. You’re studying.”

“Yeah, but it’s not—” Ash sighed. “It’s not busting a drug ring.”

“It might be, one day.” Eiji brushed a lock of hair from Ash’s face, tucking it behind his ear. “You’re retired, sweetie.”

“I don’t think retirement suits me.”

“I think it does.”

Because Ash was still alive, and he had a future, even if it seemed a very long time before he’d be Doctor Okumura.

“And you have to take care of me.” Eiji kissed his cheek.

Ash turned to kiss him properly. Buried his hand in Eiji’s dark hair, trying to drink every part of him in for the umpteenth time. He’d never get enough of this, he thought.

“Alright,” he whispered. Nipped Eiji’s bottom lip; he giggled. “Sure. And what about you?”

“What about me?” Eiji repeated.

“What have you thought about Max’s offer.”

Eiji pulled away. It was his turn to sigh, his fingers tightening on Ash’s. “I don’t know. I always thought – I thought I’d high jump. I never thought I’d be a proper photographer. It was a hobby.”

“Do you want to do it?”

“It’s better money.”

“Sweetie.”

“But it’s longer hours.”

“Eiji.”

And Eiji turned to him. The wind caught his bangs.

“Is it what you want to do?”

Eiji paused. He stared at Ash, taking in every inch of him as though he was something remarkable. He stared at Eiji’s mouth instead, biting his lip. He enjoyed these few days in Japan, but it was best, when it was like this. Just them. And it was quiet.

“I think so,” Eiji whispered.

“Then, that’s good.” Ash kissed him. “That’s great.” And again. Until it became a chain of kisses and Eiji’s hand was on his chest. Until they were pressing close, and Ash’s heart was raced. His skin tingled, where they touched. “That’s perfect.”

He followed the warmth of Eiji’s mouth as the night got even darker. The streetlights turned off, eventually. And even later, Eiji pulled away, bumping his forehead against Ash’s.

“It’s almost time.”

Ash nudged him back. Gave him one, final kiss, before he let him pull away. There was the first string of light on the horizon. The first sunrise of the New Year.

Eiji twined his arms around Ash’s shoulders, resting his head there too. Ash pressed back against him, his arm around Eiji’s waist, revelling in the smell of his shampoo; of tatami mats and home cooking; the smells of Eiji’s home.

The sun took a while to rise. Slowly, it painted the sky with roses and ambers. Stained the darkness with saffron. Lit the clouds from behind so everything really did look like a renaissance painting. Ash could understand why they painted the heavens just like that.

“I love you, sweetie,” he whispered, as though it was a secret.

“I love you, too.” Eiji kissed Ash’s cheek, and it felt like a blessing. “Happy New Year, Ash.”

He pulled Eiji impossibly closer, closing his eyes for a moment. Trying to remember this moment, with the soft, warm light, and the boy he loved twined around him.

“Happy New Year, Eiji.”

[selfetishizing]

Congrats on hitting 100 followers!!! u deserve waaay more honestly your writing is impeccable and beyond beautiful, we can't thank you enough for sharing it with us 🥺🫂

In your opinion, what careers would suit adult aslan and eiji? my friends always see ash as a librarian type but i feel like teaching would be a fun concept!

Thanks for the ask, Anon, and for reading my AshEiji fics! I've pondered this question many times as I brainstormed bajillion Married!AshEiji prompts. Allow me to spill some of my brain content to you:

Ash

I am 100000% on board with Ash as a teacher! I think it's a popular headcanon that he would teach English/Literature; I could also see him teaching Mathematics or Chemistry given his extensive intellect! To me, he'd be the cool teacher who would have hordes of kids hang out in his classroom as he eats the lunch Eiji packed for him.

Not entirely opposed to him being a professor, though! I would see it as his "side gig" as he writes literary critiques for academic journals. He feels very important when someone calls him "Dr. Callenreese-Okumura."

Public librarian! A lot of people believe this is a quiet job in which you're surrounded by books and read in your downtime—No. Ash would definitely be busy planning events, reading to children; cleaning said children's pee off the reading carpet; waxing poetic about the Dewey Decimal System; helping elderly people with their taxes or technology; telling said elderly people to stop watching porn on the computers; encouraging anxiety-ridden college students; and hefting drunk people out of the building.

Bookshop owner! He can info-dump whenever he wants to anyone he wants. He also organizes book clubs at his and Eiji's home. Somehow, he's always surprised that old women show up.

Honestly, I've thought about a period in which Ash just stays home to recuperate. He'd do volunteer work (learns how to cook in the process); submit to math journal problems—not for the prize money, but for the prestige that comes with winning; walk Buddy; garden; travel; write. Basically all of the things he never got to do when he was young.

Eiji

Photojournalist or photographer. I don't think I need to explain myself here. (For type of photography? Street, architecture, or travel. He tries to bring Ash along whenever he can, though they can make the distance work.)

A "tinkerer" (as Ash would call it) as a side job! He'd fix up old vintage cameras and resell them.

Just for the "cute" element, a professor as well. Two "Dr. Callenreese-Okumuras!!!" His photography students tease him about it.

DOG GROOMER! Eiji comes home and transfers all of the hair onto Ash when they hug. Buddy is all over him because of the scent of other dogs.

Exhibition curator. He definitely has a good eye for putting pieces together to narrate a story. He'd have Ash help him with research too. (They are dweebs that bond through academia, art, and history.)

[sayaka19fan]

Marvin's line 🍌🐠

Some time ago, @blak-rabbit drew my attention to the differences between the first and second English translation of the manga, so I decided to share one of the points we have discussed.

Back when Viz's Pulp Manga Magazine was funtional Yuji Oniki was the translator for Banana Fish (up to volume 7). After 2004 Matt Thorn and Carl Gustav Horn took over the job and they did the translation once again from the beginning.

A comparison of one frame from volume 1 will show that both the translations and the anime adaptation might have aimed to make the characters queer, bending the original text to this narrative.

In the original scene, Gregory has just scolded Marvin for failing to behave like an adult in front of a boy, that is, for being easily provoked by Ash when Marvin says:

いいや... ガキだからってかんべんからねえ...

"No... Just because he's a brat doesn't mean it's excusable...

ちくしょう

Damn it!

ヤロウいつも人をコケにしやがって!

You jerk are always making a fool out of me!

いつかあいつの細っこい首 ねじ折ってやる.

Someday I'm gonna break that thin little neck of his."

(Translation is mine)

Now, let's give a look at the translations.

Yuji Oniki's translation (left to right):

Between the two I prefer this one, though it isn't without flaws:

1. "With my bare hands" Is just a pointless addiction.

2. It's true that Marvin says "people"「人」 there, but before that sentence there are two swear words that are omitted: "chikushou" and "yarou", Marvin isn't explaining something to Gregory, he is angry at being taken lightly by Ash, even though he says "people", he's talking about himself.

Now, let's see Matt Thorn and Carl Gustav Horn's translation (right to left):

Let's open another can of worms!

1. Yarou / ヤロウ / 野郎 is a typical shounen manga swear to address male characters, it cannot be read as an equivalent of "effeminate" or the likes. How it seems to have become a "queer"'s neck?

2. Hosokkoi/ 細っこい isn't just a descriptive term. Ash's neck being thin means that it is delicate and beautiful, not just weak. Even in his anger Marvin can't help appreciating Ash's beauty, so it makes no sense for the translator to add the word "worthless". Why? Why?

3. As this translation erases the part about Marvin being ridiculed by Ash's behaviour, the readers don't get how personal this is to Marvin. Here it seems that Marvin just generally dislikes how Ash plays innocent like a kid. This is not what Ash has done in that scene. Ash was looking down on Marvin, talking to him as if he was his master's son. "Good job giving me a lift here, no need to accompany me back" is how you speak to your employees. Ash was reminding Marvin that now he is above him.

Finally, let's look at the anime:

このガキ ちくしょう！

This would actually translate into "That brat, damn it!"

Like in many other occasions the script is shortened, and it is usually flavourless when they are not Ash's or Eiji’s lines.

The animators decided to make Marvin swear. They kept "chikushou" and "gaki"(kid/brat) but got rid of "yarou". In the manga Marvin calls Ash "brat" as a reaction to Gregory's words, but since Gregory and the other bodyguard aren't in the anime scene this line sounds weird there. The point in Marvin's line was that they shouldn't treat him like a kid, because Ash is actually a "yarou" (bastard/ jerk). Talking to himself, Marvin wouldn't ever call Ash a brat with a dismissive tone, this wouldn't convey his anger well. Plus, erasing "yarou", the animators avoided defining Ash as "male".

Thanks to NegtvaNetie_1935 for his inputs as well!

[dayyofsun]

"Banana fish" and "The ones who walk away from Omelas"

(Note: English is not my first language !! small spoilers of banana fish and the ones who walk away from omelas)

It happened that after I finished watching Banana Fish, I read "The ones who walk away from Omelas" and I just couldn't stop thinking. Maybe it was because after I finish a series I like to relation it to everything, but in this case I feel it's more than that.

Starting with, what is banana fish? Here is the small description from imdb: "The story captures the war between a mafia boss named Dino and a young gang leader (Ash Lynx) searching for redemption." I think people who are interested in banana fish will read this, so I don't think I need to give a big description about it.

Continuing with: what is "The ones who walk away from Omelas"? It's a philosophical short story created by Ursula K. Le Guin. About a perfect fairy tale like town, that has a horrendous secret.

When I read "the ones who walk away from omelas" I realized that their world works so perfectly that it seemed fake. There should be something wrong. And I was right. There is a secret in their city. In the most dark and profound place of the town lives a kid, who has never been happy, never has seen light, never been loved or treated with decency. And you may ask, why? Well, that child pain is everybody happiness. You either live knowing the truth or leave the city, because that kid's suffer is what keeps the balance in Omelas. (The whole plot of the story is a paradigm of our society, but I won't develop in that, this is all about banana fish).

That made think of Ash. He is the balance of the world where he lives in. Even if he has been fighting for his freedom ever since he escaped Dino, he still is part of the game. The truth is that Ash is never free and can never leave. Just like the trapped kid in Omelas. Without him in New York, how can be peaceful? And we see it's like that, as soon he leaves New York everything falls. Chaos start everywhere, nobody is in peace and nobody is free from that chaos. The only way to bring peace again is Ash staying there, never being free and never changing his fate.

The people who leave Omelas do it because they won't stand the truth, and since they can't do anything to change it, they just leave. In banana fish, we see what would happen if you try to help the suffering kid. Every person who tries to help Ash ends up dead, in pain, losing somebody important, or just leaving. I know everybody is thinking about Eiji, but I wanna tell all of you that leaving isn't a bad thing, because Ash always have belonged to New York and there is nothing he or anyone can do to change that. A good comparison would be even if Ash was never free in life, his fight and death meant the freedom for every possible next suffering kid. In Omelas that would never happen.

SO......... that's all :]

imdb page of banana fish: w.imdb.com/title/tt8515016/plotsummary/

the ones who walk away from omelas: https://shsdavisapes.pbworks.com/f/Omelas.pdf

[fairydust-stuff]

Banana Fish Sprited away au pigs

Griffin catches Ash before he falls.  “ Watch you step” 

“ fuck you!” Ash growls 

“ Hey! I know you're mad about me leaving” Griffin said. “ 

“ Your going off to war….what if you?” Ash trails off memories of war statistics he read come to mind.  

Griffin sighs “ I don’t have a choice, Uncle sam called and i’ve got to Answer” 

“ Its not fair! I don’t want to be left alone with him!” Ash groused

“ Look, I know he messed up but he’s still our dad” Griffin argued. 

 Ash ground his teeth together as he looked over his shoulder at Jim callanese who was grumbling the whole time while chugging a beer. 

“ I’m surprised the locals haven’t come after us with pitchforks for bringing him” Ash muttered. 

“ Ash!” yells a cheerful voice as Eiji Okamura jogs up to him. 

“ Wow your fast!” 

“ Or maybe slow America body is weighed down by burgers” Eiji sassed. 

Ash laughed, his eyes drift to Eiji’s sweat-caked tank top and he flushes. 

“ How much further?” Jim snaps 

“ Simmer down pops” Ash retorted 

“ Speak like your father like that again you disrespectful little w….” 

“ Ok!” Griffin cuts in “ Eiji, we’re almost there right?” 

The Japanese boy nods. 

His eyes are nice Ash thinks dreamily. 

“ Little further” 

“ Speak English” Jim said sharply 

Eiji looks like he’s resisting the urge to say something. 

“ Almost there…sir” Eiji said, he leads them toward a tunnel which they follow him through. 

Jim lets out a discontented grunt. 

“ Where are we going?” Ash asked Eiji 

“ Jiufen” Eiji said. 

“ Wait that’s in Thailand” Ash said. 

“ Oh I meant Kyoto” Eiji laughed 

“ I swear you said Jiufen” Griffin frowned. 

“ His English is such shit we cann’t understand a word” Jim pointed out. 

“ Ash you really think I can magically take you to Thailand?” Eiji laughed 

“ Your right it was an honest mistake” Ash realizes those eyes are so warm and innocent. 

Eiji leads them to an abandoned theme park  “ Ta dah welcome!” 

“ Why is it abandoned?” Griffin asked 

“ Something smells good” Eiji sniffs the air. 

Ash realizes he’s right, Griffin and Jim follow his lead and the group finds heaps and heaps of food in a tent. 

Jim starts piling a plate. 

“ Hey bastard! This could be a setup for someone's festival!” Ash points out 

Griffin puts a hand on his shoulder “ don’t worry, I've got some crash on me, i’ll pay for it” 

“ That’s your problem Griff, you're always cleaning up after him!” Ash complained 

Jim starts eating ravenously. 

“ You should stop” Eiji interjects quickly. 

Jim  scoffs “ Why the hell should best dam food I’ve ever eaten. Hey, there any beer around here?” 

“ Here’s some wine” Griffin selects one of the bottles. 

Eiji looks gleeful for a moment. Ash shakes his head maybe his eyes are playing tricks on him.  

Jim opens it and takes a swing his eyes light up “ This is incredible! Here Griffin try some” 

Ash gets a chill down his spine “ No wait stop!” he exclaimed 

“ Ash relax, we’ll just take a bottle each” Griffin reassured him selecting another bottle that he peels the label from. 

“ No Griffin stop no this isn’t right!” 

They ignore him and keep devouring as if they’ve never eaten a meal before and swigging bottle after bottle of wine. Then their faces start to change and their snouts get longer their faces and stomachs bulge they start to burst out of their clothes. 

“ Dad! Griffin!” Ash exclaims soon where his brother and father stood are two fat pigs who race across the table making snorting sounds.