#(also i see him as Don Quijote)

[tenyardstowitchyard]

An unexpected companion

[ultimate-marysue]

I know that all the names of The Locked Tomb Series have a lot of deep meaning but I just love the Seventh house. Like, the way you can figure out the plot twist just by reading the names. (Spoilers for Gideon the Ninth).

Dulcinea is named after Dulcinea del Toboso from El Quijote. The titular Quijote lives in a fantasy world due to reading too many books about Knights, so he starts imagining the world around him as the one from his books. He kinned too close to the sun. Dulcinea del Toboso is his lady love, the most perfect woman in existence. Obviously Don Quijote's "squire" Sancho Panza doesn't believe Dulcinea exists. She's part of Quijote's fantasy. So to try to snap him out of it he brings him a peasant woman named Aldonza Lorenzo, ugly and stinky, saying it's Dulcinea. Quijote assumes she must be under some curse and bows to free her (he never gets to). So obviously when I read Dulci's name in Gideon the Ninth and she turns out to be too perfect to be real...yeah, I figured out that wasn't the real necromancer from the seventh. Tbf, I'm from Spain so Dulcinea immediately triggers my second grade memories.

Protesilaus. This one's crazier and I didn't get it until the end of the book. You see the name sounded familiar and I was sure it was from some Greek myth or tragedy. Turns out in the Iliad the Oracle tells the Greeks that the first man to set foot on Troy would die. That's why Odysseus jumped on his shield to not "set foot on trojan soil". Protesilaus was the first one to actually disembark and, as such, was killed. Just like TLT protesilaus was the first one to die (protecting Dulci). Also in some versions of the story his wife, wracked with grief, asks the gods to see her beloved again. The gods take pity on her and allow her five minutes, after which they both die. This reminds me of how the real Protesilaus was brought back by Harrow's bubble, created by her grief for Gideon.

Cytherea is another name for Aphrodite and Gideon's very obvious lust aside, this tracks too. Not only is Cytherea described as really beautiful, she's a Lyctor which makes her godlike. It's also her love for her cavalier that makes her lose her head a bit. And even while she's Killing everyone in Canaan House she makes it a point to state that she still loves all of the contestants. She even admits to still loving John (much like Mercymorn). Also, the one that finds out she's not who she says she is is the man in love with the real Dulcinea.

Gotta love Tamsyn spoiling her book with names. This series is so fucking good.

[ferigrieving]

you cried wolf, so i came running.

⊹ ࣪ am i the wolf, or am i the saviour?

a.n the house i mentioned is literally a real house i went house shopping instead of packing and its literally so beautiful this is also kind of canon divergent takes place around the hassaikai arc and you and dabi get left behind to house sit or . whatever

⤷ masterlist ; requests open

the hideout was suffocating.

in the dim corners of the abandoned bar that the league of villains called home, you and dabi sat huddled together under a pile of mismatched blankets you had stolen from don quijote. the glow from the laptop screen cast eerie shadows on the cracked walls, illuminating your faces as you scrolled through endless real estate listings. despite the raging winter storm outside, you felt nothing but warm as you sat next to your boyfriend.

“how about this one?” his arm was wrapped around yours protectively, his body warmth seeping through the thick fabric of your jumper. the only perk of having a todoroki as a boyfriend was the heat they seemed to radiate at all times.

 the league had left you two on guard watching in search of some random villain group you’ve never heard of– the hassaikai, or whatever. you werent really paying attention, deciding to be productive and look for real estate as if you had even half the funds to afford anything.

dabi leaned closer, his breath warm against your cheek as he leaned on your shoulder from where he sat behind you. “too big,” he muttered, reaching over to continue scrolling. “its just gonna be us. why do we need that many bedrooms? unless you were planin’ on havin’ kids.”

“not anytime soon, especially not with a bitch like you. our kids are gonna turn our wrinkly and purple like their father.” you elbowed him in the gut at his words, shaking your head as you removed his hand from the trackpad. “but we should at least have space for guests. or just an extra room. could be my studio. or the office, if you ever decide to become a blue-collared freak.”

he chuckled, leaning back against the wall, the sound vibrating through his chest and into your back. “guests, huh? plannin’ on inviting twice and toga over for tea or some shit?”

“touya, shut up.”

“love you too,” he grinned, kissing the top of your head. in response, you pushed him away, shaking your head and focusing your attention back on the laptop. you both went back and forth like this, bantering and shoving at one another as you skimmed through countless listings. the two of you shared a mutual understanding: this was a game. a dance you had both perfected over the years.

 "you are not picking this one. it's too flashy. we are not making a huge property investment in the shape of a giant L. that's just tacky. we would look like assholes," he muttered.

“we already look like assholes. we’re literally wanted criminals, baby.”

“exactly. so we shouldn’t draw more attention to ourselves.” he pointed to a property. “see that one? it’s nice, decent space. not too far from kamino. even your shitty job would be within walking distance.”

you smacked his arm, scoffing at the jab. “my shitty job is what’s gonna pay the bills, dickhead. you’re lucky i’m even humouring you with all of this.”

dabi’s voice was quiet, his tone low as he pulled you closer. the two of you were cuddled up close on the small cot where you slept, his arms circling around your waist as he spooned you. the glow of his flames was the only source of light in the dark room, reflecting in the broken mirror in the corner.

his hands were running up and down your sides, fingers tracing light patterns across your arm. his grip was loose, almost absentminded as he held you against him. you found a nice apartment not far from here. three bedrooms, one bathroom, open space layout. only four minutes away from the station.

dabi’s breath was warm against your neck, his lips grazing the sensitive skin underneath your ear.

“hmm. it looks good. nice open layout, plenty of space, nice neighbourhood. plus there’s a balcony so i don’t have to deal with your nasty smoking habit.” he hummed, wrapping his arms around your middle. “it even has a bathtub. perfect for us.”

“your nasty smokin habit, you fuckin’ hag.”

he chuckled, biting down on your earlobe just hard enough to make you shiver.  “watch it, love. your bratty mouth is gonna get you into trouble,” he murmured, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck.

“yeah. yeah, whatever. i think its really nice but.. do we really need three bedrooms?”

“no,” he muttered. he was in that lazy, sated state he got into when you two had just had sex, his touches soft and sweet as he held you close. his voice was deep and low in your ear. 

“it’s just gonna be us. we don’t need a guest bedroom for toga or shiggy or any other league losers to crash on. two would be fine. one for sleeping, one for other stuff.”

“and by other stuff you mean fucking me senseless on all the furniture?”

“sure. that too,” he nipped at your shoulder, trailing a soft, hot line of kisses down your skin. he had a habit of doing this when he was sleepy, his touches lazy and languid.

“i think two bedrooms is enough.” he said between kisses. “plus, you know how much i love sleeping next to you,” he purred.

you felt his hot breath on your neck as he continued to kiss and nuzzle at your skin. the apartment was nice, that was for sure, but the thought of having your own space with him was enough to make you relax into his embrace.

dabi's touch was possessive, like he was trying to claim you as his own. it wasn't new, but it was always a good feeling. you'd always been his, and he would always be yours. there was no denying that.

“its… eighteen million yen.”

“eighteen million yen?”

dabi snorted, and you could just feel him roll his eyes behind you. “are you shittin’ me, doll? theres no way we can afford that. we’d have to start savin’. maybe you gotta get a second job.”

“theres no way i can afford that. and why cant you get a job, you dickrider?”

he laughed at the nickname, burying his face in your neck. “cause i’m terrible with people, love. you’re the only person i can stand for more than two minutes,” he muttered.

“plus, what could i possibly do with this pretty face?” he gestured to his burnt skin, raising a brow at you.

“dunno. become a sex worker. thats like.. all you're good at. except charring people to bits in a second.”

a bark of laughter left his throat at that. “we both know i have a hard time sharing, doll. you don’t want me to get fired for burnin’ up all the clients, anyway,” he hummed.

“okay, whatever. next!” you hit the back button and continued scrolling. the kanji on the website felt like it was melting together into one big symbol, but you couldn't stop looking. you weren't aware you were capable of doom scrolling on a real estate website.

“you’re so impatient,” he groaned, kissing behind your ear as he flicked through more listings. 

“there,” he muttered, pointing at one. the two of you had been skimming through the same real estate site for hours, looking at various homes and apartments throughout japan. this one caught his attention, his eyes widening slightly. 

“that one, i like that one.” 

“i was gonna say that.”

you didn't really understand what older people meant when they said a house was ‘breath-taking’, but there was just something about this small little house you couldn't resist the charm of. the house was nearly all wood, from the ceiling, to the pillars, to the accenting. it was beautiful. 

windows were scattered on nearly every open space, and a small stairwell in the living room led up to a common room, already adorned with bookshelves and a desk. a ladder lead up to the lofted bedroom, and you couldn't imagine what the trek would be like when you and your boyfriend were drunk. it almost excited you.

dabi could see the light dancing in your eyes when you focused on the house. the sparkle of hope and excitement. he felt his heart flutter as you scanned over the listing, zooming in on the photos.

he couldn’t blame you. the house was absolutely… gorgeous. cosy. picturesque, even. the perfect home. he could envision spending every waking hour with you for the rest of his life.

“what do you think?” he muttered, wrapping his arms around you from behind.

dabi couldn’t help but smile against your skin. he leaned up, pressing his lips to yours in a chaste kiss. 

“then we’ll have it,” he whispered, his voice laced with love and affection. “whatever you want, as long as i get to keep waking up next to my pretty doll every day for the rest of my life, i’m happy.”

“god, you’re such a sap.”

dabi chuckled against your skin, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck. “i get all poetic when you’re around, doll. you make me soft,” he purred.

dabi pulled you further into his arms, tracing patterns on your stomach as he read through the description under the pictures. his fingers moved along the soft skin, tracing circles and hearts lazily as if he was just enjoying touching you. 

“i can see us here,” he hummed. “wakin’ up to the sun streamin’ through those giant windows. havin’ breakfast together on that tiny balcony. all that good stuff.”

dabi couldn’t help but picture it in his mind. you two, happy and in love. sharing meals together in his kitchen, enjoying each other's company and waking up beside one another every morning. it sounded like heaven, really. the soft, domestic bliss he'd always secretly pined for.

“we could even… start a family. kids, pets. all of it. it would be nice.” he breathed, leaning his head against yours, his words barely a whisper. he was imagining it, the future he'd secretly wished for since he first laid eyes on you.

you nodded, turning around from where you sat to kiss him softly. “yeah. it’d be nice, don’t you think? i always wanted to be a dad. i could teach my kid to play volleyball and scare all of his little teenage girlfriends.” he chuckled, burying his face into your hair. 

“you’d… like that, right?” dabi murmured, a hint of nervousness in his voice. it wasn’t something you two had ever really discussed, even in passing, but he couldn’t help but wonder.

“i just want everything,” he whispered before you could answer him, the sound muffled into your hair. a moment of silence passed before he spoke again, a small huff of laughter leaving his lips. 

“the house. the kids. the annoying dog that’ll eat our couch.” his lips slowly moved down your face, planting soft kisses as he continued speaking. “i want to grow old with you. i want to watch you walk down the dress wearing the most beautiful smile in the world. i want to watch you walk around our huge ass house pregnant, complaining that im coddling you too much.”

“ugh, listen to me. a year ago i woulda’ laughed at someone for talkin’ this cheesy. guess i’m goin’ soft, doll.”

“all because of you…” he pulled you closer, squeezing you tight against his chest. he was always affectionate, sometimes even clingy, but in the moment he seemed extra clingy. he couldn’t get enough of Touching and feeling you, as if it would soothe some deep insecurity inside of him. he was completely vulnerable, letting himself be gentle and sweet with you in the way he rarely let himself feel. 

that soft, quiet love he had reserved for you, only you.

dabi grinned, nodding against your hair. “yeah,” he whispered. “we can go look at it tomorrow. whatever you want.” he held you tighter, as if he was scared this was all a dream and he'd wake up alone in that shitty little house his father had raised him in.

his soft voice sent a shiver down your spine. this wasn't something you were used to—touya being so vulnerable, so gentle. the same man who had a reputation for his ruthless teasing and scathing remarks was now burying his face in your hair and whispering sweet nothings. he didn't let his guard down like this often, and the trust he was showing you in this moment was overwhelming.

you leaned back against him, soaking in the warmth of his embrace. his arms were wrapped around your torso, his chest pressed against your back. you could feel his steady heartbeat against your spine.

“you’re going soft, you know?” you teased, nudging him with your elbow. “next thing you know, you’re gonna start singing love songs to me while strummin’ a guitar.”

he chuckled at your words, the sound reverberating through his chest and into your back. “ha! never gonna happen. i’d rather swallow a handful of nails.”

“aww, come on,” you said, turning your head to playfully pout at him. “not even one little serenade for your favourite boy?”

he rolled his eyes at your pleading pout, but you could see the corners of his lips tugged upwards into a reluctant smile.

“doll, darlin’, love of my life,” he said dramatically. “i’d do a lot of things for you, but singin’ and playin’ the guitar ain’t one of ‘em. my voice sounds like a hyena being strangled and my fingers are too burnt to hold a pick.”

“sounds a lot to me like you’re given’ up, todoroki.”

dabi's eyes glinted with mischief. “tch, never. just being realistic. ain’t nobody wanna hear me singin’.”

he leaned back against the wall again, pulling you with him. “and i don’t need any fancy instruments to prove how i feel ‘bout you. my tongue’s more than enough, darlin.”

he let out a low chuckle as he gave your ear a playful nip. “i can think of a lot better things for these fingers to do than hold a pick.”

“you’re so gross. you pushed him away, groaning and turning on your side. “im goin’ to sleep. fuck you.”

dabi's smirk turned into a soft smile as he noticed your tired expression. “aw, my poor baby,” he teased, pulling you into his lap. “guess I wore you out, huh?”

he wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you snug against him. “you should get some sleep, doll. i can stay awake ‘n keep watch.”

“you sure?”

dabi nodded, nuzzling his face into your hair. “of course. I'm used to lackin' sleep, don't worry ‘bout me.”

he tightened his grip around your waist, pulling you even closer. “go to sleep. i’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

you settled into his lap, feeling drowsy and safe in his embrace. dabi continued to idly stroke your hair, his free hand rubbing soothing circles on your hip. 

he watched as you slowly drifted off, your breathing becoming deep and steady.

a small smile tugged at his lips as he looked down at you. you were so vulnerable like this, all curled up in his lap and asleep. he still wondered how he ended up with you.

he didn't deserve you, but god, he was glad you were his.

[skitskatdacat63]

Oh I’m so excited by a Don Quijote Au, I’ve been reading it since I was four! (Childrens version, I’m not a super genius just hispanic,) But I would love to see your au!!! Your drawings are so good!

Awww tysm anon!!! I don't know if it's something I'd actually end up drawing, just because I'm not even sure what I could draw for it(I'm not too fond of armor and that's all Don Quixote wears 😭) But as I'm reading the book, I can't stop thinking "yeah I could see Fernando doing this." I think they're just the same breed of ultra dedicated, dramatic maniac with an insane lack of self preservation. Like im not even that far in, and he keeps getting grievously injured and just gets back up and continues his adventures. Its like Fernando going back to racing after getting electrocuted, after having jaw surgery, hand surgery, etc etc. And all those long rambling, dramatic speeches Don Quixote goes on, I'm like, hmm yeah if Nando was in 17th century Spain would act like this. Just everyone around him being like "idk what nonsense this is, but he sounds committed!! I'll humor him ig"

Also a child's version, omg I wish! I enjoy reading it but there's so many references and words that have me 🤨. But tbh it's not too much of a struggle when I just view it as if it's a Monty Python bit djkfkg just the way he goes on and on and everyone around him is like, wow this dude is insane, is so funny

[kaleuh]

the reason we have family photos

this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to us. my family has always been in very good health, save for a few heart issues here and there. i expected there to be more crying. there was crying, but it was mostly...talking. half the time it wasn't even about him. we talked about recipes, pets, law degrees, All Creatures Great and Small, J.R.R. Tolkien's devout Christianity, the aunt we don't talk about, James Michener, Holden Caulfield, animal hoarding, slicing a cupcake in half and spreading the icing in the middle like a sandwich, how grandma keeps every flavor of tea that everyone likes in the house, and Don Quijote.

"i wanna sweep the garage"

"why?"

"it just feels like the thing to do"

and i watched her bravely get on both feet, and scuffle over to the garage. my poor grandmother. everyone followed her (as it felt like the thing to do) and my uncle took the lead, taking the broom and starting to sweep. then my grandma got indignant over having her own task taken from her, so she took the broom from him and started to sweep. then she got a phone call, so my cousin took the broom from her and started to sweep. then my cousin wanted to go and make tea for everyone, so she handed me the broom and i started to sweep, because when someone dies, you don't ask questions and you just sweep the garage.

then, it started to feel like a weird holiday. like thanksgiving, or someone's birthday, but warped. we started to take out the photo albums. all by him. every single event recorded in this family had been created and put in an album by him. From the 1970's to now. It was rare to see him standing in front of his camera, and you'd have to convince him to position himself in a family photo. i always thought it was maybe because he didn't like pictures of himself, but grandma says he just liked taking pictures of everyone else more. he took 30 years to propose to his wife. he had a stack of samurai jack dvds in his apartment. he also wrote, like me.

last week when my grandma turned 90, we had a party unlike anything we've ever had, and we each took turns telling stories - he did too. He ordered an Old Fashioned, and had a great time with every single family member. Everyone. Then a few days later, he went to church and was blessed by the very deacon who'd married him. Then, a few days later, he died.

The strangest and most beautiful thing of all was the package my grandma had gotten in the mail. He'd signed her up to receive a monthly book of Catholic Blessings. She took this as him sending a sign, that everything was all okay; that he was where he was meant to be, in the thereafter of everything.

I think if I ordered an Old Fashioned, had a big party with all my loved ones, got blessed, and then went home to the mountains with my wife, i would let everyone know that everything was okay too.

[nyxqueenofshadows]

it took me 128 hours, but i finally finished yakuza 7! as always, play diary under the cut (5k words, fyi)

had a lot of fun, there were times i laughed out loud and cried and yeah, adore the ichigang and what they bring to the series. banger of a game

bless ichiban and his big dumb heart

masato is such a dick. reminds me of post-timeskip nishiki a bit. i like how they portray his illness tho (even if they’re super vague about it).

oh speaking of there’s sooooo much cutscene jesus christ. even for a yakuza game this is killing me, even if it’s all very good. feels like i’m watching a tv show at times.

new year’s tacky sunglasses i salute you

the bread cutscene! it really does look great, idk what possessed them to spend as much time as they must’ve done to make one bite of bread look that good but i respect it!

ponytail ichi!! he’s only in it for like 5 minutes but i already miss him

anyway hey adachi welcome to the party now what on earth do you want and why are you pestering him about it this much

this is probably gonna come up again but i feel like i have no sense of how long anything’s gonna take. i’ll be stuck in 45 minute long segments where i can’t save or do much of anything and i can never see them coming even tho i’m what, nine games in at this point?

it’s so weird walking at the bottom of nakamichi street and the don quijote isn’t there. that’s like THE landmark down there for so many games (and in real life!) and for it to be a police station feels weirdly wrong.

arakawa sr what’re you doing man? what’s with the cold shoulder? and why are you buddy buddy with omi now?

ichi and adachi really get off on the wrong foot huh, tho it’s nice to see them getting over that a bit as they work together.

looking at nick ogata it’s kind of easy to see where they were hoping to slot akiyama in. shame, too.

after the first dungeon (and boss) to test me i think i’m getting used to the combat now? obvs i’ve not got a lot to work with yet tho.

so i played the rggo version of ichi’s story like six months ago? so i knew that arakawa sr shooting ichi was a thing, but oh man. he really has no hesitation there does he. fuck. also adachi! i need him back and he’s gone :(((( at least it gave me my equipment i put on him back

nanba! grumpy guy. reasonable tho.

fake money? huh. wonder who put that on ichi. and why, too. is this gonna be to do with that commissioner guy, the one from the cabaret club.

i needed to quit so i skimmed over this a bit (which is a shame cos it was a good bit) but nanba has a criminal record??? tell me more??? (me from later: ohhh he was selling drugs on the black market. nanba... me from even later: BRO WHY)

i’ve unlocked substories! woohoo!

hamako’s great, like her a lot. yeah, show ‘em who’s boss!

wait ryo aoki is leader of bleach japan? that explains a few things. (i had it spoiled for me shhh) also bleach japan guy (kume?) can go die, i hate him. do i get to hit him at some point, please say i do (me, post game: I do, but not nearly enough.)

the bit where nanba and ichi finally get a place to live and sit talking about their dreams and being like fuck it, do what you want hit me harder than i expected. maybe it’s just where i’m at in life (or that i’m a big ol’ sap) but i teared up a bit

adachi’s back in the party, ichi’s got his hero bat, everything’s going great! can’t wait for it all to come crashing down around them when whatever the fuck was going on with the geomijul guy with the crossbow comes back at the party again.

wait wait hold on why did they translate sujimon sensei like that??? he introduces himself as ドクターすじもん and then says people call him すじもん博士（はかせ）so why not stick with that? doctor sujimon and then professor sujimon, it even links back to the pokemon stuff more (professor oak etc.) did they just want the alliteration???

anyway i lost my first fight :((( i went wandering in chinatown and they’re like twice my level up there. bummer. I’m actually gonna have to start saving my money like a real adult :(((

the noise i made when nanoha’s last name was revealed i was like OH? Saeko’s coming, right? We’re nearly there? also as someone connected to care homes if they’re using this as one big scam i’m gonna be so pissed off

IT WAS WORSE tho ngl this doesn’t seem like a sustainable business model?

finally met kashiwagiiiiiiii i love how they completely blow past him being someone you might recognise if you’ve played 0-3, he’s just like yo are you gonna pay this time. also not sure how i feel about gary buster holmes (now actually pronounced gary and not gayry) being in it. they’ve upped his japanese so it sounds even more unintelligible and foreign than his last appearance, and is it not just kind of fan service? like, i like him don’t get me wrong, but did he need to be there

yokohama is  so big :’(

the boss fight/rush/dungeon thing through seiryu hq was actually pretty fun and not too difficult, which was nice. hoshino (no, not the one from judgment but what a twist that would be) has a weirdly incongruent voice but i’m sure i’ll get used to it. also he knows smth, i’m suspicous of this man.....

ALSO what was ichi thinking about when they came out of HQ? he was clearly distracted, but about what?

they really straight up killed nonomiya huh. no amount of ‘he was secretly nice really’ is gonna make me like him tho, he was an arse asdfghjkl

SAEKO she’s here!!!! the scene where she joins the party was really sweet (even if they go from 0 to 100 really quickly asdfghjkl like they met ten minutes ago and then she spilled her entire backstory and now they’re on ‘we’ll never leave you alone again’ terms. okay?)

pun names in substories continue, ofc bubble man is called awano, of course he is

i am not gonna handle this job system well, i can see it coming (edit: actually, I did pretty well. Could’ve been more efficient about it, but overall not bad)

it’s weird seeing things that were in judgment in this game but in completely different places. like, there’s the single chase sequence at the start of the game (were they planning more? it feels like it), the search sequence where you look for nancy, and then saeko’s cheers are very similar to mafuyu’s in that one sequence. i know it’s just classic rgg asset reuse but smth about it feels different here?? (edit: I don’t know what I meant here)

ERI! oh wait i’ve gotta do the business minigame to get her in the party :((( okay plot hold on, i’ve got some grinding to do

so THAT’S how the counterfeit money fits in! assuming the bill ichiban had in his pocket is linked in to this liumang operation.

i’m really liking the longer time to get to know each character and for their relationships to develop. rgg have always been good at that but it feels like they’re really getting chance to shine here

that said i really do hate how there’s no grace period after combat and you can get stuck in a loop of enemy spawns and fights. for grinding xp it’s great but for actual fun? not so much.

is nugget two (aka omelette) just there for fan service? don’t get me wrong i’m very happy to have a chicken wandering the office again, but it’s all i can think about whenever i see her

did the management game up to unlocking eri basically all in one session. don’t recommend, exactly, but it was convenient! i also like that there’s skills linked to doing that, it’s an extra incentive to do it

after several hours of pootling around doing some minor grinding and the part time hero stuff, time to finally finish chapter 5! also why is there nowhere i can buy enforcer gear, i can get stuff for basically every other job except that one, and two of the gear shops on the map aren’t open yet...

mabuchi can GET FUCKED but anyway hi joongi

that dungeon after that, from after joongi leaves to the final boss fight with *checks notes* heavy machinery is so looooong, are they all gonna be like this? it’s just weird cos there’s two save points quite close together and then nothing for like half an hour and three floors. odd design

whoever said zhao is like a gen z majima is so not wrong (tho toned down ofc). wonder what he’s like not in front of a crowd (very good, is the answer)

geomijul let’s goooooo this was a much more enjoyable dungeon than the yokohama one, even with the random where’s wally thing it had going on in the middle.

oh so THEY’RE the ones making counterfeit money! oh! also hi again joongi. so glad i had eri for your boss fight or it might have been a little trickier (even if i had her as idol so i had two idols in the party... oops)

ALSO NANBA WTF i knew he had a sibling (it got spoiled for me :((( tag your spoilers people!!!) but didn’t know circumstances. yikes. so then if the geomijul didn’t take his brother (which seems unlikely) then who did?

it’s not even 2am yet??? guys do you not need sleep????

oh this is a loooong night.

obligatory plot/history dump section, currently feeling a lot like how hiroshima worked in y6 but with somehow more corruption. less murder tho, probably. so by the ijin three working together on their counterfeit venture and sending the money to the governor who gives it to the police this somehow keeps the balance. a balance so fragile that one man dying can upend the whole thing. guys i don’t think this plan was as solid as you thought it was.

i can’t believe i’m about to say this, but as he currently is i don’t like zhao. well no, i *do*, but i also want to punch him a bit which is good, i think that’s how it’s supposed to go.

NANBA COME ON MAN these people are clearly using you as a means to an end

also i’m not happy with how in the translation they keep saying he pretended to be homeless. this isn’t true, both in general and in the jp text. he *was* homeless. it wasn’t an act, it wasn’t a play, it was a thing he did to get what he wanted. he didn’t have a secret second place to live or a job he was doing to keep himself afloat, he was just like the other people in that camp but for the fact that he chose that specific spot and probably did at one point or another have the means to support himself. anyway, rant over

i mean it eri is so fucking op omg she’s never leaving the party

side content is going well, tho i’m getting to the point where i need money to do some of them and i Do Not Have Enough. where am i supposed to get two million yen from, game, why do this to me

i feel like they put ono michio in just cos he’s popular not cos it makes any real sense. like it’s fine, ig, but idk. maybe i’m all ono michio’d out.

i lost my first plot fight.... :((( it’s the one against nanba and ishinoda, i think i got kind of unlucky with attacks cos i didn’t have nearly the same problems the second time round even tho i was equally as prepared.

they literally could have told nanba his brother was alive and well, that would have fixed all of their problems and he wouldn’t have gone ratting out their counterfeiting scheme. guys why didn’t you??? i know they explained it sort of (and they said they underestimated how bad things were) but i still don’t see how denying him what he wanted to know helped anyone in that situation.

obligatory long lore dump via vague torture scene (this is literally the bit with hamura in judgement). i’m gonna be honest i zoned out a bit partway through but i got the gist.

nanba’s not staying :((( i get it tho.

Anyway once again hi joongi welcome aboard! get ready to get put through your fucking paces

wait so the omi were at the liumang restaurant (qijin?) to make an oath with mabuchi, or smth, and then they see him get beaten into the floor and just leave? lol what was the point

NANBA FUCKING CAME THROUGH okay i’ve been won over, sorry i was ever mean to you nanba. i don’t think anyone could refuse ichiban a second time when he looks at you with those big ‘i unconditionally love you’ eyes

mitsu returns too! interesting place to bring him back too, hopefully he comes back again later (…barely. Bummer.)

is zhao a closet tsundere

oh they killed ogasawara? yikes. nanba says it best, aoki’s plan is working really efficiently and really well, i’m almost impressed

i have everyone in the party now! woo hoo! tho it does stand out more than a little bit that everyone has a karaoke song except joongi. i know they fix that for infinite wealth (and it kinda makes sense, ig) but come on let me hear him :((((((

i did not find the yokohama dungeon fun. as a way of levelling up it’s fairly efficient but my god do i not wanna do the whole thing again

(i’m still pootling around in chapter 11 don’t @ me) LAU KA LONG IS THAT YOU i thought he didn’t turn up until gaiden, i got jumpscared by him and his tsukumo hair *some time later* his name’s CHAU ka long??? fucking bite me

finally moving onto chapter 11 can’t wait to do some more plot oh no i’m in chapter 12 and it wants 3 million yen from me. *sigh* back to the grind

masato really had a shitty night in 2001 huh. i mean he’s hardly the nicest guy, even back then, but still. will say tho that the dead guy, suzumori, was literally asking for it. if he’s dumb enough to say shoot me to a guy with a gun then idk what he was expecting.

he and ichiban have the same eyes, i think. aoki’s are smaller than ichiban’s big puppy eyes so it’s harder to tell but i’m pretty sure they’re the same. There’s no reason for this, but it’s there.

having done everyone’s drink links, i think the ending of zhao’s is my favourite (recency bias maybe) but the best overall was adachi’s? difficult to say.

also ‘pan joongi’ has me fucking DEAD some of these party chats are hilarious. i’m gonna find them all if it kills me istg

ichiban holdings nee senbei is DONE so ofc i immediately went to spend all of my money (minus the 3 million yen i needed) on gear. oops. also yeah eri, punch that dude in the face!!!

the cutscene where aoki is bitching to sawashiro about how no one told him daddy dearest was going to sotenbori was weirdly rushed? like not pacing but literally the dialogue would move onto the next bit before he’d finished speaking the lines. is that a glitch or smth? was very off-putting (me from later: most of the cutscenes in that office were like that? And only aoki’s dialogue? Ig my game glitched)

we’re in sotenbori!!!!! it feels so small compared to ijincho but it’s kinda nice. cosy. tho why tf are we starting in the grand, we don’t have the money for this and we’re not even being served by a hostess, why are we here asdfghjkl

doing the entire sotenbori battle arena was both a lot more engaging for me compared to the yokohama dungeon AND much more worth it. good gear, good money, and for levelling people quickly it’s absolutely perfect (at current levels)

man am i glad i did tho that saejima majima fight would’ve been rough if i went there immediately when i arrived in sotenbori. didn’t do too bad tho, lost eri (saejima one-shotted her from full health...) but everyone else stayed up pretty easily.  i find it interesting that after the fight tho majima says やっぱり when he’s talking about them being allies. did he twig it halfway through the fight or did he know already? and how? (the eclectic arrangement of people with ichi was probably a clue but still asdfghjkl) ALSO you’re telling me they were in osaka for two entire years and no one fucking noticed. they were IN OMI HQ to meet with arakawa and no one fucking noticed. (also arakawa says that the only people who know 3jima are there are the people in that room but that’s not true, mitsu also knows. rgg why do you always forget poor mitsu....)

poor mitsu being bullied tho :((( he’s trying his best and ichi is just like nah, i’m coming in whether you like it or not

is it me or is daigo(‘s actor) putting in a better performance in this game than previous ones. idk maybe it’s just cos i’ve not seen him in like three games

i was kind of expecting the fight in omi hq to be longer. huh. ALSO tendo is like i’m jumping sides we’re friends now, and then he vanishes from literally all cutscenes after that moment. i’m not even confident he’s outside of the party combat where the other guys were. so what happened to tendo????? are we gonna see him again or is that it? (foreshadowing is a literary device-)

figures that kiryu comes back and his first line is おらぁ！ asdfghjkl and watase being like who is he? no idea??? fucking got me, bless that man. daigo’s expression in that scene was really good too, seems like he’s the only person that believed kiryu was gone. saejima and majima sure as hell didn’t.

scene with ichiban and arakawa sr on the yokohama dock was excellent. well-written, well-performed just, great cutscene. honestly that entire chunk of cutscene (slightly minus the bit where ichiban runs to arakawa sr’s body) up to and including the scene with sawashiro, ishioda and the execs. really really good

WELL that was a lot of feelings, time to go and do some side shit, ig.

the feelings aren’t over!!!!! No!!!!

sure, let’s go run in the election. why not. it does kind of hurt me personally that ichi and co. are just using this election as a sham to get close to kume and therefore aoki, and while you’re walking around people will be like ‘I’ll vote for you!’ ‘you’re better than that guy!’ and we’re really, really not (in this one single instance. every other time kume can go get fucked and hopefully unlearn all the shit aoki and bleach Japan got him to believe)

hoshino no, you didn’t deserve this : ( sawashiro….

sawashiro’s backstory is all very interesting for pretty much everyone involved (except the women cos this is an rgg game). masato is sawashiro’s son, shit, dude. Ichi does not seem to be taking this super well but honestly, fair! he’s a rough couple of days and now he’s just found out the guy he looked up to this whole time and devoted his entire life to was actually his dad, and probably knew and didn’t tell him. that’s fucked up.

MICHINO SHIRABE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME the pun names in this game istg, this is some ace attorney level shit

fuck the fight with kiryu. it’s just, so not engaging as a fight. partly cos i was a little underleveled I think but also you just end up using like two attacks on him the whole fight chipping away at his enormous well-defended health bar and I got bored. also if I have to hear him say 次は何だ one more time I’m gonna fucking riot. at least his boss theme is the best version of his theme we’ve ever had and one of the best themes in the whole game

I have complicated feelings on kiryu being in this plot at all, tbh. with the context of gaiden ig it’s more forgiveable but it just feels like he doesn’t belong there, y’know? this is ichiban’s story but all of kiryu’s mess and baggage have dragged their way in and it shifts the focus for too long. idk. I was in a bad mood anyway when I played this section so I might be being less charitable than I normally would be. I like kiryu, I like his story, but rn he’s not who I should be engaging with.

okay I’m having fun again now, the other day was an outlier. In retrospect I do like how they integrated his styles and signature moves into his moveset. and the dragon, while utterly nonsensical even in context, looked pretty cool.

anyway I ran the sotenbori battle arena one more time so now it’s time to go and punch ishioda in the face!

had some difficulties with that battle (saeko got stunned early and I had to reevaluate my whole plan) but joongi came through and overall it definitely went easier than the kiryu fight even if the mirror face thing was fucking dumb. I don’t hate it? I don’t think? but wtf was that asdfghjkl

ohhhh, that’s what happened to tendo. ohhhhhh well shit ALSO did ishioda just fucking die. did they leave him to explode on the bomb. guys, guys that’s a crime, guys-

actually really like the cutscene of aoki and his secretary (she has a name, I can’t remember it *cry*), it reinforces a lot about his character and the effect he has on people.

fascinated by the lack of security at this event where the governor of Tokyo is talking. if ichiban had been someone with ill intent aoki would’ve been totally fucked. also nick is back in the main plot, good for him

right, time to go and piss around with the side content some more rather than deal with the implication that date and Adachi are friends

MAKO-CHAN no, not having it. I saw on one of their official streams once, when they were doing the stream every day for like two weeks thing they were doing, Yokoyama say he regretted this and that it was fan service (it was the stream with ushizawa, the jp streamer). I think that’s probably fair, especially cos you don’t get to use new serena as a hideout afterwards. the scene doesn’t really add anything and date didn’t need to be there. having said that, I’m happy seeing him again and it’s kind of funny how short he is compared to everyone else. (as an aside ushizawa had some *balls* to turn to Yokoyama and be like this bit was shit asdfghjkl)

why does the kamurocho batting centre look weird. did they shorten the distance or smth? I swear it didn’t look like this in judgment. and the textures are so low res….

WELL. I’M DONE. FUCK

I liked going up through millennium tower. the floors felt a little samey after a while but it was kind of nostalgic walking through the same place you fight as kiryu in 6.

ig tendo also having the dragonfish tattoo is where they got in that detail from rggo, tho where it was sawashiro there and his was white(?) this time it’s tendo and it’s blue (and uh, not a dragonfish? But you know what I mean). I like how they mixed it in with his moveset and the names of his moves tho, that’s neat.

the tendo boss fight runs a little overlong imho but if you’re levelled it’s so much easier than any of the old guard boss fights. same for both of the aoki boss fights. like yeah, you might get swarmed a bit in that first one, but I never felt like I was in any danger. the QTEs caught me off guard tho, I wasn’t expecting any and then suddenly they throw four at me at once, come on guys asdfghjkl

everything after that HOO BOY I was kind of indifferent on masato as a character up to this point (he had his moments but I was just like blah whatever) but I’ve officially been converted. the writing in that cutscene where ichi yells at him and tries to beg him to start over and onwards from there is so so so fucking good, there’s so much character there and it’s expressed so well. I teared up at points cos ichi is so desperate not to lose anyone else, and despite everything – despite him ordering the death of his DAD – he’s willing to be by him and hold him up for as a long as it takes. it’s such a fucking ichiban moment and it’s played so well, in general and in the performance.

same for the scene at the lockers. I think that, along with the kiryu bit on the roof in 5 (either one, take your pick), is one of my new favourite scenes in the series. it’s heartbreaking.

AND THEN FUCKING KUME okay no I can be calm about it. part of me is like, this is a cop out, this is rgg studios once again having a character die instead of going through the long process of redemption and growth. but part of me is also like no, this is the perfect place to use it. aoki ryo was everything kume aspired to be, everything masato groomed him to be, and he’s absolutely the kind of person who would be sent over the edge by the reveal that aoki wasn’t real. or, well, that he had committed an unforgiveable sin. kume believes more than anything that he is doing the right thing, even when committing murder, because he believes that if he is ‘cleansing’ then therefore he *must* be in the right, no matter the action being done. he turned out exactly like aoki wanted him to, but masato wasn’t prepared for the consequences of that (I think he knew, tho), and that cost him.

I don’t LIKE kume as a character, he’s annoying, but I do think his arc is quite well done and that it’s reminiscent of the real kumes out there.

the last little bit made me cry too, where ichi is on the bridge. it’s the ‘everything sucks but there’s hope there if only you look’, it gets me every fucking time. it’s such a thesis for ichiban as a character, the game as a whole, and even the whole series.

also Adachi gets his moment! good for him! can’t wait for kamurocho to get its next new corrupt police chief asdfghjkl

also genuinely, did they leave ishioda to explode on that bomb. guys, guys that’s a crime, guys-

uh things I wanted uh, mitsu deserved some more dialogue, and I wish joongi and zhao got a bit more plot time after their respective bits. it makes sense to focus on the core four (ichi, saeko, Adachi, nanba) cos you’ve spent more time with them but it does make them feel like set dressing sometimes. eri isn’t even there (I get why but still :sad: ). also nick, the entire time he was there I couldn’t help but think of Akiyama the whole time. thematically he makes so much more sense, and it would give that scene where he calls aoki out so much more impactful. OH and mirror face can fuck off, worst plot twist to appear twice, why the fuck is he there asdfghjkl

OH ALSO the first aoki fight, it’s really jarring when that just has the generic fight theme. like, obviously he gets his own very good theme later, but they couldn’t have come up with one to slot in here? it feels so wrong

saeko DOES kiss ichiban. huh. I thought that was smth they just introduced for infinite wealth but there was actually precedent. kashiwagi being involved is killing me asdfghjkl love that man (oh he does the same for eri, interesting.)

the romance subplots do, on the whole, make me very uncomfortable. Especially iroha’s, she comes on incredibly strong and it’s not super clear he reciprocates on that, plus she’s super possessive and weird and then drops him once she’s got what she wanted. Not good. (one of the ladies does imply he’s more submissive than she expected, so at least there’s that nugget, but I’d rather not have got it like this, thanks). And the ending? What are we going for here, guys? Cos I’m not sure it works!

Dragon kart on the other hand, great fun. A little light on the subplot nonsense (compared to, say, the taxi minigame from 5) and the mini advertisement half-way through for pocket circuit could’ve been skipped, but they’re minor problems. The racers are all living out their shounen sports manga dreams, good for them. The courses are fun too!

Wait no, the party chat about mushrooms has romantic (sub)text and they cut it in the localisation! How dare they deny my Adachi/nanba dreams

What a note to end on asdfghjkl

[i0-0na]

Entry 6: First Week

Date: 08.04.2024

A week finally completed!! I spent some time to myself, and it feels like the dust setting in and things have fallen into place. To be honest, I did start feeling a little homesick at this point and I was feeling kind of lonely. Whenever I went outside, I don’t know why but I felt as if people were staring at me (not everyone, but it definitely felt like it).

Thankfully one of my closest friends in uni was also going on the same student exchange programme as me (Dom). He arrived on 2nd April 2024, so we decided to meet in Akihabara the next day. I was so happy to see him because it meant that I now had a friend near to me. When we met up, we went around visiting multiple stores, we literally tired ourselves out so much lol.

Before the day ended, we decided to find somewhere to eat. The café we decided to eat at just so happened to be the one me and my mum ate at all those years ago, when I was just 12 years old, on my first ever trip to Japan. The food was good I had a hibiscus tea and I think I ordered the same food order as my mum all those years ago, matcha cake. Very tasty. Dom order Spaghetti.

---

The next day was when we were meeting the student exchange team, and other exchange students for the first time. To be honest I was quite excited to meet everyone in person! One of the students in the year above me who went on student exchange the year before to Tokyo, told me about how much she loved it and the people she met there so needless to say I was also a little hyped 😼.

It was a good meeting overall, we got a tour of the campus and then introduced ourselves to each other, then exchanged phone numbers and Instagram’s. In total, including myself, there was a total of 8 people on the student exchange, so far at least. Apparently, they said there were some arriving later so~

Afterwards some of us (on the course) were brought to the animation department and I was introduced to some of the core members of staff, including a graduate student called Stephen who was going to help translate all of our lectures for us (thx Stephen~). We had to take photos as well and for some reason I could not stop laughing ꉂ(≧▽≦) . Each time I went to smile I felt my face uncontrollably twitching to release the giggles which were caged inside my mouth.  The laughter spread to everyone in the room, so ridiculous ahahaha, I’m chuckling as I type even hahaha!! The reason for the slight chaos, was because as we did the group poses, I just kept alternating between ✌️ and 👍 gestures, and because of my iconic nature everyone decided to follow suit. It became quite comical. There were two other exchange students who would be studying animation with me, Dom and Matthijs.

---

With the induction day over, there was only one major thing for me to do now is to get registered at my local government office. It took a couple days to do this because, to be honest, I got lost trying to find the building… When I did though, I had to come in the next day to get my stuff printed, because they couldn’t print stuff on Sundays. I did all the filing for the documents on the day I was there anyways, so it was a quick process the next day! If you live in Japan, you need to get registered with 14 days of your arrival otherwise you could be faced with deportation (๑ ˊ͈ ᐞ ˋ͈ )” . Later that day, after the government office I wanted to explore more of the Hachioji prefecture, which was good because I found a Don Quijote. It’s like this store which sells everything, I’m being honest it literally sells like everything. From toys, to alcohol, lawn mowers, food, clothes, Vivienne Westwood and other designer brands, I literally could go on forever lol. What I found though were these really popular lashes in the gyaru community called Dolly Wink, it was super cuttteeee!!

As a final point Sakura season was kind of late in Japan, so it was supposed to finish its blossoming before I arrived but thankfully its just started to blossom now! Its so pretty (sparkles) It reminds me of home in a way. On my path to primary/high school there is the road I take full of cherry blossom on both sides and each time it turned spring I felt like I was in a shoujou or high school anime lol

Either way that’s all for now, I’m so excited to actually start uni! Oh and another thing, university here is kind of similar to American unis, from what I heard in America you have to sign up to all your classes you want/need to attend, otherwise if you don’t, you end up spending a year under the course but taking 0 lessons. It seems it’s the same concept in Japan as well. Scary~ So I’ve been given a list of classes to sign up to so I’m going to think about what classes I want to do.

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

I hope the workload will be okay though lololol.

Bbyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~~~~~~~

-Iona

Song Listening to: if u think i’m pretty – Artemas

[sherryai4869]

medieval critiques stop words

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[9puppiesdrowninginapool]

r u reading anything at the moment?

okay i'm finally answering this. fr i beg for asks then it takes me up to 5 working days to answer them

well let's see i'm like reading 5 books at the same time while not actually reading any. I really wanna get back into reading, its kinda depressing when i think back to my childhood and how many books i used to read. so yeah, like i wanna read, but in the last three years i've maybe read one book to the end in my leisure time :(

but anyways here is a list of books i've started and which im technically "still reading"

Me - Elton John's autobiography

Dracula - Bram Stoker (i also tried w dracula daily but in the end i gave up because of all the uni shit i had to do)

Small Gods - Terry Pratchett (in spanish, my friend who's a huge terry pratchett fan wanted me to read it, but i gave up after the first 30 pages, i'm so sorry to disappoint him)

A midnight summer's dream - Shakespeare (also in spanish, this is the one i'm actually most looking forward to finishing, i think i read the first chapter exactly one year ago)

A game of thrones - George RR Martin (after i finished the show i was still a bit obsessed w it and needed more, so i started the book, actually got quite far w it, but yeah also didn't finish it, this must be more or less two years ago)

Eine kurze Geschichte der Menschheit - Yuval Noah Harari (my aunt gave this one to me and i read the first and second chapter and i really liked it but once again my motivation to read simply vanished into thin air, sadly)

Faust - Goethe (i've read the first two to three chapters like a thousand times over, but haven't read any further than that)

I also started pride and prejudice like three years ago, but i lost the book so i have an excuse for that one. really enjoyed the first bit that i read tho. anyways the list of unfinished books is never ending. so i'm just gonna leave it at that.

lately i wanna read a lot of philosophy essays, so thats a good sign maybe this summer i'll start reading properly again (tho i doubt it, i know i won't have time for anything)

then i did read so so so much fanfiction, it's kinda sad, then i have a never ending list of books i wanna read which is funny considering i'm not reading anything. but i really wanna read macbeth and 1984 and la sombra del viento (this one i've been meaning to read since forever i'm a huge CRZ fan, and this one is supposed to be his best work so), el hidalgo don quijote de la mancha, wanna read more sherlock holmes (ive read the first four books so far and am a huge fan) anyways the list goes on and on.

[the-firebird69]

We're going to drag him out of there because he wants to go see who's doing the automobile stuff you really can't resist and it is a lot of pressure on him he says that's because what he's doing is illegal and we're going to take down his entire empire fairly soon and we're going to make him pay for what he's doing here to our son I'm going to start making a pain in public for embarrassing him. One of the ways is the January 6th committee which convenes today and they put a subpoena out for him to submit information and he failed to and today they plan to put out contempt of congress notice and warrants for his arrest or to bring him to Congress if he fails to show you're going to submit real APB and globally. His appointments are in New York and then this afternoon starting at 2:00 p.m. for real that's what they are and he probably doesn't know it but he doesn't have time to get there and we calculated it and he says he has plenty of time. And we say not in the right format this is why it says we don't want you to show up we just want to take over so he's fighting it now he says he says you haven't gone up against a real scumbag he says what are you talking about I finally did most of your Force. So says I'm going to be in truth scumbag form from now on since so what you get arrested every other day if not every day because of your true scumbag form you true moron. She's kind of giggling because it's stupid when you saying it says this you have no right to push me around said whatever have every right f****** rot you like. And it's not feeling too good his little hay fever he says and it's probably worse than that is outside using the Sun breathing in the exhaust and dust and hay fever stuff so he thinks he's going to go in and rest and we're not going to let him.

The daily fight everyday for every year for the stupid freaking idiot Trump. Now we're at the shops we're going to grab them shortly and I'm going to make it a battle day in and day out and we are also going to popularize what shops we are and people going to buy the bikes to piss them off on purpose to identify them because they are considered to be so human because they turn on people so often in so many times without provocation they act like primates. We have a plan where to put it and it's remote and remote enough and we're continuing the bridge construction. It's a huge bridge. Tons of people will use it he's not even going after the old bridge so nobody knows what the hell he's doing it for don quijote on crack. Still on today too that he's trying to get to the bridge again and people tell him not to he's telling them f*** off it's getting stuff ready his older getting from here just keep saying that my men are holding me off grabbing him. It's a small crew when they leave when he starts attacking and just keeps sending people over a few pieces of metal I guess like probably insane there's really nothing there and we're not protecting the deposits of limestone. We can't really see what the hell he's doing it for. So those are definitely your people and I'm trying to grab them and then I'm battling them because that's them they work for a bridge company they could be anybody. You oppose the bridge and it means that you might have tunnels below Florida and Brazil and you may have taken them during the battles against the Yeager so people are researching it because of your big mouth your ass and are attacking on a meaningless bridge it's not going to go up for a while. Anyways it was your hokey piece of s*** doesn't feel attacking you cuz you look like easy prey and for the most part you are you have too many enemies fairly soon to be gone hopefully Jesus Christ is horrible you probably want to die yourself it's such a nasty trip you put everyone on. This is not really but your son looks good supposed to look good stupid and you look good to eat to a lot of people cuz they saw videos of you eating their people they're going after you. We found a whole bunch of you over there in New Mexico after the battle to retake New Mexico and it's nothing on captured no it is and they have information out with me to start eating them so that's what you're looking forward to and thanks for mentioning it by the way cuz people get excited when they hear it

Thor Freya

[lwoorl]

So I might be bringing everything to Cervantes vs Vega cause I’m currently working an article regarding their relationship, but a thing not many people know is that they knew each other and, while they started as good friends, by the end of their careers they HATED. THEIR. GUTS.

(Well, we don’t know how much of it was, like, legit hate, but we still got lots of scathing correspondence of them just insulting each other and their writing to hell and back, so critics maintain the “Young friends to bitter rivals” narrative, and that’s what we’ll keep for this comparison)

Just look at this shit Lope wrote when Cervantes was just about to publish his book: “De poetas, muchos están en ciernes para el año que viene; pero ninguno hay tan malo como Cervantes ni tan necio que alabe a Don Quijote” (Of poets, many are in the making for the coming year; but there is none so bad as Cervantes nor so foolish that he praises Don Quijote)

Lope even sent a letter in which he called things like pig and ass which I’m not adding here cause it’s rather long, but you can look it up. Anyway, my point is, Lope was a fucking antifan.

And Cervantes, in the prologue of the Don Quijote also attacked him back! When he writes "están otros libros, tan llenos de sentencias de Aristóteles, de Platón y de toda la caterva de filósofos..." (There are other books, so full of sentences by Aristotle, Plato and the whole bunch of philosophers...) He’s alluding to Vega! Saying “He’s so fucking pretentious, my god he’s so pretentious, so full of shit, at least my book isn’t this pretentious)

There are even people who believe Lope wrote the Quijote de Avellaneda as a Fuck You to Cervantes (The unofficial continuation to Don Quijote that eventually inspired Cervantes to publish the real, actual second part of the story in grand part as a “No! Fuck YOU!”) so like, you see where I’m coming from on the comparison, right? They’re antifans and one of them writes a continuation to the story to spite the other???

Now, if we try to assign SQH and SQQ roles I think that’s where the comparison breaks a little. SQH is closer to Lope, yes, since he was very prolific and… uh… kind of a sellout if we’re honest (watch me get killed by the literary critics. Look I love his work as much as anyone But You Know I’M Right!!!). Plus, he played into the topics that were popular at the time (transcendental love, God, etc). Meanwhile, Cervantes, while also very prolific (In fact he was a “Try everything at least once!” kind of guy, at least when it comes to poetry) wrote on less popular topics (The life of the common man, for example) and his style is harder to define, being characterized by his wit and humor, which reminds me of svsss vs pidw, a little, I guess. With pidw being the usual “popular, more serious book” (in its respective genre) and svsss being a parody and a comedy.

But also, Lope is the antifan in this case (well they both are antifans of each other, but my god, read the letters, Lope is the absolutely the biggest antifan in my eyes) and the one rumored with writing an apocryphal continuation, but also also there’s the fact Cervantes eventually wrote The Amazing Don Quijote 2: The revenge on Avellana so like, yes, the comparison breaks at this point. It was very thin to begin with, but I still feel like I’m onto something, I’m onto something right here, yeah, you just wait

Oh you know what book Scum Villain is actually very much like?

Don Quixote.

Goofy-ass comedic narrative-about-narratives that can be summarized as 'a lot of unnecessarily stupid things happen to a man with just so much genre-poisoned misunderstanding of everything, including himself.'

Yes Don Quixote went on to be enshrined as one of the foundational texts of Western Literature, and has been interpreted by Great Minds as being About an incredible range of really deep political and identity things, some of which may even have been correct.

But also just. We've got a protagonist guy whose identity has become lost inside a Lord Somebody as a consequence of reading wayyyyyy too much pseudohistorical schlock. A guy who inspires simultaneous responses of 'look at this clown' and 'omg he's me irl.'

Satirical genre pastiche relying on the collision of the modern banal and the imaginary elevated past for both bathos and social commentary, and the conflict between literary convention and real human psychology for narrative and even some pathos. The incredible embarrassment around the entire wildly inappropriate romance. Don Quixote was always first and foremost a comedy about fan behavior.

It's the same Kind of a novel.

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 51 - Amazing technology - 'Human with modified skull'

K: Hi this is Dir en grey's Kaoru with this week's  episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe, Tasai, welcome.

T: And thank you too.

J: Ta-da! We are wearing it.

K: Hahaha

J: We are wearing it. This is naturally cool, isn't it?

T: Yes.

K: Um, if we don't say anything the viewers won't understand.

J: Uh, Tasai, could you explain?

T: Um, so this is another Tokyo Sports T-shirt collaboration. We are putting one out.

K: It was a hoodie before, right? 

T: Yes, that was a collaboration with Don Quijote. This time we've collaborated with the store Hardcore Chocolate in Higashinakano, to create this really cool tshirt.

K: I'm wearing it too.

T: Oh, thank you. Its a Core-choco × Tokyo Sports collaboration.

*clapping/cheering*

K: The back is nice too.

J: Yeah, I mean, I can't see it myself though. What is written on it?

T: Its past Tokyo Sports headlines. The black is pro-wrestling headlines, like 'Inoki's grand KO defeat'.....'Hansen...near murder' etc.

J: Wow.

T: These shocking headlines are...

J: All over?

T: Yes, all over it. And as for the front, Joe, could you turn around?

J: Yes.

T: Those are copies of Tokyo Sports tied up with string, just on the verge of being thrown away, giving a kind if melancholic feel.

J: Ahh, this is cool too.

T: Its very Tokyo Sportsy.

K: Are the white and back versions different?

T:  Yes, they are different.

J: Ah! They are different?

K: The white one has 'Matsui' written on it.

T: Matsui's wedding.

J: Oh yeah.

K: This black one says, 'Brody'.

J: Pro-wrestling?

T: Yes, its mainly pro-wrestling. And the white is showbiz...

J: Sports and showbiz? Oh, so it is.

T: 'Elvis lives' and so on.

J: This is great...ah..'The Monster with 21 faces'!

K: Its nostalgic, isn't it?

T: Yeah, this type of thing.

J: Ahh..of course...Ah, shocking photos.

K: 'Discovery of Kappa'....'Madonna had hemorrhoids' haha.

K, J, T: Hahaha.

J: Does it really matter? haha.

T: Haha, that was about one time a long time ago when Madonna came to do a show in Japan. She requested a bidet toilet, so we reckoned maybe its because she had hemorrhoids.

J: Just from that? You put this headline with it?

K: Your info is thin!

T: Haha.

J: Right?! Zero fact checking! Guess after guess!

K: Incredible. So, there are two of these.

J: What should we do with them?

T: Well, I thought we could make them presents for the people who always watch The Freedom of Expression.

J: Ohhh! *claps*

K: There is black and white.

J: One of each?

T: Yes.

K: The size is S.

J: S?

K: Joe is wearing M, I'm wearing XL. Anyone who wants a big one..

J: Please but it.

K: Yes. For people who want S...um, what should we do...you could leave a comment on my Twitter..

T: With your thoughts on this show.

J: Of course.

T: Yes.

K: Yeah.

T: And we could choose one from those.

J: Leave a decent comment..

T: Like which was your favourite episode or something?

J: Ahh, you know how to do this!

K: Joe, its just that you're always drunk.

J: I'm always drunk, haha. When I see Tasai, Im learning how to conduct myself.

T: Excuse me brother, thank you very much.

J: Your stocks will rise with this tshirt. Yours and Tokyo Sports' stocks.

T: I hope so.

K: Everyone will be cool wearing this.

J: They really will be cool.

K: Please buy it, really.

J: If someone wanted to buy this, where do they get it from?

T: Probably online. You can buy it on Corechoco's site.

J: I see.

K: Ok, so today's story is a Tokyo Sports selection.

J: Its a Tokyo Sports day today.

T: A Tokyo Sports produced story...

The headline is 'Will we rise up in 2021? - Amazing technology, human with modified skull'. As for the content of the story, it asks what new technology will appear in the year 2021, and its by our science writer Hisano, who wrote about some of the things he'd heard.

J: Oh, so he's done it properly?

T: Yes. So firstly, well, we hear a lot about this A.I. deepfake problem at the moment, don't we? Like changing faces without permission, and making these made-up sexy images which cause harm, for example. *1

J: Yeah, its the basis of fake news, right?

T: We are hearing about that more and more, thats the first thing. Secondly, there is apparently this idea called, 'Trans-human' where people power up their own body with technology, and Hisano wondered whether Trans-human technology with develop a lot during this year. Specifically, well, there is actually someone doing this in Spain, Manel de Aguas. He peeled back the skin on his head and attatched self-mafe fin shaped devices to his skull. The fins contain a bone conducting oscillator and temperature sensor, so he can tell if the weather is hot or cold through vibrations in his head. So, this is a way to catch very small atmospheric changes that regular people wouldn't normally be able to sense.

J: I see.

T: And there are pictures of him, so please take a look.

J: If you go to the Tokyo Sports website?

T: Yes, you can see it there. Furthermore, well, there are quite a lot of other examples, like a 'trans-human' using prosthetics, or having an IC chip implanted into your hand to use for the train etc. On top of that, France has plans to make a conscription army like this. The name  of the project is 'The Bionic Soldier Project', which is a really cool name. They would be like super strong soldiers who never got tired and didn't need sleep, and who could heighten their sight and hearing with medication, and would have communication equipment embedded in their brains to connect directly to wireless  netwoks. Bionic soldiers..scary, right?

J: Yeah. Its like the end to the era of traditional fighting.

T: Research has been going on even longer America, in their Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where paralyzed patients have had chips embedded in their brain, and have successfully been able to control drones with their thoughts. They've already done that. Even bedridden people can control drones. Technology his also being developed to go without sleep for 48 hours by running electric currents through the brain. This is not the talk of dreams, we are closing in on these things. There is also a plan by Nasa, a mission to redirect asteroids, where a robot spaceship would grab an asteroid, carry it over to the moon's orbit, and dig up minerals from it. Its like the world of Gundam. What do you think of this for 2021?

J: So, like these might become a reality within this year?

T: Yeah, some of them, as far as the technology goes.

K: It'll be like Robocop.

T: Yeah.

K: Its incredible, its like the world of 'Terminator'.

J: Yeah, it is.

T: In reality, controling a drone with the brain is aleady being used in China with toys.

J: With the brain..?

T: Like, controlling it with your thoughts by just imagining it rising. And in Japan..

J: You have to operate it.

T: In Japan they can be controlled with radio waves *2, but in China they can already move drones around using brain waves. Like, its technologically possible to attatch a bomb to a drone and make it fly somewhere and explode...its scary.

J: If technology advances this far, people won't need to study for exams and stuff, will they?

T: Thats right.

J: With a chip embedded...we talk about preventing cheating these days, but you would have all that data within you, or you could just go outside and remotely update.

K: Or you could send questions with just your eyes and get answers back.

J: Yeah, its like already at the point where you don't have to bother with tests or exams.

K: And it would mean no more back entrance admissions.

T, J: Yeah.

J: Yeah, like whoever has the money.

T: They might starts scanning people with metal detectors when they do exams to see if they have chips or something in them. Like, have you got a chip in your brain?? If it beeps, you'll know they have a chip.

K: They could put the people who have chips inside like anti-vibration shields..

J: Yeah, like to stop the transmissions.

T: Oh, yeah.

J: We're already getting to this point in time.

T: Do we even need to study anymore?

J: Yeah, like the era of people using their brains is ending.

K: We don't even really need universities and stuff anymore

J: We don't! Cause you have have access to all the information in the world in your head, whenever you like.

K:Yeah, if you have it ???*3

J: Well, there's also the issue of whether this kind of thing will be permitted by law. Like how far..

K: Yeah, it wouldn't be allowed immediately.

J: Yeah, like how far can human ability be harnessed in this way. I mean, there is the problem of genetic engineering too, but..thats where we are at now.

K: Well, there might already be people like this out there.

J: Well, yeah, the technology is there already.

K: You don't know whats going on in other peoples' heads.

J: Well, yeah. Eh, what if Kami is one of them?

K: No, I don't think he is. Absolutely not.

J: Haha

Kami: No, gods are different. But the bionic soldiers who don't need sleep, never get tired, and use medication to improve their sight and hearing...they've been around in Nishinari for a long time.

K: In Nishinari?

J: Haha

Kami: People who look like zombies, there have always been tonnes of them. There is also an article about a 'robot girlfriend to go for a walk with you', which Gifu University made, I'm interested  in that. I'd like to support Gifu University with that.

T: I see. Yeah, its a robot girlfriend who holds your hand and goes for walks with you, made by Gifu University.

K: What did Kami say earlier about women, doesn't he have woman trouble?

J: Oh yeah. Kami, don't women like you, being a god?

Kani: Thats a whole different story. Um, this is just a hand holding robot, but I'd like them to try harder with more in-depth research on this.

K: In-depth research? Haha

J: I don't know what he means by that. Kami!!

K: I mean, if they've been able to make the robot to this level, Im pretty sure they can also manage 'in-depth' research. haha.

J: They just won't announce it as university research, they stopped at holding hands.

Kami: Ah, I see. I wanna support deepfake technology too.

K: Ha, you wanna support it.

T: Well, this type of technology was originally invented for mens' pleasure. New technology can even start from such places. Like videos...

K: Ah, yeh, popular people from videos turned up a lot in this erotic stuff (*Sorry if I got this wrong*)

J: Ahh, yes, necessity is the mother of invention. Technology increases due human desires.

T: Yeah, thats it.

J: Well, this could be used for evil ways, or for more interesting ways. There are various ways to use it. Kaoru is there any kind of technology that you ever wanted to invent?

K: That I wanted to invent?

J: Like a specific type of robot or anything like that?

T: If you had a chip in your brain though, and you didn't have to study, what would you do?

K: But if all this stuff becomes normal, I think on the contrary, will might start to want to do things in more detail again. When you can get anything effortlessly, you will start to want to do those things that don't come effortlessly.

J: Ahh, hand made things will become nostalgic.

K: Our sense of value would change. People will want to go out and do things...if you can get everything you need without ever going out. And with food, it will be all there, ready as soon as you open the cupboard, right?

J: Yeah

K: Like, wouldn't you feel like going out instead?

T: Yeah, you'd want to go out and see live performances and stuff too.

K: People were told not to go out on New Years eve, but so many people still went out. haha

T: Oh, yeah.

J: Yep, human mentality just goes like that.

K: People will still go out. So, I think thats the direction it will head.

T: A.I. is pretty popular in human competions at the moment, for example with Shōgi, but in the end, what people really want to see is a human competing with another human.

J: Yes, I think thats true.

K: Yeah, its those natural variations

J: Thats it, we need those. Its that type of thing  that is impossible to calculate.

K: A computer couldn't come up with this type of thing. (*holds up Tokyo Sports tshirt*)

T: Haha

K: Its a product of wild fantasies.

T: Hahaha

J: Yeah, that would be impossible.

T: If we let A.I. do this kind of thing we would have lost. Tokyo Sports would be finished.

K: A.I. couldn't make this.

J: Its incredible.

K: 'Human gives birth to frog'.

J: Haha, A.I. could never write this.

K: It probably couldn't, right?

J: Only some bombed out person could do it otherwise.

K: It was worth making, naturally Tokyo Sports.

T: Oh, thank you.

K: So, everyone, please buy one of these tshirts. We have a black and white in size S here, so please send a tweet. Ok, we'll finish here this week. Please subscribe, thank you very much.

*1, 2 Not sure its exactly right.

*3 Couldn't figure out

Back to top page

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

nothing but what came before

Fandom: Kamen Rider Ryuki Characters: Yura Goro, Kitaoka Shuichi, with a cameo by Tezuka Miyuki Song: "Bury My Lovely," October Project (playlist here)

Goro doesn’t go for fortune-telling. It’s for teenage girls and bored housewives, and anyway it’s never right. So when the fortune-teller reading cards on the street waves to him, he goes over, but not because he’s worried and wants his fortune told. The guy just looks weirdly familiar, that’s all.

The fortune-teller smiles at him, very gently. “You look troubled.”

Goro nods slowly. “Yeah. Do I know you from somewhere?”

A flicker of uncertainty. “I want to say yes, I feel like the answer should be yes, but I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Aren’t you supposed to say yeah, sure, and start talking about my past life or something?”

“Maybe, if I were trying to sell you something.” The fortune-teller gestures to the other chair at his table. “Right now I just have a feeling, though, and those are free of charge. Sit down and let me read for you.”

Goro eyes him, suspicious but swayed by the man’s odd familiarity. He sits. “A feeling about what?”

---

Shuichi walks out of the hospital. He’s been expecting bad news since the headaches first got bad enough to see a doctor, but not this bad; part of his mind has already started rearranging his schedule for the next few months at least. There’ll be appointments, treatments, surgeries…he’ll need to cut back on his workload.

The rest of him is numb.

His laughter sounds fake in his own ears; he hopes the kid he’s on the phone with doesn’t notice. “Look, Naru, if you keep on assuming the best of people it’s going to make this job very hard for you—”

Someone steps in front of him on the sidewalk.

“—anyway, tell Chihiro to call me herself if she wants my support, and let her know my offer of dinner’s still open.” He hangs up, ignoring the kid’s protests. “Can I help you? I’m not carrying any cash, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Unexpectedly, the young thug blocking his path blushes.“No…no, um. Are you…a lawyer?” And—his voice is quiet and respectful, not at all what Shuichi would have expected given the tacky shirt, the bleached hair, the pierced ear.

Shuichi eyes him. “Why do you ask?”

“Well. Um.” The thug is staring at the ground as if embarrassed, the tips of his ears red. “A…a fortune-teller said if I came here now I’d meet a lawyer who’d be able to help my friend.”

“A fortune—look, unless your friend is a celebrity or a large corporation, I can’t help you.” Shuichi moves to step around him.

The strangely bashful thug blocks him again, gaze still lowered but stance firm. “Please hear me out at least, sir.”

“You’ve caught me at an especially bad moment, I’m really not in the mood to—”

And the thug’s on his knees, forehead nearly on the pavement, soft voice shaking. “Please. He didn’t kill anyone, he was trying to help her. I’m sure I—he—we can’t pay what you’re used to, but I’ll do whatever else you need me to do.”

Shuichi stares down at him. “Look…”

The thug doesn’t move, just stays there, on the ground in front of him. A couple of high school girls passing on the other side of the street glance at them, whisper, giggle.

“…look, stand up, all right? This is embarrassing.”

After a beat, the thug stands and finally looks up at Shuichi, their eyes meeting just for a moment.

The doctor was giving it to me soft, is Shuichi’s first thought, my actual prognosis must be much worse if I’m having delusions like this. Because he’s dizzy, all of a sudden, with the weight of half-memories, so much that he actually stumbles and the young guy catches him and helps him to a bench. Which also feels familiar, the arm around him, the whiff of a particular cheap aftershave that he knows this man buys at Don Quijote, knows which Don Quijote he buys it at. His head is spinning, and the sunlight is too bright, and he says, gripping the bridge of his nose, “What’s your name?”

“Yura Goro.”

He knows it. Part of him knows that name. “Yura…Goro. Goro, I’m Kitaoka Shuichi. You and your friend are that broke? And this is actually a murder case?”

“Yes, sir.”

“But you’re willing to work to cover your friend’s fees.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m not cheap, you know. I’m guessing it would be too much to hope that you’re a trained paralegal?”

“Um…” Goro sounds faintly puzzled. “No, sir.”

“Well, that’s not ideal, my last paralegal just quit.” Because I slept with her, but he doesn’t need to know that. “Can you at least take dictation? How’s your handwriting?”

“I can…I can take dictation if you need me to.”

“Can you drive?”

“I have a license.” There’s a pause, Goro’s throat audibly working before he says, “This is later than—you have. A brain tumor.”

Shuichi actually starts laughing. “So I’m not delusional? You’re remembering things too? That’s a relief, I thought maybe the doctor was just being nice about it when he said it was treatable.”

“It’s…treatable?”

There’s a note in Goro’s voice that makes Shuichi look over at him, searching for the shocked hope on his face. “That’s what he told me. Why, you remember something I don’t?”

Another long pause, and then Goro ducks his gaze again and says, “No. It’s nothing.” It’s an obvious lie, but Shuichi isn’t sure that he wants to hear the truth.

Instead he says, stifling the urge towards more hysterical laughter, “So you seem like you probably know how to fight, you any good at being a bodyguard? Because a lot of people really don’t like me.”

“I can fight, but I don’t like to.”

“You don’t—ok, now I’m starting to think your friend really is innocent, if a guy with your look doesn’t like to fight. What do you like to do?”

A shy mumble of, “I like to cook.”

“Really. You any good?”

“I…I think so, yes.”

Shuichi stares at Goro’s lowered eyes and red ears, still dizzied by the indistinct rush of memory and wondering if something similar is the real cause of Goro’s furious blush—he’s sure remembering some things that would make him blush if he was capable of embarrassment. Or maybe the dizziness is just because of Goro’s cheap aftershave. No, scratch that, he likes the cheap aftershave, it smells like coming home. “You know,” he says, finally letting himself start to laugh again, “you know, Goro-chan, up until a few minutes ago this was the worst day of my entire life and now it’s not. Here, I’m going to need you to help me up, I’m a little dizzy, and then you can drive me back to my office and we’ll talk about your friend’s case.”

Goro smiling is somehow the best thing he’s seen all day. Maybe all month. “Of course.”

“You don’t happen to know who did kill this woman your friend’s been arrested for, do you?”

“A man in a snakeskin jacket, I think his name was Asakura.”

“Oh good, more déjà vu. Funny thing,” as they’re heading for the car, “I’ve had the nagging feeling for a while that I was missing something. I thought it was just the brain tumor. You can’t imagine how relieved I am to know that it isn’t.”

[thepriceofbeingaroseisloneliness]

Kaoru at  Joe Yokomizo Channel 10th Dec Translation/Notes

Joe Yokomizo Channel Special program

Guest: Kaoru (Dir en grey)

Notes before reading: This is a translation/summary of the livestream on Joe’s Niconico channel with Kaoru as a guest last 10th December. I wanted to do a full translation of it, but I messed up some of my files and the program isn’t available anymore so, in the end, I could just transcript the first 30-40 min of the program approx. and some bits. Besides that, I included some interesting parts from the notes I took.

Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing parts. Links or credits to this post when the content is reposted or captured in other SNS are appreciated :)

-----

Joe:  Hello everyone, welcome to Joe Yokomizo’s channel live program in Niconico, I’m the MC, Joe. Thank you for watching! (Joe makes a brief description of how the program is going to be structured and encourages people to write comments during it!) Joe: Let’s introduce our guest for tonight…. Tonight’s guest is…. should I introduce him? Tonight’s guest is…. this person here! Kaoru: Hello, I’m Dir en grey’s guitarist Kaoru. Joe: Thank you for being here! Kaoru: Thank you! Joe: Are you feeling shy?  Being just the two of us…makes you feel shy? Kaoru: No, not at all. Joe: That’s good. Some people may have realized and other may didn’t but…. the clothes we are wearing…. (Joe and Kaoru open their jackets a bit to fully shown the Tokyo Sports’ hoodie) Kaoru: It’s Tokyo Sports’ (hoodie)… Joe says he didn’t know if Kaoru would be wearing the hoodie or not, so it’s good he brought his hoodie so they both can wear it. Joe: It was a good that I brought mine….

Kaoru: (You brought it) Just in case…. Joe: Have you being wearing it?

Kaoru: Today it’s the first time….

Joe: I have been wearing it even at my house…. Kaoru: Ah, I wore it at the program (The Freedom of Expression) for a picture we took after recording…. Joe asks for comments or questions for Kaoru at the chat. Then, He asks Kaoru about how he is doing if something has changed or not…. Kaoru says he is doing as always, making songs as usual. Joe cuts him reading a comment about the beer (you can see one beer on their table, Kaoru’s beer is behind the tablet they have on the table). Joe: Beer…. the staff brought us beer before …. Let’s drink…. let’s drink our beers…. we are going be chatting for two hours more or less. They open their can and toast. Joe: This year due to Corona as we couldn’t go somewhere and eat something, at least we can toast with everyone, if you have a beer or a drink, please toast with us….. Kaoru: Yes…. Joe: So, what could we talk about now? Ah…. what did you do today? Kaoru: Today.....well….I was recording in the morning….so it was really busy …. Joe: Really busy…. what time do you get up usually in the morning? Kaoru: About 10/ 10:30…. Joe: Is that so? Sometimes, we chat through Line at 2 am in the morning….do you like doing that at that time? Kaoru: That’s possible (laughs) It’s feels rather calm at that time…. Joe: Is that so? I feel the same. Doing that before going to sleep…. sending emails and so, thinking about this or that...…..so, you said you were recording today… Kaoru: Yes. Joe: What were you recording? Kaoru: Ah, for Zaza (TheTheyday, Kaoru’s blog) Joe: Ah for Zaza, you were recording for Zaza….so I guess one day it will be uploaded there…. Today, I’m here drinking and chatting with Kaoru, spending some time with you all, so your comments are welcome……As we talked about UFOs before, should we do a survey? Like we could ask everyone if they think UFOs exists or not in a survey…. maybe we could ask them if they have seen a UFO or not. Kaoru: That’s it…. Joe: We are going to do a survey about if you guys have seen a UFO or not….is it ok for the staff, to do one?....Ah, ok, it’s going to take a bit….meanwhile….have you ever seen a UFO, Kaoru? Kaoru: There was something (I saw) that looked like one…. Joe: You had?  When was it? Kaoru: When was it?.....I was overseas at the time I saw it… (People in the comments point out he told this story before and it seems that it happened in China, when they were touring there for the first time?) Joe: Overseas? Ehhhhh! It wasn’t in Japan… Kaoru: It was Toshiya who spotted it…. a stranger thing that was moving around at the sky….*Kaoru reproduces the movement of the thing with his finger* Joe: Something that was moving… Kaoru: So, I looked up and saw it……I don’t know what it was…. Joe: So clearly, it wasn’t something like a plane or so…. Kaoru: No, because of the way it was moving….. Joe: So, it clearly wasn’t something that you recognize… something like that… Kaoru: It was at night…. Joe: So, it wasn’t a living thing…. More like physical object moving for sure…. Kaoru: I think so… Joe: I see….a UFO spotted by Toshiya (laughs)…. Kaoru: There were more people there…. Joe: It wasn’t jus the two of you….. but talking about Tokyo sports, Tasai appears at your YouTube channel, right? He is at the program with us…..usually Tokyo sports covers stories about UFOs, Kappas(Japanese folklore creature)…. What else....that kind of things…. Kaoru: Fantasy stuff, right? Joe: That’s it, they usually cover that kind of fantasy things…..Do you read Tokyo Sports? Kaoru: Sometimes…. when there is something that I’m interested in….but in the past…..I would always read it… Joe: What did you like to read? Kaoru: Those kinds of things (fantasy stuff)….. They both laugh. Joe starts reading comments. Joe: The comments……”I just joined the livestream”…..ohhh welcome!, we are having a drink while chatting so, if you who are watching us want to drink with us, please join us!.....about the survey….can we go….? *Joe looks at the staff waiting for indications*......oh can we?....so, we want to take a survey about if you have seen an UFO or not….*Joe looks at the comments*….”I’m getting ready to drink”….everyone, if you want to watch the full program and the contents, you have to subscribe to the channel….you can still do it so please….also you can send us gifts (a function in Niconico, similar to Youtube)…..let’s check the comments…..Kaoru please…. Kaoru: I feel like reading comments…. there are a few… Joe: Everyone, write more comments! For Kaoru…..*Joe starts reading some comments* “I just subscribed” ohhh thank you…..”Kaoru, you are so handsome!”….”I haven’t seen a UFO or a ghost”…. Kaoru: A ghost…. I haven’t seen any…. Joe: You haven’t? I haven’t seen any ghost either but I experienced sleep paralysis once ….when I was in middle school….at home we had a prefabricated shed at the garden, I lived there ….so when I was at that shed, the door suddenly opened, a person came in and jumped over me…..grabbed me by my neck….it was a woman….I got scared but my body didn’t move…..I was internally screaming for help….”help me, help me”…. It was like that for like 10 min or at least that how I remember it….it felt like 10 min….then, I thought that she had killed me….but she was still there, she left, closed the door….I was like….what have just happened?..... Kaoru: Sleep paralysis? Joe: Sleep paralysis….I think that ghost was due to sleep paralysis….that girl that I remember….*Joe mumbles something* Sorry, just…..*he hands the tablet they have on the table to the staff, Joe is offscreen, leaving Kaoru alone for a few seconds* It’s hot here *Joe I mumbling something to the staff offscreen and then comes back taking his jacket off* Kaoru: I’m thinking about this…. the ability to sense supernatural things….I don’t think I have it…. Joe: You don’t? Kaoru: But maybe I talked about this before but, in the past, something weird happened when we were doing a shooting a clip overseas…. Joe: Something strange happened… Kaoru talks about an episode of after recording, when he got into the room, he felt as if his head was spinning in a weird way?.

Joe: Ah, the survey is ready….so, everyone, have you ever seen a UFO? Today we both are wearing the original Tokyo Sports’ hoodie…..it’s an original hoodie by Tokyo Sports in collaboration with Don quijote… Kaoru: That’s it… Joe: That’s why we both are wearing it right now…..asking you all if you have ever seen a UFO or not….we should do a research in the next The Freedom of Expression along with that Tokyo Sports person (Tasai)… Kaoru: Is he watching us? Tasai…. Joe: Ah, Tasai….I wonder if he is watching us….let’s go with the survey…..*The options for the survey appear on screen* I think he is watching us but I don’t know for sure…. People started to write “Tasaiiii Tasaiii” at the comments Kaoru: I talked to him (by phone) a while ago… Joe: Oh you did? It’s being a while since I saw him so I want to meet him soon….so, have you ever seen an UFO? We are asking this while wearing the Tokyo Sports’ UFO hoodie…..what results do you think we are going to get, Kaoru? Kaoru: I think the “No” is going to have a huge percentage…. Joe: As expected… Kaoru: Like a 70%(no)-30%(yes) Joe: Between having seen one or not, I would say “no” is going to be the most voted answer….Hiranabe…..*Joe is reading comments* He couldn’t come today….so, Kaoru’s prediction was a 30% for people who have seen a UFO and 70% for the opposite…so, let’s see it in one,two, three… *(Hiranabe used to appear in The Freedom of Expression when it was a radio program)* *The options on screen disappear and suddenly they are back with a 100% for yes, 0% for no* Joe: A 100% for yes? Ah, it seems that there was some mistake…..let’s do it again…I got scared with the results…..is everyone a fan of Tokyo Sports?....*Kaoru laughs* Have you seen a UFO or not? Kaoru saw one once when he was at overseas…. Kaoru: That’s true… Joe: Spotted by Toshiya…. why was Toshiya looking at it… Kaoru: I have no idea…. Joe: I wonder why…..the survey is again at the screen…..I’m sorry that it didn’t work before but now you can vote again…..let’s see the results…..*the results don’t appear* Ok…..OK?.....*the results appear, 23% yes, 77%no* Ohhhh…. Kaoru: That’s it…a big percentage… Joe: But a 23% of the voters have seen one….that’s good for Tokyo Sports…..that’s their target market…. Kaoru: But surely among the people who haven’t seen one, there are people who are interested in them…. Joe: That’s true, that’s true…. Kaoru: Maybe they are interested in them… Joe: By the way, I want that 23% of people who voted that say they saw a UFO, tell us where did they see it….so we can, with The Freedom of Expression, go there to check…. Kaoru: Yeah but, we can go there but having to wait for it, that’s  bad…. Joe: That’s right, there is a chance that the three of us come there and nothing appears…. Oh, someone said they saw it at Chiba…..”I saw one once I was walking back from work”…..Oh,where is your workplace?....”I saw one in Miyagi”…..Miyagi….In Okinawa, Shinga….there is no one that has seen one in Tokyo?....if there is someone that has seen one in Tokyo, the two of us can go….”At Sapporo when I was going from the airport to the hotel because I was attending a Dir concert there”……”At Saitama”…..ehhhh….Saitama…where? please give us more details….there are a lot of people that saw one, but not on Tokyo…. Kaoru: There aren’t….. Joe: “Sendai”…..”Kagoshima”…..please if you have seen one, please us at the comments….So, let’s change the topic to music….this year….due to Corona, a lot of plans had to be cancelled….*Kaoru nods* Kaoru: That’s right… Joe: As expected….we are going to put on screen Dir’s schedule of this year….you will see it on screen….*Dir’s events from this year appear on screen*….In January/February, Corona wasn’t still around, it was before Corona became big…..you had an overseas tour…. Kaoru:Yes Joe: Which countries did you visit? Kaoru: Countries?  Well, it was in Europe…it was about 10 days…. Joe: At that time, I heard from a interview you did that you said it but…..masks were still strange/weird at that time even at airports…. Kaoru: Yes, no one was wearing masks…. Joe: No masks at Europe at that time….but, how were the lives?, thinking about it now….it was a live with audience….and since that time…. Kaoru: It was the last one…. Joe: That’s it….how was it for you?.... Kaoru: They were good…. Joe: Berlin’s live was really good….that country especially…. Kaoru: The previous tour to this one (2018), we did a tour with lots of troubles at the lives….like the songs would have to be stopped in the middle of it and we couldn’t finish them properly….so, what we wanted to play or express at that time, couldn’t be done….so this time we did it with the feeling of revenge…we wanted that this feeling reached the people who came to see us ….so this time it was good… *Joe’s mic seems to not be working properly* Joe: So, you guys played at London one more time…. Kaoru: Yes. Joe: So, you guys could complete your revenge there this time….so, is there any episode or something interesting that happened overseas? If there is any, this time at Europe…. Kaoru: Something interesting? Joe: Like when you were drinking or so…I want to hear it…. Kaoru: Mmm…..is there any?.....mmmm…. Joe: You don’t remember? Kaoru: I remember but something that was interesting…..mmm….I don’t know if it is interesting or not….but sometimes the staff of the venue we are playing in takes a pic when it’s the rehearsal or so and upload it to the Instagram of that venue…. Joe: Yes, yes…. Kaoru: So, when I’m checking my Instagram, the pic appears and I see it….so, when I saw it…..Toshiya is in the picture!....*Joe laughs*….I was like “Eh??” when I saw it, “Is he aware of that?”…that he is in the picture…so, we got them to deleted it and then, we were in the rehearsal again, and thought  isn’t it careless?.....didn’t they know he was part of the band?....like, they saw him rehearsing…. did they think he was part of the Japanese staff?.... Joe: They didn’t know that! Kaoru: They didn’t…. Joe: It’s really careless…that episode….is there any episode with Takabayashi?... Kaoru: With him?....what could it be?.... Kaoru says something they did to him? But I can get it. Joe gets shocked and asks if it’s ok to tell it, but Kaoru said it was 10 years ago, when he was a roadie. Kaoru explains he became a manager before Inoeu left. Joe: “Is Fujieda ok?” *Joe reads a comment* Kaoru: He is fine…..*Joe points at where Fujieda is, behind cameras*…. The talk about the European tour is over, and they show again the Dir’s schedule of this year on screen. Joe: Next is something all of you saw…..in March?.....yes, it was the 27th of March….a livestream of a concert….a concert without audience….what do you think about it now? Kaoru: It’s something we wouldn’t have done if it wasn’t for these circumstances….we never have done it and we wanted to try….but due to these circumstances, it became part of our memories, part of the history of Dir en grey….we felt that way… Joe’s mic has fallen but he didn’t realize it, so his voice sounds so low and far away. He asks Kaoru about the reasons to do a livestream, Kaoru answers again that due to the circumstances. He says that looking at a screen while playing is tiresome even if he knew that there were people watching it, also he was nervous about it but not as nervous as when they played live cause its not the same.  They (dir) want to think about interesting things they can do during these times, but not being able to do lives as they want, and create the atmosphere they want,  it’s what make them not playing lives. Joe: So, in other words,  when it comes to expression,as long as you can’t create the world of Dir en grey, you don’t want to play lives. A part of me, misses that sound and emotion but also knowing it can’t be done in its complete form… Kaoru: But we keep thinking about things we can do in these circumstances…. Joe realizes his mic has fallen, finally. Joe: Oh, my mic has fallen…..*puts it again properly* Can you hear me now?, the staff just told me…..well…..Tasai….are you watching us?.... Kaoru: He is! Joe: Yes, is there something you want to tell him? *laughs* Kaoru: Are you working out? Joe:  Do you work out? Kaoru: I don’t… Joe: I did after a long time….I didn’t for two weeks….I didn’t train with my personal trainer for two weeks and today….he told me today to do some exercises that…..*grabs his backs and then his chest*….”Tasai, Tasai” *Joe reads the comments* Tasai is really popular….

Kaoru: The opposite of you…. Joe: That’s true….He is for sure the most popular….because everyone is typing “Tasai, Tasai”….if you have any question for Tasai….but how can I ask him?, I can message him through Line…. Joe says, then, they are going to talk about the digital release of the single. ------ People started asking in the comments if “Yamo-chan” is watching the livestream. After many comments like that, Joe looks confused and asks, “who is Yamo-chan?”, making Kaoru laugh. He explains that “Yamo-chan” is Shinya and that they started calling Shinya like that in a previous band. Kaoru adds Shinya usually watches everything so that’s why ppl are commenting that. They talk about Shinya more, mentioning the fax story Kaoru told in the livestream of May. Joe remembers that Shinya is really into board games, and suggests that they could do a board game special or something like that. People start writing in the comments that they should do it with Shinya, and others, that they should do it with “the whole band”. Joe says it would be complicated to do it with the 5 members. D.T.S appears in a comment and people starts commenting “D.T.S” “Do it with D.T.S”. Joe looks again confused and ask who is “D.T.S”. Kaoru explains that it’s Die, Toshiya and Shinya and it was something they did for the fanclub magazine.  Some people start commenting D.T.S.K, adding Kaoru’s to the name lol  ----- Joe and Kaoru start talking about “The Freedom of Expression”.  They do a survey asking if the people watching the live stream watch it/have ever watched it. Kaoru says he thinks that “a 80% is going to say no”. The results are really good, more than 90% (I think it was 96%?) say that they watch it. Later, they do another survey asking if they are subscribed to the channel or not. There are 3 options; “Yes” “No” and “No, but I’m going to subscribe right now”.  Results are again quite good, about a 85% say they are subscribed, “no” gets around almost a 9% and  “no, but I’m going to subscribe right now” gets almost a 6%. Joe asks Kaoru to say some encouraging words to that people who said “no”, so they finally subscribe. Kaoru just say in a plain voice, “subscribe to the channel”, making Joe laugh. ------ Joe talks about the Kaoru interview he did for his site, “Kimi ni tou”. He says he realized how international Dir en grey was a band, cause it’s the interview on the site with more visits from overseas and the English version is the most visited on the site. The interview is also in Chinese, and of course, in Japanese, but he was really surprised of how many people read the English version as well ---- At some point, Joe leaves for the toilet, leaving Kaoru alone. Kaoru is just staring at the screen reading comments and mumbling some answers. Someone ask him to show his hands, or ask him about his haircut, very random stuff. He looks kind of awkward , like not knowing what to do. He is also watching when Joe is about to come back, and when you can hear Joe’s footsteps: Kaoru: So, that was my Top 5, yeeeeeehhh *and starts clapping, the staff joins him clapping as well* Joe: No, no…..you are lying….you are lying….*Joe is still not on screen* You didn’t do it now, I’m sure…. Kaoru: I just did it…..look at the comments…. Joe: What are they writing?.....*Joe starts reading the comments* Is that so?....I couldn’t hear it….People clapping at the comments….it can’t be….*Joe points at some comment saying “evil”* See? You didn’t do it…. Kaoru: They are talking about you…. Joe: Me?.....* he mumbles a bit and keeps reading comments*….”What an amazing Top 5”….Really???.... Kaoru: See? Joe: “Amazing songs”….is that so?....what does that mean?....*Kaoru laughs*….”Amazing”….”I expected these songs”….Did you really tell them?.... Kaoru: I told you (I did). Joe: ”I’m sorry for you, Joe”…. Am I the only one who didn’t hear them?.....”Only great songs”….”great choice”…..Could he really tell them in such a short time?....*Joe looks at the staff looking for a confirmation* He did? the staff just nodded….  ----- After Kaoru played this prank on Joe about revealing his TOP 5, now it’s his turn to go to the toilet, leaving a drunk Joe alone. Joe: Everyone, before he gets back, let’s write “sing Rokkouoroshi” (Hashin tiger’s song, Kaoru favourite baseball team)….everyone say “sing Rokkouorsohi” for me, please….I couldn’t hear it….at Tora no Ana (Kaoru’s event for his birthday)…I told him to sing it…but he didn’t….so today….using everyone’s power…..using the power of alcohol….let’s write “rokkouroshii”….this year, it seems that Haishin tigers are not doing well, also there are no events to sing it but….let’s write rokkouoroshi!!!....”Joe, you are the best”…..don’t say those things at me….this is our power….*Joe looks at the staff* I received a question at line…thank you for it….thank you everyone for sending questions to my Line….ohh someone sent a gift *a function in niconico*…..Let’s make him sing it!!!:….let’s make this wish….if he receives this request from you all…..he is about to come back so let’s make this wish…rokkouoroshiii…rokkouroshiii…..ROKKOUOROSHIIII……why did I scream?....let’s do it together…*Joe realizes Kaoru has prob heard him, so he whispering encourages everyone to write the request* Ok, let’s go….*Kaoru is still not in screen but he is coming back* Well, let’s see what do you want to ask Kaoru….your requests…I just asked everyone what they want Kaoru to do….let’s see…..Oh oh oh!....what is that?.....Everyone wants you to do that….they are writing “rokkouoroshi”!!!!! Kaoru, they are writing “rokkouoroshi”!! Kaoru: Because you told them…. Joe: I didn’t! Oh! This is amazing! Check! Everyone is saying it… .Kaoru: Because of you….it’s not the first time… Joe: Me?....oh….Beer…..*Joe holds Kaoru’s beer and checks it’s empty* He doesn’t have a beer….please bring one!!! Kaoru: This is not the first time (you tried this)…. Joe: No,no no….let’s sing Rokkouoroshi… Kaoru: Should I tell them my Top 5? Do you want to hear it?       Joe: I don’t want to hear your Top 5....Rokkouoroshi…Rokkouoroshi…. *The staff brings Kaoru a beer* Joe: This year the Hashin tigers didn’t do well so that’s why you didn’t sing it but….next year?.... Kaoru: Next year….let’s sing it next year…. Joe: Next year….is that a promise?.... *They are about to toast, but Kaoru stops* Kaoru: If they win the competition….that’s what I told you at that time…. Joe: I see, so if next year, Hashin tigers win the competition, you are going to sing the full song… Kaoru: *makes a face *The full song? That’s imposible….*he turns to the other side* Joe: Well, well….wait wait….don’t turn your back to me….if they win the competition….sing just one phrase…. Kaoru: No, that’s imposible… Joe: Wait wait… Kaoru: I’m not going to sing it…. Joe: If they win the competition, just one phrase… Kaoru: I’m not going to sing it… Joe: Let’s toooooasttt…….*like toseal the deal lol* Kaoru: I’m not going to toast…..*turns his back on Joe* Joe: Just wait a bit… Kaoru: I don’t sing…. Joe: Then, what can we do?....let’s dance to Rokkouoroshi… .Kaoru: I’m not going to do that…. Joe: *with a pitiful voice* but they are asking for “Rokkouoroshi”…..*pouts* Kaoru: I’m not going to do it…. Joe puts a sad face like a small child and start making noises of complaint as if he was having a tamtrum…. Joe: But you have to do it!....somehow….in some way….next year, if they win the competition….let’s do it… Kaoru: Maybe we could do an event and gather with everyone…. Joe: *reading a comment* “Play it with the guitar”….. Kaoru: Playing it with the guitar is really tiresome…. *Joe is drinking his beer and almost spills it due to the laugh* Joe: Right now…..*reads a comment* everyone is with me, saying “ganbatte Joe!”…. “kaoru is so cute”….”in an event…”, that’s it, let’s do it at an event….next year, if it’s possible… Kaoru starts to mumble in a low voice. Joe makes gestures of dancing. He keeps trying to get a commitment from Kaoru to do it but Kaoru doesn’t accept. Joe: I’m sorry everyone, the negotiations failed.  ------ After the pranks and teasing, Joe says it’s about time for Kaoru to reveal his Top 5 songs of 2020 according to Spotify. 5. X-Japan “Without You” (Unplugged) Kaoru says he has been listening to it recently and mentions that this song is part of the soundtrack of the documentary of X japan. Joe talks about Hide, and how important was his existence to Kaoru’s life. Kaoru mentions the first concert of them he went. Joe asks Kaoru what he thinks that Hide would think of him if he was alive. Kaoru doesn’t seem to want to give a proper answer and says he doesn’t know. Joe says he thinks Hide would be like “you are cute” and happy/ proud of him.  Kaoru talks about when he met Hide at a restaurant (ikinari steak?) while he was eating with his manager. He talked about this in his book “Dokugen”. People starts commenting “that story is so sad”, “I read it at Dokugen”. Finally, Joe asks Kaoru what he would say to Hide if he was alive, Kaoru just says that he is not a person that it’s good at making conversation so probably nothing. 4. Merry “Fukurou (梟) Next song is from Merry. Kaoru says he heard it live and he liked it. Joe asks the name but Kaoru doesn’t know how to read the kanji and he struggles for while. He shows it to Joe but he doesn’t know either. Kaoru tries to describe it, but someone for the staff comes and tells him the title. After the description of the kanji, people were already commenting “it’s Fukurou!” and Joe reads it.  Kaoru says the name of the song and apologizes for not knowing how to read it. Kaoru: I’m sorry I didn’t know the reading (of the kanji)  3. Dir en grey “Downfall” Third position comes for a Dir en grey song, which surprises Joe. Kaoru says he usually listens to their songs to remember some parts/riffs. Joe says that having so many songs must be hard to remember all of them and ask Kaoru if he does (remember all of them). Kaoru answers he obviously knows the songs but not every part.  2. Dir en grey “Rinkaku” Kaoru says he was rehearsing this song and when he was about to play it, he realized he had forgotten most of it, so he had to listen to it several times and copy it to remember.  1. Dir en grey “Sustain the Untruth ”Before announcing #1, Joe asks the viewers which song we think is it. Kaoru kind of teases about it, not saying it waiting to someone to guess it right. Most people think is going to be “The World of Mercy”, as Kaoru says he listens to the songs to practice. Joe: Why does everybody think it’s “The world of mercy?” Other comments say “Ochita no koto ga aru sora” Joe: But you haven’t played that song live yet, right? Someone in the comments gets it right. Kaoru: Yes, it’s “Sustain the Untruth” ---- One of the last things they talk about, it’s a “unexpected”/” surprising” picture that Kaoru has in his phone. In the end, it’s a picture of the Mike Tyson energetic drink “Black”, with his face and the line “Empower yourself”.   And that’s all ;)

[centerofreality]

hello!! I love ur stuff, if it's not too much trouble, could I get ur HCs of Majima with a male S/O who's a doctor?

Of course! I hope you enjoy this, anon! I’m sorry if it’s short!

Warning. May Include: Slight OOC

Majima with a Male Doctor S/O HCs

Majima respects you a lot. He knows your line of work is difficult and doesn’t underestimate it.

He knows how busy you are but it doesn’t stop him from missing you so when you arrive at his place, exhausted. He’ll pamper you until you fall asleep. Let him take care of you, Y/N. 

Your dates would mostly just be a walk around the city. He suggested it because a walk’s always nice to get a fresh breath of air. 

He actually offered to have you be the personal doctor of his family but when you told him that you didn’t want to just help his family but other people as well, he understood and left it at that.

Chances are, he’d just prance in your hospital with a bullet or knife wound going, “Heyyyy Y/NNNN~”

You’ll lightly scold him as he sits there with a gleeful look on his face, watching you do your thing. You would think that he does it on purpose considering the number of times he’s there.

“Thanks for patching me up, doc.”

You’ll also be the one to take care of his boys. Don’t worry, they won’t cause a ruckus, knowing who you are.

When you lose a patient, you’ll be cradled in Majima’s arms and he’ll comfort you.

Seeing how you’re still in shock and how you talk about how guilty you are for not saving their lives makes Majima understand how awful you must feel. He tries to utter something, anything to comfort you, but instead, he just holds you tight with a frown as he listens to you vent.

Majima thinks you’re one of the strongest men he’s ever met. You just handling yourself after something like that. Seeing how tired you are but you keep on pushing. He’s proud of you.

He actually worries that you would overwork yourself to a pulp and constantly tell you to take a short break, he’d have some of his men send you coffee or food, and sometimes, he’d personally go visit you with gifts.

“I have some coffee and lunch. Oh, and some flowers as well. Helps lighten the mood, ya know?”

He’ll give you random medical pick-up lines and it never fails to amuse you because he probably searched it up.

“You get my heart racing like an epinephrine drip.“

“Do you even know what that means?”

“Of course I do! It’s those little thingys that you put in the IV!” He replied. Hey. At least he knows his stuff.

Whenever you talk to him about some of your patients or about what you were doing, He’ll always listens and gives comments of his own, even if he doesn’t know a lot about what you’re saying half the time.

“She was a cute little girl. Tells me all the time about how she wanted to get that Red Chesnut the Squirrel. I would get it for her myself but..you know.” You shrug, feeling a little guilty. No doubt it would make her day.

Majima hummed, looking nonchalant as he plans something. “Well, me and my boys are going to take a trip around the city, I’ll be right back.”

Hours later, he’d come back with the plushie and handed it to you. You’ll only look at him, shocked. “Where did you get that?”

“I went and bought it. It was on sale at Don Quijote and I remembered that girl you were talking about.”

You’ll only grin. No other prizes like Chestnut The Squirrel would be found other than the Arcade.

“Did you just-”

“Just take it, will ya?”

He wasn’t going to tell you that he spent several thousands of yen in that stupid UFO Catcher. But hey, it was worth it.

[sxfterhearts]

26. [9:10 pm]

➳ pairing: yugyeom x reader

➳ genre/warnings: fluff, established relationship!au

➳ word count: 1,224 words

➳ summary: 26. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

➳ author's note: written for the lovely @wonhony ​( ＾◡＾)っ ♡ i hope this meets your expectations omg >//< also everyone please feel free to leave me any feedback, comments or requests!! my inbox and pms are always open! (i am forever grateful to those of you who gave me feedback, brb while i drown in happy tears)

//

Surrounded by a cascade of hot water and its accompanying mist, Yugyeom's signature strawberry body wash formed a lather against your wet skin. You inhaled deeply, basking in the sugary sweet scent. You finally understood why this was your boyfriend's favourite. The body wash took you right back to the winters you spent strawberry-picking as a child.

Reaching towards the shower caddy, you picked up the golden tub that Yugyeom mentioned earlier when he handed you a fluffy towel and a clean change of clothes – his clothes. It was a hair mask, one that you saw in review or haul videos of beauty YouTubers. He said he bought it on a whim when he witnessed Jackson purchasing three tubs for his girlfriend at the famous discount store, Don Quijote.

It was a little over twenty-four hours since your boyfriend returned from his business trip in Japan. His entertainment agency had sent their composers and lyricists, Yugyeom and Jackson included, to a week-long songwriting workshop in Tokyo. It was the longest you had gone without seeing Yugyeom. The trip made you realise just how lucky the two of you were – you worked in the exact same company as a vocal instructor, with your classroom just two floors above his studio. Even if you didn’t bump into each other in the elevator or the cafeteria, you would at least greet each other every morning on the bus on the way to work. After being within arm’s reach for the entirety of your three-month long relationship, one week; seven days; one hundred and sixty-eight hours; ten thousand and eighty minutes, felt like an entire lifetime.

Which is exactly why Yugyeom planned a comprehensive date night after he debriefed and caught up on some sleep. He arrived at your doorstep at six o’clock sharp, looking devastatingly handsome in his favourite red plaid shirt and black skinny jeans, a bright, vibrant bouquet of white and yellow flowers in his hands. You allowed an excited Yugyeom to lead you to the pavilion at the peak of Eungbongsan. It was a breezy thirty-minute walk that rewarded you with magnificent views of the Han River, Seoul Forest, and the entire Seoul skyline. As the two of you sat side by side, shoulder to shoulder, you watched the sky transition from light to dark with mesmerised eyes. Munching on the bacon and egg sandwiches Yugyeom prepared, the two of you rejoiced in each other’s company while soaking in the glittery golden shine of the setting sun.

It was perfect, really. Neither of you wanted the night to end.

Hence why you were currently applying the hair mask onto your hair in the bathroom of Yugyeom’s studio apartment. On the train home, he suggested that, if you felt comfortable with it, you could stay at his place for the night.

You were never a spontaneous person. In fact, you leaned more towards the category of a control freak, always preferring to plan your day out to a tee. Being with Yugyeom, however, meant that you had to break your strategist tendencies and adapt to his carefree, go-with-the-flow personality.

You never spent a night together before. Months ago, you would flat out refuse his offer. But right now, you were way too eager to spend every waking hour with the man you missed so much. Despite a tingling nervousness blossoming in your chest, you agreed.

Humming to yourself, you rinsed away the remnants of the silky liquid from your hair. You felt the earlier nervousness give way to anticipation and excitement as you dried yourself with the soft towel. You were stuck with Yugyeom for another twelve whole hours, until you had to leave to teach a morning class. You giggled at the thought of sharing a bed with him as you pulled on a pair of his old, smaller boxers. His t-shirt ended right above your knees, making it look as though you weren’t wearing anything underneath. Would he snore? Or steal the blanket away from your shivering body? Perhaps you would end up spooning, with him as the big spoon. Maybe he would move around so much in his sleep that you would get pushed-

“Baby!" Yugyeom’s voice rang out just as you stepped out of the bathroom, catching you off guard. “Let’s watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved before. The first one though, not the sequel. According to Bambam the sequel is absolute sh-”

He paused midway, his fingers frozen atop the keyboard of his laptop and his mouth agape. Your hands stopped the furious blotting and squeezing of your hair.

“W-why…” Yugyeom gestured vaguely at your outfit, his eyes raking up and down your figure repeatedly. “You… You’re not wearing any pants?” His sentence ended in a squeak, his cheeks flushing and ears heating up at the sight of your exposed legs.

You hastily waved your arms in disagreement. “No! No, I am, it’s just… Well, your shirt is really long. I’m wearing your boxers, the shirt is just covering it.”

“Oh.” Yugyeom released a short sigh of relief. “I thought you were like naked, wait no, that sounds wrong.” He ran a hand through his light grey locks, embarrassed. “Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just, uh, never mind. I’ll be outside if you need me, um, need, anything. Yeah.” He promptly closed the door, leaving you standing there, stunned.

You tried to remain calm once you cleared the bathroom of your dirty clothes and made your way towards the living room. “Babe, can I borrow a-”

“A sanitary pad? Moisturiser? Body lotion?” Yugyeom sprang to his feet at the sound of your voice, anticipating your needs before they even left your mouth.

“You bought sanitary pads?” You wondered, cocking an eyebrow towards your boyfriend. “You planned this, didn’t you? You anticipated, no, you wanted me to sleepover.”

He grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck. “Guilty as charged, I guess.”

“Right…” Unable to hold yourself back, you closed the distance between the two of you and pinched his cheeks affectionately. “You’re so sneaky, Kim Yugyeom.” Yet, his thoughtfulness got you feeling all kinds of happy, prompting you to meet his lips in a soft peck. “But no, I was just wondering whether I could borrow your hairdryer.”

Soothing was the only word to describe how you felt as the two of you sat on his bed, his fingers detangling the damp strands of your hair while blowing hot air all over. The gentle grazes of his skin on yours, the steady whir of the hairdryer and the accidental blasts of hot air to your face gifted you with a sense of belonging, as though spending nights like this with Yugyeom was just right.

//

You barely stirred when he switched off his laptop as the ending credits of the movie rolled, having already fallen into a slumber halfway through. Amidst your sleepy haze, your mind registered him repositioning you into the little spoon, your back resting against his chest while his strong arms held you close. 

Yugyeom pressed his warm lips against your exposed neck to wish you good night. You mumbled incoherently in return, snuggling closer to the warmth and comfort of his body. Just like that, resting securely in Yugyeom's embrace, you drifted away to Dreamland.