#(and also just Juna's name + design)

[fortune-maiden]

Listening to the Cagesong OST and getting all the Endgame Feels T_T

[thekawaiifruitworld]

Hi! I hope you’re doing well. I absolutely adore your artwork and the way that you draw Ezra and Cee in particular. ☺️

I had a question for you regarding the one piece that people were asking about fics for, because I kinda had an idea that I might toy with. Is the mechanic character who is working on his prosthetic the same as the OC you shared artwork for, Juna? I just don’t want to give them a name if they have one already!!

Hey anon, thank you! I'm okay, just the usual stress. I hope you're doing well, too! :)

Regarding your question: Kind of yes, but I wouldn't mind if you change her name or leave it open. Of course you can also use it, if you like it. :) I really kind of liked her design, that I first came up with in the cardgame artwork a while ago. Now she occasionally reappears in fanart and sketches, because I enjoy to draw her and she somehow fits. But she isn't a fully fleshed out OC and undergoes a few changes in every picture. So feel free to either use or change her. :D And thank you for asking! That's very considerate and it really makes me happy that my art seems to have sparked some new ideas. :)

[linphd]

⛄️ CHRISTMAS DAY 2 ⛄️ dad!kirishima x mom!reader | presents

eijiro kirishima x reader

female reader

Eijiro and (Y/N)'s children open their presents on the Christmas Day.

no warning

(S/N) = son's name

(D/N) = daughter's name

'''And the... lion... said... goodnight' !'' The little boy said, pointing to the words. Eijiro smiled, giggling. ''Great ! You're very good at reading, (S/N) !'' His son giggled back at him, proud of himself. ''You'll teach your sister, right ?'' The man asked, resting his cheek against his son's bed.

''Of course !'' The boy said, his smile showing his pointy teeth. ''Nice ! Goodnight, then ! And tomorrow, we'll see the presents Santa Claus put under the tree !'' That said, Eijiro's son gasped, immediately rolling in the sheets to fall asleep as soon as possible. The man looked in his daughter's room to see her perfectly asleep already, so he could go to his own bed.

It was the 25th of December ; the Kirishima family loved to spend the 24th with their relatives, and the 25th with their friends that were like family. And even if (S/N) and (D/N) had opened some presents the day before, they still had some presents to open that day. And that's why the little boy was very excited when he went downstairs -almost falling in the stairs in the process. ''Why so excited, little dude ?'' Eijiro asked his son. ''Our guests only arrive for midday.'' He said, a smile on his face.

        ''I know ! But I'm too excited for the presents !'' (S/N) replied, sitting on the couch next to his dad. ''You'll open them at midday. There will be Bakugou, Mina, Sero and Denki, remember ? Denki comes with Jiro and Sumi.'' Sumi was their daughter, and the Kirishima children really liked her. ''You know that mom is still sleeping, right ? You're really awake early.'' Eijiro said, giving a juice box to his son. ''I know !'' He replied.

''You didn't wake your sister up, did you ?'' The man asked. ''No I didn't ! She was still sleeping.'' The little boy said. A few hours later, when (Y/N) woke up, he went to take a shower as his parents started to cook lunch for when their friends would arrive.

When Bakugou knocked on the door, Kirishima had just finished a game of Mario Kart with his son. (Y/N) opened the door and greeted everyone -they all had brought some food. ''Wow Bakugou, you didn't have to bring the whole dinner.'' The woman said, seeing how much food he had brought. ''I'm the cook. I still wanted to eat something.'' He replied, not trusting (Y/N)'s cooking skills. The two Kirishima children jumped to everyone's neck to hug them, and then showed their new console game to Sumi.

As Denki was blabbering about his radio show he was now hosting with Present Mic, the others were talking about their days at U.A. ''What did you get for Christmas ?'' Mina asked. ''(Y/N) drew me a better design for my winter costume ! Even though I still need to be half naked for my quirk...'' Eijiro replied, pouting at the last part -he was cold ! ''And she got us the console ! Yeay !'' He continued. ''Wasn't the console for you though ?'' Sero asked (Y/N) -knowing she loved video games- who chuckled at his question. ''What did you get if the console wasn’t for yourself ?'' The brunette asked her, and everyone started to talk about their presents.

       After eating -and before the dessert- the kids were allowed to open the presents the former bakusquad had brought them. (Y/N) gasped at her tiny daughter opening a big present. ''Ohhh, (D/N) ! What did Mina receive at her house for you ?'' The little girl laughed when she was done unwrapping the present. ''Talking dog !'' The 3 years old said, a big smile on her face. It was a mechanical dog she loved -she always recognized the song whenever there was the add on TV. Eijiro took a picture of her, holding the robot in her hands.

Actually, Eijiro and (Y/N) had wanted a dog for quite some months now ; and as (Y/N) had dogs at her parents' house, she knew how to take care of one. And the children actually heard them talking about getting a dog, and they got obsessed with the idea. Did they have plan to offer them a real dog ? Yes. They were sure not going to abandon it anytime. (Y/N) couldn't live without dogs anyway.

They were just waiting for Shoto to bring it -as the woman had asked him to keep the dog for the 2 days before the 25th. ''Mom ! Dad ! Look what I've got !'' (S/N) shouted, showing them his new video games that were accompanying the new console he had gotten the day before. ''Oh my God so cool ! We are soooo going to play this afternoon !'' Eijiro shouted, noticing it was a video game he also enjoyed.

After opening the presents, it was time to eat the dessert. And that's when someone rang at the door. ''Oh ? Is it Santa Claus ?'' Jiro asked, making the three kids giggle. (Y/N) went to the door, to let Shoto in, but also to take the dog in her arms. It was quite friendly, and wasn't in a box or anything, luckily for him ! When they saw Shoto, the kids greeted him, happy that he was there to see their presents. And as they were showing off everything they had received, the Kirishima kids gasped when they saw their mom arriving in the living room with a puppy.

Everyone laughed at their expression when (Y/N) gave the dog to her son -the little girl being still a bit young to carry a puppy. ''It's a girl and her name is Juna !'' The woman said, her husband recording the whole scene. As the puppy wiped his tail and licked (S/N)'s fingers, the little boy started to cry. ''What's wrong baby ?'' His mother asked. The little girl had some tears at the corner of her eyes, but they weren't rolling yet. ''We have a dog !'' The boy said, between sobs. He really was just like his father. ''Yeah, are you happy ?'' The man asked.

His kids nodded, hugging the puppy while being careful not to hurt it -their parents had often told them to be careful since Denki also had a dog and they knew it. After the two siblings were done kissing the puppy, they went to hug their parents. ''Are we still gonna play video games though ?'' Eijiro asked, making his son laugh. ''After we play with the puppy.'' He replied. They really liked their Christmas presents.

I didn’t like that one a lot but @mhastories told me it was good so I hope it really is 🥺

[fiction-in-my-blood]

Switching Sides: Part 9 (HLITF)

if anyone possibly wants to get on a tag list I’d be happy to make one

👉 @theshove 👈

If you wanna catch up, Part 8 is right here! Happy reading :)

Premise: Growing up in a life of crime in a Japanese mafia, Atsuko Motomori has seen enough injustice to last her a lifetime. To try and give back to the universe her family has taken so much from, she dreams of being a detective from a young age. Her twin, sharing her disgust for her father and many uncles, just wants an ordinary life away from the crime, paing and suffering. Instead, she wants to be in the spotlight with the soft notes she makes with her cello. In their escape of 2015, on their coming of age birthday, they must split ways, never to be together ever again. If one was found, they didn’t want the other dragged down with them. Atsuko, having changed her name and appearance as best she can without a scalpel, sets off to start her life of car chases and arrests.

Four years in a seemingly dead-end police station in the middle of nowhere, being passed over time after time for promotion, Atsuko finally gets a shot at her dream, having been sent to an academy for the best candidates in the country by her boss who had always kept an eye out for her. After discovering her boss may have made her bite off more than she could chew, Atsuko must become the slave of a dominating instructor!? Who so just happens to be the captain of the most famous police unit in Japan? Not to mention a total knockout! Will Atsuko finally achieve her dream? Or will her new instructor put her through the wringer?

Warnings: Language, Reference to sexual activity, Forceful nature.

~~~~~~

In what my sister said was a safe house, I flopped on a couch of extraordinary quality, my mind racing with thoughts. Was Kaga okay? Would everyone think I was dead? Hopefully, there weren't any security cameras in that alleyway, otherwise, I would’ve gotten caught out. 

"That was a close call." Juna sighed out a laugh, handing me a bottle of water for my dried throat. I didn't want to go to the hospital, too nervous the academy would be notified if I was seen or identified. The gorse the paramedic stuck to my head was still there and the bleeding in my mouth had stopped. Although, I could feel my jaw start to swell up. My chest was burning a little from the limited amount of smoke I inhaled, but I would be fine. Hopefully...

I was unresponsive to her comment, nervously rubbing the cloudy plastic in my hand. "You should take a shower. You stink." Noticing I wasn’t really in the mood to talk, Juna showed me an encouraging smile, nudging my arm to kick me out of my own world.

Looking around the apartment as I walked to the door she pointed at, I noticed many picture frames and trinkets from around the world. There were miniature figures of monuments, postcards and handmade jewelry, all presented on the bookshelves. I remembered the sheets of music she used to store in our room as kids and noticed that there were books of scores tucked closely together.

"You really got around, huh?" I commented, crouching in front of the bookcase to see a group photo of her old orchestra. She had a bright smile on her face and looked especially close with the man standing next to her with a horn type of instrument. I was somewhat jealous. I had no memories like this. No friends. No outings. Too scared to let anyone close. Too scared to show people the real me in case they got scared and left me broken. Hell, I didn't even own any sort of camera, not even on my phone. All I had were the memories I held onto. And those were few and far between.

Juna walked up beside me, peering at it. "Yeah." She showed a said smile and her voice croaked. It's hard to leave behind the people in your life after lying to them for so long. I could tell she felt guilty for disappearing out of the blue, but I was just trying to forget all about it. 

"It's for their protection, Juna. If they knew..." I led off, not knowing to the full extent what could happen. However, I did know it wouldn't be good.

"I'll get you a change of close." She got up, turning away from the memory before she let her feelings get the better of her.

~~~~~~

After my shower, I wrapped a towel around my body and dried my hair with another. 

"Hey, Juna, do you have a toothbrush I can borrow?" I called through the door, settling back into the sisterly comfort we had years ago. 

When she didn't respond, however, I furrowed my brows, expecting her to be just outside. Suspicious thoughts flooded my brain and I grabbed the clay soap dish in case I needed to pound someone’s head concave. It wasn't much, but all I had. Her interior design was surprisingly minimalistic. 

Slowly, I opened the door, peering into her living room. In the middle of the room, I spotted Juna hugging a man, tears flowing down her face. I sighed at her closed eyes, clutching the man like she might fall off a 60 story building if she even loosened her grip. ‘She knew not to call anyone. What was she thinking?’

"Juna," I growled, lowering my makeshift weapon when I knew there are no threats. She spun around quickly, not expecting me to be there. The man looked just as shocked, looking from my face to hers. 

"Katsu, I can explain!" She panicked as I eyed him suspiciously. It was the man from the photo. I crossed my arms.

"You the guy that called me?" I nodded towards the handsome man. He had fluffy, wavy hair and dressed rather lavishly in his white dress shirt and black pants. His long beige coat, although it was still kind of warm out, made his shoulders look quite broad. Despite my trepidation, he looked kind. 

"You're the woman from the payphone?" He gasped. I assumed he didn't know Juna had a twin sister.

"Does he know?" I turned my gaze back to Juna, wondering if he knew about our past. The look on her face told me he did. Enough to understand her disappearance, that is. 

"U-Um, Katsumi, this is Kanto. She's my twin sister." Juna was uneasy as she introduced us, but I was wary to step forward and shake his hand while he was too shocked to move. 

"And, um, Kanto is my b-boyfriend..." She led off, as if this was a shock to me. I raised an eyebrow. I could tell she was going to add to his title when she took in another deep breath. "And... well... he's also the father of my baby." She smiled brightly at me, but I could tell she was nervous about what I would say.

The words made me freeze and my breathing stopped. I looked down at her belly and I guessed there could be a bit of a bump, but nothing to cause suspicion. 

"I'm... gonna go change." I quickly grabbed the clothes left for me on the back of the couch and charged back into the bathroom.

~~~~~~

"Mikara... Your sister's a twin?" The father-to-be turned to the woman he loved, shocked he had just seen two of her, not used to calling her by her birth name. She had told him all about the past she had escaped from on a drunken night when she was missing her sister the most. She told him all about the older sister who had shielded her from so much hurt and abuse. She told him how her father had killed her mother. About the crimes she had witnessed. Juna had forgotten to mention when that sister had the identical features.

"I-I wasn't even supposed to tell you in the first place!" She teared up, worried what thoughts were going on in her sister's head. 

"You didn't tell her about me?" Kanto pouted, something Juna wouldn't usually be able to resist. 

"I didn't exactly have time." She frowned in response, sitting on the couch to wait for her sister to emerge again.

~~~~~~

Once I’d taken a breather to process the information I'd just taken in, I walked out of the bathroom and into the tense atmosphere of the living room. Kanto was standing on one side while I saw Juna stressing out on the couch. When I walked through their silent contemplation, my sister jumped up, expecting me to speak. I looked at both of them, trying to get the image of my sister fooling around out of my mind and I grimaced. Rubbing my temples, I went to the fridge, looking for food to cook something with. Neither of them had said anything yet and I was sure Juna felt like she was going to get lectured. 

"Sit," I ordered, pointing to the counter that had stools. They both ran over, sitting down as I got ingredients out. I needed to keep my hands full in case I fekt like strangling her. 

"Katsu-." I cut off Juna by lifting my knife in a shushing motion. I started chopping onions strictly, making them jump every time the blade hit the chopping board. 

"So, let me just ask." I suddenly looked up, finally knowing what I was going to say. "While I was working my ass off trying to become a detective so I can make both of us safe, you're off getting knocked up and spreading your secret like it's the New Testament?" I started chopping more vegetables more violently, throwing them into the pot I was heating up for some sort of stew. 

"H-Hey! You make me sound like a slut!" Juna argued back, face flushing darkly. I sighed, rubbing the area between my eyebrows to somehow get the information into my brain. There was still a pounding pain in my head from the smoke and the head injury, so the added stress of thinking was not welcomed.

As the sizzling of vegetable oils sounded in the silent room, I casted my gaze to her. "How far along?" One hand on my hip and one holding my face, I couldn't turn my whole body to look at her, too worried I'd pounce on the man that got my sister pregnant without knowing the whole situation. 

"A-About six weeks. It was shortly before dad kidnapped me." She shied away, looking at her lap as she reported. This Kanto guy was too scared to even look me in the eye. 

"Have you had a check-up since the shooting?" The question made the man's gaze shoot up, worry painted on his face. 

"Y-You were in a shooting?" He shrieked, jumping up and grabbing her shoulders to force her to look at him. In a way, his overreactions reminded me a little of Naruko. 

"I didn't want to say anything to him. I was too scared of what he'd do..." She continued talking to me, avoiding her partner's intense gaze. I could tell she was talking about our father. Who knew what he would do if he found out she was pregnant. What he would do the with baby...

Biting the tip of my thumb, I sighed. "I'll see what I can do about an appointment. We might have to go a little out of the city. I just..." I led off, a little disappointed in my sister. With the way we grew up, why would she want to put another human being into this world? 

"...We barely had a childhood. Just about made it out alive. How do you think you're going to protect that child? What if they find us again? What if they kidnap the kid?" I pestered whatever plan she had and the man stood up to me. 

"I'm going to protect her! I don't know you, but I know Mikara is the strongest woman I've ever met!" He yelled, his expression was enraged. 

"You don't even know her real name. I'm trying to be realistic. If you're going to have this baby, it's going to have the same enclosed life we did. They're not going to stop looking for us. Not after seeing me at the scene. Not after I..." I led off, praying and hoping that I had killed my father in that fire. With the head of the snake gone, it would take the gang some time to regroup and decide on their next course of action. Maybe it would even scare them off? 

"They won't have the same childhood as us, Katsumi. Because we will love them with all our hearts. We will cherish and raise them the way we were meant to be raised. Because that's what they deserve..." Juna grabbed Kanto's hand, smiling brightly at him. It was an expression full of love and hope. Nothing I had ever seen on either of my parents' faces. "...And we'll do it together. Please, Katsumi, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they didn't know their Auntie Katsu!" She turned to me with a look that almost broke my heart.

"Why do you have to be so damn optimistic all the time?" I frowned, turning away from the loving couple and towards the burning food. 

"Does that mean you accept us?" Juna pleaded and her voice sounded frail. 

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I'm not going to disown you. But, I'm still not happy about this." I didn't need to turn around to know that she was ecstatic. I even heard the stool slide back as she jumped to hold her lover. 

~~~~~~

Once dinner was served up, I began to ask Juna if she knew anyone that could get us new identities. 

"Why would you need that?" Kanto asked, obviously out of his depth. 

"I'm probably going to be presumed dead if they can't find me at the scene. I'll need a new license to be able to get a job. You should be fine as long as you stay out of the spotlight." I explained, knowing this wasn't at all common knowledge. The first guy I used to get me a new persona went missing shortly after we made our escape. He was likely dead. 

"Can't you use your original passport? It shouldn't be too risky, seeing as you..." Juna led off, not wanting to bring the possible murder of our father into the conversation over our meal. I had filled her in before we got here. 

"That's all in my old dorm. I wouldn't be able to get in there without being spotted." I scratched my head trying to think of a way to get by in this modern society without any means of identifying myself. 

"It's an open-campus, right? I could go there to collect your belongings. Even Kanto can say he's your cousin." Pretending like he wasn't even here, Juna and I started to plan a break-in into the academy. 

"I had a friend who knows I have a twin sister... But my instructors are trained in interrogation, I wouldn't want to put you through that. Could I go myself?" I questioned the liability of using my sister's ID as my own in order to infiltrate without putting her in harm's way. 

"You have the same face." Kanto tried to put his limited input, which I didn't appreciate. He didn't seem like a bad guy, but I wasn’t  very trusting when it came to the people around my sister. 

"Yeah, but can you act like you just lost your sister?" Juna laughed, however morbid that may seem. 

"I've gotten good at lying. Surprisingly." I smiled slyly, both of us knowing how ironic it was for a cop to get good at deceiving other cops. 

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention." I sighed. When I remembered what was in the box under my bed, I remembered the letter of evidence I wasn't able to give to the detectives. I explained this to them both and Juna looked anxious. 

"They have no chance of catching them without it." She mumbled, pinching her chin as she thought about a way to get the evidence to them anonymously. 

"We might have to wait for things to die down before I make a move on the police department. There's no way they won't have some sort of software on their security cameras..." 

"That reminds me. We need to get some hair dye." With a mouth full of food, Juna spoke up. 

"Why does this feel so much more complicated than last time?" I dropped my head into my hand, adding every task to my todo list.

~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in a hospital near where the bombing took place, a team of doctors were working hard to save a certain crack detective. His coworkers were pacing back and forth, making calls and planning their next steps, having sent every student they had back to the academy.

"There's no cameras in that alley. The closest thing we have is a street cam down Main Street and we don't even know if they went that way." Shinonone raked an hand through his hair, laptop in hand, squinting at the map with pinpoints on it showing all the cameras they had access to in the city. 

"And you saw nothing about their faces. No hair colour, eye colour? What about their clothes?" The Chief, finally getting involved once one of his men was in the ER, pointed out, making some of the men that were already irritated, far more so than before.

"They were both wearing black. The one in the suit may have had black hair, but what good will that do? They both had their helmets on before we turned the corner." Ayumu complained, the one that had seen the most of the women on the motorcycle before they made their quick escape.

"Kurosawa is out making the rounds, but it's unlikely he'll find anything with everyone's attention on the building." Soma sighed to himself, pinching his chin in deep thought.

"Has anyone heard from Motomori yet?" Goto finally spoke up, wording everyone's suspicions they didn't want to be having. She had gone through those huge hotel doors and never came out. She didn't respond to her ear-piece; her only female friend had found it on the floor shortly after she ran in. 

The room went quiet and cold. The group of six had been allowed a private conference room in the hospital so they could work and be the first to hear of any changes in Captain Kaga's condition, so the only sounds that could be heard were small, distance noises of shuffling hallways and a squeaking from a trolley being pushed just outside the door.

"She wouldn't have left without finding him..." Soma was the first to speak, further exclaiming everyone's collective thoughts. Shortly after Kaga was found, the entire building collapsed, even if the young officer was still in there, there was little to no chance she'd still be alive. Between all that fire taking oxygen out of the air and the crumbling structure of the building trapping her in the one room that might have been saved from the blasts and the likelihood of being crushed to death by rubble, there was no way. They knew of her persistence by now, but she wasn't a god. She couldn't tire out death.

Suddenly, a light knock rapped the door, sounding like a thundering clap in the still air. Everyone turned when a nurse poked her head through and, for a moment, everyone was reminded of that same girl that they had all been thinking about. But, alas, the black-haired young woman explained that Captain Kaga was asking to speak to someone who knew about the situation, and they needed to hurry. 

With a heavy sigh, Ishigami put himself forward to speak. Then Chief Namba. Then even Shinonome stood up. 

"Sit down, all of you." The Chief exclaimed and everyone stepped back, knowing now was not the time to act strong. With that command, the subordinates got back to work and Namba followed the nurse to Kaga's hospital room.

~~~~~~

Several days later, I was out grocery shopping in Juna's neighbourhood, on my way to collect my belongings from the academy, under the assumed identity of my twin sister. You know, the one Shinonome found a missing report on. I wouldn't lie, my knees were weak and my palms were sweaty. I was so nervous I felt like I was going to throw up. I didn't know if Instructor Kaga made it to the hospital, or out of it, and I didn't know how Naruko was feeling. I didn't know if my father's body was found or if the uncle with the device was caught. I had so many loose ends to tie up, I felt like my whole life was going to unravel the second I stepped through those gates. 

"Katsumi." A man's voice spoke up and I turned to see Kanto, my sister's boyfriend. Juna had gone to a job interview and sent him with me so I didn't get overwhelmed. 

"Don't go calling me that in the academy." I frowned at his forgetfulness and turned back to the array of snacks in front of me. 

Juna had... interesting cravings. And, since she was the pregnant one, I had to go out and find the rare candy she wanted. "I didn't even know they made pickle-flavoured pop rocks." I felt like I was going to crumble under the pressure of the rage of a pregnant woman. I had been looking for days, but apparently they only sell them in small stocks. 

"We should get going or we'll be late to pick up Mika... Juna." Still not used to using my sister's birth name in public, Kanto took the basket hanging on my arm. 

"I'm perfectly fine carrying this myself." I snatched it back, narrowing my eyes at him before heading to the checkout point.

"How long is it going to take you to trust me? I'm trying really hard here!" Once we get out of the shop, Kanto followed me down the street, begging. 

"We'll see how well you do and then I'll decide. For all I know, you're a flight risk." I explained, truly believing he could leave at any time if he wanted. I was sure that didn't make him feel good, to not be trusted by your lover's family, but I couldn't afford to be friendly. "It was just us for so long. I can't just go around handing out friendship tickets to anyone. It's my job to keep her safe." I glanced at his defeated stature beside me. 

"...But, I'll be willing to give you a chance... After this, of course." I softened at the puppy dog eyes he showed me and a bright smile appeared on his face. 

"I won't let you down, Katsumi!" He cheered, showing me a cartoonish salute. "I-I mean, Mikara." He stuttered out my fake name and my sister's former name once he saw the serious glare on my face.

~~~~~~

In front of the looming school gates of the Public Safety Academy, I took a deep brreath, sighing it out while trying to calm my racing heart. This would be the biggest, most important undercover operation I would ever be on, and I didn't know if I was ready for it yet. 

"Are you nervous?" Kanto peered into my face and I opened my eyes from concentrating on my breathing.

"I was meant to start my life here. So, yeah, I'm a little depressed about it." I frowned and started walking to the administration office.

~~~~~~~

"Excuse me, I'm here to collect my sister's belongings," I announced at the desk, pulling a saddened expression when I gave my fake name, handing over the identification she asked for. 

"You're not on any emergency contacts. How did you find out?" The woman, after looking at my details, looked up suspiciously. 

"Her old boss called me and told me what happened... We... We weren't that close..." I looked away guiltily, secretly annoyed I hadn't planned for any of this. I should have at least bought another phone and registered that as an emergency contact. 

When the receptionist noticed the similarities between my face now and the one on their system, she quickly made a call to get me and Kanto a guide. 

We waited for a little while before I heard a familiar voice, shrieking, behind me. "Atsuko?" 

Both of us turned, me unbelievably stressed and nervous, to see my closest ally wide eyed and ready to cry. Too uncomfortable to keep eye contact, I looked at Kanto in an effort to distract myself.

"M-Miss Harada, I'm so sorry for your loss." 

Naruko, red-eyed and looking withered, smiled at me to pretend nothing was wrong. My heart shattered as I saw her expression, but I forced myself to look back. Naruko took us to the dorm, where she left us to look through my stuff. 

Once I knew the door was closed, I darted to the box under my bed.

"This is a pretty sweet gig." Kanto looked around at the nicely styled room. 

"Good, it's still here." I sighed in relief, sliding my old passport into my jacket pocket, along with all the childhood memories. Then, I noticed my mother's ring rocking around in the bottom. 

"What's that?" Kanto seemed to share the interruptive nature Naruko couldn't seem help. 

"My mother's. I think. She left it on my pillow the night she left." I sighed, not wanting to look at it anymore. "You take it. Juna always wanted it more than me." I closed my eyes and forced it into Kanto's hands. 

Moving on, I started to pack the clothes I had left hanging on the wardrobe. I found the uniform we were given when we arrived and my fingers grazed them, having left them here when we went undercover in the hotel. My brows furrowed as I looked at it, knowing I would never be able to wear my badge again. Before I knew it, I was crying. 

"Do you want me to finish for you?" Kanto spoke up and I bit my lip, trying not to let my voice sound frail.

"I'll leave it here. It's too painful to bring it with me." I turned away from the closet, just like I had with that life. 

~~~~~~

Before long, I had packed up anything I needed for my new life. I took a deep sigh, not expecting to be so emotional about the whole fiasco. 

"We should get going, Juna will be finished soon." I looked up at the clock on my wall for the very last time. As I packed, I had been ingraining the room into my memory, not wanting to leave this stage of my life behind. I had worked so hard, only for it to result in nothing. I broke down at my thoughts, turning to hide my face in Kanto's chest. 

"Shut up," I whispered before he could make a comment on how I was already warming up to him.

~~~~~~

After I cried myself to where I thought I would be able to leave without looking a mess, I stepped back from the man. 

"Thank you for coming with me... I know I'm difficult." I mumbled, embarrassed with how rude I had been to such a great guy. 

"Don't apologise with tears in your eyes! You're gonna make me feel guilty." Kanto laughed and I glared at him. 

"That's not an apology. It's a thank you for never talking about this again." I threatened, finding myself less of a mess than before. It was easy to communicate with him, I could see why Juna fell for him.

Taking a step out of my dorm for the very last time, I saw Naruko crying in the corner and being consoled by one of our classmates. 

"I-I just miss her so much. We were supposed to graduate together!" She wailed and I had to look away to stop myself from crying again. Pulling out the picture she had picked up that night when we were new friends from my jacket pocket, I reminisced on all the memories we had here. We weren't together for a long time, but she made life under Kaga's rule bearable.

Then, I remembered the one picture we took together was pinned to my fridge. Running back into my room, I ripped it from the magnet. 

"Can you give this to the girl? I don't think I'll be able to keep my cool." I handed it to Kanto once I walked back out of the apartment and he looked a little stunned by my request but did it without another word to me. 

When he approached the two, Naruko looked up in fear of an instructor reprimanding her for being so emotional in the hallway. His voice was rather deep. I was honestly surprised she wasn’t fawning over him. He gave her the picture, saying he was sure I would want her to have it, and her gaze darted to me. With tears in her eyes, she ran up and gave me a big hug. For a moment, I was worried she had noticed it was really me. 

"Your sister was a great friend and an even better cop. She would have made an amazing detective!" She tried to calm herself down as she pulled back, gripping my shoulders like a vice. My eyes widened a little and I could tell she really believed that. 

"Thank you... You don't know what that means to hear you say that." I tried to keep my distance, not wanting to trigger something in her memory that would make her realise that it was me for a second time. 

"U-Um, before I forget, the instructors that taught Atsuko want to talk to you." She straightened up, realising how uncomfortable I was with the close contact. 

Now I was seriously nervous. I gulped, nodding and calling Kanto back over from his conversation with the classmate and we made our way to the Instructor's Staff Room. 

~~~~~~

Naruko knocked, announcing both herself and us. She invited us in with a smile and I spotted Instructor Ishigami, Soma and Shinonome standing up from the table in the centre of the room. I was stunned silent, too afraid I might admit everything to them right there and then. I could tell Kanto straightened his back as well, likely intimidated by the handsome men in front of us. 

"Miss Motomori, we're very sorry for your loss." Soma stepped forward and grabbed my hand to give me a gentle handshake. I curtly bowed my head, not wanting to stutter if I spoke.

"It's Harada." Kanto, seemingly overtaken by some sort of confident spirit, snaked and arm around my waist and pulled me close to his side. Too shocked to hide how thrown off I was, I furrowed my brows at him. He was smiling, although it was a little strained, so I could tell he' was just as uncomfortable about this as I was. 

When I turned back to Soma, his expression quickly changed from something surprisingly stern to his usual smile. "If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them." He showed me a kind but sad smile and I instantly panicked. 

‘Was it normal for loved ones to have questions? I guess if they hadn't found a body, I should be wondering if I had really died.’

I turned to look up at Kanto, trying to see if he had any ideas. He asked whether they had, in fact, found a body and the tension in the room skyrocketed. 

"Shortly after Officer Atsuko went into the building, a bomb went off, destroying a part of the hotel. We haven't been able to search the rubble yet." Ayumu answered as Soma guided me to a seat and I hesitantly complied. From here, I could see inside Kaga's office, and he was nowhere to be seen. I grew anxious and couldn't help but speak up. 

"I heard she went in after another detective? Did...Did he make it out alive?" I peered at Ishigami, knowing he would be the only one to give me a straight answer. His brows furrowed for a moment, maybe taken aback by my similarities to the girl he knew. I grabbed Kanto's hand for support when he took a considerably time to respond. 

"He was sent to the hospital shortly after he was found outside of the building." His response was vague and I felt my heartbreak. 

‘He's dead. I went through all that trouble to save him, and he died.’ I could feel tears collect in my eyes again. 

"Mrs Harada, there is one more thing." Soma, who had been standing by my chair, put a hand on my shoulder. I looked into his other hand to see a long, flat box. I could memorise that black box from anywhere. "This is her officer's badge. It was found in her room after the incident." I hadn't worn my badge to the hotel because we were supposed to inconspicuously round up the criminals, a badge would completely defy the point of wearing casual clothes. I took great care of it and put it in that box whenever I wasn't wearing it. It showed how, even when I hit a rocky road, I could accomplish my dreams. It was my most cherished possession.

Looking at the metal glinting in the sunlight when he opened the lid, I was so mesmerised I didn't even realise it when tears started falling down my face. I had completely forgotten to look for it in my dorm. Slowly, I reached up and took the box, swiping my thumb over the badge number I had grown to ingrain in my memory. 

"Thank you," I whispered, my voice frail with pain. “It was all she ever wanted; to be cop. Thank you.”

~~~~~~

Once we had collected everything we needed, we had to leave to pick Juna up from her job interview. As we walked to the door, Ayumu called out my fake name. 

"How long has it been since you've seen your sister?" He asked and I took a moment to respond, trying to think of something that wouldn't make him question me further. It was obvious he remembered the name from the missing person's file, I was honestly astounded he didn't ask about it until now. I guess he thought it would be a good time to bring it up.

"It's been a few years. I wish I could have made up with her sooner..." I sighed, pretending to think back to an argument that might have made us distant. Watching Ayumu's reaction, I could tell he was somewhat annoyed. Had he expected me to say something else? Had he wanted me to say we had talked more recently? 

When he didn't respond at all, I turned back to the door Kanto had already escaped through, as, I’m sure, he was as scared as I was when trying to lie. 

Suddenly, the door flew open. There, I saw a man practically walking around with a storm cloud above his head, but I was overjoyed. 

‘H-He's alive!’ My eyes widened at Instructor Kaga, breathing right in front of me. It took me a moment to register that I shouldn't be staring so noticeably and I redirected my gaze to the open door, walking away for good.

[venus-says]

Futari wa Pretty Cure Episodes 27-49

Fighting Darkness with Hope. 

The second week of the Precure Rewatch series is here and we reach the end of our first season! I know I'm late, part of it is my fault because I kept watching AGDQ videos and procrastinated a lot, I admit that (the high temperatures I'm having adds into that too because I become no one in the heat). But also, if you don't know, January is a month that rains a lot here in Brazil and in some cases rain equals the power going down a lot so it was hard for me to watch everything on time.

But enough excuses, let's get right into the meat of this post.

I always had a hard time with Futari wa's second half, in my mind that has always been the weakest portion of the original season, but I gotta be honest, I enjoyed the latter half more than the first one during this rewatch! Yes, I still have a problem with the change of villains and everything, to me the Dark King gets revived way too soon, and Pollun is definitely a handful. But honestly? It didn't bother me as much, at least not as much as I expected.

What this part has that put it above the first half to me is how better the fighting got. The formula is still the same, most of the cases it's just the girls being beat down until Pollun comes to the rescue thanks to the Power of Crying™ and they fire a beam of light to the enemy. The difference here is that in between these scripted points we have physical fights and some of them are top-notch, real good stuff that adds so much to this format and it doesn't make it feel stale. It also helps a lot that there were very few instances of using Zakennas for the precure portion which means they were fighting against the new generals directly in most of the cases and this is a thing I think more shows that follow the MOTW style of combat should follow.

Speaking of the new generals, here's another very glad surprise I had during this rewatch. While I still think they "lose" in terms of design when putting them in comparison with the first team, Juna, Regine, and Belzei, the Seeds of Darkness as I like to call them (because Dark Warriors is a very generic name and I don't like it),  are very great villains. Maybe Juna not so much since I think he's not expressive at all and he doesn't do much, but Regine and Belzei more than compensate for him. I like this quirky of Regine's civilian form has of being quiet and shy even though she's like a living demon of darkness, I also love that whenever she transforms and her hair gets "pulled" all the way back and then bounces back in those curls I go all "YAS QUEEN, WORK MAMA". Much like Juna I feel like she doesn't do a lot, she worked on a team with him quite sometimes and it was very interesting to see in most cases, but overall her presence felt a little empty, I still love her regardless. Belzei is total final boss material, he's powerful, he's smart, he's scary, everything we need from a villain. Not gonna lie, when I saw they were going to betray the Dark King I started rooting for them because I like them more as villains than I like the Dark King.

On the side of our heroines, things got more interesting as well. I think one of the charms of this part was the period where Wisdom was captured by the Seeds of Evil, I wish we had seen the girls actively trying to locate and rescue the Guardian more times, but overall it was a good experience, it revealed he had quite a lot of personality and it wasn't just another background character from the Garden of Light. Speaking of characters with personality, Pollun was a huge part this time around and even though his selfishness was annoying, and all the whining was hard to cope with, he was great, by the end of the season I acquired an appreciation for him that I didn't know it was possible for me to have, especially seeing how terrible I remembered him being. Maybe he gets worse in Max Heart and that's the image I had of him in my mind, but he's a child and he's very genuine with his feelings which leads to one of the most touching scenes in the season during the climax battle where he sorta sacrifices himself because he loves the Precure and he wants to help them SO BADLY he's willing to do anything for them no matter how scared he is. I have mixed feelings about his powers because I thought the Rainbow Bracelets were a thing because he had the power of the Prism Stones inside him but later in the season it seems that apparently that wasn't the case and I think that's kinda off, but it doesn't tickle me off that much so I'm fine with letting this pass.

If in the first half the characters were the greatest for me, I'm glad to say the second half kept the good work going and it was just as great with the characters as well. This second half had a lot more fillers, but I feel like this isn't a problem since most of these fillers were to give some development and character for the side characters which was excellent, first because made characters that were more or less just there doing nothing in the first half be more active and feel more like real people that live in this world, and second, no filler came alone and without purpose, even in the less eventful ones either Nagisa, Honoka, or Pollun had something that they could learn from those situations. From Nagisa's brother to even their teacher, I feel like most of the side characters were explored in these episodes, and it was a delight to watch them.

Nagisa had some interesting growth, I feel like this second half was more focused on her than in Honoka, which is kinda sad but I feel like I can't complain since what Nagisa got was very good. Of course I have a problem with part of her development coming from her admiration/relationship with Fujipi, but she has a lot of moments where she's more down and she gets the opportunity to reflect about herself which I appreciate, I also realized that this could've been a relationship I could root for if only their relation had any major changes throughout the season. Sadly that's not the case, for the most part, Fujipi is there unaware of everything and just living his life, while Nagisa never dares to break the status quo and actually confess her feelings which makes this relationship be stale, though it's great for Nagisa as a person and I do think it's important for her to go through some of those emotions so I'm not as mad as I was with it during the first portion.

Poor Honoka wasn't as fleshed out in this second half, part of her development was more or less intertwined with Nagisa so she didn't have a lot of opportunities to shine, which is obviously a downside. However, they chose to pick one of her most interesting plotlines from the first half and did something that was very deep, strong, and beautiful with her feelings about Kiriya which I appreciate. But I can't deny that I wish they had done some more stuff around this, I know it's hard seeing how things happened with Kiriya in his goodbye, but since they would bring him back for the final arc I would like if they had given us more especially seeing how this relationship has left such a strong impact on Honoka.

I know it sounds awful when most of my points related to character growth involve romantic interests, but even with that element it was still pretty good to watch, and one thing that I definitely like more here than in the first half is that none of their conflicts centered around a "romantic" figure was a detriment or weakened their friendship. And to me, this is what makes this second half great, honestly. Nagisa and Honoka have their boy issues but this second half don't forget these characters have a very strong and beautiful friendship, we're always reminded of that, we're always seeing them help each other, and we're always seeing this friendship evolving and moving forward. One of my favorite moments of this season is on episode 42 that is an episode solely made to showcase this friendship and it's just so powerful and emotional, I think this episode embodies everything that Futari wa is about and it's definitely a high point in this second half, in the season, and a huge landmark for the development of our heroines.

Since I mentioned Episode 42, here are other episodes that were highlights for me in this second half:

Episode 28, the one with Honoka's Grandma story from the time of the war was very touching, and it also laid down one of the most important lessons of this show, the one about Hope and Despair going back to back and we choose on what we wanna focus the most. Yes, is a somewhat naive way to see things, but it's important nonetheless and that was just amazing. It also introduced Regine and that was also a plus. Episode 30 was awesome because it delivered on the action, it was also the point where Pollun gets the power of the Prism Stones inside him and the Precure get their new finisher that is their main attack used for the rest of the season, it was great. Episode 36 got me with mixed feelings, I love the portion where we follow the Guardian as he tries to escape, but I hate the plotline going in the side of the girls because it was another one of those stories where Mepple is an asshole but ends up as a hero in the end and y'all know how much I love that, don't you?

37 was great because it was a school play where we got to see Nagisa and Honoka acting as Romeo and Juliet, but my favorite thing about this episode was seeing the girls fight IN THEIR CIVILIAN FORM against the knight Zakennas in front of a live audience, that was just marvelous. I like episode 40 because they went all Freddie Krueger and attacked the girls on their dreams, which is always interesting. And the entire final arc, from episode 47 to 49, was very great as well. It was a strong finale, even though I had a few problems with it.

And that's pretty much it. Despite my technical problems, I really enjoyed rewatching this season, it was great for me to rediscover characters and moments that I loved and also find out new passions about this wonderful season, it sparkled something on me and now I feel like the precure flame inside me is more strong than ever. Thank you so much for sticking with me through the end of this huge post once again, I hope I can see you again in the next time. Bye folks~

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 027

Episode: Futari wa Precure 27 - “A new darkness is coming! Save the lost child Porun!” Date watched: 7 May 2018 Original air date: 8 August 2004 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/bgK8PMY

The new Venom movie looks weird.

Welcome to the second half of the show! This is a bit more plodding and ponderous than the first half, and since I’m running with the idea that the first half of the show was meant to be the entire show, it’s probably because they weren’t sure what to do with the next 23 episodes. We aren’t told how much time has passed since they girls defeated the Dark King, but it’s implied to have been a little while. The episode cold opens on a flowery field that slowly withers and dies as a dark plant sprouts into that vine grows into a person. 

As one does.

Cut to the theme song and then a flashback to an exposition scene in the Garden of Light with the Queen explaining that the Dark King released some seeds before his destruction that will grow in the Garden of Rainbows and gather energy for his revival. You can see where this is going. Mepple, Mipple, and Porun explain that this is why they’re back.

Let me take a moment to talk some more about Porun. I mentioned in the last two reviews that I’m not fond of him, not in his early appearances. He is extremely annoying, and it’s really not until Hikari shows up that he mellows out. This is because he is a child, while Mepple and Mipple are adults, or close to it. He is young and full of energy, almost literally bouncing off the ceiling. I don’t dislike him for being a child, I dislike him for how he’s written. His actions are frequently the catalyst for the plot of the week, and it gets repetitive. In this episode, he runs away from Honoka’s place and romps around the city, at one point making his way into a claw machine and being picked up by some older girls. He runs away, gets scared of the big bad world outside, and eventually is found by the villains. Fortunately Nagisa and Honoka find him in time or that could have been the end of the show. He’s back on the garden of Rainbows because the Queen mentioned that he’s very powerful, moreso than he knows. This will take a few episodes to manifest, so bear with it.

Also yes, the queen is back to being a statue. The camera pans all over her, but she doesn’t move. Sure, that’s one of the benefits of CG models is that you don’t have to redraw them every single frame, but it’s funny how she just sits there, with her eyes closed, talking but not moving a muscle while the camera is extremely dynamic, the opposite of how this show usually is.

Meanwhile in some random office building, a Totally Not Evil guy walks around.

Talk about a punchclock villain.

It seems he’s in a dormant state, but the news of a typhoon coming up the east coast activates him. He yells and jumps out the window, transforming into his villain form and absorbing power.

This is Juna. He’s not named in the episode but his name isn’t important so I’m going ahead and revealing it now.

Also back in the office, after a moment, everything resets and people repeat what they were just doing, with all traces of his existence gone.

As Juna continues to absorb power and bulk up, he causes the weather to change aggressively. Stormy, then calm, then stormy, then calm. He eventually finds Porun and that’s when the girls show up. They take him on and it’s an exciting fight, not one-sided like some of their latest encounters. He gets some good hits in, they get some good hits in, and they trade blows until he lets off some energy attacks, so the girls fire their Marble Screw, which he counters with an energy ball (what is this, Pokemon?). They engage in a reverse tug of war, both sides pushing their attack towards the enemy, but the threat to Porun, who is only a child, is enough to get Black and White to power up their attack and blow Juna away.

When the smoke clears, he’s disappeared, and the girls return home. Nagisa laments the fact that she has to put up with both Mepple AND Porun for now, and I can’t blame her.

Juna is.... well I guess I can’t call him an “interesting” villain, because he’s very literally the strong and silent type. He’s somewhere in between Gekidrago’s raw strength and Ilkubo’s resilience and learning capacity. His design is a dark blue bodysuit that covers his feet, clings absurdly tight to the skin, and reaches all the way up his neck to his chin and hairline. His hands are bare, though. He has pale white skin and white hair. It’s vaguely similar to the outfits Pisard, Poisony, and Ilkubo wore without any other accessories to break it up, and much more muscular. Skintight suits must be standard issue for the Dark Zone. There’s sort of a mystery where he came from, how he integrated into human life so much if he was born only a short time ago. Does he have a brainwashing effect on people so he can absorb knowledge from them? I don’t know. He awakens in the office but as soon as he jumps out of the window, everybody has forgotten about him and all traces of him are gone. The show never addresses this, either.

As a kickoff to the second half of the show, it’s good. The villain poses a threat, we’ve established enough of an explanation for the Dark Zone’s continued existence and motivation, and it leaves you wanting to see what comes next, how the girls will ultimately triumph in the fight against evil. Next time, a villainess awakens!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1! 1 “Arienai”

[akanemachurida-blog]

18/01/10 - Muishiki no Iro Release Day Noon Live Report

I went to the Muishiki no Iro release live on January 10 at Zepp Nagoya. There were two lives that day, one in the afternoon starting at 4pm and the other at night starting at 7:30pm. The doors opened an hour before then.

I actually failed my applications for both of those times online and I really felt bad since those lives were on Maya’s birthday. You could apply to both and up to two tickets, but I only applied for one ticket. What most people did was pair up with a friend and apply for two tickets each. That way if one got in they could give it to the other. Unfortunately this created a surplus of tickets for people who already had some, and I got none. I bought my ticket on Yahoo Auctions but I initially was really skeptical about it since the ticket said you needed to provide three pieces of ID and all the sellers crossed off a part on the ticket. I thought they crossed out names but they were crossing out the specific number as well as the place they printed the ticket from. After verifying with a friend I bought my ticket and the buyer mailed it to me.

Unfortunately that ticket’s number was in the 1700s, which meant I was one of the last to get in. I think there were 2000 tickets given out in total for each live. This ticket was for the afternoon live and I didn’t get one for the evening live since all the other sellers looked suspicious and didn’t offer a rapid means of sending the ticket.

You needed to buy a Muishiki no Iro limited edition single for the ticket inside for the event, since it was free (for those who got their tickets legitimately). I went to HMV to buy the single since you get a guaranteed picture of Churi there. Of course I got Maya as the random member inside! 3600 people went to the two lives, meaning there were 400 tickets unused.

I got lost and arrived at Zepp about thirty minutes before it started, which was much later than I wanted. It turns out that they were still letting people in the 1200s in at that point, so it really didn’t matter. I met some people in the line who I met two years ago during my first handshakes in Osaka. I hadn’t talked to them much but they remembered I was Canadian and was a Churi oshi. As usual I was called a DD when I told them I like Maya too. It’s funny how easily people remember me since I look different. I know some Japanese fans who go to countless events and yet their fellow fans don’t even recognize them lol.

I actually thought that my ticket number was an assigned spot/seat, however it was a first come first served basis. Zepp’s ground floor is all standing, but there is a small seated section on the second floor. When I got in I entered one of the doors in the back of the venue and I couldn’t see anything at all since I was among the last to enter. I asked some staff if I could go up but the seats were totally filled so I couldn’t go there. They don’t let anyone stand up there.

This was my original view:

Not a lot of fun right? I left and entered the next door. There are several doors that give access to the hall on both sides, so I sort of tried them out to see where there were less people. Surprisingly the one second from the last had the best view for me.

Here is a picture taken during the first MC. I circled myself. You can draw a straight line from me to Maya on this picture I guess. Isn’t that cool?

By the way, there was a reserved section for women near the front on the right side. I knew a few people who stood there and they said they had an amazing view. I think I had a good view where I was since I was behind them, and as women tend to be shorter than men I had a good view of half of the stage. I really couldn’t see the right side though.

This live had a much different atmosphere to it than the Laguna one I went to. Given the fact that we were in a room with closed doors and a roof rather than outdoors the calls were much louder, as was the recorded music. The Laguna live felt like they were singing live for certain songs but here the sound quality was pretty poor, as was expected. Women were much more visible at the Laguna live since there wasn’t a designated section for them there. It felt like the crowd was even more overwhelmingly male (which it always is) due to this.  

Nakki and Maya were the shadow announcers for the beginning, so I got to wish her a happy birthday when she asked us to wish her one. I was happy I got to do that at least.

M01 - Muishiki no Iro / Senbatsu

No surprise here for the first song. I actually hadn’t planned it out, but I was perfectly situated to see Maya on the stage, since I was right in front of her position for this song. Unfortunately I couldn’t see Churi since she was on the other side of the stage. I had come to support them both but since it was Maya’s birthday I just had my green penlight, and Churi couldn’t see me anyway.

M02 - SKE48 / All

This song is a lot of fun in a group. The part where everyone says S-K-E / 4-8 is great. I could see Maya perfectly for this song too, and it may have been my imagination but I think she saw me during this song.

MC1

The senbatsu members left for this. I think I have a big problem paying attention to MCs during these bigger events. I’ll just go ahead and admit it, whenever I can’t see the member who is talking I zone out and just think about Maya and the previous songs. Actually during this MC Yukichan/Chikako/Juna/Yumana were ahead of me so I just looked at them while daydreaming. Chikako is pretty interesting to look at during lives, since she tries to find as many of her fans as possible. She was also constantly talking with Juna and Yukichan and Yumana was making confused expressions and trying to follow along. I think Chikako found about twenty of her fans during this MC, and that group was just constantly chatting since they weren’t part of the talking group. It was pretty entertaining, like watching some students talk during class when they’ve finished their homework and have nothing to do.

This was also the first live I went to where I was near one of those screamers you hear. The ones who yell in a really shrill voice at all times. They look and act just as you’d expect. This guy was shouting Jurina’s name every single time she was there and he left in a rush after it ended.

M03 - Tsuyokimonoyo / Senbatsu

No guesses for what happened during this song. Again, Maya was in my view so I just stuck to her the entire time.

M04 - Aozora Kataomoi / Jurina, Minarun, Sarina, Churi, Nao, Kaotan, Akarin

Alright, so they got rid of Maya so I can focus on Churi for this song, except she was still on the other side of the stage. I kept angling my neck around for this song to try and look at her but no luck. I sort of looked at the screen for this song since it was hard to look at the middle of the stage. Anyway, great song live.

M05 - Gomen ne, Summer / Rara, Ryoha, Ego, Yunana, Sakipon, Kumachan, Maya

We’re back baby … we’re back. No need to try and angle my neck around for this song because once again she stood in the perfect place for me. Nothing to add that hasn’t been said before… just perfect.

M06 - 1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku! / Minarun, Akarin, Wanchan, Piyosu, Suzuran, Oshirin, Yumana, Nao, Reona, Nakki, Rara, Makiko, Ouchan, Donchan, Nonochan, Morihei Riko

I think this is my favourite live song out of the better known single songs they perform, it’s got a lot of energy. I didn’t even really pay attention to who was there, I was just calling out everyone’s name and enjoying myself.

M07 - Banzai Venus / Sakipon, Yuzuki, Renahyuu, Piyosu, Kocchan, Sarina, Yumana, Nacchi, Kaotan, Airi, Yukatan, Naruchan, Satokaho, Maya, Hatagon, Tani

I spent the first thirty seconds of the song trying to see if Maya was in it. When I found her I was on lock-on mode and she thankfully stayed near my side for this song. She was really funny during this song, making a lot of faces and laughing.

MC2 - Kamimura Ayuka, Aiai, Kano, Oshirin, Mikotti, Yuzuki, Kaotan, Nakki, Makiko, Tani

The matome site tells me that they were talking about bonus scenes for the MVs. I remember Makiko saying something funny but let’s be real, I was daydreaming again.

M08 - Handshaeteki Suru / Love Crescendo

Unfortunately Maya was on the opposite side for most of this song, but I mustered my energy, craned my head, used my toes, and made every possible effort to look at her for this song. It sort of worked.

M09 - Because Docchitsukazu / Kosanga 7 (Tani center)

This unit doesn’t have an MV but they’re great. I like how they gave Suzuran an outfit to show off her shoulders. This was great to watch since they won’t get much exposure.

M10 - Furanu Romance / Sakura Love Letter 32 (Ouchan center)

First time I heard the 32 person song. It is a lot to take in live due to the amount of members but it’s fun. Honestly it was a bit of a sensory overload since I was trying to keep track of as many members as I could.

MC3 - Ryoha, Ego, Yunana, Ruka, Sarina, Nao, Kumachan

Same old story.

M11 - Pareo wa Emerald / Kenkyuusei (Inoue Ruka center)

A real treat to see the kenkyuusei do this song. It just felt like the perfect performance for them, even if this song has been done a million times and will be done a million more. It fit the moment and all the members looked great from where I was standing.

M12 - Okidoki / Kamimura Ayuka, Aiai, Piyosu, Suzuran, Mikotti, Narupi, Honono, Reona, Narucham, Makiko, Ouchan, Maya, Akarin, Saanan, Tani, Donchan

Just like 1234 Yoroshiku this song also pumps me up a lot, regardless of the timing. It was nice that Maya was there, and in a place I could see her well too. She was really lively during this song and kept looking around my area during the parts where they pump their fists.

M13 - Kataomoi Finally / KII

Wow! Was this the first time I saw Churi in Katafai? I actually had a lot of trouble seeing her since she was in the center, but I didn’t want to miss her so I kept looking at the screen for this song. It took something away from my viewing experience but I wanted to view the performance in its entirety. It was everything I expected.

M14 - Aishiteraburu! / Yokonyan, Chikako, Juna, Oshirin, Yukichan, Ayamelo, Kitano Ruka, Sarina, Sakipon, Yuzuki, Reona, Nakki, Kumachan, Saanan, Tani, Donchan

I don’t really like this song but I had a ton of fun with the calls! I was zoning out a bit in terms of the members and just looked ahead of me at whoever happened to be there.

M15 - Kiss datte Hidarikiki / Yokonyan, Makiko, Ego, Yunana, Renahyuu, Inoue Ruka, Kano, Miyo, Machi, Chikako, Kitano Ruka, Sakipon, Airi, Yukatan, Maya, Saanan

I was pretty tired at this point. It took me a while to locate Maya I think. This song is pretty boring live, but again, I just looked at Maya.

MC4 / Everyone

They handed out some signed posters during this MC. They designated members for each of the teams to reach into a box and pull out ticket numbers. I didn’t know where my ticket was so I was searching for it the whole time. Turns out it was in my pocket. My number wasn’t called anyway. The posters were signed by the team which drew the number.

M16 - Muishiki no Iro / All

I was a bit surprised. I was expecting Igai ni Mango but whatever. I didn’t mind hearing it again, given that the event was for this song’s release. Everyone was there this time so it was a bit harder to see Maya but she was in my field of vision still. I had no view of Churi as usual.

Maya stayed near our area for the end. Just like last time she tried to find her fans. She started with the people on the right/middle of the audience, but there seemed to be fewer there. Most of the fans were around the left side it seems. There were a lot of people, but she waved at me, pointing out my lightstick and smiling. I don’t know if she saw who I was but she noticed the lightstick for sure. I think that the benefit of being on the ground floor over the second floor is that the members wave to you first. It is rather hard to see the top seats I suppose.

This live was a complete change from Laguna in that this live only had group songs and no small units. I’m glad I got to experience these two different kind of lives. I also technically saw Churi at a SKE concert/live so I can cross that off my list, although I’d much prefer being somewhere where I could see her properly.

Afterwards I met people who were going to the evening live. From their accounts it seemed like a lot of fun, especially since they addressed Maya’s birthday a lot more. I also saw people on Twitter write accounts of them seeing members leave afterwards. Churi had to leave immediately afterwards with Ryoha and Akarin for ANN. As a side note, my green lightstick is bent now. I don’t know the reason but maybe it is a sign that I am excited by Maya’s presence lol.

[rajasthantourplanner]

Top 10 Offbeat Destinations In Rajasthan, India

Rajasthan, the land of Maharajas, infinite lakes and towering palaces, is all that and more! Travellers who have spent years exploring the fantastic expanses of Rajasthan, will tell you that it's a land of unpredictability and holds a mind-blowing surprise around every corner. So much so, that if you have truly experienced Rajasthan once, it'll be difficult for you to go back!

Famous Offbeat Places in Rajasthan that should be at the top of your travel list:

Sambhar:- The town of Sambhar is named after the largest inland salt lake in India, the Sambhar Lake. The origin of Sambhar Lake is unknown but its mention is found in the epic of Mahabharata. Legends claim that the regional deity, Shakambari Devi, is behind the flatland's formation. Irrespective of the narrative, the salt lake is a favourite with photographers, especially astrophotographers.

The night sky here is famous for offering a great view of the milky way. Other than photography and camping at the Sambhar Salt Lake, you can also pay a quick visit to the Shakambari Devi Temple or climb up the Devayani Tank for a panoramic view.

Kumbhalgarh:– Kumbhalgarh (literally "Kumbhal fort") is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills, in the Rajsamand district near Udaipur of Rajasthan state in western India. It is a World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha. Occupied until the late 19th century, the fort is now open to the public and is spectacularly lit for a few minutes each evening. Kumbalgarh is situated 82 km northwest of Udaipur by road. It is the most important fort in Mewar after Chittorgarh Fort.

Ranakpur:- Ranakpur is a village located in Desuri tehsil near Sadri town in the Pali district of Rajasthan in western India. It is located between Jodhpur and Udaipur. 162 km from Jodhpur and 91 km from Udaipur, in a valley on the western side of the Aravalli Range.

Barmer :- Situated in the Thar Desert region, this town is home to fascinating and lesser known sand dunes of Rajasthan. While tourists get lost in the Sam Dunes of Jaisalmer, they remain oblivious to the majestic Mahabar Dunes in Barmer. Along with dune bashing, you can also take a step back into time with its many historical attractions such as the Siwana Fort, Juna Ruins, Brahma Temple and Jogmaya Temple.

Kota :- Known around the world as the heart of regal India, Rajasthan has not yet received enough traction for its amazing wildlife and biodiversity. The Darrah National Park, in the scholar town of Kota, is a treasure trove of unique flora and fauna.

The Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaswant Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary make the 250 sq. km of the Darrah National Park in Kota and hosts species such as the wild boar, deer, nilgai, cheetah and wolves. The park remains open from 10am to 5pm everyday of the week.

Jhalawar :- Built in the 12th century, the Gagron Fort is the only fort in north India to be entirely surrounded by water. Along with achieving a remarkable feat with its engineering and architecture, the fort has also been pivotal to the history and culture of India. After being the seat of the Khinchi dynasty for about 300 years, the fort withstood over 14 battles and two jauhars (mass self-immolation by women of a family/community). Several fascinating tales from its vibrant and bloody past still echo the walls of the fort. Locals and visitors believe that King Achal Das can still be heard smoking his hookah, and ghosts of the thousands of women who committed suicide here still haunt the place.

The shrine of Mittheshah, a Sufi saint from the 15h century, was built by Akbar near the Gagron Fort in 1580. This highly revered spot is still frequented by believers, especially during the Islamic month of muharram when a colourful fair is organized here. On your trip through the historical gems of Jhalawar, don't forget the ancient Sun Temple at Jhalrapatan.

Bundi :– Renowned across Rajasthan as the city that has never been conquered, Bundi is a hidden gem of the glorious state. Hiding in plain sight near Kota, travellers passing through Bundi will be surprised to see the well-preserved historical and architectural sites here.

With over 50 baoris (step wells), innumerable havelis, cave paintings and a beautiful waterfall (Bhimlat), Bundi has something to amuse every traveller. Every corner of Bundi holds a surprise, but places such as the Bundi Palace, Chitrashala, Taragarh Fort, Rani ji ki Baori, Dabhai ka Kund, Nawal Sagar, Sukh Mahal and Shikhar Burj, will especially blow your mind.

Narlai :– If you plan on travelling to the Chaturmukha Jain Temples in Ranakpur, then you're guaranteed to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to live like royalty in Rawla Narlai.

Just 36km off the Udaipur-Jodhpur highway lies the heritage haveli which was once the hunting lodge of Jodhpur's royal family. Rawla Narlai has over 32 rooms, all embellished with mirror work and regal designs. The hotel also organises dinner at the Narlai Stepwell, which will definitely leave you feeling like Rajasthani royalty.

The countryside of Narlai comprises of jungles of Aravali Hills where you can take a leopard safari. And if that doesn't interest you, then head to Seli Bandh, a dam which turns into a birdwatcher's haven during winters.

Longewala:– Remembered as one of the greatest displays of courage and military tactics by the Indian Army, Longewala is a site where in the year 1971, a small group of Indian soldiers chased off a battalion of 2,000-3,000 Pakistani soldiers. The Battle of Longewala is depicted in the famous JP Dutta feature film, 'Border', and the town where it occurred should definitely be visited by every Indian as it stands as a living example of the army's death-defying efforts in keeping us safe.

Longewala is just 120km from Jaisalmer and Indian civilians do not require a permit to visit the town. Civilians are allowed to visit the border post for a day trip (as there are no arrangements for a night stay there), interact with soldiers and see parts of the Pakistani tanks that were captured in 1971.

Banswara :- Situated by the Mahi River, Banswara in Rajasthan is a place full of surprises. From temples ruins in Arthuna dating back to the 11th century to waterfalls (Kagdi, Juha and Kadeliya) that turn into a cascading vision during the monsoon, Banswara is a treasure trove of historical, cultural and natural gems hiding in plain sight.

It is also known as the home of the Bhil tribe, known as the bow-men of Rajasthan, which still make up half of the population. Banswara has a fascinating mix of terrains which can rarely be found together in one place; the cave lake of Ram Kund, the wetlands of Diablab Lake and the hills around Samai Mata Temple are a few great places to see this.

Has Rajasthan ever surprised you? Tell us when, where and how by sharing your travelogue about your fascinating Rajasthan Tour Travels.

[visionmpbpl-blog]

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Kareena Kapoor Khan Dazzles in This 30 Kg Gold Falguni-Shane Peacock Lehenga at ICW 2018; See Pics

Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan enthralled the guests as she made a grand entry during Falguni and Shane Peacock’s debut show at the ongoing India Couture Week 2018 in Delhi, where the designer duo showcased their collection Amour De Junagarh.

While each model walked the runway with unmatchable grace, it was Khan who stole everyone’s thunder as she closed the show in a glamorous gold embellished A-line lehenga that weighed approximately 30 kgs. Khan teamed her lehenga with a matching full-sleeve blouse with a plunging neckline and a nude glittering dupatta that featured the duo’s signature feather twist. Shimmery, dewy makeup and soft curls rounded off Khan’s look.

While addressing the media, Khan said she felt like a shining star in the gold ensemble that she wore. Khan also revealed that if it wasn’t for Falguni and Shane Peacock, she wouldn’t have ever worn such a heavy ensemble. “I have walked the ramp for about 10 years and more, but this is the first time I am wearing an outfit that weighs 30 kgs and if weren’t for Falguni and Shane, I wouldn’t have done this,” she said. The designers’ collection featured a medley between the queen of the French capital and the grand palace of Junagarh – Rajasthan’s cultural jewel. Channelling the spirit of a traditional mela, inside the palatial walls of the juna mahal – the designer duo contrived a lustrous mayhem of all things beautiful under one roof.

While speaking about the collection, Khan said, “When you talk about couture in India, the first name that comes to your mind is that of Shane and Falguni. Whether it is for their cuts for the gowns, lehengas or the fact that they mix Indian and Western so well is what sets them apart.”

On being asked about any pre-runway rituals she follows, Khan said although she feels nervous each time she has to walk the ramp, she never follows any rituals to look confident in front of the camera. “No one believes me but I am really nervous; that is because I come across as a very confident girl, but actually ramp is the only thing that makes nervous in life.”

“When you are wearing such a gorgeous outfit it gives you that confidence, it makes you look beautiful and you just sashay down the ramp,” she added.

The designer duo’s monumental lineup comprised long sweeping trails, feathers and Swarovski encrusted gowns, punctuated with dainty embellished veils. The colour story moved from Persian violet, medieval blue, tinsel gold, plum purple, dessert dust, pearled ivory, honey peach, lavender fog to burgundy Beaujolais.