#I just wanted to make sure everyone who wanted to read it got to | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

moodymelanist · 3 days ago

Text

too good to deny it

happy @sjmromanceweek 2025 everyone! I'm so excited for this event to be back and we're kicking things off with some Nemerie 🫶🏽

Summary: Nesta has never kissed anyone before, and when she gets asked on her first date, Emerie takes matters into her own hands.

Word Count:

Read on AO3 here!

♡♡♡♡♡ Emerie

Emerie was suffering through her statistics reading when her roommate barged through the door in what looked like a state of panic. “Emerie. Em.”

“Yeah?” Emerie asked, looking up from her textbook at the sound of Nesta’s voice. She hadn’t known Nesta very long — they’d only been living together since the start of the semester, and this weekend was her last chance to get some decent studying in before midterms started in earnest — but judging by the look on her roommate’s face, this was something serious. “What happened?”

Nesta shrugged out of her backpack and sat down hard on the edge of her bed. “I think I have a date this weekend?”

“What?” Emerie asked, fully sitting up at her desk now. “What do you mean you think?”

“Well…” Nesta trailed off with a sigh. She kicked off her white sneakers before shifting back onto her bed in an attempt to make herself more comfortable, and Emerie turned around fully in her desk chair, statistics studying be damned. This was way more important. “You know that guy who’s been driving me crazy?”

“Which one?” Emerie questioned. She’d heard Nesta complaining about a guy in her bio lecture, but there was also the guy in her political science lecture that drove her nuts, too. “Bio lecture or poli sci?”

“Bio lecture,” Nesta confirmed. Emerie wracked her brain for the guy’s name — it was something that reminded her of Narnia. Caspian? Casper? Something like that. “Apparently he was flirting with me the entire time.”

“What an effective method,” Emerie replied dryly, pulling a soft laugh out of Nesta. It made something go a little warm and fuzzy in her chest, but she pushed it aside the same way she’d been doing these last few weeks. “So he’s been pulling your pigtails all semester and now he wants to get serious?”

“I guess so?” Nesta answered hesitantly. She seemed uncertain, which was rare for her; in the short time Emerie had known Nesta, she didn’t tend to show anything other than a very healthy dose of self-confidence. “I mean, I don’t know. He asked me to go to dinner with him on Saturday and I said yes and now I’m kind of… panicking.”

“You? Panicking?” Emerie responded, raising both of her eyebrows. Nesta didn’t do panic, which was generally pretty helpful, but now that she was actually showing something like human weakness, Emerie didn’t totally know what to do with it. “Why? He’s just some guy.”

“Okay, but I don’t do just some guy,” Nesta said. She curled into herself a little bit and Emerie frowned, not sure what to do with that, either. “I haven’t done… any guys, actually.”

Emerie just blinked; she actually had no idea what Nesta was going with this. “What do you mean? Guys must ask you out all the time.”

“Not really,” Nesta told her, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

Okay, now Emerie was really intrigued. She closed her textbook and got up to come sit on the bed next to Nesta, their thighs nearly pressed together because of how little room existed on their twin XL mattresses. “Nesta. What are you talking about?”

“You’ve met my mom,” Nesta said, and boy, had Emerie ever. She’d thought her family was bad, but watching the way Mrs. Archeron bossed every member of Nesta’s family around had managed to put even her uncle to shame. Emerie had been a little worried that Nesta would be just as bitchy as her mom, but thankfully that hadn’t been the case, and they’d turned into fast friends instead. “Everyone back home already knows how insane she is. Even if I’d been allowed to date, nobody wanted to deal with her.”

“Oh my God,” Emerie said back. She privately thought it was dumb to pass up on the chance to call Nesta Archeron your girlfriend just because her mom sucked, but maybe she had more brain cells than the guys in Nesta’s hometown. “So you’ve never—?”

“Whatever you’re thinking, no.” Nesta looked away, her cheeks going even pinker. “I’ve never even touched a guy other than dance classes, and that definitely doesn’t count.”

Emerie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could someone as gorgeous as Nesta be freaking out about something as simple as this? Emerie didn’t have that much experience with guys — she’d figured out what that strange swooping feeling in her stomach when Jade from Victorious came on her television screen meant early, thank you very much — but from the little she did know, it wasn’t really that hard dealing with them. She imagined it would be even easier when you looked like Nesta, with her icy eyes, bronze hair, and general air like she knew exactly what she was doing and you’d be dumb not to go along with it.

“It’s not that hard, really,” Emerie replied after a second, still reeling. Her first date with a guy on the lacrosse team had been pretty mediocre, but she hadn’t realized the reason she’d been so bored was because she’d wanted to catch the captain of the girls volleyball team’s attention instead. “You just have to laugh at their jokes and put your hand on their arm a little.”

At Nesta’s dubious look, Emerie added, “I’ve seen your Story Graph, Nesta. I know you know how to at least do that.”

“Okay, okay,” Nesta responded with a sheepish smile. “But what if he wants to kiss me?”

“It’s not as hard as it seems,” Emerie answered. “I mean, you’ve seen movies.”

“Of course I’ve seen movies, Em.” Nesta rolled her eyes and Emerie laughed. “But it’s not like I’ve actually done it myself.”

Emerie scrambled to find a response that seemed normal enough. “You can just practice on the back of your hand. Or maybe your arm?”

“Wouldn’t he be able to tell?” Nesta asked, biting her lip. Emerie tried her hardest not to notice how pink they were. “I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I’m doing. Or worse, kiss like a golden retriever. My sister says her boyfriend does that and she hates it.”

“Okay,” Emerie said slowly. She wasn’t completely sure how to respond to that, but she’d do her best. “We don’t have time to unpack the golden retriever thing, but I promise you won’t kiss like that.”

“Okay, but how do you know?” Nesta said back. “You can’t promise that.”

“Just kiss me and I’ll tell you,” Emerie blurted out before she could stop herself. She had to physically shove her hands under her thighs to stop herself from clapping her hand over her own mouth and make the situation even more embarrassing; she’d already done the worst, so now she just had to shut up until Nesta laughed it off.

Nesta didn’t laugh it off, though. She just narrowed her eyes like she was actually considering it, and Emerie nearly bit off her own tongue when Nesta said, “Are you sure?”

“I mean, only if you want,” Emerie replied, hoping it didn’t come off as desperate as she thought it did. Her heart was pounding so loud in her chest it was a miracle Nesta couldn’t hear it with how close they were sitting. “We don’t have to.”

“I want to,” Nesta responded. She looked at Emerie expectantly and added, “Well?”

Emerie quickly shifted so she was facing Nesta properly, leaning on their cinder block wall for some more support while Nesta did the same. This close to her, Emerie could see Nesta had the faintest dusting of freckles across her skin that looked like they trailed down under her shirt, and Emerie hoped Nesta didn’t hear how thickly she swallowed.

“Okay, so…” Emerie trailed off before summoning her courage. She wasn’t going to squander this opportunity, and if Nesta decided to use this knowledge to her date’s advantage, at least Emerie would have the memory. “Pick a side to tilt your head so you don’t bump your nose.”

“Like this?” Nesta asked, tilting her head to the right so far it was a miracle she didn’t strain her neck.

“No, no,” Emerie answered with a little laugh. She reached out to touch Nesta’s face without thinking about it, her cheeks going warm as she tilted Nesta to a better angle. “Like this.”

“Okay,” Nesta breathed. Her eyes looked incredibly blue this close up. “Now what?”

“Just lean in,” Emerie told her. She thanked whatever god was listening that she’d happened to brush her teeth when she’d come back from her discussion section earlier this afternoon. “And close your eyes.”

Nesta didn’t so much as lean in as she aggressively pushed her mouth in Emerie’s direction, but Emerie certainly wasn’t complaining. Nesta’s lips were soft and full against hers, and she could faintly taste the spearmint lip balm that Nesta liked to use. Emerie was fully expecting this to just be a peck, but to her surprise, Nesta’s lips parted and suddenly her tongue was licking at Emerie’s lips.

Emerie gasped a little, surprised, and that was all it took for Nesta’s tongue to slip inside her mouth. She tried to show Nesta how good it felt to slide their tongues together, how to move their lips to form a semblance of a good rhythm, but who was Emerie kidding. Nesta was clearly a natural, and Emerie was one hundred percent benefitting from that right now.

“Um,” Emerie said once she realized just how long they’d been kissing and pulled away. She didn’t know what to say but she didn’t totally know what to do with the strange silence between them. “So. Um. That’s how you kiss.”

Nesta studied her for a few moments before her look turned knowing. Emerie wasn’t sure whether she should be afraid of that look or not, but wow, was it doing things for her. “Right.”

“Right,” Emerie repeated, still at a loss for words. Her lips were still tingling from where Nesta’s had been pressed against them a minute ago, and she had to fight the urge to bring her hand up to touch them. “So. Yeah.”

“I’m canceling my date,” Nesta announced suddenly. Her lips were an even darker shade of pink now from all the kissing, and it was really distracting. “We’re doing more of that.”

Emerie had to mentally rewind the last few seconds to make sure she hadn’t misheard. “What?”

“I said we’re doing more of that,” Nesta repeated firmly. She leaned forward so their lips were just barely touching, and even that was enough to make Emerie a little crazy. “Unless you don’t want to?”

“No,” Emerie said quickly, and then immediately realized how Nesta might interpret that. “I mean, yes. I want to.”

“Good,” Nesta said back, leaning in to press her lips firmly to Emerie’s.

This time when they kissed, they were both smiling too hard for it to really count, but Emerie didn’t mind.

#sjmromanceweek2025 #nemerie #nesta archeron #emerie #emerie of illyria #nesta x emerie #emerie x nesta #moodymelanistwrites #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf

73 notes · View notes

doppel-doodles · 10 hours ago

Text

A normal post a about Kevin Barnes from Poppy Playtime.

I genuinely feel so bad for Kevin…

Like that was a kid who clearly had a lot of issues from the start, instead of getting the help he needed all that happened was him being marked off as a „problem child“.

And then he was turned into a toy:/

Read more of my full thoughts and a sorta character analysis/ramblings below cut!

Like honestly no wonder he is seething if he wasn’t troubled before he definitely is now-

Obviously he has no trust in anyone, almost every adult he ever knew screwed him over in some way, hell even the kids he shares a body with would go against what he would do.

(Great example: When Doey chases us in his monster form, it's the arms of Matthew and Jack that are trying to keep his mouth from biting us, Kevin's are trying to grab for us.)

He was hurt over and over again, clearly he wasn’t aggressive just because he wanted to be but because this was his only way of making sure he wouldn’t get hurt.

It was how he had a semblance of control, a sense of protection.

But of course the irony is: That coping mechanism brought him more pain, it was what got him killed.

Sure, maybe he could've just "calmed down", but why would he? He was hurt again, he lost everything AGAIN.

All because he listened to their judgement over his own. Kevin could've killed the player and Poppy on sight, clearly his emotions easily overpowered the other two, but he didn't.

Instead he agreed to trust them as well.

He was still willing to do that, surely if he were just a mindless monster he wouldn't be.

And you know what? I believe he blames himself just as much if not more for what happened than he blames us and Poppy and projects it tenfold.

Because maybe, JUST MAYBE-

If he didn't allow himself to trust again, then everyone would still be alive.

But he did...now see what that got him?

In his mind he's proven right.

So what's an emotionally unstable child to do? After being hurt AGAIN?

That's right.

He lashes out at the first thing he sees that had something to do with his pain:

Us.

Is he in the right? Hell nah- bro we didn't mean for that to happen! But do you seriously think this kid is thinking rationally right now??? NO! He is seeing red right now, he is in fight mode! All emotions and must I reiterate that the only way he knows how to express them is through anger and violence?

There is NO reasoning with wrath try as you might! And that hurts because yeah maybe you could've dealt with that if he was still a gradeschooler but he isn't! He is 900 pounds of living dough with a thirst for blood!

It's either our life or his now. And we already know what the outcome of that is.

Honestly I think it's better that we only hear Matthew and Jack apologise for what happened, I do not think Kevin would even if he did feel bad for what he had done.

Because why would someone who has been scorned so many times be vulnerable all of the sudden? When his main character trait is biting at those who bark at him?Why would all that rage suddenly disappear? If anything the stress of dying only causes him to lash out more.

You don't need an apology from him to feel bad for him.

He is hurting anyone with two eyes can see that and for what it's worth, I do believe deep down he knew what he was doing was wrong but it was too late for him to see any other alternatives and even if he didn't and thought he was right for doing what he did it doesn't take away from the fact that he was fucked over by life.

Kevin is not the worst part of Doey, he is just a part of him.

And that part is not just a violent hunk of playdough.

It’s a scared, confused little boy that cared just as much about every toy in safe haven as his other two components did.

Because if he didn’t why would he get so angry about their death?

Anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk-

Also feel free to agree or disagree with my take, those are just my thoughts so let me hear yours, I like discussions:}

88 notes · View notes

mxtantrights · 3 days ago

Text

Beggin' on my knees, baby won't you please

paring: Johnny Storm x fem!reader a/n: okayyyy so like I watched the trailer like everyone else and remembered how much of a crush I had on the human torch. and I would say that while writing this I could envision both the new and old castings so you can read it as who you want! I might come back to this with another piece or two. (I write with a black reader in mind but this piece doesn't specify race, only gender)

Johnny Storm has stopped at almost nothing to get you to go on a date with him. He's persistent, he's flirty, and most dangerously he's not too far off from his goal.

You had been Sue's intern since you took her class a couple of years ago at the university. She had seen in you what she knew she had in herself when she was a student. The grit, the knowledge and the courage to ask why.

She took you under her wing fairly quickly. You found her to be more of a friend than a boss. She always listened to your ideas, though she never played favorites. And she valued your input on important things.

Such as the specs for the flight she, Reed, Ben, and Johnny would be on in the coming months.

You don't really have time to be going on dates with anyone, let alone with Johnny, when you were going to be sending him along with the others into space. It kept you up at night sometimes. If your calculations were triple checked. If you had tested every hypothetical.

That is why for the past week you've been avoiding Johnny. If you see him in the caf, you go the other way and get lunch from outside. If you see him hanging around your lab you wait him out. You're quick to leave with the other workers so he won't offer you a ride.

It's been going well.

Up until now.

You manage to take another peek into the lab. The glass window that appears across from your desk. And there he is. He's sitting in your rolling chair, waiting for you. He's playing with some sort of pen. rolling it between his fingers.

If you avoided him now, he would know for sure. And you have to get to work on a quick fix on confirming the materials needed for the rocket's fins.

With about as much confidence as a cactus in a ballon party. You roll your shoulders back and tug down the white coat that shrouds you. Then you walk over to the door.

As if he's got a heightened sense, he looks up at you as you step through the threshold. You duck your head down and walk over to him. On his face is a growing smirk.

He leans back in the chair, leaning a bit, meaning he totally un-stabilized it. You'll have to re-stabilize it once he's gone.

"Where've you been?" he asks.

You huff a bit at that. As you make it over to your desk you see that's he's rearranged some stuff. You make to move past him but he just rolls with you.

"Johnny, I've been around." you answer finally.

"I know, but just not around me. Which is a same." he pouts.

You chortle, "Oh my god. You can't be serious with that one."

"About as serious as you avoiding me, Specs." he says.

You rolls your eyes. There goes that nickname. To this day you still don't understand why he calls you that. You don't wear your glasses all the time. So what gives?

"I'm just trying to get everything right, Johnny. You are going to space in a few months." you explain.

Johnny opens his legs wider and rolls the chair closer to you. At this angle he's looking right up at you. It's warm and fucking dizzying and you have to remind yourself that even though it feels like the two of you are the only ones in the lab, there are other people here. Your coworkers. His coworkers.

Sue's coworkers.

"I know, but I miss seeing my favorite girl." he admits.

And it shouldn't like it does when he says it. Like he's sharing a secret with you in the middle of the night. Like he's telling you something that is treasured and safe. If only you could tell your stomach that.

"I want you to get to and from space safety, Johnny. If I hang out with you I'll worry myself about it." you confess.

Johnny nods his head, "Okay give me a day then."

"A day for what?" you ask.

"A day where that stress is less. A day where you don't itch to be sitting at this desk and working out things in that beautiful mind of yours." he continues.

The truth is there is no day that is less stressful for you. At several points in each day since this project was announced and your name was attached, you've felt the stress of it. While cooking dinner at home. While doing laundry. While trying to get sleep so that you could get to work.

It's always there.

It's going to be there until the crew comes home from space.

You can't let Johnny know that. He has his own things to worry about. You would hate to add to his plate.

"Sunday." you answer simply.

He nods his head again. And with a smile he gets up from his seat in your chair. It's slow and agonizing how he seems to go from looking up at you to being eye level with you. His gaze never leaving yours as he does.

"I'll see you Sunday." he adds.

#marvel x reader #Johnny storm x reader #Johnny storm imagine #Johnny storm #f4 #fantastic four #marvel imagine #marvel

59 notes · View notes

tennco · 2 days ago

Text

part of me wants to look more into this supposed decline of touhou, it's fascinating. but here's what i got now.

1.there are overall less touhou fanworks being made

this is mostly measured by doujin circles that apply to conventions. which, while a big part of it, is not the whole sum, specially since nowadays more people may opt to share their work digitally. also fails to account that conventions had considerably less overall attendance post-pandemic and it's still too soon to tell if that has normalized again.

2.touhou and doujin are more commercial than before (got nothing myself but i'd be inclined to agree, sure. then again things like merchandise have been around for a long while)

3.less quality than before (not really i already went over this)

ok but to be fair there was a dip in popularity somewhere post-UFO right. which is one of the games people like to point out as the downfall, along with anything else ranging from MoF to HSiFS because who gives a shit anyways. but that's a little bit misleading, it's not that there was a dip after UFO, it's more likely there was a peak with UFO. and i did no research on this next point to be fair, other than ZUN's account who largely alleged to it around the time of UM, but like i implied earlier with digital mediums being so prevalent there is the possibility that the decrease in doujin circles on conventions could be the result of a shift in the general landscape and not an observation endemic to touhou.

alright so what about the community. well i'm gonna leave out the bigoted takes (which have significant overlap with the rest i wonder why) because they deserve nothing more than shut the fuck up. everything else is all over the place, these are some of the sentiments i've seen over the years.

cries about secondaries and whatever the fuck a "tourist" is supposed to be. "oh they don't play the games", and if they do it's "oh they don't read the print works" this is just stupid i got nothing else to say about it.

"porn is good" but also "porn is bad and everyone is a gooner" this is also stupid.

"everyone just agrees or justifies everything ZUN does, there's no criticism" sometimes, and that should change. it doesn't signify anything though.

"there's politics now" lol

"touhou should've stayed niche" it's still niche but i know right? it's like this used to be my little corner and now there's all these people i don't know playing with my toys in ways i don't like. come the fuck on man.

and i think that's the thing. it's not about the statistics or the quality or the content or whatever else. either these people have completely shut themselves off on their own volition due to this perception that others are "corrupting" this thing they love (i wasn't kidding about the overlap up there btw), or they don't accept they are just bored with the series and continue to linger for some reason, and instead of moving on to something else they just start looking for ways to justify their disdain because there's no way it's just me it's gotta be ZUN's fault or the fans or this or that. but above all this is nothing new, we've been doing this for almost twenty years, touhou's been dying for twenty years apparently come on.

anyways sorry for the rant. that's my message, if a piece of media is genuinely not making you happy anymore there's no reason to keep engaging with it, no one's forcing you to stay i promise. let go. this should be obvious.

#tencotxt

71 notes · View notes

jewishpadmenaberrie · 1 day ago

Text

ok so, im gonna start off by plugging the fic that i was inspired to write based on the video i'll be talking about because i deserve it, it was my very first one and i havent read it in a few years so idk how well yhe Writing holds up but youll love the premise im sure

now i want to talk about what happens to the body when we die. the first changes are immediate, i remember when my grandmother died she very quickly turned yellow and her skin sunk. it took under 5 minutes for her to look very much dead. padmè's body would have to be very well embalmed and made up and maybe even restored to look like that in its casket. the waxy smooth fingers especially come off as spectacularly embalmed.

i wont get into most of the stuff about how they embalm today and what a body would need after however many hours of nature taking its course, but if we take the films at face value she's 100% embalmed and not rotting anything like the average body.

now i'll link a very interesting video on the preservation and (consensual, its what her father wanted for her) display in a catacombs of rosalia lombardo, under the cut because her face is visible in the thumbnail and i know some people are sensitive, but you'll see she looks spectacular even over a hundred years later.

for people who dont want to watch this short video because they're creeped out by the thought of looking at even a preserved body; basically, she's an immaculately preserved corpse. she looks like shes just a little girl asleep, and this is the preservation of an entire corpse, organs and brain and all are intact inside of her, her eyes are still visibly blue at the right angle and in the right lighting, even her fluids werent drained. it was a completely new and "secret" thing at the time but we've figured it out now. everyone say thank you zinc salts. the reason she made the video was to address the way rosalias eyes seemed to open and close, which was in fact just a trick of the light (where i got the fic name) and not very interesting. her eyes are never fully closed so they seem to open during the right times of day when the light shines right, but i would highly suggest watching it because its interesting, informative, and fun. caitlin doughty makes a lot of good videos. ok thats enough babbling.

youtube

something something parallels between padmé’s sarcophagus and vader’s suit

136 notes · View notes

kqutie · 2 days ago

Text

EPIC : THE FAIR MAIDEN (platonic ver.)

CHAPTER ONE : THE HUNGER ENDS

relations. : platonic various epic characters/reader -- platonic odysseus/reader ; platonic polites/reader ; platonic eurylochus/reader ; platonic elpenor/reader ; platonic perimedes/reader ; platonic odysseus' crew/reader

chpt. sum. : The crew get acquainted with your villagers while you discover a stranger washed up on your sandy beaches. You know exactly what to do... poke, poke, poke!

tags. : female, mute reader ; pure comfort ; reader is a comfort gamer ; animal crossing new horizons game mechanics ; the crew are be simping ; crew have puppy love ; isekai and transmigration ; fix it fic ; characters know their future ; happy ending for everyone!

length. : 8.3k

a/n : Welcome to the pure platonic version of my EPIC: The Fair Maiden series, where I kinda got carried away with my Hermes simp-ery and self-indulgence.

The two versions will read largely the same but this version is for the darlings who don't want the romance and are here purely for comfort. I will do my best to make the two versions distinct, however, so that nobody gets confused and knows exactly what they're in for when choosing the one they would like to read. I WILL be keeping the puppy love aspect of the crew towards the reader though haha! That's too fun of a plot device to take away entirely (๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)

navi. | series m.list

Pulling away from your phone, you sigh in content and stretch. EPIC: The Musical had become an obsession of yours and now that it was complete, you were delving into fanmade content; a mix of animatics, fanart and fanfiction. You had just finished reading a fanfic of the characters reacting to their future via the musical before it ever happens. The final chapter ends with all the characters returning to their original places in the universe, eager to avoid the mistakes they have just witnessed leading to their demise and Odysseus’ change from man to monster.

Before they could be sent back, Odysseus took a moment to lovingly bid his beloved Penelope and only son, Telemachus goodbye while the gods pledge not to interfere with his journey home as long as he doesn’t make the same mistakes. If they should encounter each other again, they will not be courteous and everything will unfold as it had been told to them in the musical.

The ending left you with a feeling of hope. In the universe of that fanfic, Odysseus will know what to do for a brighter future and you have full confidence in him fulfilling that – he is the warrior of the mind, after all.

It was still rather cold outside and leading into the evening, you were eager to bundle up in your giant beanbag chair with a blanket to play your favourite comfort game: Animal Crossing: New Horizons. First things first, however, you float into the kitchen to brew some tea and prepare a small plate of snacks. You have a lot of plans for your gaming session tonight. Your island was going under a huge revamp. For your new aesthetic, you’re leaning into a cottage-core theme, something rustic with flourishing wildlife, trees, flowers and beaten paths. You were going to miss your fun, rural town island but you’re very excited about the cosy vibes a countryside theme would bring. You’re sure the change will only elevate the cosiness of the game.

It was going to be a huge undertaking but you’ve paid all your loans, gathered all the recipes, furniture and miscellaneous items, played the DLC, unlocked everything there is to unlock, collected all the fish, bugs and art to display in the museum, and you have an island full of villagers you adore. Revamping the island is the most exciting thing you can do now that you’ve played the game to the fullest. Hence why you were preparing your favourite snacks to have with your best blend of tea. Even though you’ve technically ‘completed’ the game, you’re still eager to play it over and over again.

When you were finally curled up in your huge beanbag, wrapped in your fluffiest blanket with your tea and snacks on the side table, all you had left to do was put something on in the background; naturally, you chose the ‘EPIC’ soundtrack. You were obsessed.

Hopping into your island, you begin by erasing all your previous terraforming and rearranging your rivers and lakes. Everything you wanted to include had been planned out beforehand, all your new island decorative pieces were ready in your storage and you had your iPad with your mood board and notes showcasing your detailed plans at your side as well. Everything was going as planned. Your character was also wearing the perfect custom-designed dress for the occasion. It’s a long, flowing white sundress with blue accents that you’ve paired with the cutest white platform heels. It always makes you giggle to see your character wearing the construction hat with such a cute dress — it adds so much charm.

As ‘Polyphemus’ begins to play, you shudder and press your lips into a thin line. This is the point where everything begins to change for Odysseus and your heart drops every time. However, you’re reminded of the recent fanfic you read and hope the author takes the time to write a follow-up where the characters change their fates for the better. You adore them all so much; you want everyone to have their happy endings, especially Odysseus.

Focusing back on your island, you’re finally happy with the layout and bring out your wooden shed to begin decorating, pulling things directly from your storage. However, where the storage menu should be showing, there’s only a black screen.

“What’s happening?” you ask yourself and press the buttons of your Nintendo switch randomly, confused at the suddenly unresponsive screen, “I thought this was fully charged…?” just as you begin to manoeuvre out of your curled-up seating, a sudden lightheadedness washes over you, making your eyes squint in confusion before you’re finally pulled into the same darkness as your screen.

⊹ ࣪﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪˖

Odysseus etches the image of his wife and son’s faces into the forefront of his mind. They’ve been his anchor throughout the ten-year war with Troy and now that they’ve won and are on their way back home, he needs them more than anything —especially now that he knows the potential future ahead. Determined to avoid such anguish, Odysseus, commands his entire fleet to avoid following the birds despite their dwindling food stores. Having also witnessed their potential future, his men readily oblige.

It was comforting to see that his bond with the crew had not suffered in the aftermath of the blessing they were witnesses to. Rather, they were moved by his struggles and his vengeance against Posideon, honouring every member with six hundred strikes. Their captain had made a god bleed for them, they dare not betray such a man. The musical was a moving epic that gave them the exact map to avoid if they wanted to reach home safely.

“I’ll make it home soon, I promise,” Odysseus promised his loving wife, remembering the love and worry in her beautiful eyes. They were the same eyes he had fallen for, soaked in a familiar affection that only seemed to grow after witnessing their potential future. Nothing had changed. She still loved him and that was a huge comfort.

“I know… I love you,” he replies with a searing kiss, desperate and messy after ten years apart. Pulling away, he looks fondly at his son who looks at him with admiration and love thinly veiled by worry. Looking at Telemachus felt like looking into a mirror, all except for the eyes he shared with his mother. His son had the same head of wild hair as his own, the same strong nose and straight brows as his own.

“I don’t want you to go yet…” there were unshed tears in his son’s quiet plea and Odysseus had to pull his ten-year-old son into a bone-crushing hug.

“I won’t be long. I know what to do now. I’ll get home soon,” Odysseus promises into his son’s crown and presses a firm kiss through his brown curls. Pulling away, he stares fondly into Telemachus’ eyes, his beautiful son. Had he ever seen a boy so perfect before? Only his wife could create such beauty and perfection, “Take care of your mother while I’m away,”

Telemachus launches himself into his father’s arms once again, burying his face into his strong shoulder, “Always, father,”

That final interaction has been replaying in Odysseus’ mind ever since he returned to the boat he and his crew had suddenly been swept away from. It felt like so much time had passed but they were returned to the exact location and time they were first taken from. What an experience that had been. A blessing and a curse all at once. To bear witness to such a horrific future was harrowing but Odysseus would take it as a lesson learned. He won’t risk the life of his best friends nor his crew ever again. They had survived the war against Troy, all 600 of them; they should be able to return home unharmed.

“Odysseus, my friend,” Polites’ familiar voice calls to him, bright and merry but with a heavy weight upon it. He understands the reason without needing to ask.

“Polities,” they greet each other with a smile, “I know you’re worried about our stores but we can survive without them until we find another island,” Polities doesn’t protest but nods in understanding. There’s a pause that stretches on but not in discomfort. The two merely absorb the moment, comforted by the knowledge that they have avoided a massive turning point in their journey.

“We are here for you, my friend. All I wanted was to make that clear,” Polites looks at the crew rowing at the paddles, keeping a leisurely pace. “We are loyal to you, our captain, who has led us to victory after ten years,” Odysseus smiles and nods demurely at his best friend in silent appreciation, “that future has not happened yet, nor will it ever happen. I know that you will make sure of that.”

“If the crew should ever act up, we will be there,” Eurylachous steps up to the two of them with a somewhat hesitant air, his posture stiff. Events of the mutiny he led against his brother-in-law and friend had not been able to leave his mind ever since his first viewing. The tall second commander shudders to think of himself ever becoming the shrivelled-up, hungry, desperate and vengeful man who dared go against the captain he had first betrayed by opening the windbag. He was determined to avoid such a fate. What a sorry fool he had turned out to be. It was unbecoming and he had since been congested with guilt.

Odysseus and Eurylochus silently take in the other. Eurylachous with a boulder of guilt in the pit of his stomach as Odysseus wears an unreadable expression. They were supposed to be brothers, friends, comrades. The people they had become in that future were not them now, and it will never be them. Ctimene’s face appears in his mind. They share a similar goal; to return home, to the wives they adore and had fought the grueling war for.

The tension is broken by Odysseus who brings his arms up to wrap around their shoulders and pull them close, “Thank you, my friends,” All three share a smile and savour the bond they share. It was one they valued all the more now that they knew of their potential fates, and it was a bond they were unwilling to sever. If they could make it out of Troy victorious after ten years of conflict, they could easily protect each other and the friendship they share. “We will make it home. I swear it.”

⊹ ࣪﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪˖

It had been several days and yet, there was no island on the horizon, meaning no food to hunt and feed his men. Odysseus’ mind was reeling. This cannot be. Surely there would be some kind of island they could set anchor nearby. After taking the proper steps to avoid the worst future they could possibly think of, had Odysseus inadvertently condemned his men to a much more painful and agonising fate? Slowly, his men across all 12 ships had stopped rowing; they no longer had the energy. And the winds were close to nonexistent, providing no aide to his fleet’s sails. Should they have docked at the Cyclops’ island anyway but made a proper plan to steal the sheep instead? But that was too high of a risk, and everyone agreed that it was not worth it. What tragic luck was this? Was his crew doomed to never return home alive with him as their captain? Was the miracle they were blessed with a waste, now that he had given the wrong command?

A headache begins to hammer at his temples and Odysseus groans, the rumbling in his stomach and the painful ache rippling from it was unquenchable. The image of his hauntingly starved self and crew flashes in his mind. The world seemed determined to make him suffer, though there was no god to blame; he had given the command to avoid the Cyclops’ island altogether — this was his fault.

“Captain!” Elpenor’s— their youngest crew member —shout brings him out of his spiralling thoughts and directs his, as well as everyone’s attention to a wooden structure that had suddenly appeared on their boat.

“What is that?”

“This wasn’t in that musical,”

“How did it get on our ship?”

Looking around, it appears as though this was unique to their ship only as none of the other 11 ships were causing the same chaotic murmuring as the one Odysseus was aboard. Of course. It had to be the captain’s ship this strange phenomenon occurs on.

“It has a door, should we look inside?” Polites comments, reaching for the handle only to be stopped by Odysseus.

“Let me open it,” he turns to everyone else and loudly commands that they step back and prepare for what may come from opening the door. After taking a slow breath in and slowly releasing, Odysseus finally flings the door back and jumps to the side as a body falls in a heap at his feet.

The crowd circle the figure and are shocked to find a woman . She looks foreign with clothes they have never seen before. Where had she come from? Odysseus looks back at the slim wooden structure to find it already closed. Polites was the first to kneel beside her, cradling her head and gently urging the strange woman awake.

“Polites, step away from her!” Odysseus commands as Eurylochus unsheaths his large sword and prepares for a potential threat.

“She looks harmless, Captain,”

“That’s no excuse to let your guard down,” Odysseus snaps, flashes of another dark future playing in his mind. Had avoiding one grizzly fate led to another, darker one?

Polities gives him a judging look, “Open arms, Captain,” his best friend wasn’t getting the point. Although Odysseus was appreciative of his friend’s boundless optimism, he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“Just keep your distance, we don’t know how much of a threat she is until she’s awake. And if she is a threat, you’ll be the first in her way of attack!” Odysseus’ words don’t even allow a single drop of doubt to taint Polites’ determined stare.

“Wait look! She’s waking up!” Eurylochus points his sword and gets into a familiar, battle stance, ready to pounce.

“Polities! Get. Back!”

⊹ ࣪﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪˖

Groaning, you turn away from the harsh lighting shining down on you and nuzzle into a comforting warmth.

“It’s alright, Captain,” a distant voice assures, the shouting that follows only pushing you into the comfortable warmth further, unknowing of the effect your innocent action has on the individual currently holding your head in his lap. “She means no harm,” you then feel gentle pats over your head as the same kind voice urges you awake, “Hey there… can you wake up for us?”

Propelled to respect the kind and gentle stranger’s request, you brave against the harsh sun and will your eyes open. Blinking rapidly, you adjust to the world around you as you’re helped to a sitting position. You part your lips to ask what’s going on but no sound comes out and your confusion is evident on your face.

“Hi there,” a warm face greets you, pushing away the confusion and worry at your sudden muteness. Gazing at the man before you, you can’t help but lean in with interest. His face feels familiar and you’re drawn to the curiosity of it. He wears square glasses and adorns rich, chestnut curls that fall over a headband. His skin is sunkissed and a little sunken into his angular bone structure, which makes you worry slightly, he doesn’t look healthy at all. He looks starved. “Uhh..” Polites smiles shyly as you reach up to cup his cheek with furrowed brows, “My name is Polites, can you tell us who you are, fair maiden?”

You finally register the murmurs surrounding you and mutely gasp when you realise you’re surrounded by a circle of men, dressed in clothes typical of ancient Greek times. Everyone had the same sunken, unhealthy appearance as Polites. What was happening?

“My friend asked you a question. Answer him at once!” a cold metal touches the underside of your chin and you’re forced to look up the body of a large sword and into the eyes of another recognisable figure. Eurylochus.

This can’t be…

Shaking your head in disbelief and denial of the situation, you fall back into Polites’ arms, who sternly waves away his dark-skinned friend. “Sheath your sword, friend, she means no harm…” Polites’ arms circle you but he doesn’t pull you further into him, leaving space for breath between your body and his own. It was more comforting than you anticipated as you press your face into his shoulder, trying to deny the reality you were in right now. “Captain, Odysseus, please ,”

A sigh draws your attention away from Polites’ shoulder and towards a broad-shouldered man with bronze skin, dark, wavy hair and an imposing air of confidence and charm about him. Distinguishing him from the rest, he wears a purple cloak that’s secured with a gold pin on his shoulder; he’s the captain. Odysseus. Are you in the EPIC: The Musical Universe? Is this a dream?

“...if she meant to do harm, she would have done so already. Sheath your sword, friend,” Odysseus nods towards Eurylochus’ sword.

“Yes Captain,” the second in command readily complies.

Finally breathing in relief, you turn back to Polites and take his hand into both of yours to shake happily in greeting. The solid feeling on his hand makes this feel less and less like a dream, which makes you all the happier that they don’t see you as a threat anymore. Otherwise, you would have become fish food. However, dream or reality, you were going to live this to the fullest as an EPIC fan. Your actions make the crowd release the tension in their shoulders. A handshake is a sign of peace and shows the absence of a weapon in one’s hands; Polites was right to believe in your innocence.

“Haha! See, Captain?” Polites smiles at Odysseus, who shakes his head in disbelief but smiles regardless. Trust Polites, to make such quick friends, “May we know your name?” Polites asks after returning his attention to you. Frowning sadly, you shake your head and tap against your throat. You go as far as to part your lips and attempt to speak but nothing comes out. “Can you… can you not talk?”

You shake your head in confirmation and miss the sadness shared between the men surrounding you both. “How should we address you then?” Odysseus asks aloud and you shrug your shoulders. You don’t really mind how they refer to you, so long as it wasn’t hurtful.

“As long as it’s of no offence to you, can we call you by any name?” Polites asks, to which you readily nod and he smiles before thinking deeply, “How about we refer to you as fair maiden? It’s simple and you’re the only maiden here so, everyone will easily know it’s you,” without complaints, you nod and hear a murmur of the nickname amongst the group make its rounds; the crew testing the name for themselves. It makes you smile shyly. Although you love the main characters, you always adored the background vocals of the crew and to hear their murmurings was a little flustering.

“How did you get here? Do you know?” Odysseus takes a knee beside you and you try not to look visibly awestruck by the closeness, “You fell out of that thing,” the captain points towards a familiar, slim wooden shed. It looks exactly like the shed you failed to access the contents of before you blacked out on Animal Crossing. Curiously, you stand and make your way over to the shed, the crowd parting and staring with interest as you do so.

Opening the door, a familiar storage menu screen finally reveals itself to you. And it’s full to the brim with all of your collected items from Animal Crossing. From the curious but unruffled looks in the crowd surrounding you, it doesn’t seem as though they can see the storage screen and you immediately close the shed door to shake your head ‘no’ at Odysseus, who looks disappointed but has no choice but the accept the unsatisfactory news. However, his expression lightens when his eyes drift upwards.

The Captain turns to his men and sends them to their stations at the oars, “Follow those birds, no matter how far they may lead us, it will be towards land. We have another mouth to feed so full speed ahead!” his words make your eyes widen and rush forward with your arms outstretched, waving your hands side to side and shaking your head — a clear expression against his command. In the distance, you can tell that Odysseus’ fleet is still composed of its full 12 ships so he will be leading them to Polyphemus’ island, where everything will take a turn for the worst and you don’t think you’re capable of going through such horrors first hand.

Odysseus narrows his eyes at you, “What do you mean ‘no’?” he pauses for thought, “...do you know about the Cyclops too?” you’re shocked at his words. How could he know about the Cyclops if he has yet to set foot on the island? And if he’s already done so, why was Polites still alive?

You nod slowly. You do know about the Cyclops…

“We’re long past the Cyclops’ island, days past it, in fact,” he looks at you with caution, “...how do you know about the Cyclops?” Naturally, being unable to speak, you can’t explain your circumstances articulately but that was no longer satisfactory for the captain. Odysseus looks you up and down, taking in the unusual attire clothing you. It doesn’t look like any garments he has ever seen before. It’s a beautiful garment he would love to see on his wife but its unfamiliar style raises his suspicions, “What are you doing here? Are you another test from the gods? They promised not to interfere with my journey home unless I make the same mistakes as in that musical’s future!” your eyes widen at his words and you make the slow realisation that you’re not only in the universe of EPIC but specifically in the aftermath of the reaction fanfic you had just finished reading. You remember hoping the author would continue with a series that has the characters taking active steps to avoid their tragic fates.

The hostility being raised against you, from the Captain, no less, didn’t bode well, however, so you rush back to your shed. You don’t know why you have your animal crossing storage shed but you were going to use it. It may be your only way of expressing your peacefulness without a voice.

Opening the storage once more, you search through the categorised panels and select a basket of bread with your finger. The instant it’s selected, the basket of freshly baked bread appears in your arms and you turn to Odysseus with a smile, outstretching the offering as a token of your peaceful intentions.

Odysseus stares at your offering of bread with a dropped jaw, similar to the one Eurylochus was displaying. How could you have been able to store freshly baked bread in such an innocuous structure? It was Polites who jumped forward with a shout of glee, “Fresh bread! My friends, look!” His words draw the attention of the crew from where they’re actively rowing the oars. The sight of food makes them stop and slowly approach with grumbling stomachs, eyes wide and mouths watering. The closer they get, the more potent the smell of fresh bread becomes and there’s a chorus of grumbling stomachs surrounding you. “Is this for us?” Polites looks at you with a smile that widens when you nod in affirmation.

“Wait! You take the first bite,” Eurylochus insists, cautious after witnessing their encounter with Circe. The rest of the crew heed his words and reel back as if subjected to an electric shock. They had almost forgotten the cautionary tale of the musical. Everyone now watches you with judging eyes. Taking no offence, you select a small bun and bite into it with a grin. Everyone around you watches with bated breath but cheers when you swallow and there are no negative side effects. Food! Finally!

“Thank you,” Polites nods at you with a grateful smile before distributing the basket to the crew members. Behind him, Odysseus is left speechless but soon meets your eyes with a similarly grateful expression. He and Eurylochous nod in thanks, which you bow in return to. The tension between you had fully evaporated. The crew do their best to evenly ration out the bread but a singular basket won’t be enough so you return to your storage shed and bring out more baskets of bread that you have saved up, grateful that cooking recipes was one of your favourite things to do on the game.

“You have more food?” Odysseus voices beside you, suddenly very close and you nod with a bright smile, handing him another basket of fresh, warm bread. It appears as though, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve cooked the recipe, it comes out fresh and warm. You have five baskets of fresh bread circulating amongst the crew now and see if other recipes also come out freshly cooked. With a silent hum, you select the minestrone soup and out comes a deep ceramic bowl with hot, appetising soup filling it to the brim. Like in the game, the portion looks enormous in your hands and looks capable of feeding more than one person. This will go perfectly with the bread and you leave your shed to hand the bowl of soup to a small circle of men sharing a bread basket. They’re in awe of your offering and thank you endlessly, eagerly dipping their bread into the soup and savouring the delicious taste of food after days without. With a wide smile, you turn around and reach for Polites, who happily follow you back to your shed to help distribute more bowls of soup.

“How does that thing work?” Eurylochus reaches out to the shed once all the food has been distributed but you quickly block his way and shake your head. Suddenly tense, Eurylochus nods and firmly turns away, his hand safely back at his side, “Understood…” This wasn’t a windbag but he wasn’t going to make the same, silly mistake as he did in that musical. Never. He’s just happy the crew and himself finally have some food to eat, the birds and a distant island without a Cyclops long forgotten.

“Thank you for your help,” Odysseus walks up to you with a charming grin that you happily return, a warmth blooming in your chest at being able to help one of your favourite characters get home. Your easygoing, happy nature is very reminiscent of Polites and the Captain finds himself an easy victim to your warm and comforting presence, willing to follow your optimistic nature. Looking back at his smiling, feasting crew, he breathes a sigh of relief and bites into a round loaf he managed to take for himself as the bread baskets made their rounds. “Do you happen to have more food?” he suddenly asks, nervous of your response. “I have 550 more men to feed across eleven other boats,” he tilts his head towards the rest of his fleet, closely following his ship. Odysseus was ashamed to ask so much from one person but felt an immense feeling of relief when he turned to see your kind smile and warm gaze. It’s as if you were saying ‘ Of course, I do ’, eager to offer your help.

“You have more food, fair maiden?” Polites cheers, eagerly volunteering to help escort you onto the other ships for a delivery of food.

You shake your head but hold up a finger, wordlessly asking them to wait patiently. The 50 men of this boat had eaten all of the bread and soup you had stored so you had to make more from the crops and ingredients you had stored. All you needed to do was bring out your small kitchenette. Hopefully, game mechanics still apply when cooking and you’ll have enough food to feed the 550 hungry men left of Odysseus’ fleet. Returning to your storage, you easily bring out your kitchenette and follow the recipe for making more bread baskets and minestrone soup. It was easy enough, especially after realising that all you needed to access your personal storage without the shed was to think of it and it would readily appear for your eyes only.

While you were hard at work making more bread baskets and soup, you urged Polites, Eurylochus and Odysseus to sit down and eat calmly. They had been watching you the entire time, jaws dropped in awe and eyes gleaming with admiration, their hearts beating with hope and almost brought to tears at being given yet another miracle. They were going to make it home after all!

It took some time to make the first few baskets and soups for about five ships but, by that time the crew had already devoured their share and all eyes were back on you. Feeling shy, you convince them to focus their attention elsewhere by offering dessert via oranges. From living in the modern world, you know all about scurvy so oranges are the perfect fruit to offer; you make a mental note of bringing some oranges with you to the other ships too. The crew were delighted and eagerly devoured the abnormally large oranges you handed them. They were the perfect sweetness and were so juicy, that many who finished their share were left licking the juice from their fingers. They feel thoroughly fed, and, although it was a mere helping of bread, soup and orange, it felt like a feast fit for a king. Odysseus attested to that sentiment.

“Is she a descendant of the Goddess of Harvest? The Goddess Demeter?”

“She must be,”

“No, she was sent to us as a divine intervention. She must have been sent by Hermes.”

“But look at the orange she gave us, it’s the biggest, most delicious and perfect orange I have ever seen. She must be a descendant of the God of orchards and fruit, Dionysus.”

“We are lucky to have her, she must have been sent by the Goddess Tyche of luck.”

Many of the crew members begin to speculate your origins, with some raising their voices above the others, their words coming out more clearly. But you were none of those things. You can’t even begin to explain how you got here and it isn’t as though you could even attempt to voice any kind of explanation. It’s quite flattering that they think so highly of you— enough to relate you to the gods and goddesses —but if any good person was capable of offering help then they would do so without regard for what it may cost them. And that was what you were doing. You were only doing what any good person would do. It’s just your luck that you happen to have the same skills and itinerary as your ACNH character. The only unfortunate thing is that you were made mute because of it too –at least most seem to understand what you want to say by paying attention to your actions and movements, much like your villagers.

To distract from their high-praising musings, however, you get busy cooking enough food for the 550 other men left to feed, quickly filling up your personal storage after you had emptied it of the decorative pieces you originally wanted to dot around your revamped island. Once finally done, you turn to Odysseus and nod. The captain smiles widely, brushes away the orange juice from his chin and calls for a flag to be raised, signalling for the rest of his fleet to fall in line with his so that you could be escorted safely to deliver food.

“Polites and Eurylochus will escort you. They will also explain your presence to the rest of my men.” Odysseus explains as you nod along and gently express that your shed doesn’t need to be brought with you. Again, Eurylochus nods and backs away, calling for two men to guard the shed while they make the food delivery. In the distance, you watch the boats easily line up and a wooden plank is provided to bridge the distance between two ships. Just as you are being led away by Polites. Odysseus calls out to you, “Fair maiden,” he bows at the waist, the rest of the crew following close after, bowing deeply and sincerely, “ Thank you ,”

When the crew and Odysseus finally look up, they are greeted by your bright, close-eyed smile and the faint outline of pink and yellow flowers in the air surrounding your face. You’re a beauty, a kind embodiment of mercy bestowed upon them in their hour of need and they dare not take you for granted.

⊹ ࣪﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪˖

The crew were dehydrated and hungry. This is the price they had to pay to avoid the Cyclops and, at first, they felt it was worth it. However, now that their stomachs were constantly aching, a heavy and painful reminder of their ravenous hunger, they were beginning to second-guess themselves. Growing weaker by the day, they left their oars, slowing their journey home considerably. There also weren’t any reliable winds to push them home. The gods were determined not to influence their journey home in this altered reality but that too had become a major drawback. They couldn’t see an end to it; their spirits were dwindling and the idea of stepping on Ithaca’s sands was now a distant dream.

It wasn’t until the flag was raised by their Captain’s ship that the crewmen dared to feel an ounce of hope. With what little strength they had left, they aligned their boats and set up the slim bridge across, connecting the two vessels. They recognised the first person to traverse the bridge: Polites, their optimist of a third commander. They also recognised the second person to come across: Eurylochus, their hardened second in command. It was the third person that they didn’t recognise, however.

“Who is that second commander?” Lycaon asks, approaching the tall, sword-wielding Eurylochus but is unable to remain standing in his weakened state. He envied the commanders who could still stand so tall despite their harrowing situation.

“She is the fair maiden,” he answers simply.

“Does she have no name?”

“She cannot speak, but she is a blessing to us all,” Polites cut in with a grin, his eyes remaining on you as you cautiously cross the bridge, your long, flowing white dress dancing with the weak sea breeze. “Come now, I assure you it’s safe,” the headband-wearing third commander urges in a gentle and kind voice, softly pulling you to safety with his sweetness. “That’s it, good job,” he praises as soon as you make it close enough to hold his outstretched hand. He gently guides you to the boat’s perimeter and reaches up to hold your waist, where he then proceeds to lower you down with ease. If Polites was shocked at the amount of energy and strength your food had given him, he didn’t let it show but Eurylochus certainly did. Never before had he seen his gentle third commander display such brawn; perhaps it was his willingness to be a gentleman in the presence of a lady that helped aid his sudden show of burliness.

You smile at Polites, gratefully for his encouraging words. The gentle-mannered man was a great help at coaxing you across the rather dangerous plank.

Taking the chance to look around, you’re saddened by the appearance of these war-torn soldiers and crewmen. They had fought for ten long years and came out victorious but it appears as though they aren’t meant to stop fighting just yet. Now they were faced with the most formidable foe, Mother Nature and the seas ruled by one of the cruellest gods you think you’ve ever witnessed. In an attempt to soothe them, you offer a kind smile to which their sunken features are somewhat startled but not unpleasantly. It’s been a long while since they’ve been in the presence of feminine beauty quite like yours. And in their touch-starved, hungry and aching states, you appear before them as a miracle, a mercy upon their blurring visions before they succumb to hunger and their eventual deaths.

“We call her the fair maiden, she is a very important guest of the Captain,” Polites announces with a smile, making the starved crew tilt their heads in question, slow to comprehend his words. Their third in command was the singular shining optimist of their entire fleet but they couldn’t believe how happy he was in such dire times. And why was he glowing and not sunken? Did you have something to do with it? “She is here to offer us help,” Polites turns to you, silently asking for a demonstration of your blessing while Eurylochus protectively stands behind you. He knows the desperate actions starved men will attempt in the face of the one thing they desire most, his Captain was also aware of this and both agreed that he be the one to protect you across the eleven black boats of his fleet.

Nodding once, you walk forward and approach Lycaon. The starved man pushes back his chestnut locks so that he can observe you without the shadows of his overgrown and messy hair. Admiring your appearance, there’s something about you that's reassuring, he already feels safe and taken care of under the warm smile on your lips.

“Good day, m’lady,” he bows his head in politeness after manoeuvring himself into taking a knee before you. If you were an important guest of their Captain, you were to be treated as equal to the Captain. Several of the other crew members who still have the strength to move, mirrored his actions. Soon enough, a majority of the men on board were taking a knee and bowing their heads to you. It made you a little shy and tuck your chin in bashfully, an endearing action to those who were able to witness it.

Gently, you raise Lycaon’s head with your soft fingers under his chin, giving him a warm look before reaching for your inventory and materialising a fresh basket of bread and a deep bowl of minestrone soup before him. With a gasp and wide eyes, Lycaon looks between you and the food several times before finally meeting eyes with the second and third commanders.

Was this a dream?

Polites laughs and Lycaon realises he had spoken aloud, “It is not a dream, my friend. The fair maiden is here to bless us with food, enough food to feed us all!” Polites then turns to the antsy crewmen looking ready to pounce from a distance, his eyes sharpening uncharacteristically at their savage appearance, “She has plenty to go around so I advise you all to wait patiently…” Polites lets his words sink in, only continuing when the men visibly reel back, ashamed, “If any harm comes to her because of your impatience and greed, you will be severely punished. Understood?!” Eurylochus looked openly impressed from where he stood, nodding in approval behind his usually sweet friend.

“Form groups of ten now and we will make the rounds,” Eurylochus’ firm command was immediately followed. The first group, composed of those who gravitated towards Lycaon, bowed their heads in gratitude and jumped at filling their stomachs the instant you returned the gesture. It was as if they had asked for silent permission and pounced when you finally gave it; they wouldn’t dare sabotage their chance at finally being able to eat a full meal. Before you could move on to the next group, however, Lycaon gently takes your hands with his calloused, and shaking ones to press a grateful kiss against your knuckles.

“Thank you, my lady,” unable to speak, you convey your assurance by taking the hand he kissed and petting his head, softly trailing your hand down to cup his cheek and smiling when he leans into your touch. His tired but assured olive eyes flutter close to savour your softness and warmth. You’re surprised at the tears that fall from his long lashes but smile when you see his smiling lips littered with crumbs.

You make the rounds with the rest of the groups and happily watch as they all have their fill. Thank goodness the animal crossing portion sizes are as unrealistically big as in the game; everyone could have their fill without having to deprive another of their portion. It was also helpful that when all the food was gone, the cutlery and tableware it came with also disappeared — no waste!

Just as the first group was finishing up their meal, you returned to offer them several large, perfectly round, and juicy oranges as dessert. They cheer in delight and awe at your airy giggle. Despite being unable to speak, you manage to sound the sweetest, twinkling laugh they’ve ever heard. To be provided with delicious food on such hard times was already such a blessing but to receive it from a beautifully fair and kind maiden was an entirely new blessing atop that. Their hearts and minds can be at ease now, their stomachs full and their nights no longer filled with restless tossing and turning from the discomfort of hunger.

After receiving the gratitude of the 50 men on this boat, you make the same trip to the rest of the 10 black boats left in Odysseus’ fleet. The experience was relatively the same, beginning with weary eyes and ending with cheers, sighs of contentment and endless gratitude. You can’t count the amount of crew members who have kissed your hand or cried tears of relief before you.

⊹ ࣪﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪˖

For another day or two, you repeat the same routine of feeding the crew a hearty meal you cook up on the kitchenette summoned on Odysseus’ ship, right beside your storage shed for easy access to ingredients. Thinking ahead, you make a bunch of bread baskets, from normal bread to the savoury and snack bread baskets and offer those with jams on your morning deliveries to each ship. That allows the crew to have some sustenance while you prepare their bigger meal later on in the day. You feel bad for being unable to offer more food but Odysseus assures you that you’re doing more for them than what is needed.

“I can have my crew survive on just one meal a day, they wouldn’t dare complain after the hunger they’ve had to endure until you arrived,” Odysseus assures with a kind smile after seeing your anxious expression. However, you immediately throw up your hands and wave them about in protest, causing the Captain to look at you perplexed.

“I don’t think she approves of that, Captain,” Polites laughs and claps his friend on the shoulder. Odysseus shakes his head and chuckles in light humour.

“Then let me express my thanks for helping my crew. You are truly a blessing and have the biggest heart,” Odysseus bows at the waist like he did the first day you arrived and Polite quickly follows. Even Eurylochus bows from where he's stationed guarding your shed. It flusters you and you reach out to lightly tap their shoulders in assurance, as if to say, ‘It’s alright, please raise your heads,’.

“Those coconuts you gave out are also really helpful,” Polites nods towards the pile of coconuts on one end of the ship, “They’re a great way to quench our thirst. I’d say they’re more hydrating than water,” you clap in happiness and nod eagerly, your eyes closed as you smile and it escapes you how all three— the captain and his commanders —soften their gazes at the sight. They can only truly believe in Polites’ ‘open arms’ belief because of your boundless kindness and eagerness to help.

On the second day aboard Odysseus’ ship, you cook up a treat by making the three pizza recipes available to you from Animal Crossing. The Margherita, mushroom and seafood pizzas were very well received by the crew along with the peaches you gave for dessert. They were eager to request more pizzas in the future if you were willing. On the third day, you made a bunch of Seabass pies (many of the men adored the fish design you put on top, they called it ‘charming’) and apples for dessert.

For many, it was their first time having pizza and Seabass pie so it was really fun to see them, not only, satiate their hunger, but also openly react to something they were tasting for the first time. There were many satisfactory hums and excited, contagious gossip about what they liked most about a particular dish. They found pizzas fun and easy to eat while the pie was a wonderful layer of mashed potato, fish filling and golden crust goodness — a combination they had never encountered before but acquired an instant taste for.

While you were sipping on a coconut milk drink between cooking sessions, some of the crew were eying you curiously but tried to make it seem as though they weren’t blatantly staring. It was quite endearing actually. You gestured to a particularly starry-eyed crew member and kindly motioned him over. Elpenor with his fluffy brunette hair, cacao eyes and bronze skin approaches with a small, shy smile, closely followed by his slightly taller friend, who sported wavy blonde hair that came down to his chin and greyish-blue eyes.

“I go by Elpenor, fair maiden,” the broad-shouldered brunette introduces with a bow when he comes to stand before your curiously tilted head. You remember him as the one who unfortunately died after getting drunk and falling off of Circe’s palace in the musical. It was your guess that the man who followed him was his friend Perimedes.

“And they call me Perimedes,” the musical portrayed Perimedes as a man who hides his true emotions, appearing nonchalant and jovial despite his depressed disposition. You can't help but feel an aching pinch in your heart for the man. Before you could realise it, your hand reaches up and cups his cheek, softly stroking your thumb over his stumble comfortingly. Perimedes’ grey-blue eyes widen and he frantically looks to Elpenor who grins widely at him, happy to see his friend be treated softly. “U-Umm… is everything well, fair maiden?” Perimedes asks, looking uncomfortable at your touch, but doesn’t pull away; rather, you feel him tilt his head towards your touch. You suppose his bad habit of hiding his true feelings persists and Elpenor, being his closest friend, remains close to him as a result. Both have become each other’s rock.

Shaking your head, you smile assuringly and slowly bring your hand back, giggling with Elpenor at the unknowing whine the taller blonde let out from the loss of your touch. Quickly, you offer the two your large glass of coconut milk and giggle when their eyes comically bulge in surprise.

“Are you offering it to us?” Elpenor asks with wide eyes, hesitant to proceed. Surely accepting would be crossing the line. But you nod eagerly and softly thrust the drink towards him and Perimedes once again.

“W-we can’t accept,“ Perimedes begins as Elpenor nods along, stepping back with his friend. Both are unable to stomach the sad look in your eyes and the pout that plays on your lips when you see them back away, and they look to the side in shame. Why was it so painful to watch you frown because of them? “That was your drink, fair maiden,” both sides continue to insist on their stance and it would have continued if it weren’t for Eurylochus walking up from where he was observing the scene with Odysseus and Polites, both of whom wanted to laugh at the situation.

“You two have no authority to refuse the fair maiden’s kindness,” Eurylochus’ booming voice begins, making the two freeze up, “if she sees it fit to share with you, then you must accept. It’s rude to do otherwise,” you smile gratefully at Eurylochus who’s hard expression softens considerably in return and brings up a hand to pat your head. You’re much shorter than him and he finds that the difference has influenced the large feeling of responsibility and protectiveness he feels over you. “Well?!” his hard expression returns when he faces a slack-jawed Elpenor and Perimedes.

“Then we kindly accept,” Perimedes begins, bowing at the waist with Elpenor quickly following. The large glass, even though you’ve already had your fill still had enough for both of them and you seemed happy to hand it over. Perimedes offers it to Elpenor who takes the first sip and immediately takes a liking to it. The bronze-skinned youth eagerly offers the drink to his taller friend before he’s even formed the words to praise such a refreshing, milky drink.

“…It’s delicious! Go ahead and try it, my friend!”

You and Eurylochus watch in satisfaction as the two don’t stop at just sharing with each other but move to their crew members so that they can have a sip too. Seeing what would happen next, you go about making more coconut milk drinks and hand one to Eurylochus to take back and share with Odysseus and Polites just as Elpenor returns asking for more on behalf of the other crew members. Looking over his shoulder, you smile at the crew members’ eager eyes but shy demeanours. These hardened men could act rather cute if they wanted to.

navi. | series m.list

next. | two : the island paradise →

a/n : as you can see, the two versions read very similar to one another, it's just those slight changes but regardless of that, i did my best to make the two versions as distinct from the other as possible on surface level -- now everyone can have their go-to version hehe~ i hope you darlings enjoy! if you want to be on a specific taglist for a specific version, please just mention that version of the two and i'd be more than happy to add you!

#epic the musical fanfiction #epic the musical x reader #epic x reader #epic odysseus #epic polites #epic eurylochus #epic fanfic #fix it fic #reader insert #mute reader #female reader #acnh mechanics #acnh au #isekai au #TFM : platonic version!

27 notes · View notes

11queensupreme11 · 2 days ago

Note

So I have a question? You know that song lyric “Would you still love me if I’m no longer young and beautiful?” By Lana Del Rey. Okay so I’m gonna give you a scenario I’ve been thinking about adding to my story (as a draft for the next interlude after I finish the next reaction chapter)

So it goes a little like this:

Let say Percy who was a goddess (like in the last ask) got cheated on by Cu and, in her despair, killed herself.

(This is just a draft but I do plan on starting the chapter with her suicide note to her children first. Then to each of the yans individually. And maybe a couple to the friends and family she made on the way. So like a note to Shiva and his wives, Adamas, maybe Hercules and Prometheus, and…Ra(surprise! 🤭) honestly, I plan on making his a mixture of kinda funny/sarcastic, but also nostalgic and sad.)

Everyone finds out of course. And Zeus, devestated by the loss of his favorite neice, incensed by the disrespect shown to the Greek Pantheon by the Celtic Pantheon, spurred on by his son, brothers, and pantheon’s devestation and righteous anger at Percy’s death, along with the Egyptian, Norse, Abrahamic,Hindu, etc. Pantheons’ anger with what Cu did, obviously, declare war. The heavens are split and in utter chaos as the two sides form and each side is gathering allies for the upcoming war (it’ll be known as the “The Divine Schism” later on.

So, as u can imagine, this results in a lot of death, a lot of emotions flying around, and it isn’t even just the gods fighting other gods. Or Percy’s children fighting her other children(wish she begged them in her letter not to do, but she’s gone now; and her children are just as unhinged as their dads) . It also causes the humans to fight too because she was friends with a lot of them and a lot of them blame the Celtic people for 1)encouraging the views that made Cu think it was okay to do that (which is hypocritical because they still believe or once believed and would have done the same thing just due to the time period they were raised/born into, but a lot of them liked Percy so she was the exception) and 2) for not trying harder to keep him under control back when he was still a human on Midgard (Papa Adam is REALLY disappointed).

ANYWAY!

At this point, the war has gotten bad enough that the Fates, the Morrigan, the Norns, and all the other gods and goddesses related to fate and destiny realize that sooner or later the gods are going to end up fighting each other into extinction (with the humans in Vallhalla doing the same) and so they do some research (through their powers which were given to them by “the-Powers-that-Be” (which I actually mentioned in a chapter already but basically that’s the power that created them, their universe, and all the other universes that exist or will ever exist) and find out that, while Percy did die when she killed herself, for whatever reason, she didn’t end up going to Niflheim and instead got reincarnated into a different universe and nope🤭🤭it’s NOT the PJO universe. Which universe it is, I’m going to keep that a secret for now but I wouldn’t mind doing a poll to see which universe everyone would WANT her to be in. It might even help me decide. (just know it’s gonna be an anime universe. So either One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, or something else. It’ll have to be one I’ve read or watched before tho.) but it’s a secret, even to me, until I actually sit down and write this chapter.

Anyway, they find her reincarnated soul (in this I think I’m going to make it so that she only remembers SOME of her past life as a goddess and a demigod and it comes to her in her dreams) and, in order to stop the godly war that threatens the very foundations of their universe, they sit the Pantheons down (what’s left of them anyway) and tell them about what happened and where she is now. This, of course revitalizes the yans (ESPECIALLY CU!!!) because they see it as a second chance to get her back and make SURE she NEVER leaves them EVER again. (I’m talking they might actually lock her in a palace where they watch her every move 24/7 for the rest of eternity)

So they come up with a plan to basically kidnap her from this other plane. In this other universe tho, she’s lived a full, happy life. Sure it had some challenges (if she’s in One Piece I’m gonna make it so that she was Ace’s sister so she def fought in Marineford (love interest: Shanks), if in Bleach I’m making her the Captain of one of the divisions (Love interest:Sosuke Aizen 🤭🤭), if in Naruto ( I honestly can’t see her as an assassin/killer which is literally all ninjas are trained to do when u get to the crux of it so maybe like a political figure of peace? A daiymo maybe? Idk I’d have to figure it out (love interest: Kakashi Hatake, Itachi Uchiha, or Madara Uchiha depending on what time period I want her to be reincarnated into)

I plan on having her influence a lot of stuff, fall in love, have children with said Love Interest, and be an old lady by the time they start looking for her ( might have to write this in three parts since I do want to dedicate a chapter to her life in that other universe).

I’m still trying to figure out all the logistics since I want it to be believable and not just super random and unorganized because there are a lot of moving parts.

But my question to u is what do u think the yans will think (at this point in time) or do about an old, grandma version of Percy? Will it matter to them? She won’t be the same Percy at this point. She might remember some things about them but for the most part she won’t remember them and tho she might have the same morals as the last Percy, because of the stuff she went through in this new universe, she isn’t just physically different (old) but mentally too.

EVERYTHING HERE IS PERFECT BUT I JUST HAVE ONE CORRECTION:

"while Percy did die when she killed herself, for whatever reason, she didn’t end up going to Niflheim and instead got reincarnated"

it's niflhel!!! niflhel (or oblivion, nonexistence, whatever) is where all gods and mortal souls (after dying in the afterlife) go to when they die!

anyway.................

AIZEN SOSUKE????????? AND KAKASHI????????????

dude i genuinely don't know who to vote for, kakashi has been my anime crush SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, and aizen's so fucking daddy too omg why would you make us pick between them that's so cruel 😭😭😭😭😭😭

as for your question, age wouldn't matter much to them cuz they can just forcefully revert her back to her prime or back to whatever age/appearance they last saw her as!

the issue is the mentality 😞 if she's too different (like if she's not the same sweet, cheery, uwu, and infuriatingly annoying and troublesome girl that they know, then they might actually feel defeated. it's percy.... but at the same time it's not THEIR percy

tbh they'd probably try to find a way to revert her back to the percy they know, but if that doesn't work or they can't do it, then it's back to despair and anger 💀

#👸🏻| asks #👸🏻| arsenic blues #👸🏻| midnight morphine

40 notes · View notes

badgalsasuke · 3 days ago

Text

Kishimoto interview with Kobayashi for Mandō Kobayashi broadcasted on Fuji TV Dec. 13th 2014

LINK TO THE INTERVIEW

This is a transcription of (most of) the interview. Please watch the video of the interview that I already linked above the image while reading the transcription because there are times where Kishimoto and Kobayashi are discussing a manga panel or notes from Kishimoto's concept notebook and if you're not seeing it then the transcription won't make sense to you.

Also keep in mind this is a very long interview that lasts 54 minutes in video.

INTRO (0:00-6:32)

Kobayashi: Let's start the mission now. Kishimoto: Excuse me! Hello! Kobayashi: Nice to meet you, my name is Kento Kobayashi Kishimoto: Nice to meet you, I'm Kishimoto Kobayashi: Are you Kishimoto-sensei? Kishimoto: Yes.

Kobayashi: So, we came here from a show called Mandou Kobayashi, but first of all, congratulations on the end of your series. Today, rather than coming here on request, we actually came to surprise you. Is it okay if we ask you a bunch of questions?

Kishimoto: Please feel free to ask me anything. Kobayashi: Thank you for your permission, let's go in. So is this the workplace? Kishimoto: This is the workplace. Kobayashi: Until recently, fierce battles were taking place here too, right? Kishimoto: It's hell. (Kobayashi laughs)

(I don't know what they're saying from 0:53-1:02)

Kobayashi: Isn't this good? This freezer is amazing. Kishimoto: This is a freezer. Kobayashi: Yes. It's a second-hand one, isn't it? Kishimoto: That's right. I got this one that was used at Jump Festa. Kobayashi: Kishimoto-sensei? Kishimoto: Yes. Kobayashi: You really wanted this one? Kishimoto: Yes, well actually, I wanted Goku. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: I wonder where Goku is now?

Kishimoto: Goku is at Oda's house right now (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: You'd have an assistant here? (Kobayashi points to desk) Kishimoto: Yes, that's right. The assistants here had already finished the manuscript, so they packed up and went home.

Kobayashi: I see. Kishimoto: There's nothing here anymore. It feels kind of lonely. Kobayashi: It feels kind of lonely, isn't it? Kishimoto: There's nothing to mess with. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: What's this? The adjustable desk? Kishimoto: Since it's the desk over there, it feels like I'm writing the manuscript here. Kobayashi: As I thought, when you write a color manuscript, you need vitamins, sensei. (Kobayashi grabs bottle of vitamins)

Kishimoto: So that's what it was, huh? I just ate it a moment ago. (Everyone chuckles)

Kobayashi: Hey, the staff didn't set something up like this. Kishimoto: This is different. Kobayashi: Are you trying to imitate us sneakily? Huh?

Kishimoto: I bought it out of my own pocket. I mean, I technically bought it under the company's expenses. (Everybody chuckles)

Kobayashi: You're kidding, right? If only you had told me that, sensei. Oh, but it would be really helpful for inventory control. That kind of thing, really.

Kishimoto: Well, this is… I found some old drama manuscripts, so I've left them here for a while. Kobayashi: Do these things ever get returned to the authors? Kishimoto: Yes, they do. Kobayashi: So, how much is it? 80 pages?

Kishimoto: I don't remember either... Oh Hinata, it's just Hinata. Not a movie script though. (laughs)

Kobayashi: Well, it turned out to be quite a coincidence sensei. (laughs)

Kishimoto: No, no, no. Kobayashi: As expected from a writer who has written such an epic masterpiece, how do you think he was able to digest all that foreshadowing?

Kobayashi: Surely this should be kept in a bank safe or something. Kishimoto: It's just sitting there with kids' clothes on top of it… Kobayashi: That is dangerous. Kishimoto: Some of it might disappear in a little while.

Kobayashi: is it like a movie concept notebook? For sensei's movies, you first sometimes come up with the original idea and the script, right? Kishimoto: Well, a little, but generally the screenwriters let me do this and that. I'm not the kind of guy who nitpicks or complains at all. There are things written there that have nothing to do with Naruto. Kobayashi: Things that have nothing to do with Naruto? For example, what do you mean? Kishimoto: Like stories I'd like to tell Mammone someday. (everybody laughs)

Kobayashi: Someday. Kishimoto: I'd like to do something like that. Kobayashi: It seems like this is the kind of design I thought of when we met. Kishimoto: That's right. Kobayashi: Ok, ok, ok. Kishimoto: It has nothing to do with Naruto at all. Kobayashi: You just write down everything that comes to mind. Kishimoto: Well, I guess I'll write it here, around here. Kobayashi: [The Day] The Earth Stood Still*. (action movie, 2008) Kishimoto: I watch movies around here and think, "If it were me, I would do it this way," and then I write various things down here... what is this, a read-through?

Kobayashi: It's a one-shot… Kishimoto: It's a one-shot… Have you read it? Kobayashi: But it's quite… Can I just say something? Like… Like panel illustrations… Kishimoto: Ah, that's right. Kobayashi: So the course is quickly drawn here, like a panel layout. Kishimoto: I think it's an image of Kaguya… Kobayashi: Kaguya! Kishimoto: being sealed away, and Gai's final special move was supposed to be something like that, but in the end it was just a kick. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Look at this course. At the end, Sasuke and Naruto make a sign of reconciliation. It was already written here. Kishimoto: That's right. I wrote it around here. This is the original draft for Naruto, and it was only the first chapter… Kobayashi: This is the most important part, so to speak, for a young manga artist, the draft. Kishimoto: Before it started serialization. Kobayashi: Do you really have to write this much for a draft? Kishimoto: That's right. When you're starting, rookies need to have a good image and there's a solidarity meeting for that, and in order to pass it they make a good impression by trying their best and doing as much as possible. Kobayashi: That's it. Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: Isn't that just like the first chapter? Kishimoto: If I don't write it in that much detail, the image won't be conveyed. And I'm not trying to pander to anyone but... Kobayashi: "I'm a guy who can work hard and I want to show that". Kishimoto: Yes, show that.

Kobayashi: But somehow, you can see what Kishimoto-sensei has created, you know? Kishimoto: I quite like hero stories. Kobayashi: There are a lot of hero stories. Kishimoto: I quite like them.

Kobayashi: Toriyama-sensei is definitely someone great from that generation. Kishimoto: That's right. Surprisingly, my generation and everyone else feel like he's a god. Kobayashi: That's true, isn't it? Kishimoto: This is called a "gela/geller" and it means that only the parts related to Naruto are taken from Jump and then checked with this to see which parts of the manuscript need to be corrected before it actually becomes a comic. Kobayashi: Sensei, you change the wording of the book quite a lot, don't you? Kishimoto: Yes, but I guess I change it since the deadline isn't met, just a little bit..

Kobayashi: Were you under a lot of pressure? After all, it was a weekly serialization. Kishimoto: Yes, there were. Like with the Shadow Clone Jutsu… Kobayashi: I was planning to ask about that later but I'll ask here. Kishimoto: Okay, okay. Kobayashi: Our investigation has shown that Sensei may have dugged his own grave. Kishimoto: That's right. I messed up. Kobayashi: Since you already did it in the first chapter, you can't afford to power down from there. Kishimoto: That's right. You're constantly growing so you're getting more powerful, and the number of clones increases. Kobayashi: They just keep increasing, don't they? Kishimoto: I messed up… (Everyone laughs)

END OF INTRO, BEGINNING OF INTERVIEW (6:32-50:07)

Kobayashi: First of all, thank you so much for your hard work on that series. Kishimoto: Thank you very much.

Kobayashi: First of all, I want to ask about this Naruto work. I've made a timeline here, so please take a look at the first part. It starts with the Ninja Academy, then the Team 7 decisive test, the Land of Waves arc where they fight Zabuza and Haku, the Chunin Exams, Konoha's destruction and Gaara, Itachi and Akatsuki appear, the battle of the Legendary Sannin, Sasuke's defection, and a bit of Naruto's past. So, I was curious about where you started when you first thought about creating the Naruto series?

Kishimoto: At first, it was just a normal story about a ramen shop… Kobayashi: That's something you hear a lot about, but is it a joke? Kishimoto: Seriously, I seriously wanted to draw a ramen manga. Kobayashi: You seriously wanted to draw a ramen manga.

Kishimoto: I drew a story about a ramen owner and a boy who comes to eat there, and the ramen soup and noodles would be bland on their own, but when they are combined they become many times more delicious, and I used this as an analogy to life, creating a really spectacular, super-sensational story, but then the first editor in charge at the time said, "You're way off the mark".

Kobayashi: It certainly doesn't feel like it'd fit in Weekly Shonen Jump. Kishimoto: First, it was like, "You don't understand manga", so after that I wrote a story about an elementary school kid picking up some money and going on a detour… Kobayashi: What are you talking about? (everyone laughs)

Kishimoto: I was told that it was off, so I looked into it a bit. Well, I liked Dragon Ball, so I realized halfway through that I should draw something like Dragon Ball. It took quite a while, but I got there (Kobayashi laughs). And the ramen thing, which I thought was kind of lame, turned out to be surprisingly perfect for me, so I couldn't let it go. That's how the name Naruto came about.

Kobayashi: First thing is the Naruto name and that he loves ramen, Ichiraku ramen. Did you originally want to draw something about ninjas? Kishimoto: When I was doing the one-shot it was about monsters, and in that monster story it was originally a fox that turns into a human, and it was a mixed story between human and monster, but that deviated from that. Kobayashi: From the target? Kishimoto: It deviated from the target, and I quickly made it a human, redrawn it, and when I released it, it was approved.

Kobayashi: Indeed, we really did a lot of research, or rather, verification, but it seems like it's completely the opposite of the usual ninja stuff. Kishimoto: That's right. Kobayashi: When you think about it, ninjas are depicted as being very extreme, right? This is the world of the shinobi, or rather, it's about not letting them do that, right? Kishimoto: Yes. Since there have been quite a few up until now, like Sanpei Shirata*... (Mangaka of Ninja Bugeicho, 1959; Sasuke, 1967; etc) Kobayashi: Yes.

Kishimoto: I thought that if I did the same thing, it probably wouldn't stand out, so I did the opposite.

Kobayashi: With blonde hair.

Kishimoto: Blonde hair. Not Japanese, but foreign looking. And rather than dying, how should I put it, they're more about saving than hiding. One time I got a fan letter asking "is this character a ninja?". Kobayashi: Was it a simple question from a child? Kishimoto: A simple question from a child, and then I was like, Ah! it got off track again. (Everyone laughs) Kobayashi: The serialization had already started.

Kishimoto: But there was nothing we could do about it so we just went ahead with the deviation, and my editor at the time said it was fine to go with it, that this little deviation was fine. Kobayashi: Actually, this isn't off. Kishimoto: This isn't off. Kobayashi: That's why manga is so difficult.

Kishimoto: It is difficult. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: Do you remember when the "dattebayo" line and things like that came about? Kishimoto: I was thinking about what a typical Jump manga protagonist would be like, and I thought that if a grandmother were to like a clumsy character, it might be well-received or liked. So, I thought of making him a bit awkward, like someone who can't speak properly or stumbles over his words, and adding a catchphrase like "Dattebayo" to make him endearing... Kobayashi: Slurring his words? Kishimoto: Slurring his words, I say. Kobayashi: You put in characters who were classmates, or people of the same generation, right? Did you think about that in detail? Kishimoto: No, I didn't actually intend for it to be like that, I just wanted the missions to be more detailed.

Kobayashi: I think I'll ask about that later. Kishimoto: Okay.

Kobayashi: There was a mission in Wave Country, right? Kishimoto: The Land of Waves exists, and this time the mission is in a different village where there’s a teacher and three subordinates. Then, some guys from a different team come out, and Kakashi's real identity is that he’s a rival to other teachers... Kobayashi: Kakashi had rivals outside (the village) too? Kishimoto: Yes, I talked with the editor about wanting to do it with that setting, but he said there’s no time to be messing around like that.

Kobayashi: Did he say something like, "There's no time to be dawdling around"? (Kishimoto laughs) Kishimoto: He said to release everything at once and to release characters all at once with others too. But he said, "Let's do it, let's have a tournament." I don't have that kind of strength right now. I'll die if I do that. But then I said I'll do it. I said I'll do it even if it means I die. Kobayashi: That's what the Chunin Selection Exam. Kishimoto: That's how the Chunin Selection Exam came to be. Kobayashi: The result of being rushed Kishimoto: So, I still kind of wish I could have done that (the missions).

Kobayashi: Actually, I wanted to see a few more missions too.

Kishimoto: Right? we decided on the characters on the spot. Even while writing the manuscript, if we didn't have any ideas, it was tough for a newcomer to create dozens of characters all at once...

Kobayashi: Here comes the newcomer.

Kishimoto: So, I asked the editor to design them for me. (Kobayashi laughs) The editor suggested something like an old Jackie Chan movie, and something really strange came up, and that was Gai.

Kobayashi: It was Gai and Lee. I see. But when I was listening to the earlier conversation, I heard that there was a system like this in the Land of the Waves too, of course with an academy, and when I thought about Kakashi's rival appearing, I heard that maybe this Gai version was planned for there.

Kishimoto: That's right. I thought it would be better to have a rival… Kobayashi: It actually wasn't from Konoha. Kishimoto: but I thought there wasn't enough of them, We set it up so that there would be a rival in our village. We thought it would be better to have that kind of setting, so we made it happen within a year. Kobayashi: Right. In other words, the Chunin Exam and the Hidden Leaf battle with Gaara are two different things, but they're all correlated, and yet they keep moving forward.

Kishimoto: During the Chunin Exam selection test, we gained popularity. But even though we were gaining popularity, the editor in charge at the time said that if we just let it end with a regular victory, it would be too ordinary. It wasn't the right time for a tournament. Kobayashi: This is not the time to be dragging your feet. Bang. Kishimoto: They told me, "Come on, this character named Orochimaru is going to come out and wreck everything. He's going to destroy the tournament". I had worked hard to introduce so many characters. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: That's true. Kishimoto: I was having fun wondering who would win and things like that.

Kobayashi: Even for you, were you subtly wondering who the winner would be on social media?

Kishimoto: I was planning on making it Shikamaru.

Kobayashi: Were you planning on making Shikamaru?

Kishimoto: Yes. That's right.

Kobayashi: Shikamaru's fighting style got really good in the Chunin Selection Exam.

Kishimoto: I had decided that only Shikamaru would become a chunin.

Kobayashi: Yes, yes, yes. And that's exactly what happened.

Kishimoto: I just wrote "IQ 200," but I don't have an IQ of 200. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: You digged your grave again. Just like with the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It would require someone with an IQ of 200 to write in such a way that they would think about other people with IQ 200, so it's certainly difficult.

Kishimoto: It's not that it's difficult, it's that is just impossible, isn't it? So I struggled with this, I really struggled.

Kobayashi: Let's keep moving the story along. No, in The Land of the Waves arc, we suddenly have the formidable enemy Zabuza.

Kishimoto: I think it would be better to show a strong ninja out of the blue, and then Kakaishi-sensei would get serious about it. I thought it would be easier to show Naruto and the other ninjas from the older generation in a real ninja battle...

Kobayashi: Growing towards that point.

Kishimoto: I thought it would be easy to understand that we were going to continue to do this, so I decided to show that first.

Kobayashi: But if you think about it, the settings that are introduced in the Land of Waves arc and continue up to the final chapter, for example, the Kekkei Genkai and the Sharingan come out one after another here, right? How far did you plan this out? Kishimoto: No. I think it would have been better to just go ahead and bluff it out here. Kobayashi: Were you bluffing from the beginning? Kishimoto: It seems like a bluff, so I didn't think about what would come next at all. Kobayashi: First, you just went ahead and created the framework. Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: So you're rushing ahead with the serialization while also thinking about it? Kishimoto: Yes, that's right.

Kobayashi: So you suddenly mentioned Sasuke's past, right? Kishimoto: He wanted to kill someone. Kobayashi: That there was someone he wanted to kill. Kishimoto: I was thinking that he'd have an older brother, and that he had done something bad. I had thought about that, but not much else… Kobayashi: It was quite vague… Kishimoto: That part was vague. Kobayashi: So maybe you just said that Itachi was just a bad guy?

Kishimoto: No, by the time Itachi was brought out I had already decided he was a good guy.

Kobayashi: There's circumstances that make Sasuke feel this way.

Kishimoto: At first, the Sharingan was supposed to be able to closely observe and copy the opponent's movements, but it gradually went in a different direction. Kobayashi: It's the first chapter in the history of world entertainment to be themed around eyeballs, and it went up to volume 72. Kishimoto: I never thought that the idea of the eye as a Dojutsu skill would be so useful. (Kobayashi laughs) The Sharingan is mentioned in a very old story called The Tale of the Hero Jiraiya, in which it is revealed that Jiraiya actually has the Sharingan.

Kobayashi: Jiraiya, that one. Kishimoto: The character has it, and it's often seen in kabuki and other performances. However, if Jiraiya were to use it, his character would become too prominent, so we decided to give it to the Uchiha clan instead. Kobayashi: And Kakashi's has them, so it's like he got the eyes because of some kind of grudge or connection. Kishimoto: That's right. Why does he have those eyes when he's not a part of the Uchiha clan? That's what we make into a mystery to keep the story going.

Kobayashi: So, Kakashi's Sharingan comes from the Uchiha clan. I see, so that's what it was, one of the major recoveries, a part of the mission. There are three main characters in this concept, right?

Kishimoto: Rin, Obito, and Kakashi

Kobayashi: The photo of Rin, Obito, and Kakashi came out pretty early, right? Like around the fourth chapter or so.

Kishimoto: I wonder if there are any photos of Kakashi. I'm thinking about this for now. When I get back, I'll have him be Naruto's dad.

Kobayashi: Ah, had it already been decided at this point that he would be Naruto's dad? Kishimoto: It had been decided. Kobayashi: Ah, this had been decided? Kishimoto: It had been decided, at that time. Kobayashi: Ah, is that so? Ah, had it also been decided that Obito would be the Uchiha? Kishimoto: Yes. Kobayashi: It had been firmly decided, really. Kishimoto: That's… Kobayashi: That was about 16 chapters in.

Kishimoto: Yes, that's right. We decided on that part too. Initially, it's not so much that we decided that the Fourth Hokage, Minato, was Naruto's dad, but rather that we thought we had to reveal that Naruto's dad was the Fourth Hokage. So we properly created the Hokage Rock with the Fourth Hokage's face, and originally, it was a dog's face, so the Fourth Hokage had a dog's face. Kobayashi: Dog? Dog as in dog? Kishimoto: Dog as in dog.Dog Dog. Well, there's that character with fangs, Kiba, right? So if there's a human with fangs, then why not have a dog become Hokage too, right? Kobayashi: It was a dog? Kishimoto: It was a dog. Kishimoto: Yahagi-san, editor Yahagi-san. Kobayashi: The person in charge?

Kishimoto: Yes, he told me I was off the mark again when I got there. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: You'd finally managed to fix the misalignment, and now it's off again? Kishimoto: So, I decided to make him the protagonist's father. So it was decided on the first playthrough, sort of speak. Kobayashi: I see. So you were excited about that part beforehand. But, you know, with Kakashi, did you have some kind of premonition that he'd become popular? Kishimoto: Not at all. Kobayashi: Eh, speaking of Kakashi, isn't he the most popular character? Kishimoto: That's right. I had no idea why a guy like that would become so popular.

Kobayashi: Kishimoto-sensei, that's off the mark. (Everyone laughs) Kakashi is so cool, he's gonna be popular. Kishimoto: Why can you only see with one eye? (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: Jiraiya is popular too, isn't he? Kishimoto: Jiraiya was really popular too. Kobayashi: I guess it's just that somewhere, are there any characters who are perverts at heart that become popular? Kishimoto: That's true.

Kobayashi: There's a "make out paradise" between those two. Kishimoto: That's why the characters I thought were cool and would be popular didn't become popular at all. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: Is there anyone else? This guy? Kishimoto: I drew Sai thinking he'd be popular. Kobayashi: Did Sai not become that popular as a character? Kishimoto: No, I also drew a character called Kimimaro thinking he'd be popular, but he pulls out his bones and turns them into swords and he seemed to be a little popular at some point, but the minute he pulled out his backbone he lost popularity.

Kobayashi: Did they have an allergic reaction? Women and such were like, "Wow, this guy is like this." What about Sakura-chan? Kishimoto: I drew Sakura because I thought she was cute. It's not that she's a girl's true nature, but I drew her realistically. Kobayashi: Her inner thoughts came first. Kishimoto: Yes. Kobayashi: Like appearing in a TV show. (Like the confessionals of reality tv show) Kishimoto: I thought she'd be popular with girls, but it seems like they just didn't like her. Kobayashi: Don't like her? Was there a lot of people who disliked Sakura?

Kishimoto: Right. They said that little kids hate her, so we tried a lot of things, but they just backfired. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: They backfired. I'm sorry. It's a painful memory. Kishimoto: It's a painful memory. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: You didn't intend to make them fall in love with her like that, but that's how it is. But you know, we had a little meeting about why only Sakura is like that, and it turns out that the Haruno clan isn't depicted, or rather, it was in the movie, but not in the original work. However, not that far ahead; once the recognition system is established, the parents of each clan and their relatives are depicted, and they participate in battles. So, what's up with the Haruno clan? Why aren't they depicted? She's only one girl from an ordinary family, or rather, a girl without any struggles. Kishimoto: The truth is that Sakura wasn't popular, so even if we expanded on that... (Everyone laughs) Kobayashi: So the truth is because she isn't popular you wouldn't expand on it. Kishimoto: Right. (Everyone laughs harder)

Kobayashi: But once it's out you can't backtrack on it, right? The cover of volume 4, and the cover of chapter 4 already have the details of each summoning. Kishimoto: That's right, in chapter 4. Kobayashi: And wasn't it this? If it's already out here, we can't take it down now, right? Kishimoto: That's right. We have no choice but to keep going, so it was pretty much decided by this point that those three, Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade, would each become a mentor. Kobayashi: It's already being passed down.

Kishimoto: I drew this cover while looking at the faces of Hollywood actresses. Kobayashi: So you were trying to draw what is commonly called a beautiful person? Kishimoto: Yes. I was thinking of drawing a cute girl. I was sketching and so on. Naruto and Sasuke, I can just draw them quickly, but for this character [Sakura], I had to look at reference materials while drawing. Kobayashi: You were very careful about that, weren't you, sensei? Kishimoto: I was extremely careful. Kobayashi: If you could say it like that, you were pushing it. In other words.

Kishimoto: That's right. We were pushing her so hard that it didn't get through to her at all. Only Hinata kept getting more and more popular. I didn't draw Hinata much, and like Sakura, she wasn't doing much either, but her popularity was skyrocketing, so I thought maybe I should make her the heroine. I thought maybe I should make her closer to heroine status. That's why she has a bit of a standout moment at the end.

Kobayashi: I see, it feels like all the characters have been introduced, but the second part was amazing too. First, there was the mission to rescue the Kazekage from the Sand Village, the Tenchi Bridge reconnaissance mission, then the battle between Team 10 and Hidan and Kakuzu, Sasuke's formation of Hebi, Jiraiya vs. Pain, Sasuke vs. Itachi, Hebi becoming Taka, Pain's death, the Five Kage Summit, the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto vs. Sasuke, and then the epilogue. So, was there a specific reason for structuring it into two parts?

Kishimoto: That's right, in some parts, Naruto and the others are, well, let's say, weak, right? Kobayashi: That's right. Kishimoto: As expected because they're genins, the Akatsuki, which is like a collective of powerful yet disenfranchised enemies. Kobayashi: Akatsuki. Kishimoto: That's right, they're genin and the Akatsuki are a strong enemy that's like a collection of disenfranchised people but even the jonin can't do anything about them. Kobayashi: It's like even jonin can't catch them.

Kishimoto: So this is bad and for now I cut it and made them grow up all at once. I also wanted to change the clothes and so on, it's hard to draw this weird thing on the left shoulder, it's small, or rather the fluffy thing in around his neck, it hides his face when he lifts his shoulders or makes any movement.

Kobayashi: It was a bit wimpy when he was a kid. When he was a boy, it was wimpy and it got in the way when he was performing action. Even though it's neat like this, it still keeps you warm.

Kishimoto: I thought it doesn't look like a top garment if his neck isn't covered. I also added this headband here so that it flutters a bit and stands out when he performs action.

Kobayashi: Well, as we talked about Akatsuki earlier, Akatsuki was really exciting. As a reader, when all the silhouettes of the characters suddenly appeared, it was just too much. Itachi, Kisame, Pain, Konan, Sasori, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, Tobi, Zetsu. My favorites were Hidan and Kakuzu. Kishimoto: Ah, that's the same for me. Kobayashi: Oh, really? Kishimoto: I like Hidan the best too. Kobayashi: I like Hidan the best too! It's like, this is what dangerous evil is, and I think it would be great if this kind of thing could be applied. I really, really like it. And the fact that two immortals are immortal for different reasons is also really interesting to me.

Kishimoto: That's right. At that time, I actually quite liked how the abilities were portrayed, so things like Hidan stabbing himself with the kunai and the feelings behind it. Kobayashi: This scene is great, he pierces himself and that causes damage to Asuma. Team 10 was great. Sensei previously said it was hard, but from here on it becomes a battle of IQ 200s, right? Kishimoto: With Shikamaru in it, it's a bit tough. Kobayashi: No, but this cigarette scene is really different from previous Naruto, it's a bit of a man's world, a grown man's worldview, you know? Kishimoto: It's surprisingly brutal, with heads chopped off and stuff.

Kobayashi: Yes, there was a scene where his head gets chopped off. Kishimoto: They said that couldn't be done in the anime. Kobayashi: I said that one line, but it made me a bit worried. Is this okay in today's world? Kishimoto: Well first, after being told that it couldn't be done, there was a discussion about changing it because Shikamaru smoking was also a no-go, but the editor said not to worry about it and just go ahead and do it. However, the higher-ups would always check with the editor each time, saying things like, "Isn't this a bit too much? It's a shonen magazine after all." Kobayashi: Would we be able to show this scene now?

Kishimoto: Add this here. Kobayashi: Add this and then cut the left and right sides. Kishimoto: It looks like it's peeking out. (Kobayahi laughs) Kobayashi: It's amazing, isn't it? This head rolls around and suddenly starts talking again. Kishimoto: I tried to hide the cross sections as much as possible. Kobayashi: I see, the cross-section is beautifully concealed. This lighter texture is also quite nice, isn't it? I think many people have asked you about this, but is Hidan still down below?

Kishimoto: Yes, so I think I could have dug him up and have him join the battle if I wanted to, but when it comes out, I still get carried away and have to hide all the cross-sections, so it would be tough. Kobayashi: I couldn't stand it if it became any more troublesome to draw, but Shikamaru's smoke stings my eyes. It was a clean story right up to the point where he just throws it away at the end, and yet the hard-boiled sense is quite rare even for Jump. Kishimoto: That's right. Kobayashi: Did Sensei was always into that kind of world? Kishimoto: Surprisingly, I actually like those kinds of movies and used to watch them a lot, so I ended up doing everything I wanted to do in a shonen magazine, even though it wasn't really appropriate.

Kobayashi: Well, Akatsuki isn't just an organization, it's got all sorts of intertwined intentions, some that even the other people don't know about. Did you give that a lot of thought? Kishimoto: There's places like that. Kobayashi: Around here? Kishimoto: In the real world, companies have started hiring mercenaries to engage in private wars, so I wanted to explore that. Kobayashi: Like a professional group. Kishimoto: I thought that if we introduced a leader who could bring everyone together, it would bring out a sense of charisma. So, I considered developing the character's profile with that in mind. Pain. Kobayashi: That's Pain. When he first appeared, he said he was conquering the world on his back. That scene was difficult, wasn't it?

Kishimoto: It was hard. Kobayashi: It's a scene looking down on the world. Kishimoto: That was hard to draw. Kobayashi: It really seemed like sensei was pushing himself too hard, he drew a lot of scenery seen from above the city. Kishimoto: I draw the rough draft to a certain extent, but my assistants do the inking and stuff, so I leave that to them. Kobayashi: This is another scene looking down at a different city, but did the assistant only do the inking, and the basic drawing is done by you, right? Kishimoto: I did the rough draft.

Kobayashi: Wow, this is amazing. Kishimoto: If it's not like that, the layout and feel of that time can't really be conveyed just by talking about it. Kobayashi: Indeed, the world view of this village is thoroughly filled with such elements. Kishimoto: It was the same with Pain. Kobayashi: This is it, right? The sensei wrote it, what was it called, the handkerchief? Kishimoto: This is that Bobobobobobobobobo manga. (Manga serialized from 2001-2005) Kobayashi: Oh, that's right, now that I think about it, the deadline is a week, right? Kishimoto: Yes, that's right. You only have about three days to draw.

Kobayashi: Three days. You can spare about three days. Since we're talking about illustrations, I would like to ask you a bit about that kind of artwork. You have a unique composition style, don't you? This is a fisheye perspective, right? It's a view of Deidara from above. And again, a fisheye perspective from above. Kishimoto: I quite like fisheye views from above. Kobayashi: "I like fisheye views from above" is like a tongue twister. Kishimoto: I really liked the feeling that the characters were standing on the ground, and Akira was also very precise about that.

Kobayashi: By Otomo-sensei. Kishimoto: I look at various pictures and draw them by changing the depth of the fisheye lens, like Otomo-sensei's fisheye. Kobayashi: Look at this cover of Chouji, the photographer left during the shoot. He said, "Please wait a moment." This is the kind of composition you see in Chihuahua photo books, right? This camera is really only used for skateboarding PVs and Funkiller AVs. Kishimoto: There's no way I would study while watching AV down here. That's not happening. Kobayashi: It's more like a sunview. Kishimoto: That's the image I had in mind…

Kobayashi: Haku, right? Kishimoto: Yes. The "bang" when someone is punched is a common cinematic technique known as double action. For example, when Jackie Chan punches an enemy, the camera slightly pulls back and then zooms in again, making the punch stand out. I wanted to create an image like that in this manga. Kobayashi: We were looking for something like this, showing the same scene from three different angles, and I had a question, in Naruto, even when he uses his signature move, there isn't a name for it at that moment, but his face isn't shown when he lands the move. Is this intentional? Kishimoto: I thought it would be cooler if his face was not shown.

Kobayashi: How is that cool? Kishimoto: If the face isn't in the picture, the attention goes to the body, right? To the back and the body. That way it feels like the body is speaking or expressing itself, but if you show face, the power of the face is so strong that it takes over, or rather, becomes the focal point of the scene. Kobayashi: Rather than talking about the expressions in this scene, you want people to just look at the dynamism and things like that. Kishimoto: That's why I actually have to draw faces in decisive scenes. Kobayashi: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I noticed that a lot, like when the decisive scene doesn't show the face, it's like a deliberate act, right? There were also scenes where the battle progresses from both sides, like in Sasuke vs. Naruto. Kishimoto: This is unique to manga, so it's not shown like a movie on a timeline, and you can look at either side from above and if you just look from above, you can see both at once. This is a manga-like presentation that I came up with, so I thought I'd go with that. It's more about matching or being the same... Kobayashi: Normally you have to read it like this, so now you can read it like this. Kishimoto: That kind of feeling. I tried to keep the details as simple as possible so that it's easy to read. I wanted it to be simple, so I didn't focus too much on the details.

Kobayashi: This is an incredibly complicated panel. Are you even listening? (Kishimoto laughs) Kishimoto: Yes, this area is… Kobayashi: To begin with, we abandoned the interrogation, and now it's a huge mess. So, what is this supposed to be? Kishimoto: I deliberately made it look this cluttered, so that you don't know where to look… Kobayashi: It was a chaotic battle. It was happening at an incredible speed. Kishimoto: I wanted to create something like in movies where the action is so fast that you can't tell what's happening.

Kobayashi: Like directing a production? Kishimoto: That's exactly it. Kobayashi: You were saying you'd put it out this next time but it was difficult to put out. You were trying to make it as simple as possible, so I think it's fine to put out this one. Well, the time is almost up, so I'll have to rush through this. Was the Great Ninja War really difficult? Kishimoto: It was difficult. They said "you will be experiencing wars from now on". By that point, it had been decided to go to war. I was trying to get him to experience war once and then face it, so he couldn't escape, or rather... Kobayashi: Well, I guess it's inevitable. Kishimoto: I thought so.

Kobayashi: It's like everything that has happened so far has come to light in these three wars, right? Kishimoto: There were a lot of things I hadn't been able to do before, but I wanted to tie everything together there, so I did that. So I did a lot of battles between old men, which is unimportant, like Hanzo and Mifune. And I did something that shouldn't be done in a boys' magazine, which was to have those old men clash in the first chapter of the volume. Kobayashi: A boys' magazine that violates morals. Kishimoto: The old man was getting a lot of heat in a boys' magazine.. Kobayashi: An old man's duel. Kishimoto: That's something you'd expect from Torishima-san (Editor in chief of Shonen Jump and editor of Akira Toriyama, author of Dragon Ball) Kobayashi: From Mashirito-san (Anagram of Torishima) Kishimoto: From Mashirito-san. Torishima-san asked me what I was doing and told me to bring out Naruto right away and that I didn't need the old men and I got scolded.

Kobayashi: But, sensei, please listen, is this the fight that the director in charge thought was the best about? Kishimoto: That's right. Kobayashi: Hanzo vs. Mifune. Kishimoto: That's nice to hear. Kobayashi: I think this is great. It's something that people who don't give up on things can achieve. As they fight, they remember things from the past.

Kishimoto: There's a seppuku scene, and I wanted to depict that. I'm gradually becoming an old man, so I feel like I want to depict that kind of seriousness. Kobayashi: How was it? How popular was Mifune in the boy's fantasy genre? Kishimoto: Not at all. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: No, it's cool, but you know, there was a setting where they branched out from samurai and grew up to become ninjas, and then they started fighting like ninjas. Kishimoto: It's not that. Kobayashi: It's not that because it's that samurai are samurai because they persevere. Kishimoto: They don't run away. Kobayashi: It's a well-portrayed scene, but it's a bit too much for shonen. Kishimoto: It was like "old men are fighting, I wish it would end quickly, I wish the main character would appear soon". (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: My favorite character in that match was the second Mizukage, I think? He kept saying his own weaknesses while fighting, like "Hurry up and defeat me" or "Am I strong?" I really liked this character. Kishimoto: Ah, that's right. Kobayashi: This one is still a bit old-fashioned for me, though. Kishimoto: This character was surprisingly popular. Kobayashi: It was great, wasn't it? He kept talking and revealing his weak points, defeating his opponents one after another, while telling them to defeat him quickly. Kishimoto: I thought it was kind of interesting.

Kobayashi: Edo Tensei was really difficult, wasn't it? Kishimoto: Yes, well, ever since the Pain arc, Naruto has been unable to just defeat, beat, and kill people to settle things. Instead, they end with discussions. It's something you shouldn't really do in a shonen manga, so from then on, when he fights, he considers who he is up against and what kind of person they are. Kobayashi: Like cultivated clones. Kishimoto: Because it was something that fundamentally doesn't exist as a living being, it couldn't be defeated.

Kobayashi: Did you have the fighting puppets decided on exactly what they would be? So that's why Edo Tensei meant that Jiraiya, Hidan who was buried and Konan who was scattered didn't appear, right? Kishimoto: I mean, I didn't want to bring back Jiraiya. Kobayashi: Well, he was a good character and had a good way of dying. Kishimoto: That's right. I couldn't write a better death than that one and in a sense, with Jiraiya dying, Naruto understood Sasuke's feelings about how it feels when someone important to you dies. If he were to come back, it would be a bit difficult to handle that. Also, I wanted to use Madara as a hook, so that's pretty much everything.

Kobayashi: I see, isn't that a bit of a complicated Rinne Tensei no Jutsu? Madara himself is quite complicated as well. Kishimoto: He is resurrected through Rinne Tensei and Edo Tensei, so it's a bit complicated how it works. Kobayashi: The forbidden technique of Edo Tensei, you see, with the element of Orochimaru, this brings out the connection with Kabuto in the battle. Throughout this, there has been a persistent push from Mr. Kishimoto and the main cast, and then there was the incident where Sakura received a love letter. Kishimoto: This is... a mislead story, but why did I put it here? It's because if the anime continues with the war, it will soon catch up with the manga. So, I created a gap here and then moved on to the next part.

Kobayashi: There was some outrageous fortune-telling involved in this love letter incident, wasn't there? Kishimoto: Did you also wonder what I was writing? (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: So, it's called a love letter, huh? I was wondering what I was writing. Wow, I got to hear some good behind-the-scenes stories. When you think about it, there were a lot of casualties, but why did Neji have to die in the war among the well-known characters? Kishimoto: Well, I had decided on Hinata as the heroine, so it was quite some time ago… Kobayashi: Ultimately Kishimoto: So, I wanted elements that would bring Naruto and Hinata closer together. There was a scene during the Pain fight where Hinata came out and said something, but this time, Naruto consciously says he's happy to have Hinata by his side. So, there was that aspect, and that's why Neji, well, let's just say...

Kobayashi: Well, it was the trigger. Kishimoto: Yes, well, it was like he was playing the role of Cupid, so I was a bit nervous about that. And then we basically decided on the name Boruto for their son. Kobayashi: Is that so? Kishimoto: Once we decided on it, Boruto was also known as Neji (they both mean screw), so the idea was to have him take on the name of the uncle who assisted Cupid… Kobayashi: Well, when I saw it, I cried a little. Kishimoto: We decided on Neji. Kobayashi: Is that how it turned out? Kishimoto: So from now on, for example, this might be a bit harsh, but if I were to write a manga about Boruto, then the scenes with Neji would be important.

Kobayashi: Is it okay if I play this now? Is it alright if I go ahead with this?

Kishimoto: it's alright.

Kobayashi: Thank you. Well, this match is really amazing, so let's move on to the final battle, Naruto vs. Sasuke. I haven't been able to hear much about Sasuke until now, though.

Kishimoto: They start off as rivals and then fight at the end as rivals to close it out. Kobayashi: What's that place called? Kishimoto: Valley of the End.

Kobayashi: Valley of the End. It took quite a while to draw out this ending, didn't it? It's been a long time since Sasuke left, hasn't it?

Kishimoto: Yes, it has been quite a long time since Sasuke flew away.

Kobayashi: That one is definitely longer.

Kishimoto: Sasuke was sulking the whole time.

Kobayashi: He's been sulking the whole time, hasn't he?

Kishimoto: While writing, I was like, "Who is this guy?" (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Eh, did you hate Sasuke? Kishimoto: No, there were a few parts where I was a bit more annoyed. But I think I understand what Sasuke does… Kobayashi: Well, I understand why Sasuke does what he does. Kishimoto: I wanted people to understand that, so I wrote it with quite a bit of emphasis, but surprisingly, I wasn't capturing Sasuke's character expressions well. I often had to tell my editor, "This isn't right; this doesn't look like Sasuke"... Kobayashi: Isn't this part of the face a little different? Kishimoto: It took a lot of fixing.

Kobayashi: Wow, so you were quite tormented throughout the serialization. Kishimoto: That's right, I was pretty much tormented by Sakura and Sasuke. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: So the journey up to volume 72 was one in which you were tormented by two out of the three main characters. Kishimoto: Yes, it was long and painful. Kobayashi: It was difficult. Kishimoto: And Kakashi is Kakashi, but surprisingly, since he only has one eye, it's difficult to convey expressions, ah. Kobayashi: I see, so his expressions are halved? Kishimoto: That's right, and that's why it was so difficult.

Kobayashi: Isn't this a cycle of hatred? We're talking about breaking the cycle of hatred, but we're actually creating more hatred, aren't we? (Kishimoto laughs)

Kishimoto: Yeah, that's right. So I was thinking about how to do it, and in the end, it really turned into a battle between men. I didn't want to resolve it with ninjutsu or anything like that. I wanted a straightforward fistfight. Gradually running out of strength and continuing to fight is, after all, the spirit of Jump. I thought, "Come on, just pull through," but somehow, it worked out.

Kobayashi: They say both of their right arms are blown off.

Kishimoto: Naruto being right-handed and Sasuke being left-handed, so he loses his left hand. In Ninjutsu, there is a tradition called Ninja Kumite where when two friends fight, they put one hand forward as a sign of reconciliation...

Kobayashi: It was a memorable scene.

Kishimoto: In the end, it seems like reconciliation is impossible or rather they're unable to due to the loss of their hands. I felt that these two didn't want to simply reconcile, nor could they, so it didn't seem like the right fit. The concept of reconciliation was similar to the conflict between Indra and Ashura, who were reincarnated. The hands of Madara and Hashirama overlapping are the representation of the symbolized reconciliation.

Kobayashi: I see. Kishimoto: So, I expressed it this way, with the two of them above, even though they don't have hands but still. Kobayashi: Well, sensei's character continued to suffer, but it's a great final scene. You know, these two really brought it about. Kishimoto: We've finally made it this far. That scene has been something I've wanted to draw for a long time, and it was a scene I hinted at at the end of part one, so I'm really glad to finally be able to draw it. Kobayashi: Yes, it's a relief, the daimyo are safe. This daimyo, when you look at him like this, he looks a bit like me. Kishimoto: The cat, that's the cat I have.

Kobayashi: Did it make an appearance? Is it okay to touch on this bit? I was quite moved by this cheer battle. It was kind of… Kishimoto: More like comrades… Kobayashi: More like comrades… I suppose the two of them are comrades, but I feel like I'm a comrade too. In the video, the three of us were standing. Me, Oda-sensei, and Kishimoto-sensei, the three of us were standing together. (Kishimoto laughs) Kishimoto: Well, let's do that. Kobayashi: So you have some thoughts about it? Kishimoto: I think everyone has their own things going on, you know, it's just like…

Kobayashi: It's clearly written here, isn't it? Friends and rivals. A serialization that we did together for 15 years. Kishimoto: I'm grateful. I feel the same way and I want to convey those feelings to Oda-san. Kobayashi: It's not the first time I've seen something like this, but everyone has a valuable message for sensei. Kishimoto: That surprised me. Kobayashi: You didn't hear about it in the volume? Kishimoto: I wasn't informed about it. Kobayashi: That shows that he was an incredible sensei who left behind some amazing works, and therefore a very precious teacher. Kishimoto: Thank you.

Kobayashi: Well, there have been some announcements, like a new generation project. Kishimoto: Yes. Kobayashi: Do you have any plans like that for your next work? Kishimoto: Yes, you're thinking about what you want your next work to be Kobayashi: Their silhouettes are shown, but there is also a new generation project. Kishimoto: The fact that the children have appeared up to this point means that that's what it means, and that I want to depict them. Kobayashi: Seriously? Kishimoto: Naruto also makes a few appearances, but I think that Orochimaru, who didn't appear in the final episode, and Kabuto and Karin are connected, and once it becomes clear that there's a change of generation, then it'll be over.

Kobayashi: Well, there are things that have been announced, like the new generation project and so on.

Kishimoto: That's right.

Kobayashi: Do you have any plans like that for your next work? Kishimoto: Yes, I'm thinking about what I want to do with my next work. Kobayashi: The silhouette is reflected but it's also a new generation project. Kishimoto: The fact that we've included children up to this point means that that's what I want to depict.

Kobayashi: Seriously?

Kishimoto: Naruto will also make a brief appearance, but I think it will be complete once the connections with characters like Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Karin, who didn't appear in the final episode, clearly show a generational shift.

Kobayashi: Yeah, that's good. I was just thinking about Karin earlier. When I saw Karin's abilities, I honestly thought, "Wow, the teacher must be really stressed," but was that the hardest time for you? (Kishimoto laughs) Kishimoto: It was difficult. (Kobayashi laughs) Kobayashi: I think you had a lot of free time. Kishimoto: That's right. I was really lucky, but that was a really bad thing. Kobayashi: It's work that requires you to sit down, after all. It's a job that you can't do without sitting down. Kishimoto: That was painful. I think it was both the mental and physical aspects that built up a lot of stress.

Kobayashi: It's a sitting job, after all. It's a job that can't be done unless you sit.

Kishimoto: It was painful. Probably both the mental and physical aspects were affecting me, and I was quite stressed.

Kobayashi: Sir, it seems you've acquired some special abilities. In this world, I have high hopes that we might be able to see such things. Do you have any thoughts about getting something entirely new from Kishimoto-sensei in the next world?

Kishimoto: Well, of course, I thought about taking a break, but I just can't seem to settle down. So I called in an assistant and we talked together, and I guess I'll ask him to help me with some work and we talked about it.

Kobayashi: Is that so? So it's like it's actually moving around a bit. Kishimoto: That's right, so I want it to be like this, and like this, and with this setting and the main character is like this. Kobayashi: What's the story about? Kishimoto: That's a total secret.

Kobayashi: Well, right.

Kishimoto: It's a bit of a secret.

Kobayashi: It's a bit of a secret, isn't it? Is it wrong to ask about this sort of thing? For example, will it be in Jump?

Kishimoto: Weekly Jump.

Kobayashi: Weekly Shōnen Jump, etc.?

Kishimoto: Well, I want to, but only if I have the stamina.

Kobayashi: There's also G, you know.

Kishimoto: First, the surgery. (Kobayashi laughs)

Kobayashi: Ah, yes. That's the best. You should definitely be able to find more time than before. First, please take it easy, really. I know there are many things that make it hard to relax. So, let's talk about the highlights of the movie at the end. Please make sure to mention them here.

Kishimoto: I thought it was something I'd never done before, and if I was going to do it anyway, I should try a theme that hadn't been done in the main story or the original work, or something like that, so I thought it would seem new and interesting, and so I embarked on the adventure of trying my hand at a romance.

Kobayashi: It was more like a straightforward romance than an adventure. I got to see it, and actually, there's a work here that was written after the serialization ended. It's a gorgeous two-page one-shot.

Kishimoto: It took a while, so please check out those two pages. Kobayashi: Everyone please watch the movie too.

Kishimoto: I want you to watch this. Looking at this, well, I don't know if I should say it, but there are parts that were lacking in the manga that might still be completed, so I wanted to do it with Hinata.

Kobayashi: Please take a look, everyone. So, is this Naruto 10, which means it's cloe to the new year? Haven't they? Is this coming out next year?

Kishimoto: Yes, I think this will be quite moving next year.

Kobayashi: Will we also be able to see the colored illustrations by sensei?

Kishimoto: Yes, you can see it there. I haven't shown you my old setting materials and such.

Kobayashi: You were hiding it a bit today, huh? Well, I guess that's over there, over there, right?

Kishimoto: No, no, no, that's not the case. I just had a few notes lying around.

Kobayashi: Earlier, during the notebook time, it didn't come out easily.

Kishimoto: No, no, no, it's not good at all.

For some reason, Kishimoto's demonstration and whatever comment he and Kobayashi were making were muted in the video linked, sorry about that.

#kishimoto interview #Naruto archive #Naruto translation #the most challenging project I've done so far #might correct some things later but rn idgaf anymore

25 notes · View notes

cabotslvr · 12 hours ago

Text

Against All Odds.

Summary: Reader is Kate Laswell's niece, Laswell had noticed the look you gave Price and she immediately made you promise not to do anything with him. Laswell knew you were a troublemaker, but she hoped you kept your promise. But everyone likes trouble.

Word count: around 6.1k or something

Warnings: uhh semi-public sex, smut, some swearing but not awful (even tho price has got a mouth on him), badly written british words, office sex and i think that's it? uh good luck if not. also on my ao3 which is the same as here, might be easier to read idk. i'm not good with tumblr 🙏 i wrote this at 3am and i did NOT proof read

It had been a while since you've seen your aunt Kate, you hardly ever went to her office. Why? Who knows, CIA buildings freak you out. You had clearance to visit, but still. They were all trained spies, everyone would be nervous, no?

But, since you finally had time to visit her, you figured you should before she found out you were in town and decided not to visit her. Aunt Kate knew everything, and she made sure you knew that too. Growing up, she was mostly the one to take care of you. Her and her wife, taking you under their wing even though you were a troublemaker.

"You're not my aunt." You said, leaning against the door of your aunt's office. A tall, broad man stood in front of Laswell's desk. He was tall, strong, and definitely hot. Even the bucket hat on his head looked oddly attractive.

You raised your eyebrow slightly, crossing your arms as you eyed the older man up and down. Price had a smirk playing on his lips, as if he was amused you chose to eye him like he was a piece of meat.

"I see you've met John," Laswell sighed, making her way past you and towards her desk. She was less amused with the way you were eyeing Price.

You smiled, making your way towards her. "Aunt Kate!" Your voice made the older woman smile and her eyes softened ever so slightly, though you knew her long enough to know the difference.

She wrapped her arms around you in a quick hug before she pulled back, sitting down in her chair. Her desk was filled with files and folders, it hardly had any room to see the glass table.

"What brings you by, dear? I assume you've finished school then?" She asked, handing files to Price. You assumed she asked to see him before you randomly popped up.

"Oh, indeed. And you thought I'd get kicked out before I would finish." You teased, your eyes glancing back at Price for a moment. He was too hot to keep your eyes off of him.

"Don't even think about it. He's 37, you're what? 26 now?" Laswell said, her voice firm and leaving no room for argument.

"Age is just a number, aunt Kate. Eleven years is nothing." You smirked, keeping your eyes on Price. Even he had a slight smirk on his lips, he was clearly amused by your antics. And also wanting to put you in your place for your bratty attitude.

"John, leave. We'll discuss this later about some upcoming missions. And the things you did on the last mission." Laswell pointed towards the door, clearly wanting Price to leave. Price simply nodded, turning and leaving. Once the door was closed, Laswell looked back at you.

"Promise me you won't do anything with John. He's been my friend for many years, I do not want anything to happen between you two." Her voice was firm, yet a sound of a plea could be heard.

You sighed, rolling your eyes slightly. "Promise. But you're no fun, aunt Kate."

You and Laswell caught up for a while, talking about school mostly. CIA and their secrets, she couldn't talk about her job. Though, you didn't mind because you loved ranting. But she was busy, so you decided to leave and let her.. do whatever she did in the CIA.

You decided to stay in England for a while, knowing your aunt was staying on the 141 base for a mission or whatever. She didn't give details. You stayed with her and her wife, a temporary place on base until they had to leave. Being on base meant running into Price constantly, whether you were leaving for a workout or getting a simple snack from the shops.

No matter what; you saw him. You've met his team too, Ghost was quiet and Soap was.. well, he was funny. Though, you could tell he probably had some anger issues lying underneath his funny demeanor. All funny people did.

"Funny seeing you here, eh?" Price asked, sitting down next to you. You had a cup of coffee in your hands, a book in the other. You raised your eyebrow slightly, a small smile playing on your lips.

You leaned forward slightly, closing your book before you spoke. "Either that, or you're following me. I must say.. I'm flattered, Captain."

"Oh, please. Can't a lad get some coffee? You have a mouth on you, love." His voice was rough, but not in a mean way. Just from all the cigars he smoke.

"My mouth bothers you?" You smirked, crossing your arms over your chest. "Maybe you should fill it. If you catch my drift."

Your comment had left Price speechless, he didn't expect that from someone like you, Laswell's niece. To say he was intrigued was an understatement. Price was always all work and no play, except for the 'play' he got in the field. Which was just defying orders and doing what he saw fit.

After a moment, Price chuckled and shook his head. The older man was clearly amused and honestly, a bit flustered. "Careful, darling. I might just take ya up on that offer. Might help with the cockiness you have."

Price leaned forward against the table, clasping his hands together. "If yer serious, love, I will gladly do it. What Kate doesn't know won't hurt her."

You raised your eyebrow, considering your options. If your aunt ever found out, she'd feel betrayed by both you and Price. Especially because you promised her. But he was so fine, how could you pass up this opportunity?

"You're right. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Those words were all Price needed, and suddenly you found yourself following him back to base. You knew you shouldn't be doing this, but you just couldn't help yourself. He led you to his quarters, which was different than most. He had his own bathroom, that was a plus.

You hardly registered the door shutting because Price had you pinned up against the wall, taking your hands in his and pinning them above your head. A sharp gasp escaped your mouth and you attempted to struggle against his grip, though it was no use. His free hand sneaked around your waist, pulling you into his body.

Next thing you knew, his lips were slamming onto yours. You could feel his beard tickling your skin, though you were slightly distracted by the kiss. You expected him to be rough, but his kiss was somewhat.. gentle. You felt like putty in his hands, and if he wasn't holding you up, you wouldn't be standing. His hand moved towards your ass, lifting you into the air.

Your legs immediately wrapped around his legs, while your arms wrapped around his neck. Price hummed in satisfaction, carrying you towards his bed and he plopped you down into the middle. He looked down at you, your hair sprawled out onto his blankets while your chest rose and fell.

"Strip." He commanded, his tone firm and serious. You almost chuckled, wondering if he was truly serious. But it appeared he was. With a sigh, you sat up and started to unbutton your blouse. It only took you a short time to get your clothes off, considering Price was being impatient.

He hummed in approval, his eyes wandering your body. He couldn't wait to get his hands on you, touch every inch of skin he could. Price unbuckled his belt, tossing it onto the floor. Then, he unzipped his pants until he was able to get it pants off, along with his boxers. He was left in just his gray shirt. Your eyes widened slightly at his size, not only was he large, but he was thick too. Your mouth watered at the sight.

"Now.. why don't you put that pretty mouth to good use?" He moved closer towards the edge of the bed, though he just stood there. You were confused slightly, but you obliged, moving towards him.

"Ah, ah," he tsked. Confused, you went to speak but he cut you off before any words could get out. "I want you to lie on your back and hang your head off the bed."

His request seemed easy enough, though it sounded like it was going to hurt. Being upside down, trying to fit his thick cock into your mouth. Regardless, you nodded and went onto your back. Once you got close enough, Price tapped the tip of his dick on your lips, wanting you to open.

You opened your mouth, running your tongue along the tip of his dick, a deep groan escaping Price's lips. You moved your tongue lower, coating every inch with your spit before he got impatient, shoving his cock into your mouth. You could barely fit half of it inside your mouth, it felt like he was splitting your mouth into two.

"Fuck, you feel bloody brilliant. Look so beautiful like this." Price praised you, his hand caressing your forehead. His words made you want to do your best for him.

You started bobbing your head, the best you could in your position anyway. Grunts and groans left Price's mouth, his hips thrusting to meet your pace. You gagged, feeling the tears prickle your eyes as you felt his cock go deeper into your throat. You hallowed your cheeks, making Price groan in pleasure. You reached your hands up, playing with his balls as he shoved his dick down your throat. You could tell he was close, the way his balls tightened and his pace got sloppy. Without warning, you felt hot cum shooting down your throat, to which you swallowed as much of it as you could.

He pulled back once he emptied his load down your throat, so you sat up, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. "You did good, darling. That mouth definitely was filled, eh?" Price smirked, climbing onto the bed next to you.

You took the opportunity to sit on his lap, your dripping cunt rubbing against his thigh. His hands found your hips, gently kneading your skin. "I have another hole you can fill."

"Naughty girl." Price taunted, though he loved the way you spoke. So filthy and dirty, making him turned on more than he already was. Feeling your dripping cunt against his thigh made him groan, lifting your hips up slightly so he could run his fingers through your folds. He brought them to his mouth, his tongue licking his fingers clean.

"Taste bloody delicious. Could eat you all day. But for now, I need to be inside your perfect cunt." Price growled, taking his dick into his hands. You smirked, feeling him line himself up with your entrance. He lifted his hips, forcing the tip of his cock into your entrance.

He was bigger than you've ever had before, making your pussy feel like it was tearing as he pushed the last few inches in. You whimpered, causing Price to chuckle. Something about your whine had made him want to take control of you, like you were his. No one else's.

He suddenly flipped you two so you were on your back, his hands lifted your legs around his waist. He started slowly thrusting his cock into your tight heat, low moans leaving your mouth as you felt every vein of his cock. God, he felt amazing inside of you. You rocked your hips back and forth, matching his pace as he slowly sped up. He couldn't hold back, not with the pretty noises you made.

Your cunt was dripping down his cock, every time he went deeper, your juices followed. You gripped the sheets, trying to keep your moans quiet so the whole damn base didn't hear you. But it was difficult with the way he pounded into you, like a man touch deprived. He gripped your hips, pulling you down onto his cock, the tip hitting that spongy spot inside of you. He moved one hand to your clit, his fingers rubbing circles on the sensitive bundle of nerves.

"Ohhh, fuck! I'm close, John! Don't stop!" You choked out, your head falling backwards against the pillows. Price didn't slow down, nor give you any words. He simply sped up, his balls hitting your ass with every thrust. You were seeing stars, considering your eyes rolled to the back of your head.

"Come for me, baby. Come on my cock." Price panted, his voice full of lust and desire. His words were all you needed to be pushed over the edge, your legs shaking slightly while your back arched off the bed. Your pussy fluttered around his cock, forcing a loud groan from his lips. A few seconds after you came, Price hit a deep spot inside of your pussy, his hot cum filling your tight heat. He slowed his movements, pushing his cum deeper inside of you untill there was nothing left and his cock softened.

He pulled out of you once you came down from your high, a small smile on your lips. "You're amazing at that." You chuckled, your eyes half lidded as you looked at him. Price simply smirked, pushing two fingers into your cunt, making sure his cum didn't leak out of you. You didn't know why, but the scene made you more wet.

Eventually, Price got off the bed and grabbed a wet rag to clean you both up before you got into the shower together. You knew from that day on, there was no one else you'd want to fuck you. He felt too damn good, no one could possibly make you come like that.

And from that day on, no one else but Price fucked you. Any chance he got, he was pulling you to his office or his quarters to fuck the living shit out of you. You simply didn't mind, it was just sex, right? That's what you two told each other from the start, just sex.

You've been trying to spend as much time with your aunt as possible, to make sure she wasn't getting suspicious. But you could tell she was, the way she looked at you when you came home late or not at all until the next morning. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. But she was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. For now, at least.

"You wouldn't lie to me, right?" Laswell asked, sitting next to you at a table. You raised your eyebrow, setting down a piece of toast.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Just making sure," Laswell clicked her tongue, like she didn't believe you. "You should know better than to lie to me. I've always found out, haven't I?"

Her words lowkey scared you a bit, she couldn't possibly know about you and Price. You were discreet, even keeping the marks in places no one but Price could see. You played it off with a cheeky smile, taking a bite of your toast. "I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid, aunt Kate."

"Good." She said simply, standing up from the table and leaving you alone. You exhaled a breath you didn't realize you were holding, shaking your head in disbelief.

You tried being more careful after that conversation, not wanting to be caught by your aunt Kate. That'd be one awkward conversation, for both you and Price. Though, the risk of getting caught was such a thrill. Knowing you were doing something you shouldn't be doing.. you always did enjoy causing trouble.

While you have been more discreet and careful, you started spending more time with Price. Mostly just sitting in his office while he worked on paperwork, you'd sit on his cock until he was done and then he'd fuck you senseless. And sometimes you'd just sit and talk, though you did the talking most of the time. Price always listened, even when he was busy.

You've learned things about Price, what he does and doesn't like during sex. Things he likes to be called, what he doesn't like. Kinks, etc. things you haven't tried, he'd talk you through it. God, it was so hot when he'd talk you through it.

"Are you almost done yet?" You whined, shifting on his cock. You weren't sure how long you've been warming his cock, but it felt like eternity. You desperately needed him to move, your poor pussy was clenching and unclenching around him. You could feel your juices dripping down your thighs and onto his pants.

Price sighed, setting his pen down on his files. "Quit yer whining, you ungrateful thing." He pulled you off of his cock, causing you to whine again. He pushed your shoulders, making you get onto your knees. He kicked you back slightly, so you were underneath his desk.

"Quit complaining and fill that mouth with my cock. If you do good, I'll think about ruining yer pretty pussy." Price grabbed a fistful of your hair, tugging you towards his dick. You nodded eagerly, wanting to do something rather than bloody nothing.

You swirled your tongue around his tip, then down his shaft and back up to the top. You did it a few times before Price got impatient, tugging on your hair. "Quit teasing. Don't make me punish you and deny your orgasms."

Your eyes widened slightly, not wanting to be punished when you were already horny and needy for his cock to be inside of you. You took his cock in your mouth, flattening your tongue to take him deeper in your throat. Price groaned in approval, using his free hand to go back to signing paperwork.

You bobbed your head up and down, your spit falling down the corner of your mouth. You used one of your hands to hold onto his thigh, while the other wrapped around his cock. Working together, both your mouth and your hand made Price grunt in pleasure. He wasn't one to moan much, but you knew he enjoyed the way you sucked him off.

A knock on the door made you freeze, but Price shoved your head down, forcing you to continue. The thought of someone knowing sent a shiver down your spine, your thighs clenching together to feel some type of friction. You couldn't touch yourself, Price never allowed that.

"Come in." Price said lowly, not wanting to give away what was happening underneath his desk. He glanced down at you, making sure you were okay with this.

"John, we need to talk about your behavior on the last missi-" Laswell cut herself off, raising her eyebrow slightly. "Are you alright?"

Price snapped his head up at Laswell, not expecting her to be the one knocking on his office door. You almost choked on Price's cock when you heard your aunt's voice, trying to pull off of him. Price didn't let that slide, he kept your head in place and roughly pulled your hair to make you keep bobbing your head.

"I'm fine, Kate. Coming down with something. What did you want to talk about?" His voice was strained, but damn he was such a good liar.

Laswell sighed, sitting down across from Price's desk. Luckily, she couldn't see you, underneath and sucking his cock like it was your last meal on earth. "Your behavior. You need to follow orders for once in your life."

Laswell went on, basically reprimanding Price for never listening to orders and doing what he wanted instead. Though, Price was hardly listening. He was fighting for his life, trying not to cum while Laswell was in his office. He felt his balls tightening, especially with how you played with them and took his cock as deep as you could into your throat.

"Fine. I'll listen. I have work to do, are we done?" Price asked, his voice sounding rushed. He was desperate to get her out. Laswell nodded, wrapping the conversation up before she left. The moment Laswell closed the door, Price let out a loud groan and spilled his hot seed into your throat. He couldn't hold it back any longer. You swallowed as much as you could before he pulled you off his cock and up from the floor.

"Lay on my desk." He pushed his paperwork aside, most of it falling onto the floor yet he had no care in the world. You obliged, hopping up onto his desk and laying back. You couldn't deny you were excited, your pussy was practically dripping. Watching Price try not to cum from you sucking him off had you needy more than ever.

Price wasted no time, leaning over and swiping his tongue through your folds. Your hips buckled, needing more friction than he was giving you. He pulled back, sucking a dark mark onto your thigh. Mostly so no other man could get between your pretty little legs, sucking your pussy that belonged to him.

"John, please." You whined, grinding your hips against his nose to feel something. Price growled, not wanting to keep his precious baby waiting any longer. His tongue swirled around your clit before he sucked on it, his teeth grazing the sensitive bundle of nerves. You gasped, your hands falling to his short brown hair.

You hummed, your eyes fluttered shut from pleasure. "Just like that, John.. keep going."

Price sucked on your clit, rubbing his tongue in tight circles before dipping into your entrance. His nose rubbed your clit while he fucked your pussy with his tongue. You couldn't help the moans that left your mouth, he was like a man starved as he ate you out. His tongue returned back to your clit, his thick finger pushing it's way into your entrance. It easily went in, your pussy was dripping with your juices.

"Fuck, so wet for me. Naughty little thing." Price muttered against your pussy, sending vibrations through your core. You moaned, your hips grinding against his finger. He added another, thrusting them in and out of your dripping cunt. His name fell from your mouth, singing it like a damn lullaby. Price added a third finger, curling them to hit your g-spot.

"Oh, God! I'm going to come!" You warned, to which Price only sped up his movements. His fingers worked faster and deeper, while his tongue sucked and nipped at your clit. You gripped the edge of the desk, his name coming off your tongue in a chant as you came undone, your walls clenching and unclenching around his fingers. He let you ride out your high before he removed his fingers, standing up from his chair.

"Open your mouth." He demanded, pressing his fingers to your lips. You hardly had time to register his words, but you opened your mouth. He pushed his fingers passed your lips, your tongue swirling around his fingers. While you were busy tasting yourself, Price used his free hand to line his cock up with your entrance.

You gasped against his fingers as you felt his cock fill you up, though it quickly turned into a moan. As Price got his pace, he removed his fingers and replaced them with his lips. You kissed him back, though it seemed more passionate than usual. It was soft, almost gentle. It always was, but something just felt different this time.

Your thoughts were broken as Price moved his lips to your neck, sucking on your pulse point. His free hand slipped underneath your shirt, twisting your nipple between his fingers. You yelped, only making Price chuckle against your neck. The pleasure from his cock, his lips against your neck, and the feeling of him playing with your nipples was almost enough to send you over the edge. Again. But Price slowed down, wanting to keep you on edge. He kept going fast then slow again, making you whine over and over again. You couldn't take it, it was like torture.

"No, please. Please don't slow down! John, please." You whined, grinding your hips against him. Price smirked, placing soft kisses along your collarbone. He couldn't help himself, he just loved hearing those whines from you. But, he also wanted to cum inside of your tight heat like always, so he finally gave in.

He lifted his head up, gripping your hips and pulling you deeper onto his cock. You wrapped your legs around his waist, holding him in place so he couldn't move from his spot. You covered your mouth with your hand as he pounded his cock inside of you at a fast pace, hitting every right place inside of you. Your back arched off the desk as you felt your legs shaking slightly, feeling your release wash over you. Price groaned in pleasure as he felt your walls fluttering around him, milking him of everything he was worth.

You felt his cock softening inside of you after his cum was deep inside of you, then he slowly pulled out. He grabbed a few tissues, cleaning up your thighs and carefully pressing your sensitive clit. Price always admired the way you looked after he fucked you, your cheeks flushed and your pussy swollen, dripping with his cum. God, he could stare at you forever and never get tired of it.

The mission had been months now, it was taking longer than usual and Laswell was never the patient one. She'd rather be at home with her wife rather than being on a base with smelly men. You, however, enjoyed the time being on base. Every time Laswell left, you were with Price all day until he had to leave. You couldn't even count the amount of times you two have fucked by now, but you did know one thing for sure; you were falling in love with him. You didn't know how it happened, you found yourself wanting to be with him 24/7, never leaving his side. You hated it, yet also loved it.

You thought about distancing yourself so that you wouldn't get hurt in the future, it's not like you could hide it from Laswell forever. You were already getting sloppy, she noticed the hickeys on your collarbone that you tried covering up. Or the way you held your breath when she talked about Price. She hoped you kept your promise, but then again, she knew you like the back of her hand. You were trouble, and even though she loved you, that was just the truth. But in the end, you couldn't distance yourself from Price. You were already too attached.

Price had invited you over again, knowing Laswell was in a meeting with the General and some other higher ups about their mission. You didn't immediately have sex, you haven't for the past few weeks you often watched a movie or ate dinner together in his quarters. Part of you believed he had feelings too, what man invites a woman over for a movie when they were supposed to be just fuck buddies?

Price picked up the plates, putting them into the sink while you got comfortable on the couch. You laid down, bringing your legs up onto the couch. When Price came back, he simply smiled and lifted your legs to sit down, then you placed your legs on his lap. He rubbed your feet, paying attention back to the movie. It was a comfortable silence between the two of you, something you've gotten used to with him. But, all good things come to an end, don't they?

You sat up from the couch, taking a seat on Price's lap. He chuckled softly, reaching for your hips and pulling you closer to his body. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing your lips against his. You loved kissing him, his soft lips against yours.. he tugged on your bottom lip before slipping his tongue into your mouth. Oh, how much you enjoyed that. You couldn't get enough of him, and Price couldn't get enough of you.

While you made out with him, you ground your hips against his thigh, feeling slight friction between your clothes. It was faint, but it was enough to keep you going. You eventually pulled back as he unbuttoned your blouse, then you attached your lips to his neck, sucking on his pulse point. He grunted, lifting his hips slightly. But just as he pushed your blouse off your shoulders, there was a knock on his door.

Price sighed in annoyance, pressing a kiss to your forehead before he lifted you off his lap and got up from the couch. When he answered the door, he quickly closed it to only where the person on the other side of the door could see a glimpse of his quarters. You took the advantage to use the bathroom while Price was busy. When Price noticed you were gone, he looked back at the person.

"What can I do for ya, Kate?"

Laswell wasn't a fool, she noticed the hickey the moment he opened the door. And she was going to find out one way or another. She pushed past the door, forcing an eye-roll from Price. "I told you I needed those reports an hour ago. Where are they?"

Price closed the door behind her, leaning against it as he crossed his arms. "Never a dull moment with ya, huh?" He shook his head, letting out a sigh. "I left them in my office, I forgot about them. But they're done."

Laswell looked around the room, just in time for the bathroom door to open. You, standing in the doorway, made Laswell furious. She knew it, she just needed proof before she accused you of anything. Her gaze hardened, her arms crossing over her chest. Your eyes widened, looking between your aunt and Price.

"Aunt Kate.. it's not what it looks like!" You stammered over your words, not wanting her to hate you for what you did. She raised you, and here you were, betraying her.

"Save it. I'm not an idiot. You lied to me, I don't like when you lie to me. You promised me, does that mean nothing to you?" Her voice was cold, almost detached. This was the first time you heard her this angry, but not for Price. Price knew she was holding back, and he gave you a sympathetic look.

"It-it does! I.. it just sort of happened! It's not an excuse, I know! But-" You couldn't help how pathetic you sounded, you just needed your aunt to believe you. But she didn't.

Laswell cut you off with her hand, immediately shutting you up. "Bullshit. You made a promise and you broke it." She didn't say anything else, she simply turned and left, leaving you alone with Price. You expected him to kick you out, not wanting to deal with Laswell's wrath. Especially because they were best friends. Instead, he pulled you into a hug and kissed your forehead while whispering reassuring words in your ear.

Weeks had passed and Laswell still wasn't speaking to you. She didn't make you leave, she didn't tell her wife what happened. She just simply.. ignored you. It hurt your feelings, but you knew you brought this onto yourself. And that's when you noticed Price was asking you to come over less, he hardly spoke to you either. Now you just felt alone, you didn't know what to do. You told yourself it would be fine, Laswell would come around. But when Price stopped talking to you? It wasn't easy anymore.

You didn't understand what you did, you thought he'd stay when your aunt found out. He told you he would, but he broke his promise. Just like you broke yours to your aunt. You've been trying to keep yourself together and not cry, but it was difficult. It wasn't about losing sex, that didn't matter to you. It was about losing two people who you loved. You couldn't take it anymore, breaking down into tears as you headed to the office your aunt used on base. It was quiet, the lights were off and she wasn't answering your calls or texts. You sat down, crying in your hands.

And soon enough, you heard footsteps in front of you. But it wasn't your aunt, no. It was Price. He kneeled in front of you, letting out a quiet sigh. He hadn't even thought about how this was affecting you. He lifted your head by your chin, wiping your tears with his thumbs. You didn't know what to say to him, he had ignored you like your aunt.

"I'm sorry," he started, not knowing what to say. He wasn't good with feelings, he wasn't a good man. How could he be with someone like you? A sweet person who has done no harm to the world. Regardless, he tried his best. "You deserve a man who's not gone all the time, who doesn't risk his life for his country. A man who will make it back, not one who might not make it home." He spoke softer than usual, it was so different.

You sniffled, trying to keep yourself together and not cry more. But you wanted to cry again, especially now that he's basically ending it. It always starts with 'you deserve better', rather than asking what you want. "That's not your choice to make! I want to be with you, why won't you let me? I thought you cared about me, that we had something together." Your words came out rushed, speaking between sniffles.

Price tilted his head, a small frown on his face. Of course he cared about you, he loved you. But how could he give you something he knew he couldn't? The look in your eyes, your sad face was driving him crazy. He wanted to make you happy, not sad. He knew he'd give in, he always does. "We did have something together. We still do, if you'll let me."

Your eyes lit up at his words and you got onto your knees to be level with him. You nodded eagerly, wrapping your arms around his neck. Price was caught of guard, a soft chuckle leaving his lips as he pulled you into a hug. How could he not make his girl happy? He would do his best for you, to prove he loved you. Because that's what you deserved.

You heard your name, making you freeze. You quickly pulled back from Price, scrambling to your feet and you wiped your remaining tears away. "Aunt Kate." You hoped you didn't sound too desperate to talk to her, but you couldn't help it. You missed your aunt, you would apologize over and over again if that's what she wanted.

Laswell's eyes softened slightly as she saw the state you were in, knowing it was her fault. She loved you, of course, but you frustrated her. And you needed to learn a lesson about lying, but you wouldn't get it unless she proved her point. By ignoring you until you got like.. well, this. Maybe it wasn't the best way to handle it, but she was CIA. Hardcore was her thing.

Laswell looked between you and Price, who was now standing up from the floor. She wanted to see how this went, if you'd still lie to her face or at least be honest. Sure, she still would've been mad but less upset if you didn't lie. "What's going on between you and John? You need to be honest with me."

You nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat. You knew how your aunt was, but you hoped she'd come around eventually. She raised you until you went off to school, she was there more than your own parents. "Me and John.. we-we're um.. dating? I think?" You furrowed your eyebrows slightly, looking at Price. Not even you were sure what was going on between you two.

Laswell followed your gaze, also looking at Price. He simply nodded at your question, looking back at Laswell. She let out a sigh, grabbing the keys to open her office. You and Price, confused, followed her into her office. You shut the door behind you, Laswell had already gotten behind her desk. She didn't sit, just rested her palms on the top of her desk.

"I can't stop you two from being together. I don't like it, but I can't stop you." She spoke through gritted teeth, like she was trying to hold back her anger. You weren't surprised by this, you knew she didn't approve of it. You nodded slowly, keeping your emotions in check.

"However, there will be rules," Laswell looked up at you and Price, looking between the two. You furrowed your eyebrows at her words, and Price did too. Though, his was more in amusement than confusion. "There will be no PDA. Not even when I'm not on this base. If it gets back to me, I will not be happy. You will continue to stay with me until I leave, no complaints. And no more hickeys. That's for teenagers."

You both listened to her words, a smile eventually coming to your lips. If she was making you stay with her until she left, that meant she wasn't going to ignore you anymore. Once she finished talking, you nodded at her words and quickly made your way to her to hug her. "I'm sorry I lied, aunt Kate. I didnt want you to hate me. Do you forgive me?"

Laswell let out a quiet sigh, wrapping her arms around you. She couldn't stay mad at you forever, even though you lied straight to her face and broke a promise to her. She didn't take that lightly. "I will eventually. For now, I need time to get over it." She pressed a kiss to her temple before pulling back, gently squeezing your arms. You would give her the time she needed because in the end, you knew she'd come around. She always did, she loved you too much not to. She soon told you she had work to do, or probably an excuse to get some time alone.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind you, you and Price stepped out of the office, fingers intertwined, the warmth of his hand wrapping around yours like a promise. A thousand thoughts raced through your mind, each more tangled than the last. Price, with his unwavering discipline as a military captain, carried the weight of his responsibilities, while you grappled with the delicate situation of his connection to your aunt—a friendship that added layers of complexity to your budding relationship. Yet, in that moment, the world around you faded away. The mutual love binding you two felt palpable, a fierce determination radiating from both of you. It was clear: no challenge was too great, no obstacle too daunting, as you were ready to fight for one another, proving your love in ways none could deny.

#john price #captain john price #john price x reader #john price x you #call of duty #cod mw2 #idk how to tag this #what the fuck #smut #straight smut #forbidden love #idk man #i was bored

36 notes · View notes

almostthursdayy · 12 hours ago

Note

Do you have any facts about L in Death Day? Or maybe stuff that's backstory-related?

I just wanna know more about your interpretation of him because you never miss + I love his DD design so very much :']

got really excited about this ask and ended up making a whole family tree + collage of memories from L’s childhood. . . whoops! ( i already know tumblr gonna chew and EAT these images so click for better quality lolol )

sphiel ( + alt arts ) about family tree 🌳 below the read more!

🌳 LAWLIET FAMILY TREE

first off, everyone’s wreath is based off their ethnicity. if someone has more than one ethnicity ( literally like 75% on the diagram ) their wreath is like some kind of mutant almagamation hybrid lovechild tree of the different kinds of trees.

>> also if they are dead, so is their wreath! and they’re also desaturated / greyed out. . . if they’re dead and crying, it means they were murdered.

>> and also each limb and each little leaf bush signifies something.

>> also i made a 4 minute long tiktok video speed explaining this you can click to see here lol

i’ll go L outwards for this, i hope you enjoy!!

🍰 LOVE ‘ L ‘ LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar ), ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

KOFI, biological mother: strong connection besides death. smarts came from her, she’s an intellectual lady who everyone always told him he looked just like her when she was alive.

VINCENT, biological father: also strong connection besides death. got his conviction and radicalism from him ( also he’s completely based on canon L’s looks ). L always thought he looked more like him than his mom.

WATARI, adoptive father: very strong connection, relies on this man for literally everything. very unorthodox father-son relationship, but L would call watari his father.

M, wife: oouughhhh he’s in love with her strange ways and peculiar looks. L’s type is interesting people, unpredictable folks who can pull the rug out from under him. . . M’s just that.

NEAR, biological daughter: his little princess, isn’t she beautiful? if near has a bad day, L’s having a bad day. currently he’s having the biggest ego trip right now because near wants to be just like him. and his selfish immature side kind of loves that he created his number 1 fan.

MELLO, adoptive son: that’s his boy, his interesting little guy that he totally doesn’t study the reaction of in every interaction they have. ( frankly most interactions L has he subconsciously treats as tests on the other ) but this kid interests him, so he’s very welcome to stick around and be his son, his little prince.

ROGER, father-in-law-figure: ‘ everytime we interact, i deduce you are a little less qualified for the job watari has given you. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ watari & L’s connection line is bountiful on his side to show the benefits of he and watari’s relationship. there is a small branch at the base of the limb to resemble somebody else L had a somewhat similar relationship with once upon a time. but shes not pictured.

➡️➡️ his wreath is covered in flowers, cocoa pods, and leaves to symbolize that he should have a very long life ahead of him.

➡️➡️ the small branch shooting off L & M’s love line is to represent his effort to connect to mello.

💫 KOFI PÍÈSÍE ‘ PAPRIKA ‘ PEPRAH-LAWLIET

ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

VINCENT, husband: she loved this man to bits! oh just the absolute most! it was a storybook romance truly, too good for this earth- - no one got her quite like her do <3

L, biological son: her pretty little boy, she was gonna make sure he was safe and protected in this big scary world no matter what! couldn’t wait to see what her little smartie grew up to be.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves and her cocoa pods are rotty because she is very very dead. . . all of her branches represent family members she had, her connection to them is severed in some form or way.

🎨 VINCENT ‘ DO ‘ LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

KOFI, wife: his first muse, his eternal flame, good christ he loved her to to the point of dedicating everything to her. all his paintings revolved around her in some form of way. often by including the stars she was so fond of.

L, biological son: if vincent was the moon, kofi was the sun, L was all the little tinsy stars. his one in a billion little guy. like kofi, vincent was also steadfast in L being able to protect himself from the big scary world. he was so proud of the little man he was becoming.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves because he is very very dead. . . and not really any branches due to a complete lack of family besides wife & son.

➡️➡️ one spikey for each person he’s gravely pissed off. . . three spikes lead to kofi for those hateful individuals who also despise her just by marrying him. and two spikes lead to L for two absolutely hateful sons of bitches who loathe L aswell.

🗝️ QUILLISH ‘ WATARI ‘ WAMMY

european ( english oak )

L, adoptive son: ah yes, his little prodigy that really should get out of the house more. . . fortunately, there’s a solution to that. . . just making him go! which L doesn’t seem to whine and complain about like he did once he upon a time, years ago. seems his boy has finally grown into a man that understands, whether he likes it or not, engaging in more civilian experiences is a necessity for he and his family’s health.

➡️➡️ watari doesn’t see the care he still puts into L now as continuing his fatherly care. it’s strictly as his butler / righthand. . . watari does not take payment for this work though as he ‘ has all he could ever want already ‘.

ROGER, life-long friend / father-in-law-figure: watari believes wholeheartedly roger can run the orphanage they built from the ground together. it’s too much faith and belief, really. so much that it blinds him to seeing how much roger is NOT qualified for this.

M, daughter-in-law: changed so much since the day she walked into wammy’s. . . he’s watched her grow from a much farther distance than L. he’s happy with the progress she’s made in her health from the sickly little girl who needed the orphanages help. happy to be her butler and listening ear when need be.

NEAR & MELLO, adoptive grandchildren: oh these children are much easier to please than L was at his age. . . but maybe that’s just the years of experience of handling L speaking. want a toy? got it. new puzzle? right on the way. need to be driven to soccer practice? hop in the car.

➡️➡️ since near isn’t the ultimate sweet tooth like L, and mello only really likes chocolate worth sweets, watari very much so enjoys making them treats that leave the comfort zone of L’s sugar craving.

KOFI & VINCENT, adoptive son’s biological parents: he bets they were wonderful people.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ no leaves on his wreath to signify he is old as a fart. but his longest branches have leaves to indicate that those connections are strong and he does enjoy them!

➡️➡️ each branch signifies a person not shown in watari’s life. specifically the one connected to his wreath is for family no longer here. the ones all along his line ‘ connected ‘ to roger is representative of other colleagues and friends. and the branches on his connection line to L resemble other children watari had a bond with as a caregiver. though none of them were strong, or made it as far, as his relationship with his son, L.

🥀 MASATOSHI ‘ M ‘ MIYAKE

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

AKUMI, biological mother: M only knows her through journal entries akumi started to write at the beginning of her pregnancy, like a baby scrapbook! M treats that thing like her bible. . . akumi was very excited to be a mother. . . such a shame she died right at the start of what should’ve been their jounrey together, huh?

KINSHU, biological father: M also never got to meet him. he died before she was born trying to protect akumi & her. his death is what caused the stress that killed akumi. so it’s all just truly unfortunate.

ROGER, father-figure: spent the most time with her during her years at wammy’s out of any other caregiver. since she was ‘ the easiest kids to deal with ‘ ( something she wore with honor back then, now doesn’t like to be reminded about ). M had once hoped one day roger would adopt her like watari did with L, now she’s glad he didn’t. as he continues to fumble his interactions with her ‘ not so easy to handle ‘ children. . .

L, husband: the weird little freak that lives in the walls of her manor. he intrigues her with his obtuse behavior and strange existence. . . but no seriously she’s head over heels for this scratchy beast. loves how much he spoils her rotten

NEAR, biological daughter: her precious girl, named near because she’s so near and dear to her heart, her little smartie pants whose just so goddamn smart. works herself happily to the bone to ensure near’s receiving the best care all around.

MELLO, adoptive son: her precious boy, her marshmallow, her little angel who always has a reasoning for his every obtuse action in her eyes. same with mello, M’s working round the clock to give him the best life a kid like him can have.

GEVANNI, little-brother-figure: sees him once a year at christmas but it’s like no time has passed every single year. first kid she connected with after becoming a caregiver at wammy’s at 18. but really was more like his stern older sister than somebody responsible for his wellbeing ( he was already a late teen when they met. . . wammy’s really wasn’t given the time to undo all the shit he went through beforehand )

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ the way i depicted the japanese cedar doesn’t really have branches or ‘ leaves ‘ like the others- - but each little flowery looking thing represents somebody from her past or another relationship she has that isn’t depicted. . .

➡️➡️ her and roger’s connection isn’t nearly as strong as L’s and watari’s, and the three flowers on her end / three leaves on his represents a ‘ three chances ‘ mentality with his behavior.

➡️➡️ her and gevanni’s connection line is weak and nontouching due to the sheer distance between them. as gevanni kicked bricks and moved to the U.S.A. basically the second after he turned 18. still, it’s there, they still care about eachother.

⌛️ AKUMI HATO

japanese ( japanese cedar )

KINSHU, lover: she had a thing for ghostly men who say cryptic shit. and that’s exactly the type of man kinshu was. her love for him ran hot. really, the world wasn’t ready for this kind of lover. and really, her entire world shattered into a million little pieces when he died. . .

M, biological daughter: oh her precious girl, she knows M was going to go on to do great things. and do very very well for herself. after all, she is her daughter, it’s practically fated she’ll take the world by storm.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ every dead flower was a family member akumi had that didn’t take M in after she died. fortunately, as akumi doesn’t like her other family anyhow!

🕊️ KINSHU MIYAKE

japanese ( japanese cedar )

AKUMI, lover: he would do anything for her, he’s kiss the dirty ground she walks on. he’d rob every bank, he’d capture two of every animal, a true yearner.

M, biological daughter: the little ruler of his life in the making. he couldn’t wait to meet her, no doubt he was never more excited for something in his life. . . shame he never got to meet her, but he wouldn’t take back what he sacrificed to keep her safe.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ like akumi, each dead flower is a relative that didn’t take M in. which he would also be glad about, as he hated his family also. . . too loud- - too stupid- - too barbaric.

🫚 ROGER RUVIE

european ( english oak )

WATARI, life-long friend / father-in-law-figure: what would life be without his best bud in it? literally have been friends since roger can remember. and has basically just followed watari’s close footsteps wherever he went. ‘ you want to open an orphanage in the rubble of ww2? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want me to work there and generally help / care for the children? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want to change the mission of the orphanage to give care to the most misfortunate kids in the world? okay! ‘ , ‘ you want to retire and leave this place full of deeply troubled children in my care because you trust me and believe i enjoy this line of work? okay! ‘. roger knows damn well he doesn’t like kids. . . but watari doesn’t gotta know that.

M, daughter-figure: she was so easy to handle when she was younger. why is she so difficult now??? why are her children. . . the way that they are. . .? roger can’t believe the girl he once knew happily spends her days wrangling these two little goblins. . . and why are they not biting her but keep trying to bite me??

L, son-in-law-figure: ‘ oh L, watari’s pride and joy. you’re probably why your children are so weird. ‘

NEAR & MELLO, grandchildren-figure: ‘ why won’t you hug me but will hug watari? ‘

GEVANNI, family-friend-figure: ‘ hey you! i remember you! you were a real piece of work back then! haha! ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ roger still has a lot of leaves on his wreath to signify he has a lot more life to live.

➡️➡️ same rules as watari’s, the little branches of his connecting line resemble children roger has had a similar relationship than what he has with M. but none of them have gone on as well / long as with M. >> the branches off his connection line to watari represents friends in similar vein. and both connectinng lines have leaves to symbolize the strength in them.

🌥️ ‘ NEAR ‘ RIVER MIYAKE-LAWLIET

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar ), ghanian ( cocoa tree ) , thai ( golden shower tree )

M, biological mother: oh, so this is where she got her brashness and attitude. near is glad this trait passed down, a lot less people try to tread on her when she’s got generational venom.

➡️➡️ near, whether she aware of it or not, puts a solid effort into what M says and asks of her. when often the words of others are sent into the shredder of near’s mind. this is because she loves this woman, that’s her momma, one of her only friends.

L, biological father: oh this is her idol right now! her own father has checked off every box on deserving near’s respect and admiration with flying colors! she wants to be just like him! she wants to do what he does and how he does it! she wants to be the next L!

MELLO, adoptive brother: she thinks he’s interesting, and looks up to him in her own unique way. he doesn’t know that though, and she ain’t gonna tell him.

➡️➡️ near enjoys shadowing mello’s activities, not very much so participating, but spectating. the cause and effect of what he does fascinates her.

WATARI, adoptive grandfather: ‘ yay the toy guy, thank you for the toy. yeah your gifts put me at ease enough that we can hug for a solid three seconds. ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, you say nothing of value. don’t whine about it either, it’s your fault you are the way you are. ‘

GEVANNI, family-friend-figure: she thinks he’s very much so cool as fuck. he’s literally the alternative older cousin with the kickass car and laid back attitude. who, just like her, has interests outside of what would be deemed normal for who he is. . . basically, he’s everything she wishes she could be. but won’t be, because her brain just isn’t built to compute like his.

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ not much to go off of because she’s just a teensy thing. . . but under the flags is the very first flower, pointed at gevanni. meant to symbolize the importance of their relationship to her that will last years to come.

🍫 MIHAEL ‘ MELLO ‘ LAWLIET

croatian ( slovanian oak ) , european ( english oak )

M, adoptive mother: his confidant, his protector. didn’t give up on him when everyone else did. he’s too little and damaged to really express that he’s grateful for her, but one day he will. for now, his continuous reliance on her will just have to be proof enough that he trusts her.

L, adoptive father: oh this guy is cool. . . THIS GUY IS FAMOUS!! mello wants to be the next L right now, but as a better and brighter successor, he wants to be the BEST! and he’ll do whatever it takes to win L’s affection and ensure this future is his!

NEAR, adoptive sister: ‘ augh! don’t you see i’m trying to become my own person? damnit! stop following me around!!! “ “ . . . oh no wait, don’t go, watch this totally epic prank i’m about to pull you’ve love it! “

LILLIE, biological aunt: heaven has to be real because his aunt really deserves it. he misses her the absolute most. . .

WATARI, adoptive grandfather: ‘ yay the guy that gives me chocolate even after i’ve been cut off for the day. sure i’ll let you hug me because of these positive experiences we’ve had. don’t expect a hug back though, i’m not a pansy. ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: �� M & L said i can bite you if you try to force me into a hug again. but i’m just gonna do it right now anyways because i don’t like the look on your face. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ his wreath is growing little acorns to signify his growth since entering the family. that’s why there are so many around the knot that connects him to near, M & L.

➡️➡️ the connecting line to him and his aunt is force cut, but still there, and still strong. he already has two branches trying to grow towards her.

➡️➡️ the little branches jabbing into near’s wreath symbolizes how they don’t always get along that well. and they’re growing from mello’s side despite their spats being a two person effort because near’s very good at manipulating situations into looking like she’s just an unfortunate passerby. especially with mello who is still dealing with lots and lots of big emotions. . .

➡️➡️ two of the little acorns growing represents matt but i ain’t gonna tell you which:3c

📿 LILLIE KEEHL

croatian ( slovanian oak )

MELLO, biological nephew: oh her little buddy, it should’ve just been him and her from the very start. lillie’s every rotty little fiber is tensed not knowing if he’s safe from her horrid sister and wretched brother-in-law. . .

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ what you should expect at this point. no leaves because she’s dead, branches symbolize family not shown. her branches reach in mello’s direction always.

💰STEPHEN ‘ GEVANNI ‘ LOUD

european ( english oak ) , japanese ( japanese cedar )

M, big-sister-figure: gevanni once rejected M’s proposal of joining the family. as he didn’t want family holding him back. still, despite his efforts to stay hidden in the darkest little crevices of the world, M manages to get him an invitation for christmas dinner every year. and he RSVP’s every single time.

L, brother-in-law-figure: ‘ god you’re strange. . . i can see why M likes you. ‘

NEAR & MELLO, niece-&-nephew-figure: ‘ hey kids, wanna hear about the time i broke into this super big important museum and stole a statue bust worth millions??? oh, just near? fine by me-! ‘

ROGER, grandfather-figure: ‘ every family’s gotta have a guy like you around, roger, it just ain’t the full experience without the weird grandpa. ‘

WATARI, grandfather-figure: ‘ you may be responsible for leaving roger in charge of wammy’s, and that might have been a crazy decision, but god do you make a good strawberry shortcake. ‘

BRANCHES & LEAVES SIGNIFICANCE:

➡️➡️ each little leafy tendril is a connection gevanni has. BUT NOT FAMILY! he doesn’t have any of that. . . he’s a lone wolf. . . an alpha male, if you will.

➡️➡️ still, the connection to M is there, and he is developing a strong connection with near, slowly.

🌳 yay, thank god, i’m done. this is so long, but i love it. and just like most asks i take every single chsnce to yap too much. . . but now you know about L’s entire family dynamics!! so yayy!!!!!

THESE are just little memories. . . L coming to wammy’s house, he and M’s first kiss, & that time he caught M crying and tried to comfort her despite being right shit at it. it’s the thought that counts, y’know <3

33 notes · View notes

oh-no-its-bird · 3 days ago

Text

YESSSSSS WE GOT MORE THORNE AND VISCOUNT LORRAINE CONTENT IN THE NEW BONUS CHAPTER I AM CLAWING AT THE WALLS JUMPING UP AND DOWN TO SEE IT

Theyre so fucking cute I'm gonna throw up, I love their interactions. Thorne exists in some sort of perpetual state of "mildly uncomfortable" and Lorraine is so loud and overbearing in such an unapologetic way, it's so fun to see.

Thorne being "seen through" by Lorraine and feeling upset by it while Lorraine finds that side of him "charming" ,,,

I like how he says "You are actually quite charming", like, before he was presumably just another friendly merchant. A type of person Lorraine has for sure seen plenty of before, being who he is. But in seeing his smug side in just a quiet little expression, Lorraine is suddenly so much more endeared

Cute !!! I love them !!!!!

Meanwhile Thorne continues to be seen through by those around him,,,, tho now that I type this out, the last we saw him upset by being perceived a bit too hard I think was just Remilia? That's kinda fun to think ab

Meanwhile I think it says a bit about Lorraine too, like, he seems like this silly, unpractical guy. But with just a catch of an expression of Thorne's he was instantly recatogorizing him and going "(seeing you like this) I feel like I've figured you out"

I also have to wonder a bit at what exactly made Thorne feel so seen here. Was it his smugness at seeing things line up well? Or was it his fondness and pride in Remilia and his king? There are definitely a few different ways to read it

Anyways. Also losing my mind over the BONUS SKETCHES

THORNE IN SITUAT9IUNS SAOUGUHHFHHHH HH

[Car crash sfx]

Long haired Thorne is so pretty actually, I love him so much. AND THEN ?? THORNE IF HE'D INSTEAD BEEN CAUGHT BY PINA ???

Locked in a basement somewhere, forced to make potions he doesn't actually know how to make <3 He just sells them, Pina you dumb bitch !!! Let my man go !!!!

The fact that he's clearly in a whole ass cell is wild to me, oh my god my poor man. He looks like Pina's either been neglecting him or maybe trying to beat the answers out of him, or, likely, both.

I'm having fun thinking about this au actually. I do think he's try to insist he's doesn't know how to make (most) of the things he sells, especially the potions that Pina wants. Bc, yk, he doesn't. We met the guy who does, who's still in the demon realm.

But like. I can not see Thorne giving away who does make them. He cares too genuinley for his people, he'd never give one up. And honestly, even if he did, the guy is out of reach.

Anyways just. Thorne <3

I love the one within the villainess so much, we're being fed so well. Everyone say thank you Shiraume and Makiburo !!!

#birds fic talk #the one within the villainess #one within the villainess #towtv #owtv #thorne #owtv thorne #thorne owtv #viscount lorraine

20 notes · View notes

asarigg · 3 days ago

Text

I’m not sure if you’re replying to my post because this sounds a lot like you didn’t read what I wrote. I don’t think you’re aware or really understand the exact context of why I’m explaining that like this. I’d like to understand how is this a counter argument to a supposedly unfair (why…?) and biased (biased because I give my interpretation in an essay) when I’ve already talked about most of the points you talk about.

Was the assault because of Koujaku’s desires and feelings? Yes, obviously, and I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it in past posts. But what I was trying to point out is that the rape itself is not something he wants to willingly do, and his control just fades away as he loses his mind. And some people just ignore that fact and treat it like he was 100% lucid, you made up the edgelord part. These are people that have legit harassed others over that. I’m not even insulting them, yet you’re implying stuff about my own persona without paying attention to what I wrote. It’s ironic.

I’ve already mentioned that he’s seeing this cycle of him trying to protect someone he loves and betraying them happen again. He’s letting himself be manipulated by Ryuuhou and he’s falling to that pit of a certain type of violence, he knows it and hates it, and he wants to kill himself because he can see that he’s a danger for everyone else. But Koujaku doesn’t really care about killing Ryuuhou. The only reason why he doesn’t the first time is because Aoba stops him. The game makes a point of not judging his actions when he kills him, it’s neither good or bad, because he killed someone, but rightfully killed his abuser. It’s not glorified, but he doesn’t get blamed for it. All that controversy is only in his own mind and perception, if anything. And he says it himself, that what annoyed him wasn’t really killing Ryuuhou, but that he did what Ryuuhou wanted. It’s obvious and clear that Ryuuhou’s playing with them even BEFORE they go to Platinum Jail, remember that he left a tattoo sketch in Mizuki’s shop. This is something I’ve talked about as well.

The translation detail I mention was made comparing translations to see the differences, but in the grand scheme it doesn’t matter that much to the main point I was writing about. To me it’s mostly just that, a detail. NC made use of noncon all the time for kink so I don’t think it’s that unexpected, but it’s true that in the discussions with the people I’m referring to, these details are pretty often thrown around like they change the whole mind control plot that surrounds the entire game, hence why I thought it was important enough to mention. Regardless, I already said this in the original post, the most popular translation is known to have quite a few mistakes, and there are translations that are confusing, probably due to the language not having an equivalent. I compared different translations, and the vibes are always “I wish it was different”, meaning of course he wants and desires Aoba, romantically and sexually, but he doesn’t want it without Aoba wanting it. I never imply differently, what’s more, I talk about this in other parts, talking about the bad ending too.

Him being possessive and all that “you’re mine and mine only” mentality is an interesting idea to explore and I’ve done that myself on my own personal material. It could have been an obvious alternative bad ending aside of the one we got with Sly. But it’s a mentality that pretty obviously happens when he’s losing it and giving in to his deep desires, not in a normal context. Which again, was my point here regarding certain hate posts and disrespectful people.

In no way I think Sly is simply a beast with no good in him (which are words that I didn’t say, it changes the implications). This is an essay about Koujaku and I don’t center much on his character anyway, so I simplify. But it’s not even that far, he’s obviously someone who does as he pleases without caring about other’s comfort or wellbeing in general, that’s a heavy part of his character and of course you can’t expect him to have the highest morals around, even if there’s more to it. You can only know more about him once you’re in Ren’s route, because otherwise he’s presented to you as a purely violent, evil alter ego. I’m comparing Sly and beast Koujaku because of their similarities, not so much their differences.

The essay isn’t meant to be taken as the entire truth either. As an essay these are my personal thoughts and I can interpret one single thing in multiple ways. The most objective part is the character design part, and even there I also give my personal thoughts and interpretations. If anything it’s meant to open friendly discourse and maybe give new ideas and perspectives, just like you mentioned the idea of intrusive thoughts. This part of Glitter in specific is even more personal because it’s something that affected me personally and it’s been happening for years and years, so it became quite en exhausting topic.

About: Part 2

DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. PATH TO HEALING: part 2

Despite all this tension and mistrust, the next scene is full of gentleness. Aoba is extremely embarrassed and worried that he vomited on Koujaku, staining his kimono. But despite having such an important goal in mind, and the distance he’s causing by not wanting to involve him, taking care of Aoba right now and carrying him back home is more important. Aoba is so worried about having stained his kimono and Koujaku brushes it off, not only that but also uses his sleeve to clean it up. A kimono that signifies his identity, that is reminiscent of his mother, of her nurturing, something so personal.

I feel that after seeing Koujaku leave, Aoba felt especially vulnerable, those feelings of helplessness and neglect, that jealousness, sharpened by his discomfort after the effect of the drugs. So now it’s not only about Koujaku’s care, but also the warmth and affection placed on him that makes him feel better.

The main reason for Aoba's distrust towards Koujaku happens when he discovers the amount of tattoos and scars he had running through his body. The person he shared unique and intimate things with, only for the two of them, was not only leaving him alone but also hiding something from him, and the tattoos only confirmed it. What could be so serious that Koujaku is hiding it from him? Like we said before, it being solely because of the yakuza is kind of unlikely because he’s friendly with Virus and Trip, and you can’t possibly compare them to the friendship he has with Koujaku. So the shock mostly comes from feeling like his trust and friendship aren’t reciprocated, that he isn’t anyone special to him, that Koujaku is pushing him away and doesn’t want him by his side, he feels betrayed, lonely, rejected. He put all his trust in him, his hero, but it looks like Koujaku doesn’t hold him in high enough regard to confide in him. And so his heart breaks.

If one doesn’t trust, the other can’t either. They’re equals, and one can’t be without the other. But now, in a way, Koujaku is leaving him behind, and it could also remind him of how he left when they were children, of his parents, it’s a devastating feeling. That’s why he dreams about his childhood, a return to his most comforting memories, in which there was no distance or mistrust, in which Koujaku never pushed him away, rather, he was always with him, searching for him.

Alright, this is completely unnecessary in my opinion. It’s something so obvious I’m still surprised to see people reading this the wrong way, so that’s why I decided to include it. It’s something so important and shocking that it’s a shame that it’s interpreted in such a wrong way by either extreme censorship (crazy being a dmmd fan) or simple bias, because it’s been something that happens the twelve years the game has been around that people talk about this scene as if this was something that Koujaku ever wanted to happen or had made this decision on his own. What’s funny is that this is the usual coming from people who don’t like him, but surprisingly enough people that do like him sometimes also agree and then you can’t excuse it with rage bait. I really don’t understand how this can keep happening because one of the main plots of the entire game that moves the characters to act is precisely the brainwashing and mental manipulation that Toue wants to force on people. Each character has some personal relationship with this and it’s so blatant that I didn’t think I would continue to see these kinds of conclusions to this day and age.

It’s raining, Aoba returns to Glitter and a little while later Koujaku arrives too, soaked from head to toe and with a grim face. Although Aoba isn’t sure who he is referring to, because he doesn’t know the danger he entails, we know perfectly well that he’s pissed off because he saw him talking to Ryuuhou. During the conversation Aoba notices he was looking at something behind him, all that happens here goes exactly as the tattoo artist wanted, it’s all part of his plan, of his manipulation. Like we said before, rain is representative of the dragon's influence.

Somehow, what Koujaku is feeling now is the same thing Aoba has been feeling when he saw him leave. Anger, jealousy, disappointment and betrayal. He has seen the person he loves talking to his worst nightmare personified, the person he was looking for with the intention of killing him. His emotions are already unstable, but seeing them together upsets him so much that he’s no longer in full use of his faculties, with the tattoo consuming him, only managing to get angrier and angrier until he throws Aoba to the bed. First thing he does is to bite him, because it’s like he’s marking him as his in some way, like territory. His tattoos take over his body, over his feelings, and externalizes them in the worst way.

He’s becoming more and more irrational. Before he had a serious face, but now he’s getting angrier and angrier. This scene isn’t supposed to be hot (unless you’re into noncon lmao), it’s a scene where they’re pushing their relationship to the edge of a cliff, to a point of no return, these are the consequences and they either act now or they’ll be broken forever. There’s no need to have the full rape package because the point has already been made. It would just be for the sake of making the trauma more painful just for the kink and it just doesn’t fit. Considering how fast the entire story develops, the whole “Aoba forgives Koujaku” arc in order to have a good ending, it would probably feel empty and weightless.

I get the feeling that since Koujaku can still talk here, unlike the bad ending, people see it as if he’s actively controlling his body and just letting his anger peek (at most, he’d be only partially controlling it with the influence of the tattoo, or he’d be seeing it in “third person”, kind of like how Aoba can remember a bit of his life when Sly was controlling their body, but it’s not him). It’s pretty obvious that he’s not listening to Aoba, not only he doesn’t stop until he uses his power, he doesn’t answer his questions about what the hell he was talking about either. He’s not being rational, he just keeps repeating the same thing over and over until he can’t talk anymore. (His tattoo doesn’t need to be mature to do tremendous damage to his loved ones, to be honest no wonder he wanted to kill himself after this lol).

In the confession scene he also mentions that he vaguely remembers touching Aoba in this scene, the translations are actually a bit confusing because some suggest that Koujaku basically says that he liked how it felt even though he felt sorry about it being non-consensual, and others have a more reasonable answer where he says something like “I kind of remember what happened and I could only wish it was different”. I honestly lean towards the second one, because the first translation, which I think is the most popular one, already had several mistakes or slightly confusing translations and this one would be no exception, the implications are different. Honestly, just one more reason why I wished he would just say that he remembered literally making out with him in Scrap because this part only helps people to put the blame directly on him as if he had ever wanted that in the first place.

I need people to understand that the berserk form, beast Koujaku, whatever you wanna call it, is the same to Koujaku as Sly is to Aoba. They are forces of destruction that desire death and violence, with some kind of supernatural focus, beast Koujaku based on pure instinct, and Sly in a more sadistic way, consciously doing harm. You can’t expect any morality from them, and especially not from a beast. When Sly is in control, Aoba still remembers things that happen and vice versa. Koujaku remembering parts of what happens isn’t new and it doesn’t mean he was in control, period. I don’t see people blaming Aoba for what Sly does, so why would he be blamed for this? Even Aoba himself straight up tells you it’s not the same person, it’s impossible to know the tattoo exists and still thinking that this is somehow voluntary.

I’ve also seen people say that for some reason Koujaku fans just ignore this scene, as if we wanted to ignore anything slightly problematic or hinting at this being part of Koujaku’s personality in some shape or form, like we can’t stand the “fact” that he has any hint of malice in him and we don’t acknowledge it because we’re in a bubble dream world and it couldn’t be a worse misreading of the entire character. I can’t believe that it came from someone who liked Koujaku because it feels so disrespectful to him, to his story and who he is, basically all we’ve talked about so far. One thing is to have hcs and the other is to treat it as the canon truth and disrespect others because they don’t share those hcs that are pretty much incompatible with the character. Besides, I’m sorry, what else should we be talking about? They talk like this could happen in any other situation, and no. It wouldn’t because Koujaku didn’t choose this. They truly believe that a character who doesn’t have malice for some reason is a character without flaws or imperfections, and if they like this character it must be because there’s something bad in him that makes him a grey character, so they can keep enjoying their edginess. Got the wrong character, Koujaku’s imperfections and “impurities” are far apart from that selfish facet they wanted to give him. His lack of communication and his self destructive careless attitude of carrying everything on his own, the way he behaves giving less importance to himself and his inability to break the cycle by not relying on someone else are what builds him. If anything, being more selfish is what he needs, to be honest. Bad things can happen even if the intentions are good, it's a good natured character with nuances and flaws, to put it simple. And the good thing about Koujaku and Aoba is just how versatile they are, you can almost go with anything in your fiction and you'll probably find details and nuances about their characters that you can include there so it still feels like them, while separating from the strictly canon and exploring your own ideas.

I've mentioned this before on my Twitter account, long time ago. I personally wish they’d left more time to develop the feelings after this part of Glitter because Aoba immediately leaves and gets drugged by Ryuuhou. Same story, everything in the game happens really fast. With that in mind I think it’s fair to not take it too much into account, like many other things, and just imagine what would happen and that’s it. Because it’s true that they talk about it a bit, but then move on to something else right away and there’s no processing of what happened, the scene doesn’t feel as heavy as it should, like “Well, that just happened”. It’s the ultimate act of betrayal for god’s sake.

Ren recognizing Beni’s wings’ flapping like there aren’t a hundred other bird allmates that do the same sound will never not be iconic, truly an old man yaoi moment.

72 notes · View notes